| webmaster@klingonska.org | http://klingonska.org/ref/color.html | Changed: 2007-07-15, 07:37 |
Let's begin with a nice color cheat-sheet by Roger Cheesbro:
There is no noun in Klingon meaning "color", but there is a verb nguv which means be dyed, stained, tinted. This word is seldom used without the suffix -moH (as in quS nguvmoH He stains the chair) except in the phrase chay' nguv How is it tinted?. [KGT p. 82]
| nguv | be dyed, be stained, be tinted (v) | [KGT] |
There are only four distinct words for different colors (including black and white) in Klingon. These, for the most part, are all that is used in everyday language - there is rarely any need for more, since there are almost always other ways to distinguish between several objects than just the hue.
| Doq | be orange, be red (v) | [TKD] |
| SuD | be green, be blue, be yellow (v) | [TKD] |
| chIS | be white (v) | [TKD] |
| qIj | be black (v) | [TKD] |
| Hurgh | be dark (v) | [TKD] |
| wov | be light, be bright (v) | [TKD] |
One way of being more specific is to use the -qu' emphatic suffix, this has the advantage that the word still can be used adjectivally (as in for example HIq Doqqu' red liquor - probably bloodwine) this can not be done with the other lengthier methods of describing colors.
| Expressing colors with the -qu' emphatic suffix | ||
| Doqqu' | "a color more red than orange" (v) | [KGT p. 82] |
| SuDqu' | "would probably be described as 'green'" (v) | [KGT p. 82] |
One may also use the words for light and dark to describe colors in whole sentences (such as SuD 'ej wov for it is SuD and light - 'ach but is also heard instead of 'ej). To describe yellow tea, a sentence like SuDbogh Dargh 'ej wovbogh SuD The tea that is SuD and light would be used.
| Expressing colors with wov be light, bright and Hurgh be dark | ||
| SuD 'ej wov or SuD 'ach wov | "a way to refer to a yellowish tinge" | [KGT p. 82] |
| Doq 'ej wovbe' | "be orange/red and not be bright" (brown) | [HQ 8:1 p. 7] |
| Doq 'ej wov or Doq 'ach wov | referring to a light red or orange color | NOT CANON |
| SuD 'ej Hurgh or SuD 'ach Hurgh | referring to a blue or blueish color | NOT CANON |
| Doq 'ej Hurgh or Doq 'ach Hurgh | referring to a brown or brownish color | NOT CANON |
| Doqqu' 'ej wov or Doqqu' 'ach wov | referring to a light red or pink color | NOT CANON |
| SuDqu' 'ej wov or SuDqu' 'ach wov | referring to a light green color | NOT CANON |
| SuDqu' 'ej Hurgh or SuDqu' 'ach Hurgh | referring to a dark green color | NOT CANON |
| Doqqu' 'ej Hurgh or Doqqu' 'ach Hurgh | referring to a dark red color | NOT CANON |
Generally, when one needs to be more specific, the item in question is compared to something else that typically has this color (for example Doq 'ej beqpuj rur it is Doq and resembles bekpuj - bekpuj is a common mineral that is bright orange in color).
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| Klingon does really not have a name for "violet" or "purple". [KGT p. 82] | ||||||
If you wish to know more about how colors are expressed in different languages, and how this relate to Klingon, you may read the article "Klingon Colours" by Nick Nicholas, published in Klingon Language Institute's quarterly journal HolQeD number 5:2 (June 1996). The further explanation of the color brown can also be found in HolQeD number 8:1 (March 1999) in an article named "Maltz Online".
HolQeD may be purchased from The Klingon Language Institute and is available through their website at www.kli.org.
| ©1998-2006, Copyright Zrajm C Akfohg, Klingonska Akademien, Uppsala. | ||