# How are colors interpreted in different cultures?



## irisheyes0583

As I learned Spanish (I'm a native English speaker), I found it very fun and interesting to realize that the colors I'd always associated with certain emotions (and which are deeply ingrained in me) could mean something different in Spanish. So I thought it would be fun to discuss what colors represent your emotions...

In English:
green=envy
red=anger/love
blue=sad

In Spanish:
amarillo=envidia (yellow=envy)
rojo=ira/amor (red=anger/love)
azul=salud/tranquilidad (blue=health/tranquility)

So, which colors represent which emotions in your language/culture?


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## whatonearth

Also, in English:
yellow = cowardice


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## lauranazario

Buscando expresiones que utilizan colores...

En Puerto Rico decimos que estamos "verdes del hambre" (muy hambrientos) y también decimos "tengo un hambre negra" (hambre descomunal)
... criticamos a los "viejos verdes"
... decimos que alguien se puso "blanco como un papel" (para denotar miedo)
... comentamos que estamos "morados de frío"
... nos ponemos "rojos como un tomate" (en el sentido de ruborizarse al sentir vengüenza).

Si me acuerdo de otros los incluyo luego. 

Saludos,
LN


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## diegodbs

irisheyes0583 said:
			
		

> As I learned Spanish (I'm a native English speaker), I found it very fun and interesting to realize that the colors I always associated with certain emotions (and which are deeply ingrained in me). So I thought it would be fun to discuss what colors represent your emotions...
> 
> In English:
> green=envy
> red=anger/love
> blue=sad
> 
> In Spanish:
> amarillo=envidia (yellow=envy)
> rojo=ira/amor (red=anger/love)
> azul=salud/tranquilidad *(blue**=*health/tranquility)
> 
> So, which colors represent which emotions in your language/culture?


 
I just wrote "blue" instead of "green"  

Some others in Spanish:

- blanco =  puro  (white = pure)
- negro  =  muerte (black = death)
- verde  =  lujuria/sexo (green = sex)
               "chiste verde" is a joke about sex.


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## irisheyes0583

diegodbs said:
			
		

> I just wrote "blue" instead of "green"
> 
> Some others in Spanish:
> 
> - blanco =  puro  (white = pure)
> - negro  =  muerte (black = death)
> - verde  =  lujuria/sexo (green = sex)
> "chiste verde" is a joke about sex.


Gracias, amigo! Ya es demasiado tarde para mi... gracias a ti, lo cambie tambien.


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## nichec

Hello to all: 
In ancient China, people used to wear all in red in weddings (until nowadays, we still give "red envelopes" to kids in Chinese New Year, and we celebrate the birth of a new baby boy by giving away "red eggs" ) and all in white in funerals. (My mother never allowed me to put anything white on my head when I was a kid.) And black is a color that's believed to bring bad lucks. (Crows were said to bring bad lucks and bad news)

In Taiwan, a joke about sex is called "a yellow joke" (you also have "a yellow novel" and "a yellow magazine") And when we want to say that someone is new, we would say that he's "green"

In French, blue seems to have lots of meanings. While someone new is called "bleu", it can also be linked to God or the upper class (the social ranking). There's another French expression that I find very interesting myself. In French, when you say you have a "white night" (une nuit blanche), it means you have a sleepless night.


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## tvdxer

Don't forget in English - white = purity, blue (esp. dark blue) = rightness / rectitude, morality, depth, maybe even tranquility


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## Graham Butler

In English, green can also mean inexperienced.  We have blue movies (=porno); and a 'purple patch' is an excellent or outstanding part of something.


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## whatonearth

Also, I forgot, "blue blood" = someone connected/related to the upper classes


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## cherine

"blue blood" is mainly for "royalties", not just upper classes.
In Egypt, White : peace, marriage (wedding gowns  )
black is related to death
Red : love
Yellow : envy. Also yellow papers are the papers that publish scandals or gossip.


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## Alundra

In Spanish, 

Green: Hope, too.

Alundra.


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## Hakro

In Finnish:
- green: envy but also inexperienced and new
- yellow (nose): inexperienced
- red: communist or other leftist
- blue and white: patriotic (colours of Finland's flag) 
- blue: moneyless
- black: dismal, sad
- black and white: uncompromising, "either or"
- grey: unclear or hidden

The white colour of the bridal dress is the traditional symbol of purity and virginity but nowadays other colours are more and more popular, for a good reason I believe.


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## lauranazario

whatonearth said:
			
		

> Also, I forgot, "blue blood" = someone connected/related to the upper classes


Muy buen recordatorio... en español también usamos "_tiene sangre azul_" para referirnos a un integrante de la realeza o a una persona de linaje destacado.

Otra expresión relacionada al color: _prensa amarilla_... que es la cobertura supuestamente 'noticiosa' de chismes de farándula, de escándalos sociales/morales/políticos o de sucesos insólitos/raros/absurdos.

Saludos,
LN


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## la reine victoria

I, of course,  have 'blue blood'  

In English 'green' is associated with feelings of relaxation.  Many hospitals have pale green furnishings to calm the patients.

Ireland is called the 'Emerald Isle' because of its lush green grass (due to above average rainfall).  'Grass as green as an emerald.'

'You've gone beetroot red' - when someone blushes.
'A red herring' - something which deliberately misleads. 

'Girly pink' - generally for small girls who have Barbie dolls and love all things 'pink'.

Blue, associated by Roman Catholics with the Virgin Mary, whose gown is always considered to be blue.

'Blue stocking' - an academic, high-flying female at university. 

'Black and white' - relating to things in print.  'If you don't believe what I'am saying, read this - it's all there in black and white.' 

'Brown nose' (vulgar) - a person who tries to curry favour with a person in authority.

LRV


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## cuchuflete

I'm surprised the conversation has gone this far with no reference to blondes...


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## anything

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> I'm surprised the conversation has gone this far with no reference to blondes...


On that very subject,
I think it's interesting how the definition of "blonde" also varies from country to country.
In Spain, for example, I would be considered a "rubio", but no-one in England would say I was blond.


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## la reine victoria

anything said:
			
		

> On that very subject,
> I think it's interesting how the definition of "blonde" also varies from country to country.
> In Spain, for example, I would be considered a "rubio", but no-one in England would say I was blond.


 
That's interesting Anything,

How would you describe the colour of your hair in English?

Thanks,

LRV


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## anything

Hello, Your Majesty, 

I think I would say it was... mousey-brown, or probably even a bit darker.


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## la reine victoria

anything said:
			
		

> Hello, Your Majesty,
> 
> I think I would say it was... mousey-brown, or probably even a bit darker.


 
I suppose that in comparison with the jet black hair of the Spaniards, you are considered 'rubio/a' = fair.

Thanks for reply,

LRV


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## xav

In my own view (I'm not sure we have a well-defined color code in France or in French)

blanc (white) = nothing, neutral, purity
jaune (yellow) = heat, joy, fire, enthusiasm - but for many persons, it brings back "cocu" (cuckold), don't ask me why.
rouge (red) = danger, blood, wrath, peak of adrenalin
bleu = calm, relaxation, water and heaven, freshness
vert (green) = nature (yes !!) - and hope for many people - and islam too, now
noir (black) = death, end of everything, anxiety - and danger, too.

Not very original, I'm afraid.


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## nycphotography

I'm suprised noone has mentioned green=money  (American of course)

Some more

green=environmentally friendly
black=evil, shadowy, secret
pink=girlish love, romance

Some sayings including colors (including some 'names' for colors).

Seeing red (angry)
Black eye
Black and white also means a clear demarkation (of a boundary between right and wrong perhaps)


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## Graham Butler

In England green is associated with envy. (in Shakespeare's 'Othello' Iago says "beware my Lord of jealousy.  It is the green-eyed monster that doth mock the flesh it feeds on."
What about 'vert galant' in French.  Does that suggest risky jokes?


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## blancalaw

For me the colors (colours for our British friends) represent the following.

Red = Anger, blood, rage, love
White = purity, snow, beauty, youth
Blue = Water, patriotism, holding breath
Green = Sickness, money, growth
Yellow = Gold, spring season, don't wear with black or the bees will bite
Purple = Royalty, my favorite color
Orange = construction, caution, Halloween
Black = darkness, depression, disparity, stealthness
Brown = chocolate, other stuff
Pink = friendship, emerging love

That is all.


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## drei_lengua

cherine said:
			
		

> "blue blood" is mainly for "royalties", not just upper classes.
> In Egypt, White : peace, marriage (wedding gowns  )
> black is related to death
> Red : love
> Yellow : envy. Also yellow papers are the papers that publish scandals or gossip.


 
What is the difference between "royalty" and "upper class"?  Seems like the same to me.

Thanks,
drei


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## maxiogee

la reine victoria said:
			
		

> Ireland is called the 'Emerald Isle' because of its lush green grass (due to above average rainfall).  'Grass as green as an emerald.'



Above theaverage for *where*?
We get an average of 50 - 75 mm per month.
Doesn't strike me as a lot.

In Ireland the term for a black man is _fear gorm_ - a blue man!


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## davidl243

*Pink* in the UK brings to mind femininity, girlyness (or in men, homosexuality) but I believe in Spain 'tele' or 'prensa' *rosa *concerns celebrity gossip - junk TV...Am i right?


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## Ana Raquel

Otra manera de percibir los colores, colores cálidos: rojo, naranja
colores fríos: azul, verde.


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## maxiogee

In Ireland  the colour combination of *red*, *white *and* blue* is very curious.

When they are being treated with disgust and contempt we know that they are the *British* colours 

When they are being treated with fear and respect we know that the *French* rugby team is being played 

When they are being greeted with the clanking of cash registers we know that the tourist season has started and the *Americans* are here with dollars.


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## drei_lengua

nycphotography said:
			
		

> I'm suprised noone has mentioned green=money (American of course)
> 
> Some more
> 
> green=environmentally friendly
> black=evil, shadowy, secret
> pink=girlish love, romance
> 
> Some sayings including colors (including some 'names' for colors).
> 
> Seeing red (angry)
> Black eye
> Black and white also means a clear demarkation (of a boundary between right and wrong perhaps)


 
Speaking of black and white meaning a clear demarcation, "grey" means in the middle of course because that is what you get when you combine black and white.  When we are uncertain whether something is clearly one way or the other we say that it is "grey".  

drei


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## cyanista

davidl243 said:
			
		

> *Pink* in the UK brings to mind femininity, girlyness (or in men, homosexuality) ...



In Russian homosexuals are called "blue" - please don't ask me why. 

Он голубой. - He's gay. (somewhat derogatory)

Oh, and in German "blau sein" means being.. umm.. alcoholically intoxicated.


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## Hakro

In Finnish "being blue" means penniless.


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## argentina84

*Mod note:*
*I merged this new post/thread to the previous thread that discusses the same topic to avoid redundancies. (Please don't forget to search the forum before opening new threads) Thanks *

I have discovered that colors do not mean the same in all cultures, and it would be very usefull to understand the difference. 

For example, in English we say " *green* with envy", but we don't connect *green* with envy in Argentina, but *yellow*. *Green* means hope, nature, or inmaturity. 

*Red *means love and passion. *White* is related to virtue, purity and chastity. 

What about in your culture? What do colors mean?


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## cuchuflete

Language, like politics, is local.  En España sí se dice verde de envidia:  (In Spain, the equivalent expression is also 'green with envy'.)   http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=81852

In the US, yellow may be used to signify cowardice, but not envy.


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## argentina84

argentina84 said:


> *Mod note:*
> *I merged this new post/thread to the previous thread that discusses the same topic to avoid redundancies. (Please don't forget to search the forum before opening new threads) Thanks *


 
Sorry, but I did search, and nothing of the kind appeared. 

It was very interesting to know that in Spain you have "* green* with envy".


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## argentina84

cuchuflete said:


> In the US, yellow may be used to signify cowardice, but not envy.


 
And so....What does *yellow *mean in the song "*yellow"* by Coldplay? I am at a complete loss now.


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## luchy591

En Pananá se utiliza los siguientes:
- verde de la envidia
- rojo, que te lleva el toro - doble sentido - preparándose para una noche caliente
- rojo camarón - quemado de sol
- Contigo todo es blanco y negro - muy estricto, no hay matices o variaciones en el juicio.
- la alfombra roja - solo para gente importante.


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## sokol

German:

 - *yellow *= envy _(gelb vor Neid); _but yellow also may be summer and harvest (grain)
 - *green *also may be used for people who can't stand each other _(sich nicht grün sein_ = not to be green with each other = if two persons can't stand each other at all), but it does not so often mean envy (even if _grün vor Neid_ also is possible); further green is also the colour of a sick person; but mostly green is much more commonly connected with nature (with positive connotations) and further with not-being-quite-grown-up (in the 'gringo' sense, here: inmaturity)
 - *pink *is the colour of female babies (and otherwise not any more felt as the 'gay community colour'; it is not too uncommon nowadays for male adolescents or adults to wear pink without giving any clue to sexual orientation)
 - *blue *is the colour of male babies; and the colour of heaven, and winter; blue also is the state you are in when (in UK slang) you are pissed; dark blue is also associated with respectability, and probably even sincerity
- *red *is love; in Austria it is also the nation (red and white flag); also red (and yellow) is the colour of fall, while spring could be represented with red and green; apart from that red is the colour of hot temper and rage, and further red is also standing for danger
*- magenta, pink or red* is the colour of romance (this now I think is international, just take a look at the covers of books in this genre)
- *white *is innocence
- *black *is the night, the dark side of mankind; then black of course is the colour of grief and sorrow; and black is also the colour of the mysterious beauty, while:
- *blonde *is the colour of the shallow beauty


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## Outsider

sokol said:


> - *pink *is the colour of female babies (and otherwise not any more felt as the 'gay community colour'; it is not too uncommon nowadays for male adolescents or adults to wear pink without giving any clue to sexual orientation)


That reminds me of a related thread: Pink (and other things that men shouldn't wear).

It's us and Don Johnson, Sokol.


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## Sedulia

No one's mentioned "the air was blue"-- which means there was a lot of cursing!


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## Graham Butler

In literature, and sometimes in other fields (e.g. a person's career) an outstandingly good passage may be referred to as a "purple patch", no doubt a reference to the purple worn by Roman Emperors.


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## ewhite

I disagree about "purple patch", Graham.

According to Wikipiedia:



> *purple prose* is used to describe passages, or sometimes entire literary works, written in prose so overly extravagant, ornate or flowery as to break the flow and draw attention to itself.



It does seem to be derived from purple being connected with royalty, though.


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## Mahaodeh

cherine said:


> In Egypt, White : peace, marriage (wedding gowns  )
> black is related to death
> Red : love
> Yellow : envy. Also yellow papers are the papers that publish scandals or gossip.


 
I'm not claiming to know more than you about this, but correct me if I'm wrong:

White is more like "happy" than just marriage (ex. white day = happy day)
Black is saddness and misfortune (ex. black day = sad day, unofrtunate day)
Yellow can also describe a person that is bitter and spiteful.

-------------

In Iraq, the above is basically correct but you can add the following:
a white heart is that of a kind and rightious person that thinks everyone is basically good; a black heart is the opposite.

A white hand is that of someone that is generous and helpful. A black hand is that of someone evil and hurtful.

Green implies fertility and reproduction; having a green foot means that whereever you go people come; having a green heart means you are young at heart. Having a green hand means that whatever you do you can make profit...etc.


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## No_C_Nada

_Yellow - In USA: caution_
_In Spain: good luck_
_In Perú: desprecio_
_In Chinese culture: gold, wealth. This is why during the three weeks of the Chinese New Year celebrations, you will see yellow fruits in the homes. In Cantonese, the sound of the word for mandarin is similar to the sound of the word for gold. "cum"_

_Red - In Chinese culture: good luck, happiness_
_- In the Catholic Church: blood, sacrifice_
_- In USA: Stop!, danger_

_Pink - In the Catholic Church: joy_

_Purple - In Perú: a devotee del Señor de los Milagros_
_In the Catholic Church: penance_
In USA:  Heroism.  This is why heroes get the Purple Heart, the highest condecoration.


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## Graham Butler

If you have 'green fingers' you are a good gardener.


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## Graham Butler

Phrase Finder Archives Web *Re: Purple patch*

        Posted by James Briggs on June 20, 2005
  In Reply to: Purple patch posted by john leske on June 20, 2005
  Where does the expression purple patch come from as in the footballer struck a purple patch by kicking 3 goals in a half?

_"To have a purple patch means to have an exceptionally good period in, say, that game of football. The origin here is a little obscure but could be based on the fact that Roman noblemen wore purple togas. They were clearly exceptional people, hence the analogy. Alternatively the emphasis may be on the patch since purple and other multicoloured areas were sometimes set into ancient illuminated texts and other ventures_...".


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## gillyfr

When I was at school, I read in my German class, Friedrich Dürrenmatt's _Der Besuch der Alten Dame_, in which yellow signified treachery and duplicity: they wore _gelbe schuhe_.

Also, no-one has mentioned jealousy for the colour red: _Red, red jealous heart_ was from a rhyme about colours I vaguely remember from my childhood.


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## xav

I realise that I mentioned (high) above the common symbolics of colours for French people, but not their meaning in usual phrases. So, let's try.

être gris : to be a bit drunk
être (complètement) noir : completely drunk (very logical)
regard noir : angry look (doesn't suits to blue or green eyes )

être dans le bleu : to be completely lost
un/le bleu : bruise, newcomer, overalls... (bleu de Gênes -> "blue jeans") - or a republican (XIXth century) 
ballets bleus/roses (well... please ask somebody else - or see Gogol, or Ouiqui)

voir la vie en rose : to be happy
un rose : un socialiste (le symbole du Parti est une rose)(doesn't mean all Socialists are happy everytime )

verdir ou être vert : _il était VERT !! - _rage et/ou peur (anger and/or fear)
un/le Vert : écolo 
vert (adj.) : dynamique, porté sur la chosette
vertement : rather harshly
être / se mettre au vert : à la campagne
avoir les doigts/pouces verts : to have a gift for cultivation

jaune, about people, would rather mean envy, jealousness, falseness
un jaune : un ouvrier qui travaille en période de grève
rire jaune : to be obliged to laugh (of yourself, for example)

rougir : shame or shyness
voir rouge : anger
être dans le rouge (usually à la fin du mois) :  to owe money to one's bank 
un rouge : un coco (communiste)
un (p'tit) rouge : a glass of red wine

un (p'tit) blanc : the same in white
un blanc : un royaliste (XIXè siècle)
voter blanc : vote for nobody


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## ErOtto

lauranazario said:


> Buscando expresiones que utilizan colores...
> 
> En Puerto Rico ... decimos que alguien se puso "blanco como un papel" (para denotar miedo)


 
En España uno se pone blanco "como la cal de la pared" 

Y luego está la "célebre traducción" de Roberto Carlos (El gato que estaba triste y *azul *(deprimido))  - Supongo que la métrica y la rima le estropeó la traducción. 

Otros colores coloquiales:

rosa - sarasa, afeminado
"morao" (morado) - helado (no de comer... de tener frio). También hartarse de comer/beber u otras cosas (se ha puesto "morao").
negro - estar harto de algo (estupendísima la frase "me tienes negro)

Saludos
ErOtto


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## Graham Butler

(Xav) Can you explain the nickname of France's Henri IV, le 'vert galant'?  Galant, because he liked the ladiies - but why 'vert'?


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## xav

Graham Butler said:


> (Xav) Can you explain the nickname of France's Henri IV, le 'vert galant'?  Galant, because he liked the ladiies - but why 'vert'?


Aussi ! Often used in the expression "encore vert" : about men who begin to be a bit old for that. 

There's a nice (true) joke about that : 
In the second half of the XVIIIth century, a man had passed 15 years in the Bastille ; when he was released, his hair had become completely white. An old female friend encoutered him and said
" Eh,  vous avez bien changé !
- Oui, madame, me voilà comme un poireau : la tête blanche, la queue verte !".

I need to be a bit more precise (specific ? definite ? accurate ? exact ?) - and crude : 
"galant" means "loving ladies, with or without sex" ; "vert" means "...with".



Graham Butler said:


> Does that suggest risky jokes?



Not really, in my mind. Maybe at the time, if it ever was used then ; but today, since it specifically refers to Henri IV, it's just affectionate.


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## andlima

I think the issue is more related to culture than to language. Anyway, this is more or less how I think we see it in Brazil:


_ Branco_ (white): purity, cleanness
_ Preto_ (black): night, death, bad
_ Vermelho_ (red): blood, danger, wrath, passion, love
_ Verde_ (green): nature, woods, hope, immaturity
_ Azul_ (blue): calm, sky, sea
_Rosa_ (pink): girlish, gay
"Verde e amarelo" (green and yellow) are the national colors.

"Sangue azul" (blue blood) means royalty.

_"Tem que ser preto no branco"_ (Literally: It must be black on white): It must be clearly defined, objective.

_"A coisa tá preta"_ (Literally: The thing is black): The situation is very bad/troublesome.

We have the verb _"amarelar"_, literally "to become yellow", meaning "to chicken" ("to fail out of fear"). However, I don't think the color itself is associated to this meaning...

Many people, especially men, are deeply linked to the colors associated to the soccer teams they support: red and black ("rubronegro") for Flamengo; white and black ("alvinegro") for Corinthians, Vasco and Santos; white and green ("alviverde") for Palmeiras... It's not rare to see someone refusing to wear clothes that report to the colors of the archrival team, for example.


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## Graham Butler

Thanks for the explanation Xav - and the good joke!  Maybe they use vert in that contextt by analogy with green wood, still living and full of sap whilst the old wood is brown and brittle?


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## xav

Yes ; it probably comes from the Bible : 
Psaume 92,15  _Ils portent encore des fruits dans la vieillesse, ils sont pleins de sève et verdoyants
_Psalm 92,14_    They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green _[KJ : _flourishing_]

The Hebrew word is _ra"anan_, which means _green_,_ bushy, thick

_Il est intéressant de noter que les principales couleurs ont donné des verbes dérivés - certains transitifs, d'autres non :
_jaunir, bleuir, rougir, verdir, brunir, noircir, blanchir
_et aussi _rougeoyer, verdoyer _qui sont poétiques
et encore _grisonner_, qui l'est moins
et _se rembrunir.._. figuratif (_to become gloomy_).

Il y aussi des noms :
_blancheur, rougeur _qui correspondent au sens littéral de l'adjectif
_noirceur, verdeur _qui ont au contraire un sens figuré. Amusant.


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## aleCcowaN

I am really surprised about people relating yellow with envy in the Hispanic World. In fact, people of my own country. As far as I know it always was "verde de envidia" in Argentina, without exception.

CREA and CORDE, the historical and contemporary databases of sample texts developed by Real Academia de la Lengua Española, contains 8 instances for "verde de envidia" and nil for "amarillo de envidia". Two of eight instances come from contemporary Argentine writers.


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## luchy591

Gracias a todos, muy util toda la información


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## chics

No_C_Nada said:


> _Yellow -_
> _In Spain: good luck_


In Spain *yellow* is _bad_ luck. I've heard that it began in theatre, because of the ligths, you couln't distiinguish very well yellow from white and other colours, it was a fade ugly colour not apropiate to stars. 

Today, well, as Galician people say _no creo en las brujas, pero existen_. We'll say that we don't believe about it, but every week I can read in newspapers that a women is been _courageous_ or _she's not been_ _afraid of dressing_ in yellow during he wedding of her sister, or in a spot, or in an interview, a presentation of an exposition, a cd, etc.

Culturally, *green* is ecology and hopeness. But in Spanish language here it also exists _verde de envidia, poner verde a alguien_ and _chistes verdes_. In China the colour of hopeness and good luck is red (we all learned it of the olimpic games).

*White* is the colour of purity, cleanliness... it was the colour of hippies, ecology and environment and the colour of vierges in their marriage. It's the colour of Good people in a show or a film (and black for The Bad ones), of God, angels and good spirits.

We dress in *black* -or other severe fade colours- to express mourning.

*Violet *was the colour of homosexuality (I think that now they're the seven colours of the rainbow) and of feminists.

*Red* can be passion or violence.


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## Zsanna

Yellow seems to be the most controversial colour...
In Hungarian it also represents envy (otherwise a _cheerful_ colour - reminds you of the sun, wheat fields, etc.) meanwhile green indicates anger (probably also other negative feelings that express the individual's unhappiness) as well as being the colour of hope.

According to some old tradition (not practised anymore) the newly wed bride (who wore a white dress for the wedding) had to change into a (white dotted) red dress to indicate that she is a "new woman" (= has become a woman out of a girl) - maybe as a reference to our Asian background? (Red is a "positive" colour as well.)

"Voir la vie en rose" does not mean the same thing in Hungarian: if you say that somebody sees the world in rose, it indicates that you think that (s)he is naive, only sees the nice things (which may be due to just a momentary euphoria of some sort).
The opposite of this is "to see the world darkly" i.e. to suppose the unpleasant, unfortunate, ill-meaning intentions around you firstly.

The funny thing is that I cannot think of anything that goes with blue apart from the sky and sea or coldness. (There is "the blue bird of happiness" - but that is hardly part of our history...)

Apart from these, the colours mostly represent the things I've read here so far.


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## luchy591

Gracias a todos, aprendi mucho acerca de la interpretación de los colores en diferentes partes del mundo.


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## ThomasK

I am picking up this thread because it allows us to dig into the present blue thread [http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1164623] at All Languages. 

I thought however that white is a colour of sorrow in certain Asian countries (whereas black is in Western Europe - at least in general).


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## luchy591

Gracias a todos


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## Hermocrates

A few more that haven't been mentioned yet:

*English*
green thumb/brown thumb: an exceptional skill for gardening/the opposite 
(to be) black and blue: covered with bruises

*Italian*
essere al verde (=green): to be broke 
verde d'invidia: green with envy
rosso di vergogna: red with shame

Also, in Italy violet is considered an unlucky colour (not sure why, though)


Rye


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## ewie

I remember reading (a long _long_ time ago) that more people commit suicide in rooms decorated in purple/violet than any other colour of room, Rye.
What a nice cheery thought


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## Hermocrates

ewie said:


> I remember reading (a long _long_ time ago) that more people commit suicide in rooms decorated in purple/violet than any other colour of room, Rye.
> What a nice cheery thought



Interesting. I used to think some of the connotations of violet were "quiet, intellect, spirituality" which are all positive concepts. 

Somebody in Italy told me that violet is considered unlucky because it is a colour associated with funerals and/or Lent. I don't know if that was merely a conjecture or a fact they knew for sure, though.

Rye


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## ThomasK

I think we shall have to make a distinction  between purple and violet (or lila). 

For sure pink has no meaning in Catholic liturgy, as opposed to what someone pointed out, at some point in this thread.Just green, white, purple, red, black. 

I even wonder how old meanings of pink could be. I suspect: not very old... (Is it a tertiary colour ?)


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## Kevin Beach

ThomasK said:


> For sure pink has no meaning in Catholic liturgy, as opposed to what someone pointed out, at some point in this thread.Just green, white, purple, red, black.


I recall occasions when rose-coloured vestments are or were used but I can't remember for which occasions.


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## ThomasK

*Good Lord, you are right - but in 51 years I had never witnessed it : *
 
*"Rose Pink* is used as an alternative for the 4th Sunday in Lent which in the Church of England is Mothering Sunday otherwise known as Laetare Sunday) and for the 3rd Sunday in Advent." (http://www.dioceseofwenchoster.co.uk/grindlesearch/colours.htm)

Sorry !


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## Hulalessar

ThomasK said:


> I even wonder how old meanings of pink could be. I suspect: not very old... (Is it a tertiary colour ?)


 
The word "pink" comes from the flower of that name - or at least the use of the word for a flower (16th century) predates the use of the word to describe a colour (18th century). (Dates according to Collins Dictionary.)

The association of colours with different qualities etc is purely cultural and not even stable within a culture. The modern association of pink with baby girls and blue with baby boys is the opposite of what it was in Victorian times. (cf above the association of blue with the Virgin Mary.) Looking at the electoral maps of the recent US election was confusing for us Brits - states that voted Republican were shown red and states that voted Democrat were shown coloured blue - the opposite of what we expect.

An interesting question is to what extent the words of a given language influence a native speaker's idea of what the "basic" colours are. There is no word in English corresponding to "pink" for light blue for example, although native English speakers can of course distinguish between light blue and dark blue. "Pink" is a colour and we never hear a colour described as "light red", but light blue and dark blue are just shades of blue. Spanish has no single word for what is covered by "brown" in English - the colour either has to be "castaño" (light brown) or "moreno" (dark brown).


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## ThomasK

Interesting point, the last one. I found a note at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color: 

"All languages that have two "basic" color names distinguish dark/cool colors from bright/warm colors. (...) All languages with six "basic" colors include black, white, red, green, blue and yellow." I suppose this might lead us to the issue (hypothesis) of linguistic determinism, and different worldviews. And we could broaden the issue to making distinctions: every language makes its own distinctions, which makes them unique, I think. 

I would think we have all the primary and secondary colours in Dutch (brown is tertiary, I think), but I wonder whether purple has the same status as the other ones. 

I wonder if there is a language that does not have (a word for) certain primary or secondary colours.


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## taked4700

*New question/Nueva pregunta*​

I think meanings of color differ in countries.

In Japan, red implies happy things or anger.

What color has what meaning in your country?

Thanks in advance.


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## ernest_

Colours don't mean anything specifically in Spain, as far as I know.
In certain contexts they may have a meaning, for example, Lorca (a Spanish poet) used a colour symbolism in his poetry (e.g., he says "green" to mean homosexuality), or traditioinaly in religious paintings blue is associated with the Virgin Mary, in politics anything red may be interpreted as a reference to communism or socialism, etc., so it depends on the context


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## Frank78

traditional:

red=love
green=hope
white=innocence/virginity
yellow=envy
black= death, sorrow

political:
red - communist, socialist, socialdemocratic
brown - facist, nationalsocialist
green - ecologist

(All parties in Germany have an own colour but I wouldn´t call that typical,e.g. Liberals-yellow, Christian Democrats-black,etc.)

other meanings:

purple and pink are often associated with gay people


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## Talib

Interesting how similar some of the examples people post are to Western colour symbolism. I wonder if there's influence either way.

For example:



cherine said:


> "blue blood" is mainly for "royalties", not just upper classes.
> In Egypt, White : peace, marriage (wedding gowns  )
> black is related to death
> Red : love
> Yellow : envy. Also yellow papers are the papers that publish scandals or gossip.


Some I didn't get at all though. Like green = sex in Spanish? What?

I'm also glad someone brought up political colours which I find interesting as a very political person.

For example:

Red - Communism and socialism in general.
Yellow/Gold - Usually some form of liberalism, especially in Europe.
Orange - Sometimes Christian democrats but it varies. Often just a party that wishes to portrary itself as different, like Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP).
Green - Green politics (duh) and environmentalism.
Blue - Conservatism.
Purple - Monarchism; also homosexuality.
Pink - Feminism; also slang for left-leaning people or parties (implying they aren't quite 'red,' but close to it).
Black - Anarchism but also fascism.

I'd be interested to hear more of what people have to say on political colours.


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## tom_in_bahia

*New question/Nueva pregunta*​

Hola*:*

Entre Google y Wikipedia, no consigo encontrar la información que quiero:

Sé que, en español, el color azul no lleva el mismo sentido de tristeza que lo lleva en inglés. Sin embargo, ¿existe un color que se asocia con la tristeza en español? ¿¿¿O será que solo en inglés por causa del dicho???

Verde: la envidia (como en inglés)
Rojo: la rabia / la verguenza (como en inglés)

...Pero, *¿*la tristeza?*,* *¿*la felicidad?

*¡*Much*í*simas gracias!


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## la_machy

¿El 'gris', quizá?
Por aquello de 'es un día *gris'* (un día triste).

Saludos


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## tom_in_bahia

¿El gris sirve también en otros contextos?


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## la_machy

tom_in_bahia said:


> *¿*El gris sirve tambi*é*n en otros contextos?


 
¿Significando tristeza? Sí.


Saludos


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## Gregory MD

tom_in_bahia said:


> El gris sirve tambien en otros contextos?



La cosa se ve gris...
Cuando algo va encaminado a salir mal o no de la forma que esperabas.
Si llega a negro ("está negra la cosa") es porque ya todo salió mal.


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## E. Soto

En cuanto a tristeza creo que se usa más el gris que el azul.
El azul sirve para expresar serenidad..


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## gengo

Interesting question.  Similarly, I don't think colors are used to express these other ideas in Spanish.

She has a black heart.
It was a white lie.


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## tom_in_bahia

la_machy said:


> ¿Significando tristeza? Sí.
> 
> 
> Saludos


 
¡Gracias!



			
				 Milton Sand - Nota de moderador said:
			
		

> —Comentario sobre teclados y tildes removido por no pertenecer al tema y fomentar la charla (regla 2). Disculpa la molestia.—


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