Hue family · 34 colors · 91 palettes

Yellow Color Combinations

Yamabuki, ukon, kariyasu — luminous yellows from mustard to pale gold.

Japanese yellow is a botanical record. Yamabuki names a flowering shrub. Kariyasu is the dye-grass that produces it. Ukon is turmeric. Kuchinashi is gardenia fruit. Each pigment carries its plant's name — meaning these yellows aren't abstractions but recipes, each tied to a specific season, soil, and dye process.

Every yellow in the dictionary

Click any swatch to see the palette where it appears. Every color page lists hex, RGB, WCAG contrast, and cross-links to every Wada plate that uses it.

#ffefae Pale Lemon Yellow 19× · 1.2:1 on white #f5ecc2 Sulpher Yellow 18× · 1.2:1 on white #ebd3a2 Ivory Buff 16× · 1.5:1 on white #f8ed43 Lemon Yellow 15× · 1.2:1 on white #ffdd00 Apricot Yellow 10× · 1.3:1 on white #b2b73e Citron Yellow 8× · 2.2:1 on white #F4EEE0 Gofun 胡粉 8× · 1.2:1 on white #fcb315 Orange Yellow 8× · 1.8:1 on white #fff200 Yellow 8× · 1.2:1 on white #e2b540 Yellow Ocher 8× · 1.9:1 on white #837e31 Olive 7× · 4.2:1 on white #d6b43e Olive Ocher 7× · 2.0:1 on white #555832 Lincoln Green 6× · 7.4:1 on white #fbe6a0 Naples Yellow 6× · 1.2:1 on white #b09f36 Citrine 5× · 2.7:1 on white #c7d14f Light Green Yellow 5× · 1.7:1 on white #c1c494 Olive Buff 5× · 1.8:1 on white #c19f2c Sulphine Yellow 5× · 2.5:1 on white #8b835b Dark Citrine 4× · 3.8:1 on white #6b7140 Olive Green 4× · 5.2:1 on white #a6a159 Olive Yellow 4× · 2.7:1 on white #cab356 Pyrite Yellow 4× · 2.1:1 on white #96874d Buffy Citrine 3× · 3.6:1 on white #635a3a Deep Grayish Olive 2× · 6.9:1 on white #848061 Light Grayish Olive 2× · 4.0:1 on white #DCCB7A Kariyasu 刈安 1× · 1.6:1 on white #D4AF37 Kin 金 1× · 2.1:1 on white #E8D8B7 Kinuta 砧 1× · 1.4:1 on white #84875e Krongbergs Green 1× · 3.7:1 on white #F3EBDA Neri-iro 練色 1× · 1.2:1 on white #DCCB6E Ominaeshi 女郎花 1× · 1.6:1 on white #EAE1CC Suna-iro 砂色 1× · 1.3:1 on white #E0B740 Ukon 鬱金 1× · 1.9:1 on white #F5B71C Yamabuki 山吹 1× · 1.8:1 on white

Palettes dominant in yellow

91 historical combinations from the 1933 archive where yellow carries the strongest visual weight. Each palette page exports as JSON, Tailwind config, CSS variables, or a downloadable share-card image.

Muromachi era

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Wild grass yellow tempered by the muted grey favored by the tea master Sen no Rikyū.

Edo era

Kerria Gold & Chestnut— 山吹と栗

The bright gold of the kerria flower against the warm brown of roasted chestnut.

Heian era

Valerian Yellow & Pale Blue— 女郎花と浅葱

The yellow of autumn valerian against late-summer sky.

Edo era

Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍

Warm turmeric yellow against true indigo — the everyday textile of Japanese farm life.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Plate 2 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Orange, Dark Tyrian Blue.

Showa era

Isabella Color & Red Violet

Plate 4 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Isabella Color, Red Violet.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Mineral Gray

Plate 11 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Mineral Gray.

Showa era

Isabella Color & Green Blue

Plate 12 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Isabella Color, Green Blue.

Showa era

Yellow & Deep Lyons Blue

Plate 22 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow, Deep Lyons Blue.

Showa era

Sepia & Veronia Purple

Plate 24 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sepia, Veronia Purple.

Showa era

Krongbergs Green & Salvia Blue

Plate 29 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Krongbergs Green, Salvia Blue.

Showa era

Sulphine Yellow & Turquoise Green

Plate 36 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulphine Yellow, Turquoise Green.

Showa era

Dark Citrine & Calamine BLue

Plate 41 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Dark Citrine, Calamine BLue.

Showa era

Yellow Ocher & Violet

Plate 42 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Ocher, Violet.

Showa era

Ivory Buff & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 50 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Ivory Buff, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Sulpher Yellow & Black

Plate 52 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulpher Yellow, Black.

Showa era

Yellow Orange & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 53 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow Orange, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Pale Lemon Yellow & Dark Tyrian Blue

Plate 60 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Lemon Yellow, Dark Tyrian Blue.

Showa era

Light Green Yellow & Cotinga Purple

Plate 61 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Green Yellow, Cotinga Purple.

Showa era

Yellow & Black

Plate 62 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Yellow, Black.

Showa era

Sulphine Yellow & Calamine BLue

Plate 65 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulphine Yellow, Calamine BLue.

Showa era

Olive Ocher & Olive Green

Plate 66 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Olive Ocher, Olive Green.

Showa era

Sulpher Yellow & Pale King's Blue

Plate 72 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Sulpher Yellow, Pale King's Blue.

Showa era

Pale Lemon Yellow & Warm Gray

Plate 76 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pale Lemon Yellow, Warm Gray.

Browse all 91 yellow palettes →

Curated yellow collections

Summer Color Palettes Bright yellows, warm oranges, playful pinks — the colors of light.

Yellow Color Combinations

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Every yellow in the dictionary

Palettes dominant in yellow

Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠

Kerria Gold & Chestnut— 山吹と栗

Valerian Yellow & Pale Blue— 女郎花と浅葱

Turmeric & Indigo— 鬱金と藍

Yellow Orange & Dark Tyrian Blue

Isabella Color & Red Violet

Ivory Buff & Mineral Gray

Isabella Color & Green Blue

Yellow & Deep Lyons Blue

Sepia & Veronia Purple

Krongbergs Green & Salvia Blue

Sulphine Yellow & Turquoise Green

Dark Citrine & Calamine BLue

Yellow Ocher & Violet

Ivory Buff & Dusky Madder Violet

Sulpher Yellow & Black

Yellow Orange & Dusky Madder Violet

Pale Lemon Yellow & Dark Tyrian Blue

Light Green Yellow & Cotinga Purple

Yellow & Black

Sulphine Yellow & Calamine BLue

Olive Ocher & Olive Green

Sulpher Yellow & Pale King's Blue

Pale Lemon Yellow & Warm Gray

Curated yellow collections

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