This is an excerpt from KGT. It needs to be rewritten.

SuD

Doq

SuDqu'

Doqqu'

chIS

qIj

SuD 'ej wov

Doq 'ej wov

SuD 'ej Hurgh

Doq 'ej Hurgh

Compared to Federation Standard, Klingon terminology associated with colors is rather limited. First of all, there is no noun meaning "color." There is, however, a verb, nguv, which means something like "be dyed, stained, tinted," though it is seldom used except in the phrase chay' nguv ("How is [it] tinted?") or when suffixed with -moH ("cause") in the form nguvmoH ("dye, tint, stain"; that is, "cause to be dyed," etc.)---for example, ret'aq nguvmoH ("He/she stains the knife handle"). As for the specific colors, in addition to the verbs qIj ("be black") and chIS ("be white"), there are only two terms used: SuD ("be blue, green, yellow") and Doq ("be red, orange"). For everyday purposes, these four words suffice, since there is usually not much reason to distinguish, on the basis of hue alone, between two items that are both, say, Doq ("red, orange").

When it is necessary to talk about colors more precisely, as it might be for the creator of a nagh beQ, various devices are employed. One option is to make use of the emphatic suffix -qu'. The word Doqqu' (literally, "very Doq") refers to a color more red than orange. Similarly, SuDqu' ("very SuD") would probably be described as "green" in Federation Standard.

Phrases containing the words wov ("light, bright") or Hurgh ("dark") further refine the description of the color. Thus, SuD 'ej wov means "(it) is SuD and light," a way to refer to a yellowish tinge; SuD 'ach wov (SuD "light") is also heard. If more specificity is necessary, the item in question is generally compared to something else that typically has a particular color.

For example, Doq 'ej beqpuj rur means "(it) is Doq and resembles a common mineral that is bright orange. Note that with the basic terms, the verbs, or verbs plus the emphatic -qu', may be used adjectivally and modify preceding nouns: bIQ SuD ("blue/green/yellow water"), HIq Doqqu' ("red liquor"---probably blood- wine).

This adjectival construction is not possible with the lengthier formations, however. To describe yellow tea (Dargh, "tea"), one must say SuD Dargh 'ej wov ("The tea is SuD and light") or SuDbogh Dargh 'ej wovbogh ("The tea that is SuD and light"). The fact that neither SuD nor Doq includes what is called "violet" or "purple" in Federation Standard may be related to Klingon physiology---that is, exactly how the Klingon eye processes different wavelengths of light.