Colours in Estonian

In this lesson you will learn the names of the basic colours in Estonian. In addition, you will find out how you can use them to describe items and people. 

List of colours in Estonian

Colours don't have a gender in Estonian and they can be used the same way for both males and females. However, when the noun is plural then the colour also has to be in the plural form.

Colour	Estonian (singular, plural)
Black	Must, mustad
Grey	Hall, hallid
White	Valge, valged
Blue	Sinine, sinised
Turquoise	Türkiis, türkiisid
Green	Roheline, rohelised
Yellow	Kollane, kollased
Orange	Oranž, oranžid
Red	Punane, punased
Pink	Roosa, roosad
Purple	Lilla, lillad
Brown	Pruun, pruunid
Silver	Hõbedane, hõbedased
Golden	Kuldne, kuldsed
Beige	Beež, beežid

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Examples

• See maja on hall --- This house is grey.
• Mu särk on roosa --- My shirt is pink.
• Apelsinid on oranžid --- Oranges are orange.
• Viinamarjad on lillad --- Grapes are purple.

Shades of colours: light and dark

Notice that in Estonian, 'hele' and 'tume' are written together with the name of the colour.

Colour	Estonian
Light red	Helepunane
Dark red	Tumepunane
Light blue	Helesinine
Dark blue	Tumesinine

Hair colours in Estonian

Blonde = Blond 

She has blonde hair = Tal on blondid juuksed

She is blonde = Ta on blond

Redhead = Punapea

She has red hair = Tal on punased juuksed

She is a redhead = Ta on punapea

Brown hair = Pruunid juuksed

She has brown hair = Tal on pruunid juuksed

She is a brunette = Ta on brünett

Black hair = Mustad juuksed

She has black hair = Tal on mustad juuksed

She is dark-haired = Ta on tumedapäine

Grey hair = Hallid juuksed

She has grey hair = Tal on hallid juuksed

She is grey-haired = Ta on hallipäine

The colours of the Estonian flag

The Estonian flag has 3 colours:

 Blue = Sinine

 Black = Must

 White = Valge

Estonian flag is blue-black-white = Eesti lipp on sini-must-valge

How to ask what colour is this in Estonian?

Example dialogue

Karmen: Mis värvi see pluus on? --- What colour is this shirt?

Sten: See pluus on kollane. --- This shirt is yellow.

Karmen: Kas seda on teist värvi ka? --- Do you also have this in another colour?

Sten: Jah, meil on ka punast, sinist ja musta. --- Yes, we also have it in red, blue and black.

Karmen: Kas sinine on hele või tume? --- Is the blue light or dark?

Sten: See on helesinine. --- This is light blue.

 Now continue to the exercises to practice the colours in Estonian!