Web design is greatly influenced by font selection, as it strongly affects the overall impression of a website. In actual projects, however, it is especially important to choose fonts that display correctly on both Windows and Mac, and that also support Japanese characters.
In this article, we introduce best practices for Gothic (sans-serif) and Mincho (serif) fonts that are compatible with both Windows and Mac and support Japanese.

Contents
  1. Best Practices for Gothic Fonts
  2. Not Japanese-Supported: Best Practices for Gothic Web Fonts
  3. Best Practices for Mincho (Serif) Fonts
  4. Not Japanese-Supported: Best Practices for Serif Web Fonts
  5. Conclusion

Best Practices for Gothic Fonts

Noto Sans JP

A font from Google’s Noto font series. It supports multiple languages and can also be used as a web font. Its simple and highly readable design makes it suitable for almost any type of website.

Download: Noto Sans Japanese

Source Han Sans

A font jointly developed by Adobe and Google. It was designed with website usage in mind and is also available as a web font.

Download: GitHub – Source Han Sans

Ricty

A font that is easy to use for programming and coding. Ricty itself supports only alphanumeric characters, but Ricty Diminished includes Japanese support.

Download: Ricty Diminished GitHub

Not Japanese-Supported: Best Practices for Gothic Web Fonts

Below are some Gothic web fonts that do not support Japanese.

Roboto

A font developed by Google and known as the default font for Android. It features a modern design and is very popular as a web font.

Download: Google Fonts – Roboto

Open Sans

A Google web font designed with a strong focus on readability. It is widely used across many websites and has a proven track record.

Download: Google Fonts – Open Sans

Raleway

A web font with thin strokes and an elegant design. It matches well with sophisticated and refined website designs.

Download: Google Fonts – Raleway

Best Practices for Mincho (Serif) Fonts

Noto Serif JP

The Mincho (serif) counterpart of the Noto font series. Like its sans-serif version, it supports multiple languages and can be used as a web font.

Download: Noto Serif Japanese

Source Han Serif

Jointly developed by Adobe and Google. Based on traditional Mincho design, it is optimized to fit modern web design needs.

Download: GitHub – Source Han Serif

Kochi Mincho

An open-source Japanese Mincho font. Although there is no official website, it is known to be used in many open-source projects.

Not Japanese-Supported: Best Practices for Serif Web Fonts

Below are some serif web fonts that do not support Japanese.

Merriweather

A highly readable web font, especially designed for long-form text and articles.

Download: Google Fonts – Merriweather

Playfair Display

A web font that combines classical style with a modern feel. It is particularly suitable for headings and titles.

Download: Google Fonts – Playfair Display

PT Serif

An open-source web font with a well-balanced design, used on many websites.

Download: Google Fonts – PT Serif

Conclusion

Font selection is a fundamental element of design. Especially in modern web design, where display consistency across multiple operating systems and browsers is required, choosing reliable fonts is crucial.
Selecting Japanese-supported fonts is essential when creating websites or documents with a large amount of Japanese text. We hope this article serves as a useful reference for your design projects.

　
* Always check the license information and use fonts appropriately.
* Please use this information at your own discretion and responsibility.

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