Air in Chinese / Japanese...

空氣 means air or atmosphere in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This is an unusual title for an Asian calligraphy wall scroll, but many of our western customers have requested it.

While 空氣 is common in Chinese and Korean Hanja (and ancient Japanese Kanji); please note that in modern Japanese, the second character is written as 気, with slightly fewer strokes. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the character to the right. Both versions are understood by native Chinese, Japanese, and many (but not all) Korean people. You should choose the appropriate version based on the intended audience for your calligraphy artwork.

地水火風空 is the specifically-Japanese version of the five elements.

This is a little different than the ancient or original Chinese version.

The elements are written in this order:
1. Earth / Terra / Ground
2. Water
3. Fire
4. Wind / Air
5. Sky / Emptiness / Void / Ether

Note: This set of Kanji can also be romanized as “ji sui ka fuu kuu,” “jisuikafuukuu,” or “jisuikafuku.”

These can also be written in the order 地火風水空 (chi ka sui fuu kuu). Let me know when you place your order if you want the Kanji to be in this character order.

天 means “heaven” or “sky” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

The context determines if you are talking about heaven or the sky above (often they are the same concept).

When combined with other characters, words like “today” and “tomorrow” are created. While sometimes the character for “sun” is used to mean “day,” often “sky” represents “day” in Asian languages.
Example: 今天 (this sky) = “today,” 明天 (next sky) = “tomorrow” in modern Chinese and Japanese.

In Chinese culture, regardless of which religion, it's almost always assumed that God (and any other deities) live up above the sky. The concept of God living in the sky is likely the reason heaven is associated with this character.
The equation goes something like this: God's domain is the sky, thus, the sky is heaven.

Note: As a single character, this is a little ambiguous, so you might want to choose our Kingdom of Heaven selection instead.

See Also:  Heaven | God | Today | Sun

虛空 means empty space, empty sky, or void.

In the Buddhist context, it can mean “emptiness of the material world.” This can also be used as an adjective to modify other words with a meaning of unreal or insubstantial.

天空 means sky in most contexts but it can also refer to air, space, the heavens, or ether.

宙 means universe, cosmos, or outer space in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also mean air or midair depending on context.

In Korean, this can mean eternity in some contexts.

In Japanese, this can also be the female given name Haruka.

四大元素 is the title for the four classical chemical elements (fire, earth, air, and water) in Japanese.

四大 = four great/big. 元素 = elements. So 四大元素 literally means “Four Great Elements.”