We have many options to create artwork with Family characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Family Asian character tattoo, just email us and we'll help you select from many forms of ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of Family.
Quick links to words on this page...

This is the single-character that means family in Chinese and Japanese. It can also mean home or household depending on context.
Pronunciation varies in Japanese depending on context. When pronounced "uchi" in Japanese, it means home, but when pronounced "ke", it means family.
Note that there is an alternate form of this character. It has an additional radical on the left side, but no difference in meaning or pronunciation. The version shown above is the most universal, and is also ancient/traditional. The image shown to the right is only for reference.




This is a special phrase that we composed for a "family by adoption" or "adoptive family".
It's the dream of every orphan and foster child to be formally adopted and find their "forever family".
The first two characters mean forever, eternal, eternity, perpetuity, immortality, and/or permanence. The third character connects this idea with the last character which means "family" and/or "home".




This phrase can also be translated as "The whole world is one family". It is used to mean that all humans are related under heaven.
The first two characters can be translated as "the world", "whole country", "descended from heaven", "earth under heaven", "the public" or "the ruling power".
The second two characters can mean "one family", "a household", "one's folks", "a house" or "a home". Usually this is read as "a family".
Note: This phrase can be understood in Japanese, though not commonly used.


This is a common way to express family, household, or home in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
However, for a wall scroll, we recommend the single-character form (which is just the first character of this two character word). If you want that, just click here: Family Single-Character
Mandarin: suǒ yǒu de chéng gōng dōu wú fǎ bǔ cháng jiā tíng de shī bài















Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This could also be translated in English as "No success can compensate for failure in the home".
Also, the word for "home" can be exchanged with "family".




This old Chinese idiom is roughly equal to the English phrase "Home is where the heart is". If you know Chinese, you may recognize the first character as home and the third as heart.


This is how to write "child" in Chinese. There are several ways to write child or offspring in Chinese, but this is the best form for calligraphy, or written (versus oral) form.
If children are important to you, this might be the scroll you want. Or if you are a child at heart, this also works.
In Japanese, they use a slightly-morphed version of the original Chinese first character. If you want the special Japanese version, please click on the Kanji image shown to the right, instead of the button above. Note: Japanese people would still be able to understand the Chinese version and vice versa.



This is the love between siblings. When you love, protect, care for, and have a deep bond that only brothers or sisters can.
The actual translation is "Hand and Foot" but it is said the relationship between brothers or sisters is like that of hands and feet. They belong together, and complete the body. Even though this says "hand and foot", it will always be read with the brotherly and sisterly love meaning in Chinese.
Note: During the past 20 years, the "One child policy" in China is slowly making this term obsolete.


This is the title for a female child in which you have a sworn duty to raise, should the girl's parents die. The second character specifically designates that we are talking about a female child, thus the title God Daughter.

This is the oral way that most Chinese people refer to their mothers. Often, they will put this together twice (two of the same character in a row) to create a word that sounds like "Mama". That's absolutely what little kids call their mothers in China. This Chinese "Mama" is the rough equivalent of "Mommy" in English. Beyond a certain age, Chinese will start to just say "Ma", which is like saying "Mom".
This entry is just here for a language lesson. This would make a strange wall scroll by Chinese standards. In Chinese, there are sometimes oral words that don't seem appropriate when written in calligraphy, and this is one of them. See our entry for "Loving Mother" for a better selection.
See Also... Loving Mother


This simply means "mother and daughter" kind of as a unit, or as if mother and daughter are a whole together.
This is an unusual selection for a calligraphy wall scroll, and can be read many different ways. Your native Asian friends might wonder what you are trying to say. They might even read it as meaning "a mother and daughter without a dad".
This entry was added to our database for a customer's special request. It has the same meaning in Chinese Characters and Korean Hanja.
See Also... Mother And Son


These characters create the title of loving father, affectionate father, or merciful father. A great gift for your dad.


These characters create the title of loving mother, affectionate mother, or merciful mother. A great gift for your mom.





This is what you would call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.






Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This is "Loving Grandfather" in the formal way that people in Southern China usually call their mother's father (maternal grandfather).





This is "Loving Grandfather" using an informal way to call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Southern China.





This is "Loving Grandfather" using the most common way for people in Northern China to refer to their father's father (paternal grandfather).





This is "Loving Grandfather" in the way people in Southern China call their father's father (paternal grandfather).





This is "Loving Grandmother" in the common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Northern China.





This is "Loving Grandmother" in a common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China.






Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This is "Loving Grandmother" in the formal way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China.





This is "Loving Grandmother" in probably the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in northern China.





This is "Loving Grandmother" in the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in Southern China.





This is what you would call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.






Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This is the formal way that people in Southern China usually call their mother's father (maternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is an informal way to call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is the most common way for people in Northern China to refer to their father's father (paternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is the how people in Southern China call their father's father (paternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is the common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is a common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.






Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
The formal way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





This is probably the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.





The most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.


This simply means "mother and son", or the essence of the relationship and bond between mother and son.
This is really a single word that expresses this idea (showing how important or significant this bond is).
This is not the most common choice for a wall scroll, it is acceptable if you feel this term is important to you.
See Also... Mother And Daughter





This can be translated as "No one knows a son better than his father".
This idiom is based on the idea that after spending many years together, family members know everything about each other. Better than anyone else, a father knows the qualities and shortcomings of his son.
If you are looking for something about "father and son", this is probably the best selection.
This is the original phrase (very old) but others have been composed about various combinations of mothers, sons, daughters, and fathers.
Wall scroll artwork shown on this page is priced as follows:
1 character $29.88 each
2-3 characters $39.88 each
4 characters $49.88 each
5-10 characters $59.88 each
11 or more characters $69.88 each
After you select your calligraphy, our website will take you through the process of customizing your artwork.
Options for other mounting such as portraits are available for $13 less.
We also offer the services of a famous master calligrapher for a $40 fee on any scroll if you are looking for investment-quality calligraphy.
If you chose our famous master-calligrapher, you also get more choices for silk and paper colors and the option for larger artwork.
All of our calligraphy is completely done by hand in the ancient way.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to our art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Therefore, allow at least 3 weeks for delivery from the time you place your order.
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The scroll that I am holding in this picture is a "regular size"
4-character wall scroll.
As you can see, it is a great size to hang on your wall.
(We also offer custom wall scrolls in larger sizes)
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
The following table is only helpful for those studying Chinese (or Japanese), and perhaps helps search engines to find this page when someone enters Romanized Chinese or Japanese
| Title | Characters Simplified Traditional |
Japanese Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Hanyu-Pinyin (Romanized Chinese) | |||
| Family / Home | 家 家 / 傢 | ei / uchi / ke ei/uchi/ke | jiā jia | jia1 jia | ||
| Forever Family | 永远的家 永遠的家 | n/a | yǒng yuǎn de jiā yong yuan de jia | yong3 yuan3 de jia1 yongyuandejia | ||
| One Family Under Heaven | 天下一家 天下一家 | tenka ikka tenkaikka tenka ika | tiān xià yī jiā tian xia yi jia | tian1 xia4 yi1 jia1 tianxiayijia | ||
| Family / Household | 家庭 家庭 / 傢庭 | ka tei katei | jiā tíng jia ting | jia1 ting2 jiating | ||
| Any success can not compensate for failure in the home | 所有的成功都无法补偿家庭的失败 所有的成功都無法補償家庭的失敗 | n/a | suǒ yǒu de chéng gōng dōu wú fǎ bǔ cháng jiā tíng de shī bài suo you de cheng gong dou wu fa bu chang jia ting de shi bai | suo3 you3 de cheng2 gong1 dou1 wu2 fa3 bu3 chang2 jia1 ting2 de shi1 bai4 | ||
| Home is where the heart is | 家由心生 家由心生 | n/a | jiā yóu xīn shēng jia you xin sheng | jia1 you2 xin1 sheng1 jiayouxinsheng | ||
| Child | 儿童 兒童 | jidou jido | ér tóng er tong | er2 tong2 ertong | ||
| Brotherly and Sisterly Love | 手足情 手足情 | n/a | shǒu zú qíng shou zu qing | shou3 zu2 qing2 shouzuqing | ||
| God Daughter | 教女 教女 | n/a | jiào nǚ jiao nv | jiao4 nv3 jiaonv | ||
| Mama / Mother / Mommy | 妈 媽 | n/a | mā ma | ma1 ma | ||
| Mother and Daughter | 母女 母女 | n/a | mǔ nǚ mu nv | mu3 nv3 munv | ||
| Loving Father | 慈父 慈父 | jifu | cí fù ci fu | ci2 fu4 cifu | ||
| Loving Mother | 慈母 慈母 | ji bo jibo | cí mǔ ci mu | ci2 mu3 cimu | ||
| Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的老爷 慈祥的老爺 | n/a | cí xiáng de lǎo ye ci xiang de lao ye | ci2 xiang2 de lao3 ye cixiangdelaoye | ||
| Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的外祖父 慈祥的外祖父 | n/a | cí xiáng de wài zǔ fù ci xiang de wai zu fu | ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 fu4 cixiangdewaizufu | ||
| Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的外公 慈祥的外公 | n/a | cí xiáng de wài gōng ci xiang de wai gong | ci2 xiang2 de wai4 gong1 cixiangdewaigong | ||
| Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的爷爷 慈祥的爺爺 | n/a | cí xiáng de yé ye ci xiang de ye ye | ci2 xiang2 de ye2 ye cixiangdeyeye | ||
| Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的祖父 慈祥的祖父 | n/a | cí xiáng de zǔ fù ci xiang de zu fu | ci2 xiang2 de zu3 fu4 cixiangdezufu | ||
| Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的姥姥 慈祥的姥姥 | n/a | cí xiáng de lǎo lao ci xiang de lao lao | ci2 xiang2 de lao3 lao cixiangdelaolao | ||
| Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的外婆 慈祥的外婆 | n/a | cí xiáng de wài pó ci xiang de wai po | ci2 xiang2 de wai4 po2 cixiangdewaipo | ||
| Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的外祖母 慈祥的外祖母 | n/a | cí xiáng de wài zǔ mǔ ci xiang de wai zu mu | ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 mu3 cixiangdewaizumu | ||
| Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的奶奶 慈祥的奶奶 | n/a | cí xiáng de nǎi nai ci xiang de nai nai | ci2 xiang2 de nai3 nai cixiangdenainai | ||
| Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的祖母 慈祥的祖母 | n/a | cí xiáng de zǔ mǔ ci xiang de zu mu | ci2 xiang2 de zu3 mu3 cixiangdezumu | ||
| Dear Grandfather | 亲爱的老爷 親愛的老爺 | n/a | qín ài de lǎo ye qin ai de lao ye | qin2 ai4 de lao3 ye qinaidelaoye | ||
| Dear Grandfather | 亲爱的外祖父 親愛的外祖父 | n/a | qín ài de wài zǔ fù qin ai de wai zu fu | qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 fu4 qinaidewaizufu | ||
| Dear Grandfather | 亲爱的外公 親愛的外公 | n/a | qín ài de wài gōng qin ai de wai gong | qin2 ai4 de wai4 gong1 qinaidewaigong | ||
| Dear Grandfather | 亲爱的爷爷 親愛的爺爺 | n/a | qín ài de yé ye qin ai de ye ye | qin2 ai4 de ye2 ye qinaideyeye | ||
| Dear Grandfather | 亲爱的祖父 親愛的祖父 | n/a | qín ài de zǔ fù qin ai de zu fu | qin2 ai4 de zu3 fu4 qinaidezufu | ||
| Dear Grandmother | 亲爱的姥姥 親愛的姥姥 | n/a | qín ài de lǎo lao qin ai de lao lao | qin2 ai4 de lao3 lao qinaidelaolao | ||
| Dear Grandmother | 亲爱的外婆 親愛的外婆 | n/a | qín ài de wài pó qin ai de wai po | qin2 ai4 de wai4 po2 qinaidewaipo | ||
| Dear Grandmother | 亲爱的外祖母 親愛的外祖母 | n/a | qín ài de wài zǔ mǔ qin ai de wai zu mu | qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 mu3 qinaidewaizumu | ||
| Dear Grandmother | 亲爱的奶奶 親愛的奶奶 | n/a | qín ài de nǎi nai qin ai de nai nai | qin2 ai4 de nai3 nai qinaidenainai | ||
| Dear Grandmother | 亲爱的祖母 親愛的祖母 | n/a | qín ài de zǔ mǔ qin ai de zu mu | qin2 ai4 de zu3 mu3 qinaidezumu | ||
| Mother and Son | 母子 母子 | bo shi boshi | mǔ zǐ mu zi | mu3 zi3 muzi | ||
| No one knows a son better than the father | 知子莫若父 知子莫若父 | n/a | zhī zǐ mò ruò fù zhi zi mo ruo fu | zhi1 zi3 mo4 ruo4 fu4 zhizimoruofu | ||
| If you have not set up your computer to display Chinese, the characters in this table probably look like empty boxes or random text garbage.
This is why we spent hundreds of hours making images so that you could view the characters in the "Family" listings above. If you want your Windows computer to be able to display Chinese characters you can either head to your Regional and Language options in your Win XP control panel, select the [Languages] tab and click on [Install files for East Asian Languages]. This task will ask for your Win XP CD to complete in most cases. If you don't have your Windows XP CD, or are running Windows 98, you can also download/run the simplified Chinese font package installer from Microsoft which works independently with Win 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It's a 2.5MB download, so if you are on dial up, start the download and go make a sandwich. | ||||||
All custom calligraphy items are made-to-order in our little Beijing artwork-mounting workshop.
Please note: Rush service can be as fast as two weeks, but regular service is over a month for delivery.
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