Manuscript Paper Counter (Genkō Yōshi)
Count how many sheets and lines a Japanese text fills on 400-character manuscript paper, including line breaks and hanging punctuation.
Text to count
0 characters · 0 lines
Number of manuscript sheets
Enter some text and the number of sheets appears here
Manuscript paper
- Sheets
- —
- Lines
- —
- Characters
- —
Everything runs on this device. What you enter is never sent anywhere.
Counting rules can differ between schools and contests. Check their rules too before you submit.
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How to use
1. Enter your text
Paste or type your text into the “Text to count” box at the top. To try it out, tap “Sample” above the box to put in a sample essay. The number of sheets, lines and characters appears below right away.
Paste or type the text you want to convert into the “Text to count” box on the left. To try it out, click “Try a sample” above the box to put in a sample essay. The number of sheets, lines and characters appears on the right right away.
2. Choose how to count
Tap “200-character” in the bar above the sheet count to recount on 200-character manuscript paper. Then tap “Indent paragraphs by 1 cell” to turn it on, and a blank cell is added at the start of each paragraph. The sheet and line counts update instantly.
Click “200-character” in the bar at the top of the right panel to recount on 200-character manuscript paper. Then click “Indent paragraphs by 1 cell” to turn it on, and a blank cell is added at the start of each paragraph. The sheet and line counts update instantly.
3. Check it on the grid
Below the counts, a preview of the manuscript paper grid is shown one sheet at a time. Tap “Horizontal” to switch to a horizontal grid. Tap “›” (Next sheet) to move to the second sheet. Punctuation hung outside a line is shown in orange.
Below the counts, a preview of the manuscript paper grid is shown one sheet at a time. Click “Horizontal” to switch to a horizontal grid. Click “›” (Next sheet) on the right to move to the second sheet. Punctuation hung outside a line is shown in orange.
Great for
Finding out how many sheets an essay or book report fills
Japanese schools often set homework like “at least 3 sheets of manuscript paper”. Paste your draft and see which sheet and line you've reached, and how many more lines to write before making a clean copy.
Students learning Japanese and their parents
Checking a manuscript fits a contest's page limit
Japanese literary contests often set limits like “up to 50 sheets of 400-character manuscript paper”. Cells left empty by line breaks after dialogue and blank lines are counted too, so the result is closer to the real number of sheets than dividing the character count.
Novelists and screenwriters writing in Japanese
Getting the length of an essay or report right
Switch between 200- and 400-character sheets to see how close you are to the length limit. The character count without spaces is shown as well.
Exam takers and university students
Estimating fees or workload
Manuscript fees paid “per sheet”, or the amount of proofreading or translation work, can be worked out from the sheet count straight away. Each number can be copied with one button.
Writers, editors and translators
Good to know before you start
- The title and name lines aren't counted. If you need them, add blank lines before your text.
- Not every fine rule is reproduced, such as never placing an opening bracket at the end of a line.
- It doesn't make printable manuscript paper (PDF).
About the manuscript paper counter
Genkō yōshi is the Japanese manuscript paper with a grid of squares, one character per square; the standard sheet has 400 squares (20 × 20). The number of sheets isn't simply the character count divided by 400: after a line break, the rest of that line stays empty, and a blank line uses a whole line. The more dialogue and paragraphs a text has, the more sheets it takes compared with that division. This tool fills the cells one character at a time and works out the number of sheets from the lines used.
It also follows the usual rules for writing on manuscript paper as far as possible: a “。”, “、” or closing bracket that would start a line is written outside the last cell of the line before (hanging), “。」” shares one cell, and half-width digits and Latin letters go two to a cell. These rules can differ between schools and contests, so each one can be turned on or off.
FAQ
Answers to common questions before you start.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. All counting happens in the browser on your device, and your text is never sent to a server or saved. You can safely count an unfinished novel or a manuscript you haven't submitted yet.
How is the number of sheets counted?
The text is placed one character per cell, 20 cells to a line. The number of lines used is divided by the lines per sheet (20 for 400-character paper) and rounded up. It also shows which line the last sheet reaches, and the count as a decimal.
Why is the sheet count different from the character count divided by 400?
Because empty cells after line breaks and blank lines are counted too. For example, a line that breaks after 10 characters still uses a whole line, leaving 10 cells empty. The more dialogue and paragraphs, the bigger this difference.
What does “Hang punctuation” mean?
When a line is full and the next character is a “。”, “、” or closing bracket, it's written outside the last cell of that line instead of at the start of the next one. Turning it on keeps those characters from adding extra lines. In the preview, hung characters are shown in orange.
What about a period followed by a closing bracket, like “。」”?
With “Hang punctuation” on, they're counted in one cell. With it off, each takes its own cell.
How are half-width digits and letters counted?
With “2 half-width letters/digits per cell” on, runs of half-width digits and Latin letters go two characters to a cell (“2024” takes 2 cells). With it off, each character takes one cell. Full-width digits and letters always take one cell each.
Are the title and name lines included?
No. Only the text you enter is counted. If your rules use 2 lines for the title and name, add 2 blank lines before your text to include them.
Does vertical or horizontal writing change the sheet count?
No. Switching between vertical and horizontal only changes how the grid preview looks. The sheets, lines and characters stay the same.
Can I count text from Word or Google Docs?
Yes. Copy the text and paste it into the box. Text files (.txt) can be opened with “Open file” or dropped onto the page.
Is it free?
Yes, it's free. No sign-up needed, and there are no ads.
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