Be Happy in Chinese / Japanese...

幸せである is a way to express the idea of “be happy” in Japanese.

Japanese grammar is far different than English, so the word order is the opposite of English. If you translated directly, you'd have something like “Happiness henceforth” or “Happiness hereafter.” The idea is to be happy from this moment on.

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

なんくるない or nankurunai is an Okinawan word, written in Japanese that means “Don't worry, be happy.”

沖縄/Okinawa and/or the 琉球/Ryūkyū Islands have a more laid-back “island style” approach to life. So the nankurunai idea is a perfect match for that lifestyle.

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

安貧樂道 means “It's better to be happy than rich” in Chinese.

Even if you are poor, you should still feel satisfied in your life...

...Satisfaction, happiness and the meaning of your life come from within yourself and not from money or riches of the world.

In Chinese, there are a lot of four-character proverbs which express some very old philosophies.
Though there are only four characters on this scroll, in Chinese, the meanings often surpass the dictionary definition of each character.

In this case, you should not set your expectations too high for the money or riches you wish to have. One who sets their expectations too high is almost always disappointed. Instead, you should cherish what you have, seek to improve yourself from within, and not measure your worth by the size of your bank account.

See Also:  A Sly Rabbit Will Have Three Openings to Its Den

樂天 is about being optimistic and also making the best of whatever life throws at you.

This is hard to define. One dictionary defines this as “acceptance of fate and happy about it.” There is one English word equivalent, which is sanguinity or sanguinary.

You can also say that this means “Be happy with whatever Heaven provides,” or “Find happiness in whatever fate Heaven bestows upon you.” 樂天 suggests being an optimist in life.

Note: This is sometimes a given name in China.

Please note that Japanese tend to write the first character in a slightly-different form (as seen to the right). Let us know if you have a preference when you place your order.

なんくるないさ or Nankurunaisa means “Everything will be all right” and/or “It will all work out one way or another.”

なんくるないさ is an Okinawan (琉球 / Ryūkyū Islands) word written in Japanese.

You might see this romanized with breaks like nankurunai-sa or nankuru-nai-sa. It's the same word either way. However, there is a separate word, なんくるない, in there which is nankurunai, translated as “Don't worry, be happy.” The “sa” or さ part indicates an assertion or interjection.

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