Kanji for Calligraphy: Essential Characters to Master
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).
Understanding Kanji: A Guide to Stroke Order and Structure
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1121 尊尚親愛 1122 孫楚漱石 1123 樽俎之間 1124 罪悪滔天 1125 西方浄土 1126 彩鳳随鴉 1127 西方世界 1128 才貌両全 1129 菜圃麦隴 1130 在留邦人 1131 豺狼当路 1132 左往右往 1133 鑿歯尺牘 1134 作史三長 1135 削株掘根 1136 索然寡味 1137 索然無味 1138 削足適履 1139 鑿竇止水 1140 時代錯誤 |
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 1141 至大至剛 1142 至大至重 1143 志大智小 1144 事大主義 1145 徙宅忘妻 1146 舌先三寸 1147 歯堕舌存 1148 四達八通 1149 七擒七縦 1150 七死七生 1151 七嘴八舌 1152 七種菜羮 1153 七縦七擒 1154 七縦八横 1155 七生報国 1156 四地相応 1157 七転八倒 1158 七堂伽藍 1159 七難九厄 1160 七難八苦 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1161 七歩成詩 1162 七歩之才 1163 七歩八叉 1164 死中求活 1165 死中求生 1166 史籀大篆 1167 砥柱中流 1168 市中閑居 1169 純情可憐 1170 循常習故 1171 純情無垢 1172 純真可憐 1173 純真無垢 1174 純粋無垢 1175 純精無雑 1176 瞬息万変 1177 峻抜雄健 1178 春風駘蕩 1179 春風得意 1180 順風満帆 |
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 1181 春風満面 1182 春風料峭 1183 春蕪秋野 1184 循名責実 1185 駿馬伏櫪 1186 遵養時晦 1187 春蘭秋菊 1188 順理成章 1189 春和景明 1190 諸悪莫作 1191 叙位叙勲 1192 上医医国 1193 情意投合 1194 冗員淘汰 1195 晶瑩玲瓏 1196 人事葛藤 1197 深識遠慮 1198 深識長慮 1199 慎始敬終 1200 心事高尚 |
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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.