An introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Language

1.3. KANJI 27

ferent variants of of this form, of which the Minchou,
, and gothic,
, variants are the most common. The Minchou variant is charac-
terised by fine lines and serifs (the font that was used for the Japanese in
this book is a Minchou variant of the kaisho style, for instance), while the
gothic variant is characterised by thick, clear lining without any serifs. This
variant is often used for signs and pamphlets. To show the difference, two
images using minchou and gothic typefaces. These examples use the
poem as text, which is the Japanese equivalent of the alphabet song,
containing each basic syllable only once (although some are voiced):

The poem, in style

The poem, in style

In addition to the kaisho style, there are the two ”cursive” styles

called gyousho,

, and sousho,

, which are ”simplified” forms of