White
The lightest colour, seen in snow, milk and chalk, and opposite to black
White is the palest colour, lacking hue, and found in things like snow and milk. It results from the reflection or scattering of all visible light. The word has roots in many languages, and white has long held special meaning in art, faith, and ceremony. It is widely linked with purity, beginnings, and neutrality.
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- White reflects almost all visible light
- Titanium dioxide is a common modern white pigment
- White is used for wedding dresses in the West and Japan
- In many Asian cultures, white is worn for mourning
- White is the standard background for digital screens
What colour is White?
White is the palest of all colours, with no tint or shade, and is often seen in natural things like snow, milk, and chalk. Unlike colours with hue, white reflects or scatters nearly all the visible light that reaches it. On screens, white is made by mixing red, green, and blue light at full strength. In pigments, white can come from minerals such as titanium dioxide or chalk. Its lack of colour sets it apart from all other shades.
Where does White come from?
The English word 'white' comes from Old English and Proto-Germanic roots, with related words in many European languages. Ancient cultures often saw white as a basic or pure colour. The Romans had two words for white: 'albus' for plain white and 'candidus' for a shining, bright white. In Sanskrit and Japanese, there are several terms for different kinds of white, showing its importance and variety across cultures.
How is White made?
White pigment can be made from natural minerals like chalk, calcite, or from synthetic compounds such as titanium dioxide. In painting, lead white was once common, though it is toxic. On digital screens, white is created by combining red, green, and blue light in equal amounts. The way white is produced depends on whether it is for paint, fabric, or light.
Where White is used
White has been used in art since prehistoric times, with early cave paintings showing animals drawn in white chalk. In ancient Egypt and Rome, white was used for clothing and rituals. Greek and Roman temples were often faced with white marble. In modern times, white is common in architecture, especially for churches and government buildings, and is a standard background for digital and printed materials.
What White means
White is often linked with purity, new beginnings, and honesty in Europe and the United States. In Christianity, it is used for rituals and is worn by the pope. In Islam and Shinto, pilgrims wear white. In Western and Japanese weddings, white dresses stand for purity. In many Asian cultures, white is the colour of mourning. It has also been used to show royalty, especially in France.
How White feels
Our sources tie White to calm, hope, trust. Such links differ from one culture to the next.
White around the world
What the white family means from country to country.
The Taliban flag is white with the Muslim declaration of faith in black. It replaced the black, red and green tricolour of the republic in 2021.
Politics and protestSacred and holySource: Flag of AfghanistanThe Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo wore white headscarves as they marched to demand news of children who disappeared under the dictatorship of 1976 to 1983.
Politics and protestMourning and deathCourageSource: Mothers of Plaza de MayoThe wiphala, a square flag of 49 small squares in seven colours with a white diagonal, stands for the Andean peoples. It has been a second national flag since 2009.
Politics and protestPrideSource: WiphalaOn New Year's Eve crowds on the beaches dress in white for peace in the year ahead. The custom comes from the Afro-Brazilian religions, whose followers wear white.
Luck and prosperityFestival and celebrationSacred and holyHopeSource: New Year's EveAn ordinary citizen's kabney is white with fringes. It must be worn to enter a dzong, the fortress that houses both monks and government offices.
Purity and peaceSource: KabneyA red cross on white, the Swiss flag reversed, marks medical staff and aid workers in war and must not be attacked under the Geneva Conventions.
Protection and healingTrustSource: Emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent MovementShades and relatives of White
White can appear in many forms, from the dull white of chalk to the bright white of titanium dioxide pigment. Different languages have words for various types of white, such as the many shades named in Inuit and Sanskrit. In art, white is sometimes mixed with other colours to lighten them, creating tints.
Colours that go with White
Harmonies are worked out from the value #FFFFFF. Contrast ratios follow the WCAG 2 formula.
Questions people ask about White
What colour is white?
White is the lightest colour, with no hue, and is seen in things like snow, milk, and chalk. It reflects or scatters all visible light.
Where does the word 'white' come from?
The English word 'white' comes from Old English and Proto-Germanic roots, with related words in many European languages and even in Sanskrit.
How is white pigment made?
White pigment can be made from minerals like chalk and calcite, or from synthetic materials such as titanium dioxide. Lead white was once common but is toxic.
What does white symbolise?
White is linked with purity, new beginnings, and honesty in many cultures. It can also stand for mourning, especially in parts of Asia.
How is white created on screens?
On digital screens, white is made by combining red, green, and blue light at full intensity.
Good reading and sources
- Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
- First world war: How the white feather of so-called cowardice led even more men to their deathsThe Guardian, Article
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "White", 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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