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Rang

Rose

A bright colour halfway between red and magenta on the colour wheel

Pink Rose. Sitia Crete.
Photo: Petro Stelte, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rose is a vivid colour found midway between red and magenta, with a hue angle of 330 degrees on the HSV colour wheel. Its name comes from the rose flower, and it has been used in English since 1382. Rose is known for its use in Catholic vestments, political movements, and as a city nickname.

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  • Rose sits halfway between red and magenta on the colour wheel
  • First recorded as a colour name in English in 1382
  • Priests wear rose vestments on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays
  • Petra and Marrakesh are nicknamed Rose Cities
  • Rose is used by the French Socialist Party

What colour is Rose?

Rose is a bright, lively colour that sits exactly between red and magenta on the HSV colour wheel, at a hue angle of 330 degrees. It is often called vivid pink and stands out for its intensity and clarity compared to softer pinks or deeper reds. The colour is commonly linked to the appearance of blooming rose flowers and can be seen in a range of natural and man-made objects.

Where does Rose come from?

The word 'rose' for this colour comes from the Latin 'rosa', which was borrowed through several languages including Greek, Aramaic, and Old Iranian. The first known use of rose as a colour name in English dates to 1382. Its connection to the flower is direct, as the colour takes its name from the familiar blossom.

How Rose is defined

Rose as a colour is defined by its position on the colour wheel, halfway between red and magenta. In digital terms, it is represented by the hex code #FF0080. There are web-safe versions that shift slightly towards magenta or red, but all are based on mixing red with a touch of blue.

Incense plays an important role in Vietnamese life. It is considered as a sacred bridge to connect the visible life of human beings and the world of heaven, earth, and gods. Photo taken in Quang Phu Cau village, on the o
Incense plays an important role in Vietnamese life. It is considered as a sacred bridge to connect the visible life of h. Photo: Trantuanviet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Plumeria (/pluːˈmɛriə/) is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The species variously are indigenous to Mexico, Central America, Hawaii and the
Plumeria (/pluːˈmɛriə/) is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.Most species are deciduous shr. Photo: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pink Erasers
Pink Erasers. Photo: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
topaz var. rose : Vermelhão Mine, Saramenha, Ouro Preto, Mucury Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil
topaz var. rose : Vermelhão Mine, Saramenha, Ouro Preto, Mucury Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Photo: Géry PARENT, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Where Rose is used

Rose appears in many cultural settings. In the Catholic Church, priests wear rose-coloured vestments on Gaudete and Laetare Sundays. The colour is linked to cities like Petra and Marrakesh, which are known for rose-toned buildings, and Portland, Oregon, which is called the Rose City. Rose is also referenced in music and politics, such as the Rose Revolution in Georgia.

What Rose means

Rose is used in the Latin Catholic liturgy as a special colour for certain Sundays, marking moments of joy within more solemn seasons. In politics, it has been adopted as a symbol by the French Socialist Party and was the name of the Rose Revolution in Georgia. Some New Age beliefs associate rose with vitality and well-being.

Pink around the world

What the pink and magenta family means from country to country.

🇦🇷 Argentina

The president's office in Buenos Aires is the Casa Rosada, the Pink House. A popular story says its paint once had ox blood mixed in, though this is not proven.

Politics and protestSource: Casa Rosada
🇦🇺 Australia

The third day of the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground is Jane McGrath Day. The crowd wears pink to raise money for breast cancer nurses.

Protection and healingHopeSource: McGrath Foundation
🇧🇬 Bulgaria

The Rose Valley near Kazanlak grows pink damask roses for rose oil. The harvest in late May and June is marked by a festival and the crowning of a Rose Queen.

Nature and renewalFestival and celebrationJoySource: Rose Valley, Bulgaria
🇫🇷 France

Toulouse is called la Ville Rose, the pink city, for the soft pink brick of its old buildings.

Nature and renewalSource: Toulouse
🇬🇪 Georgia

In November 2003 protesters entered parliament carrying roses, and the president resigned without bloodshed. The change of power is called the Rose Revolution.

Politics and protestHopeSource: Rose Revolution
🇮🇳 India

At Holi, the spring festival of colours, friends and strangers smear each other with gulal, a coloured powder. Pink and red gulal are the best known shades.

Festival and celebrationJoySource: Holi

More on what pink and magenta means

Shades and relatives of Rose

Rose is related to other colours like hot pink, magenta, and cerise. Web-safe versions include FF00CC (closer to magenta) and FF0077 (closer to red). It is sometimes confused with these neighbouring shades, but rose is set apart by its specific hue angle and brightness.

Colours that go with Rose

ComplementaryIts opposite on the wheel
AnalogousIts neighbours
TriadicThree evenly spaced
Split complementaryEither side of its opposite
TintsLighter
ShadesDarker
White text 3.77:1large text only
Black text 5.56:1passes AA

Harmonies are worked out from the value #FF0080. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.

Questions people ask about Rose

What colour is rose?

Rose is a vivid shade between red and magenta, with a bright and lively appearance. On the HSV colour wheel, it sits at a hue angle of 330 degrees and is often called vivid pink.

Where does the name 'rose' come from?

The name comes from the rose flower. It traces back to Latin 'rosa', which passed through Greek, Aramaic, and Old Iranian before entering English.

When was 'rose' first used as a colour name in English?

The first recorded use of rose as a colour name in English was in 1382.

Is rose used in any religious traditions?

Yes, in the Catholic Church, priests wear rose-coloured vestments on Gaudete Sunday and Laetare Sunday, which are special days during Advent and Lent.

Are there cities known for the colour rose?

Yes, Petra in Jordan and Marrakesh in Morocco are both called Rose Cities because of their rose-coloured buildings. Portland, Oregon, is also nicknamed the Rose City for its many rose gardens.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Rose (color)", 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.

More of the pink and magenta family

All of pink and magenta
#FF00FF Magenta A purplish-pink colour named after a battle and key to modern printingNamed shade · 🇫🇷 France +4 #FA8072 Salmon A warm pink-orange shade named after the flesh of the salmon fishNamed shade #DE3163 Cerise A dark pink named after the French word for cherryNamed shade #997A8D Mountbatten pink A muted pink-grey once used as naval camouflage in World War IINamed shade #FF91AF Baker-Miller Pink A strong pink once used in prisons and sports to try to calm aggressionNamed shade · 🇨🇭 Switzerland +1 #F56FA1 Cyclamen A pinkish flower colour named after the Cyclamen plantNamed shade #E4007C Mexican pinkrosa mexicano A vivid purplish pink seen throughout Mexican art and traditionNamed shade · 🇲🇽 Mexico Pink and magenta Rose A bright pink colour used as a heraldic tincture in Canada since the late 1900sHeraldic colour

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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