Buy a Custom Woman Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

This is the very old way to say woman in Chinese. A common title ancient China, this actually refers to the scarf or head wrapping worn by virtually all women at that time.

This is kind of a cool way to say Woman now. The actual gender character alone on a wall scroll would actually just look like a fancy sign for the woman's restroom (WC).

If you are curious, the character to the right directly means female or woman. This is useful information if you are a woman in need of a toilet in China.

This is the best and most polite way to express "beautiful woman" in Chinese.

Note: Some people may like the simple 2-character way to express this, but there are some bad connotations with that, so better to stay with this longer and more respectful title.

See Also...  Beautiful Girl | Beauty

This literally means "Mysterious Person/Woman". In Japanese this is associated with a "geisha", which matches this definition of "mysterious woman". However, this is the colloquial way to say "professional geisha" or "expert prostitute" in Japanese. It therefore might not be what you want on your wall.

Notes: This is a "Japanese only" term, though a Chinese person who sees these characters will think of a geisha or an alluring Japanese female musician.
While not often seen in Korean Hanja, this would mean a "dark woman", as in a woman that you cannot easily see through.

This can mean brave woman, heroine, lady of character, distinguished woman, outstanding woman, and sometimes prominent woman.

In modern usage, some people might use this to give a title to women like Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, or Sarah Palin. I would rather use it for a woman like Araceli Segarra (the first woman from Spain to climb Mt. Everest).

This is the best way to say "strong woman" or "strong and independent woman" in Chinese.

Grammar in China is a bit different, so these three characters literally read as "female strength person" or "woman strong person". This might sound funny in English, but this is a natural-sounding title in Chinese.

This is a cool and somewhat ancient way to say woman hero in Chinese. This word is used in modern times to refer to an outstanding woman or a woman with great accomplishments.

In the old days, it was a title for a woman warrior (oh, did I mention that there were great female generals who led huge armies into battle in ancient China?)

This means "Active Duty Soldier" or literally "Active Duty Military Person". It's a great way to show your pride in being an active duty member of the armed forces.

The first two characters mean "active duty" and the second two characters can be translated as "military personnel", "soldier", or "serviceman" (it is unisex, so male or female is not indicated).

If anyone is looking for "reservist" just post your request on our Asian calligraphy forum.

See Also...  Military | Warrior

The best kind of love to have I suppose. This word has the well-know character for love. But the second character modifies and/or reinforces the meaning to become adore, adoring love, or to love and adore.

I say that I suppose this is the best kind of love because adoring someone is fine, until you are in the shoes of the Prince of the Kingdom of Wu. This Prince adored a certain beautiful woman (Xi Shi) so much that he neglected his duties, and soon let the kingdom fall into ruins.

This word is often used to describe the beauty of a woman. It's also the first character in the word for "beauty salon" which you will see all over China.

For a bit of trivia: The title for the "USA" in Chinese is "Mei Guo" which literally means "Beautiful Country". This name was bestowed at a time before Chairman Mao came to power and decided that China didn't like the USA anymore (even though we fought together against the Japanese in WWII). But these days, Chinese people love Americans (but have distaste for American politics and policy). But I digress...

This is also how "Beautiful" is written in Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja.

See Also...  Beautiful Woman | Beautiful Girl

This is the best way to express "beautiful girl" in Chinese.

See Also...  Beautiful Woman | Beauty

Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

Any woman with affection for Asian art and you will love a gift of this calligraphy on a wall scroll. She will melt in your arms as you tell her the meaning of these characters.

Contained in this phrase is a reference to the most beautiful woman in Chinese history. Her name was Xi Shi, and she was known to have good looks that need not fine robes or make up. Her charms were so powerful that she brought down an entire kingdom (in a successful effort to bring honor and pride back to her people).

Beyond "benevolence" word can be also be defined as "charity" or "mercy" depending on context.

The meaning suggests that one should pay alms to the poor, care for those in trouble, and take care of his fellow man (or woman).

This is one of the five tenets of Confucius. In fact, it is a subject in which Confucius spent a great deal of time explaining to his disciples.

I have also seen this benevolent-related word translated as perfect virtue, selflessness, love for humanity, humaneness, goodness, good will, or simply "love" in the non-romantic form.

This word is so important to me that I named my second daughter with this character. Her name is "Renni" which means "Benevolent Girl".
-Gary.

This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also...  Love | Altruism | Kindness | Charity | Brotherhood | Confucius

This is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the female / feminine name Dana.

This is the character "dao" which is sometimes written as "tao" but pronounced like "dow" in Mandarin.

This is the base of what is known as "Taoism". If you translate this literally, it can mean "the way" or "the path".

Dao is believed to be that which flows through all things, and keeps them in balance. It incorporates the ideas of yin and yang (e.g. there would be no love without hate, no light without dark, no male without female.)

The beginning of Taoism can be traced to a mystical man named
Lao Zi (604-531 BC), who followed, and added to the teachings of Confucius.

More about Taoism / Daoism here.

Note that this is pronounced "dou" and sometimes "michi" when written alone in Japanese, but pronounced "do" in word compounds such as Karate-do and Bushido. It's also "do" in Korean.

Alternate translations and meanings: road, way, path; truth, principle province.

Important Japanese note: In Japanese, this will generally be read with the road, way, or path meaning. Taoism is not as popular or well-known in Japan, so that Daoist/Taoist philosophy is not the first thing a Japanese person will think of then they read this character.

See our Taoism Page

This is the simple, single-character way to write emperor in Chinese and Japanese.

See Also...  Empress | King | Queen

From times of old, the emperors of Asia ruled under the authority of God himself. In fact, one definition of an emperor is a ruler put in power by God. This definition separates emperors from the various kings in Chinese history (although defining who is a king versus an emperor gets vague sometimes).

Occasionally, the emperor's wife was widowed, and she took the role of empress until her death (see our entry for empress if that is what you are looking for).

See Also...  Empress | King | Queen

This is the title of empress or emperess, the female form of emperor. This is used in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

While the emperor's reign was for life, if he died, his wife would hold his power. In this case, a woman was the ultimate ruler of the greater part of East Asia (what is now China) until her death and the succession of the emperor's first born son to lead the empire. Numerous times in various Chinese dynasties, an empress took power in this way.

The first character means emperor by itself.

The second character alone can mean "wife of an emperor or king" (the first character clarifies that we are talking about an empress, and not a queen). It can also mean sovereign or last offspring, depending on context.

Note: In some books, this word is translated as queen. While only incorrect if you get technical (because an empress is theoretically a higher level than a queen), the meaning is very similar.

This is sometimes used for the title of queen, but more technically, this is the wife of the emperor (a higher level than a queen).

See Also...  Emperor | King | Queen | Phoenix

This character means forgive, show mercy, absolve, or excuse in Chinese and Korean Hanja (though mostly used in compound words in Korean).

This character incorporates the pictogram of a heart at the bottom, and a woman and a mouth at the top. The heart portion has the most significance, as it is suggested that it is the heart's nature to forgive.
In Asian culture, as with most other cultures, forgiveness is an act of benevolence and altruism. In forgiving, you put yourself in someone else's shoes and show them the kindness that you would want them to show you. Confucius referred to this quality as "human-heartedness".

This is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Gea in a neutral or unisex version. Okay for a man or woman.

This is the real basis for the way we spell geisha. However, there are many more ways to refer to a woman that fills the role that westerners think of when they hear the word geisha.

In Japanese, these characters literally mean "artful person". But in English it might be better translated as "a person (woman) highly trained/accomplished in the arts".

However, my Japanese dictionary says "a singing and dancing girl".

Many will argue as to whether "geisha" = "prostitute" or not. My Japanese friends seem to have the opinion that a geisha is so highly trained in the art playing musical instruments and dancing that the fact she might also be a prostitute is secondary to her performance on stage.

This is a "Japanese only" term, they use a slightly different first character to express "geisha" in Chinese. Since this is a Japanese term, I have not included the Chinese version.

This literally means "Flower Willow World/Kingdom". In Japanese, this means "The Realm of the Geisha" or "World of the Geisha". I suppose there is a presumption that the Geisha are surrounded by flowers in their residence. In Chinese and Korean, this pretty much has colloquially come to mean "The Red Light District" or to refer to pimps, prostitutes and johns as a group.

This is how to refer to a geisha that offers "special services". Please don't order this, it's only here for reference. This is not appropriate for custom calligraphy!

In Japanese this means "distinguished/talented/beautiful geisha". The meaning in Chinese (and the deeper meaning in Japanese) would be "distinguished/talented/beautiful prostitute".

I am not sure that our master calligrapher will even write this, so please note that fact if you decide to place the order. Of course we'll refund your money if he refuses.

This is the title for a female child in which you have a sworn duty to raise, should the girl's parents die. The second character specifically designates that we are talking about a female child, thus the title God Daughter.

See Also...  Family

This is the Buddhist deity known as the Goddess of Mercy or Bodhisattva of Compassion. In Chinese, the proper name of this being is Guan Yin. There is some debate as to whether Guan Yin is female. The argument comes from some scripture that suggests Buddhist deities take on male form. Others say that Guan Yin has no sex. And still others are okay with the female representation of Guan Yin.

This bodhisattva is also known or Romanized in the following ways:
Mandarin Chinese: Guan Yin, Kuan Yin, Kwan Yin.
Japanese: Kannon, Kwannon.
Sanskrit: Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.
Korean: Gwan-eum.
Vietnamese: Quan Âm.
Thai: Kuan Eim.
English: Bodhisattva of Mercy and Salvation, Goddess of Compassion, Buddha of Mercy, et al.

Note: The first character has a slight variation in Japanese. If your audience is specifically Japanese, you may want to select that version.

See Also...  Buddhism | Goddess | Namo Amitabha | Bodhisattva

This is exactly what the title suggests. The words directly translate from English to Chinese characters. This is a common phrase used between lovers in China.

Note: While the Japanese language uses the same characters, this phrase would not be spoken - it's kind of taboo in Japan. A man might tell a woman that he likes her with the phrase "Watashi wa anata ga suki-desu" (I regarding you have liking). If your audience is Japanese, avoid this "I love you" phrase. If you need something special, we have a Japanese translator on call.

This both means and sounds like "Islam" in Mandarin Chinese.

The first three characters sound like the word "Islam", and the last character means "religion" or "teaching". It's the more general term for "Islam" in China. The highest concentration of Muslims in China is Xinjiang (the vast region in northwest China that was known as East Turkistan Republic until 1949 and is sometimes called Chinese Turkistan, Uyghuristan or Uyghur Stan). Here you will find Uygurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz and others that are descendants of Turkmen (possibly mixed with Persians and Arabs). Many of their ancestors were traders who traveled the silk road to buy and sell spices, silk, and exchange other goods from the Orient and Middle East.

I spent some time in Xinjiang and got to know this community. They are strong people who can endure much. They are friendly and love to have a good time. I was a stranger, but I was treated by villagers (near China's border with Afghanistan) as if I was a good friend.
But I have heard that it's best not to cross them, as in this land, the law is the blade, and everything is "eye for an eye". The Chinese government has little control in Xinjiang with almost no police officers except in the capital of Urumqi (so it's a 60-hour roundtrip train ride to seek the aid of law enforcement in most cases).

While few seem to be devout, there are at least small mosques in every village. And you will never see a man or woman outside without a head covering.

It should be noted that these people are all citizens of China but they are officially of the Caucasian race. A visit to Xinjiang will change your idea what it means to be Chinese.

This is the most common transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the feminine western name Lee.

This character means "pretty" or "beautiful".

Note: This can sometimes be used as a female given name in China. It is not the only given name that sounds like Lee or Li in China. For instance, this is a completely different character than the one used for Bruce Lee's name.

This is an alternate transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the feminine western name Lee.

This character character means "jasmine".

Note: This can sometimes be used as a female given name in China. It is not the only given name that sounds like Lee or Li in China.

This is a universal word in Japanese, Korean and Chinese which means love and affection. Some may translate this as "love between a man and a woman". Depending on context, it can mean utter devotion or favorite.

This is the Japanese Kanji title for "Martial Arts Master". It suggests that you have reached at least the level of black belt, and are probably to the level where you are ready to become an instructor.

Please consider carefully where you stand before ordering this phrase on a wall scroll. If you are not a master, this will make you look a bit foolish.

If you want to get this as a gift for your master at the dojo. Try to discreetly make sure this term is used in your school. Different schools and styles of Japanese martial arts use different terms. You may notice in the Romaji and the characters, this has the same characters as "geisha" which means "person skilled in arts" (what a geisha girl really is). The title here has the character for "martial", "warrior", and/or "military" in front of it. Therefore the literal translation is "martial art person".

These Kanji are valid Chinese characters and Korean Hanja, but this title does not really make sense in Chinese and not often used in Korean, though a Chinese or Korean would be able to guess the meaning by looking at the first and last characters.

This is the simplest way to write "Phoenix" in Chinese. Because 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 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.

This is another simple way to write "Phoenix" in Chinese. This is the specifically female element of phoenix, so this is how you write "female phoenix". This character 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 phoenix).

If you see yourself as a strong woman, this might be scroll for you to express "woman power" or "powerful woman" in a cool way.

This is the most simple way to express purity or cleanliness in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja. As a single character, the concept is broad: This can be a verb (the act of cleaning, purifying, or to cleanse), but it can also be the state of being clean, pure, and chaste. In some context, it can be a place to clean (like a bathing room for the soul in Buddhist context). In Japanese, this can be a female given name "Jou" or "jō" (the Japanese equivalent of the English girl's name "Chastity").

This is one way to write queen in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This is not the same thing as an empress.

The first character means "woman" or "female", and the second means "king". So this is literally, "woman king".

See Also...  Empress | Goddess | King | Emperor

This is another way to write queen in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This is sometimes used for the title of empress.

The first character means "king" and the second means "wife", or a short form to say "wife of the king / emperor". So this is literally, "king's wife" or "emperor's wife". Some will translate this as "queen consort".

See Also...  Queen | Goddess | King | Emperor

This can mean saint, sage, or holy man.

Note: There is more than one way to express this idea. This one really matches "Holy man" because the second character means "human" or "person" (therefore, this could equally mean "Holy woman").

This means sexy, fascinating, voluptuous, or bewitching in Japanese Kanji. This is specifically in regards to women.

This has a dictionary meaning of flirtatious or bewitchingly pretty in Chinese. However, in practice, this would refer to a sexy but bitchy woman in modern China. This is also a word in old Korean Hanja, however, I have not confirmed how it is perceived in Korean culture.

This may not be appropriate for a wall scroll unless your audience is Japanese only.

Note: The second character can also be written in the alternate version shown to the right.

This means "Soldier" or literally "Military Person". This can also be translated as, "military personnel", "soldier", or "serviceman" (it is unisex, so male or female is not indicated).

See Also...  Military | Warrior

This is the character for bull, cow, ox, or bovine creature in Chinese, old Korean, and Japanese.

If you were born in the year of the ox / bull / cow, you . . .


Are dedicated to your work.
Are discrete, careful and conscientious.
Value work and family.

Note that in this Chinese character, there is no distinction between bull and cow. All bovine creatures fit into the definition of this character. To distinguish between male and female, another sex-designating character is added in front of this character. Therefore, in China, the energy drink "Red Bull" (Hong Niu) is often translated in the minds of Chinese people as "Red Cow" or even "Red Ox".

See also our Chinese Zodiac page.

This character is really open to interpretation. This character meant flowers or blooming in ancient China. It still has that meaning in Japanese, and Buddhist context.

In modern China, this means glorious, beautiful, splendid, magnificent, or the best part of something. It can also refer to the country of China or something Chinese (such as people - overseas Chinese are often called "hua ren"). This is also a surname in China.

In Japanese, this can be the female given name "Ririka". It's also the short name for a certain kind of playing cards in Japan.

In Korean, This can be the surname "Hwa". While it also means splendid, flowery, or the country of China in Korean.