Do What You Say 有言実行
yūgen jikkō4 characters27 strokes
有言実行 (yūgen jikkō) means saying out loud what you will do and then making sure you do it, just as you said.
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Meaning 意味
What 有言実行 means
A Japanese four-character idiom, yojijukugo, read yūgen jikkō.
LiterallySaying it, carrying it out.
有言実行 means following through on what you have said you will do. You state your goal out loud and then act exactly as you said.
Unlike 不言実行 (fugen jikkō), which means acting quietly without announcing it, this phrase asks you to declare your goal first.
“This year I told everyone I would practice every day, and I am determined to make it yūgen jikkō.”
When people write it in Japan. It fits a New Year resolution you want to announce, or any piece about seeing a decision through to the end.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 3rd grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 有言実行
Regular script (kaisho)
- The 1st stroke of 有 is the sweep down to the left, and the horizontal comes after it, the same stroke order as 右. Make that sweep long and free.
- Of the three horizontals at the top of 言, make the highest one the longest. Keep the lower two shorter and space all three evenly.
- In 実, write the roof radical on top (ukanmuri) wide. Extend the final sweep to the right long so it gives the bottom of the character a solid base.
Semi-cursive script (gyōsho)
- In 有, write the 月 at the bottom so its two inner horizontals seem to connect, following the flow of the brush.
- In 言, round the corners of the 口 at the bottom and let it flow from left to right. Do not crowd it against the horizontals above.
- In 行, move the brush from top to bottom on the left side so the strokes feel linked together.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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