The Importance of Kanji in Japanese Identity and Culture
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: Tips for Achieving Precision
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
161 無病息災 162 幽明隔処  163 翼翼小心  164 連日連夜  165 老生常譚  166 面向不背  167 麻中之蓬  168 離合悲歓  169 養児備老  170 野蛮草昧  171 矮子看戯  172 優勝劣敗  173 流転無窮  174 竜象之力  175 老成円熟  176 冶容誨淫  177 両姓之好  178 魯般雲梯  179 要害之地  180 論黄数黒  |
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181 流金鑠石 182 木刻郅都  183 魯般之巧  184 満身創痍  185 優柔寡断  186 明快闊達  187 無理無体  188 老蚌生珠  189 約法三章  190 無念千万  191 幽暗愁恨  192 野戦攻城  193 李広成蹊  194 無病呻吟  195 葉落知秋  196 利害得失  197 矛盾撞着  198 名存実亡  199 有害無益  200 輿馬風馳  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
201 磊落闊達 202 容貌魁偉  203 励声叱咤  204 鸞翔鳳集  205 流星光底  206 弄瓦之喜  207 老蚌出珠  208 狼子獣心  209 量体裁衣  210 藍田生玉  211 面壁九年  212 憐香惜玉  213 猛獣呑狐  214 六信五行  215 和魂洋才  216 剜肉医瘡  217 門前雀羅  218 明来暗往  219 明明赫赫  220 臨淵羨魚  |
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221 流血漂杵 222 無知無学  223 羅織虚構  224 竜蛇之歳  225 窈窕淑女  226 陵雲意気  227 目食耳視  228 流血浮尸  229 有余涅槃  230 問鼎軽重  231 流血浮丘  232 亮遺巾幗  233 蓼莪之詩  234 無根無蔕  235 戮力斉心  236 山雀利根  237 門前成市  238 磨斧作針  239 漫言放語  240 勇往猛進  |
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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.