赤白橡あかしろつるばみ

also: あかしらつるばみ

Meanings

pale reddish grey; dusty rose with grey undertone

Traditional Japanese color name, used in contexts such as kimono, art, and design. The name literally combines 赤 (red), 白 (white), and 橡 (a brownish dye from sawtooth oak acorns), describing a muted, greyish pink.

この着き物ものの地じ色いろは赤あか白しろ橡つるばみで、落おち着ついた雰ふん囲い気きです。
The base color of this kimono is akashirotsurubami, giving it a calm atmosphere.

Kanji

赤red
白white
橡horse chestnut

Related words

橡つるばみ
Refers to the sawtooth oak or its acorn, and the brownish dye made from it. 赤白橡 is a specific color derived from mixing this brown with red and white.

Built from

赤あか+白しろ+橡つるばみ

Written forms

赤白橡
- あかしろつるばみ
  Standard kanji spelling for this traditional color name.
- あかしらつるばみ
  Alternate reading; less common than あかしろつるばみ.
あかしらつるばみ

Etymology

Compound of 赤 (aka, 'red'), 白 (shiro, 'white'), and 橡 (tsurubami, a brownish dye from sawtooth oak acorns). The name describes a pale, greyish red color. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows the pattern of traditional Japanese color names that combine dye or material references.