What is the hex code for Usubeni?

Usubeni (薄紅) is #E8A4A4. Light red It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".

What does Usubeni look like on white and black backgrounds?

Usubeni (#E8A4A4) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 2.04:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 10.28:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Where does the color Usubeni come from?

Usubeni is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued red pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.

Can I use Usubeni in my own design or brand?

Yes. The color name and hex value (#E8A4A4) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.

#E8A4A4

red · 1 palette

Usubeni

薄紅

Light red

About Usubeni

Usubeni (薄紅) is a light, vivid red tone. Its hex value is #E8A4A4 — that is RGB 232, 164, 164, or HSL 0°, 60%, 78%. Light red.

It holds 10.3:1 contrast against dark, so Usubeni works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.0:1; on black 10.3:1.)

Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Usubeni appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Cha and Kinari.

Palettes with Usubeni

Usubeni appears in 1 combination from the archive.

Edo era

Light Pink & Tea— 薄紅と茶

A whisper of pink against tea brown — the tone of an Edo-period lacquer sweet box.

Embed this color

Drop a Usubeni swatch card into any blog post, design review, or color-study reference page. Links back to this color's detail.

<iframe src="https://colorcombinations.org/embed/colors/usubeni/" width="360" height="180" frameborder="0" style="border-radius:8px;overflow:hidden;" title="Usubeni (薄紅) — colorcombinations.org"></iframe>

Preview

From the archive

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All 378 palettes (348 Wada + 30 editorial) in five formats
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