The name Serendipity Nice Coincidence in Chinese / Japanese...

素敵な偶然 is a common way to express serendipity in Japanese.

The first two characters mean nice, lovely, dreamy, beautiful, great, fantastic, superb, or cool.

In the middle is a Japanese Hiragana character connecting these words/ideas.

The last two Kanji mean incidentally, by chance, randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity, or by coincidence.

幸せな偶然 is one of many ways to express serendipity in Japanese.

The first two characters mean happiness, good fortune, luck, or blessing.

In the middle is a Japanese Hiragana character connecting these words/ideas.

The last two Kanji mean incidentally, by chance, randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity, or by coincidence.

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

幸運な偶然 is one of many ways to express serendipity in Japanese.

The first two Kanji mean fortunate, lucky, fortune, or good luck.

In the middle is a Japanese Hiragana character connecting these words/ideas.

The last two Kanji mean incidentally, by chance, randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity, or by coincidence.

偶然 is a short way to write serendipity in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also be translated as incidentally, by chance, randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity, or by coincidence.

幸運 can be translated as “good luck,” fortunate, lucky, and/or “good fortune” in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

Occasionally, this is also translated as a type of happiness or a short way to write serendipity.

偶然性 is a Chinese and Korean word that means chance, fortuity, or serendipity.

偶然の発見 is a way to express serendipity in Japanese. This title is more about the discovery by chance, like the melting candy bar in a Bell radar/communications laboratory that led to the invention of the microwave oven.

The first two Kanji mean incidentally, by chance, randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly, accident, fortuity, or by coincidence.

In the middle is a possessive article that connects these words/ideas.

The last two Kanji mean discovery, detection, or finding.

奇遇 can mean happy encounter, fortuitous meeting, adventure, unexpected meeting, or coincidence.

珠玉 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja word meaning gem.

Beyond just the word gem, this can refer to pearls and jades, jewels, clever remarks, beautiful writing, gems of wisdom, genius, or an outstanding person.

If your name is Gem, this is a nice way to represent your name in 3 Asian languages. Though the pronunciation will be far from Gem, the meaning of gem is really nice.

Note: In Japanese, this is sometimes used as the female given name, Tama.

養蜂 is the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean title for beekeeping, to raise bees or apiculture.

A nice gift for an avid beekeeper.

We like this way to transliterate the name Keegan into Mandarin Chinese because it has a nice meaning.

It kind of means “The root of luck.”

強く生きる is “Live Strong” in Japanese.

If you are a cancer survivor, or simply support Lance Armstrong's ideas, this is a nice selection for a wall scroll.

Note that we are in no way affiliated or connected to Lance, nor his foundation.

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

双生児 is a Japanese word that means twins.

A nice calligraphy selection if you are a twin. I presume you'll want to buy a pair of these wall scrolls!?

荷花 is one of two ways to write/say “lotus” or “lily” in Chinese.

It will make a nice wall scroll if you are fond of lotus flowers and/or lotuses have a special meaning to you.

永遠愛在一起 is “together forever in love” in Chinese.

It's a nice phrase if you're a couple who plans to stay together and make your love last as long as you live.

尊師 means “respected teacher,” “revered master,” or “guru” in Japanese and Chinese.

尊師 is a nice gift for a revered teacher in your life whose knowledge and mentoring have meant a lot to you.

偕老 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that means to grow/growing old together.

This will be a nice wall scroll to hang in your home if your plan is to grow old with your mate.

This is a nice word that means peaceful, tranquil, calm, composed, “free from worry,” “public peace,” tranquility, good health, well-being, or welfare in Chinese and Korean.

Note: The definition in Japanese is not so broad but still means peaceful or “public peace.”

阿兄 is a Chinese and Japanese title for elder brother.

阿兄 is an honorific title, like saying, “my dear brother.” A nice way to pay tribute to your big brother or older brother on your wall.

祝福 is a nice way to give good wishes to someone.

It can be a general blessing or used to congratulate someone for a special occasion or graduation.

This has a good meaning in Japanese but is more appropriate when expressed orally. 祝福 is not a natural selection for a wall scroll if your audience is Japanese.

情定終身 is a pledge of eternal love in Chinese.

This can also be a colloquial way to refer to the act of exchanging marriage vows.

If you and your mate want to express how committed you are to your life-long love, this will be a great piece of calligraphy for your wall. Also, a nice phrase to celebrate an anniversary.

美甲店 is how to title a business that performs only healthful and beauty services to fingernails and toenails. 美甲店 is not the same as a “Beauty Salon,” which offers services beyond your nails.

If you own such a business, this is a nice way to decorate your nail salon.

海軍 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja word for “Navy.” 海軍 is not country-specific, so it is the title for “naval service” from any country with a navy.

These two characters literally mean “sea military.”

A nice scroll for any sailor who likes Asian characters and has pride in their service.

寶寶 is how Chinese people express “baby.”

The word is composed of the same character twice, and therefore literally means “double precious” or “double treasure.”

This would be a nice wall scroll to put either inside or by the door of your baby's room (not on the door, as wall scrolls swing around wildly when hung on doors that open and close a lot).

If you believe that life is a journey, this is a nice Japanese title for your wall.

人生行路 means “journey of life” in Japanese Kanji. The actual word order is more like “life (人生) journey (行路)” as Japanese grammar is a bit different than English.

Note: The “journey” part can also be translated as “road,” so this is also how to say “the road of life.”

拳擊 is the term used in Chinese to refer to the original Olympic sport of combat and fighting.

If you like to strap on your boxing gloves and go a few rounds or are just a fan of boxing, this could make a nice wall scroll for you.

Note that Japanese use the same first character (which means fist) but a different Kanji for the second. Please see our Japanese boxing entry for that version.

This Chinese word can mean desirous, wishful, or desire.

The first character means to thirst for [something] or to be thirsty. The second character means to hope for, to expect, to gaze (into the distance), or to look for something. The combined meaning of these two characters changes a bit, but I think it's nice to know the individual meanings to give you a better understanding of where a word comes from.

Korean definitions of this word include craving, longing, and thirst for knowledge.

菖蒲 is the title for the iris flower in Japanese.

If your name happens to be Iris, this is a nice way to express your name by meaning in Japanese (it will mean your name but not sound like your name).

Can also mean Siberian iris (Iris sanguinea) or sweet flag (Acorus calamus / Acorus gramineus) varieties.

Note: This will also be recognized in Chinese, though it is generally written with the addition of a character meaning "stone" in front of this title in Chinese.

I was going to write this phrase as “God is with me always” but as a wall scroll, hanging in your room, it is talking to you (you're not talking), so it works better with you.

上帝總是與你同在 is a nice phrase that any Chinese Christian would enjoy on his/her wall.

If I annotate this, it sounds a little strange in English but it's perfectly natural in Chinese:
上帝 God | 总是 always | 与 and | 你 you | 同 together | 在 existing

相愛互敬 is a nice way to say “Love and Respect” in Chinese.

This proverb is about the mutual exchange of love and respect within a good relationship.

The first two characters create a word that means “to love each other” or “mutual love.”

The third character means mutual, interlocking, or in some contexts, “to dovetail” (as in how joints are made in fine furniture).

The last character means “to respect,” “to venerate,” “to salute,” “reverence,” or simply “respect.”

真愛 is literally “True Love” in Chinese.

The first character means “real,” “true,” and “genuine.” The second character means “love” and “affection.”

During the customization of your calligraphy wall scroll, there is a place to add an inscription. You might want that inscription to be your names in Chinese down the side of your wall scroll or perhaps just below these two main characters (just $9 extra). A nice gift to celebrate an anniversary or marriage!

安心 can be defined as relief, peace of mind, feeling at ease, to be relieved, to set one's mind at rest, and easiness.

安心 is a nice word that encompasses great meanings within just two characters. Some of the other meanings include pacifying, settling the mind, and peace of mind. It's also the idea of feeling a sense of security, safety, and confidence in your state of well-being.

This can be used by everyone, but some consider it to be a Buddhist concept (You'll find it in your Zen dictionary).

Note: Can be romanized as Anshin or Anjin in Japanese.

大麻 is how to write marijuana, weed, pot, grass, cannabis, or hemp in Chinese and Japanese Kanji. I never thought to add this, but these terms were searched for more than 5000 times on our website.

I have not checked to see if our calligraphers might have any problem with writing this. In case you didn't know, using, selling, and distributing pot in China is punishable by death. However, you can buy nice Lebanese hash at the hotel just down the way from the Lebanese Embassy in Beijing (I'm pretty sure it's brought into the country via a diplomatic pouch).

This means "Cannabis Sativa" in Korean but they add a third Hanja character to specifically mean the marijuana species that you know and love.

善 means goodness, virtue, good deed, charitable, benevolent, well-disposed, nice, pleasant, kind, or simply, “good.”

善 is the kind of good that applies to someone's good character, or a good person in general.

Referring to someone with this word means that they have a well-aimed moral compass, and are charitable, giving, wise, and honest. Basically, this is a blanket statement for every good trait a human can have or all the things that make someone good.

In another context, it can mean to improve or perfect something or refer to someone who is good at something.

私と私の家とは、主に仕える is the last bit of Joshua 24:15 in Japanese.

Joshua 24:15 (KJV) ...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) ...as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.



This came from the Shinkaiyaku Japanese Bible. This is the most commonly-used Bible translation in Japan for both Protestants and Catholic Japanese folks.

I think it is a bit like having a secret code on your wall that quietly expresses to whom you are faithful.

This will be a nice gift for a friend or a wonderful expression of faith for your own home.

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

美容店 is how to write “Beauty Shop” or “Beauty Salon.”

If you own such a business, this will make a nice wall scroll to hang up - and many of your Asian customers will be able to read and appreciate it.

When traveling in China, you will see signs like this in the window of any place that offers full services of hair styling, manicures, pedicures, and often shampoo with head and back massage.

However, as a handmade wall scroll, this becomes a very fancy piece of artwork that shows the high class of your business (a great sign for your window if you don't get direct sunlight).

光明 is a nice way to say “light” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja.

This is because the word also suggests a bright future or refers to someone who is very promising (great future potential).

The first character means light or bright.

The second character means bright and clear (in this context).

This word appears in most Japanese dictionaries, but it is not the most common Japanese Kanji word for light (more commonly used for the name Mitsuharu).

In old Korean Hanja, this can also mean brightness or brilliance.

In the context of Buddhism, this means “Light emanating from a Buddha or Bodhisattva, symbolizing their wisdom and compassion.”

幸福金婚 means “Happy Golden Anniversary” and is a great gift for a couple who is celebrating 50 years together.

The first two characters mean happy, blessed, or happiness.

The last two characters mean “couple's golden anniversary.” It means “golden wedding” or “golden marriage,” but this is only used for the 50-year-mark of a marriage (the same way we use gold to represent 50 years in the west).

幸福金婚 is a nice title to use with an inscription. You could request something like, “Happy 50th Anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” to be written down the side of this title in smaller Chinese characters.

Please note: This can be pronounced and understood in Japanese but not as commonly used in Japan. Japanese people who read this will understand it but might tend to feel it’s of Chinese origin.

While hard to translate directly, 堅強生活 is the best way to write “Live Strong” in Chinese. If you are a cancer survivor or support Lance Armstrong's ideas, this is a nice selection for a wall scroll.

The first two characters mean strong or staunch. The last two mean living or life (daily existence). While the Chinese version is the reverse order of “Live Strong” it is the only way to write it in a natural form that is grammatically correct.

Note that we are in no way affiliated or connected to Lance or his foundation. This translation is offered because of multiple requests from customers whose philosophies or ideas match those of the Live Strong idea.

These are the precepts of Reiki that are attributed to Usui Mikao.

Here is a breakdown of the characters and a rough translation:
招福の秘法,　萬病の霊薬。
Invite blessings of [the] secret method, 10,000 illnesses of spiritual medicine.
今日丈けは:　怒るな,　心配すな,　感謝して,　業をはげめ,　人に親切に。
At least for today: Do not be angry, do not worry, be grateful, work with diligence, and be kind to people.
朝夕合掌して,　心に念じ,　口に唱へよ,　心身改善。
Morning [and] evening perform gassho (join hands), [with your] heart/mind in silent prayer, [with your] mouth chant, [thusly] mind [and] body [will] reform/improve.
臼井靈氣療法！　-肇祖,　臼井甕男。
Usui Reiki Ryōhō! -Founder, Usui Mikao.

The middle portion of this is often titled, “The Five Principles of Reiki” and makes a nice calligraphy selection by itself. The Japanese text presented here can be considered the more verbose version.

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

靈感 is the Chinese word closest to hitting the mark for the English word inspiration.

In a more extended context, I have even seen this translated as “brain wave.”

The first character means alert, departed soul, efficacious, quick, effective, or intelligent.
The second character means to feel, to move, to touch, or to affect.
The combined meaning of these two characters changes a bit, but I think it's nice to know the individual meanings to give you a better understanding of where a word comes from.

You could describe this word as “the thought that pops into your head just before you patent the greatest widget ever invented that everyone in the world will want.”
At least, that's the idea.

This term can also mean “intelligent thought” if you translate it directly from each character. If you are looking for inspiration or need to be inspired, this is the word for you.

When the first character was absorbed into Japanese from Chinese, an alternate form became the standard in Japan. The Kanji shown to the right is the form currently used in Japan. This is still considered an alternate form in China to this day. it’s readable by both Chinese and Japanese people but if your audience is Japanese, I recommend the Kanji shown to the right - just click on that Kanji to order that version.

專心 makes 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 “with the single mind,” “whole-heartedly,” “paying attention,” “undivided attention,” “concentration (-ed),” “engrossed,” “devotionally (listening/watching),” and/or “attentive.”

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

The second character means “heart” or “mind” by itself.

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 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

鑿壁偷光 is a Chinese proverb that means “Bore a hole in the wall to make use of the neighbor's light to study.”

This is a nice gift for a very studious person.

Kuang Heng was born during the Western Han period. He has been very fond of reading ever since he was young. However, he could not attend school since his family was poor, and he had to borrow books from people to learn.

To borrow these books, he normally did chores for people who had them. When he became older, he had to work in the field from sunrise to sunset since his family's financial situation did not improve. Thus, he tried to study at night, but he had no lamp.

One day, he noticed the light from the neighbor's house coming through a crack in the wall. This made him very happy, so he dug a larger hole from the crack and read in the light that shone through. This diligent study eventually made him an accomplished person.

歡迎光臨 would be the ultimate Chinese “welcome mat.” Except it will be on your wall, and people will not step on it.

In a somewhat literal translation, you could say it means “I feel happy as I welcome you, as you have brought a shining light to this place with your arrival,” or more simply, “I am happy you've come as your presents brightens up the place.”

It has become common for this greeting to be announced by the staff upon the arrival of any customer into a fancy store in China. You will also see these characters on the “welcome mats” in front of 4 and 5-star hotels in China.

Having this on a wall scroll is an extra nice touch. I have seen a few horizontal scrolls with this phrase on the wall behind the reception desk of better hotels or near the front door of fine shops. At the fanciest department stores and restaurants in China, several greeters (almost always young women) will stand by the front door, all wearing sashes with this phrase embroidered. As you walk in, they will bow and say “huan ying guang lin” to welcome you to the establishment.

Note: The first two and last two characters do make words in Korean Hanja but are seldom used as a sentence like this in Korean.

酒后吐真言 / 酒後吐真言 is a nice Asian proverb if you know a vintner or wine seller - or wine lover - although the actual meaning might not be exactly what you think or hope.

The literal meaning is that someone drinking wine is more likely to let the truth slip out. It can also be translated as “People speak their true feelings after drinking alcohol.”

It's long believed in many parts of Asia that one can not consciously hold up a facade of lies when getting drunk, and therefore the truth will come out with a few drinks.

I've had the experience where a Korean man would not trust me until I got drunk with him (I was trying to gain access to the black market in North Korea which is tough to do as an untrusted outsider) - so I think this idea is still well-practiced in many Asian countries.

VS

Please note that there are two common ways to write the second character of this phrase. The way it's written will be left up to the mood of the calligrapher, unless you let us know that you have a certain preference.

See Also:  Honesty | Truth