Colours in Irish

Overview

Colours in Irish are adjectives, and like all Irish adjectives, they follow the noun they describe. What makes colour words particularly interesting for learners is how they interact with the gender system: when a colour adjective follows a feminine noun, it undergoes lenition (the initial consonant is softened). This makes colours an excellent way to practice gender-based mutation patterns.

Irish has a rich colour vocabulary with some distinctions that differ from English. For example, glas typically refers to the green of nature (grass, plants), while uaine describes an artificial or bright green. The word gorm means blue but is also traditionally used for the colour of dark skin or hair. Understanding these cultural nuances adds depth to your vocabulary.

Most colour adjectives behave regularly, but a few — like rua (reddish-brown, used for hair) and bán (white/fair) — have special cultural significance in Irish and appear frequently in everyday descriptions.

How It Works

Core Colour Words

Irish	English	Lenited (after feminine noun)
dearg	red	dhearg
gorm	blue	ghorm
glas	green (natural)	ghlas
uaine	green (bright)	uaine (no change — vowel)
dubh	black	dhubh
bán	white / fair	bhán
buí	yellow	bhuí
donn	brown	dhonn
rua	red-brown / ginger	rua (no lenition)
liath	grey	liath (no lenition for "l")
bándearg	pink	bhándearg
oráiste	orange	oráiste (no change — vowel)
corcra	purple	chorcra

Adjective Placement and Gender

Adjectives follow the noun. Feminine singular nouns cause lenition:

Masculine (no change)	Feminine (lenition)
carr dearg (a red car)	bróg dhearg (a red shoe)
hata dubh (a black hat)	cistin dhubh (a dark kitchen)
léine bhán — wait, léine is feminine	léine bhán (a white shirt)

With the Definite Article

Irish	English
an carr dearg	the red car
an bhróg dhearg	the red shoe
an geansaí gorm	the blue jumper
an spéir ghorm	the blue sky (feminine)

Examples in Context

Irish	English	Note
carr dearg	a red car	Masculine — no lenition
bean rua	a red-haired woman	"rua" = ginger/red-brown
an geansaí gorm	the blue jumper	Masculine noun
Tá súile donna aici.	She has brown eyes.	Plural adjective form
an spéir ghorm	the blue sky	Feminine — lenition
Tá an féar glas.	The grass is green.	"glas" for natural green
cóta dubh	a black coat	Masculine — no change
Is maith liom an ceann buí.	I like the yellow one.	Copula + preference
bláthanna bána	white flowers	Plural form of "bán"
Cén dath atá air?	What colour is it?	Asking about colour

Common Mistakes

Forgetting lenition after feminine nouns

• Wrong: bróg dearg
• Right: bróg dhearg
• Why: Bróg (shoe) is feminine, so the following adjective must be lenited.

Using glas for all greens

• Wrong: Tá an léine glas (for a bright green shirt)
• Right: Tá an léine uaine.
• Why: Glas refers to natural green (grass, trees). For artificial or vivid green objects, use uaine.

Assuming all adjectives lenite after feminine nouns

• Wrong: Expecting dhubh to look different from regular lenition patterns
• Right: Some consonants cannot be lenited (l, n, r, vowels), so liath and vowel-initial adjectives stay the same.
• Why: Lenition only applies to consonants b, c, d, f, g, m, p, s, t.

Practice Tips

1. Look around the room and describe five objects using their colour: ríomhaire dubh (black computer), balla bán (white wall). Check whether each noun is masculine or feminine.
2. Practice asking and answering the question Cén dath atá air/uirthi? (What colour is it?) for various objects, using air for masculine and uirthi for feminine nouns.

Related Concepts

• Basic Adjectives — the adjective agreement rules that colours follow