The Beauty of Kanji: Aesthetic Principles in Japanese 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).
Four-Character Idioms: A Guide to Japanese Proverbs
| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
481 蛇蚹蜩翼 482 多情多恨  483 天荊地棘  484 吐剛茹柔  485 多事多忙  486 湛盧之剣  487 甜言美語  488 屠竜余技  489 東家之丘  490 断腸之悲  491 単文孤証  492 他力本願  493 屠羊之肆  494 兆載永劫  495 動静云為  496 断悪修善  497 長命富貴  498 天日之表  499 抽黄対白  500 昼耕夜誦  |
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501 道聴塗説 502 大驚失色  503 泰山北斗  504 桃三李四  505 天地四時  506 池魚故淵  507 呑波之魚  508 矗立千尺  509 猪突猛進  510 土牛木馬  511 滴水成凍  512 沈鬱悲壮  513 董狐書盾  514 頭会箕斂  515 忠孝両立  516 等量斉視  517 提耳面命  518 独鈷鎌首  519 鉄意石心  520 同文同種  |
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| Character Illustration | four-character idiomatic compounds |
521 天門登八 522 大弁若訥  523 陶犬瓦鶏  524 転生輪廻  525 東父西母  526 中原行鹿  527 銅牆鉄壁  528 天変地異  529 天網之漏  530 忠勇義烈  531 談論風生  532 同舟共済  533 怒髪衝冠  534 多恨多情  535 得兎忘蹄  536 長生不死  537 長夜之楽  538 忠信孝悌  539 独立独行  540 土階三等  |
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541 当意即妙 542 東倒西歪  543 知足守分  544 大信不約  545 大異小同  546 怒目切歯  547 冬夏青青  548 手前味噌  549 天下多事  550 陳蔡之厄  551 天上五衰  552 十日之菊  553 椽大之筆  554 多岐亡羊  555 朝生暮死  556 朝穿暮塞  557 対牛弾琴  558 樗櫟之材  559 典謨訓誥  560 他事争論  |
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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.