How to change font size of Japanese only, in a long document containing both Japanese and English

DR 50 Reputation points
2026-07-21T17:32:09.4866667+00:00

I have a long Word 2010 document containing both Japanese (MS PGothic) and English (Arial). I tried to set them up initially to be different sizes but Word would not do that. But the Japanese font is simply too hard to read, so I need to somehow change (enlarge) the font size of Japanese only, I have tried search & replace, being sure to specify Asian text and the MS PGothic font. Word simply changes (enlarges) ALL font sizes (including Arial) regardless. Is there a solution for this, or I am I asking for the impossible?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | Other | Windows
0 comments
Answer recommended by moderator
Charles Kenyon 170.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2026-07-21T18:14:24.2166667+00:00

Use different styles to format your English text and Japanese text.

These can include the following attributes:

  • Proofing language
  • Typeface/font
  • Size

References:

Was this answer helpful?

2 people found this answer helpful.

5 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Charles Kenyon 170.9K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2026-07-27T01:14:54.28+00:00

    force two different font sizes for Body text into the same Style

    Different styles! One for the Japanese text, one for the English text.

    Was this answer helpful?

    3 people found this answer helpful.
  2. DR 50 Reputation points
    2026-07-26T16:52:47.14+00:00

    For anyone who may encounter this problem (there was a similar post regarding Korean some years ago) I found a complete workaround. It does not involve changing font sizes, but it solves the problem of legibility. Noto Sans is very similar to MS PGothic in appearance, but slightly larger, heavier and more legible in smaller font sizes. Also, the Latin alphabet output of Noto Sans is very similar to Arial (as is the font on this text box). However, Noto Sans divides all words (both Japanese and English) at the end of lines regardless of Western norms; any word can be divided at any point. So area may be divided as "are a" (with "a" on a new line). The solution: (1) convert the entire document (Ctrl-A) to Noto Sans. Then (2) convert the entire document (Ctrl-A) to Arial. Since there are no Japanese fonts for Arial, only the Latin letters will be converted. And the arbitrary division of words at the end of lines is eliminated.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments
  3. Deleted

    This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

    Comments have been turned off. Learn more

  4. Stefan Blom 352.3K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-07-25T07:17:21.1966667+00:00

    Are you saying that the options for complex scripts are not available in your installation (see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4871427/ ) or are you saying that they do not work, with regards to point size?

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.