Compiled from 12 sources; we haven't tested these products ourselves yet. How we research
Quick answer
Japanese nibs are graded finer, so a Pilot, Sailor or Platinum fine writes about like a German extra fine. Goldspot measured a Platinum fine at 0.28 mm against 0.40 mm for a Pelikan fine, and a Pilot Custom 74 medium at 0.44 mm, about a German fine. Goulet says the gap is biggest at EF and F.
On this page9 sections
Three Japanese and three German makers' pens to one scale (1 mm = 1.3 px), with two measured fine lines.
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen (black, gold trim): Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: per retailer listings: Makkura gives Japan as the origin, and eBay item specifics from sellers in Japan list Japan as the country of origin. Pilot's Japanese web catalog and press release don't state it; the 2022 anniversary edition's cap ring is engraved JAPAN. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Pilot's Japanese press release for the 30th-anniversary model (November 18, 2022) says the Custom 74 went on sale in 1992; Goulet Pens gives the same year and ties the name to Pilot's 74th anniversary.
Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen (Capless, FC-18SR): Made by Pilot Corporation (Japan); sold in the US by Pilot Corporation of America. Made in Japan: Unsharpen gives Japan as the country of origin. Pilot's Japanese catalog page for FC-18SR-BMF (read in full on October 20, 2026) doesn't state a country. The Japan With Love listing cited earlier no longer loads, and Larry Post's page doesn't state an origin. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Pilot's Japanese site dates the first Capless, a twist-action model, to 1963 and the first push-button Capless to 1964. The current FC-18SR is a later model.
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Fountain Pen: Made by The Sailor Pen Co., Ltd., Kure, Hiroshima, Japan; majority-owned by PLUS Corporation since May 2022. Made in Japan: Goldspot's Celestial Outflow listing says "Made in Japan" and that the 14k nib is crafted in Hiroshima. Sailor's Japanese history page says its Hiroshima factory in Kure gained a new building mainly for fountain pen production; its product pages don't print a country of manufacture. Source. Price: example listing.
Platinum #3776 Century Fountain Pen (Chartres Blue, gold trim): Made by Platinum Pen Co., Ltd. (Tokyo). Made in Japan: Unsharpen's review says the band reads "Platinum #3776 Century Made in Japan". Platinum's own English pages don't state it in the sources we found. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Platinum's January 29, 2026 press release says the #3776 brand began in 1978 and the Century with Slip & Seal was born in 2011; we found no exact launch month.
LAMY safari Fountain Pen: Made by C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg (part of Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.). Made in Germany: LAMY's own product listing (India storefront) gives Germany as the country of origin and names C. Josef Lamy GmbH, Heidelberg, as the manufacturer, and also says made in Germany. LAMY's German page names no country. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Museum Boijmans and LAMY's India listing give 1980; LAMY's German page says the safari was introduced in the 1980s.
Pelikan Classic M200 Fountain Pen (Black, gold-plated trim): Made by Pelikan Group GmbH (Germany), owned by Hamelin since December 13, 2023. Made in Germany: Pelikan's German product page for the Classic 200 Schwarz says "Gefertigt und montiert in Deutschland" (made and assembled in Germany) and "Qualität, made in Germany". Source. Price: example listing. Released: Per the Pelikan's Perch collectors' database; Pelikan restyled the trim in 1997. Pelikan doesn't give a launch year on its product page.
Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen: Made in Germany: Kaweco's German product page labels the Classic Sport "100% Made in Germany" and says all nibs and the pen itself are made in Germany; its series page says Classic Sport pens are produced and assembled in Germany. Cornelissen says hand assembled in Germany, and Milligram says designed and made in Germany. Source. Price: example listing. Released: Kaweco dates the first Sport pocket pen to 1911; Pen Chalet says the Classic Sport follows the original 1935 design.
Price bands are typical US retail, checked October 2026.
Key takeaways
Goldspot measured a Platinum fine at 0.28 mm and a Pelikan M205 fine at 0.40 mm, so the Japanese line was 30% narrower.
In one Goldspot test of three Japanese gold mediums, the Pilot Custom 74 wrote 0.44 mm, the Platinum #3776 0.39 mm and the Sailor 1911 0.36 mm.
Goulet Pens says Japanese EF and F nibs run a full size finer than Western ones, while M and B fall closer in line.
Goldspot says a LAMY EF writes more like a JoWo or Bock F, so LAMY runs broad even among German nibs.
None of the 6 makers publishes a line width in millimetres for EF to B; every figure here was measured by a retailer.
Why does a Japanese F write finer than a German F?
Because Japan’s three nib makers grade their nibs finer, for writing Japanese characters. Goulet Pens, a US pen shop, says Japanese EF and F nibs from Pilot, Platinum and Sailor tend to run a full size finer than their Western counterparts, and puts that down to the characters used in Japanese.
Pilot’s own Japanese nib guide recommends its EF for people who write small characters, for example in a planner (手帳). Pelikan, from the other side, recommends EF or F for small writing and Asian characters.
There is no shared standard. Each maker sets its own grades, and none of the six makers here publishes a line width in millimetres for EF to B. Our nib sizes explained guide covers the letters themselves; this one compares the two traditions.
How wide are Japanese and German nibs, measured?
Goldspot, a US retailer, measured a Platinum fine at 0.28 mm and a Pelikan fine at 0.40 mm. Its other tests put Japanese mediums between 0.36 and 0.55 mm.
All widths are in mm and come from Goldspot articles; inks, papers and tools differ between them. The Sailor medium measured 0.36 mm in one article and 0.45 mm in another. Pelikan’s M205 shares the nib sizes of the Pelikan M200.
Every measured width on one millimetre axis; Japanese pens in red, German in blue.
Is the gap the same at every size?
No: it is widest at EF and F and narrows at M and B. Goulet says Japanese mediums and broads fall more in line with other brands.
Goldspot’s numbers mostly agree. Its Pilot Vanishing Point extra fine, at 0.25 mm, was finer than every Western EF it measured, but the same pen’s fine matched the Pelikan fine at 0.40 mm. Its Vanishing Point medium, at 0.55 mm, was a little wider than the Pelikan medium.
Do Pilot, Sailor and Platinum differ from each other?
Yes: Goldspot found Sailor and Platinum the finest of the three and Pilot the widest. In its January 2022 test of three 14k gold medium nibs, the Pilot Custom 74 wrote 0.44 mm, the Platinum #3776 Century 0.39 mm and the Sailor 1911 Standard 0.36 mm.
Goldspot adds that the Custom 74’s medium writes the same line as a JoWo steel fine. Our pick, the Sailor Pro Gear Slim, is a flat-ended Sailor with a 14k nib on US models; Goldspot didn’t measure its line width.
Do LAMY, Pelikan and Kaweco run the same?
No: LAMY runs broad even for a German brand. Goldspot says the LAMY safari’s EF writes more like a JoWo or Bock F, a size thicker than most Pilot, Sailor or Platinum pens and thicker than many European brands.
Pelikan and Kaweco sit close to JoWo’s steel nibs in Goldspot’s measurements: about 0.3 mm for EF and 0.5 mm for M. Goulet notes that JoWo and Bock supply nibs to many brands, so a German “F” on a smaller brand’s pen is often one of theirs.
Which size should you buy when switching?
Go one size broader when moving from a German pen to a Japanese one, and one size finer the other way. Goldspot’s own rule: if your favourite is a Pelikan fine, choose a Pilot medium. The table is our reading of the measurements above, not a maker’s chart.
If you like this German nib
Try this Japanese nib
Pelikan or Kaweco EF
Pilot, Sailor or Platinum F
Pelikan or Kaweco F
Japanese M (Sailor MF is between)
LAMY EF
Japanese M
German M
Japanese B
For very small handwriting, the finest choices are Japanese: Platinum’s UEF on the #3776 Century and Pilot’s EF. Sailor’s MF, a grade between F and M, has no direct German equivalent.
The same Japanese sizing applies to the inlaid 14k nib of the pocket Pilot E95S, sold in EF, F and M.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Japanese fine the same as a Western extra fine?
Roughly. Goulet Pens says Japanese EF and F nibs run a full size finer than Western ones, and Goldspot measured a Platinum fine at 0.28 mm, finer than a JoWo extra fine at 0.30 mm.
Why do Japanese fountain pens write thinner?
Because they are made for writing Japanese. Goulet Pens says the finer grades come from the characters used in Japanese, and Pilot's own guide recommends its EF for small writing in planners.
If I like a Pelikan fine, what Pilot size should I buy?
A medium. Goldspot gives exactly that advice for the Pilot Vanishing Point, and it measured a Pilot Custom 74 medium at the same width as a JoWo steel fine.
Which Japanese brand writes the finest?
Sailor and Platinum, according to Goldspot. In its three-way test of gold medium nibs, Sailor wrote 0.36 mm, Platinum 0.39 mm and Pilot 0.44 mm.
Are LAMY nibs broad?
Yes, for their label. Goldspot says LAMY writes a size thicker than most Pilot, Sailor or Platinum pens and thicker than many European brands, so a LAMY EF writes like a JoWo or Bock F.
Do Japanese medium and broad nibs also run finer?
Less so. Goulet Pens says Japanese M and B nibs fall more in line with other brands, while Goldspot measured a Pilot Vanishing Point medium at 0.55 mm, a little wider than a Pelikan medium at 0.50 mm.
Does ink or paper change the line width?
Yes. Goulet says ink and paper both affect line width, and so do the writer's angle, pressure and speed. Compare nibs only with the same ink, paper and hand.
Pilot Custom 74 Fountain Pen
Pilot Vanishing Point Fountain Pen
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Fountain Pen
Platinum #3776 Century Fountain Pen
LAMY safari Fountain Pen
Pelikan Classic M200 Fountain Pen
Kaweco Classic Sport Fountain Pen