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深呼吸 (Deep Breath) in semi-cursive script (gyōsho), Japanese calligraphy model sheet

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Deep Breath

shinkokyū3 characters25 strokes

深呼吸 (shinkokyū) means a deep breath: breathing in and out slowly and deeply, something people also do to calm the mind.

Free practice sheet

Semi-cursive · PDF, 2 pages (model + tracing) · 170 KB

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Meaning

What means

The Japanese word for Deep Breath, written with 3 kanji and read shinkokyū.

Shinkokyū is breathing in and out slowly and deeply. People also take one when they want to settle their nerves. The three characters mean deep, breathe out and breathe in.

When people write it in Japan. Shinkokyū suits pieces you want to write calmly, at an unhurried pace. In Japan it is also used as a practice word for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year.

deep11 strokes · Taught in 3rd grade in Japan
breathe out; call8 strokes · Taught in 6th grade in Japan
breathe in; suck6 strokes · Taught in 6th grade in Japan

Japanese children know every kanji here by 6th grade.

How to write it

Brush tips for

Semi-cursive script (gyōsho)

  1. In 深, write the water radical on the left (sanzui), the three dots, so that each dot flows into the next stroke.
  2. In 呼 and 吸, keep the mouth radical on the left (kuchihen) small, and write the right side larger.
  3. Line up the centers of all three characters. Keep the brush moving and write from top to bottom with a steady rhythm.

Stroke order

Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame. Shown in regular script. Semi-cursive follows the same order, with strokes joined.

Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.

How to practice

Trace first, then copy

  1. PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
  2. TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
  3. CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.

Free for personal practice and classroom use. Please do not sell or re-post the files. Share a link to this page instead.

Ready to write ?Model + tracing sheet · US Letter or A4 · free
Cover of Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners by Sanayuki Morita

While the sets are on their way

The book is out now.

Japanese Calligraphy for Beginners takes you from holding the brush to writing whole words, step by step, in English. Every model inside was brushed by our teachers.

Starter Set, $72.99 with the book, brush, ink and paper: coming soon.

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