Translation guide
How to talk about the space between characters in Japanese, including typographic terms and everyday expressions.
文字間隔
character spacing (typography)
Referring to the spacing between characters in typography, design, or word processing.
Standard term for character spacing in typography and design.
このフォントは文字間隔が広い。
This font has wide character spacing.
Common abbreviation for 文字間隔, often used in design and DTP.
字間を調整してください。
Please adjust the character spacing.
Loanword for kerning, the adjustment of space between specific character pairs.
カーニングを手動で設定する。
Set the kerning manually.
Loanword for tracking, uniform spacing across a range of characters.
トラッキングを少し詰める。
Tighten the tracking a little.
Talking about the space between characters in handwriting or casual digital text.
General phrase for the spacing between characters, suitable for everyday use.
文字の間隔が狭すぎて読みにくい。
The character spacing is too narrow, making it hard to read.
Casual way to refer to the space between characters.
字の間をもう少し空けて。
Leave a bit more space between the characters.
Expressing the action of changing character spacing.
General pattern for adjusting spacing. Replace 間隔 with specific type if needed.
文字間隔を調整する。
Adjust the character spacing.
To tighten or reduce spacing.
字間を詰める。
Reduce the character spacing.
To widen or increase spacing.
文字の間隔を空ける。
Increase the character spacing.
文字間隔 is the formal term for character spacing. 字間 is a common abbreviation in design contexts. カーニング specifically refers to kerning (pair-specific spacing), while トラッキング is uniform spacing across a range.
In casual conversation, use 文字の間隔 or 字の間. In software or design settings, 文字間隔 or 字間 are appropriate. Loanwords like カーニング and トラッキング are used by professionals.