The Name Lee in Japanese/Chinese on a Custom-Made Wall Scroll.

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

麗 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.

莉 means “jasmine,” as in the flower.

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.

リー is the name Lee in Japanese.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

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

力 means “power” or “strength.”

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

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

理 means “reason,” “logic” or sometimes, “science.”

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

This is the most common Chinese character which sounds like “Lee” or “Li” and is used as a surname / family name in China.

李 actually means “Plum.” So it's really Mr. Plum and Mrs. Plum if you translated the name instead of romanizing.

This is not the only character in Chinese that can be romanized as “Lee” or “Li.” If your family name is “Lee” or “Li” please be sure this is the correct character before you order this scroll (look at your grandparents' Chinese passports or other documents if you are an ABC and are trying to create a heritage wall scroll).

Famous people with this surname include Bruce Lee (Li Xiao-Long), Minister Li Peng, and famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai. In Korea, this is the original character for a surname that romanizes as “Yi.”

Note: This also one version of Lee that is a common Korean surname. However, it’s often romanized as "Yi" and sometimes as "Ri" or "Rhee."

ヘーリーリー is the name Hailey-Lee in Japanese (Katakana).

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

リーエラ is the name Lee-Ella in Japanese (Katakana).

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Katakana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

In Cantonese, 截拳道 is Jeet Kune Do. Often it is explained as the “Way of the Intercepting Fist.”

截拳道 is a martial art style founded by Bruce Lee.

The first character means to cut off or sever.
The second character is a fist.
The last character means way or method.

See Also:  Bruce Lee

功夫 or Kung Fu is one of the most famous types of martial arts in the world - and not just because of Bruce Lee.

Some translate the meaning as “Accomplishment by Great Effort.” I think this is partially true, but directly translated, it literally means “Merit/Achievement/Accomplishment Man.” The word “fu” can sometimes mean “husband” or “porter,” but in this case, it can only mean “man.” However, few in China will think “man” when they hear the word “Gong Fu” spoken.

This term is also used for things other than martial arts. In fact, it's used to refer to a person with excellent skills in crafts that require a lot of effort to master, such as cooking, tea ceremonies, and calligraphy.

What a lot of people don't know is that the spelling of “Kung Fu” was actually taken from the old Wade Giles form of Romanization. Using this method, the sounds of the English “G” and “K” were both written as “K” and an apostrophe after the “K” told you it was supposed to sound like a “G.” Nobody in the west knew this rule, so most people pronounce it with a “K-sound.” And so, Gong Fu will always be Kung Fu for most westerners.

Also, just to educate you a little more, the “O” in “Gong” has a sound like the English word “oh.”

The popular Chinese dish “Kung Pao Chicken” suffers from the same problem. It should actually be “Gong Bao Chicken.”

Historical note: Many will claim that Kung Fu was invented by the monks of the Shaolin monastery. This fact is argued in both directions by scholars of Chinese history. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that the Shaolin Monks brought the original fame to Kung Fu many generations ago.

Japanese note: While most Japanese martial artists will recognize these characters, Katakana is more often used to approximate the pronunciation of "Kung Fu" with "カンフー." Some will argue as to whether this should be considered a Japanese word at all.

See Also:  Bruce Lee

小龍 literally means “little dragon” or “young dragon.”

小龍 is often used as a given name in Chinese.

In fact, Bruce Lee's real given name is “Little Dragon.”

See Also:  Bruce Lee