Buy a Custom Soul Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

This means "The Way of the Heart" or "The Way of the Soul". The first character means "heart", but can also mean soul, spirit, mind, or your essence. In this case, it is most accurately translated with the heart or soul meaning.

The second character is Dao as in Daoism. Please note, this is the same thing as Tao as in Taoism (just Romanized differently - it's always been the same in Chinese for about 2300 years.

This is a universal word in Japanese and Chinese that expresses the Buddhist idea of "reincarnation", "transmigration of souls" or "the eternal cycle of birth and death". In some context, this can also mean "karma".

The first character means wheel, ring, turn, circle, loop or rotate.
The second character can be thought of as a suffix meaning "-times". This second character can also refer to something that revolves, returns, goes back, or a counter for the number of occurrences of some event.
Together the sum supersedes the parts and it means reincarnation. But knowing the seeing the essence of each character may help you understand some of the meaning behind the word.

If you request this selection from our Japanese master calligrapher, please expect that the second Kanji will look like the one shown to the right. This is the more common way to write this in Japanese. It's an alternate form of this character in Chinese (so neither way is technically wrong in either language).

See Also...  Buddhism | Rebirth

It was tough to find the best way to say "soul mates" in Chinese. We settled on this old way to say "A couple selected by heaven".

The first two characters together mean "natural" or "innate". Separated, they mean "heaven" and "born". The last two characters mean "couple". So this can be translated as "A couple that is together by nature", or "A couple brought together by heaven's decree", with a slight stretch, you could say "A couple born together from heaven".

It's a struggle to find the best way to describe this idea in English, but trust me, it is pretty cool and it is a great way to say "soulmates".

If you're in a happy relationship or marriage and think you have found your soul mate, this would be a wonderful wall scroll to hang in your home.

This is the literal translation of "Soul Mates". Meaning it is kind of the western way to express "soul mates", but translated into Chinese. The first two characters mean "soul" or "spirit". The second two characters mean "mate", "companion" or "partner".

These are also two words in Korean Hanja, but not often seen together like this - however, it does have the same good meaning in Korean.

This has good meaning in Japanese, but not a commonly-used title in Japan.

This can be translated as the warrior's spirit or warrior's soul. The first two characters can be translated as "warrior" or literally "brave soldier/man" although some will translate this word as "hero". Therefore, this is also how to say "heroic spirit".

The second two characters mean vigor, vitality, drive, spirit, mind, heart, mental essence and psychological component. Basically "your soul".

We have two versions of this phrase. The only difference is the first two and last two characters are swapped. The version here suggests that you admire or like the idea of the spirit of a warrior. The other version suggests that you are the warrior or hero.

This can be translated as the spirit or soul of a warrior. The first two characters can be translated as vigor, vitality, drive, spirit, mind, heart, mental essence and psychological component. Basically "your soul".

The second two characters mean "warrior" or literally "brave soldier/man" although some will translate this word as "hero". Therefore, this is also how to say "soul of a hero".

Note: This title is best for Chinese and old Korean. It does make sense in Japanese, but is not a common or natural Kanji combination in Japanese.

We have two versions of this phrase. The only difference is the first two and last two characters are swapped. The version here suggests that you are the warrior or hero. The other version suggests that you admire or like the idea of the spirit of a warrior.

This is the kind of spirit that you have if you perform well in sports or competition. It is the idea of having a good attitude, and putting your all into something - so much so that others can see or feel your spirit. It is the essence of your being that can only be subjectively described because there are no words that can fully explain what "spirit" really is.

For your information:
My Japanese dictionary further tries to explain this word by comparing it to mind, soul, heart or intention.
My Chinese dictionary compares these characters to meanings like vigor, vitality, drive and mentality.
My Korean dictionary defines this as mind, spirit and soul.

See Also...  Vitality | Heart

This phrase creates an image of a warrior bravely advancing against an enemy regardless of the odds.

This phrase can also be translated as "indomitable spirit" or "march fearlessly onward".

See Also...  Indomitable | Fortitude

This is an old phrase that is used to wish someone good health and success combined as a great compliment.

The meaning is "The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse". These four characters are often accompanied by four more which mean, "...and the power and prestige of the tiger". Here we are just offering the first part which is considered the short version.

By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have an amazing quality. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse, would seem to also be in good health.

Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This is an old phrase that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.

The meaning is "The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse, and the power and prestige of the tiger".

By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse, would seem to also be in good health.

This 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 second two characters can also mean mind, soul, or heart. Therefore, you can also say this means "Heart of the Dragon and Tiger", etc.

This is often titled as "Ryukoseishin" in many Japanese martial arts.

This literally means fighting spirit. As in the spirit that a warrior, soldier, athlete or fighter must possess.

Note: There is more than one way to write the first character of this word. It is sometimes written like the version shown to the right (yes, it's completely different, but has the same meaning & pronunciation). If you have a preference, please let us know in the special instructions about your order.

This literally means "fighting spirit" or "the will to fight". As in the spirit that a warrior, soldier, athlete or fighter must possess.

This is an alternate title with the meaning "fighting spirit" or "the will to fight".

The first two characters mean freedom or liberty.

The second two characters mean spirit, heart, mind, or soul.

Together, this is a title that is very similar to the English term "free spirit".

See Also...  Freedom | Independence

The first two characters mean freedom or liberty.

The middle character is a connecting Hiragana which is needed for Japanese grammar.

The last two characters mean spirit, heart, mind, or soul.

Together, this is a title that is very similar to the English term "free spirit".

See Also...  Freedom | Independence

This word would often be translated as “heart”. However, because it was believed in Chinese culture thousands of years that your consciousness and thoughts came from the big red organ in the middle of your chest, it also means “mind” or “spirit” and sometimes even “soul”.

In Korean, beyond heart, mind, and spirit, this character can mean moral, nature, mind, affections, intentions, core, and center. In fact, it is used in Chinese to mean "center" as well, but only with another character in front of it. For instance, "medical center" or even "shopping center". Separately and alone, it will not be read with that "center" meaning unless thought of as "the center of your soul".

This is the title for the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost as used by Jewish, Catholic and Protestant (and other Christian) Chinese people. And yes, Chinese Jews do exist, but there are not many of them.

The first character means Holy, Sacred, Saint or Sage. The second means ghost, spirit, efficacious or intelligence.

The first two characters mean independent or independence. The third character means spirit, heart or mind.

This is a Japanese and Korean term, although Chinese people would be able to guess the meaning (the characters make sense individually in Chinese, but are not used in this order).

This Korean word means "indomitable spirit", at least, that is the way it is commonly translated in martial arts circles (Taekwondo, Hapkido, etc).

The literal translation is "[one] hundred [times] broken [still] don't succumb".
Or more naturally translated, "Even if attacked/beaten one hundred times, still be undaunted/indomitable".

This is also a word in Chinese, though rarely used in modern times.

This three-character title speaks of beauty on the inside. It's not about outward or physical beauty, but rather the inner beauty possessed by someone. This can also be translated as "beauty of spirit".

This three-character title speaks of beauty on the inside. It's not about outward or physical beauty, but rather the inner beauty possessed by someone. This can also be translated as "beauty of spirit".

Qi which is also Romanized as Chi in Chinese or Ki in Japanese, is a fundamental concept of traditional Asian culture. Qi is believed to be part of everything that exists, as in “life force” or “spiritual energy”. It is most often translated as “energy flow,” or literally as “air” or “breath”.

The character itself is a representation of steam (or breath) rising from rice.
This was apparently seen as the release of energy from the rice when this concept was first developed. To clarify, the character for rice is shown to the right. The Qi / Chi / Ki character is still used in compound words to mean steam or vapor.

The idea of Qi / Chi / Ki is really a philosophical concept. It's often used to refer to the “flow” of metaphysical energy that sustains living beings. Yet there is much debate that has continued for thousands of years as to whether Qi / Chi / Ki is pure energy, or consists partially, or fully of matter.

You can also see the character for Qi / Chi / Ki in common compound words such as Tai Chi / Tai Qi, Aikido, Reiki and Qi Gong / Chi Kung.

In the modern Japanese Kanji, the rice radical has been changed into two strokes that form an X.

The original and traditional Chinese form is still understood in Japanese, but we can also offer that modern Kanji form in our custom calligraphy. If you want this Japanese Kanji, please click on the character to the right, instead of the “Select and Customize” button above.

More language notes: This is pronounced like “chee” in Mandarin Chinese, and like “key” in Japanese.
This is also the same way to write this in Korean Hanja where it is Romanized as “gi” and pronounced like “gee”, but with a real G-sound, not a J-sound.
Though Vietnamese no longer use Chinese characters in their daily language, this character is still widely known in Vietnam.

See Also...  Life Force | Vitality | Life | Birth

This is probably the best way to express the idea of "Body, Mind and Spirit" in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word for "heart" here because for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say "warm-hearted" or "I love you with all of my heart". In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is "body, heart & spirit" which could also be interpreted as "body mind & soul".

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply "feels" like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we have to be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

The first Kanji alone means before, ahead, previous, future, precedence.

The second Kanji means heart, mind, soul, or essence.

Together, these two Kanji create a word that is defined as "purified spirit" or "enlightened attitude" within the context of Japanese martial arts.

This is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo), and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: Senshin is a spirit that protects and harmonizes the universe. Senshin is a spirit of compassion that embraces and serves all humanity and whose function is to reconcile discord in the world. It holds all life to be sacred. It is the Buddha mind.

This is the simplest form of spirit. This single character alone will conjure up ideas of the spiritual world. This character can also be translated as "vital awareness" as in the fact that one must know they exist to exist (I think, therefore I am).

Other translations include:
God, mysterious, divine essence, lively, spiritual being, divinity, supernatural, soul, mind, nerves, and energy. In some extended context it can mean genius or unusual.

This title means, "Taekwondo Spirit" or "The Spirit of Taekwondo". This is the title of General Choi's calligraphy often referred to as "The Tenets of Taekwon-do".

This title speaks of one's soul or spirit, and the capacity or strength that soul possesses.

The first two characters mean mind, heart, spirit, and/or soul.

The last two characters mean strength, capacity, or ability.

Note: Separately, these are two words in Japanese, and can be pronounced, but this does not make a natural title in Japanese (best if your audience is Chinese).

This is General Choi's writing that is often called "The Tenets of Taekwon-do". The actual title would be translated as, "Taekwondo Spirit" or "The Spirit of Taekwondo". It was originally written in Korean Hanja (Chinese characters used in Korea for about 1600 years).

General Choi's original calligraphy is shown to the right. Your custom calligraphy will be unique, and not an exact match, as each calligrapher has their own style.

In modern times, the common form of written Korean is Hangul (a phonetic character set). The table below shows the text in Hangul and Hanja along with a pronunciation guide and a brief English translation:

This character is the essence or spirit of a warrior. This character is part of the word "wu shu" which is sometimes translated as "martial arts" or "kung fu".

In more modern speech and other context, this can mean military, martial, warlike, fierce, and perhaps violent, but usually as a prefix for a longer word or phrase.

This is the title Archangel in Chinese and old Korean Hanja.

The first character means big or great (in this case, it means "arch").
The second means heaven (or sky).
The last means messenger.

The second and third characters together make the title for angel, which is literally "Heaven's Messenger".

This title would be understood as "The Chief of all Angels", or "The Great Angel". Some might even say it's the boss of Angels.

See Also...  Angel

This is often translated in Japanese as "beginner's mind". In Chinese, the dictionary definition is "one's original intention".

The first character means first, initial, primary, junior, beginning, or basic.

The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence.

This is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo), and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness the remains always fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.

You focus your energy and efforts on a task and stick with it until it is finished. Determination is using your will power to do something when it isn't easy. You are determined to meet your goals even when it is hard or you are being tested. With determination we make our dreams come true.

The first characters means "to determine" or "determined". The second character means "heart" or "soul", so you can imagine that this form of "determination" partially means to put your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).

See Also...  Devotion | Tenacious | Passion | Dedication | Will-Power

This means "paying attention".

The first character means "for a particular person, occasion, or purpose", "focused on one thing", "concentrated" and sometimes, "special".

The second character means "heart" by itself.

Together, these two characters make a word that means, "paying attention with your heart". It's often translated as, "dedication", as in "be absorbed in" or "concentrate one's efforts". It's also used to mean, "concentration (-ed)" and "engrossed", "devotionally (listening/watching)", "attentive".

My favorite translation, which comes from the Oxford Advanced Chinese/English Dictionary is, "wholehearted devotion".

If it seems like the meaning of this word is quite open, you are correct. The context in which the word is used matters a lot. It can mean different things depending on how you use it. This makes it kind of nice as you can decide what this means to you (within some limits). This word is always positive in meaning, so even if a Chinese person reads it differently than you, it will still have a good meaning.

In Japanese, they tend to use a variation of the second character which has one less stroke. If you want your calligraphy written this Japanese form, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note: Japanese and Chinese people will recognize either form.

See Also...  Faith | Devotion

This word is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja.

It can mean earnestness, enthusiasm, ardor, zeal, devotion, spirit, or fervor.

This is another version of Enthusiasm in Chinese, Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja. This literally means "warm-hearted" (can also mean warm-spirited or warm-souled).

This word is also used to express the ideas of earnestness or eagerness.

Can mean "zeal" in Japanese.

See Also...  Happiness

This Chinese and Japanese phrase is a direct translation for the western idea of inner peace.

The first two characters contain the idea of "heart" and "innermost being".

The last two characters mean "tranquil" and "serene".

I have seen this phrase used as "inner peace" for art prints and even on the side of coffee cups. But I think the translation is too literal. It feels like a direct translation from English rather than a nicely composed Chinese or Japanese phrase. See my other entries for "inner peace".

See Also...  Serenity | Simplicity | Peace

First off, this should only be used in context of Japanese martial arts. In Chinese, it's a rather sad title (like a broken heart). In Chinese, the first character alone means destroyed, spoiled, ruined, injured, cruel, oppressive, savage, incomplete, disabled. However, in Japanese, it's remainder, leftover, balance, or lingering.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence in both languages.

This is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo), and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The spirit of zanshin is the state of the remaining or lingering spirit. It is often described as a sustained and heightened state of awareness and mental follow-through. However, true zanshin is a state of focus or concentration before, during, and after the execution of a technique, where a link or connection between uke and nage is preserved. Zanshin is the state of mind that allows us to stay spiritually connected, not only to a single attacker, but to multiple attackers and even an entire context; a space, a time, an event.

This is the Japanese Buddhist and martial arts phrase, "mizu no kokoro", which means, "mind like water" or "heart of water".

The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects it’s surroundings when calm, but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.

The idea of "morality of mind" goes along with "wu de" (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).

Here, the first character is a representation of your heart or mind.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.

This can also be translated as "morality of heart", "virtue of heart", or "virtue of the mind".

Note that since ancient times in Asia, the idea of your mind (the place where your soul resides, and your thought originate from) has been associated with the heart. Just as in western culture where we say "it comes from the heart", or "heartfelt emotions", there is a belief that your heart and mind are one and the same (medical science now begs to differ).

See Also...  Morality Of Deed | Martial Morality

This is a slightly poetic way to express this sentiment to someone.

The meaning is "My True Love" but the characters directly translate as "I/Me/My Heart/Mind True/Real Love".

Note that Chinese grammar and construction are different, so this sounds very eloquent and artsy in Chinese.
In Korean Hanja, the third character should be written differently, just let me know when you place your order if you want that version - it will still make sense in Chinese. This phrase makes sense in Korean, but not commonly used.

In Japanese, this word means innocent, or one with no knowledge of good and evil. It literally means "without mind".

This is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo), and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: "No mind, a mind without ego. A mind like a mirror which reflects and dos not judge." The original term was "mushin no shin", meaning, "mind of no mind." It is a state of mind without fear, anger, or anxiety. Mushin is often described by the phrase, "mizu no kokoro", which means, "mind like water". The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects it’s surroundings when calm, but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.

This has a good meaning in conjunction with Chan / Zen Buddhism in Japan. However, out of that context, it means mindlessness or absent-minded. To non-Buddhists in China, this is associated with doing something without thinking.
In Korean, this usually means indifference.

Use caution and know your audience before ordering this selection.

More info: Wikipedia: Mushin