Display · Yoshimichi Ohira
Zen Dots
Find the font. Find its kind.
CSSfont-family: 'Zen Dots', sans-serif; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 1.1;
Zen Dots is a free display font by Yoshimichi Ohira, on Google Fonts since 2021. Among the 554 display faces on FontKind, Zen Dots has an average x-height, is wider than 87% and, at its regular weight, is darker than 69%. Its thickest strokes are 1.3 times its thinnest: moderate stroke contrast.
01 / Light table
Laid on top of The Neue Black
Zen Dots on one light table with its two closest fonts, The Neue Black (93 out of 100) and Bruno Ace SC (87). The Neue Black is 14% heavier, with an x-height 17% taller and more stroke contrast; Bruno Ace SC is 31% lighter, with an x-height 7% taller and less stroke contrast.
Zen Dots and The Neue Black laid on top of each other.
Ink shared with Zen DotsThe Neue Black…
Most different letters first; the figure is the share of ink the fonts have in common. Where the fonts agree the letters cancel to black: every white sliver is a real difference.
02 / Letters
The Zen Dots alphabet
Capitals, lowercase, figures and signs · weight 400
Tap the letters you like, here and in other fonts, to find the fonts whose letters look most like them.
- &
- ?
- !
- @
- %
- (
- )
03 / Sizes
Zen Dots at every size
1 weight (400) · six sizes, in your words
- 12 px
- 16 px
- 24 px
- 36 px
- 48 px
- 72 px
04 / Facts
Who made Zen Dots, and can you use it?
- Designer
- Yoshimichi Ohira
- Kind
- Display
- Styles
- 1 weight (400)
- On Google Fonts since
- 2021
- Character sets
- latin, latin-ext
- Licence
- SIL Open Font License 1.1
Can I use it?
- Commercial use
- Yes.
- Logos
- Yes.
- Websites and apps
- Yes. Self-hosted or loaded from Google Fonts.
- PDFs and documents
- Yes.
- Changes
- Yes.
- Sharing the files
- Yes, but not for sale. With the licence.
Zen Dots is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. This is a plain summary, not legal advice: the licence itself decides.
Already in your apps?
- Google Docs
- Most likely. Under More fonts, in Sheets and Slides too. Google’s guide
- Word, PowerPoint
- No. Install it from Google Fonts first. Microsoft’s list
- Figma
- Yes. Built in, nothing to install. Figma’s help
- Canva
- Not verified. Search its font menu for Zen Dots, or upload it with Canva Pro. Canva’s help
- Cricut
- Once installed. Design Space lists Zen Dots under System. Fonts for Cricut →
From each app’s own font list or help pages, read on 28 September 2026.
05 / Measurements
Zen Dots, measured
Taken from the font file's own outlines, regular style
- x-height
- 51.4% of the emlowercase x
- Cap height
- 71.5% of the emcapitals
- x / cap
- 0.72lowercase against capitals
- Width
- 68.0% of the emaverage lowercase
- Ink
- 59%letter box filled
- Contrast
- 1.30 : 1moderate stroke contrast
Where it stands among display faces
Ranked against all 554 display faces on FontKind
x-heightNear the middle of display faces
WidthWider than 87% of display faces
InkDarker than 69% of display faces
ContrastNear the middle of display faces
06 / Similar fonts
Fonts similar to Zen Dots
Matched letter by letter · its own family apart
- The Neue Black93x-height 17% taller · 14% heavier · more stroke contrast
- Bruno Ace SC8731% lighter · x-height 7% taller · less stroke contrast
- Bruno Ace8628% lighter · x-height 7% taller · less stroke contrast
- Audiowide817% narrower · less stroke contrast · 8% lighter
- Alfphabet72x-height 38% taller · 17% wider · 25% lighter
- Stalinist One6948% wider · more stroke contrast · 9% heavier
All 100 fonts similar to Zen Dots →Compare side by side →Get Zen Dots on Google Fonts
07 / Swap
Swap Zen Dots without a jump
Running text within 3% of the width, x-height within 5%
Fallback while it loads
Until Zen Dots loads, this sets Arial in its place at 140.7% of its size, so running text keeps Zen Dots’s width and lines keep their height: nothing moves when it arrives.
@font-face {
font-family: 'Zen Dots Fallback';
src: local('Arial');
size-adjust: 140.68%;
ascent-override: 66.11%;
descent-override: 19.19%;
line-gap-override: 0.00%;
}
font-family: 'Zen Dots', 'Zen Dots Fallback', sans-serif;08 / Questions
Questions about Zen Dots
Answered from its licence, Google Fonts and each app’s own font list
Is Zen Dots free for commercial use?
Yes. Zen Dots is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 , which allows commercial use at any scale, logos, websites, apps and PDFs included.
How do I download and install Zen Dots?
FontKind doesn’t host Zen Dots’s files: it comes free from Google Fonts . On its page there, choose Get font, then Download all, and unzip the file. It holds a single font file. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open, Word included.
Is Zen Dots in Microsoft Word?
Not until you install it: Zen Dots isn’t one of Microsoft 365’s cloud fonts. Installed, it is in Word’s font menu and PowerPoint’s. For someone who hasn’t installed it, turn on Embed fonts in the file in Word’s save options: its licence allows that.
Is Zen Dots in Google Docs?
Most likely. Search for Zen Dots under More fonts in the font menu of Docs; added there, it is in Sheets and Slides too.
Is Zen Dots in Figma?
Yes: Zen Dots is in Figma’s font menu, in the browser and the desktop app, with nothing to install.
How many weights does Zen Dots have?
Zen Dots comes in one weight, Regular (400). Ask for bold and most apps thicken the letters themselves: a faux bold, not a drawn one.
Who designed Zen Dots?
Zen Dots was designed by Yoshimichi Ohira. It has been on Google Fonts since March 2021. Yoshimichi Ohira also made Zen Kaku Gothic New, Zen Maru Gothic, Zen Old Mincho and four more on FontKind.
What fonts are similar to Zen Dots?
The closest in our letter-by-letter match are The Neue Black (93), Bruno Ace SC (87) and Bruno Ace (86), out of 100. Next to Zen Dots, The Neue Black is 14% heavier, with an x-height 17% taller and more stroke contrast. See all 100 fonts like Zen Dots.