# 紅花色



## Pot-Bouille

Hello, I've been wondering about this for a while:
紅花 is a safflower (Carthamus tinctorus, or carthame in French)


Safflowers, when they start blooming are yellow,


In full bloom, safflowers turn to orange,


When used as a dye, safflowers give a reddish-pink color to textile,
So, here is the catch : when someone says they like 紅花色, which of these three colors are they referring to? 
And, what color is a 紅花色の着物? Is it referring to the reddish-pink dye because it's a textile?  
Many thanks!


----------



## Aoyama

Good question.
I'd vote for the third option, because "reddish-pink" is the closest to _red _and 紅 (beni) means a kind of red. You find the same word in 紅鮭 (benizake = [autumn] red salmon),　紅鱒 (benimasu = salmon trout, truite saumonée, which is pink red) ...


----------



## Pot-Bouille

So, taking into account the kanji and its compounds it seems logic to think that we are talking of a red/pink color. 
But I'm still really confused because of something I read on a page of the online  « kimono museum » (きもの博物館)
「一見黄色に見える紅花には二種類の染料が含まれている。サフロールイエローと呼ばれる黄色の染料と、カルタミンと呼ばれる紅色素である。
紅花染と言っても必ずしも紅色ではない様々な色に染め上がるのである。」


----------



## rukiak

I have watched on TV that:
紅花 as picked is yellow color. But it contains 2 kind of substance with color, and the dye worker gets rid of the yellow element to obtain 紅色.

So 紅花色　means 紅色, reddish-pink in your speak.


----------



## Aoyama

The Japanese text you are citing is a bit puzzling, that is true. But rukiak is giving you the same answer I would give you (red[dish]-pink).
This being said, names of colors, as well as their perception, in Japanese can be treachous.


----------



## Pot-Bouille

Aoyama said:


> This being said, names of color, as well as their perception, in Japanese can be treacherous.


That's very true, so in this particular case maybe pictures are better than words. This color definitely looks like a type of red (un rouge acidulé peut-être?)
In any case, many thanks to you both.


----------



## Aoyama

> This color definitely looks like a type of red (un rouge acidulé peut-être?)


Or a "kawaii pink", very _en vogue_ amongst Kitty fans and the like ...


----------



## lammn

The same thing happens to 茜(madder).
Its flowers are yellow but it gives a red dye.
When talking about 茜色, one is refering to red rather than yellow.


----------



## Aoyama

This kanji (茜) is read Akane in Japanese, it is a common girl name. You can see the part with "aka". When you check for 茜色, the dictionary will indicate : 深紅色...


----------



## lammn

Aoyama said:


> This kanji (茜) is read Akane in Japanese


 
I know. What I wrote in bracket in my previous post (madder) is the name of the plant in English.


----------

