Korean Pattern coloring pages

Korean Pattern pictures arrange round rosettes in a neat grid, from two by two up to four by four. Each rosette is a circle with six to ten petals around a center made of two parts, and neighboring rosettes alternate colors, a little like squares on a checkerboard. A border band runs around the whole design, dotted with small circles, so the picture looks like a framed panel.

Painted protection

The design is inspired by dancheong, the colorful painting found on traditional Korean wooden buildings such as palaces and temples. Dancheong is usually described as having both a practical and a symbolic role: the paint helped protect the wood from weather and insects, and the richness of the decoration signaled a building's importance. Its palette is often linked to obangsaek, the five traditional colors of blue, red, yellow, white and black.

A simplified take

Real dancheong uses many specific motifs and careful rules about where each one belongs. The patterns here are simplified geometric designs made for coloring, not reproductions of any particular building. Even so, the repeating rosettes give you a similar sense of order and rhythm. For background on the real tradition and its motifs, read our dancheong guide.