A Downward Trend: Vertical Writing Usage Waning in Japan
Japan’s traditional system of reading and writing text vertically is on the decline.
Traditionally, Japanese writing is oriented vertically, as seen in printed books and newspapers. Known as tategaki, lines of text progress from top to bottom and are read from right to left. However, the rise of digital media has led to a greater prevalence of horizontal text, making vertical writing less familiar to younger generations.
According to a 2026 cultural affairs survey, 67.3% of respondents reported encountering tategaki "often" or "sometimes," while 31.7% said they do so "not often" or "never." Younger age groups are less likely to read vertical text, with 79.5% of those aged 16 to 19 and 54.8% of those in their twenties responding "often" or "sometimes," compared to higher percentages among older groups.
This age-related trend seems less influenced by personal preference and more related to exposure in academic settings. Interest in the Japanese language or handwriting correlates with greater exposure to vertical text, while a lack of interest or lack of handwriting ability results in a lower rate of exposure. When asked about how they encounter tategaki, the most common answer was "printed books and dictionaries," at 69.6%, followed by "printed newspapers" (58.7%) and "printed magazines" (45.5%).
The percentage of people reading printed newspapers and magazines declines significantly with age, suggesting that the culture of vertical writing may continue to diminish as digital media becomes the norm. The Japanese language opinion surveys have been ongoing since 1995, with the latest conducted in fiscal 2025. A total of 6,000 individuals aged 16 and over were surveyed, with 3,777 responses received.
Written by urgent.news from Nippon.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
