色

sè
#304 most
frequent character
colour, look, expression, scene
noun
Measure words:种 zhǒng

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

色 began as 印 turned upside down, a hand pressing a kneeling person, so it suggested an impression left on a face. That gave the first sense, a person's facial expression. From there it grew to 'appearance', 'color', 'quality', 'feminine beauty', and 'sexual matters'.

Drawn as: upside-down 印; hand pressing kneeling person

色 as a component in other characters

meaning2 characters
艳艴
sound1 character
铯
empty1 character
绝

Ask DeepSeek

Example Sentences

这幅画的色很美。
zhè fú huà de sè hěnměi 。
The colors in this painting are beautiful.
我喜欢蓝色和绿色。
wǒ xǐhuān lánsè hé lǜsè 。
I like blue and green.
色彩可以影响人的情绪。
sècǎi kěyǐ yǐngxiǎng rénde qíngxù 。
Colors can affect a person's mood.

Same Characters, Different Readings

色shǎi
(coll.) color, used in 色子[shai3zi5]

Words with similar meanings

颜色yánsè
color
A more specific term that often emphasizes the visual aspect of color.
色彩sècǎi
colors
Refers to various colors, often in a broader or artistic sense.

Homophones

瑟sè
a type of standing harp, smaller than konghou 箜篌, with 5-25 strings
塞sè
to stop up, to stuff, to cope with

Words Starting With 色

色彩sè cǎi
tint; coloring; coloration; character

Your word lists

Sign in to add this word to your private lists.