Colors

vocabulary

Only primary orthography(hides romanizations and secondary scripts)

Basic color terms across Semitic. Shows the *l/*b root of 'white' (*labn-), the *r-w-t root of 'blackness', and how Arabic's afʕal color pattern (aḥmar, aḫḍar, azraq) contrasts with Hebrew's CāCōC pattern (adom, yarok, kaḥol).
Concept	East Semitic	Northwest Semitic				Central Semitic	South Arabian	Ethio-Semitic			Proto-Semitic
Concept	Akkadian	Ugaritic	Hebrew	Aramaic	Syriac	Arabic	Sabaean	Geʿez	Amharic	Tigrinya	Proto-Semitic
black	ṣalmu	𐎌𐎈𐎗 · šḥr	שָׁחוֹר · šāḥōr	אֻכָּמָא · ʾukkāmā	ܐܘܟܡܐ · ʾukkāmā	أسود · ʾaswad	𐩱𐩪𐩥𐩵 · ʔswd	ጸሊም · ṣallim	ጥቁር · ṭəqur	ጸሊም · ṣälim	šḥr / ʔdm variant
white	peṣû	𐎍𐎁𐎐 · lbn	לָבָן · lāvān	חִוָּר · ḥiwwār	ܚܘܪܐ · ḥewwārā	أبيض · ʾabyaḍ	𐩱𐩨𐩺𐩳 · ʔbyḍ	ጸዓዳ · ṣaʿadā	ነጭ · näč	ጻዕዳ · ṣäʿda	*labn-
red	sāmu	𐎀𐎄𐎎 · ʾadm	אָדֹם · ʾādōm	סוּמָּקָא · summāqā	ܣܘܡܩܐ · summāqā	أحمر · ʾaḥmar	𐩱𐩢𐩣𐩧 · ʔḥmr	ቀይሕ · qayyəḥ	ቀይ · qäy	ቀይሕ · qäyəḥ	ʔdm / ḥmr
yellow	arqu	𐎊𐎗𐎖 · yrq	צָהֹב · ṣāhōv	צהוב	ܙܪܝܩܐ · zrīqā	أصفر · ʾaṣfar	—	ብጫ · bəṭča	ቢጫ · biṭča	ብጫ · bəṭča	ṣpr / ṣhb
green	arqu	𐎊𐎗𐎖 · yrq	יָרֹק · yārōq	ירוק	ܝܘܪܩܐ · yūrāqā	أخضر · ʾaḫḍar	—	ሐመልማል · ḥamalmāl	አረንጓዴ · aräng(w)ade	ቀጠልያ · qäṭälya	*yrq
blue	uqnû (lapis-lazuli color)	—	כָּחֹל · kāḥōl	—	—	أزرق · ʾazraq	—	—	ሰማያዊ · sämayawi (sky-color)	ሰማያዊ · sämayawi	no clear PS — later innovations