Meaning of 红色
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- red (color)
- revolutionary
How to use 红色
红色 is the everyday word for the color red, and it can stand alone as a noun or go before another noun with 的. It also carries the meaning "revolutionary" in political or historical contexts, such as 红色旅游 (red tourism). Example: 我喜欢红色的衣服。(Wǒ xǐhuan hóngsè de yīfu.) I like red clothes.
红 (hóng) has the silk radical 纟 on the left, so picture a dyed silk thread, and 色 (sè) means color. Together, 红色 is the color of red silk.
Common mistake: Learners often say 红色 when 红 alone sounds more natural before a short noun, as in 红酒 (hóngjiǔ, red wine) or 红灯 (hóngdēng, red light), not 红色酒. Also keep the second tone on 红 (hóng), not a falling tone.
红色 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
红 hóng · red · 6 strokes
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- 2
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色 sè · color · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 红色.
| 颜色 | yánsè | color; countenance |
| 黑色 | hēisè | black |
| 蓝色 | lánsè | blue (color) |
| 白色 | báisè | white; fig. reactionary |
| 绿色 | lǜsè | green |
| 黄色 | huángsè | yellow; vulgar; lewd; pornographic |
| 红酒 | hóngjiǔ | red wine |
| 景色 | jǐngsè | scenery; landscape; view |
| 特色 | tèsè | a characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality |
| 彩色 | cǎisè | color; multicolored |
| 红茶 | hóngchá | black tea |
| 角色 | juésè | role; part (in a play or movie etc); also pr. [jiao3se4] |
Questions about 红色
What does 红色 mean?
红色 (hóngsè) means "red (color); revolutionary" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 红色?
红色 is made of 2 characters: 红 (6 strokes), 色 (6 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 红色 an HSK word?
Yes. 红色 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 红色 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 红色 is written 紅色.
What does red symbolize in Chinese culture?
Red is linked to luck, happiness, and celebration. That is why you see red envelopes 红包 (hóngbāo) at Spring Festival and red decorations at weddings.
Is 红色 always positive like 绿色 is not?
Mostly yes, but it is not always neutral. In stock markets in mainland China, red means prices are going up, and in politics 红色 can mean "revolutionary" or communist. By contrast, 黄色 (huángsè) can mean pornographic and 白色 (báisè) can mean reactionary, so color words often carry extra meanings.