Esperantaj Koloroj Trivia Quiz

'Blua' is the Esperanto adjective for 'blue'. Like all regular Esperanto adjectives, it ends in -a. When modifying plural nouns, it adds -j (blua → bluaj), and when used with an object in the accusative case, it adds -n (blua → bluan). If both apply, the -j comes first (bluajn). Fun fact: the word 'blue' is also a valid Esperanto word. It's the adverbial form of 'blua'. We'll discuss that further below.

La domo estas blua. (The house is blue.)
La buŝtukoj estas bluaj. (The napkins are blue.)
Ni rigardis la bluan ĉielon. (We looked at the blue sky.)

'Flava' is the Esperanto adjective for 'yellow'. Like other adjectives in Esperanto, it ends in -a. To turn it into a noun meaning 'yellow' as a concept or substance, you just change the ending to -o, giving you 'flavo'.

Flavo estas mia plej ŝatata koloro. (Yellow is my favorite color.)
La flavo de la suno similas al tiu de matura citrono. (The yellow of the sun resembles that of a ripe lemon.)

'Oranĝa' is the Esperanto adjective for 'orange'. The related noun is 'oranĝo', which can refer to the fruit or the color, depending on the context.

In Esperanto, adjectives typically come before the noun they modify:

la oranĝa domo (the orange house)

However, it's also acceptable to place the adjective after the noun, especially for emphasis or poetic effect:

la domo oranĝa (the orange house)

Unlike English, Esperanto doesn't have a fixed order for stacking multiple adjectives. English speakers often follow an unconscious "Royal Order of Adjectives". We know "a big orange dog" sounds better than "an orange big dog." Esperanto is more flexible; either order can be used, although emphasis may shift slightly:

la granda oranĝa domo (the big orange house)
la oranĝa granda domo (the orange big house)

Both are correct. The first might subtly emphasize the size, while the second might highlight the color.

'Purpura' is the Esperanto adjective for all things purple.

While rare in English, Esperanto allows colors to be used as adverbs by changing the ending from -a to -e, forming 'purpure' ('in a purple way' or 'purplely'). This is often used in sentences where English would use a predicate adjective or object complement. If that's too much much grammar for you, the examples below show how it works:

La ĉielo aspektas purpure. (The sky appears purple.)
Ŝi farbis la domon purpure. (She painted the house purple.)
Li kolorigis siajn harojn purpure. (He dyed his hair purple.)
Ŝi vestas sin purpure. (She dresses in purple.)

Esperanto is teeming with affixes, prefixes and suffixes that can be added to words to create new meanings. For example, the suffix -ig- (inserted before the verb ending) means 'to cause to be.' So 'brunigi' means 'to make brown'.

La kemiaĵo brunigis la akvon. (The chemical turned the water brown.)
La koto brunigis liajn manojn. (The mud turned his hands brown.)

This usage isn't typically a replacement for more specific verbs like 'to paint' or 'to dye', but if you forget those words, this one will usually get the point across.

'Blanka' means 'white' in Esperanto.

Okay, boys and girls. Real talk. In Esperanto, it's uncommon and discouraged to use color terms like 'blanka' to describe a person's race or skin tone, especially outside of translated texts or historical writings. Saying 'blanka persono' ('white person') might cause confusion or even raise eyebrows among Esperanto speakers, especially those not used to English expressions.

Esperanto favors clarity and neutrality. Rather than labeling someone by color, Esperantists often use more descriptive and accurate phrases like:

persono kun hela haŭto (person with light skin)
malhelhaŭtulo (dark-skinned person)
orient-aziano (East Asian person)
persono de afrika deveno (person of African descent)
indiĝeno (indigenous person)

It's all about being precise and understood across all cultures.

'Ruĝa' is the Esperanto adjective for 'red'.

A useful Esperanto affix for color expressions is the suffix -iĝ-, which means 'to become' or 'to get'. When added to a color adjective, it forms a verb meaning 'to become that color'. Here are some examples using 'ruĝa':

La ĉielo ruĝiĝis dum la sunsubiro. (The sky turned red during the sunset.)
La folioj ruĝiĝis aŭtune. (The leaves became red in autumn.)
Ŝia vizaĝo ruĝiĝis pro kolero. (Her face turned red with anger.)

This pattern works with other colors too, as long as the meaning is clear.

Like other adjectives, changing the ending from -a to -o turns it into a noun: 'nigro'. You can go a step further by adding the suffix '-ec-', which expresses an abstract quality or state, much like '-ness' in English. So 'nigreco' means 'blackness'.

La nigreco de la ĉambro igis ĝin malgaja. (The blackness of the room made it gloomy.)
La nigreco de la nokto kaŝis la danĝeron. (The blackness of the night hid the danger.)

Although 'nigra' is not generally used in Esperanto to describe skin tone, it can appear in metaphorical or poetic compounds, like:

La maliculo ŝajnis nigranima. (The villain seemed black-souled.)
Lia humoro estis nigra kiel nokto. (His mood was black as night.)
La poemo estis plena je nigreco kaj melankolio. (The poem was full of blackness and melancholy.)

'Roza' and 'rozkolora' are both used to express the color pink in Esperanto.

'Roza' is the more common form in everyday use. It's short, connotationally neutral, and works well for describing clothes, flowers, or anything pink without much poetic flair.

'Rozkolora', on the other hand, literally means 'rose-colored'. It's often used when a more descriptive or expressive tone is desired. It can evoke a sense of softness, beauty, or even romance, as it calls to mind the rose itself.

Ŝi portas rozan robon. (She's wearing a pink dress.)
La infano havas rozajn ŝuojn. (The child has pink shoes.)
La sunsubiro estis rozkolora. (The sunset was rose-colored.)
Ŝiaj vangoj fariĝis rozkoloraj pro la malvarmo. (Her cheeks turned pink from the cold.)

Both forms are correct. Choose based on the tone you're looking for.

'Verda' is the Esperanto adjective for 'green'.

La herbo estas verda. (The grass is green.)
Verdaj folioj flirtis en la vento. (Green leaves fluttered in the wind.)
Mi aĉetis verdan ŝalon. (I bought a green scarf.)
Atendu ĝis la lumo estas verda. (Wait until the light is green.)

La Verda Stelo (the Green Star) is the symbol of Esperanto, representing hope and unity. If you see someone wearing a small green star pin, you might just be in the midst of an Esperanto speaker.

Unlike English, 'verda' is not used to express jealousy or envy in Esperanto. Instead, it can symbolize youth, inexperience, and/or environmentalism:

Li estas ankoraŭ verda en sia laboro. (He's still green at his job.)
Verdaj politikoj (Green policies)
Verda energio (Green energy)

Esperanto's rich system of affixes also applies:

La arboj verdiĝas printempe. (The trees turn green in spring.)