Heian era
Royal Purple & Silver— 紫と銀
Imperial purple set against lunar silver — Heian courtly luxury at its quietest.
#BCBCBE
neutral · 3 palettes
Gin
銀
Silver grey
About Gin
Gin (銀) is a light, near-neutral neutral tone. Its hex value is #BCBCBE — that is
RGB 188, 188, 190, or HSL 240°, 2%, 74%.
Silver grey.
It holds 11.1:1 contrast against dark, so Gin works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.9:1; on black 11.1:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Gin appears in 3 combinations — most often paired with Murasaki, Sumi and Gofun.
Colours that go with Gin
As a light near-neutral, Gin sits comfortably beside almost any accent — the schemes below show the subtle, reliable pairings from a standard colour wheel.
Complementary
#BCBCBE #BEBEBC
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#BCBCBE #BCBDBE #BDBCBE
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#BCBCBE #BEBCBC #BCBEBC
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#BCBCBE #BEBDBC #BDBEBC
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Gin
Gin is a light, near-neutral tone (HSL 240°, 2%, 74%), which makes it a soft background or a light accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (11.1:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#BEBEBC) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#BCBDBE and #BDBCBE) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Gin off the screen
A hex code is an instruction to a screen, not a colour. Where this one is going decides what it needs next.
Affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
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...onto paper
Start here if the palette gets printed. Screen colour and ink colour are not the same colour, and this is the deck that translates between them.
Pantone
Color Bridge Guide — coated
Listed on Amazon as Pantone Color Bridge Guide Coated | Pantone to CMYK, RGB & HTML Color Matching Fan Deck for Graphic Design, Branding & Print | GG6103B
See price on Amazon -
...onto a screen you can trust
Start here if it stays digital. An uncalibrated monitor is the single most common reason a palette that looked right on your desk looks wrong everywhere else.
Calibrite
Display Plus HL colorimeter kit
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite Video Photo Kit with Display Plus HL Colorimeter and ColorChecker Passport Video 2, 10,000 Nit Monitor Calibration, Camera Color Matching
See price on Amazon -
...by hand
Start here if you are mixing it. Wada's plates were flat printed colour; gansai pans are the closest everyday medium to them.
Kuretake
Gansai Tambi 36
Listed on Amazon as Kuretake GANSAI TAMBI Watercolor Paint Set 36 Colors
See price on Amazon
Amazon Associates affiliate links — your price is unchanged and a small commission keeps the archive free. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Palettes with Gin
Gin appears in 3 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.
Questions about Gin
- What is the hex code for Gin?
- Gin (銀) is #BCBCBE. Silver grey It appears in 3 historical color combinations from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Gin look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Gin (#BCBCBE) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.90:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 11.08:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Gin come from?
- Gin is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued neutral pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Gin in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#BCBCBE) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
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 SVG plates (348 Wada + 30 editorial) — print-ready at any size
- Full JSON — colors, names, eras, moods, dominant hues
See what's inside
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