手書き
tekaki[te̞ka̠kʲi]
The English phrase 'handwriting' is translated into Japanese as 手書き (tekaki).
手書き refers to the characteristic way a particular person writes.
Meaning: characteristic writing of a particular person (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to use 'handwriting' as an adjective to describe a noun, such as a 'handwritten letter', you add the particle の to form 手書きの.
How do you pronounce it?
tekaki
Did you know?
- Because Japanese uses three different writing systems, a person's 手書き style can vary drastically depending on whether they are writing kanji characters or hiragana.
- In Japanese culture, 手書き letters are often viewed as conveying kokoro, or 'heart', which suggests that the effort of handwriting imparts sincerity and emotion that typed text lacks.
- The term 手書き is frequently used today to describe 'hand-drawn' illustrations or manga sketches, not just written words.
Examples in context
- あなたの手書きは上手です。You have really good handwriting.This sentence is useful for complimenting someone's 手書き.Tatoeba #4002008 by oliviya, translation #4051753 by CK
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are looking at an old letter.
- 結衣 Yuiこの手書きの手紙、誰が書いたの？Kono tegaki no tegami, dare ga kaita no?Who wrote this handwritten letter?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕のおじいちゃんが書いたんだよ。Boku no ojiichan ga kaita nda yo.My grandfather wrote it.
- 結衣 Yuiとてもきれいな手書きだね。Totemo kireina tegaki da ne.It is very beautiful handwriting.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう。結衣にも見せたかったんだ。Arigatō. Yui ni mo misetakatta nda.Thanks. I wanted to show it to you, Yui.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 手書き, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
