Four-Character Idioms: Language as a Reflection of Society
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).
Four-Character Idioms: Capturing the Spirit of Japan
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 481 信口雌黄 482 心曠神怡 483 尋行数墨 484 心広体胖 485 人口稠密 486 塵羮土飯 487 塵垢粃糠 488 人口密集 489 尋言逐語 490 晨昏定省 491 人才済済 492 人材輩出 493 神算鬼謀 494 随波漂流 495 彗氾画塗 496 随風倒舵 497 垂名竹帛 498 吹毛求疵 499 吹毛之求 500 水落石出 |
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 501 随類応同 502 垂簾聴政 503 嵩雲秦樹 504 趨炎附勢 505 趨炎奉勢 506 数往知来 507 数黄道黒 508 数黒論黄 509 鄒魯之学 510 崇論閎議 511 頭寒足熱 512 杜撰脱漏 513 須磨源氏 514 寸陰尺璧 515 寸指測淵 516 寸草春暉 517 寸草之心 518 寸鉄殺人 519 寸田尺宅 520 寸土尺地 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 521 碩学鴻儒 522 碩学大儒 523 碩学名家 524 惜玉憐香 525 積金累玉 526 跖狗吠尭 527 赤口毒舌 528 赤口白舌 529 積厚流光 530 夕鼓晨鐘 531 尺呉寸楚 532 尺山寸水 533 隻紙断絹 534 積日累久 535 尺二秀才 536 碩師名人 537 寂若無人 538 赤手起家 539 赤手空拳 540 赤縄繋足 |
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 541 積少成多 542 石心鉄腸 543 赤心奉国 544 積水成淵 545 尺寸之地 546 尺寸之柄 547 積善余慶 548 尺沢之鯢 549 浅酌微吟 550 前車之鑑 551 千射万箭 552 先従隗始 553 千秋万古 554 千秋万世 555 全受全帰 556 千種万別 557 千種万様 558 洗手奉職 559 千乗之国 560 千乗万騎 |
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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.