武 in Chinese / Japanese...

武 is the essence or spirit of a warrior. 武 is part of the word “wu shu” which is sometimes translated as “martial arts” or “kung fu.”

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

武神 is the title for Bushin, or “God of Military Arts.”

This can also be translated as “Martial Spirit.”

This title is often associated with Bujinkan, a school/style of martial arts. In that context, this can be pronounced Bujin.

In some cases, pronounced/romanized as Bukami, especially when used as a surname in Japan.

精武 is the title used for a certain type of martial arts. You can translate this roughly as “Excellent Martial Arts” or “Excellence in Martial Arts.” You will notice that the second character is “wu” as in wushu (martial arts) and wushi (warrior).

More information can be found at the Jing Mo website. You should probably only order this if you are a member of this association.

Note that “jing mo” is the Cantonese pronunciation of these characters. In Mandarin, they are “jing wu.”
Also used in Korean but only by those involved with martial arts who can also read Korean Hanja (a small percentage of the population).

This refers to the virtue, morality, and ethics that any practitioner of martial arts should possess.

This can be used in both Chinese and Japanese in place of English terms such as “soldierly virtue,” “good conduct” (military), “warrior ethics,” and being honorable regarding any fight or competition.

In Japanese, there is a slight variation in the last character, making it 武徳 instead of 武德 in Japan. And yes, just one little horizontal stroke is omitted. If you need the Japanese version, please choose a Japanese calligrapher, or drop me a note so that I make sure you get the characters you intend.

武藝 is a Korean Hanja title that means “martial arts” or “military skill.”

武藝 is also a word in Chinese but used more often in the context of Korean martial arts.

From Korean, this is romanized as either “mu ye” or “moo ye.” If you want to order this in modern Korean Hangul, just click the Hangul characters in the pronunciation box next to the Korean flag above.

武技 can be translated as “martial arts skills,” “warrior skills,” or “military skills,” depending on usage.

In both Japanese and Chinese, rather than meaning martial arts, this speaks more to the skills that you possess in regard to martial arts. This phrase also has a light suggestion of “having the itch to show off these skills.”

武術 is Wushu or Wu Shu, the very Chinese way to express “Martial Arts.”

Some even use this word to describe Kung Fu directly. But this is a label that fits all disciplines from Karate to Kung Fu to Taekwondo.

Note: This also means Martial Arts with the same appearance as old Korean Hanja characters and is pronounced “musul” or “musur” in Korean.

While this is best if your audience is Chinese or Korean, this also means “martial arts” in Japanese, where the popularity of this term is growing (romanized as Bujutsu or Bujitsu) in Japanese martial arts circles.

武道 is the very common Japanese way to say “Martial Arts.”

武道 is used mostly in Japanese dojos but is also understood in Chinese and Korean.

Some will use this title to mean chivalry (the conduct of a knight) or military art. The way this word is understood would depend on the context in which it is used.

The first character means “force,” “warlike,” or “essence of a warrior.”

The second character means “method,” “path,” and “the way.” It is the same character used to describe/mean the philosophy of Taoism / Daoism.

Some will also translate this as “The Way of the Warrior”; especially in the context of Korean martial arts.

Miyamoto Musashi is probably the most famous Samurai in all of Japanese history.

武蔵 is the short title for a man long in legend. While coming from a lower class, his new sword and fighting techniques put him on par with the best that feudal Japan had to offer. His long career started with his first duel at age 13!

He is credited with using two swords at once and never losing a single battle in his career. After becoming a Buddhist, and getting older, like many old warriors, he took up a peaceful and solitary life until his death around 1645 A.D.

Note: Technically, Musashi is his given name, and Miyamoto is his surname. However, it's suggested that he assumed both of these names and had a few other names in childhood, as well as being given a Buddhist name. It's hard to know what to call him, as with most Kanji, there are multiple pronunciations. The characters for Musashi can also be pronounced Takezō. But everyone in modern times seems to know him by the name Musashi.

This is a Japanese surname that romanizes as Takeda.

This can also be the Japanese surnames Muta, Tageta, Takedo, or Taketa.

武産 is the concept developed by Morihei Ueshiba of how the ultimate martial art should be, how his aikido should be, an art that may harmonize all living beings and free techniques could be spontaneously executed.

The first character, 武, is the spirit or essence of a warrior. The second character, 士, means soldier, officer, or official. 武士 is also used appropriately enough to describe a piece of a chess game. 武士 can also be translated as a soldier, cavalier, palace guard, or samurai, and sometimes as a knight. I've occasionally seen this translated as strong man or tough man (gender not necessarily implied).

By far, 武士 is the most common way to write warrior in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Note: In Japanese, this is Bushi, as in Bushido.

武者 is an alternate title for a warrior or samurai in Japanese. It is often romanized as “Musha.”

The literal meaning of these Kanji is “war person,” “military person,” or “martial person.”

This Chinese title, Wusheng, means Saint of War.

武聖 is usually a reference to Guan Yu (關羽), also known as Guan Gong (關公).

Some Chinese soldiers still pray to Wusheng for protection. They would especially do this before going into battle.

玄武 can refer to the Black Tortoise (an ancient Chinese constellation of stars- part of the seven mansions of the north sky).

In Daoism, this is the God of the North sky.

This also refers to a Black Tortoise god, said to rule over the northern heavens in Japanese. Can also be pronounced/romanized as genmu or when used as a personal name, Hirotake in Japanese.

武道家 is a Japanese word that means martial artist.

武道会 is the title Budō-Kai.

Budo means martial arts, and kai is association. This title is used by a few dojos around the world.

Budokan literally means “martial arts stadium.”

However, the title Budokan is often used to refer to a certain style of karate. This style originated in Malaysia and has spread throughout the world.

This is the Japanese martial arts style Budoshin in Kanji.

武神館 is the Japanese martial arts style known as Bujinkan.

This refers specifically to the international martial arts organization based in Japan and headed by Masaaki Hatsumi. Bujinkan claims lineage to original Ninjutsu.

武士道 is the title for “The Code of the Samurai.”

Sometimes called “The Seven Virtues of the Samurai,” “The Bushido Code,” or “The Samurai Code of Chivalry.”

This would be read in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja as “The Way of the Warrior,” “The Warrior's Way,” or “The Warrior's Code.”

It's a set of virtues that the Samurai of Japan and ancient warriors of China and Korea had to live and die by. However, while known throughout Asia, this title is mostly used in Japan and thought of as being of Japanese origin.

The seven commonly-accepted tenets or virtues of Bushido are Rectitude 義, Courage 勇, Benevolence 仁, Respect 礼(禮), Honour 名誉, Honesty 誠, and Loyalty 忠実. These tenets were part of oral history for generations, thus, you will see variations in the list of Bushido tenets depending on who you talk to.

See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

武士會 is the Japanese martial arts title Bushi-Kai or Bushikai.

武心道 is the title for Bushindo meaning “warrior heart way” or “warrior mind way.”

In English, we might translate it as “The way of the warrior's heart.”

武心館 is the title for Bushinkan or Bushin-kan, which translates roughly as Warrior Heart Hall/House.

鬼武者 is an unusual title that can be translated two ways, daredevil warrior or demon warrior.

The most common is probably the daredevil warrior. However, the first character means demon, ghost, or soul of the departed. Therefore, it can mean the soul of a warrior or a demon warrior.

This title is Japanese only, and should not be used if your audience is Chinese.

龍武士 is a generic title for “Dragon Warrior.”

Just as in English, it's a bit ambiguous. It can mean one who fights against dragons or the title of a warrior himself (imagine a warrior with a dragon symbol on his chest).

韓武館 roughly translates as “Hall of Korean Martial Arts” or “Korean Martial Hall.”

Kanbukan is one of the earliest Karate organizations established after WWII in Japan.

Note: Chinese and Korean pronunciations are included above; however, this title is only common in Japan.

古武道 is the title for Kubudo, which can be defined as Okinawan weapons fighting.

The literal translation would be something like “Old Martial Way.” The last two characters are often translated as “martial arts” so “Old Martial Arts” is another possible translation.

Please note that even though these are Chinese characters and can be pronounced in Chinese, this is a Japanese-only title. It is not often used nor understood in Chinese. So please consider this to only be appropriate for a Japanese audience.

古武館 is the martial arts style Kobukan or Kobu-Kan.

The meaning is “ancient warrior hall.”

古 = Old, ancient, antique, or paleo-
武 = Martial, warrior, or military.
館 = Hall, building, school room, or an alternate word for a dojo.

武芸者 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 that the last two characters romanize 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 is 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.

Meibukan (明武舘) is a branch of Gōjū-ryū karate. It was created by Meitoku Yagi, a student of Goju-ryu's founder, Chojun Miyagi. Meibukan means "House of the pure-minded warrior."

武德館 is the original title for the Korean martial arts style, Moo Duk Kwan.

靜武士 is the shortest way to write “Quiet Warrior” or “Tranquil Warrior” in Chinese.

靈武舘 is the name for the Reibukan style of martial arts in Japanese Kanji.

This is the martial arts title Renbukai in Japanese Kanji.

影武者 is the title for Shadow Warrior in Chinese and Japanese.

This may refer to a few video games that share this English title, or a Japanese movie called Kagemusha.

If you are looking for the Japanese TV show, that was originally 影の軍団 (Kage no Gundan), which more literally means “Army of Shadows,” but was re-titled Shadow Warrior when released outside Japan in English.

In Japan, this title can also refer to a body double or decoy of an army general or leader used to avoid assassination. It can also be somebody who does all the work (or fighting) behind the scenes (not getting much, if any, credit).

尚武館 is a title, Shobukan, meaning “Great Warrior House,” in Japanese.

翔武館 is the title, Shobukan meaning “Soaring Warrior House,” in Japanese.

This is a common Mandarin Chinese transliteration for the male Portuguese/Latin name Tadeu.

女武神 is the Chinese title for Valkyrie, the female spirit who determines which Soldiers live and die in battle.

武士心 means “Warrior Heart.”

武士心 is more a Japanese title than Chinese, but it is understood in both languages.

This maeans path of the warrior or warrior’s path in Japanese.

武當拳 means Wudang Quan or Wudang Fist.

Wudang (sometimes romanized as Wutang or Wu Tang) refers to a Mountain range in northwest Hubei. The Wudang martial arts style refers to a version of Shaolin Kung Fu.

合気武道 is the title Aiki-Budo or “Aiki Martial Arts” in Japanese Kanji.

合 means “union” or “harmony.”
気/氣 means “universal energy” or “spirit.”
武 means “martial” or “military.”
道 means “way” or “method.”

合気武道 is the modern Japanese way to write this. You may also see 合氣武道, where the second character is written in the older traditional (pre-1945) form. If you want this written 合氣武道, just include a note or email with your order.

合氣武道 are all Chinese characters as well, so I included the Chinese pronunciation above. However, while it can be understood in Chinese, this is not a common term in that language and is not used in any Chinese martial arts. Also, 気 is only used in Japan - Chinese will understand 気 to be the Japanese form of 氣.

武道会術 is the title “Budo Kai Jutsu” in Japanese Kanji.

This is the title Bushido Dragon in Chinese and Japanese Kanji.

In Japanese, this can also be written as 武士道竜.

武士道館 is the title Bushidokan or Bushido-Kan.

覺醒武士 is not a commonly used title in Chinese but is sometimes used in Martial arts and military contexts to refer to a warrior who seems always to be fully aware, enlightened, knowledgeable, noble, and just.

The first two characters are a word that means: to awaken; to come to realize; awakened to the truth; the truth dawns upon one; scales fall from the eyes; to become aware.

The last two characters mean warrior but can also refer to a samurai, soldier, or fighter.

古流武術 is the title “Ko-ryū Bujutsu” which basically means “old school martial arts” or “ancient flow martial arts.”

This is more a Japanese than a Chinese martial arts term but would be understood in Chinese as well.

自然武道 is a means the Nature of Martial Arts.

The first two characters create a word that means nature, natural, or spontaneous.

The last two characters are often translated as martial arts.

靜謐武士 means “Quiet Warrior” in Chinese.

靜謐 means quiet or tranquil.
武士 means warrior or soldier.

精神武道 is the Japanese martial arts title, Seishin Budo.

The first two characters, 精神, can mean vigor, vitality, drive, spiritual, mind, spirit, soul, heart, ethos, attitude, mentality, will, intention, essence, and fundamental significance.

The last two characters, 武道, are the Japanese word for martial arts (literally the Martial Way). This title can also be romanized as Seshin Budou or Seishin Budō.

少林武功 is the title for “Shaolin Wu Gong” or “Shaolin martial arts.”

武産合氣 is one of the core spiritual concepts developed by Morihei Ueshiba to support his practice of Aikido.

Breaking down the characters:

武 - Bu (as in Bushido) is read as “Take” here. It means martial.

産 - Musu means innocent or naive, but also refers to the idea of birth and creation.

合氣 - Aiki as in Aikido - unifying spirit.

蒂武西奧 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name Tiburcio.

和平武士 means “Warrior for Peace” (a warrior who fights for peace) in Chinese.

Note this is not the same thing as a “peaceful warrior.”

武者之心 means “Warrior Within” from the Chinese video game title, “Prince of Persia: Warrior Within.”

This more literally means “warrior or the heart” or “warrior of the soul/mind.”

武神館忍術 is the martial arts title Bujinkan Ninjitsu in Japanese.

武士流柔術 is a special title added for a customer's specific school/style of Jujutsu.

Please only order this if you are a member/practitioner of this style.

実戦古武道 is the title Jissen Kobudo in Japanese Kanji.

Jissen or 実戦 means combat, battle, or fighting.

Kobudo or 古武道 is the title used for Okinawan martial arts. The literal translation would be something like “Old Martial Way.”

琉球古武術 is the title for “Ryukyu Kobujutsu” or “Ryukyu Islands Martial Arts.”

Sometimes referred to as “Okinawan Kobudo.”

沖縄古武道 is the title for Okinawa Kobudō.

平和的武士 means “Peaceful Warrior” in Chinese. This does in fact sound like an oxymoron in Chinese - but many of you have asked for this special title.

Note this is not the same thing as “warrior for peace.”

平和の武士 can be read as “Peaceful Warrior” or “Warrior for Peace” in Japanese. This sounds like an oxymoron in Japanese, so it's a weird title. Expect Japanese people to be perplexed when they see it.

Character breakdown:
平和 (heiwa) peace; harmony.
の (no) possessive particle.
武士 (bushi) warrior; samurai; soldier.

精神武道館 is the title Seishin Budokan in Japanese Kanji.

沉默的武士 is a way to write “silent warrior” in Chinese.

The first two characters mean “silent.”

The middle character is a connecting or possessive particle.

The last two characters mean “warrior.”

龍之魂武術 is the title Spirit Of The Dragon Martial Arts in Chinese.

This can also be translated as “Dragon Soul Martial Arts.”

武士道館道場 is the title Bushidokan Dojo.

小林流翔武館 is the title, Shorin-Ryu Shobukan meaning “Little Forest Style - Soaring Warrior House” in Japanese.

There is more than one version of Shorin-Ryu and Shobukan, so make sure the characters here match the ones used at your dojo.

天真武芸学園 is the title for Tenshin Bugei Gakuen in Japanese Kanji.

This is the title Midori Yama Budokai in Japanese.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

天真武甲流兵法 is the Kanji title that romanizes as Tenshin Bukō-Ryū Heihō or Tenshin Buko-Ryu Heiho.

天真武甲流兵法 is a Japanese koryū martial art that has its roots in the Toda-ryū, founded in the late Muromachi period around the year 1560 by Toda Seigen.

This title can be pronounced in Chinese with a similar meaning, however, it should be considered a Japanese title.

This Japanese proverb simply reads, “[In] Flowers it's Cherry Blossoms, [In] Men it's Warriors.”

花は櫻木人は武士 is meant to say that of all the flowers in the world, the cherry blossom is the best. And of all men in the world, the Samurai or Warrior is the best

This proverb has been around for a long time. It's believed to have been composed sometime before the Edo Period in Japan (which started in 1603).

Some will drop one syllable and pronounce this, “hana wa sakura hito wa bushi.” That's “sakura” instead of “sakuragi,” which is like saying “cherry blossom” instead of “cherry tree.”

The third character was traditionally written as 櫻. But in modern Japan, that became 桜. You may still see 櫻 used from time to time on older pieces of calligraphy. We can do either one, so just make a special request if you want 櫻.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

日本空手道玄武會 is the title for Nippon Karate-Do Genbu-Kai.
A Japanese karate association of the Genbu school.

Note that while this title does make perfect sense in Chinese, it is really a Japanese title. In fact, the first word is “Japanese/Japan.”

If you’d like your martial arts school, dojo or club added to our calligraphy database for easy ordering of a custom calligraphy wall scroll, just contact me.

武士の一言金鉄の如し is an old Japanese proverb about the value of the word of a warrior.

Here are a couple of versions of how this can be translated:

A warrior's single word is as unchanging and reliable as gold and steel.
A warrior's promise is as dependable as gold, and his [scabbard contains] untarnished steel (a sword).

Note: Sometimes this phrase is written as 男子の一言、金鉄の如し (danshi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi)

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.