MS Gothic

MS Gothic font.

MS Gothic is a Japanese gothic-style typeface with plain shapes, even strokes, and a practical screen-friendly feel. It is a good font to test when you need compact Japanese text, simple interface labels, or monospaced Latin characters.

About MS Gothic

MS Gothic was made for Japanese typesetting and uses a sans serif gothic style. Its letterforms are straightforward rather than decorative, with uniform stroke thickness and clean character shapes. Microsoft’s typography documentation describes the family as useful for onscreen legibility, especially in interfaces and lower-resolution display settings. The regular style also keeps Latin letters at a uniform width, which gives English text a more grid-like, technical rhythm than a proportional sans serif.

Use the preview box to test the exact language and text length you plan to set. MS Gothic can work well for short headings, subheads, menu labels, captions, tables, and UI-style samples where alignment matters. For long reading passages, compare it with a proportional Japanese font, because the fixed-width spacing can feel dense in extended text. If you are designing for both Japanese and Latin content, check punctuation, numbers, and mixed-script spacing before downloading.

Features

• Japanese gothic-style design with simple shapes and uniform stroke thickness
• Regular TTF file with normal style and 400 weight
• Monospaced Latin letters, useful for aligned text and compact interface samples
• Designed for Japanese text, with support described for kanji, hiragana, katakana, Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, and symbols

Best Uses

• Japanese headings and subheads
• UI labels, menus, and compact screen text
• Tables, code-like labels, and aligned Latin text
• Short bilingual Japanese and English samples

License Information

The license field for this download is blank. Treat the usage rights as unconfirmed, and do not use the file in commercial, client, app, webfont, or redistribution projects unless you have a valid license from the rights holder or another trusted licensing source.

Designer and Foundry

The font credit is listed as Ricoh Company Limited, with Ricoh Company Limited / Ryobi Imagics Company Limited named in the foundry information. Microsoft’s typography documentation also connects the MS Gothic family with Ricoh and Ryobi Imagix credits.

Usage Tips

Start by previewing real Japanese phrases, numbers, punctuation, and any Latin text you plan to use. The fixed-width Latin spacing can be helpful for alignment, but it may look rigid in branding or long paragraphs. Keep it for short text, interface-style layouts, and places where clarity matters more than personality.

FAQ

Is MS Gothic free for commercial use?

The license information is not stated for this download. Do not assume commercial use is allowed; confirm the rights from a trusted licensing source first.

What kind of font is MS Gothic?

MS Gothic is a Japanese gothic-style sans serif typeface with plain shapes and uniform stroke thickness.

Is MS Gothic good for Japanese text?

Yes, it was designed for Japanese typesetting. It is especially practical for short Japanese text, headings, subheads, and interface-style layouts.

Does MS Gothic use monospaced letters?

Microsoft’s typography documentation describes the Latin letters in MS Gothic as uniform width, so Latin text behaves like monospaced text.

What file format is the download?

The listed font file is a TTF file named MSGOTHIC.ttf.