The Names of Colors in Italian

You want to tell your friend the color of the Vespa you want to buy, the type of wine you were drinking, or the hue of the sky while you were on a hilltop in Florence, but how do you say the colors in Italian? To start, here are the most common thirteen along with a list of subtle and unique  blends. Basic Colors Red – Rosso Lei porta sempre un rossetto rosso. - She always wears red lipstick. Pink – Rosa Ho comprato un vestito rosa per la festa. - I bought a pink dress for the party. Purple – Viola Ho dipinto le unghie di viola. - I painted my nails purple. TIP: Unlike other colors, you don’t have to change the ending of â€Å"rosa† or â€Å"viola† to match the object it’s describing. Orange – Arancione La sua macchina nuova à ¨ arancione ed à ¨ troppo sgargiante per i miei gusti. - Her new car is orange, and it’s too bright for my tastes. Yellow – Giallo Stava leggendo un giallo con una copertina gialla. - He was reading a mystery novel with a yellow cover. TIP: â€Å"Un giallo† is also a mystery novel or thriller. Green – Verde Mi piace vivere in Toscana, in mezzo al verde. - I like living in Tuscany, in the middle of the green. Blue – Azzurro Ho gli occhi azzurri. - I have blue eyes. Silver – Argento Gli ho regalato un cucchiaio d’argento per la loro collezione. - I gifted them a tiny, silver spoon for their collection. Gold – Oro Cerco una collana d’oro. - I’m looking for a gold necklace. Gray – Grigio Il cielo à ¨ cosà ¬ grigio oggi. - The sky is so gray today. White – Bianco Non voglio indossare un vestito da sposa bianco, ne preferisco uno rosso! - I don’t want to wear a white wedding dress, I prefer a red one! Black – Nero Calimero à ¨ un pulcino tutto nero con un cappellino bianco in testa. - Calimero is a black chick with a white little cap on his head. Brown – Marrone Mamma mia, lei à ¨ bellissima, ha gli occhi marroni e lunghi capelli castani. - Oh my goodness, she’s beautiful, she has brown eyes and long, brown hair. TIP: You would use â€Å"marrone† to describe the color of someone’s eyes, like â€Å"gli occhi marroni†, and you would use â€Å"castano† to describe the color of someone’s hair â€Å"i capelli castani†. Dark Colors If you want to talk about dark shades, you can just add the word scuro at the end of each color. Dark red – Rosso scuroDark green – Verde scuroDark blue - Blu TIP: â€Å"Blu† is understood all its own to be a darker shade. Light Colors Here are some lighter shades: Baby blue – CelesteBaby pink – Rosa confettoLight green - Verde chiaroLight blue - Azzurro TIP: Like â€Å"blu†, â€Å"azzurro† on its own is usually understood as light blue. Unique Colors Shiny/glossy red – Rosso lucido Stavo pensando di comprare una Vespa di color rosso lucido, che ne pensi? - I was thinking about buying a shiny red Vespa, what do you think? Vermilion red - Rosso vermiglione Rimango sempre affascinata dalla tonalità   di rosso vermiglione dei dipinti di Caravaggio. - I’m always attracted by the red vermilion shade used by Caravaggio in his paintings. Hot pink – Rosa shocking Non mi piacciono per niente i vestiti di colore rosa shocking, non sono eleganti. - I don’t like hot pink clothes at all, they’re not elegant. Blue green – Verde acqua Mi sono innamorato dei suoi occhi verde acqua. - I fell in love with her blue green eyes. Lilac – Lilla Il lilla à ¨ un colore davvero rilassante. - The color lilac is really relaxing. Maroon – Bordeaux Il mio colore preferito à ¨ bordeaux. - My favorite color is maroon. Hazel brown – Nocciola Ho comprato le lenti a contatto affinchà © potrei avere degli occhi color nocciola. - I bought contact lenses so that I could have hazel brown eyes. Italian Expressions with Colors Heart of gold – Cuore d’oroNot all that glitters is gold. – Non à ¨ tutto oro quel che luccica.Sweet dreams – Sogni d’oroBlack sheep (of the family) - La pecora nera