Japanese Calligraphy Worksheets

You can experience Japanese calligraphy right now.
Just print out one of our calligrahy worksheets and you're ready to go!

Can you see yourself now – kimono-clad, your brush poised over the parchment as you prepare to make the first stroke of a calligraphy masterwork? Can you smell the bitter perfume of green tea as the breeze wafts in from the garden bearing the soothing sound of an ornamental stream?

Maybe it’s hard to imagine yourself in that scene. Well, you may not be a master of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) like our calligraphers, but there is no reason why you shouldn't have a go at calligraphy – even if you don’t know a word of Japanese!

Just print out the worksheet for one of the kanji characters by clicking an image below. Next get a medium-size brush (like Tsurutani sensei’s fude), some black poster paint or ink and you are ready to start. This is Japanese calligraphy by numbers: Write the strokes of the kanji characters in the order and direction shown by the arrows in single, flowing movements. Start by writing directly onto the calligraphy worksheet. Then, once you have had some practice with the kanji, try writing it onto a blank sheet of paper using the worksheet only for reference.