Learning a list of French colors is one of the best first steps in mastering basic conversation. Besides being basic French words, these adjectives can help you describe your missing luggage, purchase the perfect gift, accessorize a nice ensemble, or compliment someone’s eyes. Through these simple conversational pieces, you’ll also learn about French parts of speech, grammar, and structures that work differently in French.
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Basic French colors list
Think of this list of essential French colors as your starter box of crayons. It might not have every one of your favorite shades, but you can expand from this simple list of les couleurs (the colors) in French.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| rouge | roojzh | red |
| orange | oh-ranjzh | orange |
| jaune | jzhown | yellow |
| vert/verte | vair/vairt | green |
| bleu/bleue | bleuh | blue |
| violet/violette | vee-oh-lai/vee-oh-let | violet/purple |
| rose | rose | pink |
| marron | mah-rohn | brown |
| blanc/blanche | blahn/blahnsh | white |
| noir/noire | nwoir | black |
| gris/grise | gree/greez | gray |
These words are helpful in providing simple descriptions and information:
- Ma maison est blanche. = My house is white.
- Ma couleur préférée est le vert. = My favorite color is green.
- Les couleurs de mon école sont le blanc et le rouge. = My school’s colors are white and red.
29 popular colors in French
Of course, no first list of colors would be complete without your personal favorites, so once you’ve learned the basic set of colors in French, find your favorite shades in this list. It’s by no means exhaustive but will brighten your vocabulary.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| argenté/argentée | ar-jzhahn-tai | silver |
| beige | behjzh | beige |
| blanc cassé/écru | blahn cah-say | off white |
| bleu ciel | bleuh syell | baby blue/sky blue |
| bleu marine | bleuh mah-reen | navy blue |
| bleu roi | bleuh rwah | royal blue |
| bleu sarcelle | bleuh sahr-sell | teal |
| bordeaux | bore-doe | burgundy/maroon |
| bronze | brohnz | bronze |
| brun clair/brun roux | bruhn clair/bruhn roo | tan |
| corail/couleur corail | core-eye | coral |
| cramoisi | crah-mwah-zee | crimson |
| crème/couleur crème | crehm | cream |
| cyan | see-ahn | cyan |
| doré/dorée | door-ai | gold |
| jaune citron | zjhown see-trohn | lemon yellow |
| lavande | lah-vahnd | lavender |
| mauve | mohve | mauve |
| lilas | lee-lah | lilac |
| magenta | mah-jzhen-tah | magenta |
| pêche/couleur pêche | peh-sh | peach |
| pervenche/couleur pervenche | pair-vahnsh | periwinkle |
| rouge brique | roojzh breek | brick red |
| rouille | roouye | rust |
| turquoise | tour-kwahz | turquoise |
| vert citron | vair see-trohn | lime |
| vert émeraude | vair aim-air-ode | emerald green |
| vert forêt | vair fore-ai | forest green |
| vert sauge | vair sohjzh | sage |
What are France’s colors?
The colors of France are best known as bleu, blanc, et rouge (blue, white, and red) because of the love for the country’s flag. Nicknamed Le Tricolore (the tricolor), the flag is composed of three vertical stripes of equal width in blue, white, and red.
Ever since its creation during the French Revolution, it has been a symbol of a united France. White was the color of the king, which was added to the colors of Paris — blue and red.
Other colors that may remind travelers of France include lavande (lavender), from the fields of lavender in Provence, jaune (yellow) of the tournesols (sunflowers), and noir (black), reminiscent of the chic and sophisticated style.
Colors for describing people
An important basic skill when learning French is to be able to describe a person’s appearance. This could be essential for locating a missing member of your group if someone gets separated in a crowded area.
Hair color words in French
The basic colors of the rainbow won’t suffice when describing hair color in French. Use these phrases instead. Use the phrases il a/elle a (he has/she has) with these descriptions.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| ¿Il/elle a les cheveux de quelle couleur? | Eel/ell ah lai sheuh-veuh deuh kell coo-leuhr? | What color hair does he/she have? |
| les cheveux blancs | lai sheuh-veuh blahn | white hair |
| les cheveux blonds | lai sheuh-veuh blohn | blonde hair |
| les cheveux bruns | lai sheuh-veuh bruhn | brown hair |
| les cheveux châtains | lai sheuh-veuh shah-tehn | dark blond/chestnut hair |
| les cheveux gris | lai sheuh-veuh gree | gray hair |
| les cheveux noirs | lai sheuh-veuh nwoir | black hair |
| les cheveux poivre et sel | lai sheuh-veuh pwahve ai sell | salt and pepper |
| les cheveux roux | lai sheuh-veuh roo | red hair |
| des mèches violettes | dai mesh vee-oh-lettes | green highlights |
In French, the basic color words like rouge (red) are only used if the hair is dyed a distinct bright red color, but the natural “redhead” color is called cheveux roux. As hair coloring trends have made it common to see all shades of the rainbow, almost any French color word is possible when describing hair in French.
French words for eye color
To describe eye color, use the phrases il a/elle a (he has/she has) with these words.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| ¿Il/elle a les yeux de quelle couleur? | Eel/ell ah layz yeuh deuh kell coo-leuhr? | What color eyes does he/she have? |
| les yeux bleus | layz yeuh bleuh | blue eyes |
| les yeux bleu ciel | layz yeuh bleuh see-ell | sky blue eyes |
| les yeux marron | layz yeuh mah-rohn | brown eyes |
| les yeux noirs | layz yeuh nwahr | black eyes |
| les yeux noisette | layz yeuh nwah-zette | hazel eyes |
| les yeux verts | layz yeuh vairt | green eyes |
| un oeil bleu et un oeil marron | uh noy bleuh ai uh noy mah-rohn | one blue eye and one brown eye |
Notice how the rules for invariable adjectives are applied in writing, although in spoken French you won’t hear the difference between bleus and bleu because the “s” is silent.
French words to describe skin color
To describe someone’s skin color, use il/elle a (he/she has) and a descriptor of skin tone. As in many cultures and languages, it’s important to discuss physical features like skin tone with respect.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| ¿Il/elle a la peau de quelle teinte? | Eel/ell ah la poh deuh kell tent? | What color skin tone does he/she have? |
| la peau bronzée | la poh brohn-zay | tanned skin (made darker by the sun) |
| la peau couleur de miel | la poh coo-leuhr deuh me-ell | honey colored skin |
| la peau mate | la poh maht | darker complexion |
| la peau noire | la poh nwoire | black skin |
| la peau pâle | la poh pahl | pale skin |
| Il/elle est une personne de teint (noir, mat, olive, ébène) | Eel/ell ai oon pair-son deuh teh (nwoir, mah, oh-leave, eh-ben). | He/she is a person with a (black, dark, olive, ebony) complexion. |
French words to describe colors
Let’s get specific. If you pick up a few more words, you’ll be able to describe shades and tones of the basic French colors to communicate a more specific hue.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
| clair | clair | light |
| coloré/colorée | coh-loh-rai | colorful |
| fluo | floo-oh | fluorescent |
| foncé | fohn-sai | dark |
| pastel | pah-stell | pastel |
| terne | tairne | dull |
| vif/vive | veef/veeve | bright/vivid |
These words come after the name of the color in a sentence:
- Je préfère la chemise bleu clair. = I prefer the light blue shirt.
- Elle a une voiture jaune fluo. = She has a fluorescent yellow car.
- Il portait un manteau gris foncé. = He was wearing a dark gray coat.
Grammar rules for French colors
French colors can be used as nouns or adjectives, just like in English. Some grammar rules differ from English, including word order and adjective agreement rules.
French adjectives generally are placed after the noun they describe
French colors can be used as adjectives to describe nouns. French adjectives, with a few exceptions, follow the noun in the sentence.
- la chemise noire = the black shirt
- la cravate blanche = the white tie
French adjectives often change forms to match the noun they describe
French adjectives change forms to match the noun they’re describing in both grammatical gender and number.
According to French gender rules, masculine nouns will take the masculine form of the color, while nouns that are feminine will use the feminine form.
- le manteau noir = the black coat
- la veste noire = the black jacket
Singular nouns require the singular form of the color, while French plural adjectives are used with plural nouns.
- les gants blancs = the white gloves
- les chaussures blanches = the white shoes
Most French colors derived from nouns don’t change form as adjectives
Some French colors are derived from nouns, such as flowers, foods, or precious stones. When this is the case, many are “invariable,” meaning the adjective doesn’t change to match the noun. But, as with many grammar rules, there are a few exceptions to this one. A few colors in French, such as violet/violette (violet) and rose (pink) are derived from nouns but still follow the rules for agreement.
- les chaussures orange = orange socks
- les sandales crème = cream sandals
Other times where colors are invariable include:
- when you’re describing a single object that is multicolored
- une cravate blanc et violet = a white and purple tie
- when using modifiers for colors such as light or dark
- des chapeaux bleu clair = light blue hats
- des taxis jaune vif = bright yellow taxis
- colors that are made of more than one word
- une maison vert forêt = a forest green house
- une voiture de sport bleu électrique = an electric blue sports car
Colors as nouns are masculine
While we generally think of colors as adjectives, which is true when they’re describing a noun, they can also be nouns themselves. When used as a noun, colors are masculine.
- J’aime le bleu. = I like blue.
- Elle préfère le rouge. = She prefers red.
- Je pense que le vert est joli. = I think green is pretty.
Using the suffix -âtre with colors in French
In English, we use the suffix “-ish” to describe a color with nuance, such as “greenish eyes” or “pinkish paint.” It’s not exactly that color, but might have a hint or a shade of the color to it. In French, a similar suffix is -âtre. It means a shade that is less vibrant, off from the standard, or an undesirable version of that color. In French, it carries more of a negative connotation.
- une peinture jaunâtre = a sickly yellowish paint
- l’eau verdâtre = a greenish water, as though from algae
See the world in French colors
Now that you’ve mastered a variety of French colors, you might be seeing la vie en rose (seeing life “in pink,” or through an optimistic lens). Take this feeling to the next level as you learn French with Rosetta Stone. Expand your vocabulary to include nouns for clothing, accessories, gifts, works of art, items found in nature, and more. Let colors be a natural springboard to learn even more descriptive adjectives to brighten your conversation. Rosetta Stone can help you express yourself with clarity and vivid detail.
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