Colour words in German
Words for colours in German with notes and colour-related expressions.
schwarz - black
Shades / expressions
- pechschwarz - pitch black
- kohlrabenschwarz - black as a raven
- Schwarzfahrer - black rider, i.e. someone who rides a bus or train without a ticket, like a stowaway
- Schwarzseher - black-looker, i.e. a pessimist
- schwarzmalen - painting in black - expressing a pessimistic outlook
- sich schwarzärgern - to turn black with anger, i.e. being very angry - especially about something you can't change
- Da kannst du warten, bis du schwarz wirst - You can wait until you turn black (hell freezes over)
weiß - white
Shades / expressions
- schneeweiß - white as snow
- eierschalenfarben - egg shell coloured = off-white, slightly brownish tinged white
rot - red
Shades / expressions
- blutrot - blood red
- weinrot - wine red, burgundy
- Morgenrot / Abendrot - morning red / evening red - reddish glow in the sky at dawn / twilight
- rot werden - to become red - to blush
- rotsehen - to see red - to be furious
- Rotlauf - red run - erysipelas, an infection of the skin
gelb - yellow
Shades / expressions
- goldgelb - golden yellow
- zitronengelb - lemon yellow
blau - blue
Shades / expressions
- himmelblau - sky blue
- Blaues Auge - blue eye - black eye, shiner, periorbital hematoma
- Blauer Fleck - blue spot - hematoma
- Blaues Blut - blue blood - nobility
- jemanden grün und blau schlagen - to beat somebody green and blue - to beat somebody up pretty badly
- blau sein - to be drunk
- türkis - turquoise
- graublau - grey-blue = greyish blue, periwinkle
- blaumachen - making/doing blue, i. e. skipping work
- blauäugig sein - to be blue-eyed, i.e. to be naïve
grün - green
Shades / expressions
- giftgrün - toxic green - bright green with a bluish tinge; the name derives from the toxic pigment Paris Green
- grasgrün - grassy green
- gelbgrün - yellow green, chartreuse
- Grüner Star - green "Star" [1] - glaucoma
- Grünspan - green shaving - copper acetate
- jemanden grün und blau schlagen - to beat somebody green and blue - to beat somebody up pretty badly
braun - brown
Shades / expressions
- beige - beige - light yellowish brown
- ocker - ochre - yellowish brown
- rehbraun - deer brown
- schokoladebraun - chocolate brown
- schwarzbraun - black-brown - dark brown
- bräunen - browning - tanning
rosa - pink
pink - bright, intense pink / hot pink / shocking pink
Shades / expressions
- altrosa - old pink - darker, slighly greyish pink
- durch die rosa Brille schauen - looking through pink glasses - having an optimistic outlook, seeing only the good side
orange - orange
grau - grey
Shades / expressions
- silbergrau - silver grey
- Grauzone - grey zone - an undefined area; e.g. legal loopholes, moral ambiguosness
- Grauer Star - grey "Star" [1] - cataract
- taubengrau - pigeon grey = bluish or slightly purplish grey, taupe grey
- mausgrau - mouse grey = brownish grey; the proverbial non-colour
lila / violett - purple, violet
- violett = violet - the shade of violets
- lila = lilac - the shade of lilac blossoms
[1] the word "star" in this context comes from medieval German and means the blank stare of a blind person
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