Free Brush Fonts That Look Like Chinese Calligraphy

Chinese New Year. This year the holiday falls on the 25th of January with the Metal Rat as the symbol of the upcoming eastern year. It's arguably the most important celebration in Chinese culture and a great opportunity for us graphic designers to learn a thing or two about the Chinese writing system.

And even though the popularity of Lunar New Year has grown considerably worldwide over the last decade, still this holiday gets overlooked by the designers' community, because it often happens around more popular in the western culture Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras.

During my college years, I had a drawing class where we tried our hand at Chinese calligraphy, using traditional calligraphy brushes and ink. It was as much challenging as it was rewarding, even when you get only one stroke right. Its expressive power is amazing and often it's all that it takes to create a cohesive design.

After college, I didn't have an opportunity to practice traditional Chinese writing a lot, however, my appreciation of this art form is unwavering. Whenever I have a chance to work on the eastern-based visual, brush typography is the element I enjoy exploring most.

Over the years, I've come up with my own list of brush fonts that I use to bring out the eastern flair to the design. If you want to try your hand at it with a few side design projects for the portfolio or friends who observe the holiday, I hope you can find it helpful too.

Font Links:

1. Year of the Rat: Canadian Brusher

2. Lunar New Year: Chinese Takeaway

3. Lanterns: Chinese Calligraphy (Free for commercial use)

4. China: Beautiful Ink

5. Wealth: jsa lovechinese (Free for commercial use) | HFF Chinese Dragon

6. Lion Dance: Brush King

7. Feng shui: Race Fever Brush

8. Kung Fu: BRUSHSTRIKE

9. Tea Ceremony: Archaic Asian Inks

10. 2020: Handletterink (Free for commercial use)

DISCLAIMER: Some of these fonts are for personal use only. If you need an extended or commercial license, please contact the designer or follow the instructions on the font sharing sites. For more information about the fonts and their use, please read the license file included either in the font folder or on the download page. The rules of each font are subject to change at any time. It is strictly your own responsibility to make sure that the font is fully licensed for your project.