[wp-meta] [Making WordPress.org] #7969: [Proposal] Enhance CJK Typography Consistency on WordPress.org Rosetta Sites with Noto Sans/Serif Variable Fonts

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Sat May 3 15:48:05 UTC 2025


#7969: [Proposal] Enhance CJK Typography Consistency on WordPress.org Rosetta
Sites with Noto Sans/Serif Variable Fonts
-------------------------------------------+--------------------
 Reporter:  kimjiwoon                      |      Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement                    |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal                         |  Milestone:
Component:  International Sites (Rosetta)  |   Keywords:
-------------------------------------------+--------------------
 https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-main-2022/issues/558
 ### **Background**

 Currently, [WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org) officially uses **EB
 Garamond** for serif and **Inter** for sans-serif as its global font
 stack. While these fonts provide excellent readability and aesthetics for
 Latin scripts, they do not offer comprehensive support or optimal
 rendering for CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and other East Asian
 languages. As a result, Rosetta sites for Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong,
 Singapore, and Taiwan often fall back to system default fonts, resulting
 in inconsistent typography and user experience across regions.

 - **EB Garamond**: Excellent for Latin, but lacks CJK glyphs.
 - **Inter**: Designed for Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic; not suitable for
 CJK.
 - **Roboto**: Used on Android, but falls back to Noto for CJK languages.

 #### **Relevant Issues & References**
 - [Japanese version font adjustment #432](https://github.com/WordPress
 /wporg-main-2022/issues/432)
 - [Add CJK subset font support #149](https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-
 parent-2021/issues/149#issue-2451679889)
 - [Noto Fonts Overview](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noto_fonts)
 - [Google Fonts Noto CJK](https://fonts.google.com/noto)
 - [Variable Fonts on the
 Web](https://fonts.google.com/knowledge/using_variable_fonts_on_the_web)

 ---

 ### **Proposal**

 **Adopt [Noto Sans/Serif CJK variable
 fonts](https://fonts.google.com/noto) as the default font family for all
 East Asian WordPress.org Rosetta sites (Korean, Japanese,
 Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan).**

 #### **Key Points:**

 1. **Consistency & Readability**
    - Noto Sans/Serif CJK fonts are co-developed by Google and Adobe (also
 known as Source Han), designed to harmonize with Latin, Hangul, Hanzi, and
 Kana scripts.
    - Provides a unified visual identity and professional appearance across
 all CJK Rosetta sites.
    - Supports multiple regional variants (e.g., Noto Sans JP, KR, SC, TC,
 HK).

 2. **Comprehensive Language Coverage**
    - Noto CJK covers not only standard Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, but
 also regional scripts (Ainu, Okinawan, Cantonese, etc.).
    - Ensures all CJK glyphs are rendered consistently, avoiding fallback
 issues.

 3. **Performance Optimization**
    - Use **variable font** versions of Noto Sans/Serif to minimize file
 size and improve loading times.
    - Implement font subsetting (e.g., only load JP, KR, SC, TC, or HK as
 needed per locale).

 4. **Modern Web Standards**
    - Noto CJK variable fonts are fully supported in modern browsers and
 can be self-hosted or served via Google Fonts CDN.
    - Aligns with Material Design and international best practices for
 multilingual web typography.

 ---

 ### **Implementation Suggestions**

 - Update the WordPress.org global stylesheet for CJK Rosetta sites to:
   ```css
   /* Example for Korean */
   font-family: 'Noto Sans KR', 'Noto Sans', 'Apple SD Gothic Neo', 'Malgun
 Gothic', sans-serif;
   /* Example for Japanese */
   font-family: 'Noto Sans JP', 'Noto Sans', 'Hiragino Sans', 'Meiryo',
 sans-serif;
   /* Example for Traditional Chinese */
   font-family: 'Noto Sans TC', 'Noto Sans', 'PingFang TC', 'Microsoft
 JhengHei', sans-serif;
   ```
 - Use the [variable
 font](https://fonts.google.com/knowledge/using_variable_fonts_on_the_web)
 format for optimal performance.
 - Provide both Sans and Serif variants for headings and body text as
 appropriate.

 ---

 ### **Benefits**

 - **Unified and professional CJK typography** across all WordPress.org
 East Asian sites.
 - **Improved accessibility and readability** for millions of users in
 Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan.
 - **Performance gains** via variable font technology and subsetting.
 - **Future-proof**: Noto fonts are actively maintained and widely adopted.

 ---

 ### **References**

 - [Noto Sans JP](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+JP)
 - [Noto Serif JP](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Serif+JP)
 - [Noto Sans KR](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+KR)
 - [Noto Serif KR](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Serif+KR)
 - [Noto Sans TC](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+TC)
 - [Noto Serif TC](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Serif+TC)
 - [Noto Sans SC](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+SC)
 - [Noto Serif SC](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Serif+SC)
 - [Noto Sans HK](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Sans+HK)
 - [Noto Serif HK](https://fonts.google.com/noto/specimen/Noto+Serif+HK)

 ---

 ### **Conclusion**

 By adopting Noto Sans/Serif CJK variable fonts as the default for East
 Asian Rosetta sites, WordPress.org can deliver a consistent, accessible,
 and modern user experience for all CJK users. This change will align
 WordPress.org with global best practices and ensure the platform remains
 welcoming and visually coherent for the entire East Asian community.

 ---

 **Submitted by:**
 Jiwoon Kim (김지운)
 Busan, Republic of Korea
 https://github.com/WordPress/wporg-main-2022/issues/558

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://meta.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/7969>
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