10 Best Tried and True Japanese Highlighters in 2022 (Zebra, Pentel, and More)
That’s why we ordered the 14 most popular highlighters from Japan’s e-commerce giants, such as Amazon, Rakuten, and kakaku.com, and tested for the following:
- How easily it writes
- How quickly it dries
- How functional it is
- How rich the color is
This is how we tested and found the most exceptional Japanese highlighters.
Quick List - Top Japanese Highlighters
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How to Choose a Japanese Highlighter – Buying Guide
Get a Highlighter That Writes Comfortably
Not all highlighters come with the familiar angular tip. There are tips with windows in them, tips coated in resin, and tips that are like brushes. Understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and it will be a simpler task to choose a highlighter you find easy to work with.
Tips With Windows in Them Let You See Through to the Words Underneath
If you hate making mistakes, then a highlighter with a window installed in the tip might be good for you. Because you can see exactly what you’re highlighting as you’re highlighting it, you’ll never start drawing a few letters too early or end a few letters too late. Windows are especially helpful for marking up textbooks or documents where the letters are printed close together.
Ones That Are Coated in Resin Don’t Wear Down as Quickly
The resin coating reinforces the tip, keeping it from wearing down or fraying. It not only makes highlighting a lot steadier, it keeps the pen looking and acting like new for a long, long time.
Brush Tips Allow You to Completely Control the Thickness of Your Highlights
The tip not only ensures that you can highlight both fine print and large print easily, but also prevents any ink splotches or uneven areas of color once you learn how to control it. If you like neon colors, you can also use brush highlighters for art; overall, these allow you the most control over your highlighting.
Make Sure That It Dries Quickly
Generally speaking, highlighters that have been marked as “quick-drying” or "Q dry" (as in the image above) do live up to their claims. If they haven’t been so labeled, however, you’ll have to try the highlighter out for yourself.
Check for Extra Features
Pick a Color That Helps You Concentrate
When it comes to highlighters, you want a color that’s easy to see on the page, and makes it easy to distinguish the words underneath. If, for example, you find neon colors hard to look at for extended periods of time, then go for softer pastel tones.
You also want to take into consideration the sheer variety of colors a pen line has to offer. Colors can be mixed and matched to meet various needs. You could use blue, which supposedly boosts concentration, on passages you need to memorize, and yellow, pink or red on other passages you want to emphasize.
10 Best Japanese Highlighters
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mitsubishi Pencil PROPUS Window Q-Dry Double-Sided | | Drying Speed and Functionality Won High Marks | |
2 | Mitsubishi Pencil PROPUS Window Double-Sided | | Clear-Tipped and Smooth | |
3 | Zebra Mildliner｜WKT7-MP | | A Mild Ink That Leaves Print Clear and Is Gentle on the Eyes | |
4 | Zebra Highlighter OPTEX CARE Double-Sided | | The Retro Style and the Way It Writes Are Both Top Class | |
5 | Pentel Retractable Refillable Handy Line S | | Ready for Use in a Flash With Its Convenient Retractable Feature | |
6 | Mitsubishi Pencil Uni Promark VIEW | | Its Clear Point Left the Strongest Impression | |
7 | Kokuyo Beetle Tip | | Very Functional, but Has a Bit of a Learning Curve | |
8 | Pilot Spotliter VW | | An Inky Highlighter With Vivid Colors | |
9 | Tombow Keicoat80 Refillable | | Indispensable if You Must Have Pin-Straight Lines | |
10 | Kuretake ZIG Brush Hilite Quick C+ | | The Brush Tip Makes It Hard to Control the Thickness |
Drying Speed and Functionality Won High Marks
Even our most stalwart stationery buffs proclaimed it "the best highlighter ever." We couldn’t complain about the ink, either. We touched it as soon as it was laid down and tried to smear it, but still, it didn’t smear.
The highlighter had a window in its tip that helped us lay down accurate lines, and it was kind to lefties. If you want a highlighter that won’t stress you out in any way, no matter how small, then mybest can confidently say this is the one.
Clear-Tipped and Smooth
A Mild Ink That Leaves Print Clear and Is Gentle on the Eyes
And the thick and flexible tip made up for any unsteady hands. We also liked how it was easy to get an even line with this highlighter.
The Retro Style and the Way It Writes Are Both Top Class
Of course, the thicker tip was just as easy to use. It’s meaty and smooth, contributing to steady, even lines. It’s a simple product, but for many, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call this the best highlighter ever.
Ready for Use in a Flash With Its Convenient Retractable Feature
Its Clear Point Left the Strongest Impression
The soft pink reminded of us cherry blossom petals and most of us loved the design. "Even the thinnest trickle of ink will reach the tip of the pen," one of our testers, Notomi-san, said. "It’s so well-designed, I could cry."
Very Functional, but Has a Bit of a Learning Curve
There was even someone who quietly said, "But the Beetle Tip Dual Color is easy to use–you don’t even need to change your grip on the highlighter to switch between the colors."
An Inky Highlighter With Vivid Colors
Because we could easily see how much ink we had left and we also got two colors in one pen, we gave the highlighter a B for functionality.
Indispensable if You Must Have Pin-Straight Lines
Not only did the coating prevent the tip from getting worn down, when we used this highlighter with a ruler, it didn’t stain the ruler or the page.
The Brush Tip Makes It Hard to Control the Thickness
If you draw fast and precise lines, the Kuretake Brush Hilite can be like a dream come true. It worked well on thick books like dictionaries, where the pages are arched and difficult to use traditional highlighters on, and you can even use it for art.
However, for those of us not used to using brush pens, it was difficult to control. It was great for drawing thin lines, but we needed a bit of skill and strength to maintain a thick, even line.
How We Tested the Highlighters
We gathered 14 popular Japanese highlighters from Amazon, Rakuten, and kakaku.com and tested them for how well they wrote, how quickly they dried, how functional they were, and how rich the color was.
Test ① How Easily It Writes
First, we looked at how easily each highlighter wrote. We honed in on things like how easy it was to draw a line of uniform thickness and how the tip felt against paper. We then graded each highlighter on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
Test Highlight: Flexible, Fat Tips Wrote the Most Easily, No Matter the Type of Paper
Stiffer pen tips obviously offer you little wiggle room, but don’t go for one that’s too soft either, as it shifts easily under an unsteady hand, making the highlighter more difficult to use.
Zebra’s Justfit is a prime example of a good tip. It’s soft enough to cover for any mistakes you make while angling the highlighter, and it’ll produce a uniform line, even over the tight print in a dictionary. It also draws straight even if your hand does shake a bit, so it’s a good one to try out if your highlights are normally messy.
Test ② How Quickly It Dries
Next, we tested how quickly each highlighter dried. We tried to smear each line with our hands, and then graded the highlighters on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
Test Highlight: Propus Window Q-Dry and Several Other Highlighters Dried Fast
However, Zebra’s Justfit and OPTEX CARE, neither of which made any claims as to drying speed, also did well on this test. Basically, any ink that absorbs quickly into the paper is going to be quick-drying. On the other hand, if the ink tends to pool, then it’ll end up smearing and staining your hands.
Mitsubishi Pencil's PROPUS Window Q-Dry is the gold standard for fast-drying highlighters! Unless another product surpasses this, it'll always be number one. Zebra's Justfit isn't quite as good, but still dries within two seconds.
Test ③ How Functional It Is
Next, we looked at functionality. To be more specific, we checked to see if the highlighter had any special features and whether they were actually helpful. We then graded on highlighter on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0.
Test Highlight: Though They May Differentiate a Product From the Competition, Not All Features Are Practical
There were products that stood out because of their uniqueness, such as Pentel’s Retractable Handy Line S retractable highlighter and Pilot’s Frixion Light with erasable ink. However, there were also products that, frankly, added on unnecessary features that led to bad reviews, such as Tombow Pencil’s Play Color Dot.
Pentel’s Retractable Handy Line S is notable if you want a retractable highlighter. The transparent nib of Mitsubishi Pencil's Uni Promark View makes it great for highlighting vertical text.
Test ④ How Rich the Color Is
Finally, we tested for color. In order to accurately compare products from different brands, we focused only on pink highlighters. We highlighted text printed onto normal printer paper and looked both at how clearly the color showed up and at how easy it was to read the words underneath.
Test Highlight: Most Important Was How Fluorescent the Color Was Rather Than How Deep
Also, two highlighters could be from the same brand, but still vary in intensity. If you’re someone that likes paler colors, then your best bet would to be to look for highlighters in colors labeled "soft" or "mild."
Tombow's Keicoat may be your image of a typical highlighter, and will feel familiar to use, but I think the letters underneath become a bit hard to see. The Pilot Spotlighter VW has a clear and direct brightness that works well with black text and is visible even from a distance. And personally, I love the colors of Mitsubishi Pencil's highlighters!
Check Out These Other Writing Tools
The right stationery can add quirkiness to your letters or your journal entries, and looking at cute or colorful designs can leave you feeling just that little bit happier. If you're looking for more awesome tools, take a look below!
Top 5 Japanese Highlighters
No. 1: Mitsubishi Pencil｜PROPUS Window Q-Dry Double-Sided
No. 2: Mitsubishi Pencil｜PROPUS Window Double-Sided
No. 3: Zebra｜Mildliner｜WKT7-MP
No. 4: Zebra｜Highlighter OPTEX CARE Double-Sided
No. 5: Pentel｜Retractable Refillable Handy Line S
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.