Buy a Custom Fish Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

This is the character that means fish in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This is the Japanese Kanji which created the title "koi fish". This word is pronounced "koi" in Japanese.

Here is the reality: This character actually means "carp" in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. Koi fish really are carp (by species) and were breed to obtain colorful variations in ancient China. Some generations later, some of these colorful fish were transported to Japan, where they also became vastly popular.

Note: Please see our other entry for koi fish (Nishiki Goi) which is a more normal selection for a Japanese koi fish enthusiast to have on their wall.

This is one Chinese title for what westerners call "koi fish". This literally means "carp fish" (which is what koi fish really are). You probably want the other title, which is more specific to the colorful fish that you are thinking of. Look for "Nishiki Goi" on our website.

If you like or collect and maintain koi fish, this is the wall scroll for you.

Technically, this is a certain and revered species of "koi fish" in Japan, but it is the most normal selection for a wall scroll (more normal than the actual Kanji for "koi" or "fish" alone.

This literally means "brocade carp" or "embroidered carp". This term is also used to mean the same thing in China (which is the origin of koi fish breeding and cultivation, several generations before they became popular in Japan).

For those of you that don't know, the Kanji for "koi" (which is pronounced "goi" in this entry) really means "carp". If you want the word that means "koi fish", it would just be the generic word for "carp fish". That would include both colorful carp, and the more mundane gray carp (the ones people eat, if they don't mind lots of bones).

In 632 BC, Duke Wen of the Kingdom of Jin was about to lead an army against the forces of the Kingdom of Chu.
The Duke asked one of his advisers, Jiu Fan, how they could possibly win the impending battle, as they were drastically outnumbered.
Jiu Fan said, "All is fair in war", and went on to suggest a plan of dishonorable tactics (cheating).
The Duke was not sure of this advice, so he asked another adviser, Yong Ji, who replied, "If you catch fish by draining the pond, you can certainly get all the fish. But there will be no fish the following year. You can cheat this one time in battle, but such tactics can only be used once, as the enemy will be wise in future encounters".

The Duke heard the words of his wiser adviser, but cheated to gain victory in the battle. However, he rewarded Yong Ji more than Jiu Fan at the victory celebration, stating that while Jiu Fan's advice gained one victory, the wise words of Yong Ji would last forever.

This Chinese idiom/proverb is still used, over 2600 years later to remind people not to burn bridges, cheat, or dishonor oneself in exchange for a short term gain, while sacrificing the future.

This is very similar to the meaning of the English phrase, "Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs".

This is a common phrase to hear around the time of Chinese New Years. Directly translated character by character it means, "Year Year Have Surplus". A more natural English translation including the deeper meaning would be "Every Year may you Have Abundance in your life".

On a side note, this phrase often goes with a gift of something related to fish. This is because the last character "yu" which means surplus or abundance has exactly the same pronunciation in Mandarin as the word for "fish".

This is also one of the most common titles for traditional paintings that feature koi fish.

In China, this phrase might make an odd wall scroll - a customer asked special for this common phrase which is why it appears here. See my other abundance-related words if you want a wall scroll that will seem more comfortable in Chinese culture.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly-used term.

See Also...  Prosperity | Good Fortune

This is the Chinese word for mermaid.

It literally means "beautiful human fish".

This is the Japanese, Korean and Chinese word for "merman" or "mermaid".

It literally means "human fish".

This is a non-gender-specific or unisex word in all three languages.

This is the Chinese way to write Pisces (fish) of western astrology. Please note this version is only used in Chinese (see other version if Japanese is your audience).

See Also...  Chinese Zodiac

This is the Japanese way to write Pisces (fish) of western astrology. Please note this version is only used in Japanese (see other version if Chinese is your audience).

See Also...  Chinese Zodiac

This is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to wish someone a long and successful career.

It's really about the 10,000 Flight of the Peng (Peng, also known as Roc is a mythical fish that can turn into a bird and take flight).

Breaking down each character: 1. Peng or Roc (a kind of bird).
2. Journey (in this case, a flight).
3. 10,000 (Ten Thousand).
4. Li is a unit of distance often referred to as a "Chinese Mile", though the real distance is about half a kilometer.

Direct Translation: "Peng's Journey [of] 10,000 Li".
Literal meaning: "The 10,000-Li Flying Range Of The Roc".
Perceived meaning: "To have a bright future" or "To go far".

This proverb/idiom comes from the book of Zhuangzi. It tells the tale of a huge fish which could turn into a gigantic bird. This bird was called "peng" and was many miles long. This legendary size allowed the Peng to fly from the Northern Sea to the Southern Sea in a single bound.

Wishing someone "a Peng's Journey of 10,000 Li", will imply that they will be able to travel far without stopping, and will have great success, a long career, and a prosperous future.

This is the single character for the color yellow in Chinese.

In China, yellow is traditionally the color of the emperor. In fact, there was a time when only the emperor could wear yellow clothing, or own yellow pet fish. Note: Goldfish were breed originally in China for the emperor. When the perfect yellow fish was breed, all but the emperor were banned from owning any. Thus a more orange-colored goldfish dominated the market.

This character is not a common selection for a wall scroll. Even if your Chinese surname is Huang (Yellow) or your Korean surname is Hwang (yellow), it's still probably not appropriate.

This character is written with a slight variation in Simplified Chinese and modern Japanese. Click on the image to the right if you want this alternate version.