The Aesthetics of Kanji: Beauty in Japanese Characters
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 Kids: Fun Ways to Learn Japanese Characters
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
161 虎穴虎子 162 銜尾相属  163 完美無欠  164 勧百諷一  165 傾国美女  166 鶏骨支床  167 稽古之力  168 刑故無小  169 月白風清  170 公明正大  171 鴻毛山岳  172 毫毛斧柯  173 紅毛碧眼  174 五蘊皆空  175 五蘊空寂  176 五蘊盛苦  177 孤雲野鶴  178 孤影孑然  179 極楽国土  180 極楽浄土  |
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181 極楽世界 182 極楽蜻蛉  183 国利民福  184 孤苦零丁  185 管豹一斑  186 玩物喪志  187 感孚風動  188 間不容髪  189 箕帚之妾  190 綺襦紈袴  191 鬼出神行  192 鬼出電入  193 鬼手仏心  194 貴種流離  195 乞漿得酒  196 乞食飯牛  197 逆施倒行  198 逆取順守  199 及肩之牆  200 急功近利  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
201 牛刀割鶏 202 弓道八節  203 尭鼓舜木  204 驚魂動魄  205 教唆煽動  206 挟山超海  207 仰事俯育  208 仰事俯畜  209 凶終隙末  210 公序良俗  211 口耳四寸  212 嚆矢濫觴  213 鉤心闘角  214 黄塵万丈  215 傲世逸俗  216 後生可畏  217 開誠布公  218 蓋世無双  219 晦迹韜光  220 怪絶奇絶  |
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221 塊然独坐 222 改頭換面  223 快刀乱麻  224 快犢破車  225 胡孫入袋  226 五体投地  227 誇大妄想  228 涸沢之蛇  229 孤注一擲  230 壷中之天  231 壷中天地  232 逆臣賊子  233 客塵煩悩  234 喜躍抃舞  235 隔歴三諦  236 脚下照顧  237 牛飲馬食  238 旧雨今雨  239 求栄反辱  240 窮猿投林  |
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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.