The Beauty of Kanji: Aesthetic Principles in Calligraphy
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 |
1041 黄白青銭 1042 句駮省便  1043 巧発奇中  1044 黄髪垂髫  1045 黄髪番番  1046 洪範九疇  1047 香美脆味  1048 敲氷求火  1049 敲氷索火  1050 好評嘖嘖  1051 光風霽月  1052 咬文噛字  1053 咬文嚼字  1054 紅粉青蛾  1055 公平無私  1056 向壁虚造  1057 光芒一閃  1058 厚貌深情  1059 好謀善断  1060 荒亡之行  |
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1061 黄茅白葦 1062 光芒万丈  1063 高鳳漂麦  1064 快活温柔  1065 海闊天高  1066 旧套墨守  1067 窮途之哭  1068 窮途末路  1069 窮途潦倒  1070 好事多阻  1071 曠日持久  1072 膠漆之心  1073 膠漆之契  1074 膠漆之分  1075 膠漆之交  1076 膠漆之約  1077 曠日弥久  1078 口耳之学  1079 口耳末学  1080 皓歯明眸  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
1081 高車駟馬 1082 恒沙塵数  1083 後車之誡  1084 巧者貧乏  1085 昴首闊歩  1086 厚酒肥肉  1087 考証該博  1088 強情我慢  1089 鉤縄規矩  1090 黄裳元吉  1091 窮年累月  1092 窮年累世  1093 吸風飲露  1094 牛糞馬涎  1095 窮兵黷武  1096 義勇奉公  1097 朽木難彫  1098 朽木之材  1099 朽木糞牆  1100 喧喧囂囂  |
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1101 見賢思斉 1102 蹇蹇匪躬  1103 拳拳服膺  1104 言行一致  1105 言行相反  1106 現状打破  1107 堅城鉄壁  1108 現状凍結  1109 現状保持  1110 現身説法  1111 現世安穏  1112 厳正中立  1113 厳父慈母  1114 言文一致  1115 源平藤橘  1116 兼并之徒  1117 権謀術策  1118 権謀術数  1119 研北梧右  1120 玄圃積玉  |
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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.