Arabic colour words have different forms for use with masculine singular, feminine singular and masculine or feminine plural nouns.
Key abbreviations: m = masculine, f = feminine, sg = singular, pl = plural
pl (sūd) سود |
f/sg (sawdāʾ) سوداء |
m/sg - (aswad) أسود - black
pl (bīḍ) بيض |
f/sg (bayḍāʾ) بيضاء |
m/sg - (ʾabyaḍ) أبيض - white
pl (ḥumr) حمر |
f/sg (ḥamrāʾ) حمراء |
m/sg (ʾaḥmar) أحمر - red
pl (ṣufr) صفر |
f/sg (ṣafrāʾ) صفراء |
m/sg (ʾaṣfar) أصفر - yellow
pl (zurq) زرق |
f/sg (zarqāʾ) زرقاء |
m/sg (ʾazraq) أزرق - blue
pl (ḫuḍr) خضر |
f/sg (ḫaḍrāʾ) خضراء |
m/sg (ʾaḫḍar) أخضر - green
"coffee bean" = (bunnī) بني - brown
"rose" = (wardī) وردي /
(qarnafli) قرنفلي / (ʾaḥmar wardī) أحمر وردي
- pink
"orange (fruit)" =
(burtuqālī) برتقالي - orange
commonly used - "ash" =
(ramādī) رمادي - grey
used only for horses - pl (šuhb) شهب | f/sg (šahbāʾ) شهباء | m/sg (ʾašhab) أشهب - grey
indigo = (nili) نيلي /
lilac/purple = (laylaki) ليلكي /
(ʾarǧwānī) أرجواني - purple
Notes on Arabic colours by Benjamin Yang
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Colour words in other languages
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