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Japanese · Handwriting手書き

Kapakana

あ: あ · The hiragana a, the first kana

Kapakana is a free handwriting font for Japanese by Kousuke Nagai, on Google Fonts since 2020. It draws the kana but no kanji, and the English alphabet, in 2 weights, 300–400. Kana written to look like Latin cursive.

Get it on Google Fonts Every character

いろはにほへと ちりぬるを

The start of the Iroha, the poem that uses every kana once · Regular 400

01 / Characters

Hiragana and katakana

The characters Japanese readers learn first, set in Kapakana.

Hiragana ひらがな

Each with its sound

  1. あa
  2. いi
  3. うu
  4. えe
  5. おo
  6. かka
  7. きki
  8. くku
  9. けke
  10. こko
  11. さsa
  12. しshi
  13. すsu
  14. せse
  15. そso
  16. たta
  17. ちchi
  18. つtsu
  19. てte
  20. とto
  21. なna
  22. にni
  23. ぬnu
  24. ねne
  25. のno
  26. はha
  27. ひhi
  28. ふfu
  29. へhe
  30. ほho
  31. まma
  32. みmi
  33. むmu
  34. めme
  35. もmo
  36. やya
  37. ゆyu
  38. よyo
  39. らra
  40. りri
  41. るru
  42. れre
  43. ろro
  44. わwa
  45. をwo
  46. んn

Katakana カタカナ

Each with its sound

  1. アa
  2. イi
  3. ウu
  4. エe
  5. オo
  6. カka
  7. キki
  8. クku
  9. ケke
  10. コko
  11. サsa
  12. シshi
  13. スsu
  14. セse
  15. ソso
  16. タta
  17. チchi
  18. ツtsu
  19. テte
  20. トto
  21. ナna
  22. ニni
  23. ヌnu
  24. ネne
  25. ノno
  26. ハha
  27. ヒhi
  28. フfu
  29. ヘhe
  30. ホho
  31. マma
  32. ミmi
  33. ムmu
  34. メme
  35. モmo
  36. ヤya
  37. ユyu
  38. ヨyo
  39. ラra
  40. リri
  41. ルru
  42. レre
  43. ロro
  44. ワwa
  45. ヲwo
  46. ンn

02 / Text

As running text

The Iroha, the poem that uses every kana once.

いろはにほへと ちりぬるを わかよたれそ つねならむ うゐのおくやま けふこえて あさきゆめみし ゑひもせす

Set large

いろはにほへと ちりぬるを わかよたれそ つねならむ うゐのおくやま けふこえて あさきゆめみし ゑひもせす

At reading size · 16 px

03 / Weights

2 weights

300–400 · one variable file

  • Light · 300いろはにほへと ちりぬるを
  • Regular · 400いろはにほへと ちりぬるを

04 / Facts

What it covers

Kanji
None
Kana alone: a browser sets kanji in another font
Kana
181
Hiragana and katakana, with their voiced and small forms
Weights
2
300–400, in one variable file
Vertical text
No
No vertical forms: its marks stay where lines across put them
Font file
180 KB
Its variable file: Google serves it in slices
Licence
OFL 1.1
Free for commercial use

Designed by Kousuke Nagai. On Google Fonts since 2020, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.

Get it on Google Fonts Its licence file

LatinIt draws the English alphabet too, as in its name:KapakanaFonts with Latin like it →

05 / Handwriting

More handwriting Japanese fonts

Every Handwriting font for Japanese →

All 76 Japanese fonts →Japanese, Chinese and Korean fonts →

06 / Questions

Questions about Kapakana

Answered from its licence and its font file, and each app’s own font list

Is Kapakana free for commercial use?

Yes. Kapakana is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 , which allows commercial use at any scale: print, websites, apps, videos and logos, for clients and in products. What it forbids is selling the font file on its own.

How do I download and install Kapakana?

FontKind doesn’t host Kapakana’s files: it comes free from Google Fonts . On its page there, choose Get font, then Download all, and unzip the file: it holds one variable file for every weight, and a static folder with a file per weight: install one set or the other, not both. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open.

Does Kapakana have kanji?

No: Kapakana draws the kana alone, hiragana and katakana, and no kanji. A browser or app sets any kanji in another font, so it suits words written in kana: titles, logos and signs.

How do I use Kapakana on a website?

Through Google Fonts: its stylesheet cuts Kapakana into small files by character, and a browser downloads only those holding the characters a page shows, never the whole 180 KB variable file. To host it yourself, cut it down to the characters your pages use, a step called subsetting, and serve it as WOFF2: the SIL Open Font License allows that, and as Kapakana reserves no name, your copy may keep it.

Can Kapakana set vertical text?

Kapakana can, but without vertical forms: its file has no OpenType vert feature, so set vertically, its commas, full stops and small kana stay where horizontal text puts them. A browser turns its brackets itself. For vertical text, these fonts of its style have them: Klee One, Yusei Magic and Zen Kurenaido.

Can I use Kapakana in a game or an app?

Yes. The SIL Open Font License lets you build Kapakana into a game, an app or an e-book, sold or free, with no separate licence to buy, as many paid fonts require. Ship its licence with the font files, and don’t sell the font on its own.

Is Kapakana in Microsoft Word?

Not until you install it: Kapakana isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. On Windows, its weights beyond Regular and Bold show as fonts of their own, such as Kapakana Light. For someone who hasn’t installed it, turn on Embed fonts in the file in Word’s save options: its licence allows that.

Is Kapakana in Google Docs?

Most likely. Search for Kapakana under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.

Is Kapakana in Figma?

Yes: Kapakana is in Figma’s font menu with all two weights, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.

How many weights does Kapakana have?

Kapakana comes in two weights: Light (300) and Regular (400). Its file is variable: it takes any weight from 300 to 400.

Does Kapakana have English letters?

Yes: Kapakana draws all 52 letters of the English alphabet, so a line that mixes Japanese and English can stay in one font.

Who designed Kapakana?

Kapakana was designed by Kousuke Nagai. It has been on Google Fonts since December 2020.

What fonts are similar to Kapakana?

The most used Japanese handwriting fonts besides Kapakana are Klee One, Yusei Magic and Zen Kurenaido. See every Handwriting font for Japanese.