Colors
Colors: xanh = blue AND green!
Can name colors and understand xanh
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Tôi thích màu đỏ.
I like the color red.
Trời xanh, cây cũng xanh!
The sky is blue, the trees are also green!
Cho tôi cái áo trắng.
Give me the white shirt.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Màu sắc — Colors
Vietnamese colors are adjectives that follow nouns. The most interesting feature: xanh covers BOTH blue AND green!
| Color | Vietnamese | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Red | đỏ | Lucky color in Vietnam |
| Blue/Green | xanh | Both! Context/specifier needed |
| Blue | xanh dương / xanh da trời | ocean-blue / sky-blue |
| Green | xanh lá cây / xanh lá | leaf-green |
| Yellow | vàng | Also means 'gold' |
| White | trắng | |
| Black | đen | |
| Pink | hồng | Also means 'rose' |
| Brown | nâu | |
| Purple | tím |
xanh da trời vs xanh lá cây: da trời = sky color (blue). lá cây = leaf color (green). In context, xanh alone usually means green for vegetation, blue for sky/water.
Common Error Patterns
Didn't understand xanh covers both blue and green
xanh = both blue AND green. Use xanh dương/da trời for blue, xanh lá cây for green when you need to be specific.
Tôi thích màu đỏ.
I like the color red.
màu = color. màu đỏ = color red = the color red. đỏ is lucky in Vietnamese culture!
Trời xanh, cây cũng xanh!
The sky is blue, the trees are also green!
Same word xanh for both! Trời xanh = sky blue. Cây xanh = tree green. Context determines the meaning.
Cho tôi cái áo trắng.
Give me the white shirt.
áo trắng = shirt white = white shirt. Color follows noun as any adjective.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is Màu sắc used?
- Vietnamese colors are adjectives that follow nouns. The most interesting feature: xanh covers BOTH blue AND green!
- How is Màu sắc formed?
- xanh da trời vs xanh lá cây: da trời = sky color (blue). lá cây = leaf color (green). In context, xanh alone usually means green for vegetation, blue for sky/water.
- What are common mistakes with Màu sắc?
- The xanh = blue AND green concept confuses all Western learners. 🇬🇧 English speakers: Can't accept one word for blue and green. Always specify: xanh dương or xanh lá cây. 🇩🇪 German speakers: Same difficulty. German has blau/grün — Vietnamese xanh covers both. 🇷🇺 Russian speakers: Actually have a similar issue in reverse: Russian distinguishes голубой (light blue) and синий (dark blue) but Vietnamese just uses xanh! 🇨🇿 Czech speakers: Czech modrý/zelený — two distinct words. Vietnamese xanh is conceptually different.