Traditional Japanese color names

September Traditional Color Names

Of the 30 birthday colors for September, 9 carry a traditional Japanese name.

Bokusouiro
#368A56 · Sep 2
The color of pasture grass, the green where livestock graze.
Tetsuiro
#005243 · Sep 5
The blue-black of iron's surface, the dark of rusted metal.
Miruaiiro
#003D26 · Sep 6
Indigo dyed with pine branches, blue all the way as it dries.
Usumizuiro
#6EBDC2 · Sep 7
A pale water blue, the color of a shallow sea floor.
Tetsukon
#17184B · Sep 10
Iron indigo, a deeper blue than koniro with metal in it.
Kashhoku
#8A3B00 · Sep 15
Brown, the color taken from bark, earth, and other natural sources.
Asaginezu
#7DBB7D · Sep 17
Asagi green with mouse gray mixed in, a gray that leans green.
Hiwairo
#D7CF3A · Sep 24
The color of a greenfinch's feathers, a dull yellow-green.
Hiiro
#D3381C · Sep 28
The red of the hi dye, a deep red without flash.

The origins below are the site's own editorial explanations.