Artwork
Search:

Exact
Phrase

Oriental Outpost LogoFlagTowerwatercolor
Chinese Calligraphy Search
ArtPaintingsAsian Art Gallery

Adventures in Asian Art


Custom Friendship Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

We have many options to create artwork with Friendship characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Friendship Asian character tattoo, you can purchase that here: Asian / Chinese / Japanese Tattoo Image Service ...and we'll give you many tattoo image templates of the ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of friendship.


Quick links to words on this page...




Select

Friendship

Chinese and Korean

Mandarin: yǒu yì
Japanese: yuugi
Korean: 우의

友
誼

Can also be defined as companionship or fellowship. This word is common in Chinese and Korean Hanja but seldom used in Japanese anymore.

See Also...  Partnership | Friendliness

Select

Friendship

Japanese and Korean

Mandarin: yǒu qíng
Japanese: yuujou
Korean: 우정

友
情

Can also be translated as "camaraderie" or "fellowship". But this character combination is only used commonly in Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja.

Select

Friend / Friendship

Single Character

Mandarin: yǒu
Japanese: tomo
Korean:

友

This is the simplest way to express the idea of friends or friendship in Chinese. It can mean friend, companion, or pal in Japanese. In Korean, it can mean friend, companion, or associate.

This single characters is open to interpretation, so it can mean different things to different people (not necessarily a bad thing, as you can decide what it means to you). If you want a more concisely-defined word, you should probably pick one of our multi-character friendship-related words.

See Also...  Best Friends | Friendly

Select

Best Friends / Closest Friend

Mandarin: zhì yǒu

至
友

This one way to say best friend in Chinese.

The first character can mean "most", "extreme" or "best".
The second character means "friend" or "friends" (plural forms work differently in China).

Can also be translated as "close friend" or "most intimate friend".

See Also...  Soulmates

Select

Best Friends

Mandarin: zhì jiāo

至
交

This an alternate way to say best friend in Chinese.

The first character can mean "most", "extreme" or "best". The second character means "making friends" or "building friendship". There's sort of a suggestion with the second character that fate caused you to intersect in life and become friends (that character can mean intersection in some context).

This can also mean "most intimate friend", "very good friend of long standing", or "closest friend".

See Also...  Soulmates

Select

Best Friends (Japanese Only)

Japanese: shin yuu
Korean: 친우

親
友

This is the Japanese way to say "best friend".

The first character can mean "relative" or sometimes "parents". The second character means "friend". Think about the close relationship that Japanese people have with their parents and relatives, and this starts to mean "close friends".

Some Japanese-English dictionaries also translate this as "bosom friend", "old friend", "intimate friend", "buddy", "crony" or "chum".

Note that in Chinese, this has the meaning of "relatives and friends" so only select this if Japanese is your target audience.

Select

Christian Friend

Mandarin: jiào yǒu
Korean: 교우

教
友

Depending on context, this word can mean Christian or "friend of the same religion". While technically it could be any religion, this is used mostly within the Christian faith. You can also translate this as "Christian friend" and in some cases "Church member".

Back to the top of this page

Select

Friend (Japanese)

Japanese: tomo dachi

友
達

This is the most common way to say "friend" in Japanese.

See Also...  Best Friends | Friendly

Select

Friendliness

Mandarin: yǒu hǎo
Japanese: yuukou
Korean: 우호

友
好

This Chinese/Japanese word can also be defined as "amity", "friendly", and "outgoing".

Select

Friends Forever

Mandarin: yǒng yuǎn de péng yǒu

永
遠
的
朋
友

This is exactly what the title suggests. This means friends that are eternal or a friendship that will last forever - you will remain the best of friends as long as you live.

The first two characters mean forever, eternal, eternity, perpetuity, immortality, and/or permanence.

The middle character links the words (it's a possessive article).

The last two characters represent friendship, or simply "friends".

Back to the top of this page

Select

Most Sincere Friend / Honest Friend
Real Friend / Best Friend

Mandarin: zhì yǒu

摯
友

This one way to say best friend in Chinese.

The first character can mean "honest" or "most sincere". The second character means "friend" or "friends" (plural forms work differently in Chinese).

See Also...  Soulmates

Select

Sworn Friend / Ally

Mandarin: méng yǒu
Japanese: meiyuu
Korean: 맹우

盟
友

This means a sworn friend or ally. If you stand on the same side of an issue with someone, and perhaps fight for the same cause together, this is the term you would use to describe such a partner.

There may not be a personal relationship, as this term is also used to describe whole countries that make a coalition, or fight against a common enemy.

This would be most appropriate if you are a high-level military officer, giving this wall scroll to an officer of another country as you join forces together, and go to war.

Select

Kindness

Mandarin: qīn qiè
Japanese: shin setsu
Korean: 친절

親
切

Kindness is showing you care, doing some good to make life better for others. Be thoughtful about people's needs. Show love and compassion to someone who is sad or needs your help. When you are tempted to be cruel, to criticize or tease, decide to be kind instead.

This Chinese / Japanese / Korean word can also mean affectionate, cordial, warmly, or close (emotionally).

See Also...  Love | Caring | Benevolence

Back to the top of this page

Select

Love

Mandarin: ài
Japanese: ai
Korean:

愛

This is a very universal character. It means love in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, old Korean Hanja, and old Vietnamese.

This is one of the most recognized Asian symbols in the west, and is often seen on tee-shirts, coffee mugs, tattoos, and more.

This character can also be defined as affection, to be fond of, to like, or to be keen on. It often refers to romantic love, and is found in phrases like, "I love you". But in Chinese, one can say, "I love that movie" using this character as well.

It's very common for couples to say "I love you" in Chinese. However, in Japanese, "love" is not a term used very often. In fact, a person is more likely to say "I like you" rather than "I love you" in Japanese. So this word is well-known, but seldom spoken.


More about this character:

This may be hard to imagine as a westerner, but the strokes at the top of this love character symbolize family & marriage.

心The symbol in the middle is a little easier to identify. It is the character for "heart" (it can also mean "mind" or "soul"). I guess you can say that no matter if you are from the East or the West, you must put your heart into your love.

友The strokes at the bottom create a modified character that means "friend" or "friendship".

I suppose you could say that the full meaning of this love character is to love your family, spouse, and friends with all of your heart, since all three elements exist in this character.


See Also...  I Love You | Caring | Benevolence | Friendliness | Double Happiness Happy Marriage Wall Scroll

Select

Love and Honor

...two character version

Mandarin: qíng yì

情
義

This means to love and honor. This is more or less the kind of thing you'd find in marriage vows.The first character suggests emotions, passion, and feelings.
In this context, the second character means to honor your lover's wishes, and treat them justly and righteously (fairly).

This is the short and sweet form, there is also a longer poetic form (you can find it here: Love and Honor if it's not on the page you are currently viewing).

See Also...  Love And Honor

Select

Once in a Lifetime (Japanese Only)

Mandarin: yī qī yī huì
Japanese: ichigoichie
Korean: 일기일회

一
期
一
会

This Japanese term can be translated as "for this time only", "chance meeting", "one meeting, one opportunity", "never again", or "one chance in a lifetime".

The characters literally mean "one time one meeting" - of course, the Kanji characters have meaning far beyond a direct translation like this.

Some might use this phrase to talk of an opportunity that presents itself just once in your life. It could also be the single chance-meeting with your true soul mate. Basically an expression for any event that might happen once in a lifetime.

會There is also a traditional version of this phrase. Just the last character is different. The traditional form was used in Japan before WWII and in Korea prior to 1900. This phrase is also somewhat known in China. If you want this traditional form, just click on the character to the right.

Back to the top of this page

Select

Partnership: Marriage

Mandarin: bàn lǚ
Japanese: hanryo
Korean:

伴
侶

This is the kind of partnership in which a good marriage is founded. This Chinese word could also be translated as mates or companionship. This word can also be used as a noun to refer to a partner or companion.

This does not have to include a marriage, but at least refers to a partnership with a deep relationship or bond.

Note that this is not the same as a business partner. Different words are used for various types business partnerships (post your request on our Asian calligraphy forum if you need something in that regard).


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


We dispatch any size order to any country worldwide for a flat rate US$9.80 P&P

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.

A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

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)

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

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.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

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.


A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

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.



See: Our list of specifically Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls. And, check out Our list of specifically old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.



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)
Friendship友谊
友誼
yuugi
yugi
yǒu yì
you yi
you3 yi4
youyi
Friendship友情
友情
yuujou
yujo
yǒu qíng
you qing
you3 qing2
youqing
Friend / Friendship
tomoyǒu
you
you3
you
Best Friends / Closest Friend至友
至友
n/azhì yǒu
zhi you
zhi4 you3
zhiyou
Best Friends至交
至交
n/azhì jiāo
zhi jiao
zhi4 jiao1
zhijiao
Best Friends (Japanese Only)亲友
親友
shin yuu
shinyuu
shin yu
n/a
Christian Friend教友
教友
n/ajiào yǒu
jiao you
jiao4 you3
jiaoyou
Friend (Japanese)友达
友達
tomo dachi
tomodachi
n/a
Friendliness友好
友好
yuukou
yuko
yǒu hǎo
you hao
you3 hao3
youhao
Friends Forever永远的朋友
永遠的朋友
n/ayǒng yuǎn de péng yǒu
yong yuan de peng you
yong3 yuan3 de peng2 you3
yongyuandepengyou
Most Sincere Friend / Honest Friend / Real Friend / Best Friend挚友
摯友
n/azhì yǒu
zhi you
zhi4 you3
zhiyou
Sworn Friend / Ally盟友
盟友
meiyuu
meiyu
méng yǒu
meng you
meng2 you3
mengyou
Kindness亲切
親切
shin setsu
shinsetsu
qīn qiè
qin qie
qin1 qie4
qinqie
Love
aiài
ai
ai4
ai
Love and Honor情义
情義
n/aqíng yì
qing yi
qing2 yi4
qingyi
Once in a Lifetime (Japanese Only)一期一会
一期一會
ichigoichieyī qī yī huì
yi qi yi hui
yi1 qi1 yi1 hui4
yiqiyihui
Partnership: Marriage伴侣
伴侶
hanryobàn lǚ
ban lv
ban4 lv3
banlv
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 "Friendship" 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.
Normal delivery isjust over 3 weeksfor these handmade items.


Key / Important Pages Information Pages "How To" Pages Search Engine & Tech Stuff
Home About Us Asian Art Questions & Answers How We Make Our Wall Scrolls Site Map
Asian Art Gallery About China How Chinese Paintings are Mounted How To Care For Wall Scrolls Asian Language Tools
New Asian Art Arrivals F.A.Q. Asian Art Adventures Framing Suggestions for Chinese Art Characters
Love in Chinese/Japanese Gary's Stories Japanese & Chinese Calligraphy Search How To Frame Asian Art Asian Art Index
Strength in Chinese/Japanese Contact Us Japanese Kakejiku   Chinese / Japanese Dictionary

Copyright Oriental Outpost 2002-2009   -   All Rights Reserved
Image Use Policy | Privacy Policy