Japanese manuscript paper (genkō yōshi)
Blank 400-square sheets, or your Japanese text typed into them the way it is handwritten.
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Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
Example
Example: a short Japanese self-introduction set on genkō yōshi
A learner preparing a sakubun (作文) for Japanese class types three paragraphs: 私はアメリカのシカゴから日本に来ました。日本語を勉強して、二年になります。 / 「がんばってね。」と先生に言われました。 / 十二月にJLPTのN3を受けます。 Writing: Vertical, A4, red lines.
- Paragraph 1 starts one square down. Its 。 would begin the second column, so it hangs below the last square of the first instead, and 日本語… carries on at the top of column 2.
- Paragraph 2 opens with 「, so no square is left before it, and 。」 share one square.
- Paragraph 3 starts one square down again; J, L, P, T, N and 3 are made full-width, one to a square, standing upright in the column.
- Every paragraph starts a new column, and the columns are read from right to left across the landscape sheet.
| Column | Squares used | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20, and 。 below the last square | □私はアメリカのシカゴから日本に来ました |
| 2 | 17 | 日本語を勉強して、二年になります。 |
| 3 | 19 | 「がんばってね。」と先生に言われました。 |
| 4 | 18 | □十二月にＪＬＰＴのＮ３を受けます。 |
One page, manuscript-paper.pdf: four of the twenty columns filled the way the text would be handwritten, and the rest of the 400 squares left blank to carry on by hand. A longer text runs on to as many pages as it needs.
How it works
- Choose vertical or horizontal writing.
- Paste your text, or leave it empty for blank paper.
- Download and print.
Frequently asked questions
- Which rules are followed?
- A square is left at each paragraph’s start (not before an opening bracket); a 。 or 」 that would start a column goes below the last square instead; 。 and 」 share a square; numbers and letters take a square each.
- How are English letters and numbers written?
- Each is made full-width and takes a square of its own: JLPT fills four squares and N3 two. In vertical writing they stand upright in the column, one under another.
- Which way is the vertical sheet read?
- From the right: column 1 is at the right-hand edge and each column runs top to bottom, so the page is read right to left. The sheet is A4 landscape, with a narrow gap down the middle where it folds.
- Does a 400-character essay fit on one sheet?
- Only without paragraphs. The sheet has 400 squares, but each paragraph begins a new column with one square left empty, and the end of its last column stays empty too. Text that needs more than 400 squares carries on to a second sheet.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The free plan adds a small footer line on the last page.
- Is my text uploaded?
- No. It is set in your browser.