The majority of Japanese people write letters and other documents with pencils, ballpoint pens, or felt-tip pens. Japan’s traditional culture still embraces the art of shodo (calligraphy), where Chinese kanji and Japanese kana are created using a brush dipped in ink. The beauty of calligraphy lies not only in how the brush is handled, the shading of the ink, and the balanced arrangement of the characters on the paper, but also in how precisely the characters are composed.
Yes, you can write hiragana vertically in some instances, but it is less common than horizontal writing. Originally, all Japanese words were written vertically. If you check out the majority of historical Japanese documents, you will notice that they were written vertically. Nevertheless, as western materials, Arabic numeric, alphabet, and mathematical formulas were introduced to ancient Japanese, vertical writing became stressful for people and, as such, they adopted horizontal writing. As a consequence of this, hiragana is now usually written horizontally.
Even though horizontal writing is commonplace today, we still have lots of Japanese scripts with vertical hiragana writing. In general, more traditional and formal hiragana scripts are commonly written vertically. It is usually meant for adding style to the writing.
Some common examples are found in pop culture printing such as Japanese novels and newspapers. A few popular Japanese newspapers prefer writing their headlines vertically and the body of the articles horizontally. This makes the headlines look different from the body of the articles.
Furthermore, most songs played on kugo (harp), shakuhachi (bamboo flute), and other traditional Japanese musical instruments have vertical musical notations. Also, vertical writing is used for addresses on most business cards and mailing envelopes in Japan.
What Pens Write Japanese Characters The Best
According to us, the Pentel GraphGear 1000 is the best choice in terms of practicality, budget, and performance. I have chosen it as our primary recommendation for our readers who are looking for a pen or pencil for writing Japanese.
- The Zebra Sarasa
- The Uni ball Signo
- The Pentel GraphGear 1000
- The Pentel Fude
There is a smear-proof gel pen that can produce vibrant colors without smudging? It’s true! You’ll find everything you need in this high-performance colored gel pen that features smooth ink flow, fast-drying qualities, a comfortable grip, a wide barrel, and a retractable design. Sarasa retractable gel pens offer fast-drying ink and smear-proof technology, making them the ideal tool for avid writers, lefties, and those who simply can’t wait to get their point across.
A retractable gel pen that delivers vivid, bold lines with Uni Super Ink, the Uni-ball Signo 207 does not skip lines. It is also waterproof, fade-resistant, and fraud-proof. It provides a comfortable, controlled, and sophisticated writing experience that’s easy on your hand, allowing you to write longer and better.
Only 2B to 2H are covered, so it’s a little limited. 0.5mm in this case (marked as “.5”). At least the indicator doesn’t have to show something incorrect if you’re using a different lead. Overall, this combination is very comfortable. Besides looking good, it also works very well.
The tip, which is retractable, is the final and most important feature. There is no wobble or wobble in the lead pipe. GraphGear 1000 is available in five different sizes, each with a different color. A simple aluminum tube makes up the barrel.
A lead grade indicator is located at the transition between the body and the grip. As you know from my previous reviews, I am always delighted when I receive mechanical pencils. A second press is required to extend the lead further. Each action involves a satisfying click. The clip is wonderful and it erases properly. The clip has a hinge and is spring loaded, which allows it to clip on pretty much anything you want. Running alongside the clip is precise and straightforward branding. You can conceal the lead with the retractable clip. Retracting the tip does not require retracting the lead itself. It means you can store the pencil safely in a pocket or a case and it will be available for use right away, then instantly put away once you are done with it.
The clip can be extended and retracted by pressing the end cap. The grip is made of aluminum knurled with protuberances like soft gel. It has a larger eraser than some others, but it is still quite small beneath the end cap.
The pens themselves are easy to use, but if you have heavy hands like I do, it can be a little challenging to get a thin upstroke. Sign Pen Touch has a very soft, flexible nib with a small, but durable size. The durability makes it a great tip for beginners. There is no color fall off, the saturation remains consistent throughout the strokes. However, these pens will require you to slow down and focus on the ups and downs.
The pens come in a variety of colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, light and dark blue, purple, pink, gray, gold, brown and black. Compared to the Tombow Fudenosuke brush tip pens, the colors are much more vibrant and the ink is much more saturated.
For 12 colors, the price is right on point, and the nibs are incredibly durable. Pencils like these are great for beginners and for those who are perhaps a little rougher on their pens, like me! It produces great artwork because the ink is very juicy and the colors are saturated.
