The chemical compositions and antioxidant activities of four different colored rice cultivars (white-colored rice: WCR, brown-colored rice: BCR, brown-colored waxy rice: BCWR, black-colored rice: BKCR) were investigated to evaluate the quality characteristics of the new brown rice cultivars. There was no significant differences in chemical compositions amongst the four rice cultivars, although WCR had higher amount of carbohydrate than did the other rice cultivars. The major fatty acids in the four rice cultivars were linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids, which accounted for about 96% of total fatty acids. Of note, higher amounts of saturated fatty acids (24.8%) and lower amount of unsaturated fatty acids (75.2%) were observed in BKCR than in the other rice cultivars. Two brown-colored rice cultivars, BCR and BCWR, possessed higher amounts of linoleic acid (40.8% and 42.1%, respectively) than did the other cultivars. The highest level of α-tocopherol was found in WCR (51.3 mg%), followed by BKCR (38.6 mg%), BCWR (37.2 mg%), and BCR (34.5 mg%). Free amino acid analysis showed that aspartic and glutamic acids were major amino acids of all cultivars, whereas phenylalanine, lysine, and histidine were minor. Particularly, relatively higher contents of aspartic and glutamic acids were found in BKCR, while relatively higher levels of alanine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were observed in BCR and BCWR. Also, BKCR had the highest phenolic content and antioxidant activity of any cultivar, followed by the two brown-colored rice cultivars and WCR. These results suggested that the new brown rice cultivars may possess quality characteristics intermediate between those of WCR and BCR.