--- title: "Pilot Kire-Na Highlighter: Guide Tip and 10 Colors" canonical: "https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-kire-na-highlighter/" description: "Pilot Kire-Na twin highlighter explained: the plastic guide for straight lines, 1-second pigment ink, 136.6 mm and 8.7 g, 10 colors, 2025 award and price." category: "Pens" type: "Highlighter" published: 2026-11-02 updated: 2026-11-02 author: "Ellis Penhale" publisher: "Stationery Times" sources: 5 products: - name: "Pilot KIRE-NA twin highlighter (SKIW-1)" brand: "Pilot" brand_origin: "Japan" made_in: "Not stated" material: "Nylon chip, plastic guides; water-based pigment ink (Pilot Japan)" released: "2024-10-26" price_band: "$ (under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count), typical US retail, October 2026)" manufacturer: "Pilot Corporation (Japan)" model: "SKIW-1" gtin: "4902505676178" url: "https://webcatalog.pilot.co.jp/products/DispDetail.do?volumeName=00004&itemID=t000100004107" --- # Pilot Kire-Na Highlighter: Guide Tip and 10 Colors > The Pilot Kire-Na is a twin-tip highlighter that Pilot launched in Japan on October 26, 2024. Plastic guides on its chisel tip rest on the page to keep lines straight, and Pilot says its pigment ink dries in 1 second on copy paper. It is 136.6 mm long, weighs 8.7 g and comes in 10 colors. - URL: https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-kire-na-highlighter/ - Category: Pens - Author: Ellis Penhale - Published: 2026-11-02 - Updated: 2026-11-02 ![Pilot Kire-Na twin highlighter drawn to scale at 136.6 mm with a row of its ten ink colors](https://stationerytimes.com/images/raster/pilot-kire-na-highlighter-illustration-16x9.png?v=afec641e) *The Kire-Na at Pilot Japan's 136.6 mm (1 mm = 6 px) with its ten colors; the tints are representative.* Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times. Original drawing (SVG): . Drawings © 2026 Stationery Times, reusable with credit under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ## Product facts | Product | Brand | Brand origin | Made in | Material | Released | Price range (typical US retail, October 2026) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pilot KIRE-NA twin highlighter (SKIW-1) | Pilot (by Pilot Corporation (Japan)) | Japan | Not stated | Nylon chip, plastic guides; water-based pigment ink (Pilot Japan) | 2024-10-26 | $: under $5 per pen (multi-packs divided by the count) | - Made in (Pilot KIRE-NA twin highlighter (SKIW-1)): Not stated. Pilot Japan's web catalog and press release give size, weight, price and JAN but no country of manufacture, and Yoseka's page doesn't state one either. Source: https://webcatalog.pilot.co.jp/products/DispDetail.do?volumeName=00004&itemID=t000100004107 - Good for: Note-taking, Everyday carry. ### Pilot KIRE-NA twin highlighter (SKIW-1) colors - Ink colors (10 standard, 0 special edition): Pink; Orange; Yellow; Green; Blue; Pale Pink; Pale Orange; Pale Green; Pale Blue; Warm Gray. - Per Pilot Japan press release (https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2024/10/15/kire-na.html), checked 2026-11-02. Color names per Pilot Japan's press release and web catalog, in English as Yoseka spells the pale five. We have no color chips, so each swatch is a representative tint picked to match the name, not sampled from a photo. Shops stock different colors; check the listing. ## Key takeaways - Pilot Japan lists the Kire-Na at 136.6 mm (5.4 in) long, 10.9 mm across and 8.7 g, with a fine end up to 0.5 mm and a bold end up to 3.3 mm. - Pilot says its quick-dry pigment ink dries in 1 second on copy paper, by Pilot's own testing. - There are 10 colors: 5 basic (pink, orange, yellow, green, blue) and 5 pale (pale pink, pale orange, pale green, pale blue, warm gray). - Pilot launched it on October 26, 2024 at ¥132 (about US$0.80) with tax, and says its development took about 6 years. - Pilot announced on February 18, 2025 that the Kire-Na won the Grand Prize in Japan's Bungu-ya-san Taisho 2025 stationery-shop awards. ## What is the Pilot Kire-Na? **It is a twin highlighter built to draw straight lines and keep the page clean.** Pilot's October 15, 2024 press release says it was made for students who want tidy notes and textbooks, and answers three complaints: lines that wander, smeared writing under the stripe, and slow-drying ink. The name comes from the idea that a clean line tidies both the page and the mind. Pilot's development story says the team spent about six years on it, listening to students. ## Pilot Kire-Na specs | Spec | Value | |---|---| | Maker | Pilot Corporation, Japan | | Model | SKIW-1 | | Ends | Twin: fine end and bold end | | Line widths | Up to 0.5 mm fine, up to 3.3 mm bold (Pilot Japan) | | Ink | Water-based pigment ink | | Cap | Twin cap | | Length | 136.6 mm (5.4 in) | | Largest diameter | 10.9 mm (0.43 in) | | Weight | 8.7 g (0.31 oz) | | Japanese list price | ¥132 (about US$0.80) with tax | | Price band | $ (under $5); Yoseka's US listing is inside it | ## What is the "Kichinto" guide? **It is a plastic guide on both ends of the chip that touches the page and steadies the stroke.** Pilot calls it the Kichinto Guide, from a Japanese word for neat and exact. Yoseka's page calls it a "Kitchen Guide", which looks like a mistranslation of the maker's name, so we use Pilot's. Pilot says the chip is a flexible nylon, so its full width meets the page even where an open textbook curves. The guide also stops the tip pressing hard on writing underneath. Pilot says the chip soaks up ink at the end of a stroke, so the end doesn't darken as much and the ink shows through the back less. ![Close-up of the Pilot Kire-Na chisel tip: a flexible nylon chip between two plastic guides that rest on a curved book page](https://stationerytimes.com/images/pilot-kire-na-highlighter-tip-guide.svg?v=4f2e7995) *The guide and chip as Pilot describes them, drawn by eye. Original illustration made for this guide. © Stationery Times.* ## How fast does the ink dry? **Pilot says it dries in 1 second on copy paper.** That is Pilot's own testing, not ours. The pigment ink is water-based, and Pilot's pitch is that it keeps your hand and the page clean. For more highlighters that resist bleeding, see our [best highlighters that don't bleed](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-highlighters-that-dont-bleed/) roundup. ## What colors does the Kire-Na come in? **Ten: five basic and five pale.** Pilot's basic set is pink, orange, yellow, green and blue. The pale set is pale pink, pale orange, pale green, pale blue and warm gray. Yoseka sells the pale five. Pilot lists five-color sets of each at ¥660 (about US$4.20) with tax. Our swatches are tints picked to match the names, not sampled from photos. ## Who is the Kire-Na for? **Students and note-takers who highlight textbooks and want straight, quick-drying lines.** The fit is documented, not tested by us. - **Note-taking:** the fine end draws up to 0.5 mm and Pilot says the ink dries in 1 second. - **Everyday carry:** Pilot Japan lists 136.6 mm and 8.7 g. Skip it if you want a fluorescent look: the pale set is soft by design. For an erasable highlighter see the [FriXion Light](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/pilot-frixion-light-highlighter/), and for more Japanese picks see [best Japanese highlighters](https://stationerytimes.com/guides/best-japanese-highlighters/). ## Did the Kire-Na win an award? **Yes: the Grand Prize in Bungu-ya-san Taisho 2025.** Pilot's notice, dated February 18, 2025, says the prize is run by the publisher Fusosha, with stationery-shop staff as judges, for products released in the previous year. We haven't seen the judging notes. ## Where is the Kire-Na made, and what does it cost? **Pilot doesn't say where it is made.** Its catalog and press release give no country, and Yoseka doesn't either, so we list it as not stated. At launch and now Pilot lists ¥132 (about US$0.80) with tax, ¥120 (about US$0.80) before tax. Yoseka's US listing for the pale colors, read on November 2, 2026, was US$2. We haven't compared shipping or fees. ## Frequently asked questions ### What do the plastic guides on the Kire-Na do? Pilot says they sit on both ends of the chip and touch the page, which steadies the stroke so lines come out straight and the tip presses less on writing underneath. ### How fast does Kire-Na ink dry? Pilot says its quick-dry pigment ink dries in 1 second on copy paper, a figure from Pilot's own testing that we haven't measured. ### Will the Kire-Na smear pen or pencil lines? Pilot says the guide keeps tip pressure low, so highlighting over pencil or ballpoint is less likely to smear and dirty the tip. We haven't tested it. ### How many ink colors does the Kire-Na offer? Ten: pink, orange, yellow, green and blue as the basic set, and pale pink, pale orange, pale green, pale blue and warm gray as the pale set. ### Is the Kire-Na a pen with two tips? Yes. Pilot calls it a twin type, with a wide chisel-style end up to 3.3 mm and a fine end up to 0.5 mm; Yoseka calls the fine end a bullet tip. ### Which award did the Kire-Na receive in 2025? Pilot announced on February 18, 2025 that it won the Grand Prize in Bungu-ya-san Taisho 2025, judged by stationery-shop staff on products released in the past year. ### Is the Kire-Na sold in sets? Yes. Pilot lists five-color basic and pale sets at ¥660 (about US$4.20) with tax, plus limited sets of the same price with a soft ruler. ## Sources - [Pilot Japan press release, October 15, 2024: KIRE-NA highlighter (launch October 26, 2024; ¥132; Kichinto guide; 1-second ink; ten colors; sets; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.pilot.co.jp/press_release/2024/10/15/kire-na.html) - [Pilot Japan web catalog: SKIW-1-P KIRE-NA pink (JAN 4902505676178; 136.6 mm; 10.9 mm; 8.7 g; 0.5 and 3.3 mm; twin cap; pigment ink; ten color codes; read November 2, 2026)](https://webcatalog.pilot.co.jp/products/DispDetail.do?volumeName=00004&itemID=t000100004107) - [Pilot Japan: development story of the KIRE-NA (about six years of development, student feedback; read November 2, 2026)](https://www.pilot.co.jp/media/story/020.html) - [Pilot Japan notice, February 18, 2025: KIRE-NA wins the Grand Prize of Bungu-ya-san Taisho 2025 (read November 2, 2026)](https://www.pilot.co.jp/information/01/2025/02/18/2025.html) - [Yoseka Stationery: Pilot Kire-Na Dual Tip Highlighter, Pale Colors (five pale colors, bullet tip, listed December 6, 2024; read November 2, 2026)](https://yosekastationery.com/products/pilot-kire-na-dual-tip-highlighter-pale-colors)