Heian era
Ao & White— 青と白
The classical Japanese 'ao' — an ambiguous blue-green — against pure white.
#3A7D7B
blue · 1 palette
Ao
青
Blue-green (classical)
About Ao
Ao (青) is a deep, muted blue tone. Its hex value is #3A7D7B — that is
RGB 58, 125, 123, or HSL 178°, 37%, 36%.
Blue-green (classical).
It holds 4.8:1 contrast against white, so Ao works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 4.8:1; on black 4.4:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Ao appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Shiro and Sumi.
Colours that go with Ao
From a standard colour wheel, Ao anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#3A7D7B #7D3A3C
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#3A7D7B #3A7D5A #3A5E7D
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#3A7D7B #7B3A7D #7D7B3A
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#3A7D7B #7D3A5D #7D5A3A
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Ao
Ao is a deep, muted tone (HSL 178°, 37%, 36%), 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 (4.8:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#7D3A3C) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#3A7D5A and #3A5E7D) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Ao
Ao appears in 1 combination from the archive. For how usage like this compares across the whole dictionary, see the data analysis of all 348 plates.
From the archive
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