Ideographic Space (U+3000) | Spacing in CJK Typography

Learn how the ideographic space (U+3000) is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text formatting.

Table of Contents

What Is Ideographic Space (U+3000)?

The Ideographic Space (U+3000) is a full-width whitespace character primarily used in CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) text formatting. Unlike Western spaces, it matches the width of CJK characters and serves critical functions in Asian typography.

Key Features

  • Full-width character (same width as kanji/hanzi)
  • Visible separation between CJK characters
  • Standard spacing in vertical writing systems
  • Required formatting in many Asian documents

Charset Details

Property Value
Unicode U+3000
HTML Entity 　
CSS Code \3000
ALT Code Not available
Keyboard Entry CJK IME only

How to Type Ideographic Space

1. Input Methods

  • Windows (CJK IME): Switch to Chinese/Japanese/Korean input and press spacebar
  • Mac: Use CJK input source → spacebar
  • Linux: Enable Asian input methods

2. Code Implementation

html

???　??

css

.cjk-spacing::before {
 content: '\3000';
}

3. Copy-Paste Method

Copy this character: “?” (full-width space between quotes)

Practical Usage

1. Proper CJK Text Formatting

html

??　??

2. Vertical Writing Support

css

.vertical-text {
 writing-mode: vertical-rl;
 text-spacing: ideograph-alpha; /* Uses U+3000 automatically */
}

3. Document Alignment

markdown

| ???| ????| 
|-------|--------|
| ???| ???|

Comparison With Other Spaces

Character Width Usage Context
Ideographic Space Full-width CJK text formatting
Western Space Variable Latin-alphabet texts
Em Space 1 em General typography
En Space 0.5 em Precise alignment

Technical Pros and Cons

? Common Issues

  • Displays as Western space in non-CJK fonts
  • May cause alignment issues in mixed-script documents
  • Some email clients may collapse the space

? Professional Tips

  1. Always specify CJK fonts in CSS: css
  1. body { font-family: “Noto Sans CJK”, sans-serif; }
  2. Use white-space: pre-wrap to preserve spacing
  3. Combine with text-spacing property for optimal rendering

People Asked

Q: Why does my ideographic space look like a regular space?
A: You’re viewing it in a non-CJK font. Install CJK font packs or use:

css

font-family: "MS Gothic", "SimSun", sans-serif;

Q: Can I use U+3000 in English documents?
A: Not recommended – it creates awkward gaps. Use regular spaces (U+0020) instead.

Q: How to convert between space types?

javascript

function convertSpaces(text) {
 return text.replace(/\u3000/g, ' '); // Replace with Western space
}