Understanding Japanese Expressions: The Power of Idioms
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: A Cultural Heritage of Japan
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 561 千状万態 562 千条万緒 563 禅譲放伐 564 僭賞濫刑 565 千緒万縷 566 専心一意 567 洗心革面 568 専心専意 569 全心全意 570 全心全力 571 全身全霊 572 浅斟低唱 573 千仞之谿 574 千仞之山 575 千辛万苦 576 先人未踏 577 先制攻撃 578 先声後実 579 全生全帰 580 先聖先師 |
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 581 泉石膏肓 582 瞻前顧後 583 全戦全勝 584 戦戦慄慄 585 相利共生 586 総量規制 587 巣林一枝 588 草廬三顧 589 楚越同舟 590 鼠牙雀角 591 素気清泚 592 惻隠之心 593 束錦加璧 594 息災延命 595 息災無事 596 粟散辺州 597 粟散辺地 598 粟散辺土 599 即時一杯 600 束手束脚 |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
 601 束手無策 602 足食豊衣 603 即身成仏 604 即身是仏 605 即身菩薩 606 束皙竹簡 607 速戦即決 608 即断即決 609 続短断長 610 俗談平話 611 続貂之譏 612 即天去私 613 束帛加璧 614 束馬懸車 615 束髪封帛 616 属毛離裏 617 粟粒一炊 618 息慮凝心 619 生老病死 620 上漏旁風 |
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 621 蕉鹿之夢 622 除旧更新 623 杵臼之交 624 諸行無常 625 食牛之気 626 食玉炊桂 627 稷狐社鼠 628 蜀日越雪 629 食前方丈 630 食肉寝皮 631 食肉之禄 632 職人気質 633 食馬解囲 634 嗇夫口弁 635 嗇夫利口 636 初志貫徹 637 諸子百家 638 茹柔吐剛 639 所所在在 640 処女脱兎 |
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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.