Four-Character Idioms: Wisdom Encapsulated in Japanese Language
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 Aesthetics of Kanji: Beauty in Japanese Characters
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
481 名声赫赫 482 妄画蛇足  483 末路窮途  484 夜行被繍  485 命世之才  486 明哲保身  487 有用之用  488 門衰祚薄  489 孟浪咄嗟  490 迷悟一体  491 冷酷無情  492 予譲呑炭  493 有言実行  494 有邁卓犖  495 籠鳥望雲  496 論旨不明  497 流風余韻  498 物臭道心  499 三日法度  500 楊朱泣岐  |
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501 庸夫愚婦 502 驢鳴犬吠  503 夢想無念  504 無間奈落  505 有名亡実  506 雍也論語  507 柳緑花紅  508 有終之美  509 優游涵泳  510 瑶林瓊樹  511 無学無能  512 無影無踪  513 悠揚不迫  514 名山勝水  515 冷酷無残  516 羅掘倶窮  517 愉快活発  518 脈絡通貫  519 無私無偏  520 和顔愛語  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
521 老調重弾 522 離郷背井  523 妙計奇策  524 流兮滂沱  525 油腔滑調  526 老若貴賎  527 免許皆伝  528 勇気勃勃  529 鷹視狼歩  530 雷轟電撃  531 密雲不雨  532 論旨明瞭  533 羅綺千箱  534 妄想之縄  535 濫竽充数  536 良師益友  537 目挑心招  538 良風美俗  539 唯一不二  540 陵谷変遷  |
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541 無量無辺 542 黝堊丹漆  543 無情酷薄  544 無理無法  545 雷霆万鈞  546 遊冶懶惰  547 幽明異境  548 雷同一律  549 孟光挙案  550 魯魚亥豕  551 未来永久  552 両虎相闘  553 戮力協心  554 万言倚馬  555 目迷五色  556 藜杖韋帯  557 文殊知恵  558 勇者不懼  559 六根清浄  560 無援孤立  |
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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.