Portuguese · Time, Numbers & Colors

"Brown" in Portuguese: marrom

marrom

Say it: mah-HOHNadjective/ma.ˈʁõ/

Note: PT-PT: castanho/a

Brown in Portuguese is marrom in Brazil. European Portuguese often uses castanho/a. Say Um cinto marrom or Cabelo castanho — the latter also describes hair in BR.

Shoes

Prefiro o sapato marrom com a calça bege.
I prefer the brown shoe with the beige pants.
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How to pronounce marrom

Say it

mah-HOHN

/ma.ˈʁõ/

mah-HOHN

"Brown" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
marrombrown (BR)

Brazilian color word.

castanho/abrown (PT-PT; also hair in BR)

European; hair shade in BR.

marrom escurodark brown

Shade.

marrom clarolight brown

Shade.

How to use marrom in real life

  1. 1Shoes

    Prefiro o sapato marrom com a calça bege.

    I prefer the brown shoe with the beige pants.

    Fashion.

  2. 2Furniture

    A mesa marrom combina com a cadeira clara.

    The brown table matches the light chair.

    Home.

  3. 3Dog description

    Adotamos um cachorro pequeno marrom.

    We adopted a small brown dog.

    Animals.

Mistakes English speakers make with marrom

Incorrect: Uma bolsa brown.

Correct: Uma bolsa marrom.

Use marrom in Brazil.

Incorrect: Um carro marrom a (forced ending).

Correct: Um carro marrom.

Marrom usually stays marrom for gender.

Good to know

Marrom is the Brazilian default for brown objects. Castanho/a is the usual European Portuguese color word and in Brazil mainly describes hair or eyes. Mention castanho when reading PT-PT labels.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Choosing a belt

  1. ChatPal

    Quer o cinto preto ou o marrom?

    Do you want the black belt or the brown one?

  2. You

    O marrom combina com a bota.

    The brown — it matches the boot.

  3. ChatPal

    Tem um marrom mais claro também.

    There’s a lighter brown too.

  4. You

    Levo o marrom escuro.

    I’ll take the dark brown.

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"Brown" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Brown" in Portuguese

Brown in Brazil?

Marrom.

PT-PT word?

Often castanho/a.

Brown hair in BR?

Cabelo castanho is common.

Dark brown?

Marrom escuro.

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