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).
Kanji for Everyday Use: Practical Applications in Daily Life
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 161 一字百金 162 一字不識 163 一字不説 164 一字褒貶 165 一汁一菜 166 一樹之陰 167 一樹百穫 168 一上一下 169 一杖一鉢 170 一時流行 171 一字連城 172 一新紀元 173 一塵不染 174 一塵法界 175 一大決心 176 一代英雄 177 一諾千金 178 一団和気 179 延頚企踵 180 延頚挙踵 |
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 181 艶言浮詞 182 淵広魚大 183 遠交近攻 184 猿猴取月 185 渭樹江雲 186 為小失大 187 衣装之会 188 医食同源 189 衣食礼節 190 以身殉利 191 遺簪墜履 192 以心伝心 193 異人同辞 194 以信得入 195 遺簪弊履 196 怡然自若 197 怡然自得 198 怡然自楽 199 渭川漁父 200 葦巣之悔 |
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 201 衣帯一江 202 衣帯中賛 203 異体同心 204 衣帯之水 205 衣帯不解 206 為蛇画足 207 韋駄天足 208 為蛇添足 209 異端邪宗 210 猿猴捉月 211 塩香風色 212 円孔方木 213 援護射撃 214 円鑿方枘 215 縁山求魚 216 煙散霧消 217 掩耳盗鐘 218 煙視媚行 219 掩耳補雀 220 阿諛承迎 |
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 221 阿諛追従 222 阿諛追随 223 阿諛便佞 224 阿諛蓬迎 225 阿諛奉承 226 暗雲低迷 227 悪酔強酒 228 悪声狼藉 229 悪戦苦闘 230 一件落着 231 一剣両段 232 一闔一闢 233 一口三舌 234 一向所感 235 一口両舌 236 一国一城 237 一国三公 238 一刻三礼 239 一刻千金 240 一刻千秋 |
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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.