Exploring Japanese Idioms: Expressions That Enrich Communication
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 Beauty of Kanji: Aesthetic Principles in Japanese Characters
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 881 千巌万壑 882 千歓万喜 883 先義後利 884 遷喬之望 885 善巧方便 886 饌玉炊金 887 羨魚結網 888 前倨後恭 889 千金一刻 890 千金一笑 891 千金一擲 892 千鈞一髪 893 千金笑面 894 千金之子 895 千金之諾 896 千金之珠 897 千金弊帚 898 先苦後甜 899 千荊万棘 900 剡渓訪戴 |
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 901 芝蘭結契 902 芝蘭之化 903 芝蘭之室 904 芝蘭之契 905 芝蘭之交 906 而立之年 907 至理名言 908 事理明白 909 支離滅裂 910 持粱歯肥 911 思慮分別 912 自利利他 913 緇林杏壇 914 砥礪切磋 915 眥裂髪指 916 指鹿為馬 917 四六時中 918 尸禄素餐 919 四六駢儷 920 心安理得 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 921 神怡心静 922 人為選択 923 臣一主二 924 人為淘汰 925 人員整理 926 心悦誠服 927 心猿意馬 928 晨烟暮靄 929 心回意転 930 塵外孤標 931 人海作戦 932 人海戦術 933 神会黙契 934 尋花問柳 935 唇乾口燥 936 三寒四温 937 山簡倒載 938 三跪九叩 939 三跪九拝 940 参疑之勢 |
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 941 残虐非道 942 残虐無道 943 山窮水尽 944 三釁三浴 945 三薫三沐 946 三軍暴骨 947 三業供養 948 三綱五常 949 山光水色 950 山高水長 951 山肴野蔌 952 残羮冷炙 953 三国鼎立 954 三国伝来 955 残酷非道 956 三顧之礼 957 斬衰斉衰 958 剗削消磨 959 三々五々 960 残山剰水 |
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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.