Translation guide
How to talk about the space between characters in Japanese, including typographic terms and everyday expressions.
character spacing (typography)
Referring to the spacing between characters in typography, design, or word processing.
Standard term for character spacing in typography and design.
This font has wide character spacing.
Common abbreviation for 文字間隔, often used in design and DTP.
Please adjust the character spacing.
Loanword for kerning, the adjustment of space between specific character pairs.
Set the kerning manually.
Loanword for tracking, uniform spacing across a range of characters.
Tighten the tracking a little.
Talking about the space between characters in handwriting or casual digital text.
Expressing the action of changing 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.