Hi friends! If you have seen people use Japanese colour dictionaries to coordinate their outfits on youtube, I hope you stick around to read my Japanese Colour Dictionaries Review because they have been a source of inspiration for me of late!
What They Are
The actual names on the books are A Dictionary of Color Combinations and A Dictionary of Color Combinations Vol. 2, both published by Seigensha. Vol. 1 has 281 pages with colour chips you can cut out in the back; Vol. 2 has 232 pages with colour chips as well. Each volume retails for 1,500¥ (plus taxes) or CAD$24 on Amazon.ca. Both are written in Japanese (Hiragana and Kanji) and English. Each of them also has an index of colours.
By the way, these are quite small, each measuring about 4″x6″ like a standard size photo print. The second volume has a foreword and bio of Sanzo Wada (author) written in English, in addition to Japanese.
Differences Between Vol. 1 and Vol. 2
I think the question people have is whether they need to buy both volumes. Since I have both, I will show you the differences.
Vol. 1 gives you 2, 3 and 4 colour combinations. It does not show you examples of the combinations but just the colour chips put together in the page as shown in the photos.
Vol. 2, however, has “colours of the month”, as well as examples of the colour combinations in real life objects such as book design, posters, wrapping paper, kimono and such. The colour combination also goes up to 6+ colours, whereas the first volume goes up to 4.
I personally like the colour combinations in action being shown in Vol. 2, it really helps me visualize!
Using Both Japanese Colour Dictionaries
I did a quick loose florals painting with the colour combination from the top of the page, using my Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints. By the way, most of the Gansai Tambi paint colours match the colours in these dictionaries, so if you have those paints, it’s easy to match them!
For this second painting, I used the 4-colour combo on the bottom of the page in Vol. 2. It is actually quite fun when you are in need of some inspiration, especially if you don’t know what colours to use for your painting.
Do you need both?
To conclude this Japanese Colour Dictionaries Review, I am giving you my personal opinion on whether you need to buy both of these. I personally much prefer the second volume, because it gives you colours of each month and examples of the colour combinations in objects. I don’t think you need both. If you must choose one, I would recommend Vol. 2. Of course, if you don’t have a budget, you can get both, but I have been more gravitated to use Vol. 2 so far.
Whether you are in a rut or stuck in a sketch not knowing what colour schemes to use for your painting, these Japanese colour dictionaries are very handy to have.
