Ngjyrat

Ngjyrat is the Albanian term for colors, referring to the hues that humans perceive in light. The singular ngjyra denotes a color, and ngjyrat is its plural. In everyday language, colors are part of basic vocabulary used in education, art, design, media, and culture.

In Albanian, color words function as adjectives that modify a noun and agree with it in gender and number. A common construction is ngjyrë e kuqe for the red color. When speaking about several colors, examples include ngjyrat e kuqe or ngjyrat e kaltër, depending on the nouns involved. Adjectival color terms typically follow the noun in Albanian word order.

Common color terms appear in everyday speech and writing. Red is e kuqe, blue can be blu or kaltër, green is gjelbër or jeshile, yellow is verdhë, white is bardhë, and black is zi. For some colors, speakers may choose different forms depending on dialect or context, and there are also phrases such as ngjyrë portokalli for orange.

Beyond literal use, ngjyrat also carry cultural associations in Albanian-speaking communities, influencing fashion, design, art, and symbolism. The study of ngjyrat encompasses both the linguistic aspects of color naming and the ways colors are perceived and described in different regions and traditions.