Colors in Farsi: All 20 You Need to Know
Learn the 20 main colors in Farsi with Persian script, phonetic spelling, and example sentences. A beginner friendly guide to colors in the Persian language.
Thomas van Welsenes
Founder of Learn Farsi
Why Colors Matter Early in Farsi
Colors are one of the first word sets every learner needs. They appear in clothes, food, traffic, art, and everyday small talk. Knowing 20 colors lets you describe almost anything in your day.
The word for color in Farsi is رنگ (rang). It comes from the same root as the English word range. Persian color words follow simple rules and many already feel familiar.
This guide lists 20 essential colors with Persian script, phonetic spelling, and a real sentence for each.
The 7 Basic Colors
Start with the seven most common colors. These cover 80 percent of color talk in Farsi.
- قرمز (qermez), red
- آبی (aabi), blue
- سبز (sabz), green
- زرد (zard), yellow
- سیاه (siaah), black
- سفید (sefid), white
- نارنجی (naarenji), orange
Notice that آبی comes from آب (aab, water). And نارنجی comes from نارنج (naarenj, the bitter orange fruit). Persian builds many color words from real objects.
Common Everyday Colors
Add these seven to handle most clothes, food, and home talk.
- بنفش (banafsh), purple
- صورتی (suurati), pink
- قهوهای (qahveh'i), brown
- خاکستری (khaakestari), gray
- طلایی (talaa'i), gold
- نقرهای (noqreh'i), silver
- بژ (bezh), beige
The -ی ending turns a noun into an adjective. قهوه is coffee, قهوهای is brown, literally coffee colored. طلا is gold, طلایی is golden. Persian builds colors from nouns this way often.
Six More Useful Color Words
Round out the list with six finishing touches.
- فیروزهای (firuze'i), turquoise
- لیمویی (limu'i), lemon yellow
- زیتونی (zeytuni), olive green
- سرمهای (sormeh'i), navy blue
- شرابی (sharaabi), wine red, burgundy
- یشمی (yashmi), jade green
Many Iranians use these in fashion, design, and cosmetics. سرمهای is also the name for kohl eye liner, so the navy blue is the deep dark blue of that pigment.
Light and Dark in Farsi
Persian uses two short words to shade any color, light or dark.
- روشن (roshan), light
- تیره (tireh), dark
Put them after the color, like English.
- آبی روشن (aabi roshan), light blue
- سبز تیره (sabz tireh), dark green
- قرمز روشن (qermez roshan), light red, pink leaning
You can stack them on any color. This trick alone doubles your color vocabulary.
How Colors Work in Persian Sentences
Persian colors follow the noun, the opposite of English. The grammar piece that connects them is the ezāfe, a tiny -e sound that links a noun to its adjective.
- ماشین قرمز (maashin-e qermez), the red car
- پیراهن آبی (piraahan-e aabi), the blue shirt
- خانه سفید (khaane-ye sefid), the white house
The ezāfe is not written. It is spoken. When the noun ends in a vowel, the ezāfe becomes -ye (as in khaane-ye). For more, see our Farsi grammar basics guide.
Cultural Notes on Persian Colors
Colors carry meaning in Persian culture. Three are worth knowing.
Turquoise (فیروزهای). The signature color of Persian architecture. The famous tiled domes of Isfahan and Yazd use this color. It also names the mineral turquoise, which originally comes from Iran.
Green (سبز). Symbolizes paradise, growth, and Islam. The Iranian flag uses it. The سبزه (sabze, sprouts) on the Nowruz table represent rebirth in spring.
Red (قرمز). Linked to courage and life. Pomegranates (انار, anaar) are a national symbol partly thanks to their deep red color.
Learn more about Persian culture in our Nowruz guide.
Practice Sentences
Try saying these out loud. They use the colors above in everyday contexts.
- ماشین من سفید است. (maashin-e man sefid ast.), My car is white.
- این پیراهن آبی روشن خیلی قشنگه. (in piraahan-e aabi roshan kheyli qashange.), This light blue shirt is very pretty.
- آسمان امروز خاکستری است. (aasemaan emruz khaakestari ast.), The sky is gray today.
- چای قهوهای رنگه. (chaay qahveh'i range.), Tea is brown.
Notice the small word رنگ (rang) at the end of the last sentence. Native speakers add it to confirm you are describing a color, not the object itself.