Genkō yōshi facts for kids

A 400-square genkō yōshi sheet. It shows how to place titles, names, and sentences. Each square holds one Japanese character or punctuation mark.

Genkō yōshi (原稿用紙) is a special type of paper from Japan. It is used for writing. This paper has many squares printed on it. Each sheet usually has 200 or 400 squares. Each square is made to hold one Japanese character or a punctuation mark.

You can use genkō yōshi with any writing tool. This includes a pencil, a pen, or even an ink brush.

This paper is designed for writing vertically, which means from top to bottom. When you write on genkō yōshi, there isn't a set order for the lines. Instead, you use a system of spaces that you can arrange freely.

One page of Japanese writing with 400 characters is usually about 225 to 250 words in English. So, a long essay of about 10,000 English words would fill about 40 to 45 sheets of genkō yōshi.

Why Was Genkō Yōshi Created?

Genkō yōshi became widely used during the Meiji period in Japan. This was a time of big changes, from 1868 to 1912. Newspapers and magazines were becoming popular. They needed a way to easily count how many characters were in their articles. Genkō yōshi made this counting much simpler.

• Amherst College, Genkoyoshi

Images for kids

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  A popular design of genkō yōshi.

See also

In Spanish: Genkō yōshi para niños