Learning new words in a different language can be fun and useful. Colors are some of the first words people learn because they help describe the world around us. If you’re interested in learning French, knowing how to say colors is a great place to begin.
In this article, we will explore how to say “yellow” in French. You will learn its correct pronunciation, discover other ways to say it, and see how to use it in everyday conversations. By the end, you’ll be able to describe yellow things in French with confidence.
Ways to Say “Yellow” in French
In French, the word “yellow” is commonly used to describe objects, nature, and more. Knowing different ways to say “yellow” can make your French conversations more descriptive and fun. Below are some common ways to say “yellow” in French, along with their meanings and examples.
1. Jaune
Pronunciation: zhohn
Meaning: Yellow (standard color)
In a Sentence:
- Le soleil est jaune. (The sun is yellow.)
- J’ai acheté une robe jaune. (I bought a yellow dress.)
2. Jaunâtre
Pronunciation: zhohn-atr
Meaning: Yellowish or pale yellow
In a Sentence:
- Ses cheveux sont un peu jaunâtres. (Her hair is a bit yellowish.)
- La peinture sur le mur est jaunâtre. (The paint on the wall is yellowish.)
3. Doré
Pronunciation: doh-ray
Meaning: Golden (shiny yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Le collier est doré. (The necklace is golden.)
- Le coucher du soleil était doré. (The sunset was golden.)
4. Moutarde
Pronunciation: moo-tard
Meaning: Mustard yellow
In a Sentence:
- J’aime son pull moutarde. (I like his mustard-yellow sweater.)
- Les rideaux sont de couleur moutarde. (The curtains are mustard-colored.)
5. Paille
Pronunciation: pah-yee
Meaning: Straw yellow
In a Sentence:
- Les champs de blé sont couleur paille. (The wheat fields are straw yellow.)
- Ses cheveux sont paille. (Her hair is straw-colored.)
6. Citron
Pronunciation: see-trohn
Meaning: Lemon yellow
In a Sentence:
- La voiture est jaune citron. (The car is lemon yellow.)
- J’ai un sac à main citron. (I have a lemon-yellow handbag.)
7. Or
Pronunciation: ohr
Meaning: Gold (yellow-gold hue)
In a Sentence:
- Cette bague est en or. (This ring is gold.)
- Le trophée est en or brillant. (The trophy is bright gold.)
8. Soleil
Pronunciation: soh-lay
Meaning: Sun-like yellow (poetic)
In a Sentence:
- Son sourire est éclatant comme le soleil. (Her smile is as bright as the sun.)
- Les fleurs sont de couleur soleil. (The flowers are sun-colored.)
9. Safran
Pronunciation: sah-fran
Meaning: Saffron yellow
In a Sentence:
- J’ai utilisé du safran pour colorer le riz. (I used saffron to color the rice.)
- Sa robe est d’un beau safran. (Her dress is a beautiful saffron color.)
10. Miel
Pronunciation: myel
Meaning: Honey yellow
In a Sentence:
- Ses cheveux sont couleur miel. (Her hair is honey-colored.)
- Le liquide est doré comme du miel. (The liquid is golden like honey.)
11. Ambre
Pronunciation: ahm-bruh
Meaning: Amber yellow (warm yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Son collier est fait d’ambre. (Her necklace is made of amber.)
- La lumière du soir était couleur ambre. (The evening light was amber-colored.)
12. Banane
Pronunciation: bah-nahn
Meaning: Banana yellow (bright yellow)
In a Sentence:
- J’ai mangé une banane bien jaune. (I ate a bright yellow banana.)
- Son sac est couleur banane. (Her bag is banana-colored.)
13. Vanille
Pronunciation: vah-neel
Meaning: Vanilla yellow (soft yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Le mur est peint en vanille pâle. (The wall is painted pale vanilla.)
- Ses rideaux sont vanille. (Her curtains are vanilla-colored.)
14. Blé
Pronunciation: bleh
Meaning: Wheat yellow
In a Sentence:
- Les champs de blé sont magnifiques en été. (The wheat fields are beautiful in summer.)
- Sa chevelure dorée ressemble au blé. (Her golden hair looks like wheat.)
15. Jaune pâle
Pronunciation: zhohn pahl
Meaning: Pale yellow
In a Sentence:
- Le matin, le ciel était jaune pâle. (The morning sky was pale yellow.)
- Elle a choisi un papier peint jaune pâle. (She chose pale yellow wallpaper.)
16. Jaune vif
Pronunciation: zhohn veef
Meaning: Bright yellow
In a Sentence:
- Sa robe jaune vif attire les regards. (Her bright yellow dress draws attention.)
- Il porte une chemise jaune vif. (He is wearing a bright yellow shirt.)
17. Jaune fluo
Pronunciation: zhohn floo-oh
Meaning: Neon yellow
In a Sentence:
- Les surligneurs sont souvent jaune fluo. (Highlighters are often neon yellow.)
- Elle portait un manteau jaune fluo. (She wore a neon yellow coat.)
18. Canari
Pronunciation: kah-nah-ree
Meaning: Canary yellow
In a Sentence:
- Le canari dans sa cage est jaune. (The canary in its cage is yellow.)
- J’adore cette robe canari. (I love this canary-yellow dress.)
19. Tournesol
Pronunciation: toor-nuh-sohl
Meaning: Sunflower yellow
In a Sentence:
- Les champs de tournesols sont magnifiques. (The sunflower fields are beautiful.)
- Ses bottes sont couleur tournesol. (Her boots are sunflower-colored.)
20. Jaune doré
Pronunciation: zhohn doh-ray
Meaning: Golden yellow
In a Sentence:
- Les feuilles d’automne sont jaune doré. (Autumn leaves are golden yellow.)
- Le crépuscule était jaune doré. (The sunset was golden yellow.)
21. Ocre
Pronunciation: oh-cruh
Meaning: Ochre yellow (earthy yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Les murs étaient peints en ocre. (The walls were painted ochre.)
- La poterie était d’une belle couleur ocre. (The pottery was a beautiful ochre color.)
22. Crème
Pronunciation: krem
Meaning: Creamy yellow (light, soft yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Sa robe est d’un joli crème. (Her dress is a lovely creamy yellow.)
- Ils ont choisi une peinture crème pour le salon. (They chose a creamy yellow paint for the living room.)
23. Pastel
Pronunciation: pas-tel
Meaning: Pastel yellow (soft, light yellow)
In a Sentence:
- Ses vêtements sont de tons pastel. (Her clothes are pastel shades.)
- J’aime la peinture pastel jaune. (I like the pastel yellow paint.)
24. Safrané
Pronunciation: sah-frah-nay
Meaning: Saffron-like yellow
In a Sentence:
- Son foulard est safrané. (Her scarf is saffron yellow.)
- La soupe avait une teinte safranée. (The soup had a saffron tint.)
25. Jaune citronné
Pronunciation: zhohn see-trohn-nay
Meaning: Lemon-like yellow
In a Sentence:
- Elle a peint sa cuisine en jaune citronné. (She painted her kitchen lemon-yellow.)
- La boisson est jaune citronné. (The drink is lemon-yellow.)
Other Ways to Say “Yellow” in French
Here are additional ways to describe yellow in French. Use these words to add variety and detail to your conversations.
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Jaune pâle | zhohn pahl | Pale yellow | Les murs sont peints en jaune pâle. (The walls are painted pale yellow.) |
| Jaune vif | zhohn veef | Bright yellow | Elle porte une écharpe jaune vif. (She is wearing a bright yellow scarf.) |
| Jaune fluo | zhohn floo-oh | Neon yellow | Les panneaux sont jaune fluo. (The signs are neon yellow.) |
| Moutarde | moo-tard | Mustard yellow | J’aime son pull moutarde. (I like his mustard-yellow sweater.) |
| Paille | pah-yee | Straw yellow | La robe est couleur paille. (The dress is straw-colored.) |
| Safrané | sah-frah-nay | Saffron yellow | Le plat a une teinte safranée. (The dish has a saffron tint.) |
| Crème | krem | Cream yellow | Le canapé est crème. (The couch is cream-colored.) |
| Ambre | ahm-bruh | Amber yellow | Sa bague est en ambre. (Her ring is amber-colored.) |
| Citronné | see-trohn-nay | Lemon-like yellow | Le gâteau est jaune citronné. (The cake is lemon-yellow.) |
| Tournesol | toor-nuh-sohl | Sunflower yellow | Les champs de tournesols sont magnifiques. (The sunflower fields are beautiful.) |
| Canari | kah-nah-ree | Canary yellow | Le sac est jaune canari. (The bag is canary yellow.) |
| Vanille | vah-neel | Vanilla yellow | Le papier peint est vanille. (The wallpaper is vanilla yellow.) |
| Blé | bleh | Wheat yellow | Les champs de blé sont dorés. (The wheat fields are golden yellow.) |
| Ocre | oh-cruh | Ochre yellow | La maison est peinte en ocre. (The house is painted ochre yellow.) |
| Miel | myel | Honey yellow | Ses cheveux sont couleur miel. (Her hair is honey-colored.) |
Responses to “Yellow” in French
When talking about colors like “yellow” in French, you might need to respond in different ways. Here are some common responses you can use when discussing or describing the color yellow.
1. C’est joli!
Pronunciation: say zhoh-lee
Meaning: It’s pretty!
In a Sentence:
- Cette fleur jaune? C’est joli! (That yellow flower? It’s pretty!)
2. J’aime cette couleur.
Pronunciation: zhem set koo-leur
Meaning: I like this color.
In a Sentence:
- J’aime cette couleur jaune sur toi. (I like this yellow color on you.)
3. C’est lumineux.
Pronunciation: say loo-mee-nuh
Meaning: It’s bright.
In a Sentence:
- Le soleil est si jaune, c’est lumineux! (The sun is so yellow, it’s bright!)
4. Quelle belle couleur!
Pronunciation: kel bel koo-leur
Meaning: What a beautiful color!
In a Sentence:
- Ton écharpe jaune? Quelle belle couleur! (Your yellow scarf? What a beautiful color!)
5. C’est ma couleur préférée.
Pronunciation: say mah koo-leur pray-fay-ray
Meaning: It’s my favorite color.
In a Sentence:
- Le jaune est ma couleur préférée. (Yellow is my favorite color.)
6. C’est un peu trop vif.
Pronunciation: say uh puh tro veef
Meaning: It’s a bit too bright.
In a Sentence:
- Cette robe jaune est un peu trop vive pour moi. (That yellow dress is a bit too bright for me.)
7. Ça brille!
Pronunciation: sah bree
Meaning: It shines!
In a Sentence:
- Regarde ce soleil jaune! Ça brille! (Look at that yellow sun! It shines!)
8. C’est très chaleureux.
Pronunciation: say tray shah-luh-ruh
Meaning: It’s very warm.
In a Sentence:
- J’adore cette peinture jaune, c’est très chaleureux. (I love this yellow paint; it’s very warm.)
9. C’est trop pâle.
Pronunciation: say tro pahl
Meaning: It’s too pale.
In a Sentence:
- Ce jaune est trop pâle pour la décoration. (This yellow is too pale for the decor.)
10. C’est parfait!
Pronunciation: say par-fay
Meaning: It’s perfect!
In a Sentence:
- La couleur jaune des rideaux est parfaite! (The yellow color of the curtains is perfect!)
11. C’est original!
Pronunciation: say oh-ree-zhee-nahl
Meaning: It’s unique!
In a Sentence:
- Ta veste jaune? C’est original! (Your yellow jacket? It’s unique!)
12. Ça attire l’attention.
Pronunciation: sah ah-teer lah-tahn-syohn
Meaning: It grabs attention.
In a Sentence:
- Cette voiture jaune attire l’attention. (That yellow car grabs attention.)
13. C’est éclatant!
Pronunciation: say ay-klah-tahn
Meaning: It’s dazzling!
In a Sentence:
- La lumière jaune du coucher de soleil est éclatante! (The yellow sunset light is dazzling!)
Exercise to Practice Saying “Yellow” in French
Fill in the blanks with the correct word or phrase for “yellow” in French. Use the vocabulary you’ve learned so far. Each sentence is written in French, followed by its meaning in English.
Fill-in-the-Blanks:
- Le soleil est __________ aujourd’hui. (The sun is yellow today.)
- Mon pull préféré est __________ moutarde. (My favorite sweater is mustard yellow.)
- Les champs de blé sont __________ en été. (The wheat fields are yellow in summer.)
- J’ai acheté une robe __________ citron. (I bought a lemon-yellow dress.)
- Ses cheveux sont couleur __________ miel. (Her hair is honey yellow.)
- La voiture est __________ fluo et très voyante. (The car is neon yellow and very flashy.)
- Cette fleur __________ est magnifique. (This yellow flower is magnificent.)
- J’aime la lumière __________ du coucher de soleil. (I love the golden yellow light of the sunset.)
- Les murs de la cuisine sont __________ pâle. (The kitchen walls are pale yellow.)
- Les rideaux sont d’un beau __________ doré. (The curtains are a beautiful golden yellow.)
- Mon cahier est __________ vif pour l’école. (My notebook is bright yellow for school.)
- Nous avons peint la porte en __________ safrané. (We painted the door saffron yellow.)
Answers:
- jaune
- jaune
- jaunes
- jaune
- jaune
- jaune
- jaune
- dorée
- jaune
- jaune
- jaune
- safrané
Conclusion
Learning how to say “yellow” in French can make your conversations more colorful and exciting. From simple words like “jaune” to more specific shades like “moutarde” or “citronné,” you now have a wide range of ways to describe yellow. Whether you’re talking about the color of the sun, a flower, or a piece of clothing, these expressions will help you sound more natural in French.
Keep practicing these words and responses, and try using them in your daily life. The more you practice, the easier it will be to use these colors confidently in conversations. Soon, talking about yellow in French will feel as easy as saying it in English!