横 書(よこが)き

よこがき

noun

horizontal writing

See also: 縦書(たてが)き (vertical writing)

1. horizontal writing

Writing arranged in horizontal lines that run from left to right across the page. The standard writing direction for modern Japanese scientific, technical, and digital texts, as well as most web content.

この文書(ぶんしょ)は横書(よこが)きだ。

This document is written horizontally.

横書(よこが)きの場合(ばあい)、数字(すうじ)はアラビア数字(すうじ)を使(つか)う。

When writing horizontally, Arabic numerals are used.

教科書(きょうかしょ)は理系(りけい)が横書(よこが)き、文系(ぶんけい)が縦書(たてが)きのものが多(おお)い。

Textbooks for science subjects are often written horizontally, while those for humanities are often vertical.

Etymology

横(よこ) (horizontal, sideways) + 書(が)き (writing, from 書(か)く, to write). Literally "sideways writing."

Usage

Japanese can be written in two directions: 横書(よこが)き (horizontal, left to right) and 縦書(たてが)き (vertical, top to bottom, columns right to left). Horizontal writing is standard for scientific texts, emails, web pages, and business documents. Vertical writing is traditional and still used for novels, newspapers, and formal documents. Many Japanese people switch between the two depending on context.

Common collocations

横書(よこが)きにする: to write horizontally
横書(よこが)きの文章(ぶんしょう): horizontally written text
横書(よこが)き用(よう): for horizontal writing

Similar words

縦書(たてが)き: vertical writing (the traditional counterpart)

general

Added 2026.2.23 21:29 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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