Light blue
A pale blue shade found between blue and cyan, seen in flags and daily life worldwide
Light blue is a pale colour between blue and cyan, often made by mixing blue with white. First named in English in 1915, it appears in national flags, heraldry, and design, and is linked with calm and water. In several languages, light blue is a separate word from blue, and it carries different meanings in cultures and faiths.
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- First called 'light blue' in English in 1915
- Flags of Argentina, Italy, and Botswana feature light blue
- In Russian, light blue and dark blue are different words
- Linked with calm and water in design
- In Hinduism, Shiva is shown in light blue
What colour is Light blue?
Light blue is a pale shade that sits between blue and cyan on the colour wheel. It is usually made by adding white to blue, resulting in a soft, airy tone. This colour is seen in the sky, water, and some butterflies, and is often chosen for its gentle and calming appearance. Light blue stands apart from darker blues by its brightness and touch of green.
Where does Light blue come from?
The name 'light blue' was first used in English in 1915. In many languages, such as Russian, Greek, and Hebrew, there are separate words for light blue and dark blue, showing how people see and use this colour differently. In Italy, the word 'azzurro' stands for a national light blue, while in France, light blue became linked with royalty from the time of King Louis IX.
How Light blue is defined
Light blue is created by mixing blue with white paint or pigment. In digital colour systems, it is defined by a specific hex code (#ADD8E6) or by reducing the saturation or increasing the lightness of blue. In some colour models, such as RYB (red-yellow-blue), it is simply a blend of blue and white.
Where Light blue is used
Light blue is widely used in national flags, including those of Argentina, Botswana, and Italy, where it often stands for the sky or national identity. It is also chosen for uniforms, such as Cambridge Blue for the University of Cambridge, and for hospital rooms and bathrooms because of its calming effect. In digital design, it is a standard web colour.
What Light blue means
In France, light blue became a royal colour. In Italy, 'azzurro' is a national symbol. In Hinduism, Shiva is shown with light blue skin, marking him as sacred. In Christianity, light blue is linked with the sin of sloth. In Russian, the word for light blue is also slang for gay men. The colour is often seen as calming and is tied to water and the sky.
How Light blue feels
Our sources tie Light blue to calm. Such links differ from one culture to the next.
Blue around the world
What the blue family means from country to country.
The flag is sky blue, white and sky blue, created by Manuel Belgrano in 1812. National teams are called the Albiceleste, the white and sky blue.
Politics and protestPrideSource: Flag of ArgentinaBoca Juniors play in blue and gold. The club's story is that in 1907 it took the colours of the flag of the next ship into port, which was Swedish.
Festival and celebrationPrideSource: Boca JuniorsThe blue flower, die blaue Blume, comes from a novel by Novalis. It became the emblem of German Romanticism and stands for longing for what cannot be reached.
Love and desireNostalgiaSource: Blue flowerPrussian blue, one of the first modern synthetic pigments, was made by accident in Berlin in the early 1700s. It later coloured the coats of the Prussian army.
Nature and renewalSource: Prussian blueBlue was the colour of the French kings, whose arms were gold lilies on blue. It is the first band of the tricolour, and national sports teams are called Les Bleus.
Politics and protestRoyalty and powerPrideSource: Bleu de France (colour)The flag has two sky-blue bands with white between. The blue stands for the Pacific and the Caribbean on either side of the land, and for the sky.
Politics and protestSource: Flag of GuatemalaShades and relatives of Light blue
Variations of light blue include Cambridge Blue, azzurro, and bleu celeste in heraldry. Some shades lean closer to cyan, while others are more like a pale blue. In some colour models, light blue may appear as a simple mix of blue and white, but in others, it may have a slight greenish tint.
Colours that go with Light blue
Harmonies are worked out from the value #ADD8E6. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about Light blue
What colour is light blue?
Light blue is a pale shade between blue and cyan, usually made by mixing blue with white. It is softer and brighter than standard blue.
Where does the name 'light blue' come from?
The term 'light blue' was first recorded in English in 1915. In other languages, like Russian and Greek, there are separate words for light blue.
What is light blue used for?
Light blue is used in many national flags, uniforms, and interior design. It is also a standard colour for digital screens and is chosen for its calming effect.
Does light blue have special meanings?
Yes. In France, it became a royal colour. In Italy, it is a national symbol. In Hinduism, it is sacred to Shiva. In Christianity, it is linked with the sin of sloth.
How is light blue made?
Light blue is made by mixing blue with white paint or pigment, or by adjusting the brightness of blue in digital colour systems.
Good reading and sources
- Light blue on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More pictures on Wikimedia CommonsPictures
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Light blue", 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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