Understanding the Nuances of Kanji Writing
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 Influence of Kanji on Japanese Calligraphy Styles
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1601 浅酌低唱 1602 失礼千万 1603 耳提面訓 1604 耳提面命 1605 紫電一閃 1606 指天画地 1607 紫電清霜 1608 至道無難 1609 舐犢之愛 1610 至難之業 1611 自然法爾 1612 自然法然 1613 士農工商 1614 事倍功半 1615 紙背之意 1616 事半功倍 1617 至微至妙 1618 慈眉善目 1619 慈悲忍辱 1620 紫緋紋綾 |
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 1621 四曼不離 1622 弱肉強食 1623 弱能制強 1624 寂滅為楽 1625 酌量減刑 1626 車蛍孫雪 1627 社交辞令 1628 終始一貫 1629 自由自在 1630 十日一水 1631 秋日荒涼 1632 充耳不聞 1633 羞渋疑阻 1634 獣聚鳥散 1635 囚首喪面 1636 縉神楷範 1637 薪尽火滅 1638 新進気鋭 1639 人心恟恟 1640 尽心竭力 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 1641 心神耗弱 1642 人心収攬 1643 人心大快 1644 真人大観 1645 人心向背 1646 人心沸騰 1647 薪水之労 1648 人生羈旅 1649 心正気和 1650 人生行路 1651 信誓旦旦 1652 人生朝露 1653 晨星落落 1654 人跡未踏 1655 信施無慚 1656 神仙思想 1657 尽善尽美 1658 深造自得 1659 深層心理 1660 迅速果敢 |
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 1661 迅速果断 1662 人中之竜 1663 尽忠報国 1664 神籌妙算 1665 慎重居士 1666 新陳代謝 1667 心定理得 1668 舌敝耳聾 1669 舌敝唇焦 1670 切問近思 1671 雪夜訪戴 1672 雪里送炭 1673 絶類離倫 1674 世道人心 1675 是非曲直 1676 是非善悪 1677 是非之心 1678 潜移暗化 1679 蝉噪蛙鳴 1680 前爪後距 |
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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.