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簡 expresses the idea of something simple or the essence of simplicity in life in Chinese.
This can also refer to a simple slip of bamboo for taking notes or writing a letter (especially in Korean Hanja).
Technically this is a word meaning simplicity and brevity in Japanese but it's rarely used in modern Japanese. Therefore, you should probably only select this character if your audience is Chinese.
See Also: Brevity
This “strong” character is the more “healthy” version of strong. 健 is the “strong” that is appropriate for an athlete.
Beyond “healthy,” it can also mean strength, persistence, vigorous, or invigorated/invigoration.
劍 is pronounced “jian” in Chinese. When you say it, imagine that you are making the sound of a sword as it clashes with a metal shield. This might get you closer to the correct pronunciation in Chinese.
I actually wonder if this word came from the metallic ringing sounds of a sword in battle - but such knowledge is lost in history.
The sword is a symbol of a warrior. The one thing that a soldier in ancient China lived and died by. A warrior with his skills and sword proves himself of great value. A warrior who losses his sword instantly becomes worthless.
劍 is an excellent scroll for someone in the military (especially officers of all services - as well as enlisted NCO Marines since they still carry swords even if mainly for ceremonial purposes). Or perhaps someone who practices variations of kung fu or tai chi that involve weapons.
Please note that while this character is understood with the sword meaning in Japanese, you might be looking for the word “katana” which also means sword in Japanese but means “knife” in Chinese.
There are other ways to write sword, and here are a few...
If you are particular about the version you receive, please let me know when you place your order (Note: Special styles are only available from one of our master calligraphers).
剱 is the modern Japanese way to write sword.
This Kanji character comes from original Chinese. This form would also be understood in Chinese (there are often several ways to write the same character) but I suggest this one only if your audience is Japanese (because they've settled on a slightly different form as the standard in China).
In Japanese, this character also means saber/sabre, blade, bayonet, stinger, and clock hand (clock hands are the “swords” of the clock).
See Also: Katana
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your jian search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
健 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien yutaka ゆたか |
More info & calligraphy: Strong / Healthy(personal name) Yutaka Sturdy, strong, hard, bold; unwearied; translit. ga, gha. |
剣 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien mayaka まやか |
More info & calligraphy: Swordsword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade; (1) sword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade; (2) bayonet; (3) swordsmanship; (4) stinger; ovipositor; dart; (female given name) Mayaka |
劍 剑 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien ken つるぎ |
More info & calligraphy: Sword(out-dated kanji) sword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade; (out-dated kanji) (1) sword (originally esp. a doubled-edged sword); sabre; saber; blade; (2) bayonet; (3) swordsmanship; (4) stinger; ovipositor; dart A sword, a two-edged sword.; A sword, two-edged sword. |
簡 简 see styles |
jiǎn jian3 chien kan かん |
More info & calligraphy: Simplicity(1) (See 簡にして要を得る) (ant: 繁・1) simplicity; brevity; (2) letter; note; correspondence; (3) bamboo writing strip (in ancient China); (4) (abbreviation) (See 簡体字) simplified Chinese character; (surname) Kan A tablet, memorandum; to abridge; appoint; examine; abrupt, concise, direct. |
健康 see styles |
jiàn kāng jian4 kang1 chien k`ang chien kang kenkou / kenko けんこう |
More info & calligraphy: Good Health(1) health; (adjectival noun) (2) healthy; sound; fit; wholesome; (given name) Takeyasu |
健美 see styles |
jiàn měi jian4 mei3 chien mei masami まさみ |
More info & calligraphy: Strong and Beautiful(female given name) Masami |
先見 先见 see styles |
xiān jiàn xian1 jian4 hsien chien senken せんけん |
More info & calligraphy: Foresight(noun, transitive verb) foresight; anticipation; (personal name) Sakimi |
兼愛 兼爱 see styles |
jiān ài jian1 ai4 chien ai |
More info & calligraphy: Universal Love |
再見 再见 see styles |
zài jiàn zai4 jian4 tsai chien shaichen; shaichien ツァイチェン; ツァイチエン |
More info & calligraphy: Goodbye(interjection) (kana only) good-bye (chi: zàijiàn); see you |
堅信 坚信 see styles |
jiān xìn jian1 xin4 chien hsin kenshin けんしん |
More info & calligraphy: Firm Belief / Strong Faith(Christian rite of) confirmation; (personal name) Kenshin firm faith |
堅忍 坚忍 see styles |
jiān rěn jian1 ren3 chien jen kennin けんにん |
More info & calligraphy: Perseverance / Fortitude(n,vs,vt,vi) perseverance |
堅毅 坚毅 see styles |
jiān yì jian1 yi4 chien i |
More info & calligraphy: Unswerving Determination / Firm and Persistent |
堅韌 坚韧 see styles |
jiān rèn jian1 ren4 chien jen |
More info & calligraphy: Perseverance / Fortitude |
建造 see styles |
jiàn zào jian4 zao4 chien tsao kenzou / kenzo けんぞう |
More info & calligraphy: Kenzo(noun, transitive verb) building; construction; (personal name) Takezou |
強健 强健 see styles |
qiáng jiàn qiang2 jian4 ch`iang chien chiang chien kyouken / kyoken きょうけん |
More info & calligraphy: Robust / Sturdy(noun or adjectival noun) robust (health); strong (constitution); sturdy |
意見 意见 see styles |
yì jiàn yi4 jian4 i chien iken いけん |
More info & calligraphy: Idea / Thought(1) opinion; view; comment; (n,vs,vt,vi) (2) scolding; reprimand; rebuke; admonition; cautioning; warning Thoughts, ideas, concepts, views. |
日漸 日渐 see styles |
rì jiàn ri4 jian4 jih chien |
More info & calligraphy: Progress Day by Day |
正見 正见 see styles |
zhèng jiàn zheng4 jian4 cheng chien shouken / shoken しょうけん |
More info & calligraphy: 1. Right Understanding / Right Perspective / Right View / Perfect Viewsamyag-dṛṣṭi, right views, understanding the four noble truths; the first of the 八正道; 'knowledge of the four noble truths. ' Keith. |
簡約 简约 see styles |
jiǎn yuē jian3 yue1 chien yüeh kanyaku かんやく |
More info & calligraphy: Brevity / Concise(noun, transitive verb) (1) simplification; abbreviation; abridgment; condensation; (adjectival noun) (2) concise; brief; abridged; abbreviated; condensed |
見性 见性 see styles |
jiàn xìng jian4 xing4 chien hsing kenshou / kensho けんしょう |
More info & calligraphy: Kensho - Initial EnlightenmentTo behold the Buddha-nature within oneself, a common saying of the Chan (Zen) or Intuitive School. |
佛知見 佛知见 see styles |
fó zhī jiàn fo2 zhi1 jian4 fo chih chien bucchiken |
More info & calligraphy: Wisdom and Insight of the Buddha |
建築師 建筑师 see styles |
jiàn zhù shī jian4 zhu4 shi1 chien chu shih |
More info & calligraphy: Architect |
弓箭手 see styles |
gōng jiàn shǒu gong1 jian4 shou3 kung chien shou |
More info & calligraphy: Archer |
柬埔寨 see styles |
jiǎn pǔ zhài jian3 pu3 zhai4 chien p`u chai chien pu chai Kanhosai カンボジア |
More info & calligraphy: Cambodia(ateji / phonetic) (kana only) Cambodia Cambodia |
件 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien ken けん |
item; component; classifier for events, things, clothes etc (n,ctr) (1) matter; affair; case; item; subject; (counter) (2) counter for (received) emails, text messages, voicemail messages, etc.; (counter) (3) counter for accounts (on a website, email service, etc.); (female given name) Kudan |
俴 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien |
short; shallow; thin plate |
倹 see styles |
jiǎn jian3 chien ken けん |
Japanese variant of 儉|俭[jian3] economizing; thriftiness; prudence; frugality; (given name) Ken |
僣 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien |
to overstep one's authority; to usurp |
僭 see styles |
jiàn jian4 chien |
(bound form) to overstep one's authority |
儉 俭 see styles |
jiǎn jian3 chien ken |
(bound form) frugal; thrifty dearth |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Simplicity | 簡 简 | kan | jiǎn / jian3 / jian | chien |
Strong Healthy | 健 | ken | jiàn / jian4 / jian | chien |
Sword | 劍 剑 | ken / tsurugi | jiàn / jian4 / jian | chien |
Sword | 剱 剣 | ken | jiàn / jian4 / jian | chien |
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. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
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 Jian Kanji, Jian Characters, Jian in Mandarin Chinese, Jian Characters, Jian in Chinese Writing, Jian in Japanese Writing, Jian in Asian Writing, Jian Ideograms, Chinese Jian symbols, Jian Hieroglyphics, Jian Glyphs, Jian in Chinese Letters, Jian Hanzi, Jian in Japanese Kanji, Jian Pictograms, Jian in the Chinese Written-Language, or Jian in the Japanese Written-Language.
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