Colour words in Portuguese (as cores)

Words for colours in Portuguese with notes and colour-related expressions.

Expressions with cor (colour, hue, shade)

  • furta-cor - iridescent
  • cor de linho - flaxen
  • corar - to colour / blush

black preto - black, dark, gloomy, awful, raven, swarthy, dun- coloured, dull

Shades / expressions

  • negro como o azeviche - jet-black
  • mercado negro - black (clandestine) market
  • buraco negro - black hole
  • ficar negro - to be, go black
  • âmbar-negro - jet (stone)
  • sujo - black / dirty (with smoke)
  • preto - blackish / dark / swarthy (LAm) / brunette
  • magia negra - black magic
  • o preto no branco - in writing, clearly

white branco - white, light, fair, blank, cowardly, paleface, hoary
alvo - white, target

Shades / expressions

  • em branco - blank, unwritten
  • branco, como a neve / de neve - as white as a sheet
  • dar um branco (nele) - draw a blank
  • noite em branco - sleepless night

red vermelho - red, ruddy, sandy, loud
tinto - coloured, red (wine), rosy, ruddy
ruivo - red-haired

Shades / expressions

  • olho roxo - black eye
  • estar no vermelho - to be in the red
  • ficar vermelho - to go red
  • a vermelhidão - redness

yellow amarelo - yellow, amber
amarelar - to go yellow, old (paper); chicken out

Shades / expressions

  • cartão de amarelo - yellow card
  • amarelinha - hopscotch
  • golvo amarelo - wallflower
  • sorriso amarelo - sardonic smile

blue azul - blue

Shades

  • azul celeste - sky blue
  • azul-marinho - navy blue
  • azul-turquesa - turquoise
  • azul-petróleo - teal
  • azular - run away
  • saco azul - slush fund

green verde - green, unripe, fresh, unseasoned, inexperienced
esverdeado - greenish

Shades / expressions

  • verde abacate - avocado-green
  • verde-oliva - olive-green
  • verde garrafa – bottle-green
  • verde de medo – very frightened
  • verde de fome – terribly hungry
  • jogar verde - to fish, ask leading questions
  • sinal verde – signal to ‘go’
  • cinturão verde – green belt (around town)
  • verduras – greens (food)
  • verdejar – turn green
  • feijão verde – green bean

brown marrom – brown, maroon (clothes, shoes)
castanho - brown (hair), tan
moreno – dark (skin, hair)
pardo (paper)
trigueiro - tawny

Expressions

  • muito moreno / muito bronzeado - as brown as a berry
  • ficar moreno / morenar-se / bronzear-se - to get brown (in the sun)
  • pão integral - brown bread
  • dourar – brown (food)
  • imprensa marrom – tabloid (newspaper)
  • açúcar mascavo - brown sugar

pink cor-de rosa - pink, rose, rose-coloured

Expressions

  • rosinhar – look, go pink
  • cravo – pink (carnation)
  • ter uma visão idílica - to see everything through rose-tinted spectacles

orange cor de laranja / alaranjado - orange


grey pardo – grey (horse)
cinzento - ashen
sombrio - dismal

Expressions

  • ficar grisalho - go grey (hair, person)
  • urso pardo – grizzly bear
  • encanecer – go grey

purple roxo, purpúreo / morado (of bruise) - purple / violet

Expressions

  • violeta – violet
  • roxo de saudades – pining away

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