colors
Back to gallery

Glowing Kihada

#b4a913
Notes

Glowing Kihada (#B4A913) is a true yellow with a warm character. It leans warm, pulling light toward red, orange, and yellow. Naturally inviting, it suits editorial and hospitality contexts. Its HSL profile (56°, 81%, 39%) places it in the highly saturated band at a mid lightness. Best used in small doses, like logos, CTAs, focus rings, or highlight text, where its saturation becomes a feature rather than noise. For a confident two-color system, pair it with its complementary blue. For something softer, pull in its analogous neighbors on either side of the wheel.

HEX
#b4a913
RGB
rgb(180, 169, 19)
HSL
hsl(56, 81%, 39%)
HWB
hwb(56 7% 29%)
OKLCH
oklch(72.1% 0.149 104.7)
HSV
hsv(56, 89%, 71%)
LAB
lab(68.11% -10.68 67.96)
LCH
lch(68.11% 68.79 98.93)
CMYK
cmyk(0%, 6%, 89%, 29%)

Etymology

Glowing
adjective

The progressive participle of glow, to emit light — used as a color word since the medieval period for hues that read as if they were luminous from within. Glowing amber, glowing rose: the implication is moderate saturation combined with the optical impression of internal light. Sits in the bright-bucket alongside radiant.

Kihada
noun

Phellodendron amurense, the Amur cork tree — and the bright yellow inner bark used as a Japanese textile dye and traditional medicine. Kihada-iro refers to the saturated yellow of kihada-dyed silk. The color refers to fresh kihada-bark powder: a saturated, slightly cool deep yellow with the matte finish of plant-derived pigment. Cooler than turmeric.

Closest matches

The nearest named color in three reference sources, ranked by perceptual distance (ΔE76 in CIELAB). ΔE < 1 is imperceptible to most viewers; ΔE > 10 is clearly different. When two sources point to the same hex they’re merged into one tile; click any to open that color’s page.

Variations

Click any swatch to explore

Harmonies

Accessibility

Color-vision simulation

How this color appears to viewers with the four major color-vision-deficiency types. Computed via the Machado (2009) physiologically-based model. If a tile matches the original, the color reads the same to that viewer.

#b4a913
Original
#b9a300
Protanopia
#bda924
Deuteranopia
#c29c90
Tritanopia
#a1a1a1
Achromatopsia
WCAG contrast

The color used as foreground text against pure white and pure black, with the contrast ratio and WCAG 2.1 grade. Aim for AA (4.5:1) for body text and AA Large (3:1) for 18 pt+ headlines; AAA (7:1) is the gold standard for long-form reading surfaces.

The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
Failon White
2.43:1
The quick brown foxSample body text at normal size. The wcag minimum for body contrast is 4.5:1 (AA) or 7:1 (AAA).
AAAon Black
8.63:1

Related Colors

Canvas