Pakistani colour names explained: ferozi, zinc, mehndi

Greens

Running from the yellow end to the dark end:

• Mehndi: the green of henna paste before it dries, so a yellowish olive. Some sellers use it for a brighter yellow-green.
• Pista: pistachio. A pale, soft green with a little yellow in it.
• Dhani: the fresh light green of young rice plants.
• Angoori: grape green, pale and slightly yellow.
• Parrot green: a vivid, sharp yellow-green.
• Bottle green: a deep, dark green, as in English.

Blues and blue-greens

This is the group where shop names and plain English drift furthest apart.

• Ferozi: turquoise, from feroza, the turquoise stone. A bright blue-green.
• Zinc: a dusty blue-grey, often with a hint of green, closer to a stormy sea than to the silvery metal. It runs from nearly grey to nearly teal, depending on the seller.
• Sea green: a light, soft green with blue in it.
• Asmani: sky blue, from asman, the sky.
• Surmai: the dark blue-grey of surma, or kohl. Close to charcoal.

Pinks, reds and purples

Pink alone has half a dozen names, and they are not interchangeable.

• Shocking pink: a loud, hot pink, near fuchsia.
• Rani pink: “queen’s pink”. Deep and bright, leaning towards magenta.
• Tea pink: a pale, gentle pink.
• Pyazi: onion pink. A soft pink with a mauve cast, like the inner skin of a red onion.
• Gajri: carrot. A pinkish orange, close to coral.
• Kaleji: liver. A dark, brownish maroon.
• Jamni: the deep purple of the jamun fruit.
• Kasni: a pale lilac, named after the chicory flower.

Browns, beiges and the rest

The quiet colours cause the most confusion, because the differences between them are small.

• Skin: a light beige with a peach or pink tint, what English shops often call nude. It names one particular beige, not the wearer’s own colouring, so it is clearer to say beige and send a photo.
• Fawn: a light, yellowish tan.
• Badami: almond. A warm, light brown.
• Rust: a brownish orange, as in English.
• Naswari: a dark tobacco brown.
• Multi: not a shade at all. On a listing it means a multicoloured print.

Using the names when you order

A shop name is a good start and a poor finish. When you describe a colour for an outfit, give three things: the shop name, the plain-English shade you mean by it, and a photo taken in daylight. “Zinc, by which I mean a greyish teal like the attached picture” leaves far less room for surprise than “zinc” alone. Our guides to choosing colours and prints and matching dupatta and trouser colours help with the choice itself, and the glossary covers other words you will meet on listings.

With Fabric + Stitching, we send photos and a description of the fabric we suggest, and the colour is agreed in your written quote before anything is cut. Colours can still look slightly different in the cloth than in a photo, because of lighting, cameras and screens, and a small difference in shade is not a fault. If an exact shade matters, say so before you pay. When you are ready, ask for a Fabric + Stitching quote.