Understanding the Art of Japanese 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).
The Beauty of Kanji: Crafting Characters with Care
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
1361 向壁虚構 1362 嚮壁虚造  1363 怯防勇戦  1364 家給人足  1365 火牛之計  1366 科挙圧巻  1367 下喬入幽  1368 河魚之患  1369 河魚之疾  1370 河魚腹疾  1371 嘉耦天成  1372 架空無稽  1373 赫赫之功  1374 諤諤之臣  1375 赫赫之名  1376 赫赫之光  1377 赫赫明明  1378 赫赫有名  1379 隔岸観火  1380 榷管之利  |
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1381 革旧鼎新 1382 鶴寿千歳  1383 各人各様  1384 隔世遺伝  1385 隔世之感  1386 廓然大公  1387 格致日新  1388 学知利行  1389 喬木故家  1390 驕慢放縦  1391 興味索然  1392 興味津々  1393 興味本位  1394 狂瀾怒濤  1395 恪勤精励  1396 活計歓楽  1397 割鶏牛刀  1398 各個撃破  1399 確乎不動  1400 活殺自在  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
1401 合従連横 1402 合水和泥  1403 割席分坐  1404 豁然開朗  1405 豁然大悟  1406 豁達豪放  1407 闊達自在  1408 闊達自由  1409 豁達大度  1410 闊達明朗  1411 豁然開悟  1412 豁然頓悟  1413 活剥生呑  1414 活溌婉麗  1415 活溌豪宕  1416 強理頸直  1417 澆漓末代  1418 協力一致  1419 頑廉懦立  1420 頑陋至愚  |
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1421 几案之才 1422 奇異荒唐  1423 気韻生動  1424 気宇軒昂  1425 気宇壮大  1426 阮籍青眼  1427 堅石白馬  1428 葭莩之類  1429 歌舞優楽  1430 瓦釜雷鳴  1431 寡聞少見  1432 寡聞鮮見  1433 佳兵黷武  1434 佳兵不詳  1435 瓜剖豆分  1436 華封三祝  1437 夸父逐日  1438 我慢強狂  1439 我慢勝他  1440 我武者者  |
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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.