Ask a tool for “manuscript pages” as character count ÷ 400 rounded up, and a stack of short lines still counts as one page. On genkō yōshi (20 characters × 20 lines = 400 cells), a newline fills the rest of that row. Total characters and filled cells are different quantities. We counted the same drafts both ways.
The two formulae: divide by 400, or pad each line to 20 cells
A 400-cell page can be counted in two ways. Neither treats a newline as a character:
- Divide by 400 (the tool’s default): pages = character count ÷ 400, rounded up
- Cell fill: round each line’s character count up to a multiple of 20 (an empty line is 20 cells), sum, then ÷ 400 rounded up
A line of 10 characters plus a newline is 10 characters but 20 cells. Forty such lines are still 400 characters and 800 cells—twice as many pages. In the Character Counter, the default is divide-by-400; turn on Fill each line to 20 cells (manuscript paper) for cell fill. Mora for haiku is the Mora Counter; post limits are the Social Post Counter. Counting stays in the browser; text is not sent to a server.
The same drafts, counted both ways
| Draft | Characters | Cells | ÷400 (tool default) | Cell fill (paper) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 characters, no newlines | 400 | 400 | 1 page | 1 page |
| 10 characters × 40 lines | 400 | 800 | 1 page | 2 pages |
| 5 characters × 21 lines | 105 | 420 | 1 page | 2 pages |
| 20 characters × 20 lines | 400 | 400 | 1 page | 1 page |
Three things follow:
- 400 characters with no newlines and 20 × 20 fill the grid exactly, so characters and cells match: both methods say 1 page.
- 10 × 40 is still 400 characters, but each line pads 10 empty cells: 40 × 20 = 800 cells. 800 ÷ 400 = 2 pages. Divide-by-400 stays at 400 ÷ 400 = 1 page.
- 5 × 21 is 105 characters, so divide-by-400 is 1 page. Cells are 21 × 20 = 420; 420 ÷ 400 rounded up is 2 pages. Twenty-one short lines already spill onto a second sheet.
If a submission expects genkō yōshi cells, turn on Fill each line to 20 cells (manuscript paper) in the Character Counter. Character count alone hides the leftover cells on a short line.
FAQ
How does the Character Counter treat newlines in the page count?
Why do 40 lines of 10 characters become two pages despite 400 characters?
Is my text sent to a server?
The table uses character count (newlines excluded) and cells rounded up to 20 per line, then ÷ 400, matching the Character Counter default and Fill each line to 20 cells (2026-09-14).