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Basic colours

The handful of colour words every speaker knows: red, blue, green and the rest.

FamilyRedOrangeYellowGreenTurquoiseBluePurplePinkBrownWhiteGreyBlackGold
KindBasic colourNamed shadePigmentDyeColour named from natureTraditional colourNational or team colourHeraldic colourStandard colourScreen colour
Made fromMineral or earthPlantAnimalSyntheticLight only (no pigment)
Yellow Turmeric A golden yellow dye and spice from the rhizome of a tropical plantColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 Blue Lapis lazuli A deep blue stone prized for jewellery and the source of ultramarine pigmentColour named from nature · 🇦🇫 Afghanistan +5 Green Malachite A banded green mineral and pigment once prized for art and decorationColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +4 Red Cinnabar A scarlet to brick-red mineral and the main source of mercury and vermilion pigmentColour named from nature · 🇪🇸 Spain +5 Brown Terracotta A clay-based material and colour, known for its reddish-brown toneColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +4 Blue Azurite A deep blue copper mineral once prized as a pigment and gemstonePigment · 🇫🇷 France +5 White Zinc oxide A white inorganic powder used in pigments, ointments, ceramics and electronicsPigment · 🇮🇳 India +2 #CC7722 Ochre A natural earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brownPigment · 🇦🇺 Australia +5 Blue Woad A blue dye once vital to Europe's textile trade, made from the leaves of a flowering plantDye · 🇫🇷 France +3 #40E0D0 Turquoise A blue-green colour named after a prized mineral long used for gems and decorationNamed shade · 🇮🇷 Iran +5 Yellow Orpiment A golden-yellow mineral pigment once prized for its brilliant colour and rarityPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Realgar An orange-red arsenic sulfide mineral once used as a pigment and poisonPigment · 🇨🇳 China +5 Red Carmine A deep red pigment made from cochineal insects, once prized across continentsPigment · 🇫🇷 France +2 Red Rubia A group of plants whose roots once dyed cloth and paint a lasting redColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #E32636 Alizarin A deep red dye first made from madder roots, later produced from coal tarDye · 🇹🇷 Turkey +1 Black Kohlكُحْل A dark eye cosmetic made from minerals like galena and stibniteTraditional colour · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Purple and violet Tyrian purple A reddish-purple dye once worth its weight in silver, made from sea snailsDye · 🇱🇧 Lebanon +4 Black Carbon black A deep black pigment and filler made by burning carbon-rich materials with little airPigment #50C878 Paris Green A toxic emerald-green pigment once prized in art and used as an early insecticidePigment · 🇩🇪 Germany +4 Blue Haematoxylin A natural dye from logwood, best known for staining cell nuclei in histologyDye · 🇵🇭 Philippines Purple and violet Logwood A tree whose wood yields a dye once vital for textiles and scienceColour named from nature · 🇲🇽 Mexico +3 #43B3AE Verdigris A historic bluish-green pigment formed on copper and used in art since antiquityPigment · 🇬🇷 Greece +1 Orange Annatto A yellow-orange dye and flavour from the seeds of the achiote treeDye · 🇲🇽 Mexico +5 Black Bone char A deep black pigment and filter made by charring animal bonesPigment #801818 Falu redfalu rödfärg A deep red paint pigment from the Falun copper mine, used on wooden houses in SwedenPigment · 🇸🇪 Sweden +2 #8A3324 Umber A natural brown pigment from earth, valued for its warmth and versatility in artPigment · 🇨🇾 Cyprus +2 Red Hennaحِنَّاء A reddish dye from the henna plant, used for body art and hair since ancient timesColour named from nature · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 #E97451 Sienna A reddish-brown earth pigment named after the city of Siena in ItalyPigment · 🇫🇷 France Brown Catechu A brown plant extract used as a dye, tannin, and preservativeColour named from nature · 🇯🇵 Japan +2 Green Scheele's green A yellowish-green pigment once prized for its brilliance, now infamous for its toxicityPigment #E49B0F Gamboge A strong yellow pigment tapped from Southeast Asian treesPigment · 🇰🇭 Cambodia +5 #40826D Viridian A blue-green pigment made from hydrated chromium oxide, valued in painting since the 1800sPigment #E3A857 Indian Yellow A clear, glowing orange-yellow pigment once made in India from cow urinePigment · 🇮🇳 India Red Kermes A deep red dye made from Mediterranean scale insects, once prized for scarlet clothDye · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Kumkum A red powder made from turmeric and lime, used for forehead marks in IndiaDye · 🇮🇳 India #73C2FB Maya blueazul maya A vivid turquoise blue pigment made by the ancient Maya and AztecsPigment · 🇲🇽 Mexico +1 Blue Tekheletתְּכֵלֶת A blue dye from sea snails, central to ancient Jewish ritual and traditionDye · 🇮🇱 Israel +2 Red Brazilin A red dye from brazilwood and sappanwood, used in textiles and paints since the Middle AgesDye · 🇧🇷 Brazil +4 #006B3C Cadmium pigments A family of strong yellow, orange, red and green pigments made from cadmium compoundsPigment Red Lacलाक्षा A red resin secreted by insects and used as dye, varnish and shellacColour named from nature · 🇮🇳 India +5 #824B27 Mummy brown A transparent brown pigment once made from ground Egyptian mummiesPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt #FF3800 Coquelicot A vivid reddish-orange named after the wild corn poppy flowerNamed shade #E32636 Rose madder A traditional red pigment made from the roots of the madder plantPigment · 🇪🇬 Egypt +5 Red Abir A coloured powder used in Hindu rituals and the Holi festivalTraditional colour · 🇮🇳 India #FDF8FF Zinc white A cool, low-toxicity white pigment made from zinc oxidePigment Turquoise and cyan Haint blue A pale blue-green paint used on porch ceilings in the Southern United StatesNamed shade · 🇺🇸 United States White Lead white A dense, opaque white pigment once used in art, home, and cosmetics worldwidePigment · 🇨🇳 China +2 #FA5053 Strawberry A bright red colour inspired by the ripe strawberry fruitNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +4
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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly palette

Every Monday: seven colours you may not know, what the world is wearing this week, and one idea about colour.