diff --git a/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml b/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
index e6d4e57a1f..70d380a349 100644
--- a/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
+++ b/docs/content/3.manual/manual.yml
@@ -3264,7 +3264,7 @@ sections:
     body: |
 
       To configure alternative colors just set the `JQ_COLORS`
-      environment variable to colon-delimited list of partial terminal
+      environment variable to colon-separated list of partial terminal
       escape sequences like `"1;31"`, in this order:
 
         - color for `null`
@@ -3274,9 +3274,10 @@ sections:
         - color for strings
         - color for arrays
         - color for objects
+        - color for fields (e.g., object keys)
 
       The default color scheme is the same as setting
-      `"JQ_COLORS=1;30:0;39:0;39:0;39:0;32:1;39:1;39"`.
+      `"JQ_COLORS=1;30:0;39:0;39:0;39:0;32:1;39:1;39:1;34"`.
 
       This is not a manual for VT100/ANSI escapes.  However, each of
       these color specifications should consist of two numbers separated
diff --git a/src/jv.h b/src/jv.h
index d111c80b29..8994e4e688 100644
--- a/src/jv.h
+++ b/src/jv.h
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ typedef enum {
   JV_KIND_NUMBER,
   JV_KIND_STRING,
   JV_KIND_ARRAY,
-  JV_KIND_OBJECT
+  JV_KIND_OBJECT,
+  JV_KIND_FIELD,
 } jv_kind;
 
 struct jv_refcnt;
diff --git a/src/jv_print.c b/src/jv_print.c
index 5ebc01e628..19a784d66d 100644
--- a/src/jv_print.c
+++ b/src/jv_print.c
@@ -26,13 +26,13 @@
 // for how to choose these.
 static const jv_kind color_kinds[] =
   {JV_KIND_NULL,   JV_KIND_FALSE, JV_KIND_TRUE, JV_KIND_NUMBER,
-   JV_KIND_STRING, JV_KIND_ARRAY, JV_KIND_OBJECT};
+   JV_KIND_STRING, JV_KIND_ARRAY, JV_KIND_OBJECT, JV_KIND_FIELD};
 static char color_bufs[sizeof(color_kinds)/sizeof(color_kinds[0])][16];
 static const char *color_bufps[8];
 static const char* def_colors[] =
   {COL("1;30"),    COL("0;39"),      COL("0;39"),     COL("0;39"),
-   COL("0;32"),      COL("1;39"),     COL("1;39")};
-#define FIELD_COLOR COL("34;1")
+   COL("0;32"),    COL("1;39"),      COL("1;39"),     COL("1;34")};
+#define FIELD_COLOR (colors[JV_KIND_FIELD - 1])
 
 static const char **colors = def_colors;
 
diff --git a/tests/shtest b/tests/shtest
index fc2ef15230..fdcd1abc3d 100755
--- a/tests/shtest
+++ b/tests/shtest
@@ -274,20 +274,44 @@ if [ "$($VALGRIND $Q $JQ -n '"xyz\n"|halt_error(1)' 2>&1)" != xyz ]; then
 fi
 
 # Check $JQ_COLORS
+## Default colors, null input
 $JQ -Ccn . > $d/color
 printf '\033[1;30mnull\033[0m\n' > $d/expect
 cmp $d/color $d/expect
+
+## Set non-default color, null input
 JQ_COLORS='4;31' $JQ -Ccn . > $d/color
 printf '\033[4;31mnull\033[0m\n' > $d/expect
 cmp $d/color $d/expect
-JQ_COLORS='1;30:0;31:0;32:0;33:0;34:1;35:1;36' \
+
+## Default colors, complex input
+$JQ -Ccn '[{"a":true,"b":false},123,null]' > $d/color
+(
+printf '\033[1;39m[\033[1;39m{'
+printf '\033[0m\033[1;34m"a"\033['
+printf '0m\033[1;39m:\033[0m\033['
+printf '0;39mtrue\033[0m\033[1'
+printf ';39m,\033[0m\033[1;34m'
+printf '"b"\033[0m\033[1;39m:\033'
+printf '[0m\033[0;39mfalse\033'
+printf '[0m\033[1;39m\033[1;39'
+printf 'm}\033[0m\033[1;39m,\033['
+printf '0;39m123\033[0m\033[1;'
+printf '39m,\033[1;30mnull\033'
+printf '[0m\033[1;39m\033[1;39'
+printf 'm]\033[0m\n'
+) > $d/expect
+cmp -b $d/color $d/expect
+
+## Set non-default colors, complex input
+JQ_COLORS='1;30:0;31:0;32:0;33:0;34:1;35:1;36:1;30' \
   $JQ -Ccn '[{"a":true,"b":false},123,null]' > $d/color
 (
 printf '\033[1;35m[\033[1;36m{'
-printf '\033[0m\033[34;1m"a"\033['
+printf '\033[0m\033[1;30m"a"\033['
 printf '0m\033[1;36m:\033[0m\033['
 printf '0;32mtrue\033[0m\033[1'
-printf ';36m,\033[0m\033[34;1m'
+printf ';36m,\033[0m\033[1;30m'
 printf '"b"\033[0m\033[1;36m:\033'
 printf '[0m\033[0;31mfalse\033'
 printf '[0m\033[1;36m\033[1;36'