Showa era
Vinaceous Tawny & Citron Yellow
Plate 40 from Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations — Vinaceous Tawny, Citron Yellow.
#b2b73e
yellow · 8 palettes
Citron Yellow
About Citron Yellow
Citron Yellow is a mid-tone, muted yellow tone. Its hex value is #b2b73e — that is
RGB 178, 183, 62, or HSL 62°, 49%, 48%.
It holds 9.7:1 contrast against dark, so Citron Yellow works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.2:1; on black 9.7:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Citron Yellow appears in 8 combinations — most often paired with Vinaceous Tawny, Corinthian Pink and Brown.
Colours that go with Citron Yellow
From a standard colour wheel, Citron Yellow anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#b2b73e #433EB7
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#b2b73e #B7803E #76B73E
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#b2b73e #3EB2B7 #B73EB2
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#b2b73e #3E75B7 #803EB7
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Citron Yellow
Citron Yellow is a mid-tone, muted tone (HSL 62°, 49%, 48%), which makes it a versatile mid-tone for accents, buttons or blocks. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (9.7:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#433EB7) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#B7803E and #76B73E) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Palettes with Citron Yellow
Citron Yellow appears in 8 combinations from the archive. Each pairing reveals how the same color shifts character depending on its neighbours. 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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