Japanese Calligraphy: Tools, Techniques, and Tips
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).
Kanji for Everyday Life: Practical Calligraphy Applications
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
321 大梵高台 322 趙州先鉢  323 大書特書  324 程孔傾蓋  325 読書尚友  326 土崩魚爛  327 東山再起  328 蛇足塩香  329 転倒是非  330 朝改暮変  331 投瓜得瓊  332 大樹美草  333 天懸壌隔  334 天壌之隔  335 轍乱旗靡  336 時世時節  337 弾丸雨注  338 当路之人  339 頂門金椎  340 大敗塗地  |
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341 天閫地垠 342 喋喋喃喃  343 忠肝義胆  344 大法小廉  345 独立独歩  346 単槍独馬  347 敵愾同仇  348 沈湎冒色  349 泰山圧卵  350 九十九折  351 大言壮語  352 天香国色  353 吐故納新  354 徹底大悟  355 同類相求  356 咄嗟叱咤  357 同衾共枕  358 追根尋底  359 中冓之言  360 童牛角馬  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
361 断金之利 362 大道不器  363 卓爾不群  364 多情多感  365 天井桟敷  366 蕩佚簡易  367 通儒碩学  368 懲悪勧善  369 天網恢恢  370 顛沛流離  371 大旱望雲  372 天涯地角  373 眺望絶佳  374 頭髪種種  375 天壌之別  376 道心堅固  377 短褐穿結  378 馳騁縦横  379 天門開闔  380 丹石之心  |
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381 著於竹帛 382 探驪獲珠  383 適楚北轅  384 丹書鉄契  385 董遇三余  386 枕戈待旦  387 杜黙詩撰  388 鉄肝石腸  389 丹心一寸  390 弩張剣抜  391 党人之禍  392 闘諍堅固  393 大時不斉  394 冬日之温  395 禰衡一覧  396 大海一滴  397 天人相応  398 稠人広衆  399 道貌凛然  400 長烟短焰  |
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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.