Four-Character Idioms: A Cultural Exploration of Japanese Language
Multiple examples of four-character compounds and four-letter words are presented on one page with examples of four-character compounds displayed by various designs focusing on four-character compounds and four-letter words.
We express four-character idioms in various designs, such as Mincho, Gyosho, Gothic, and Sosho styles. These can serve as general examples for lettering in Japanese, posters (handmade signs), and calligraphy assignments like the New Year's calligraphy tradition.
 Comparison Samples of Four-Character Idiom Designs. |
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 Mincho Font |
Textbook Font |
Gyousho Font |
Gothic |
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| Maru Gothic |
Anxiety |
Brush Pen |
Sosho Font |
We have put together a one-page sample of such a design for one four-character phrase.
Kanji characters may be missing if they are old or special characters (Unicode).
The Beauty of Shūji: Calligraphy as an Art Form
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1 安心立命 2 按図求駿 3 枉尺直尋 4 横説縦説 5 応接不暇 6 横草之功 7 横草之労 8 横徴暴賦 9 横徴暴斂 10 王道楽土 11 烏鳥之情 12 迂直之計 13 鬱鬱怏怏 14 鬱鬱葱葱 15 鬱鬱勃勃 16 鬱肉漏脯 17 鬱塁神荼 18 禹湯文武 19 一瀉百里 20 一種一瓶 |
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 21 一聚一散 22 一宿一飯 23 一觴一詠 24 一生懸命 25 一笑千金 26 一将万骨 27 一生不犯 28 一触即発 29 一所懸命 30 一所不住 31 一心一計 32 一心一向 33 一進一退 34 一心一徳 35 一身軽舟 36 一身寵愛 37 烏白馬角 38 右眄左顧 39 禹歩舜趨 40 海千河千 |
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 41 海千山千 42 有無相生 43 有無流転 44 有耶無耶 45 烏有先生 46 紆余委蛇 47 紆余曲折 48 羽翼既成 49 有余涅槃 50 盂蘭盆会 51 雨笠煙蓑 52 雨霖鈴曲 53 雨露霜雪 54 有漏無漏 55 雲雨之夢 56 雲雨巫山 57 横眉竪眼 58 横眉怒目 59 応病与薬 60 横眉立眼 |
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 61 横眉立目 62 応物象形 63 王法為本 64 枉法徇私 65 応報覿面 66 王門伶人 67 甕牖縄枢 68 按図索驥 69 按図索駿 70 黯然失色 71 黯然銷魂 72 有為転変 73 有為無常 74 烏焉成馬 75 烏焉魯魚 76 烏獲之力 77 羽翮飛肉 78 雨過天晴 79 羽化登仙 80 雨奇晴好 |
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Significance of Font Design
They play an important role in the communication and visual presentation of information. First, fonts can greatly affect the impression of a message depending on the shape and style of the letters. For example, serif fonts give a traditional, formal impression, while sans-serif fonts create a modern, clean look.
They also contribute to readability and legibility and are designed to aid visual attraction and understanding, especially in advertising and publications. In addition, fonts can serve as part of a brand identity, a means of expressing the personality of a company or product.
About precautions How to write and read four-character phrases |
This homepage introduces how to write various four-character phrases.
Some kanji characters may be garbled because they are not supported in the font-based character design. We have also taken care to ensure that there are no mistakes in the kanji and reading notations, but there may be kanji mistakes or conversion errors.
The introduction of typefaces is only shown as an example as a sample of typeface design. Even similar fonts may differ in minor details. It is not intended to indicate superiority or inferiority of any typeface.
The font and cursive typefaces shown on this page are not necessarily correct, as they often reflect the individuality of the person actually writing them.
When accuracy is required for school assignments, exams, work, etc., please confirm the correctness of the kanji, readings, and meanings of 4-kanji compounds with a Japanese dictionary, idiomatic expression dictionary, or other reliable source. Text and images on this site may not be reproduced or redistributed.