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).
Kanji Writing Techniques: From Basic to Advanced
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 401 一飽一襲 402 鷸蚌之争 403 意到心随 404 異榻同夢 405 意到随筆 406 意到筆随 407 以毒攻毒 408 以毒制毒 409 異塗同帰 410 猗頓之富 411 委肉虎蹊 412 威迫利誘 413 倚馬七紙 414 意馬心猿 415 倚馬之才 416 夷蛮戎狄 417 萎靡沈滞 418 萎靡不振 419 渭浜之器 420 渭浜漁父 |
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 421 移風易俗 422 遺風残香 423 威風堂堂 424 遺風余香 425 猿狙之便 426 円頂黒衣 427 円頂緇衣 428 円転滑脱 429 宛転蛾眉 430 鉛刀一断 431 帷幄上奏 432 帷幄之臣 433 以夷攻夷 434 唯唯諾諾 435 依依不舎 436 唯唯連声 437 依依恋恋 438 伊尹負鼎 439 医鬱排悶 440 易往易行 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 441 易往易修 442 位階勲等 443 帷蓋不棄 444 以管窺天 445 衣冠盛事 446 遺憾千万 447 鉛刀一割 448 円頭方足 449 円頓止観 450 延年益寿 451 延年転寿 452 倚閭之望 453 異類異形 454 異類中行 455 以蠡測海 456 異路同帰 457 意路不倒 458 以和為貴 459 隠悪揚善 460 隠悪揚美 |
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 461 陰陰鬱鬱 462 殷殷奨飾 463 陰陰滅滅 464 鴛鴦交頚 465 鴛鴦之偶 466 鴛鴦之契 467 雲壤懸隔 468 雲蒸竜騰 469 雲心月性 470 運水搬柴 471 雲水行脚 472 雲泥異路 473 威脅利誘 474 異曲同工 475 倚玉之栄 476 衣錦栄帰 477 衣錦還郷 478 衣錦帰郷 479 衣錦尚絅 480 衣錦昼行 |
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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.