Illustrator

Use aki

Aki is the white space before or after a character. Usually, fixed spacing is applied between the characters based on the mojikumi setting for a paragraph. You can change the mojikumi setting for special characters using the Insert Aki options in the Character panel. For example, to add a space before an opening parenthesis, use the Insert Aki (Left) option.

Parenthesis without aki (left) compared to parenthesis with aki (right)

 Select the characters you want to adjust with the Type tool, and do any of the following in the Character panel:
  • To add aki before or after a character, choose the amount of aki you want to add from the Insert Aki (Left)  or Insert Aki (Right)  menu in the Character panel. For example, if you specify 2bu, half a full-width space is added, and if you specify 4bu, a quarter of a full-width space is added.

  • To compress the aki between characters, specify a percentage for Tsume . The higher the percentage, the narrower the aki between characters.

    If you don’t see the Insert Aki or Tsume options, select Show Asian Options in the Type preferences.
    Character without tsume (left) compared to character with tsume (right)