Shūji Techniques: Creating Dynamic and Expressive Characters
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: The Art of Brush Writing in Japan
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1281 千里同風 1282 千里之足 1283 千里之駕 1284 千里之志 1285 千里之外 1286 千里比隣 1287 千里命駕 1288 全力投球 1289 善隣外交 1290 善隣友好 1291 舎虎逢狼 1292 捨根灌枝 1293 捨根注枝 1294 車載斗量 1295 奢侈文弱 1296 射将先馬 1297 社稷之臣 1298 社稷之守 1299 射人先馬 1300 車水馬竜 |
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 1301 舎生取義 1302 邪説異端 1303 社鼠城狐 1304 舎短取長 1305 邪智奸佞 1306 雀角鼠牙 1307 借花献仏 1308 寂光浄土 1309 車轍馬跡 1310 遮二無二 1311 射法八節 1312 舎本事末 1313 左眄右顧 1314 詐謀偽計 1315 佐命之勲 1316 佐命之功 1317 佐命之臣 1318 佐命立功 1319 左右傾側 1320 左右他言 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1321 座右之銘 1322 作礼而去 1323 娑羅双樹 1324 桟雲峡雨 1325 三界皆苦 1326 三槐九棘 1327 三界苦輪 1328 三界火宅 1329 山海珍味 1330 山海辺土 1331 山海之盟 1332 三界無安 1333 三界流転 1334 至上一往 1335 師勝資強 1336 自縄自縛 1337 紙上談兵 1338 紙上空論 1339 事上磨錬 1340 梓匠輪輿 |
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 1341 事上錬磨 1342 姿色端麗 1343 耳食之学 1344 耳食之談 1345 四書五経 1346 爾汝之交 1347 事序繽紛 1348 死屍累累 1349 澌尽灰滅 1350 徙薪曲突 1351 詩人蛻骨 1352 彰往察来 1353 従横之言 1354 上下天光 1355 城下之盟 1356 傷化敗俗 1357 小家碧玉 1358 承顔候色 1359 承顔順旨 1360 商鑑不遠 |
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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.