The basic colors in Turkish are kırmızı (red), mavi (blue), yeşil (green), sarı (yellow), siyah (black) and beyaz (white). The word for “color” is renk, plural renkler. To ask “What color is it?”, say Ne renk? or Rengi ne?
Colors are some of the first adjectives learners meet, and they are a good way to practice how Turkish adjectives work: where they go, how they become nouns (“the red one”), and how to compare them. This guide gives you the full color list, light and dark shades, the special intensive forms like masmavi, and the cultural associations you will run into.
Pronunciation hints are rough English approximations: uh stands for the Turkish ı, ö and ü are as in German, and ğ lengthens the vowel before it. To hear the real sounds, use the Turkish alphabet tool.
Basic colors
| Turkish | Pronunciation hint | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| kırmızı | kuhr-muh-zuh | red | |
| turuncu | tu-run-ju | orange | The fruit is portakal; portakal rengi also means orange. |
| sarı | sah-ruh | yellow | |
| yeşil | yeh-sheel | green | |
| mavi | mah-vee | blue | |
| lacivert | lah-jee-vert | navy blue | Treated as a separate color, not a kind of mavi. |
| mor | mor | purple | |
| pembe | pem-beh | pink | |
| kahverengi | kah-veh-ren-gee | brown | Lit. “coffee color”; written as one word. |
| siyah | see-yah | black | |
| beyaz | beh-yahz | white | |
| gri | gree | gray |
More shades
| Turkish | Pronunciation hint | English |
|---|---|---|
| bordo | bor-doh | burgundy, maroon |
| turkuaz | tur-ku-ahz | turquoise |
| bej | bezh | beige |
| krem rengi | krem ren-gee | cream |
| lila | lee-lah | lilac |
| eflatun | ef-lah-tun | light purple, lilac |
| haki | hah-kee | khaki |
| altın rengi | ahl-tuhn ren-gee | gold |
| gümüş rengi | gü-müsh ren-gee | silver |
| gök mavisi | gök mah-vee-see | sky blue |
| fıstık yeşili | fuhs-tuhk yeh-shee-lee | bright (pistachio) green |
Altın rengi, gök mavisi and fıstık yeşili are compound nouns: the second word carries the -(s)I ending, just like Türk kahvesi (Turkish coffee).
Light, dark and “-ish”
- açık (light): açık mavi (light blue), açık yeşil (light green)
- koyu (dark): koyu kırmızı (dark red), koyu gri (dark gray)
- -(ı)msı / -(i)msi (-ish): kırmızımsı (reddish), yeşilimsi (greenish), mavimsi (bluish)
- -ımtırak / -imtırak (-ish, less common): sarımtırak (yellowish), yeşilimtırak (greenish)
Intensive forms: “completely red”
Turkish has a special reduplicated form that means “bright, completely, very”: the first syllable is repeated with an extra consonant.
| Color | Intensive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kırmızı | kıpkırmızı | Yüzü kıpkırmızı oldu. — Her face went bright red. |
| sarı | sapsarı | Sapsarı oldun, iyi misin? — You’ve gone pale, are you OK? |
| yeşil | yemyeşil | Bahçe yemyeşil. — The garden is lush green. |
| mavi | masmavi | Deniz masmavi. — The sea is deep blue. |
| siyah | simsiyah | Simsiyah saçları var. — She has jet-black hair. |
| beyaz | bembeyaz | Her yer bembeyaz. — Everything is white (with snow). |
| mor | mosmor | Erikler mosmor oldu. — The plums have turned deep purple. |
| kara | kapkara | Kapkara bulutlar. — Pitch-black clouds. |
These forms are fixed: you can’t create one for every color (there is no intensive for gri or pembe), so learn them as vocabulary.
Kara vs siyah, ak vs beyaz, al and kızıl
Turkish has older color words that live on in names and expressions:
- siyah / beyaz: the everyday words for black and white. For objects and clothes, use these: siyah bir ceket (a black jacket).
- kara: the native Turkish word for black, now used mostly in names and figurative phrases: Karadeniz (the Black Sea), kara haber (bad news), kara mizah (black humour), kara liste (blacklist). It is also common for eyes and hair: kara gözlü (dark-eyed).
- ak: an older word for white: Akdeniz (the Mediterranean, lit. “White Sea”), ak saç (white hair).
- al: a poetic red, best known from al bayrak, “the red flag”, i.e. the Turkish flag.
- kızıl: crimson or reddish orange: kızıl saç (red hair), Kızıldeniz (the Red Sea), Kızılay (the Turkish Red Crescent).
Describing people
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| sarışın | blond(e) (person) |
| esmer | dark-haired, dark-complexioned |
| kumral | with light-brown hair |
| kızıl saçlı | red-haired |
| mavi gözlü | blue-eyed |
| ela gözlü | hazel-eyed |
Using colors in sentences
Colors are ordinary adjectives, so the rules on the adjectives and word order page apply:
- Before the noun: kırmızı araba (the red car), mavi gözler (blue eyes).
- With “a”: kırmızı bir araba (a red car). The usual order is adjective + bir + noun; bir kırmızı araba means “one red car”.
- As the predicate: Araba kırmızı. (The car is red.) Gözlerim yeşil. (My eyes are green.)
- As a noun, “the red one”: Kırmızıyı beğendim. (I liked the red one.) Maviyi mi alalım? (Shall we get the blue one?) Here the color takes the accusative case, with buffer y after a vowel. You can also say mavi olanı (the one that is blue).
- Plural: Siyahlar tükendi. (The black ones are sold out.)
- Asking: Ne renk? / Hangi renk? (What color? / Which color?) En sevdiğin renk ne? (What’s your favourite color?)
- Its color: renk → rengi (the k softens before a vowel, see consonant mutation): Bu gömleğin başka rengi var mı? (Does this shirt come in another color?)
A few everyday questions and answers:
- Arabanın rengi ne? — Gri. (What color is the car? — Gray.)
- Gözlerin ne renk? — Kahverengi. (What color are your eyes? — Brown.)
- Hangi rengi istersiniz? — Siyahı lütfen. (Which color would you like? — The black one, please.)
- Bu renk sana çok yakışmış. — This color really suits you.
- Kırmızı ışıkta durun. — Stop at the red light.
Comparing colors
Use daha (more) and en (most), explained on the comparative and superlative page:
- Bu daha koyu. — This one is darker.
- Daha açık bir renk var mı? — Is there a lighter color?
- En güzel renk hangisi sence? — Which color do you think is the nicest?
“Blue-eyed”: the -lı suffix
Add -lı/-li/-lu/-lü (with) to make descriptions: mavi gözlü kız (the blue-eyed girl), sarı saçlı adam (the blond man), kırmızı çizgili gömlek (the shirt with red stripes). See adjective suffixes -li and -siz.
Colors in Turkish culture
- Nazar boncuğu, the blue glass evil-eye bead, hangs in homes, cars and shops.
- Football colors stand for the clubs: sarı-kırmızı (Galatasaray), sarı-lacivert (Fenerbahçe), siyah-beyaz (Beşiktaş), bordo-mavi (Trabzonspor).
- Expressions: pembe dizi (soap opera, lit. “pink series”), yeşil ışık yakmak (to give the green light), kırmızı çizgi (a red line), beyaz yalan (a white lie), sarı çizmeli Mehmet Ağa (an unidentifiable person, roughly “John Doe”). More in our guide to Turkish idioms and proverbs.
Dialogue: in a clothes shop
Satıcı: Buyurun, yardımcı olabilir miyim? Hello, can I help you?
Müşteri: Bu gömleğin başka rengi var mı? Does this shirt come in another color?
Satıcı: Var. Beyazı, laciverti ve açık mavisi var. Yes. It comes in white, navy and light blue.
Müşteri: Laciverti deneyebilir miyim? Can I try the navy one?
Satıcı: Tabii. Kaç beden giyiyorsunuz? Of course. What size do you wear?
Müşteri: M. … Hmm, bu biraz koyu. Daha açık bir şey istiyorum. Medium. … Hmm, this is a bit dark. I’d like something lighter.
Satıcı: O zaman açık maviyi deneyin, yaz için çok güzel. Then try the light blue, it’s lovely for summer.
Müşteri: Tamam, açık maviyi alayım. OK, I’ll take the light blue.
Common mistakes
- Bir kırmızı araba for “a red car”. Say kırmızı bir araba.
- Renki. The k softens: rengi.
- Kahve rengi vs kahverengi. For the color name, kahverengi is one word.
- Kırmızıı or kırmızıi. After a vowel, the accusative needs a buffer y: kırmızıyı.
- Using mavi for navy. Turkish speakers treat lacivert as its own color.
- Using kara for everyday objects. Kara ceket sounds odd or poetic; say siyah ceket.
Mini-quiz
- Say “light green”.
- Say “a white house”.
- Translate: “I liked the black one.”
- What is a pembe dizi?
- Give the intensive form of sarı.
- Translate: “This one is darker.”
Answers: 1. Açık yeşil. 2. Beyaz bir ev. 3. Siyahı beğendim. 4. A soap opera. 5. Sapsarı. 6. Bu daha koyu.
Next steps
Colors are the easiest way into Turkish adjectives, so follow up with the adjectives and word order guide, then review the new words with TurkLogic flashcards.
