San xang

Ba Kom has fewer basic color words than English. These are the basic color terms:

• wen — to be white, pale, light

• sum — to be black; dark-gray

• bau — to be red, pink, reddish-brown

• yang — to be yellow, orange, light brown; yellowish-green

• kaun — to be dark, dark-brown (used for darker shades of yang)

• lom — to be green, teal, turquoise, blue

• jui — to be purple, magenta, pink

• ming — to be clear, blue (of the sky)

Here are some more specific color words:

• xang xel
  [color of] [ash]
  "gray"

• lom win
  [green/blue] [grass]
  "green"

• lom hon
  [green/blue] [sky]
  "light blue"

• lom ul
  [green/blue] [sea]
  "dark blue", "dark turquoise"

• jui wol
  [purple] [rose]
  "pink"

One should use the basic words if the exact color is obvious from context or is irrelevant.

Here is some other color vocabulary:

• cung — to be bright, saturated, vivid

  • nicung — to be dull, muted, pastel

• sip — to be light (especially of green or yellow)

• xuk — to fade, to become gray

• pacal — to be multicolored

• ne xang — to be colorless, grayscale, black-and-white