達筆(たっぴつ)

たっぴつ
noun, na-adjective
skilled handwriting; beautiful penmanship
culture
1. skilled handwriting; beautiful penmanship
Refers to handwriting that is skilfully and beautifully executed, or to a person who writes with such skill. Often used as a na-adjective (達筆な) to describe someone's writing or the person themselves.
祖父(そふ)は達筆(たっぴつ)だ。
My grandfather has beautiful handwriting.
達筆(たっぴつ)すぎて読(よ)めない。
The handwriting is so skilled that I can't read it.
年賀状(ねんがじょう)が達筆(たっぴつ)な字(じ)で書(か)かれていた。
The New Year's card was written in beautiful handwriting.
達筆(たっぴつ)な人(ひと)の手紙(てがみ)は、読(よ)むのに苦労(くろう)することがある。
Letters from people with skilled handwriting can sometimes be hard to read.

Positive term for handwriting that shows mastery of brush or pen technique. Paradoxically, 達筆 handwriting can be difficult to read because of its flowing, cursive style — a common humorous observation in Japanese. Used as both a noun and a na-adjective.

Common collocations

  • 達筆(たっぴつ)な字(じ): beautifully written characters
  • 達筆(たっぴつ)な人(ひと): person with beautiful handwriting
  • 達筆(たっぴつ)すぎて読(よ)めない: too skillfully written to read
  • 達筆(たっぴつ)で書(か)く: to write with skilled penmanship

Similar words

  • 悪筆(あくひつ): bad handwriting — the antonym; messy, hard-to-read writing
  • 美文字(びもじ): beautiful writing — newer, casual term for aesthetically pleasing handwriting
  • 能筆(のうひつ): skilled calligraphy — more formal synonym, emphasizing calligraphic skill

Related Words

Antonym: 悪筆(あくひつ) (bad handwriting)
Compare: 美文字(びもじ) (beautiful writing)
Related: 手書(てが)き (handwriting)
Compare: 癖字(くせじ) (idiosyncratic handwriting)
general
Added 2026.5.5 23:12 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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