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See also: Selections of just Japanese Kanji Calligraphy
1. Dragon
3. Water Dragon / Coiled Dragon
7. Bruce Lee
10. Celestial Dragon / Tian Long
11. Black Dragon
12. Dragon Ball Kai
13. Golden Dragon
15. Fire Dragon
19. The Spirit of Dragon and Tiger
20. Shen Long
21. Phoenix
22. Kaio-Ken
23. Wu Xing Fist
24. Kaio-Ken
26. Wukong / Goku
28. Phoenix
29. Kirin / Giraffe / Mythical Creature
30. The Five Animals
Year of the Dragon / Zodiac Sign
龍 is the character for dragon in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.
The dragon is a creature of myth and legend that dominates Chinese, Japanese, and even European folklore. In China, the dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, strength, and power, and the Chinese dragon is known as the god of water.
From the Chinese Zodiac, if you were born in the year of the Dragon, you . . .
Have a strong body and spirit.
Are full of energy.
Have vast goals.
Have a deep level of self-awareness.
Will do whatever you can to “save face.”
See also our Chinese Zodiac or Dragon Calligraphy pages.
龍神 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja title that can mean “dragon god,” “dragon king,” or “dragon spirit.”
In the context of Buddhism, this is one of eight kinds of spiritual beings found in Mahāyāna texts.
蛟龍 is the title for the water dragon is the hornless or scaled dragon. 蛟龍 is the king of all aquatic animals with the ability to control rain and floods.
In Japanese, the rain dragon can represent hidden genius. This dragon's domain is the deep murky water, thus with hidden potential. This can also be the Japanese given name Kouryuu.
青龍 is a scholarly title for “Blue Dragon” or “Azure Dragon.”
You'll find this title used in ancient Chinese literature and astronomy. This dragon has dominion over the eastern sky or eastern heavens. The Azure Dragon is also noted for representing the spring season. Also seen as an auspicious omen.
Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty canonized the five colored dragons as “kings.” The Azure Dragon represents the most compassionate of kings.
In Japanese, this title is known with the same meaning but can also be a given name, Seiryuu or Seiryu.
Note, the first character can be written as OR . Same character, just two ways to write it.
靑龍 is a title that can mean blue or green dragon.
The first character can mean blue, green, azure, or celadon.
The second character means dragon.
This is mostly a Chinese title (especially in Buddhism). It will be understood but less commonly used in Japanese and Korean.
李小龍 is the real full name of Bruce Lee.
Many people have no idea that Bruce Lee had a “real” Chinese name. In Mandarin and Cantonese, he is known as “Lǐ XiǎoLóng” and “Léi SíuLùng” respectively.
He kept his family name pronunciation (Li = Lee). 李 is a common family name that also means “plum.”
His given name 小龍 (Xiao-Long), literally means “little dragon.” 李小龍 is why you often see the character for dragon associated with Bruce Lee on various posters etc.
For a pronunciation lesson, the “X” in Romanized Mandarin is pronounced like a “sh” sound but with your tongue at the bottom of your mouth. The vowel sound in “Long” is like the English “oh,” not like the “ah” sound in the English word “long.”
If you are a big Bruce Lee fan, you should know this information, and you should have this wall scroll hanging in your room or martial arts studio.
Note: Japanese use these same Chinese characters / Kanji to write Bruce Lee's real name (with different pronunciation - which is a bit like how the name “Bruce Lee” sounds in English).
See Also: Kung Fu | Martial Arts
天竜人 is Celestial Dragon or Tenryūbito in Japanese.
This title is associated with the One Piece Manga/Anime series. This title is also translated in this context as “World Nobles” with the literal meaning “Heavenly Dragon Folk” or “Heaven Dragon Person/People.”
Can also be romanized as Tenryūbito, Tenryūhito, or Tenryūjin.
天龍 can mean Heavenly Dragon (Dragon of Heaven), Sky Dragon, Holy Dragon, Celestial Dragon, or Divine Dragon.
This can be a given name in both China and Japan (天龍 is pronounced Tenryū and sometimes written 天竜 in Japanese).
In an older Buddhist context, this can refer to Brahma, Indra, and the devas, together with the nāgas. It can also refer to celestials and snake spirits.
ドラゴンボール改 is the name for Doragon Bōru Kai (Dragon Ball Revised), a high-definition remastered and recut of the original Dragon Ball Z, released on the 20th anniversary.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Katakana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
竜 is an alternate form of the dragon.
Still pronounced the same in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
This particular Kanji is often associated as an imperial symbol as well as representing the mythical Asian dragon. You may have seen it on the chest or flag of the emperor in old Japanese and Chinese movies.
Note: I would rate this as a non-universal alternate form. The other dragon character is by far more common, and universally understood.
We strongly recommend if you are looking for the symbol of dragon.
龍鳳 is the simplest way to express “Dragon and Phoenix” in Chinese and Japanese.
This title can be used to represent, “The emperor and empress,” or a metaphor for an outstanding personage.
It should be noted that this is most often used as a given name, “Ryuuhou” in Japanese. It may be read more as a name than by meaning in Japanese.
龍虎精神 means the spirit of the dragon and tiger.
It speaks to the vitality and vigor that is the nature of these two creatures.
Beyond “spirit,” the last two characters can also mean mind, soul, or heart. Therefore, you can also say this means “Heart of the Dragon and Tiger,” etc.
龍虎精神 is often titled “Ryukoseishin” in many Japanese martial arts.
神龍 or Shen Long literally means “god dragon” or “divine dragon.”
神龍 is a spiritual dragon from Chinese mythology that controls wind, storms, clouds, and rain. Historically, farmers in China avoid offending this dragon, as it could result in a drought or flooding of their fields.
Shen Long has blue/azure scales and appears on the beautiful robes of some Chinese emperors.
Sometimes romanized as Shen Lung and sometimes written as 神竜 in Japan with the pronunciation of Shinryū or Shenron. It can also be a given name in Japan.
鳳 is the simplest way to write “Phoenix” in Chinese. Because the dragon is usually expressed as a single character, when you see “dragon and phoenix” written in Chinese, you'll often see this single-character version.
Please note, this is also the male element of a phoenix, so it also means “male phoenix bird.” However, some Chinese people may argue that the phoenix has a female characteristic, regardless of which character you use.
Five Forms Fist of Kung Fu
鳳凰 is the word that translates as “Legendary Phoenix” in Chinese.
This refers to the bird that, according to Chinese folklore, rose from the fiery ashes.
The phoenix and dragon are by far the most famous creatures in Chinese mythology.
Monkey King
悟空 is the short name or given name of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, from the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West.
This title is also known as the given name of the Monkey King in Japanese. This can also be Goku, short for Son Goku, a fictional character of the Dragon Ball Japanese manga series (also based loosely on the Monkey King).
Monkey King
孫悟空 is the name Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King. He is the main character with supernatural powers in the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West.
This title is also known as the real name of the Monkey King in Japanese. This can also be the Son Goku, better known as simply Goku, a fictional character of the Dragon Ball Japanese manga series.
凰 is another simple way to write “Phoenix” in Chinese. 凰 is the specifically female element of a phoenix, so this is how you write “female phoenix.” 凰 is sometimes used to represent the female empress (many times in history, China was ruled by a woman, in much the same way queens came to power in Europe).
Note that the emperor is always represented as a dragon (not the male version of a phoenix).
If you see yourself as a strong woman, this might be a calligraphy scroll for you to express “woman power” or “powerful woman” in a cool way.
麒麟 is the title of a mythical beast of Asia.
The animal is thought to be related to the giraffe, and in some ways, it is a giraffe. However, it is often depicted with the horns of a dragon or deer and sometimes with the body like a horse, but many variations exist.
In Japanese, it is pronounced “Kirin” as in “Kirin Ichiban” beer.
Notes:
1. This is sometimes spelled as “kylin.”
2. In Japanese, this is the only Kanji word for giraffe. Therefore in Japan, this word needs context to know whether you are talking about the mythical creature or the long-necked giraffe of Africa.
3. Apparently, this was the first word used for regular giraffes in China (some were brought from Africa to China during the Ming Dynasty - probably around the year 1400). Though the mythical creature may have existed before, the name “qilin” was given to the “new giraffe.” This is because, more than 600 years ago, giraffes somewhat matched the mythical creature's description when Chinese people saw them for the first time. Later, to avoid such an ambiguous title, a three-character word was devised to mean a “giraffe of Africa.” The characters for “qilin” shown here are only for the mythological version in modern Chinese.
4. More information about the qilin / kirin from Wikipedia.
5. This creature is sometimes translated as the “Chinese Unicorn,” although it is generally portrayed with two horns. I think this is done more for the fantasy aspect of the unicorn and because most westerners don't know what a qilin or kirin is (this avoids a long explanation by the translator).
6. In Korean, this can mean kirin or simply giraffe (usually, the mythological creature is what they would think of when seeing these characters alone on a wall scroll).
Dragon Snake Tiger Leopard Crane
龍蛇虎豹鶴 is a list of the Chinese characters for the five animals of Shaolin Kung Fu in a comfortable order (meaning that they are in the proper order and will “feel right” to a Chinese person who views this arrangement).
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The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Dragon | 龍 龙 | ryuu / tatsu ryu / tatsu | lóng / long2 / long | lung |
Dragon Spirit | 龍神 龙神 | ryuu jin / ryuujin / ryu jin | lóng shén long2 shen2 long shen longshen | lung shen lungshen |
Water Dragon Coiled Dragon | 蟠龍 蟠龙 | han ryuu / hanryuu / han ryu | pān lóng / pan1 long2 / pan long / panlong | p`an lung / panlung / pan lung |
Water Dragon Rain Dragon | 蛟龍 蛟龙 | kou ryuu / kouryuu / ko ryu | jiāo jiao1 long2 jiao long jiaolong | chiao lung chiaolung |
Blue Dragon Azure Dragon | 青龍 / 靑龍 青龙 | sei ryuu / seiryuu / sei ryu | qīng lóng qing1 long2 qing long qinglong | ch`ing lung chinglung ching lung |
Green Dragon Blue Dragon | 靑龍 靑龙 | sei ryū / seiryū | qīng lóng qing1 long2 qing long qinglong | ch`ing lung chinglung ching lung |
Bruce Lee | 李小龍 李小龙 | bu ruu su ri buruusuri bu ru su ri | lǐ xiǎo lóng li3 xiao3 long2 li xiao long lixiaolong | li hsiao lung lihsiaolung |
Celestial Dragon | 天竜人 | ten ryuu bito tenryuubito ten ryu bito | ||
Dragon Warrior | 龍武士 龙武士 | ryuu bu shi ryuubushi ryu bu shi | lóng wǔ shì long2 wu3 shi4 long wu shi longwushi | lung wu shih lungwushih |
Celestial Dragon Tian Long | 天龍 天龙 | tenryuu / tenryu | tiān lóng tian1 long2 tian long tianlong | t`ien lung tienlung tien lung |
Black Dragon | 黒龍 黒龙 | koku ryuu / kokuryuu / koku ryu | hēi lóng / hei1 long2 / hei long / heilong | hei lung / heilung |
Dragon Ball Kai | ドラゴンボール改 | doragon bouru kai doragonbourukai doragon boru kai | ||
Golden Dragon | 金龍 金龙 | kin ryuu / kinryuu / kin ryu | jīn lóng / jin1 long2 / jin long / jinlong | chin lung / chinlung |
Dragon Emperor Symbol | 竜 | ryuu / tatsu ryu / tatsu | lóng / long2 / long | lung |
Fire Dragon | 火龍 火龙 | hi ryuu / hiryuu / hi ryu | huǒ lóng / huo3 long2 / huo long / huolong | huo lung / huolung |
Flying Dragon Horse | 飛龍馬 飞龙马 | hi ryuu me / hiryuume / hi ryu me | fēi lóng mǎ fei1 long2 ma3 fei long ma feilongma | fei lung ma feilungma |
Flying Dragon Karate-Do | 飛龍空手道 飞龙空手道 | hi ryuu kara te dou hiryuukaratedou hi ryu kara te do | fēi lóng kòng shǒu dào fei1 long2 kong4 shou3 dao4 fei long kong shou dao feilongkongshoudao | fei lung k`ung shou tao feilungkungshoutao fei lung kung shou tao |
Dragon and Phoenix | 龍鳳 龙凤 | ryuu hou / ryuuhou / ryu ho | lóng fèng long2 feng4 long feng longfeng | lung feng lungfeng |
The Spirit of Dragon and Tiger | 龍虎精神 龙虎精神 | ryu ko sei shin ryukoseishin | lóng hǔ jīng shén long2 hu3 jing1 shen2 long hu jing shen longhujingshen | lung hu ching shen lunghuchingshen |
Shen Long | 神龍 | shenron / shinryuu shenron / shinryu | shén lóng shen2 long2 shen long shenlong | shen lung shenlung |
Phoenix (male) | 鳳 凤 | ootori / otori | fèng / feng4 / feng | |
Kaio-Ken | 界王拳 | kai ou ken / kaiouken / kai o ken | jiè wáng quán jie4 wang2 quan2 jie wang quan jiewangquan | chieh wang ch`üan chiehwangchüan chieh wang chüan |
Wu Xing Fist | 五形拳 | gokeiken | wǔ xíng quán wu3 xing2 quan2 wu xing quan wuxingquan | wu hsing ch`üan wuhsingchüan wu hsing chüan |
Kaio-Ken | 界王拳 | kai ou ken / kaiouken / kai o ken | jiè wáng quán jie4 wang2 quan2 jie wang quan jiewangquan | chieh wang ch`üan chiehwangchüan chieh wang chüan |
Legendary Phoenix | 鳳凰 凤凰 | houou / ho | fèng huáng feng4 huang2 feng huang fenghuang | |
Wukong Goku | 悟空 | go kuu / gokuu / go ku | wù kōng / wu4 kong1 / wu kong / wukong | wu k`ung / wukung / wu kung |
Sun Wukong Son Goku | 孫悟空 孙悟空 | son go kuu / songokuu / son go ku | sūn wù kōng sun1 wu4 kong1 sun wu kong sunwukong | sun wu k`ung sunwukung sun wu kung |
Phoenix (female) | 凰 | ou / o | huáng / huang2 / huang | |
Kirin Giraffe Mythical Creature | 麒麟 | kirin | qí lǐn / qi2 lin3 / qi lin / qilin | ch`i lin / chilin / chi lin |
The Five Animals | 龍蛇虎豹鶴 龙蛇虎豹鹤 | ryuu hebi tora hyou tsuru ryuuhebitorahyoutsuru ryu hebi tora hyo tsuru | lóng shé hǔ bào hè long2 she2 hu3 bao4 he4 long she hu bao he longshehubaohe | lung she hu pao ho lungshehupaoho |
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
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All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my 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.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
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.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
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