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BIZ UDGothic
About BIZ UDGothic
- Source
- Google Fonts ↗
- Classification
- sans-serif
- Weights
- 400, 700
- Features
- Standard
Free to use, modify, and distribute. Can be used commercially without attribution.
What's allowed?
- ✓ Client work
- ✓ SaaS / Web apps
- ✓ YouTube / Video
- ✓ Sell products
- ✓ Print materials
Note: Derivative fonts must use the same license.
Full license guide →BIZ UDGothic is a Japanese Gothic (sans-serif) typeface designed by Type Bank, now part of Morisawa Inc. The "UD" stands for Universal Design — the font was developed with extensive legibility research to ensure characters are easy to distinguish and read across all contexts.
History and Design
BIZ UDGothic was originally developed by Type Bank for use in Japanese business documents and ICT applications. The design prioritizes clear differentiation between similar-looking characters — a common challenge in Japanese typography where kanji complexity can impair readability at small sizes. Morisawa released it under the SIL Open Font License, making professional-grade Japanese typography freely available.
Why BIZ UDGothic Stands Out
Most free Japanese fonts are either too decorative for business use or lack the refinement of professional offerings. BIZ UDGothic fills this gap: it provides clean, corporate-grade Japanese text with careful attention to the balance between kanji and kana characters. The kana are sized slightly smaller than kanji, creating natural visual rhythm in running text.
Technical Features
- Universal Design principles: Optimized for character legibility and reading comprehension
- Full Japanese coverage: 6,355 kanji plus complete hiragana, katakana, and punctuation
- Latin support: Includes Latin, Latin Extended, and Cyrillic character sets
- Two weights: Regular (400) and Bold (700)
- Monospaced Japanese: Fixed-width for Japanese characters (see BIZ UDPGothic for proportional variant)
Best Use Cases
BIZ UDGothic excels in:
- Corporate documents: Reports, presentations, and business correspondence in Japanese
- Accessibility-focused design: Universal Design principles ensure readability for all users
- UI localization: Clean Japanese text for software interfaces and web applications
- Educational materials: Clear character differentiation aids reading comprehension
Usage Tips
Use Regular (400) for body text and Bold (700) for headings and emphasis. For proportional-width Japanese text (more natural reading flow in paragraphs), consider the sibling font BIZ UDPGothic. Pair with Inter or Noto Sans for the Latin portions of multilingual layouts.
Is BIZ UDGothic on Google Fonts?
Yes, BIZ UDGothic is available for free on Google Fonts. Get BIZ UDGothic on Google Fonts ↗
Compare BIZ UDGothic
See how BIZ UDGothic compares to other fonts side by side.
How to Use BIZ UDGothic
Copy these code snippets to quickly add BIZ UDGothic to your project.
CSS code for BIZ UDGothic
@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=BIZ+UDGothic:wght@400;700&display=swap');HTML code for BIZ UDGothic
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=BIZ+UDGothic:wght@400;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">Tailwind code for BIZ UDGothic
// tailwind.config.js
module.exports = {
theme: {
extend: {
fontFamily: {
'biz-udgothic': ['"BIZ UDGothic"', 'sans-serif'],
},
},
},
}
// Usage in HTML:
// <p class="font-biz-udgothic">Your text here</p>Next.js code for BIZ UDGothic
// Using next/font (Next.js 13+)
import { BIZ_UDGothic } from 'next/font/google';
const biz_udgothic = BIZ_UDGothic({
subsets: ['latin'],
weight: ['400', '700'],
});
export default function Component() {
return (
<p className={biz_udgothic.className}>
Your text here
</p>
);
}
// Or using inline styles with Google Fonts link:
// <p style={{ fontFamily: '"BIZ UDGothic"' }}>Your text</p>Expo and React Native code for BIZ UDGothic
// Install: npx expo install @expo-google-fonts/biz-udgothic expo-font
import { useFonts, BIZ_UDGothic_400Regular } from '@expo-google-fonts/biz-udgothic';
export default function App() {
const [fontsLoaded] = useFonts({
BIZ_UDGothic_400Regular,
});
if (!fontsLoaded) return null;
return (
<Text style={{ fontFamily: 'BIZ_UDGothic_400Regular' }}>
Your text here
</Text>
);
}