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Personalize your custom “Japanese Honor” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Japanese Honor” title below...
See also: Selections of just Japanese Kanji Calligraphy
1. Honorable Death - No Surrender
2. Dignity / Honor / Sanctity / Integrity
3. Fidelity / Personal Integrity / Honor
4. Gassho
6. Guanxi
7. Relationship
8. Man of Remarkable Character / Hero
9. Faithful / Honorable / Trustworthy / Fidelity / Loyalty
10. Honor
11. Glory and Honor
15. Integrity
16. Justice / Rectitude / Right Decision
17. Love and Honor
18. Loyalty
19. Sense of Shame / Sense of Honor / Integrity / Modesty
20. Mutual Respect
21. Respect
24. Soke / Shuke
25. Respectful Heart
This ancient Japanese proverb can be translated as “The principle of honorable death and no surrender,” or simply “No surrender.”
If you directly translate this, you get something that means “Doctrine of suicide,” or “Ideology of honorable death.”
玉砕主義 is a specifically-Japanese proverb that embraces the long history of honorable suicide or self-sacrifice for honor in Japanese culture.
尊嚴 is a form of honor that means showing great respect for yourself, other people, and the rules you live by.
When you are honorable, you keep your word. You do the right thing regardless of what others are doing.
尊嚴 is the kind of personal honor or dignity that is of great value. If you lose this, you have lost yourself and perhaps the reputation of your family as well.
While this is not directly the same thing as “face” or “saving face” in Asian culture, it is associated with the same concept in China.
In Japan, they currently use a more simplified second character for this word. The ancient Japanese form is the same as China but after WWII some Kanji were changed. If you want the modern Japanese version, just click on the Kanji image shown to the right, instead of the button above.
操守 is the Chinese and Japanese Kanji for personal integrity, constancy, fidelity, and honor/honour.
The original meaning of the first character is chastity, fidelity, honor, and/or faith.
The second character means to defend, guard, keep watch, and be observant.
So, this is about being observant of and guarding your integrity and honor.
合掌 is the act of greeting someone (can also be done when departing) with hands brought together prayerfully.
In India, this would be accompanied by the verbal greeting and blessing of “Namaste.” In China, Japan, and Korea, this is how Buddhists will greet each other. Sometimes done by people who are not devout Buddhists in China, Japan, and Korea to show respect, reverence, or great thanks to someone for a gift, forgiveness, or some honor that has been bestowed.
In Japan, this is almost always associated with a deep bow. In China, where bowing is not an everyday occurrence, there may be a shallow bow, but the act will be done with deep feeling. Korean culture seems to have more bowing than China but less than Japan.
See Also: Namaste
The Chinese Concept of Relationship and Exchange of Favors
The dictionary definition is:
Relations/relationship, to concern, to affect, to have to do with, or connection.
But there's more to it...
In China, the relationship that you have with certain people can open doors for you. Having guanxi with someone also means they would never defraud you but are honor-bound to treat you fairly (of course, this goes both ways). Sometimes it is suggested that guanxi is the exchange of favors. 關繫 / 関繫 / 關係 is more about having a relationship that allows you to ask for and expect favors without shame.
There is no concept in western culture that exactly matches guanxi, but perhaps having a social or professional network is similar.
Note that there are some variations common within Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja for this word...
Japanese tend to use a Chinese alternate form as shown to the right for
the first character.
There's also another alternate form of that first character (currently used as the official Simplified form in mainland China) which looks like the character shown to the right. It's basically the central radical of the alternate version shown above but without the “door radical” around it. In more free-flowing calligraphy styles, this version would be the likely choice for a calligrapher.
In Modern Japanese, they use the character shown to the right.
They also tend to use this same form in Korean Hanja (I've only checked this word in my Korean dictionary, but it has not been confirmed by a translator's review).
If that was not confusing enough, there is another alternate form of that second character. See right.
An Asian calligrapher of any nationality may use these forms at their discretion. However, They would tend to stick to the most common form used in their respective languages.
If you have any preference on any of these issues, please give us a special note with your order, and we'll make sure it's done the way you want.
Most common Japanese version
The dictionary definition is:
relation, relationship, connection, participation, involvement, concern, influence, effect, related to, connected to, or as a suffix to sexual it can mean sexual relations or relationship.
But there's more to it...
In Japan, the relationship that you have with certain people can open doors for you. Having this relationship with someone also means they would never rip you off but instead are honor-bound to treat you fairly.
See our Chinese Guanxi entry for more information. This term is used in very similar ways in China, Japan, and Korea.
See Also: Guanxi
信義 is a word often used to describe a person with an honest and loyal reputation.
Simply put, this applies to somebody you can trust (with your life).
In Chinese, this is often defined as good faith, honor, trust, and justice.
In Korean, this word means fidelity, truthfulness, or faithfulness.
In Japanese: faith, fidelity, and loyalty. It's also a Japanese male given name when pronounced “Nobuyoshi.”
(Modern Japanese version)
名譽 is a version of honor that is about having or earning the respect of others and about your reputation.
It is the status of being worthy of honor (not to be confused with doing honorable things or specific actions - see our other “honor” listing for that).
Both modern Japanese and modern mainland Chinese use the same simplified version of the second character of honor. You can make a special request for the traditional second character as shown to the right (just click on that character to the right of you want to order that version). Before WWII, both Japan and China used the traditional form but modern Japanese and Chinese use this simplified form. Koreans still use the traditional form when they are not writing in their modern Hangul glyphs.
This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here
榮 relates to giving someone a tribute or praise.
It's a little odd as a gift, so this may not be the best selection for a wall scroll.
I've made this entry because this character is often misused as “honorable” or “keeping your honor.” It's not quite the same meaning, as this usually refers to a tribute or giving an honor to someone.
榮 is often found in tattoo books incorrectly listed as the western idea of personal honor or being honorable. Check with us before you get a tattoo that does not match the meaning you are really looking for. As a tattoo, this suggests that you either have a lot of pride in yourself or that you have a wish for prosperity for yourself and/or your family.
In modern Japanese Kanji, glory and honor look like the image to the right.
There is a lot of confusion about this character, so here are some alternate translations for this character: prosperous, flourishing, blooming (like a flower), glorious beauty, proud, praise, rich, or it can be the family name “Rong.” The context in which the character is used can change the meaning between these various ideas.
In the old days, this could be an honor paid to someone by the Emperor (basically a designation by the Emperor that a person has high standing).
To sum it up: 榮 has a positive meaning; however, it's a different flavor than the idea of being honorable and having integrity.
祖先崇拜 means “Appreciation and honor of your ancestors.”
This can refer to anyone from your grandparents and beyond.
The first two characters mean ancestors or forefathers.
The last two characters mean worship, adore/adoration, or admiration.
This is the kind of wall scroll that a filial son or daughter in China or Japan would hang to honor their ancestors who paved the way for the new generation.
Japanese use a slight variation on the last Kanji. If you want this specifically Japanese version, just click on the Kanji image to the right (instead of the button above). Note that Japanese people would easily be able to identify the original Chinese form of that Kanji anyway.
They also have a similar phrase in old Korean but the first two characters are reversed - just let me know if you want that version when you place your order.
節操 means honorable, integrity of principle, constancy, honor, and in a certain context, chastity.
Please note that there are a few ways to relay the idea of integrity in Asian languages and more than one way to define honor in English. 節操 is far from the only way to express “honor and integrity.”
Integrity is living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere. Integrity helps you to listen to your conscience, do the right thing, and 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.
Also means: honor loyalty morality righteousness
義 is about doing the right thing or making the right decision, not because it's easy but because it's ethically and morally correct.
No matter the outcome or result, one does not lose face if tempering proper justice.
義 can also be defined as righteousness, justice, morality, honor, or “right conduct.” In a more expanded definition, it can mean loyalty to friends, loyalty to the public good, or patriotism. This idea of loyalty and friendship comes from the fact that you will treat those you are loyal to with morality and justice.
義 is also one of the five tenets of Confucius's doctrine.
There's also an alternate version of this character sometimes seen in Bushido or Korean Taekwondo tenets. It's just the addition of a radical on the left side of the character. If you want this version, click on the image to the right instead of the button above.
This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here
See Also: Judgment | Impartial | Confucius Tenets
愛と譽れ means to love and honor in Japanese.
The first Kanji is literally “love.”
The second character just acts to connect the ideas like “and” or “with.”
The last two Kanji mean “honor” or “honour.” This is the kind of honor that suggests you are praising or admiring someone.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
See Also: Love and Honor
忠誠 is the written form of loyalty that is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
Loyalty is staying true to someone. It is standing up for something you believe in without wavering. It is being faithful to your family, country, school, friends, or ideals when the going gets tough and when things are good. With loyalty, you build relationships that last forever.
Notes:
1. There is also a Japanese version that is part of the Bushido Code which may be more desirable depending on whether your intended audience is Japanese or Chinese.
2. This version of loyalty is sometimes translated as devotion, sincerity, fidelity, or allegiance.
廉恥 simultaneously means “sense of honor” and “sense of shame” in Korean.
This term is often used as a tenet of Taekwondo, where the English terms “integrity” and “modesty” are applied.
廉恥 is also a Chinese word, though it is usually read with the “sense of shame” meaning, and is a poor choice for a wall scroll if your audience is Chinese.
相互尊重 means mutual respect in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
The first two characters are a word that means each other, mutual or reciprocal.
The last two characters are a word that means to respect, honor, value, eminent, or hold in high esteem.
Politeness, Gratitude and Propriety
礼 is one of the five tenets of Confucius.
Beyond respect, 礼 can also be translated as propriety, good manners, politeness, rite, worship, or an expression of gratitude.
We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. We treat others with dignity and honor the rules of our family, school, and nation. Respect yourself, and others will respect you.
Please note that Japanese use this simplified 礼 version of the original 禮 character for respect. 礼 also happens to be the same simplification used in mainland China. While 禮 is the traditional and original version, 礼 has been used as a shorthand version for many centuries. Click on the big 禮 character to the right if you want the Traditional Chinese and older Japanese versions.
This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here
See Also: Confucius
尊敬 is how to express the ideas of respect, honor, reverence, esteem, nobility, and sometimes the state of being noble, all in one word. Most of the time, this is used as “giving respect,” but depending on the context, it can suggest that you should try to be “worthy of respect.”
Although pronounced differently, the Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja are the same across these languages. This is an indication that this word is very old and crosses many barriers and cultures in the Orient (East Asia).
宗家 is a Japanese word that means “head of the family” or “originator.”
In Chinese, this is an honor name for Shandao (善導), a writer of commentaries on the sutras of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism.
尊敬心 means respectful heart in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
The root is 尊敬 which means respect, honor, reverence, esteem, and/or nobility. Therefore, you can also define this as an honorable heart, reverent heart, noble heart, etc.
In ancient times, it was thought your brain was the heart in your chest. Therefore, 心 or heart can also mean “mind.” Hence, 尊敬心 can also be translated as respectful mind, honorable mind, etc.
You'll see 尊敬心 romanized as Sonkeishin or Sonkeshin from Japanese.
力と名譽 is “strength and honor” in Japanese Kanji (with one Hiragana).
The first Kanji is understood as strength, power, or force.
The second character is a connecting particle-like, “and” or “with.”
The last two Kanji mean honor/honour, credit, or prestige. This last word is also used in the Bushido code to mean honor.
信賴 can also be translated as confidence, reliance, or dependence; thus, it can also mean “to rely on” or “to depend on.”
Trust is having faith in someone or something. It is a positive attitude about life. You are confident that the right thing will happen without trying to control or make it happen. Even when difficult things happen, trust helps us to find the gift or lesson in it.
There is a slight deviation in the Japanese Kanji form of the second character. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the special Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note that the traditional Chinese form is still readable and understood by Japanese people.
See Also: Confidence | Truth | Honor
In short, 佛義 is the Principles of Buddhism, but there is more (especially for the second character):
佛 is the character for the Buddha and Buddhism.
義 has deeper meanings including justice, righteousness, morality, honour/honor, teachings, doctrine, right, proper, righteous, loyalty, purpose, or meaning. So the single word “principles” is often used to encompass all these ideas.
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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 | |
Honorable Death - No Surrender | 玉砕主義 | gyokusai shugi gyokusaishugi | ||
Dignity Honor Sanctity Integrity | 尊嚴 尊严 / 尊厳 | son gen / songen | zūn yán / zun1 yan2 / zun yan / zunyan | tsun yen / tsunyen |
Fidelity Personal Integrity Honor | 操守 | soushu / soshu | cāo shǒu / cao1 shou3 / cao shou / caoshou | ts`ao shou / tsaoshou / tsao shou |
Gassho | 合掌 | gasshou / gasho | hé zhǎng / he2 zhang3 / he zhang / hezhang | ho chang / hochang |
God of Warcraft | 蚩尤 | shi yuu / shiyuu / shi yu | chī yóu / chi1 you2 / chi you / chiyou | ch`ih yu / chihyu / chih yu |
Guanxi | 關繫 / 関繫 / 關係 关系 / 関係 | kankei | guān xì / guan1 xi4 / guan xi / guanxi | kuan hsi / kuanhsi |
Relationship | 關繫 / 関繫 / 關係 関係 | kan kei / kankei | guān xì / guan1 xi4 / guan xi / guanxi | kuan hsi / kuanhsi |
Man of Remarkable Character Hero | 傑物 杰物 | ketsubutsu | ||
Faithful Honorable Trustworthy Fidelity Loyalty | 信義 信义 | shingi | xìn yì / xin4 yi4 / xin yi / xinyi | hsin i / hsini |
Honor | 名譽 名誉 | meiyo | míng yù / ming2 yu4 / ming yu / mingyu | ming yü / mingyü |
Glory and Honor | 榮 荣 / 栄 | ei | róng / rong2 / rong | jung |
Honor for Ancestors | 祖先崇拜 祖先崇拜 / 祖先崇拝 | so sen suu hai sosensuuhai so sen su hai | zǔ xiān chóng bài zu3 xian1 chong2 bai4 zu xian chong bai zuxianchongbai | tsu hsien ch`ung pai tsuhsienchungpai tsu hsien chung pai |
Honor and Integrity | 節操 节操 | sessou / seso | jié cāo / jie2 cao1 / jie cao / jiecao | chieh ts`ao / chiehtsao / chieh tsao |
Honor Courage Commitment | 名譽, 勇気, 決意 名誉, 勇気, 決意 | meiyo yuuki ketsui meiyoyuukiketsui meiyo yuki ketsui | ||
Integrity | 正直 | shoujiki / shojiki | zhèng zhí zheng4 zhi2 zheng zhi zhengzhi | cheng chih chengchih |
Justice Rectitude Right Decision | 義 义 | gi | yì / yi4 / yi | i |
Love and Honor | 愛と譽れ 愛と誉れ | ai to homa re aitohomare | ||
Love and Honor | 愛と敬意 | ai to keii / aitokeii / ai to kei | ||
Loyalty | 忠誠 忠诚 | chuu sei / chuusei / chu sei | zhōng chéng zhong1 cheng2 zhong cheng zhongcheng | chung ch`eng chungcheng chung cheng |
Sense of Shame Sense of Honor Integrity Modesty (Korean) | 廉恥 廉耻 | ren chi / renchi | lián chǐ / lian2 chi3 / lian chi / lianchi | lien ch`ih / lienchih / lien chih |
Mutual Respect | 相互尊重 | sougo sonchou sougosonchou sogo soncho | xiāng hù zūn zhòng xiang1 hu4 zun1 zhong4 xiang hu zun zhong xianghuzunzhong | hsiang hu tsun chung hsianghutsunchung |
Respect | 禮 礼 | rei | lǐ / li3 / li | |
Respect Honor Esteem | 尊敬 | sonkei | zūn jìng / zun1 jing4 / zun jing / zunjing | tsun ching / tsunching |
Respect, Honor, Truth | 敬意, 名譽, 真実 敬意, 名誉, 真実 | keii meiyo shinjitsu keiimeiyoshinjitsu kei meiyo shinjitsu | ||
Soke Shuke | 宗家 | Shuuke / Shuke | zōng jiā / zong1 jia1 / zong jia / zongjia | tsung chia / tsungchia |
Respectful Heart | 尊敬心 | son kei shin sonkeishin | zūn jìng xīn zun1 jing4 xin1 zun jing xin zunjingxin | tsun ching hsin tsunchinghsin |
Strength and Honor | 力と名譽 力と名誉 | chikara to mei yo chikaratomeiyo | ||
Trust To Have Faith | 信賴 信赖 | shinrai | xìn lài / xin4 lai4 / xin lai / xinlai | hsin lai / hsinlai |
The Principles of Buddhism | 佛義 佛义 | butsu gi / butsugi | fó yì / fo2 yi4 / fo yi / foyi | fo i / foi |
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.
Some people may refer to this entry as Japanese Honor Kanji, Japanese Honor Characters, Japanese Honor in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese Honor Characters, Japanese Honor in Chinese Writing, Japanese Honor in Japanese Writing, Japanese Honor in Asian Writing, Japanese Honor Ideograms, Chinese Japanese Honor symbols, Japanese Honor Hieroglyphics, Japanese Honor Glyphs, Japanese Honor in Chinese Letters, Japanese Honor Hanzi, Japanese Honor in Japanese Kanji, Japanese Honor Pictograms, Japanese Honor in the Chinese Written-Language, or Japanese Honor in the Japanese Written-Language.
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