Understanding Japanese Idioms: Cultural Context and Usage
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. |
|||
| |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Mincho Font |
Textbook Font |
Gyousho Font |
Gothic |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 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 Advanced Learners: Deepening Your Knowledge
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 561 意志薄弱 562 石部金吉 563 遺臭万世 564 遺臭万年 565 衣繍夜行 566 痿縮震慄 567 一琴一鶴 568 一薫一蕕 569 一欠十求 570 一決雌雄 571 一蹶不振 572 一結杳然 573 一士諤諤 574 一死七生 575 一子相伝 576 一枝巣林 577 一失一得 578 一視同仁 579 一視之仁 580 一紙半銭 |
|
 581 往事茫茫 582 王述擲卵 583 王述忿狷 584 往生極楽 585 往生本懐 586 枉尋直尺 587 嘔心瀝血 588 王政復古 589 轅下之駒 590 煙霞之癖 591 掩過揚善 592 一飯君恩 593 一飯千金 594 一斑全豹 595 一飯之恩 596 一飯之徳 597 一飯之報 598 影駭響震 599 栄諧伉儷 600 已己巳己 |
|
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 601 一死報国 602 一瀉千里 603 一天四海 604 一点素心 605 一天万乗 606 一刀三拝 607 一刀三礼 608 一瓢一箪 609 一瓢之飲 610 一貧一富 611 一碧万頃 612 一片冰心 613 一歩一趨 614 霪雨沐浴 615 因往推来 616 喑噁叱咤 617 因循姑息 618 因循守旧 619 因小失大 620 引縄排根 |
|
 621 栄華栄耀 622 栄華秀英 623 栄華之夢 624 英華発外 625 永久不変 626 咏月嘲風 627 永劫回帰 628 永劫末世 629 応用無辺 630 王楊盧駱 631 一心同体 632 一心不乱 633 一心発起 634 一水盈盈 635 一水四見 636 一酔千日 637 一炊之夢 638 一寸光陰 639 一寸赤心 640 一寸丹心 |
|
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.