Heian era
Pink Dianthus & Water— 撫子と水色
The soft pink of wild dianthus beside the translucent blue of mountain water.
#EBA6B4
pink · 1 palette
Nadeshiko
撫子
Dianthus pink
About Nadeshiko
Nadeshiko (撫子) is a light, vivid pink tone. Its hex value is #EBA6B4 — that is
RGB 235, 166, 180, or HSL 348°, 63%, 79%.
Dianthus pink.
It holds 10.6:1 contrast against dark, so Nadeshiko works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 2.0:1; on black 10.6:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Nadeshiko appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Mizu-iro and Kinari.
Colours that go with Nadeshiko
From a standard colour wheel, Nadeshiko anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#EBA6B4 #A6EBDD
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#EBA6B4 #EBA6D7 #EBBBA6
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#EBA6B4 #B4EBA6 #A6B4EB
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#EBA6B4 #A6EBBB #A6D7EB
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Nadeshiko
Nadeshiko is a light, vivid tone (HSL 348°, 63%, 79%), which makes it a soft background or a light accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (10.6:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use light lettering. Pair it with its complement (#A6EBDD) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#EBA6D7 and #EBBBA6) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Nadeshiko 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.
-
...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.
Listed on Amazon as Pantone GP6102B Color Bridge Guide Set Coated & Uncoated, Multi-Colour
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
ColorChecker Studio spectrophotometer
Listed on Amazon as Calibrite ColorChecker Studio Spectrophotometer for Complete Color Management for Display, Projector, Printer and Scanner Profiling
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...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
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Palettes with Nadeshiko
Nadeshiko 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.
Questions about Nadeshiko
- What is the hex code for Nadeshiko?
- Nadeshiko (撫子) is #EBA6B4. Dianthus pink It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Nadeshiko look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Nadeshiko (#EBA6B4) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.97:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 10.65:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Nadeshiko come from?
- Nadeshiko is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued pink pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Nadeshiko in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#EBA6B4) 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
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