The Korean 10-Colour Pen Set: A Study-Culture Staple
Ten colours is not a random number. Korean exam culture developed a colour-coding system built around it, and the pen sets followed the demand. The Monami and Dong-A options both work, but they are not the same pen in different colours.
Korean Exam Prep and Colour-Coding Discipline
The Korean education system places exceptional weight on written exams, particularly the CSAT (수능, Suneung), which determines university placement and is taken by hundreds of thousands of students each year. The study culture that developed around this exam is rigorous and structured, and colour-coding became a standard tool for organising information across subjects.
The logic is straightforward: when you are reviewing twenty pages of notes for a single subject, colour-coded categories (dates in red, names in blue, key terms in green, personal observations in orange) let you scan and locate information faster than monochrome text. This is not new to Korea — students everywhere colour their notes. The difference is the degree of systematisation: Korean students often maintain consistent colour schemes across all subjects and all years of study, turning colour into a genuine retrieval index.
A 10-colour set provides enough range to run a detailed system across multiple subjects simultaneously. It is also compact enough to carry in a pencil case without it becoming unwieldy.
Why 10 Colours Specifically
The number ten is partly practical and partly cultural. Practically, a system with ten colours can handle: primary subject colour, subtopic A, subtopic B, dates, names, vocabulary, formulas, personal notes, priority flagging, and revision marks. That accounts for ten distinct categories without any colour doubling up. Students who use more complex systems sometimes add a second set of fine-liners or highlighters, but the core annotation layer runs on ten.
Culturally, ten-colour sets have been manufactured and sold together since the 1970s in Korea. Monami, as the dominant domestic brand, produced them first and the format became normalised. By the time Korean stationery became internationally visible in the late 2010s, the 10-colour set was already deeply embedded in the study aesthetic.
A related factor is K-drama and social media visibility. Study-with-me content on YouTube, studygram accounts on Instagram, and study-café culture all reinforce the visual of a clean desk with a 10-colour pen set as part of the setup. The format sells partly because it works and partly because it signals a particular kind of academic seriousness.
Monami 153 10-Colour vs Dong-A My Gel 10-Colour
These are different pens with different ink types.
The Monami 153 10-colour pack uses ballpoint ink. The classic 153 format, in the standard hexagonal barrel, across ten colours. The black is deep, the red is a warm scarlet, and the remaining colours (blue, green, orange, purple, brown, pink, sky blue, and yellow-green) are reasonably saturated without being garish. Dry time is essentially instantaneous, which makes them practical for fast note-taking. The downside is that ballpoint ink at 0.7mm is thicker than gel at 0.5mm: lines are broader, which can make dense, small handwriting harder to read.
The Dong-A My Gel 10-pack uses gel ink at 0.5mm. The lines are finer, the colours are more vivid, and the ink flows more smoothly. For anyone who writes small or values colour accuracy in their coding system, the gel set is the better tool. The tradeoff is slightly slower dry time and marginally more expensive individual replacement when a colour runs out.
For most students, the Monami is the practical default: fast, reliable, and the familiar format. For students who already write with gel pens and want their colour system to match their main writing pen in feel, the Dong-A is worth the small extra cost.
Practical Colour-Coding Systems That Work
Three systems work well for UK students and are adaptable across subjects:
The two-tier system: one colour for content (subject matter, facts, explanations) and one for meta-information (source, date, page reference). Everything else stays in black. Minimal overhead, still faster to navigate than monochrome.
The four-category system: red for key terms, blue for definitions, green for examples, orange for personal notes and questions. This works for humanities and social sciences where examples and definitions are the primary retrieval categories.
The full subject system: assign one colour per subject and use it consistently across all notes in that subject. When reviewing, every glance at a page confirms which subject you are reading. Subcategories within a subject use a secondary colour from a highlighter set. This requires discipline to maintain but produces the most navigable notes over time.
All three systems can run on a 10-colour set. The key is picking a system and not changing it. Inconsistent colour use is worse than no colour use.
Where to Buy a Genuine Set in the UK
Amazon UK is the most reliable source for both the Monami and Dong-A 10-colour sets. Listings from UK-based sellers (not marketplace sellers shipping from Korea) typically arrive within standard delivery windows.
Watch for listings that advertise a "10-colour Korean pen set" without specifying the brand. Some listings are repackaged assortments of individual pens rather than genuine factory sets. The genuine Monami 153 10-colour set comes in a cardboard sleeve with the 10 pens in individual slots. The Dong-A My Gel 10-pack comes in a similar format. If a listing's photos show pens loose in a clear pouch, it is probably an assembled assortment.
YesStyle also stocks Monami and Dong-A pen sets and is worth checking if you are already placing an order there for other stationery.
FAQ
**Can I buy replacement pens when one colour runs out?** Yes. Both Monami 153 and Dong-A My Gel pens are sold individually and in smaller packs. When a specific colour runs out, you can replace just that colour rather than buying a new 10-pack.
**Are the Monami 153 colours the same shade across all pack types?** Broadly yes. The colour formulations for the standard 153 have been consistent for many years. Individual batch variation exists but is not visible under normal use.
**Do these pens work on the paper in standard UK exercise books?** Both work on standard 80 gsm exercise-book paper. The Monami 153 ballpoint is more forgiving on cheaper, lighter paper. The Dong-A gel may bleed slightly on paper below 70 gsm.
**Is there a 12-colour Korean pen set worth considering?** Both Monami and Dong-A produce 12-colour versions. The extra two colours are typically additional shades of colours already in the 10-colour set (a second blue, a warm yellow). For most colour-coding systems, the 10-colour set is sufficient and cheaper.
