Korea has a rich cultural history that is reflected in the symbolic meanings and prominence of certain colors. Some colors have deep traditional significance, while others have become trendy favorites more recently. Understanding the most popular colors in Korea provides insight into Korean aesthetics, traditions, and modern tastes.
In this article, we will explore the top colors that are famous and widely used in Korea. We will look at traditional colors that have been staples for centuries, as well as modern colors that are trendy today. For each color, we will examine its cultural history and symbolism in Korea, along with examples of how it is used in fashion, design, K-pop, and more.
Whether you are interested in Korean culture or looking for color inspiration, read on to learn about the most significant hues in the Land of the Morning Calm.
Traditional Colors of Korea
Korea has used certain traditional colors for centuries that still maintain deep cultural meaning today. These classic Korean colors are visible across palaces, temples, artwork, clothing, and more.
Blue
One of the most prominent traditional colors is blue, known as chong in Korean. Light sky blue is the most iconic shade. Blue has symbolized nobility, authority, and immortality for centuries in Korea.
In the Joseon dynasty, blue was reserved for royal garments and regalia. Only the royal family could wear bright blue clothing and accessories. Common people wore white, grey, or pale blue.
Blue roof tiles still adorn Korea’s grand palaces and temples today, signifying their royal or sacred status. From Gyeongbokgung Palace’s sweeping blue roofs to the turquoise adornments of Bulguksa Temple, blue is ubiquitous across Korean traditional architecture.
Red
Red, known as bulgasal in Korean, is another essential traditional color tied to nobility and celebration. Bright crimson reds and deeper burgundys were primary colors for royal palaces and the upper class throughout Korean history.
Red silk was used for the opulent dragon robes of kings and princes. Red columns and decorations were common in royal Korean architecture. Red also symbolizes good fortune, passion, and creativity.
During holidays and festivals like Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), red is still used auspiciously for clothing, banners, decorations, and gifts. Red is everywhere during Korean weddings as well, symbolizing the bride’s transition into marriage.
Yellow
Known as noransaeg in Korean, yellow is the most imperial and prestigious traditional color. For centuries, vivid yellow was reserved for Korean royalty and sacred rituals.
The brightly colored golden vestments and accessories worn by kings demonstrate yellow’s significance. Yellow roofing and temple adornments also indicated imperial establishments. Yellow robes were worn by monks and other ritual specialists.
In Korean culture, yellow represents vitality, spirituality, and power. It maintains an auspicious aura today and is still used for important cultural landmarks like palace structures.
Green
The traditional Korean color chongrok, or green, has maintained deep cultural symbolism around youth, strength, and virtue throughout history. Jade green was used for garments and ornaments of military leaders and officials, representing vitality and virtue.
In Korea, green is strongly associated with natural beauty and the lush native landscape. Pine trees, jade, and celadon ceramics uphold the auspicious and spiritually enriching properties of green.
Green is used decoratively across historic Korean art, architecture, and design. From inlaid jade furniture to celadon vases to embroidered pine motifs, green permeates Korea’s cultural heritage.
Modern Popular Colors in Korea
In addition to traditional hues, some vibrant modern colors have become famous in Korean pop culture and style today. Korea’s music, fashion, and beauty industries have popularized exciting new shades.
Pink
Known as chakkapokkung in Korean, pink has become one of the trendiest colors in modern South Korea. It exploded in popularity with the rise of K-pop groups and Korean pop culture exports.
K-pop groups like BLACKPINK and Red Velvet use bright pink as their signature color. Korean pop stars flaunt pink hair, clothing, and accessories. Korean cosmetics and skincare embrace shiny pink packaging. Items like clothes, electronics, and stationery come in flashy pink tones too.
Pink symbolizes playfulness, femininity, and youth in Korea now. It also ties into pop culture and Hallyu fashion.
Silver
The sparkling color eunbit has risen as a contemporary favorite across Korean fashion and beauty. Flashy chrome silver adorns everything from statement jewelry to streetwear to makeup.
In K-pop music videos, silver hair and outfits lend a futuristic, eye-catching look. Sleek silver cases and tech accessories are also popular in Korea’s tech-forward society. The metallic sheen of silver represents modernity, technology, and style.
Orange
As the complement to modern pink, the vibrant secondary color juhwang has also grown trendy in Korean pop culture and design. Orange hair, clothes, and accessories saturate Korean pop music videos and fashion magazines.
Like pink, orange denotes energy, fun, and youth. It provides a bold punch of color. Unique color combinations like pink and orange hair or outfits have become a signature in Korean fashion.
White
Crisp white or huin is beloved in Korean skincare for its connotations of purity, cleanliness, and innocence. Sparking white skin is the ideal across Korean beauty standards. Whitening skincare products are some of the most popular.
White clothing is also ubiquitous in Korean fashion, providing a neutral foundation for more colorful pieces. White masks and medical masks from Korean companies became global bestsellers during the COVID pandemic as well.
Color Usage in Korean Culture and Design
Now that we have covered symbolic colors in Korea, let’s examine how hues are incorporated into Korean cultural staples across history and today.
Hanbok
Korea’s traditional clothing, hanbok, vividly displays symbolic colors and intricate designs. Royal blue, red, and yellow silk dominates king’s and queen’s formal hanbok. Daily hanbok for commoners traditionally uses lighter blues, pinks, greens, and purples.
Hanbok is ornamented using a colorblocking technique called dancheong. Bold colors and painted patterns accent architecture and artifacts too. Dancheong harmoniously combines complementary colors like blue and orange in lines, shapes, and Korean motifs.
Modern hanbok retains traditional aesthetic elements while also incorporating new colors like black, metallics, and neon shades. Korea’s traditional dress preserves historic color symbolism and medicinal herbal dyes while evolving with the times.
Hallyu
Hallyu refers to the Korean pop culture wave sweeping Asia and the world. K-pop, television dramas, and films have carried Korean aesthetics and style globally.
K-pop groups like BTS, BLACKPINK, (G)I-DLE and more use color strategically to convey attitudes, concepts, and symbolism through their videos, costumes, and album designs. BLACKPINK’s pink signifies femininity while BTS’ blues and purples project mystery and depth.
Hallyu has expanded Korea’s color palette with an influx of bold secondary colors, pastels, neons, and rainbow shades. Color is integral for visual branding, merchandising, and leaving an impression worldwide.
Architecture
Traditional Korean architecture wholly integrates symbolic colors via painted wood, stained glass, roof tiling, and adornments. Royal blue denoted the king at Gyeongbok Palace while red and yellow also signified nobility and divinity. Jade green and darker wood hues brought natural harmony.
Contemporary Korean architecture fuses modern monochrome minimalism with flashes of accent colors on murals, lighting, or sculptural facets. The Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza curves sleek white and silver metal around bright neon blue lights and grassy parks. The unique texture and colors embody Korea’s combination of ancient and futuristic.
Coffee Culture
Coffee culture is thriving among young Koreans as cafes expand into art hubs with stylish interiors. Colorful murals, tiling, furniture, and signage create Instagrammable spaces that attract patrons.
Many Korean cafes build their brand around a signature color palette. Some feature vibrant prima colors while others take a more neutral, wood-inspired route. Color schemes tend to utilize shades that evoke a mood, from energetic and fun to thoughtful and peaceful. Korea’s cafe designs demonstrate strategic aesthetic color planning.
Survey of Favorite Colors in Korea
To provide numerical data on the most loved colors in Korea, surveys capture public sentiment across gender, age, and region demographics. The following table summarizes results from recent nationwide surveys conducted by major institutions:
| Rank | Color | Percentage Who Selected as Favorite |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | 22% |
| 2 | Black | 17% |
| 3 | Blue | 11% |
| 4 | Red | 7% |
| 5 | Pink | 6% |
| 6 | Green | 5% |
| 7 | Orange | 4% |
| 8 | Yellow | 4% |
| 9 | Purple | 3% |
| 10 | Brown | 3% |
White and black are clear favorites across contemporary Korea, followed by traditional blue and red. Modern trendy colors pink, green, and orange rank in the top 10 as well. The prominence of white aligns with Korean beauty standards while black’s popularity reflects versatile modern fashion. Overall, both historical and contemporary colors remain relevant in Korean culture today.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Korea boasts a diverse palette of traditional and modern symbolic colors. Historically prestigious blue, red, yellow and green permeate heritage sites, artwork, and classic clothing. Contemporary youth culture has embraced vivid pink, orange, silver, and white through K-pop, cosmetics, and cafe spaces.
While some cultural color associations have endured for centuries, new trends also update the palette. Understanding Korea’s most famous hues provides insight into the nation’s complex interweaving of tradition and modernity. Color profoundly conveys identity, values, aesthetics, and meaning.
So whether you don a hanbok, see K-pop idols with rainbow hair, or sip coffee in a hip chromatic cafe, you’ll be surrounded by colors that represent the essence of Korea. Respect heritage colors like imperial yellow when visiting palaces, then snap stylish selfies with neon accessories to share Korea’s youthful energy. Absorb both aspects of this colorful culture.
Summary
Some takeaways on the most significant colors in Korea include:
– Traditional colors like blue, red, yellow, and green have maintained deep cultural symbolism for centuries in Korean royalty, architecture, clothing, and art.
– Modern Korean pop culture has popularized bright pink, orange, silver, and white through Hallyu fashion, K-pop, cosmetics, and cafe design trends.
– Korea strategically applies both traditional and contemporary hues to highlight the interconnection between its heritage and future.
– Understanding cultural color associations provides insight into Korean aesthetics, values, customs, and changing tastes.
– While some symbolic colors persist over generations, Korea also evolves by adopting new signature shades.
So explore the full palette that paints Korea’s scenery, artwork, outfits, K-pop albums, and city spaces. The prominence of certain famous colors reveals what Korean culture esteems most and how it wants the world to see its spirit.
