--- title: "Tombow Play Color K: 0.3 and 0.8 mm Twin Marker, 36 Colors" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-k-marker/" description: "Tombow Play Color K explained: a twin-tip water-based marker with a 0.3 mm ultra-fine and 0.8 mm bold tip, 36 colors, set sizes and 110 yen a pen in Japan." category: "Pens" type: "Marker" published: 2026-11-03 updated: 2026-11-03 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 2 products: - name: "Tombow Play Color K twin marker (WS-PK single colors; sets GCF-611A, GCF-611B, GCF-011, GCF-012, GCF-013)" brand: "Tombow" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Water-based dye ink; 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip and 0.8 mm fiber bold tip (Tombow)" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)" model: "Play Color K" mpn: "WS-PK03" url: "https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_k/" --- # Tombow Play Color K: 0.3 and 0.8 mm Twin Marker, 36 Colors > The Tombow Play Color K is a twin-tip, water-based dye-ink marker with a 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip at one end and a 0.8 mm bold fiber tip at the other. It comes in 36 colors, 12 new with this series, at 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70) a pen in Japan, with sets of 6, 12, 24 and 36. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-k-marker/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-03 - Updated: 2026-11-03 ![Tombow Play Color K twin marker: a pink barrel with a lighter pink cap at each end](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/tombow-play-color-k-marker-illustration-16x9.png?v=2a07878c) *The Play Color K in pink, drawn in proportion (Tombow lists no size); circle: line widths, 1 mm = 40 px.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Tombow Play Color K twin marker (WS-PK single colors; sets GCF-611A, GCF-611B, GCF-011, GCF-012, GCF-013) | Tombow (by Tombow Pencil Co., Ltd. (Tokyo)) | Japan | Not stated | Water-based dye ink; 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip and 0.8 mm fiber bold tip (Tombow) | – | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Tombow Play Color K twin marker (WS-PK single colors; sets GCF-611A, GCF-611B, GCF-011, GCF-012, GCF-013)): Not stated. Tombow's Japanese product page lists tips, colors, sets and prices but no country of manufacture. Check the pack. - Good for: Drawing and sketching. Skip it if you need pigment ink that stays put after water: Tombow lists the ink as water-based dye. ### Tombow Play Color K twin marker (WS-PK single colors; sets GCF-611A, GCF-611B, GCF-011, GCF-012, GCF-013) colors - Ink colors (36 standard, 0 special edition): 03 Yellow; 04 Golden yellow; 06 Yellow-green; 07 Green; 13 Light blue; 15 Blue; 17 Indigo; 19 Violet; 21 Wisteria; 22 Pink; 25 Red; 28 Orange; 33 Black; 41 Chocolate; 42 Navy; 45 French blue; 48 Honey orange; 49 Gray; 50 Lime green; 58 Cherry-blossom pink; 60 Princess pink; 61 Peach pink; 73 Sky blue; 74 Aqua; 75 Strawberry red; 76 Carrot orange; 77 Cherry pink; 78 Coral pink; 79 Candy pink; 80 Fuchsia pink; 81 Raspberry; 82 Grape; 83 Saxe blue; 84 Turquoise blue; 85 Emerald green; 86 Mint green. - Per Tombow (Japan) (https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_k/), checked 2026-11-03. Tombow shows 36 numbered colors in its color chart, grouped into the 12, 24 and 36-color sets. Tints were sampled from the chart dots and are representative, not measured. Names are English renderings of Tombow's Japanese color names. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - One pen has a 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip and a 0.8 mm bold tip; Tombow says the new bold tip lasts 40% longer than its previous product. - There are 36 colors, 12 of them new, listed with number codes in Tombow's chart; pink and blue shades are the most numerous. - Single pens (WS-PK plus a color number) cost 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70); sets of 12, 24 and 36 cost 1,320, 2,640 and 3,960 yen (about US$8.35, US$16.71 and US$25.06). - The ink is water-based dye; Tombow says to cap the pen after use and warns that shaking or dropping it can make ink leak or spurt. - Tombow suggests it for notes, illustration and coloring books, but gives no pen length or weight. ## What is the Tombow Play Color K? **It is Tombow's twin-tip color marker with a very fine tip at one end and a bolder tip at the other.** Tombow describes it as the new standard of its long-selling Play Color water-based color sign pens, a new series with a thin-writing twin tip. One end is a 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip, the other a new 0.8 mm bold fiber tip. Tombow also added 12 new colors, taking the range to 36. The older [Play Color 2](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-2-marker/) has a 0.4 mm and a 1.2 mm tip. We read Tombow's Japanese product page and color chart on November 3, 2026. ## What are the tips like? **A fine tip for small writing and a bold tip for filling.** Tombow's page gives these widths and claims. | End | Width | Tombow's description | |---|---|---| | Ultra-fine | 0.3 mm | Fine enough that small characters do not get crushed; for tidy notes | | Bold | 0.8 mm | A fiber tip that is easy to draw illustrations with and resists crushing; Tombow says it is 40% more durable than its previous product | The 40% figure is Tombow's comparison with its own earlier pen, and the page names no test. ## Which colors does it come in? **36, numbered in Tombow's chart.** The 12-color set holds the first dozen codes: 03, 07, 15, 25, 28, 33, 06, 13, 19, 22, 41 and 58. The 24-color set adds 12 more and the 36-color set the last 12. Tombow says it added 12 new colors in this series; its chart's highest numbers, 75 to 86, are exactly 12 colors, which fits, though the page does not label them. Twenty-four of the 36 codes also appear in Play Color 2's chart, with the same names. The swatches in Product facts are tints we sampled from the chart. ## Which set should you buy? **Pick by how many colors you will use.** | Set | Model | Price with tax | |---|---|---| | 6 colors | GCF-611A or GCF-611B | 660 yen (about US$4.18) | | 12 colors | GCF-011 | 1,320 yen (about US$8.35) | | 24 colors | GCF-012 | 2,640 yen (about US$16.71) | | 36 colors | GCF-013 | 3,960 yen (about US$25.06) | A single pen (WS-PK plus the color number) costs 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70), so every set works out to the same price per pen, with no volume discount. Tombow says the contents of the two 6-color sets are on its marking-pens page; we did not find them listed on the Play Color K page. ## Who is the Play Color K for? **It suits note-takers, journalers and colorers who want many colors in a twin-tip pen at a low price.** - **Drawing and sketching:** Tombow lists a 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip and a 0.8 mm fiber tip it says suits illustrations and coloring books, in 36 colors. Skip it if you need pigment ink that stays put after water: Tombow lists the ink as water-based dye. For other coloring pens see our [best pens for coloring](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-pens-for-coloring/), and for a comparable twin marker with a thicker bold tip, the [Play Color 2](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/tombow-play-color-2-marker/). ## What should you watch out for? **Cap it, and keep it from shocks.** Tombow says to put the cap on after use, and warns that shaking hard, dropping or knocking the pen can make ink leak or spurt out. Keep it from small children and use it only for writing and drawing. ## Where is it made, and what does it cost? **Tombow's page doesn't state a country of manufacture.** At 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70) a pen, it is in our $ band (under $5). ## Frequently asked questions ### What tips does the Play Color K have? A 0.3 mm ultra-fine tip at one end and a 0.8 mm bold fiber tip at the other, in one twin-tip pen. ### What is new about the bold tip? Tombow says the new bold tip is 40% more durable than its previous product, so it keeps its best thickness for longer. ### How many colors are there? 36, with 12 new ones added in this series. Tombow's chart numbers them from 03 to 86, with pink and blue shades the most numerous. ### What sets are sold? Sets of 6 (two versions, GCF-611A and GCF-611B), 12 (GCF-011), 24 (GCF-012) and 36 (GCF-013), plus single pens coded WS-PK and a color number. ### What ink does it use? Water-based dye ink, which Tombow says gives bright colors. Dye ink is not pigment, so expect it to react to water. ### What is it for? Tombow suggests neat notes with the ultra-fine tip, illustrations with the bold tip, and coloring books. ### How much does it cost? 110 yen with tax (about US$0.70) a pen in Japan. Sets cost 660 yen (about US$4.18) for 6, 1,320 yen (about US$8.35) for 12, 2,640 yen (about US$16.71) for 24 and 3,960 yen (about US$25.06) for 36. ### Where is it made? Tombow's page doesn't say; check the pack. ## Sources - [Tombow (Japanese): Play Color K product page (twin tips and line widths, 40% bold-tip durability, 36 colors, sets, prices, cautions; read November 3, 2026)](https://www.tombow.com/products/playcolor_k/) - [Tombow (Japanese): Play Color K color chart image (color numbers, names and the 12, 24 and 36-color groupings; read November 3, 2026)](https://www.tombow.com/files/2016/02/playcolork_item_07.jpg)