The Influence of Kanji on Japanese Calligraphy Styles
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).
Shūji Techniques: Creating Flowing and Elegant Characters
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 961 三三両両 962 三豕己亥 963 三豕金根 964 三思後行 965 三豕渉河 966 柔能克剛 967 柔能制剛 968 戎馬倥偬 969 十八史略 970 秋風蕭条 971 秋風寂莫 972 秋風落莫 973 秋風凛冽 974 醜婦之仇 975 聚蚊成雷 976 自由奔放 977 十万億土 978 周密精到 979 衆妙之門 980 襲名披露 |
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 981 衆目環視 982 十羊九牧 983 秋蘭被涯 984 秀麗皎潔 985 酒甕飯袋 986 酒甕飯嚢 987 酒家妓楼 988 主客顛倒 989 縮衣節食 990 夙興夜寝 991 夙興夜寐 992 生死不定 993 生死無常 994 生死妄念 995 正笏一揖 996 銷鑠縮栗 997 常寂光土 998 乗車之会 999 盛者必滅 1000 常住坐臥 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1001 常住不壊 1002 常住不断 1003 常住不滅 1004 漿酒霍肉 1005 畳牀架屋 1006 承上起下 1007 呫囁耳語 1008 牀上施牀 1009 清浄寂滅 1010 情状酌量 1011 生生世世 1012 霄壌之差 1013 掌上之珠 1014 瀟湘八景 1015 瀟条無人 1016 相如四壁 1017 情恕理遣 1018 生死流転 1019 情深一往 1020 山河襟帯 |
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 1021 産学協同 1022 山紫水明 1023 三日新婦 1024 三豕渡河 1025 三尺童子 1026 三世了達 1027 三千世界 1028 嶄然頭角 1029 斬草除根 1030 山薮蔵疾 1031 三草二木 1032 三蔵法師 1033 残息奄奄 1034 三足鼎立 1035 山村僻邑 1036 三諦止観 1037 三多三上 1038 三密瑜伽 1039 山明水秀 1040 三面六臂 |
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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.