German Colors: Farben Vocabulary Explained
German has three primary colors and a handful of others you'll use constantly — and a couple of quirks in how color adjectives behave. In this lesson, we cover all 15 essential German colors with an example sentence for each, then finish with a grammar tip on how (and when) color adjectives change their ending.
The 3 Primary Colors
gelb (yellow) — Die Banane ist gelb. rot (red) — Der Apfel ist rot. blau (blue) — Der Himmel ist blau.
12 More Essential Colors
grĂĽn (green), orange (orange), lila/violett (purple), rosa (pink), braun (brown), schwarz (black), weiĂź (white), grau (grey), tĂĽrkis (turquoise), gold (gold), silber (silver), beige (beige). Example: Meine Katze ist schwarz und weiĂź.
A Grammar Tip: Not All Colors Decline
When a color stands directly before a noun, it usually takes an ending that matches the noun's gender, case, and number — just like any other German adjective: der grüne Baum, die grüne Wiese. But colors borrowed from nouns — rosa, lila, orange, and beige — are the exception: they never change their ending, in any gender or case. das rosa Kleid, die rosa Kleider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 3 primary colors in German?
Gelb (yellow), rot (red), and blau (blue).
How do you say “black and white” in German?
Schwarz und weiĂź.
Do German color adjectives change their ending?
Most do, matching the gender, case, and number of the noun they describe — but colors like rosa, lila, orange, and beige never change their ending.
What color is “lila” in German?
Purple (also called violett).
Is “rosa” a declinable adjective in German?
No — rosa is one of the fixed-ending colors, so it stays “rosa” regardless of the noun's gender or case.
Ready to describe the world around you in German? Start with our A1 German course.
