The Aesthetic Appeal of Kanji: Crafting Characters with Style
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 the Brush: Techniques for Writing Kanji
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
241 膚受之愬 242 馬鹿慇懃  243 背邪向正  244 日進月歩  245 百古不磨  246 卞和之璧  247 悲傷憔悴  248 不老不死  249 風鬟雨鬢  250 肉山脯林  251 浮雲朝露  252 碧落一洗  253 入室升堂  254 百里之才  255 反哺之孝  256 朴魯疎狂  257 本家本元  258 墨痕淋漓  259 輭紅香塵  260 白面儒生  |
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261 百依百順 262 入幕之賓  263 百載無窮  264 喉元思案  265 半知半解  266 忙忙碌碌  267 抜茅連茹  268 廃忘怪顛  269 蚊雷殷殷  270 播糠眯目  271 馮異大樹  272 万里鵬程  273 南柯一夢  274 范冉生塵  275 弊絶風清  276 難行苦行  277 蓬莱弱水  278 弊帚千金  279 八面美人  280 本地垂迹  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
281 半信半疑 282 南無三宝  283 布衣之極  284 撥雲見日  285 風雲際会  286 漠漠濛濛  287 本覚大悟  288 放歌高吟  289 別出心裁  290 憑虚御風  291 平沙万里  292 不毛之地  293 被褐懐宝  294 汎濫停蓄  295 百歩穿楊  296 付会之説  297 肥馬軽裘  298 南山不落  299 八元八愷  300 靡衣婾食  |
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301 廃寝忘餐 302 抜山蓋世  303 万世不滅  304 百人百様  305 南行北走  306 浮石沈木  307 破瓜之年  308 班荊道故  309 風岸孤峭  310 武陵桃源  311 霹靂閃電  312 半面之旧  313 麦秀之歌  314 牝鶏晨鳴  315 嚢沙之計  316 方領矩歩  317 百端待挙  318 万世一系  319 豊年満作  320 翻雲覆雨  |
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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.