Key Facts
- Hangul: 색; Revised Romanization: saek
- Part of speech: noun
- Origin: Sino-Korean, hanja 色 (color)
- Register: neutral, everyday word; 색깔 is more common as a stand-alone noun in speech
Color in Korean: What Does 색 Mean?
색 means color or hue. It stands alone in everyday questions such as 무슨 색을 좋아해요?, "What color do you like?", and it forms the end of color names: 빨간색 (red), for example. 색깔 has the same meaning and is very common in speech as a stand-alone word, but color names are built with 색, not 색깔.
How Do You Pronounce 색?
One syllable, saek. The vowel ㅐ (ae) is like the e in "bed", and the final ㄱ is an unreleased k. Before a vowel, the ㄱ links forward as a g: 색이 is [sae-gi] and 색을 is [sae-geul].
Example Sentences with 색
무슨 색을 좋아해요?
Museun saegeul joahaeyo
What color do you like?
무슨 색 means "what color". 을 attaches to 색 because it ends in a consonant, and 좋아해요 means "like".
이 색이 예뻐요.
I saegi yeppeoyo
This color is pretty.
이 색이 means "this color" as the subject, and 예뻐요 means "is pretty". The ㄱ links into the particle: saegi.
다른 색은 없어요?
Dareun saegeun eopseoyo
Don't you have any other colors?
다른 색 means "other colors", and 없어요? asks whether there are any. Shoppers use this line all the time.
Common Phrases and Collocations
| Korean | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 무슨 색 | what color |
| 색을 바꾸다 | to change the color |
| 좋아하는 색 | favorite color |
| 색이 예쁘다 | the color is pretty |
The Mistake to Avoid
Wrong: thinking 색 and 색깔 mean different things, and avoiding one of them.
Correct: they are mostly interchangeable. The difference is in use: color names are built with 색 (빨간색), while 색깔 is the more common stand-alone word in speech. 색 can stand alone too, as in 무슨 색.
색 Compared with Similar Words
| Word | Meaning | How it differs |
|---|---|---|
| 색 | color, hue | This page's word; also forms color names |
| 색깔 | color (everyday) | Same meaning; very common as a stand-alone noun |
| 빛 | light, glow | Light or shine, not hue |
| 컬러 | color (loanword) | Used in fashion and design |
Where Does the Word Come From?
색 is the Korean reading of the hanja 色, which itself means color.
Choosing a Shirt Color in a Shop
A customer likes a shirt but wants a different color. The assistant offers an alternative, and the customer chooses it.
Customer
이 셔츠 다른 색도 있어요?
I syeocheu dareun saekdo isseoyo?
Does this shirt come in other colors too?
Assistant
네. 파란색도 있어요.
Ne. Paransaekdo isseoyo.
Yes. We also have blue.
Customer
파란색 보여 주세요.
Paransaek boyeo juseyo.
Please show me the blue one.
Assistant
여기 있어요.
Yeogi isseoyo.
Here it is.
다른 색도 asks about additional colors of the same item. The customer can then name the color without repeating 셔츠: 파란색 identifies the blue option because both speakers already know they are discussing shirts. English similarly allows “the blue one”.
The 도 in 파란색도 means “also”. It attaches directly to the color name. In a shop, this small marker helps you recognize that the assistant is offering an additional choice, rather than correcting the color you named.
How Do Color Names Work with 색?
빨간색 and 파란색 are nouns: red and blue as colors. In 빨간 셔츠, “a red shirt”, 빨간 directly describes the shirt, so 색 is unnecessary. Compare the two jobs: 빨간색 names the color, while 빨간 describes a following noun. This distinction helps when you move from naming colors to describing clothes.
색 is written together with the rest of a color name, as in 파란색. A phrase such as 무슨 색 keeps a space because 무슨 is a separate question word meaning “what kind of”. 색을 바꾸다 also keeps a space between the noun with its marker and the verb, meaning “change the color”.
밝은 색 means a light or bright color, and 어두운 색 means a dark color. These phrases describe a color’s appearance without naming a specific hue. They help when you want a lighter shirt or a darker bag but have not settled on blue, green or another color.
Set Phrases beyond Naming a Hue
색이 빠지다 means that a color fades or comes out, for example when fabric loses dye in the wash. Literally, the color “comes out”. 색이 바래다 also describes fading, such as a photograph losing its original color over time. Both describe a change in the color rather than a deliberate choice of a new one.
색을 바꾸다 means someone changes the color, perhaps in a drawing or an app setting. The object marker 을 makes 색 the thing being changed. In 색이 빠지다, the subject marker 이 presents the color as what fades. The marker therefore helps you follow what happened even before you recognize the verb.
Where Will You See 색 and 컬러?
색 appears in clothing options, art supplies and questions about preferences. A product listing may use 색상, another noun meaning color, as the heading for available shades. 컬러, the loanword, is also used in fashion and design. These labels can all lead to the same practical choice: selecting a color option.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful note |
|---|---|---|
| 빨간색 | red | A color noun; 빨간 can describe a following noun. |
| 파란색 | blue | Names the blue option in the shop dialogue. |
| 색상 | color / shade | Common as a product-option label. |
| 밝은 색 | light / bright color | Describes appearance without naming the hue. |
| 어두운 색 | dark color | Useful when comparing clothing or design choices. |
Learn the individual names together in the Korean color vocabulary lesson.
Quick Self-Test
- Which names a color: 빨간색 or 빨간 셔츠?
- What does 색이 빠지다 describe?
- On a product page, what choice does 색상 introduce?
Show answers
- 빨간색; 빨간 셔츠 means a red shirt.
- A color fading or dye coming out.
- The color or shade option.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I ask what color someone likes?
Say 무슨 색을 좋아해요?
How do I ask a shop for other colors?
Say 다른 색은 없어요?
Is 색 different from 색깔?
Mostly no. 색깔 is more common as a stand-alone word in speech, and 색 is the part used in color names.
What does the hanja 色 mean?
It means color, the same meaning as 색.
Related Words and What to Learn Next
- Theme list: color vocabulary for individual colors.
- Index: Korean words A to Z.
- Read next: gold in Korean.