Blue-green
The colour between blue and green, part of the cyan family
Blue-green sits between blue and green and is part of the cyan family. It appears in nature, such as in blue-green algae and lakes coloured by glacial flour, and has cultural importance in art, religion, and politics, especially in Mexico and Australia.
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- Blue-green is part of the cyan family of colours.
- It appears in nature, such as in blue-green algae and glacial lakes.
- The Virgin of Guadalupe is often shown in a blue-green robe.
- Bondi blue is named for the water at Bondi Beach in Australia.
- Blue-green is a political colour in several countries.
What colour is Blue-green?
Blue-green is the colour found between blue and green, and is grouped with the cyan family. It can be seen in both natural and cultural settings, and is sometimes called cyan, turquoise, or teal. This colour is distinct from pure blue or green, often appearing as the shade of some lakes, algae, and gemstones like turquoise.
Where does Blue-green come from?
The name blue-green describes its position between blue and green. In English, related names like 'turquoise' date back to 1573, and 'cyan' to 1879. The colour is also linked to the Munsell colour system (5BG) and is widely recognised from blue-green algae, known since at least the 18th century. In some languages, blue and green are not separated as distinct colours.
Where Blue-green is used
Blue-green is used in art, textiles, and digital design. It appears in religious iconography, such as the robe of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and in pre-Columbian cultures as Maya blue. It is also used in political contexts, such as the teal independents in Australia and as a colour for various political parties in Europe and the US.
What Blue-green means
In Mexico, blue-green is sacred and associated with the Virgin of Guadalupe and Aztec religion, where it symbolises the centre of fire and tonalli. It is also linked to royalty, being used for Aztec rulers and European kings. Politically, blue-green or its variations represent several parties and movements in countries like Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, the UK, and the US.
Turquoise around the world
What the turquoise and cyan family means from country to country.
The old colour word qing covers green, blue and the shades between. In the five-element system it belongs to wood, the east and spring.
Nature and renewalCalmSource: Blue鈥揼reen distinction in languageTurquoise, firuzeh in Persian, has been mined near Nishapur for thousands of years. It is worn against the evil eye, and its colour covers the domes of mosques in Isfahan.
Protection and healingSacred and holyAweSource: TurquoiseIn the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary wears a blue-green cloak covered in stars. Turquoise was precious to the Aztecs, who used it in mosaic masks.
Sacred and holyAweSource: Our Lady of GuadalupeThe English word turquoise comes from the French for Turkish, because the stone reached Europe through Ottoman lands. Tiles from Iznik made the colour a mark of Ottoman mosques.
Royalty and powerSource: TurquoiseThe mosques and tombs of Samarkand are faced with turquoise and deep blue tiles. The three great madrasas of the Registan square and their ribbed turquoise domes are the best known.
Sacred and holyAweSource: RegistanShades and relatives of Blue-green
Blue-green includes shades like cyan, turquoise, teal, and Bondi blue. Turquoise is a lighter tone, while Bondi blue is named after the water at Bondi Beach. Green-blue was a Crayola crayon colour. These shades are sometimes confused or used interchangeably, but each has its own context and history.
Colours that go with Blue-green
Harmonies are worked out from the value #009C8C. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Blue-green
What colour is blue-green?
Blue-green is the colour between blue and green, part of the cyan family. It appears in nature and culture, and includes shades like cyan, turquoise, and teal.
Where does the name blue-green come from?
The name comes from its position between blue and green. Related names like 'turquoise' and 'cyan' have been used in English since the 16th and 19th centuries.
What is blue-green used for?
Blue-green is used in art, textiles, digital design, religious iconography, and as a political colour in several countries.
Does blue-green have any special meanings?
In Mexico, it is sacred and linked to the Virgin of Guadalupe and Aztec religion. It is also used to represent royalty and is a political colour in various countries.
Are there other names for blue-green?
Yes, it is also known as cyan, turquoise, teal, green-blue, and Bondi blue.
Good reading and sources
- Blue-green on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Blue-green", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Rang rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. The swatch is an approximation: named colours are not fixed standards, and every screen shows them a little differently. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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