A Study on Appropriate Fonts for Hiragana Models:

Toward the Creation of Teaching Materials Using Hindi-based Associative Methods

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the most suitable font for Japanese language instructors when teaching hiragana. A comparative analysis was conducted on three fonts—traditional Kyokasyo font, UD Digital Kyokasyo Font, and JapaneseLearners’ (J-Learners’)—through survey sheets and semi-structured interviews with five experienced Japanese language teachers. The findings revealed that the traditional Kyokasyo font, with its emphasized pen strokes and "hane" elements, often led learners to replicate incorrect character forms. Conversely, the UD Digital Kyokasyo Font was deemed more appropriate due to its understated pen strokes. However, certain "hane" features were found to disrupt learners' balance in character writing, highlighting the need for further refinement.