Manuscript Paper Editor
An online editor that reproduces the standard 400-character Japanese manuscript paper (Genkou Youshi, 20 columns × 20 rows) in your browser. Simply type or paste your text to automatically convert it into vertical (tategumi) layout. Supports kinsoku line-break rules and automatic paragraph indentation. Print directly or save as PDF.
How to Use
- STEP 1
- Type or paste your text into the text area.
- STEP 2
- Select your preferred grid color.
- STEP 3
- Click 'Print / Save PDF' to output your beautifully formatted vertical manuscript.
Notes
- Basic kinsoku rules are applied: punctuation marks like '。' and '、' are pushed into the last cell of the previous line rather than starting a new line.
- Half-width English letters and numbers are placed vertically, one character per cell. Long English text or equations are not well-suited for this format.
- Your text is processed entirely in the browser and is never saved to a server. Data will be lost when you close the page — save your text elsewhere beforehand.
Tips
Genkou Youshi (原稿用紙) is a Japanese grid paper with 20 rows and 20 columns — 400 cells per sheet. Widely used for school essays, literary submissions, and publishing manuscripts, it gave rise to the unit '○枚' (sheets) as a measure of writing length.
Kinsoku Shori (禁則処理) is the Japanese typographic rule that prevents certain characters (like '。', '、', closing brackets) from appearing at the start of a line. This tool uses 'oikomi' (追い込み) — pushing them into the last cell of the previous line.
In standard Japanese writing, the first line of each paragraph is indented by one full-width space. This tool applies automatic indentation at the start of the text and after blank lines. Manually adding a full-width space will result in double indentation.
One sheet = 400 characters, so '10 sheets' equals about 4,000 characters. A typical short story is 20–100 sheets (8,000–40,000 chars), while a novel is 200+ sheets. The character counter at the bottom of the tool shows your current sheet count.
For best print results, set your browser to 'A4 Landscape', 'Margins: None (or Minimum)', and enable 'Print Background Graphics'. Choosing 'Save as PDF' lets you share or archive the formatted manuscript electronically.
In vertical writing, half-width letters and digits are placed one per cell, rotated upright. For example, '2024' occupies four separate cells. Using kanji numerals like '二〇二四年' gives a more natural vertical appearance.
FAQ
Q1
The layout breaks or text gets cut off when printing
Use a desktop browser (Chrome or Safari) and set the paper size to A4 Landscape, margins to Minimum or None, and enable Background Graphics. Printing from a mobile browser often causes layout issues — printing from a PC is strongly recommended.
Q2
Can I use half-width English characters?
Yes, but each character occupies one cell and is displayed vertically. 'Hello' will appear as five individual cells: H, e, l, l, o. For documents with significant English content, a dedicated word processor may be more suitable.
Q3
Is my text saved anywhere?
No. The tool runs entirely in the browser and does not transmit or store data on any server. Your text will be lost when you close or refresh the page. We recommend keeping a copy in a text file or note-taking app.
Q4
Is there a character limit?
There is no hard limit. However, very long texts increase the page count and may slow down the browser. The tool handles short-story-length texts (~40,000 characters / ~100 sheets) comfortably.
Q5
Can I add ruby (furigana) or emphasis dots?
The current version does not support ruby annotations or emphasis dots (傍点). For documents requiring these features, please use a dedicated word processor such as Microsoft Word or Ichitaro.