余白(よはく)

余白(よはく) means blank/white space, either literally or figuratively.

Etymology

余(よ) (extra, surplus) + 白(はく) (white) - extra white space.

Common collocations

• 余白(よはく)を取(と)る - to leave margins
• 余白(よはく)を設定(せってい)する - to set margins
• 余白(よはく)に書(か)く - to write in the margin
• 余白(よはく)を活(い)かす - to make use of white space

Cultural note

Deliberate empty space is an important concept in Japanese aesthetics. In traditional arts like calligraphy, 日本画(にほんが), and garden design, the space left unfilled is valued as much as the filled areas. 余白(よはく) is the concrete term for that space on a page or canvas; the broader aesthetic principle of meaningful emptiness — in space, in time, in conversation — is called 間(ま) (a separate word from 間(あいだ) 'interval', though written with the same kanji).

Similar words

• 余白(よはく) vs. マージン: much the same meaning; マージン is the loanword, used mainly in page-layout software and printing
• 余白(よはく) vs. 空白(くうはく): 余白(よはく) is the intentional margin around content; 空白(くうはく) emphasizes emptiness itself and can be an unintended gap (a blank in a form, a gap in a career)