Japanese Calligraphy: Tools, Techniques, and Tips
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 Aesthetic Principles of Japanese Calligraphy: Form and Function
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
881 閉門却掃 882 人人具足  883 野鶴閑雲  884 平明之理  885 八紘一宇  886 百福荘厳  887 伴食大臣  888 八大地獄  889 謨猷籌画  890 百戦百勝  891 複雑多様  892 逢掖之衣  893 薄志弱行  894 万物殷富  895 破顔一笑  896 万寿無彊  897 被髪纓冠  898 半推半就  899 伯夷之清  900 百売千買  |
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901 白黒分明 902 弊衣破袴  903 偏僻蔽固  904 篳路藍縷  905 眉間一尺  906 二姓之好  907 覆水難収  908 杯水輿薪  909 北門之嘆  910 汎愛博施  911 跋扈跳梁  912 如法暗夜  913 筆削褒貶  914 風言風説  915 不言之教  916 平安無事  917 非常之勲  918 必由之路  919 不羈独立  920 紛然雑然  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
921 南橘北枳 922 墨子悲糸  923 犯顔直諫  924 半面之識  925 年高徳邵  926 薄暮冥冥  927 無事平穏  928 彭祖之寿  929 噴薄激盪  930 米泉之精  931 放語漫言  932 舞文曲筆  933 覇王之輔  934 文人墨客  935 風前之灯  936 悖出悖入  937 腹中鱗甲  938 暮雲春樹  939 閉明塞聡  940 煩労汚辱  |
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941 紛擾雑駁 942 報仇雪辱  943 飯後之鐘  944 拍手喝采  945 皮裏陽秋  946 俳格沮誹  947 反躬自責  948 二者選一  949 南船北馬  950 釜中生魚  951 白首一節  952 望聞問切  953 暴言多罪  954 半面之雅  955 方鑿円枘  956 博愛主義  957 微言大義  958 糞土之牆  959 風檣陣場  960 不逞之輩  |
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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.