颜色 (yán sè) — color in Mandarin
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#1429 most common word · HSK 2 · CEFR A2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
颜色 is pronounced yán sè. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Zhè ge yán sè hěn piào liang.
This color is beautiful.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 颜色 mean?+
颜色 (yán sè) means "color" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 颜色?+
颜色 is pronounced yán sè. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 颜色 in Mandarin?+
颜色 is the #1429 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 颜色 fits
Every HSK 2 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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