Top to bottom, right to left: How written Japanese language forms influence print advertising in Japan

While those from the west are most likely accustomed to reading only from left to right, the Japanese writing system is far more flexible – allowing for a combination of writing styles in advertisements that simply are not possible with the Western alphabet.

The Japanese language system was introduced in the 4th century AD when the written Chinese language was introduced to Japan. Traditionally, Japanese was written in a style called tategaki (translated to top/column writing), with characters written from top to bottom, right to left. This style mirrors the traditional Chinese style of writing. The tategaki style often initially confuses many foreigners new to Japan: A novel in tategaki style will start from “the  back cover / the last page” of the book, and finish on the first. However modern Japanese also uses another format called Yokogaki (roughly translated to side writing), which instead is horizontal and reads from left to right – just like a book written in English. This style is often used in software and mobile phone messages, and arguably is the most common out of both writing formats.

Most interestingly though is that both styles are commonly accepted in Japan today. The Yomiuri Newspaper for example, which is Japan’s highest-circulation newspaper, writes in the yokogaki / left-to-right style. The competing Asahi Newspaper, however, continues to print in the traditional tategaki style. From an outsider-look at Japan’s advertising market though, it is critical to understand that the combination of both tategaki and yokogaki is also a perfectly acceptable way of writing. This creates a unique way for marketers to design messages in print media that is impossible with a Western writing format. Take a look at the advertisement below to see what I mean.

In the ad above for a popular comic book series at a prominent Tokyo train station, I’ve numbered 1, 2 and 3 to chronicle how the advertisement is read. The reader will start out at 1. on the right-hand side of the advertisement, reading from the top character in the row to the bottom character, and then from right to left. The reader’s eyes will then ‘jump’ over the to the left hand side of the image to 2., which again is written in a traditional tategaki style. The bottom of the message is completed at 3, below, but this time in a modern yokogaki style. Aside from giving the designer more ‘space’ with which to design their print media, the use of both styles allows for a convenient method of ‘breaking up’ the content in the advertisement.

Parts 1 and 2 of the ad appear to be a quote from the animation itself – these form the ‘bait’ to get people into the advertisement after the picture itself. The 3rd part of the text differs in nature to parts 1 and 2: Instead part three is the ‘hook’, which explains the title of the animation in question, and also more information on the publisher and availability. Interestingly, aside from tategaki and yokogaki, the advertisement also uses English – again perfectly acceptable to combine so long as the English is easy to understand for a wide audience.

The combination of these forms is something that may be completely unique to Japanese advertising, and the ways in which these forms are used creates some really creative types of advertisements. Take a look at the annual Yomiuri advertising awards page (Japanese only, but the pictures are universal) for inspiration. Keen to learn more? Check out the Advertising Museum in Tokyo for a look at the history of Japanese advertising if you get the chance!