Make an electronic hanko
Type a name and download a red seal with a transparent background, ready to place on documents.
Preview
Transparent PNG, 512 × 512 px, drawn on your device.
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 round seal in katakana for an English teacher at a Japanese school
Emily Brown teaches English at a school in Japan. The staff mark attendance sheets and internal forms with a small seal next to the name, and she needs one for PDFs. Settings: Round personal seal, Name ブラウン (Brown in katakana), Mincho, Red, 512 px.
- Four characters do not fit one column, so the round seal sets two columns read right to left: ブラ in the right column, ウン in the left, each character stretched tall the way seal lettering is.
- Typed in the Latin alphabet instead, the name is set in centred lines: “Brown” on one, “Emily Brown” on two, “Emily Rose Brown” on three.
- Download gives hanko-ブラウン-512.png with a transparent background; place it on the PDF over the name line, or use Stamp in Add text to PDF.
| Typed | Seal type | How it is set |
|---|---|---|
| スミス | Round | one column of 3: ス, ミ, ス top to bottom |
| ブラウン | Round | two columns: ブラ on the right, ウン on the left |
| Brown | Round | one centred line |
| Emily Brown | Round | two lines: Emily over Brown |
| ブラウン, top 英語科, date '26.11.04 | Date seal | 英語科 above, '26.11.04 between the bars, ブラウン below |
| Brown, date left blank | Date seal | today’s date in the US form, e.g. 11/4/2026 |
A 512 × 512 px red seal that sits over the document like ink. It is a visual mark for everyday paperwork, not a registered seal (jitsu-in) and not proof of who placed it.
How it works
- Choose the seal type: a round personal seal for a family name, a square seal for a company name, or a date seal for approvals.
- Type the name. Japanese text is set in columns: a round seal takes up to three characters in one column and more in two, and a square seal reads right to left. A name in the Latin alphabet is set as up to three centred lines instead.
- Pick the lettering and ink colour and check the preview. The checkered background shows where the image is transparent.
- Download the PNG and place it in your PDF, Word or Excel file, or use the Stamp button in Add text to PDF to put a seal straight onto a page.
Frequently asked questions
- Is an electronic hanko legally binding?
- An image of a seal is a visual mark, like a scanned signature. Many Japanese companies accept it on quotes, invoices and internal approvals, but it does not prove who applied it. Contracts that need proof use an electronic signature service, and it should never stand in for a registered seal (jitsu-in).
- Which font is used?
- The Mincho or Gothic font installed on your device: Yu Mincho on Windows, Hiragino on Mac and iPhone. The preview and the downloaded file come from the same drawing, so what you see is what you get.
- Why a transparent PNG?
- So the document shows through the seal like real ink. Placed over a name or a signature line, the red lettering sits on top without a white box around it.
- Which size should I download?
- 512 px is plenty for a seal on screen or in a PDF. Choose 1024 px if you will print it large.
- Can I make a hanko with my name in English letters?
- Yes. A name with no Japanese characters is set as up to three centred lines instead of columns: “Brown” on one, “Emily Brown” on two. Katakana (ブラウン) gives the column layout Japanese seals use. The round seal takes up to 8 characters of Japanese, the square seal 16.
- What date does a date seal show?
- What you type in the Date field, e.g. '26.11.04 in the Japanese style. Left blank, it shows today’s date in this page’s form, 11/4/2026 style.
- Is my name sent anywhere?
- No. The seal is drawn on a canvas in your browser; nothing you type leaves your device.
Related tools
✎ Add a hanko stamp to PDF Make a seal from a name or bring your own, place it on the page and download the stamped PDF. ✎ Add text to PDF Click, type, drag into place. Fill in a form and sign it without the document leaving your device. ◈ Watermark PDF Put a text stamp across every page so copies are clearly marked. 🔒 Protect PDF Encrypt a PDF with a password, or remove the password from one you own.