[Ga] fe sik2

The word for colour (color for the Americans) is sik2. Again the hard 'k' isn't fully aspirated. [Ga] fe is the Cantonese word for coffee, it's also colloquially the word for brown. Folks in Hong Kong seem to have forgotten what the word for brown was before coffee was introduced here.

There are other words for brown:

• jung2 sik2 - lit: palm colour
  
• hot sik2 - lit: dark colour

Other colours to be aware of:

• hung sik2 - red
• wong sik2 - yellow
• laam sik2 - blue
• ji4 sik2 - purple (also means paper)
• haak2 sik2 - black
• baat1 sik2 - white
• chang sik2 - orange
• gum sik2 - gold
• un4 sik2 - silver
• luk sik2 - green
• yuk sik2 - colour of flesh / meat
• fooi sik2 - grey (or gray)

In Chinese culture colours play an important role. The Chinese believe that colours represent the five elements (which make everything in nature according to Chinese physics):

• water - haak2 sik2
  
• fire - hung sik2
  
• wood - laam / luk sik2
  
• metal - baat1 sik2
  
• earth - wong sik2

5000 years ago (during the Huang Di - yellow emperor era) they worshipped wong sik2, over time this lead to a deep understanding of colours and elements impacting everyday decisions. People chose colours for clothing, food etc according to the time of the year.

Haak2 sik2 was regarded as the colour of heaven, baat1 sik2 represented gold, purity and fulfilment. Baat1 sik2 is also used for mourning.

Hung sik2 has been in high regard in Chinese culture, it's used everywhere during Chinese New Year (Lung Lic Sun Lin), it symbolises wealth and joy.

Laam / luk sik2 is indicative of spring when everything is abundant. Wong sik2 is earth and is said to generate yin and yang, it's the center of everything. Wong sik2 is the colour of emperors and is used to decorate royal palaces and temples. It's also the colour of Budhism and represents freedom.