GenSeki Gothic JP is a free Gothic font for Japanese by ButTaiwan, on GitHub. It draws 21,720 kanji and the kana, and the English alphabet, in 5 weights, 300–900. 源石ゴシック, built on Source Han Sans, in Japanese character forms.
あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
01 / Characters
Hiragana, katakana and kanji
The characters Japanese readers learn first, set in GenSeki Gothic JP.
Hiragana ひらがな
Each with its sound
- あa
- いi
- うu
- えe
- おo
- かka
- きki
- くku
- けke
- こko
- さsa
- しshi
- すsu
- せse
- そso
- たta
- ちchi
- つtsu
- てte
- とto
- なna
- にni
- ぬnu
- ねne
- のno
- はha
- ひhi
- ふfu
- へhe
- ほho
- まma
- みmi
- むmu
- めme
- もmo
- やya
- ゆyu
- よyo
- らra
- りri
- るru
- れre
- ろro
- わwa
- をwo
- んn
Katakana カタカナ
Each with its sound
- アa
- イi
- ウu
- エe
- オo
- カka
- キki
- クku
- ケke
- コko
- サsa
- シshi
- スsu
- セse
- ソso
- タta
- チchi
- ツtsu
- テte
- トto
- ナna
- ニni
- ヌnu
- ネne
- ノno
- ハha
- ヒhi
- フfu
- ヘhe
- ホho
- マma
- ミmi
- ムmu
- メme
- モmo
- ヤya
- ユyu
- ヨyo
- ラra
- リri
- ルru
- レre
- ロro
- ワwa
- ヲwo
- ンn
Kanji 漢字
Each with its meaning
- 永eternity
- 日sun
- 月moon
- 火fire
- 水water
- 木tree
- 金gold
- 土earth
- 山mountain
- 川river
- 雨rain
- 花flower
- 空sky
- 海sea
- 風wind
- 森forest
- 夢dream
- 愛love
- 心heart
- 道way
- 書write
- 字letter
- 光light
- 春spring
- 夏summer
- 秋autumn
- 冬winter
- 東east
- 京capital
- 語language
02 / Text
As running text
The opening of Miyazawa Kenji’s The Polano Square.
あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風、夏でも底に冷たさをもつ青いそら、うつくしい森で飾られたモリーオ市、郊外のぎらぎらひかる草の波。
あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風、夏でも底に冷たさをもつ青いそら、うつくしい森で飾られたモリーオ市、郊外のぎらぎらひかる草の波。
あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風、夏でも底に冷たさをもつ青いそら、うつくしい森で飾られたモリーオ市、郊外のぎらぎらひかる草の波。
03 / Weights
5 weights
300–900
- Light · 300あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
- Regular · 400あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
- Medium · 500あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
- Bold · 700あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
- Black · 900あのイーハトーヴォのすきとおった風
04 / Facts
What it covers
- Kanji
- 21,720
- More than the 6,355 of JIS levels 1 and 2, the standard set
- Kana
- 189
- Hiragana and katakana, with their voiced and small forms
- Weights
- 5
- 300–900
- Vertical text
- Yes
- Vertical forms of its own, OpenType’s vert
- Font file
- 15.7 MB
- Its Regular, from its maker’s repository
- Licence
- OFL 1.1
- Free for commercial use
Designed by ButTaiwan and published on GitHub, under the SIL Open Font License 1.1.
LatinIt draws the English alphabet too, as in its name:GenSeki Gothic JP
06 / Questions
Questions about GenSeki Gothic JP
Answered from its licence and its font file
Is GenSeki Gothic JP free for commercial use?
Yes. GenSeki Gothic JP 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 GenSeki Gothic JP?
FontKind doesn’t host GenSeki Gothic JP’s files: it comes free from ButTaiwan’s repository on GitHub . On its repository there, choose Code, then Download ZIP, and unzip the file. On Windows or a Mac, double-click each font file and choose Install, then restart any app that was open.
Does GenSeki Gothic JP have kanji?
Yes: GenSeki Gothic JP draws 21,720 kanji, with the hiragana and katakana. That is more than the 6,355 of JIS levels 1 and 2, the standard set for Japanese text.
How do I use GenSeki Gothic JP on a website?
GenSeki Gothic JP’s font file is large for a web page: 15.7 MB for the Regular file alone. So 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, under a name of your own if the font reserves its name.
Can GenSeki Gothic JP set vertical text?
Yes: GenSeki Gothic JP’s file has vertical forms, the OpenType vert feature, so in a vertical line its commas, full stops and brackets, and its small kana, turn and move as they should. On a web page, CSS writing-mode: vertical-rl sets a block vertically; Word, InDesign and Illustrator have vertical text of their own.
Can I use GenSeki Gothic JP in a game or an app?
Yes. The SIL Open Font License lets you build GenSeki Gothic JP 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.
How many weights does GenSeki Gothic JP have?
GenSeki Gothic JP comes in five weights: Light (300), Regular (400), Medium (500), Bold (700) and Black (900).
Does GenSeki Gothic JP have English letters?
Yes: GenSeki Gothic JP draws all 52 letters of the English alphabet, so a line that mixes Japanese and English can stay in one font.
Who designed GenSeki Gothic JP?
GenSeki Gothic JP was designed by ButTaiwan.
What fonts are similar to GenSeki Gothic JP?
The most used Japanese Gothic fonts besides GenSeki Gothic JP are Noto Sans JP, Zen Kaku Gothic New and M PLUS 1p. See every Gothic font for Japanese.