Korean Colors: 빨간색, 파란색 and the ㅎ Trick
10-Second Answer
Korean colors come in two shapes: a NOUN form ending in 색 ("color") — 빨간색 (red), 파란색 (blue) — and an ADJECTIVE form ending in –다 — 빨갛다, 파랗다. The noun form is what you'll use most (이 빨간색 가방 — this red bag). The adjective forms hide a famous irregular: their ㅎ vanishes when conjugated (빨갛다 → 빨간, 빨개요).
The Core Color List
| Color | Noun form (X색) | Adjective form |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 빨간색 (ppalgansaek) | 빨갛다 (ppalgata) |
| Blue | 파란색 (paransaek) | 파랗다 (parata) |
| Yellow | 노란색 (noransaek) | 노랗다 (norata) |
| White | 하얀색/흰색 (hayansaek/huinsaek) | 하얗다 (hayata) |
| Black | 까만색/검은색 (kkamansaek/geomeunsaek) | 까맣다 (kkamata) |
| Green | 초록색 (choroksaek) | — (noun only) |
| Orange | 주황색 (juhwangsaek) | — (noun only) |
| Pink | 분홍색 (bunhongsaek) | — (noun only) |
| Purple | 보라색 (borasaek) | — (noun only) |
Notice only the "big five" (red, blue, yellow, white, black) have native adjective forms — the rest are noun-only. For those, you say 보라색이에요 (it's purple) rather than conjugating an adjective. 보라색 fans may recognize it from 보라해.
The Vanishing ㅎ
The five color adjectives are ㅎ-irregular: the ㅎ in the stem disappears when endings attach. 빨갛다 → 빨간 가방 (red bag) → 빨개요 (it's red). This is the same batchim-level sound logic you've seen elsewhere — Korean quietly deletes sounds that would clog pronunciation.
하늘이 파래요.
haneuri paraeyo.
The sky is blue.
파랗다 → 파래요: the ㅎ is gone and the vowel fuses.
무슨 색: Asking About Color
Common Mistakes
Mistake #1 — Conjugating 빨갛다 with the ㅎ intact
빨갛아요 doesn't exist — the ㅎ drops and vowels fuse: 빨개요.
Mistake #2 — Hunting for an adjective form of every color
Green, orange, pink, and purple are noun-only in everyday Korean — use X색이에요 instead.
Mini Quiz
1. What happens to 빨갛다 when you conjugate it to polite present tense?
2. Which color has NO native adjective form?
3. How do you ask "what color do you like?"
Related Knowledge
Learn Next
Making Plans in Korean: 약속 and How to Move It
Vocabulary sets done — now the real-life skill of setting up (and gracefully rescheduling) plans.
Will you remember this tomorrow?
Add it to your review queue — the daily session brings it back before you forget.
Start today's study →Last updated: 2026-08-11 · Written and reviewed by a native Korean speaker.