When you learn a new language, the colors are one of the most important and fun things to learn – you can describe with them almost anything, and you can know your way around much more easily (all of us have heard a sentence like “turn right after the yellow sign, and continue straight until you see the pink building”).
Many people say that colors are one of the joys of life, so in this article we will explain about the colors in Hebrew.
Most of the names of the colors in Hebrew are very different from the English ones – for example, the color red is pronounced ‘ADOM’, and the color yellow is pronounced ‘TZAHOV’.
On the other hand, there are some colors that are very similar, like the color bourdeaux, that is pronounces the same in Hebrew – ‘BORDO’.
Here is a list of some of the most popular colors in Hebrew and in English:
Besides red and yellow, we have blue – ‘KAKHOL’
Green – ‘YAROK’
Pink – ‘VAROD’
Purple – ‘SAGOL’
Brown – ‘KHUM’
White – ‘LAVAN’
Black – ‘SHAKHOR’
Grey – ‘AFOR’
Orange – ‘KATOM’
Silver – ‘KESEF’
Gold – ‘ZAHAV’
If you want to refer to a darker color, for example, dark green, you add the word ‘KEHE’ (= dark) after the color – ‘YAROK KEHE’.
If you want to refer to a lighter color, like light pink, you need to add the word ‘BAHIR’ (= light) after the color – ‘VAROD BAHIR’. An exception is the color light blue, that has its own name in Hebrew – ‘TKHELET’.
It is important to remember that in Hebrew, the colors receive the noun’s characteristics – for example, if I want to say ‘blue envelope’, I would say ‘MA’ATAFA K’KHULA’ – ‘MA’ATAFA’ is an envelope, and it is a feminine noun, so the color blue receives a feminine form. The masculine form is the name of the color itself.
We hope that you learned a little about the colors in Hebrew. There are so many colors in Hebrew, and so many other things to learn in Hebrew, so we invite you to try our lessons, and study one of the most ancient and interesting languages in the world!
LingoLearn is an online Hebrew school that offers beginners level Hebrew courses, as well as intermediate and advanced level courses. Learn Hebrew with our experienced teachers and excellent learning materials, in a state of the art virtual classroom!
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