11 Tagalog Colors Every Beginner Should Know

There are fewer color words in Tagalog than you might expect —
and that’s exactly what makes them easier to learn.

In Filipino culture, English and Spanish color terms are used all the time.
It’s completely normal to hear someone say asul or blue…
luntian or berde…
depending on the situation.

And here’s something most learners don’t realize:
Tagalog speakers often use one color word to describe many different shades.
You don’t need to memorize 50 colors to sound natural.
Just start with these essentials:

kulay — color
itim — black
puti — white
kulay-abo — grey (literally “color-ash”)
bughaw — blue
asul — blue (Spanish-influenced)
pula — red
dilaw — yellow
luntian — green
berde — green (Spanish-influenced)
rosas — pink
ginto — gold
pilak — silver
kahel — orange
kayumanggi — brown
lilà — purple, violet

If you learn these, you can already describe almost anything in Tagalog —
even if you’re just starting from zero.