Two Hungarian Words For Red

The word red has two words in Hungarian. One is vörös, and the other is piros. Though vörös can be considered a darker shade of red, the difference is largely contextual.

The word vörös is often used for the colour in nature, plants and animals. Examples include vörös haj (red hair), vörös róka (red fox) and vörös vér (red blood). It is also used in vörös zászló (red flag).

The word piros is often used for man-made objects. Examples include piros lámpa (red lamp), piros autó (red car) and piros toll (red pen). It is also used in piros levél (red leaf).

With bor (wine), vörös is used, but with alma (apple), piros is used. Though rózsa (rose) and tulipán (tulip) are both flowers, they do not use the same word. The word vörös is used with rózsa and piros is used with tulipán. 

No universal rule can be given for the use of vörös and piros. However, vörös is often used for the colour in nature, plants and animals and piros is often used for man-made objects. The words vörös and piros are both common words for red in Hungarian. The use of two words for red makes Hungarian unique among languages.