30 named colors · 168 combinations

Red Color Combinations.

Deep crimsons, scarlets, and vermillions from Sanzo Wada's 1933 dictionary. Red in the Japanese shikisai tradition carries imperial authority and ceremonial weight — kurenai (crimson) was reserved for court robes; shu (vermillion) marks every shrine gate.

Named colors

30 red colors in the archive.

Colours that go with Red

From a standard colour wheel, Red anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.

Complementary

#9A2A2A #2A9A9A

the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.

Analogous

#9A2A2A #9A2A62 #9A622A

the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.

Triadic

#9A2A2A #2A9A2A #2A2A9A

two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.

Split-complementary

#9A2A2A #2A9A62 #2A629A

the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.

How to use Red

Red is a deep, muted tone (HSL 0°, 57%, 38%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a light background (7.7:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#2A9A9A) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#9A2A62 and #9A622A) for a quieter, harmonious feel.

Combinations

168 red-dominant color combinations.

Every palette in the archive where red is the dominant hue — from Sanzo Wada's 348 historical plates plus editorial deep-dives.

Heian era

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Deep safflower crimson against navy — the courtly contrast of Heian-era robes and formal Edo textiles.

Edo era

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

The rooted red of madder-dyed cotton set against enduring pine green.

Kamakura era

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

The dense orange-red of lead oxide pigment struck against ink black.

Kamakura era

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

The ceremonial triad of temple lacquerware — vermillion, lacquer black, gold leaf.

Edo era

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

The deep lake crimson of cochineal against pine needle green — winter evergreen.

Showa era

Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo

Plate 6 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Grenadine Pink, Deep Indigo.

Showa era

Spinel Red & Naples Yellow

Plate 14 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Spinel Red, Naples Yellow.

Showa era

Vandyke Red & Pale King's Blue

Plate 16 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vandyke Red, Pale King's Blue.

Showa era

Eugenia Red | B & Sea Green

Plate 17 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Sea Green.

Showa era

Fawn & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 18 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Fawn, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Grenadine Pink & Sea Green

Plate 21 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Grenadine Pink, Sea Green.

Showa era

Etruscan Red & Nile Blue

Plate 25 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Etruscan Red, Nile Blue.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Slate Color

Plate 27 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Slate Color.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Deep Indigo

Plate 28 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Deep Indigo.

Showa era

Pompeian Red & Mineral Gray

Plate 30 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pompeian Red, Mineral Gray.

Showa era

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow

Plate 31 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Red Orange, Pale Lemon Yellow.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Neutral Gray

Plate 34 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Neutral Gray.

Showa era

Light Brown Drab & Carmine Red

Plate 35 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Carmine Red.

Showa era

Brick Red & Red Violet

Plate 37 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Brick Red, Red Violet.

Showa era

Carmine & Helvetia Blue

Plate 39 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Helvetia Blue.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Aconite Violet

Plate 43 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Aconite Violet.

Showa era

Etruscan Red & Grayish Lavender - B

Plate 47 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Etruscan Red, Grayish Lavender - B.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Blue

Plate 51 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Blue.

Showa era

Old Rose & White

Plate 55 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Old Rose, White.

Showa era

Taupe Brown & Slate Color

Plate 57 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Taupe Brown, Slate Color.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Sea Green

Plate 58 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Sea Green.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Citrine

Plate 59 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Citrine.

Showa era

Vistoris Lake & Cerulian Blue

Plate 63 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Cerulian Blue.

Showa era

Light Brown Drab & Yellow

Plate 68 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Light Brown Drab, Yellow.

Showa era

Pompeian Red & Ochraceous Salmon

Plate 71 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Pompeian Red, Ochraceous Salmon.

Showa era

Eugenia Red | B & Vandar Poel's Blue

Plate 77 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eugenia Red | B, Vandar Poel's Blue.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Green Blue

Plate 79 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Green Blue.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Dusky Madder Violet

Plate 82 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Dusky Madder Violet.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Citron Yellow

Plate 87 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Citron Yellow.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Aconite Violet

Plate 90 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Aconite Violet.

Showa era

Vistoris Lake & Orange Rufous

Plate 91 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vistoris Lake, Orange Rufous.

Showa era

Coral Red & Benzol Green

Plate 92 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Coral Red, Benzol Green.

Showa era

Hay's Russet & Dull Violet Black

Plate 95 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Hay's Russet, Dull Violet Black.

Showa era

Corinthian Pink & Etruscan Red

Plate 97 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Corinthian Pink, Etruscan Red.

Showa era

Madder Brown & Violet Blue

Plate 98 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Madder Brown, Violet Blue.

Showa era

Cameo Pink & Deep Lyons Blue

Plate 101 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cameo Pink, Deep Lyons Blue.

Showa era

Carmine Red & Sulpher Yellow

Plate 104 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine Red, Sulpher Yellow.

Showa era

Cameo Pink & Chromium Green

Plate 105 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cameo Pink, Chromium Green.

Showa era

Eosine Pink & Brick Red

Plate 108 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Eosine Pink, Brick Red.

Showa era

Grenadine Pink & Black

Plate 112 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Grenadine Pink, Black.

Showa era

Cameo Pink & Blue Violet

Plate 116 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cameo Pink, Blue Violet.

Showa era

Carmine & Black

Plate 117 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Carmine, Black.

Showa era

Cameo Pink & Pompeian Red

Plate 120 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Cameo Pink, Pompeian Red.

See all 168 red combinations →

From the archive

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
Figma design tokens (W3C-spec JSON, drag into any file)
Tailwind v4 + v3 configs — drop into any project
CSS custom properties — every plate, one stylesheet
378 museum SVG plates — print-ready at any size
Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues

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Library

Colour books worth owning

Colour theory, history and the references designers keep close — recommended on Amazon.

Sean Adams

The Designer's Dictionary of Color

Abrams, 2017.

A practical, example-filled guide to thirty key colors and the way they behave together. Working-designer companion to Wada's historical archive.

View on Amazon
Leatrice Eiseman & Keith Recker

Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color

Chronicle Books, 2011.

A decade-by-decade visual history of color in design, advertising, and culture from 1900 to 2000. The modern complement to Wada's pre-war record.

View on Amazon
Jim Krause

Color Index XL

Watson-Guptill, 2017.

1,100+ ready-to-apply palettes with CMYK + RGB formulas. The shelf-reference designers reach for on deadline.

View on Amazon

Book links are Amazon Associates affiliate links. Your price is unchanged; a small commission supports the archive. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Red Color Combinations.

Colours that go with Red

Complementary

Analogous

Triadic

Split-complementary

How to use Red

Crimson & Navy— 紅と紺

Madder Red & Evergreen— 茜と常磐

Red Lead & Ink— 鉛丹と墨

Vermillion, Black, Gold— 朱・黒・金

Crimson Lake & Pine— 臙脂と松葉

Grenadine Pink & Deep Indigo

Spinel Red & Naples Yellow

Vandyke Red & Pale King's Blue

Eugenia Red | B & Sea Green

Fawn & Dusky Madder Violet

Grenadine Pink & Sea Green

Etruscan Red & Nile Blue

Corinthian Pink & Slate Color

Madder Brown & Deep Indigo

Pompeian Red & Mineral Gray

Red Orange & Pale Lemon Yellow

Eosine Pink & Neutral Gray

Light Brown Drab & Carmine Red

Brick Red & Red Violet

Carmine & Helvetia Blue

Corinthian Pink & Aconite Violet

Etruscan Red & Grayish Lavender - B

Carmine Red & Blue

Old Rose & White

Taupe Brown & Slate Color

Hay's Russet & Sea Green

Eosine Pink & Citrine

Vistoris Lake & Cerulian Blue

Light Brown Drab & Yellow

Pompeian Red & Ochraceous Salmon

Eugenia Red | B & Vandar Poel's Blue

Madder Brown & Green Blue

Hay's Russet & Dusky Madder Violet

Corinthian Pink & Citron Yellow

Eosine Pink & Aconite Violet

Vistoris Lake & Orange Rufous

Coral Red & Benzol Green

Hay's Russet & Dull Violet Black

Corinthian Pink & Etruscan Red

Madder Brown & Violet Blue

Cameo Pink & Deep Lyons Blue

Carmine Red & Sulpher Yellow

Cameo Pink & Chromium Green

Eosine Pink & Brick Red

Grenadine Pink & Black

Cameo Pink & Blue Violet

Carmine & Black

Cameo Pink & Pompeian Red

Support the archive The full catalog, on your disk, as a thank-you.

The Designer's Dictionary of Color

Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color

Color Index XL

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