Learn Korean Colors with Pronunciation and Examples

Colors are some of the most useful Korean words you can learn as a beginner.

You will see and hear color words when shopping for clothes, describing objects, talking about food, choosing products, or simply having everyday conversations in Korea.

In this lesson, you will learn 20 useful Korean color words, including basic colors such as red, blue, black, and white, as well as useful expressions like light color and dark color.

You can also use the pronunciation buttons below to listen to each Korean word and practice saying it naturally.

Table of Contents

20 Korean Colors You Should Know

1. 색깔 — Color

🔊 Listen: 색깔
saekggal
Color

Example:
이 색깔 좋아요.
I like this color.

2. 빨간색 — Red

🔊 Listen: 빨간색
bbalgansaek
Red

Example:
빨간색 가방이에요.
It is a red bag.

3. 주황색 — Orange

🔊 Listen: 주황색
juhwangsaek
Orange

Example:
주황색 옷을 입었어요.
I am wearing orange clothes.

4. 노란색 — Yellow

🔊 Listen: 노란색
noransaek
Yellow

Example:
노란색 꽃이 예뻐요.
The yellow flower is pretty.

5. 연두색 — Light Green

🔊 Listen: 연두색
yeondusaek
Light green

Example:
연두색 셔츠를 샀어요.
I bought a light green shirt.

6. 초록색 — Green

🔊 Listen: 초록색
choroksaek
Green

Example:
초록색 나무가 많아요.
There are many green trees.

7. 파란색 — Blue

🔊 Listen: 파란색
paransaek
Blue

Example:
파란색을 좋아해요.
I like blue.

8. 남색 — Navy Blue

🔊 Listen: 남색
namsaek
Navy blue

Example:
남색 재킷이 잘 어울려요.
The navy jacket looks good on you.

9. 보라색 — Purple

🔊 Listen: 보라색
borasaek
Purple

Example:
보라색 꽃이에요.
It is a purple flower.

10. 분홍색 — Pink

🔊 Listen: 분홍색
bunhongsaek
Pink

Example:
분홍색 휴대폰 케이스예요.
It is a pink phone case.

11. 갈색 — Brown

🔊 Listen: 갈색
galsaek
Brown

Example:
갈색 신발을 신고 있어요.
I am wearing brown shoes.

12. 회색 — Gray

🔊 Listen: 회색
hoesaek
Gray

Example:
회색 바지가 있어요.
I have gray pants.

13. 흰색 — White

🔊 Listen: 흰색
hinsaek
White

Example:
흰색 티셔츠를 자주 입어요.
I often wear white T-shirts.

14. 검은색 — Black

🔊 Listen: 검은색
geomeunsaek
Black

Example:
검은색 가방을 찾고 있어요.
I am looking for a black bag.

15. 하늘색 — Sky Blue

🔊 Listen: 하늘색
haneulsaek
Sky blue

Example:
하늘색 셔츠가 예뻐요.
The sky-blue shirt is pretty.

16. 살색 — Beige / Skin Tone

🔊 Listen: 살색
salsaek
Beige / skin tone

Example:
살색 스타킹이에요.
They are skin-tone stockings.

Note: In modern Korean, people also commonly use expressions such as 베이지색 (beige) or more specific color descriptions instead of 살색 depending on the context.

17. 금색 — Gold

🔊 Listen: 금색
geumsaek
Gold

Example:
금색 목걸이가 예뻐요.
The gold necklace is pretty.

18. 은색 — Silver

🔊 Listen: 은색
eunsaek
Silver

Example:
은색 자동차예요.
It is a silver car.

19. 밝은색 — Light Color

🔊 Listen: 밝은색
balgeunsaek
Light color

Example:
저는 밝은색 옷을 좋아해요.
I like light-colored clothes.

20. 어두운색 — Dark Color

🔊 Listen: 어두운색
eoduunssaek
Dark color

Example:
겨울에는 어두운색 옷을 자주 입어요.
I often wear dark-colored clothes in winter.

How Korean Color Words Work

Many Korean color words end in 색 (saek).

색 means “color,” so you will often see words such as:

빨간색 — red
파란색 — blue
초록색 — green
검은색 — black

This makes Korean color vocabulary easier to recognize once you become familiar with the pattern.

색 vs 색깔

Both 색 and 색깔 can mean “color.”

For beginners, you can think of them like this:

색 is commonly used as part of a color name, such as 빨간색 or 파란색.

색깔 is often used when talking about the general idea of a color.

For example:

무슨 색이에요?
What color is it?

무슨 색깔 좋아해요?
What color do you like?

Both expressions sound natural in everyday Korean.

Useful Korean Sentences with Colors

Here are a few expressions you can use immediately.

What color is it?

🔊 Listen: 무슨 색이에요?
museun saegieyo?
What color is it?

What color do you like?

🔊 Listen: 무슨 색깔 좋아해요?
museun saekggal joahaeyo?
What color do you like?

I like blue.

🔊 Listen: 파란색 좋아해요.
paransaek joahaeyo
I like blue.

Do you have this in black?

🔊 Listen: 이거 검은색 있어요?
igeo geomeunsaek isseoyo?
Do you have this in black?

This last sentence is especially useful when shopping in Korea.

Practice Korean Colors in Real Life

Try looking around you and naming the colors of everyday objects in Korean.

For example:

휴대폰 — phone
가방 — bag
셔츠 — shirt
신발 — shoes
자동차 — car

You can make simple sentences like:

가방이 검은색이에요.
The bag is black.

셔츠가 파란색이에요.
The shirt is blue.

Practicing with objects you see every day makes vocabulary much easier to remember.

Korean Colors Summary

No.	Korean	Pronunciation	Meaning
1	색깔	saekggal	color
2	빨간색	bbalgansaek	red
3	주황색	juhwangsaek	orange
4	노란색	noransaek	yellow
5	연두색	yeondusaek	light green
6	초록색	choroksaek	green
7	파란색	paransaek	blue
8	남색	namsaek	navy blue
9	보라색	borasaek	purple
10	분홍색	bunhongsaek	pink
11	갈색	galsaek	brown
12	회색	hoesaek	gray
13	흰색	hinsaek	white
14	검은색	geomeunsaek	black
15	하늘색	haneulsaek	sky blue
16	살색	salsaek	beige / skin tone
17	금색	geumsaek	gold
18	은색	eunsaek	silver
19	밝은색	balgeunsaek	light color
20	어두운색	eoduunssaek	dark color

Keep Learning Korean

Learning Korean colors is a simple but important step toward having real conversations in Korean.

Instead of memorizing the words only once, listen to the pronunciation, say each word aloud, and try using the colors to describe things around you.

The next time you are shopping, ordering something, or talking about clothes in Korea, these words will be much easier to remember.

Keep practicing a little every day, and Korean vocabulary will start to feel much more natural.