颜色
HSK 2 (exam 2025)HSK 2 (2021)Old HSK 2
颜色 (yánsè) · color
颜色 (yánsè) means “color”. It is written with 2 characters: 颜 (face) + 色 (color). It is an HSK 2 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 颜色 is built
The characters
颜 yán · face
What 颜 is made of
- 彦yàn — elegant
- 产chǎn — to give birth
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 厂chǎng — cliff
- 彡shān — hair
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 产chǎn — to give birth
- 页yè — page
- 贝bèi — sea shell
- 冂 — frame
- 人rén — person
- 贝bèi — sea shell
Origin hint: 页 gives the meaning, 彦 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
色 sè · color
What 色 is made of
- ⺈ — top shape
- 巴bā — to desire
- 巳sì — the hours from 9 to 11
- 乚 — hook stroke
- 巳sì — the hours from 9 to 11
Origin hint: What a person ⺈ desires 巴 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
你喜欢什么颜色？Nǐ xǐhuan shénme yánsè?What color do you like?
这个颜色很漂亮。Zhège yánsè hěn piàoliang.This color is very pretty.
Questions about 颜色
What does 颜色 mean?
颜色 (yánsè) means “color”.
How do you pronounce 颜色?
颜色 is pronounced yánsè.
Which HSK level is 颜色?
颜色 is in HSK 2 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 2.
Related words
- 五颜六色wǔyánliùsècolorful
- 白色báisèwhite
- 黑色hēisèblack
- 红色hóngsèred
- 黄色huángsèyellow
- 蓝色lánsèblue
- 绿色lǜsègreen
- 彩色cǎisècolored
- 景色jǐngsèscenery
- 特色tèsèspecial feature
Learn 颜色 with its group
It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 9: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.