Japanese Calligraphy: A Cultural Heritage Worth Preserving
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).
Mastering Kanji: The Journey of a Calligraphy Artist
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
1 邁往直進 2 狼子野心  3 無財餓鬼  4 慢業重畳  5 優婉閑雅  6 遊生夢死  7 冷嘲熱罵  8 朦朧模糊  9 明朗快活  10 勇気凛凛  11 利用厚生  12 理非曲直  13 連城之璧  14 立錐之地  15 落紙雲煙  16 冶金踊躍  17 臨機応変  18 良妻賢母  19 離合開闔  20 面誉不忠  |
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21 流芳後世 22 礪山帯河  23 牢補羊亡  24 唯我独尊  25 霧鬢風鬟  26 耀蝉之術  27 勇往邁進  28 優柔不断  29 流言流説  30 蘭摧玉折  31 磊磊落落  32 和泥合水  33 庸言之謹  34 末法末世  35 和魂漢才  36 魯之男子  37 満城風雨  38 面命耳提  39 無為自然  40 鸞飄鳳泊  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
41 勇悍果敢 42 流水高山  43 雷同付和  44 毛骨竦然  45 流血淋漓  46 三日坊主  47 魯般之雲  48 六親不和  49 輪廻転生  50 唯一無二  51 無為無知  52 遊惰放逸  53 宥坐之器  54 蘭桂騰芳  55 流言飛文  56 麟角鳳嘴  57 輪奐一新  58 驢鳴牛吠  59 老馬弁道  60 林林総総  |
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61 流水落花 62 瑜伽三密  63 明目張胆  64 遊刀有余  65 勇将弱卒  66 命世之雄  67 練句練字  68 鹿鳴之宴  69 満身傷痍  70 用管窺天  71 擁書万巻  72 鸞交鳳友  73 臨寿終時  74 冥冥之志  75 雄大豪壮  76 無稽之談  77 戮力同心  78 燎原之火  79 立身処世  80 无何之郷  |
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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.