Sawarabi Gothic

sans-serif · Designed by mshio

Sawarabi Gothic: Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz

Available weights

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What do I do with this?

Just want to use the font? Click "Get this font on Google Fonts" to download it or add it directly to a document, design tool (like Canva or Photoshop), or your computer's font list.

Building a website? Click "Copy Font Code" to copy a short snippet, then paste it into your website's HTML (usually inside the <head> section) to use this font on your site.

Sawarabi Gothic is a clean, geometric sans-serif typeface designed primarily for Japanese text but equally functional in Latin character sets. It has a neutral, balanced appearance with consistent stroke widths and open letterforms that make it highly legible at both small and large sizes. The overall feel is modern and understated without being cold. It carries a quiet precision that feels organized and approachable rather than rigid or overly technical. Its simplicity makes it versatile across languages and contexts without demanding too much visual attention.

This typeface works well as a UI font for apps or websites that need to support Japanese and Latin text simultaneously, particularly in e-commerce, news, or productivity tools. It is also a solid choice for body text in multilingual editorial or documentation projects where readability across scripts is a priority. For branding purposes, it suits companies in tech, education, or consumer goods that want a straightforward, approachable identity without heavy stylistic personality getting in the way of the message.

Best suited for: Consider Sawarabi Gothic for multilingual digital interfaces, responsive web typography, and applications requiring simultaneous support for Japanese and Latin scripts with consistent legibility.

Design considerations: The single regular weight offers straightforward implementation but limited typographic hierarchy options without supplementary fonts. Its geometric construction and open letterforms maintain clarity across the supported scripts—Cyrillic, Japanese, Latin, Latin Extended, and Vietnamese—making it particularly effective for projects prioritizing cross-script consistency.

Pairing guidance: Pair Sawarabi Gothic with Noto Serif JP to introduce serif contrast for editorial layouts, Noto Sans to reinforce sans-serif consistency across weights and styles for flexible hierarchy, or M PLUS Rounded 1c to add warmth and personality while maintaining geometric compatibility and multilingual support.

Pairs well with

Noto Serif JP Noto Sans M PLUS Rounded 1c

Sawarabi Gothic at a glance

Designer

mshio

License

SIL Open Font License 1.1

Added to Google Fonts

May 2018

Last updated

August 2026

Styles

1 (1 weight)

Classification

Sans Serif

Character sets

5

Distributed via

Google Fonts

Sawarabi Gothic styles

Weight Name Upright
400 Regular Aa Bb Gg 123

Sawarabi Gothic character map

Uppercase

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Lowercase

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Numbers and punctuation

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ! ? & @ # % $ € £ ( ) [ ] { } . , : ; " ' - / * + =

Cyrillic (sample)

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ы Ь Э Ю Я а б в г д е ж з и й к л м н

Japanese (sample)

あ い う え お か き く け こ ア イ ウ エ オ カ キ ク ケ コ 日 本 語 文 字

Latin Extended (sample)

Ā Ă Ą Ć Č Ď Đ Ē Ę Ě Ğ Ī Į İ Ĺ Ľ Ł Ń Ň Ő Œ Ř Ś Ş Š Ť Ů Ű Ź Ż Ž

Vietnamese (sample)

Ạ Ả Ấ Ầ Ẩ Ẫ Ậ Ắ Ằ Ặ Ẹ Ẻ Ẽ Ế Ề Ệ Ỉ Ị Ọ Ỏ Ố Ồ Ộ Ơ Ớ Ờ Ụ Ủ Ư Ứ Ừ Ự Ỳ Ỵ

Which languages does Sawarabi Gothic support?

Sawarabi Gothic includes 5 character sets:

  • Cyrillic: Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Serbian and other Cyrillic-script languages
  • Japanese: Japanese kana and kanji
  • Latin: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and other Western European languages
  • Latin Extended: Central and Eastern European languages such as Polish, Czech, Turkish, Romanian and Hungarian
  • Vietnamese: Vietnamese, including its stacked tone marks

Can I use Sawarabi Gothic commercially?

Yes, it's free for personal and commercial use. Sawarabi Gothic is released under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. You can use it in logos, websites, apps, videos, printed products and merchandise without paying or asking permission. The one thing you can't do is sell the font file on its own.

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Sawarabi Gothic FAQ

Is Sawarabi Gothic free for commercial use?

Yes. Sawarabi Gothic is licensed under the SIL Open Font License 1.1, so you can use it in commercial projects, including logos, client work and products you sell.

Which weights does Sawarabi Gothic include?

Sawarabi Gothic comes in a single weight, Regular (400), with no italic style.

Does Sawarabi Gothic support Cyrillic?

Yes. Sawarabi Gothic includes Cyrillic characters, so it works for Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbian text. It also supports Japanese, Latin, Latin Extended and Vietnamese.

Who designed Sawarabi Gothic?

Sawarabi Gothic was designed by mshio. It was added to Google Fonts in May 2018.