Is there an "official" font or other writing standard that should be used when teaching kanji?


I'm working on an Android app that will help people learn Japanese kanji using
a flash-card style study system. As part of this app, I need to show kanji on
the screen both in plain-text form, and also possibly animations of the stroke
order.

The problem is that the default system font used in Android, Roboto, doesn't
look much like handwritten Japanese. It is very square, and lacks the "hooks"
and variations in thickness that I usually see in handwritten kanji. Not only
that, but there are some kanji in the font that are drawn in what I am told is
a Chinese variant of the writing, that might not reflect the way the kanji is
drawn in Japan.

So, I'd like to use a different font in my app to produce the flash cards and
animations. The question is: which one? There are a number of fonts on my PC
that I could potentially use (for example SimSun, Yu Mincho, or Kozuka), but
I'm not sure which of them, if any, would be best. I was wondering, **does the
Japanese government or education system provide any guidelines or official
standards that apply to what fonts should be used when teaching kanji?** If
so, do you know where I can find them? If not, is there a font you would
recommend as a good foundation for learning kanji?




The font you're looking for is 教科書体【きょうかしょたい】. It is based on how people
handwrite kanji.

Textbooks for elementary school students are printed with this font family.
After graduating from elementary schools, 明朝体 is primarily used.

The following article explains why 教科書体 is better than 明朝 or ゴシック family, for
learners.

<http://www.mitsumura-tosho.co.jp/kyokasyo/syogaku/kokugo/qanda/number/02.asp>




The font you're looking for is 教科書体【きょうかしょたい】. It is based on how people
handwrite kanji.

Textbooks for elementary school students are printed with this font family.
After graduating from elementary schools, 明朝体 is primarily used.

The following article explains why 教科書体 is better than 明朝 or ゴシック family, for
learners.

<http://www.mitsumura-tosho.co.jp/kyokasyo/syogaku/kokugo/qanda/number/02.asp>

