1.
character shape; letterform; glyph; form of a written character
The visual form or shape of a written character, whether kanji, kana, or alphabetic letters. Used when discussing handwriting, typography, calligraphy, or the structural components of characters.
この漢字は字形が似ている。
These kanji have similar character shapes.
正しい字形で書くように心がけましょう。
Let's try to write with correct character forms.
旧字体と新字体では字形が大きく異なるものがある。
There are characters whose forms differ significantly between the old and new character standards.
Compound of 字 ('character; letter') and 形 ('shape; form'). A term used across calligraphy, typography, education, and kanji studies to discuss the visual appearance of written characters.
USAGE:
- In education, used when teaching students to write characters correctly: proper stroke order produces the right 字形
- In typography, refers to the design of character shapes in fonts
- In kanji studies, discusses differences between 旧字体 (old forms) and 新字体 (simplified forms)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 字形が似ている: to have a similar character shape
- 字形が異なる: to differ in character form
- 正しい字形: correct character form
- 字形の変遷: evolution of character forms
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 書体: typeface; font; script style — refers to a consistent design style (e.g., 楷書, 行書) rather than the shape of individual characters
- 筆跡: handwriting; penmanship — the characteristic style of a person's writing
- 字体: character form; variant form — focuses on different standard versions of the same character (old vs. new)