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ColorArchive/Regions/Korea (Obangsaek)

Asia

Korea (Obangsaek) Color Palette

The five Obangsaek directions — the most disciplined ceremonial palette in East Asia.

Korean traditional color theory codifies the obangsaek (five directional colors): blue (east), red (south), yellow (center), white (west), and black (north). These five hues structure everything from royal silk hanbok to Joseon-era court ceremony to modern saekdong striped patchwork. The everyday domestic palette is more muted — dalbang (pale moon white), eojang (oak grey), sokpaltchi (early-morning blue) — and forms the visual basis of contemporary Korean minimalism.

The palette

  • Obangsaek Blue (청 / cheong)

    ≈Sapphire Velvet Vivid

    East — wood element, hanbok dyes

  • Obangsaek Red (홍 / hong)

    ≈Crimson Core Vivid

    South — fire element, ceremonial silk

  • Obangsaek Yellow (황 / hwang)

    ≈Saffron Tone Bright

    Center — earth element, royal robe

  • Obangsaek White (백 / baek)

    ≈Citrine Whisper Dust

    West — metal element, hemp linen

  • Obangsaek Black (흑 / heuk)

    ≈Crimson Ink Faint

    North — water element, ink and lacquer

  • Hanji Cream

    ≈Amber Pearl Soft

    Mulberry-fiber Korean paper

  • Celadon-Goryeo Green

    ≈Teal Radiant Muted

    Goryeo Dynasty ceramics, 12th-13th c.

Suits

Heritage food / drink brandingModern Korean fashionCultural / film designEditorial layout

Copy as CSS

:root {
  --obangsaek-blue-cheong: #1e68c1;
  --obangsaek-red-hong: #c8242c;
  --obangsaek-yellow-hwang: #f2c94c;
  --obangsaek-white-baek: #f5f5f2;
  --obangsaek-black-heuk: #1f1f1f;
  --hanji-cream: #eae0cb;
  --celadon-goryeo-green: #7ca38e;
}

Further reading

  • Obangsaek and traditional Korean color

More from Asia

Japan

Indigo, sumi ink, and unbleached paper — restraint as aesthetics.

India

Saffron, marigold, and the Holi powder spectrum — the most chromatically maximalist national palette.

China (Traditional)

Cinnabar red, imperial yellow, and ink-wash green — five-element color theory across two millennia.

Vietnam

Áo dài silk, lacquer red, and tropical green — Indochinese color culture in saturated form.