Colours are among the easiest words in Uzbek, because they behave like English adjectives: they go before the noun and they never change. This page gives you the main colours, a few more, the words for dark and light, and the questions you need to ask for a colour in a shop.
Colours often go with numbers when you shop: see Uzbek numbers 1 to 10 and Uzbek at the bazaar.
Main colours
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| qizil | qi-ZIL | red |
| sariq | sa-RIQ | yellow |
| yashil | ya-SHIL | green |
| koʻk | KOʻK | blue |
| oq | OQ | white |
| qora | qo-RA | black |
More colours and shades
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| havorang | ha-vo-RANG | light blue, sky blue |
| jigarrang | ji-gar-RANG | brown |
| kulrang | kul-RANG | grey |
| pushti | push-TI | pink |
| siyohrang | si-yoh-RANG | purple |
| binafsharang | bi-naf-sha-RANG | violet, purple |
| toʻq | TOʻQ | dark |
| och | OCH | light, pale |
| rang | RANG | colour |
Asking about colours in a shop
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bu qanday rang? | bu qan-DAY RANG | What colour is this? |
| Qanday rangda bor? | qan-DAY rang-DA BOR | What colours does it come in? |
| Qizil rangda bormi? | qi-ZIL rang-DA bor-MI | Is there one in red? |
| Boshqa rangda bormi? | bosh-QA rang-DA bor-MI | Is there one in another colour? |
| Ochroq rangda bormi? | och-ROQ rang-DA bor-MI | Is there one in a lighter colour? |
| Menga koʻk yoqadi. | men-GA KOʻK yo-qa-DI | I like blue. |
Colours go first and never change
- qizil olma = a red apple, and qizil olmalar = red apples. The colour stays qizil; only olma gets -lar.
- oq koʻylak = a white shirt (koʻylak is also a dress), qora soch = black hair, sariq limon = a yellow lemon.
- For a shade, put toʻq (dark) or och (light) before the colour: toʻq qizil (dark red), och yashil (light green).
- -rang means “colour” and builds many colour words from a noun: jigar (liver) gives jigarrang (brown), kul (ash) gives kulrang (grey), siyoh (ink) gives siyohrang and binafsha (the violet flower) gives binafsharang, both used for purple.
- Koʻk is the usual word for blue. It also appears in koʻk choy, which is green tea, so a koʻk thing is not always blue.
A short conversation in a shop
A: Assalomu alaykum. Bu koʻylak qanday rangda bor?
Hello. What colours does this shirt come in?
B: Qizil, koʻk va oq rangda bor.
It comes in red, blue and white.
A: Qora rangda bormi?
Is there one in black?
B: Afsuski, qorasi yoʻq.
Unfortunately, there is no black one.
A: Unda koʻk koʻylakni olaman.
Then I will take the blue shirt.
B: Marhamat.
Here you are.
Uzbekcha is an app for learning Uzbek, with lessons in English and audio on every word. It is on Android now and coming soon to iPhone. Get the app.
