Wada colour combinations
Explore colour palettes attributed to Wada Sanzo’s A Dictionary of Color Combinations. Preview a palette, check its contrast and copy its colours.
A little colour goes a long way
The lightest palette colour is the background. Text uses the darkest palette colour where contrast permits, or a neutral ink.
Colour contrast
Ratios use the displayed hex values. Normal text needs 4.5:1 for AA; large text needs 3:1. These checks cover colour contrast only.
| Colour pair | Ratio | Text contrast |
|---|
No palettes match. Try another search or clear the filters.
Browse palettes
Select a palette to preview it. Outside form controls, use ← and → to browse, or R for random.
About the colours and data
The supplied data contains 348 numbered entries, of which 338 have at least two colours. This browser shows those 338 palettes; incomplete entries are excluded.
Displayed hex values use the scratchpad’s macOS Generic CMYK to sRGB conversion with relative colorimetric rendering. They are approximations, not verified reproductions of the printed book. Historical colour names and supplied palette membership are retained.
Palette order follows the supplied colour indices. The preview assigns roles by luminance and uses neutral text when the palette falls below 4.5:1. Exported CSS preserves palette order.