Mastering Japanese Vocabulary: Techniques for Retention
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).
Exploring Japanese Idioms: Cultural Context and Usage
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 801 安心決定 802 愛楊葉児 803 阿吽之息 804 青息吐息 805 悪因悪果 806 悪因苦果 807 悪逆非道 808 悪事千里 809 暗中摸捉 810 安土重遷 811 安土楽行 812 温故知新 813 温柔敦厚 814 温潤良玉 815 怨親平等 816 音声相和 817 慧可断臂 818 易簀之際 819 益者三楽 820 益者三友 |
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 821 易姓革命 822 役夫之夢 823 亦歩亦趨 824 回光返照 825 回向発願 826 会三帰一 827 会者定離 828 依他起性 829 越王之胆 830 越権行為 831 越犬吠雪 832 越俎代庖 833 越俎之罪 834 越鳥南枝 835 越畔之思 836 越鳧楚乙 837 温凊定省 838 怨憎会苦 839 穏着沈黙 840 音吐晴朗 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 841 乳母日傘 842 温文爾雅 843 温文儒雅 844 褞袍粗糲 845 温良恭倹 846 温良篤厚 847 安土恋本 848 安寧秩序 849 安分守己 850 按兵不動 851 暗無天日 852 安養宝国 853 安楽浄土 854 安楽世界 855 一行三昧 856 一行半句 857 一芸一能 858 一言一行 859 一言居士 860 一言千金 |
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 861 一元描写 862 一期一会 863 一合一離 864 一業所感 865 一毫不抜 866 一語九鼎 867 一期四相 868 一言一句 869 哀哀父母 870 悪口罵詈 871 圧力団体 872 阿鼻叫喚 873 阿鼻地獄 874 蛙鳴雀噪 875 蛙鳴蝉噪 876 鴉黙雀静 877 晏嬰脱粟 878 安家楽業 879 安閑恬静 880 安居危思 881 晏御揚揚 882 一日不食 883 一人当千 884 一人当百 885 一念化生 886 一念三千 887 一念通天 888 一念発起 889 一念発心 890 一能一芸 891 一暴十寒 892 一罰百戒 893 一盤散沙 894 一病息災 895 一分一厘 896 一部始終 897 一分自慢 898 一別以来 |
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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.