English language proficiency is a tricky subject with Japanese people. There’s always an excuse about why they can’t understand it, from, “I’ll never use English,” and “It’s not interesting,” to the catch-all, “It’s too hard.” Well, it’s a good thing the Ministry of Education isn’t looking to adopt any new fonts for their textbooks as a little-known computer font developed back in 1998 is gaining some notoriety for being absolutely impossible to read by native Japanese. You might be able to read it, but can your Japanese friends?
font
- Internet, Japan
- (font • Japanese language • video)
10 +1 Japanese-Style Fonts For Typing English That Will Confuse Your Friends
-
Michelle Lynn Dinh
Dec 31, 2012
Can you read the sentence written above? You should be able to; it’s written in English.
When I first started learning Japanese, the Chinese characters and syllabic scripts that were scrawled across my textbooks looked like some kind of crazy code that only aliens could understand. After years of studying, many of the previously cryptic symbols have become familiar, readable letters. However, now even English can be turned into a jumble of alien ciphers thanks to these 10 +1 fonts inspired by Japanese characters.
MOST POPULAR
Now
- Super-detailed cherry blossom forecast maps for 2025 show warm winter doesn’t mean early sakura
- What happens when you leave a pair of jeans hanging in the Japanese mountains for seven months?
- These nine Kyoto restaurants are the newest to receive Michelin guide recommendations
- Tokyo governor wants to start study abroad grant system, includes monthly activity allowance
- Young Japanese adults show lowest dating experience level yet in annual survey
- The My Melody ♡ Kuromi Anniversary Party is in full kawaii swing at the Ikebukuro Parco store
- Japanese man grabbed by wild monkey, chased for hundreds of meters while jogging
- Japan’s wildest Seijinshiki Coming-of-Age ceremony celebrates new adults in Kitakyushu 【Photos】
- Our writer of Korean descent weighs in on using Korean names in Japan
- “I overdid it.” – Man in Japan fired after ditching work 633 times to go to the gym
Weekly
- Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
- Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
- “I overdid it.” – Man in Japan fired after ditching work 633 times to go to the gym
- Starbucks Japan reveals new Valentine’s Day goods for 2025
- Starbucks unveils new Valentine’s Day Frappuccino in Japan
- The etiquette rules for visiting Shinto shrines in Japan
- The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
- Overseas Uber driver and anime fan gets the Cowboy Bebop surprise of a lifetime【Video】
- Nintendo and Godiva team up for fancy fun chocolate line【Photos】
- Starbucks Japan saves the best for last in our fukubukuro lucky bag haul
Monthly
- Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
- The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
- Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
- Bear breaks into house in Japan, quickly begins spending winter exactly like Japanese people do
- Hayao Miyazaki says Happy New Year to Studio Ghibli fans with new art for Year of the Snake
- This downtown Tokyo cafe is like a time machine that takes you back 50 years into the past
- McDonald’s Japan has a fukubukuro lucky bag that everyone wants to get their hands on
- What’s in Starbucks Japan’s fukubukuro lucky bag for 2025?
- Japanese company develops classy heavy metal band frames for glasses
- Station of despair: What to do if you get stuck at the end of Tokyo’s Chuo Rapid Line
Yearly
- McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
- Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
- Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
- [Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
- Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
- Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
- Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
- Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
- Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
- Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
RECOMMENDED STORIES
- The My Melody ♡ Kuromi Anniversary Party is in full kawaii swing at the Ikebukuro Parco store
- Japanese man grabbed by wild monkey, chased for hundreds of meters while jogging
- Japan’s wildest Seijinshiki Coming-of-Age ceremony celebrates new adults in Kitakyushu 【Photos】
- Our writer of Korean descent weighs in on using Korean names in Japan
- “I overdid it.” – Man in Japan fired after ditching work 633 times to go to the gym
- Godiva’s Tokyo bakery is FINALLY easy to get into and shop at
- Japan bad train manners survey reminds us of three things to watch out for while riding the rails
- Gorgeous anime shorts reimagine One Piece’s Straw Hat Pirates as high school teens【Videos】
- There’s an Initial D-themed Fujiwara Tofu Cafe, but not in Japan【Taste test】
- Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki says the anime industry’s problem is that it’s full of anime fans
- Bootleg food, cars, and movie characters: The diverse world of Korean knock-offs of Japanese products
- Cutest rice balls ever? Adorable new onigiri shop opening in downtown Tokyo【Photos】
- Heidi’s back! Girl of the Alps stars in breathtaking short anime from Kiki reimagining team【Vid】
-
Categories
Archives