When red means green

I have to find out if there is an Asian language where the word for 'green' is similar in sound to the English word 'red'. I am convinced that there must be, but what it is, I don't know (I do know that it isn't Urdu, since we have an Urdu speaker in the office); perhaps Hindi or Punjabi?

The reason this tasks me so is simple. I smoke Berkeley cigarettes, which come in three varieties: menthol (green pack), light (pale blue pack), and regular (red pack). If I go into an Asian shop and ask for a packet of Berkeley Reds, there is about a 50-50 chance that I will be handed a pack of menthol, and will have to ask again for the red pack, which then leads to a momentary look of bafflement from the vendor. I usually end up pointing at the pack I want.

It's not a great problem, and not a matter of any great importance, but it's piqued my curiosity, and I'd rather like to know.

When red means green

I have to find out if there is an Asian language where the word for 'green' is similar in sound to the English word 'red'. I am convinced that there must be, but what it is, I don't know (I do know that it isn't Urdu, since we have an Urdu speaker in the office); perhaps Hindi or Punjabi?

The reason this tasks me so is simple. I smoke Berkeley cigarettes, which come in three varieties: menthol (green pack), light (pale blue pack), and regular (red pack). If I go into an Asian shop and ask for a packet of Berkeley Reds, there is about a 50-50 chance that I will be handed a pack of menthol, and will have to ask again for the red pack, which then leads to a momentary look of bafflement from the vendor. I usually end up pointing at the pack I want.

It's not a great problem, and not a matter of any great importance, but it's piqued my curiosity, and I'd rather like to know.