The name First in Chinese / Japanese...

所有的成功都無法補償家庭的失敗 is a Chinese proverb that can be translated into English as “No success can compensate for failure in the home.”

Also, the word “home” can be exchanged with “family.”

子を持って知る親の恩 literally translates as: Only after you have a baby, you would appreciate your parents (feel the way they do, etc).

This is a bit like the “walk a mile in another man's shoes” saying. Basically, it's about you cannot fully understand the plight of others until you experience it yourself. It also shows appreciation for the plight of parents.

This Japanese proverb can also be translated a few more ways:

No man knows what he owes to his parents till he comes to have children of his own.

One knows not what one owes to one's parents till one comes to have children of one's own.

Only after you have a baby, you will appreciate your parents or feel the way they do.

Only after becoming a parent yourself do you realize how much you owe [how indebted you are] to your own parents.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

至 is a little strange as calligraphy, but 至 would be the character that means “best” or “extreme” in Chinese and Korean.

The problem is, this is seldom used alone. It's mostly used in combination with other characters to make words like “best friend,” “best food,” and “best love.”

I do not recommend this character for a wall scroll. It's better if you find a more specific term that fits your circumstances.

Note: This can be pronounced in Japanese and has a similar meaning but it is rarely if ever used in modern Japanese.

至愛 can mean the best love or most sincere love of your life.

This could be a romantic love such as your love for your spouse or a boyfriend/girlfriend.

It can also apply to the extreme love you have for your children or a parent and maybe a really good friend.

See Also:  I Love You

最愛 is a Japanese word that means the best love, beloved, or most sincere love of your life.

This could be a romantic love such as your love for your spouse or a boyfriend/girlfriend.

It can also apply to the extreme love you have for your children or a parent and maybe a really good friend.

一番 is often used to mean “best” or “the best” in Japanese.

It actually means “number one” in Japanese.

長女 is a Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji title for eldest daughter or firstborn daughter.

This can also be a given name “Osame” in Japanese.

長男 is a Chinese, old Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji title for eldest son (may be the only son), firstborn son.

This can also be the Japanese personal name “Nobuo.”

家庭至上 is a Chinese phrase that means “family above all else.”

The first two characters mean family, household, or home (they will be read as “family” in this case).

The last two characters mean supreme, paramount, or above all else.

家 is the single character that means family in Chinese and Japanese.

It can also mean home or household depending on context.

Hanging this on your wall suggests that you put “family first.”

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.

惣領 is a Japanese title for the eldest child, the oldest child, firstborn child, or child who carries on the family name.

In more ancient times, this was used to refer to the head of a warrior clan. It can also be a place name or given name “Souryou” or “Soryo” in Japanese.

初戀 means “first love” in Chinese and Japanese.

You could also say that it means “first crush,” “first affection,” or “puppy love.”

In Japanese and Simplified Chinese, they write the second character as shown to the right. If you want this version, click on the characters to the right instead of the Select and Customize button above.

初轉法輪 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for the first turning of the wheel of the dharma.

永遠的家 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.”

See Also:  Family

This is the Japanese and Chinese for Genesis, the first book of Moses in the Bible.

和諧之家 means “harmonious family” or “happy family” in Chinese.

The first two characters relay the idea of happiness and harmony.
The third character is a connecting or possessive article (connects harmony/happiness to family).
The last character means family but can also mean home or household.

和やかな家庭 means “happy family” or “harmonious family” in Japanese.

The first three Kanji create a word that means mild, calm, gentle, quiet, or harmonious. After that is a connecting article. The last two Kanji mean family, home, or household.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

獲得永生的鑰匙是先要活得精彩 is a famous quote from Bruce Lee.

However, when quoted, he was speaking in English. So this is a translation of his English quote into Chinese. Since Bruce spoke both Chinese and English, his quotes sometimes go both ways.

一月 is the month of January, the first month of the year, in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

神愛世人甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們 is the first half of John 3:16 in Chinese.

It reads roughly, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”

This came directly from the Chinese Union Bible first printed in 1919.

家內安全 is the Japanese way of saying “Family First.”

It's a Japanese proverb about the safety and well-being of your family and/or peace and prosperity in the household.

Some Japanese will hang an amulet in their home with these Kanji. The purpose is to keep your family safe from harm.

According to Shinto followers, hanging this in your home is seen as an invocation to God to always keep family members free from harm.

We were looking for a way to say “family first” in Japanese when this proverb came up in the conversation and research. While it doesn't say “family first,” it shows that the safety and well-being of your family is your first or most important priority. So, this proverb is the most natural way to express the idea that you put your family first.

See Also:  Peace and Prosperity

初心忘るべからず is an old Japanese proverb that suggests you try to never forget the enthusiasm you had as a child when you try new things (or even face the day-to-day). Basically, avoid having the mundane attitude that many people get with age.

You'll find this Japanese proverb translated in a few different ways. Here are some of them:
Don't forget your first resolution.
Never forget your childlike enthusiasm.
Forget not the beginner's mind.
Try never to lose your initial enthusiasm (freshness of attitude).

Note: This is sometimes written as 初心忘る可からず. The one shown above is used about 10x more often. There’s only one character difference between the two versions.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

The first character means “eternal” or “forever,” and the second means “not” (together, they mean “never”). The last two characters mean “give up” or “abandon.” Altogether, you can translate this proverb as “never give up” or “never abandon.”

Depending on how you want to read this, 永不放棄 is also a statement that you will never abandon your hopes, dreams, family, or friends.

See Also:  Undaunted | No Fear | Hope

知子莫若父 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.

While this is the original proverb (very old), others have been composed about various combinations of mothers, sons, daughters, and fathers. Let me know if you need a custom version.

天下一家 is a proverb that can also be translated as “The whole world is one family.”

It is used to mean that all humans are related by decree of Heaven.

The first two characters can be translated as “the world,” “the 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 proverb can be understood in Japanese, though not commonly used.

最高 means the highest level, supreme, top, the most, or the best.

Depending on the context, it can mean the most expensive or highest quality.

一流 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja for top quality, front-ranking, first-class, top grade, foremost, top-notch, or unique.

In Japanese martial arts, this usually represents the first-degree black belt rank.

It can also be like a linguistic stair step of “more, much more, still more, all the more.” It can also be a step, rung, level, or rank.

Also sometimes used in the context of Buddhism to mean “first step” or “first stage.” This might presume the first step towards enlightenment etc.

This directly translates as, “First, love myself.”

While you might be looking for “Love yourself first,” there's the problem with yourself versus myself. If this is on your wall or tattooed on your arm, should it not say “myself” since it's directed at you, and not others?

This directly translates as, “First, love yourself.”

Because this uses “yourself” instead of “myself,” this is a direction for those reading it. It could be the owner of the art or those who view it.

This would be weird as a tattoo, so please avoid it since for whom the tattoo is directed would be confusing.

This old Buddhist phrase means, “When the sun rises it always shines first on the highest mountain,” or “When the sun appears, it first casts its light upon the highest mountain.”

This comes from the Avatamsaka Sutra and has been used as the name or portion of the name for temples in Japan and sites in China.

The Buddha's first round of teaching (Avatamsaka period) is likened to the time when the sun rises from the east horizon. When the sun first rises it illuminates the high mountains. In this analogy, the high mountains represent the great Bodhisattvas and/or those most ready to receive enlightenment and liberation.

This can be romanized from Japanese as “Nichi shutsu sen shō kō san,” “Nisshutsu saki teru takayama,” or “Hide temazu kōzan wo terasu yama.” The last one is probably the most common. Ask three Japanese people what they think the pronunciation is, and you will get three different opinions.