Meaning of 色
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- color
- look
- appearance
- sex
Measure word: 種|种
- (coll.) color
- used in 色子[shai3 zi5]
How to use 色
色 most often appears as the second part of color words, such as 红色 (hóngsè, red), 蓝色 (lánsè, blue), and 颜色 (yánsè, color). It can also mean a person's look or expression, and in some words it refers to sex or lust. Example: 你喜欢什么颜色？(Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?) What color do you like?
Think of 色 (sè) as a person bending over another, and picture the color rising in someone's face when they feel strong emotion. That flush of color in the face links the meanings of color, look, and appearance.
Common mistake: Learners often say 'shè' or 'sě' instead of the fourth tone sè. Also, do not use 色 alone to ask about color. Say 什么颜色 (shénme yánsè), not 什么色.
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.
色 sè · color · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 色.
| 颜色 | yánsè | color; countenance |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red (color); revolutionary |
| 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 |
| 景色 | jǐngsè | scenery; landscape; view |
| 特色 | tèsè | a characteristic; a distinctive feature or quality |
| 彩色 | cǎisè | color; multicolored |
| 角色 | juésè | role; part (in a play or movie etc); also pr. [jiao3se4] |
| 出色 | chūsè | remarkable; outstanding |
Questions about 色
What does 色 mean?
色 (sè) means "color; look" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 色?
色 is made of 1 character: 色 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 色 an HSK word?
Yes. 色 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
When is 色 pronounced shǎi instead of sè?
Shǎi is a colloquial reading. You will mainly hear it in 色子 (shǎizi, dice) and in casual speech like 掉色 (diàoshǎi, to lose color). In standard written words like 颜色, use sè.
Does 色 have a negative meaning?
It can. Used about a person, as in 好色 (hàosè, lustful), it suggests interest in sex. In color words like 绿色 or 白色 it is completely neutral.