We have many options to create artwork with Honesty characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Honesty 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 honesty.
Quick links to words on this page...






This is a word list that was requested by a customer. Word lists are not that common in Chinese, but we've put this one on the best order/context to make it as natural as possible.
We used the "honor" that leans toward the definition of "dignity" since that seemed like the best match for the other two words.
Please note: These are three two-character words. You should choose the single-column format when you get to the options when you order this selection. The two-column option would split one word or it would be arranged with four characters on one side and two on the other.


Honesty is being truthful and sincere. It is important because it builds trust. When people are honest, they can be relied on not to lie, cheat or steal. Being honest means that you accept yourself as you are. When you are open and trustworthy, others can believe in you.
Please note that the second Kanji sometimes has an alternate form in Japanese. Let us know if you want the alternate form shown to the right.
Note: This entry is cross-listed as "integrity" because it also fits that definition.

This character means real, true, honest, or solid. It is one of several ways to express the idea of truth.
Note: In some context, this can carry extended meanings of reality, actuality, really, sincerity, or substance.

This character means truth, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust and/or confidence.
This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

This is another character that expresses the idea of honesty. It can also mean truth, faith, believe in, fidelity, sincerity, trust and/or confidence.
Some have included this in the list for the Bushido, although "makoto" is probably more common/popular.
Note: In some context, this character can mean letter; news or envoy. However, alone, it will generally be read with the honesty-meaning.
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here
See Also... Loyalty Trustworthiness Trustworthy


Integrity is living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere. Integrity helps you to listen to your conscience, to do the right thing, and to tell the truth. You act with integrity when your words and actions match. Integrity gives you self-respect and a peaceful heart.
Please note that the second Kanji sometimes has an alternate form in Japanese. Let us know if you want the alternate form shown to the right.
Note: This entry is cross-listed as "honesty" because it also fits that definition.
Beyond Integrity, this word also means "upright" and "honest" in Chinese. Means "integrity", "honesty" or "frankness" in Japanese.

This is a simple way to express the idea that something is real, true, truth or genuine.
Occasionally, this character is used to refer to a Buddhist sect that originated in the 13th century.
This character is commonly used as a compound with other characters to create ideas like "true love".
There are two ways to write this character, shown here is the most common way in China, however, a slight stroke variation is used in Korean Hanja. If you want that version, just let us know when you place your order.


Beyond "truth" in Chinese, this can also be used to say "the actual facts" or "genuine" depending on context.
This also means "truth" in Japanese, just not as commonly used.





This is a nice one if you know a vintner or wine seller - or wine lover - although the actual meaning might not be exactly what you think or hope.
The literal meaning is that someone drinking wine is more likely to let the truth slip out. It can also be translated as, "People speak their true feelings after drinking alcohol".
It's long-believed in many parts of Asia that one can not consciously hold up a facade of lies when getting drunk, and therefore the truth will come out with a few drinks.
I've had the experience where a Korean man would not trust me until I got drunk with him (I was trying to gain access to the black market in North Korea which is tough to do as an untrusted outsider) - so I think this idea is still well-practiced in many Asian countries.
VS 
Please note that there are two common ways to write the second character of this phrase. The way it's written will be left up to the mood of the calligrapher, unless you let us know that you have a certain preference.
See Also... Truth
Wall scroll artwork shown on this page is priced as follows:
1 character $29.88 each
2-3 characters $39.88 each
5-10 characters $59.88 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) | |||
| Fidelity Honor Courage | 信义尊严勇气 信義尊嚴勇氣 | n/a | xìn yì zūn yán yǒng qì xin yi zun yan yong qi | xin4 yi4 zun1 yan2 yong3 qi4 xinyizunyanyongqi | ||
| Honesty | 正直 正直 | shoujiki shojiki | zhèng zhí zheng zhi | zheng4 zhi2 zhengzhi | ||
| Honesty | 实 實 | n/a | shí shi | shi2 shi | ||
| Honesty | 诚 誠 | makoto | chéng cheng | cheng2 cheng | ||
| Honesty / Fidelity | 信 信 | shin | xìn xin | xin4 xin | ||
| Integrity | 正直 正直 | shoujiki shojiki | zhèng zhí zheng zhi | zheng4 zhi2 zhengzhi | ||
| True / Real / Genuine | 真 真 or 眞 | shin | zhēn zhen | zhen1 zhen | ||
| Truth | 真相 真相 | shin sou shinsou shin so | zhēn xiàng zhen xiang | zhen1 xiang4 zhenxiang | ||
| In Wine there is Truth | 酒后吐真言 酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 | n/a | jiǔ hòu tǔ zhēn yán jiu hou tu zhen yan | jiu3 hou4 tu3 zhen1 yan2 jiuhoutuzhenyan | ||
| 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 "Honesty" 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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