Muromachi era
Grass Yellow & Rikyū Grey— 刈安と利休鼠
Wild grass yellow tempered by the muted grey favored by the tea master Sen no Rikyū.
#F3EBDA
yellow · 1 palette
Neri-iro
練色
Silk white
About Neri-iro
Neri-iro (練色) is a light, muted yellow tone. Its hex value is #F3EBDA — that is
RGB 243, 235, 218, or HSL 41°, 51%, 90%.
Silk white.
It holds 17.7:1 contrast against dark, so Neri-iro works best for body text, headings, and UI labels. (On white it scores 1.2:1; on black 17.7:1.)
Across Sanzo Wada's 1933 Dictionary of Color Combinations, Neri-iro appears in 1 combination — most often paired with Kariyasu and Rikyū-nezumi.
Colours that go with Neri-iro
From a standard colour wheel, Neri-iro anchors these four classic schemes. Each swatch is computed from its exact hue, so every hex is a real, usable pairing.
Complementary
#F3EBDA #DAE2F3
the hue directly opposite — the highest-contrast pairing, good for a single bold accent.
Analogous
#F3EBDA #F3DEDA #EEF3DA
the two neighbours on the wheel — a calm, cohesive scheme that feels effortless.
Triadic
#F3EBDA #DAF3EB #EBDAF3
two hues an even third of the wheel away — balanced and lively without clashing.
Split-complementary
#F3EBDA #DAEEF3 #DEDAF3
the two colours either side of the complement — the contrast of a complement, softened.
How to use Neri-iro
Neri-iro is a light, muted tone (HSL 41°, 51%, 90%), which makes it a soft background or a light accent. For text it passes WCAG AA for body text against a dark background (17.7:1) — safe for paragraphs, buttons and labels. When you do set type on it, use dark lettering. Pair it with its complement (#DAE2F3) for a focal accent, or with its analogous neighbours (#F3DEDA and #EEF3DA) for a quieter, harmonious feel.
Studio
Taking Neri-iro 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.
Pentel
Fude Touch brush sign pen
Listed on Amazon as Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen, Black, Felt Pen Like Brush Stroke (SES15C-A) 3 Pieces
See price on Amazon
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Palettes with Neri-iro
Neri-iro 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 Neri-iro
- What is the hex code for Neri-iro?
- Neri-iro (練色) is #F3EBDA. Silk white It appears in 1 historical color combination from Sanzo Wada's 1933 "A Dictionary of Color Combinations".
- What does Neri-iro look like on white and black backgrounds?
- Neri-iro (#F3EBDA) has a WCAG contrast ratio of 1.19:1 against white (#FFFFFF) and 17.71:1 against black (#000000). WCAG AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Where does the color Neri-iro come from?
- Neri-iro is documented in Sanzo Wada's "A Dictionary of Color Combinations" (1933, Seigensha Art Publishing 2010 reprint). Wada catalogued yellow pigments and historical Japanese color terms. The source work is in the public domain.
- Can I use Neri-iro in my own design or brand?
- Yes. The color name and hex value (#F3EBDA) are factual data — not copyrightable. Our curation and descriptions are CC BY 4.0 licensed.
From the archive
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