Buy an 喜 calligraphy wall scroll here!
Personalize your custom “喜” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “喜” title below...
喜 is the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja for the kind of happiness known in the west as “joy.”
喜 can also be translated as rejoice, enjoyment, delighted, pleased, or “take pleasure in.” Sometimes it can mean “to be fond of” (in a certain context).
If you write two of these happiness/joy characters side by side, you create another character known in English as “double happiness,” which is a symbol associated with weddings and happy marriages.
There is another version of this character that you will find on our website with an additional radical on the left side (exactly same meaning, just an alternate form). The version of happiness shown here is the commonly written form in China, Japan and South Korea (banned in North Korea).
Customize a special Asian guest book for your wedding
Start customizing a “Double Happiness Guest Book Wall Scroll” Here!
The paper panel length can be whatever you choose from 68cm to 135cm (27” to 53”).
If you don't mention what paper length you want in the special instructions tab (on the next page), we'll make it about 100cm (40”).
The medium-size scroll with a 33cm x 100cm (13” x 40”) paper panel can usually handle up to 89 signatures. That breaks down to 37 signatures per empty square and 15 signatures around the 囍 character. If you switch to a 135cm paper panel, add another 37 potential signatures.
We can splice two 135cm papers together, but that would be a crazy-long scroll. These are only estimates, your mileage may vary.
With silk panels, this will yield a wall scroll about 155cm (61”) long. That's enough for up to 89 signatures. Of course, that depends on if your guests just sign a brief salutation and name, or more verbose good wishes. Customer feedback is that 126 people can sign the 135cm long paper on a medium-sized scroll. If we go bigger than that, there will be a minor paper seam and an extra charge. Email me with your specifications if you need something special.
Most customers pick the festive red paper with gold flecks and white or ivory silk. Red is a good luck color in Chinese culture, thus the most popular choice. But, you can do any color combination that you want.
There is a long history of Chinese-character-use outside of mainland China. This Double Happiness character is also seen at weddings in Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as well as in Chinese communities in Thailand, Indonesia, and elsewhere. While Japan borrowed Chinese characters into their language, you won't see 囍 as often at Japanese weddings.
(Happy wedding and marriage)
囍 is a common gift for Chinese couples getting married or newly married couples.
As we say in the west, “Two heads are better than one” Well, in the east, two “happinesses” are certainly better than one.
Some will suggest this is a symbol of two happinesses coming together. Others see it as a multiplication of happiness because of the union or marriage.
囍 is not really a character that is pronounced very often - it's almost exclusively used in written form. However, if pressed, most Chinese people will pronounce this “shuang xi” (double happy) although literally there are two “xi” characters combined in this calligraphy (but nobody will say “xi xi”).
If you select this character, I strongly suggest the festive bright red paper for your calligraphy. Part of my suggestion comes from the fact that red is a good luck color in China, and this will add to the sentiment that you wish to convey with this scroll to the happy couple.
Buddha of Joyful Light
Here is Galatians 5:22 and a bit of 23 in Chinese.
The text with punctuation:
圣灵所结的果子,就是仁爱,喜乐,和平,忍耐,恩慈,良善,信实,温柔,节制。
Hand-painted calligraphy does not retain punctuation.
This translation is from the Chinese Union Bible.
You may know it from the KJV as:
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance...
Here is 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 (just the first sentence of verse 8) in Japanese.
In the familiar NIV, this would read:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails...
The Japanese text is from the 新改訳聖書 (Shinkaiyaku) or New Japanese Bible. Popular among most Protestant denominations in modern Japan.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 喜 search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
喜 see styles |
xǐ xi3 hsi yoshimi よしみ |
More info & calligraphy: Happiness / Joyful / Joy(female given name) Yoshimi prīti; ānanda. Joy; glad; delighted, rejoice; to like. |
喜喜 see styles |
kiki きき |
(adj-t,adv-to) merry; joyful; gleeful; (female given name) Kiki |
喜樂 喜乐 see styles |
xǐ lè xi3 le4 hsi le kiraku |
More info & calligraphy: Joydelight |
歡喜光佛 欢喜光佛 see styles |
huān xǐ guāng fó huan1 xi3 guang1 fo2 huan hsi kuang fo Kangi Kōbutsu |
More info & calligraphy: Happy Buddha |
ミ喜 see styles |
miki みき |
(female given name) Miki |
一喜 see styles |
hitoyoshi ひとよし |
(personal name) Hitoyoshi |
七喜 see styles |
qī xǐ qi1 xi3 ch`i hsi chi hsi nanaki ななき |
7 Up (soft drink); Hedy Holding Co., PRC computer manufacturer (personal name) Nanaki |
万喜 see styles |
maki まき |
(surname, female given name) Maki |
丈喜 see styles |
takeki たけき |
(personal name) Takeki |
三喜 see styles |
miyoshi みよし |
(personal name) Miyoshi |
不喜 see styles |
bù xǐ bu4 xi3 pu hsi fuki ふき |
(surname) Fuki not enjoying |
与喜 see styles |
yoki よき |
(female given name) Yoki |
且喜 see styles |
qiě xǐ qie3 xi3 ch`ieh hsi chieh hsi surakuha |
So be it, granted, a qualified assent. |
世喜 see styles |
youki / yoki ようき |
(female given name) Yōki |
丸喜 see styles |
maruyoshi まるよし |
(surname) Maruyoshi |
丹喜 see styles |
tanki たんき |
(surname) Tanki |
主喜 see styles |
kazuki かずき |
(female given name) Kazuki |
久喜 see styles |
hisayoshi ひさよし |
(male given name) Hisayoshi |
之喜 see styles |
yukiyoshi ゆきよし |
(personal name) Yukiyoshi |
九喜 see styles |
kuki くき |
(surname) Kuki |
亀喜 see styles |
kiyoshi きよし |
(male given name) Kiyoshi |
二喜 see styles |
niki にき |
(surname) Niki |
五喜 see styles |
itsuki いつき |
(female given name) Itsuki |
亘喜 see styles |
kouki / koki こうき |
(personal name) Kōki |
亜喜 see styles |
aki あき |
(female given name) Aki |
京喜 see styles |
keiki / keki けいき |
(personal name) Keiki |
亮喜 see styles |
ryouki / ryoki りょうき |
(personal name) Ryōki |
仁喜 see styles |
miki みき |
(female given name) Miki |
今喜 see styles |
imaki いまき |
(surname) Imaki |
代喜 see styles |
dài xǐ dai4 xi3 tai hsi daiki だいき |
(surname) Daiki responds with joy |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Happiness Joyful Joy | 喜 | ki / yorokobi | xǐ / xi3 / xi | hsi |
Double Happiness Guest Book | 囍 喜喜 | xǐ / xi3 / xi | hsi | |
Double Happiness | 囍 喜喜 | xǐ / xi3 / xi | hsi | |
Joy | 喜樂 喜乐 | kiraku | xǐ lè / xi3 le4 / xi le / xile | hsi le / hsile |
Happy Buddha | 歡喜光佛 欢喜光佛 | kan gi kou butsu kangikoubutsu kan gi ko butsu | huān xǐ guāng fó huan1 xi3 guang1 fo2 huan xi guang fo huanxiguangfo | huan hsi kuang fo huanhsikuangfo |
Galatians 5:22-23 | 聖靈所結的果子就是仁愛喜樂和平忍耐恩慈良善信實溫柔節制 圣灵所结的果子就是仁爱喜乐和平忍耐恩慈良善信实温柔节制 | shèng líng suǒ jié de guǒ zi jiù shì rén ài xǐ lè he píng rěn nài ēn cí liáng shàn xìn shí wēn róu jié zhì sheng4 ling2 suo3 jie2 de guo3 zi jiu4 shi4 ren2 ai4 xi3 le4 he ping2 ren3 nai4 en1 ci2 liang2 shan4 xin4 shi2 wen1 rou2 jie2 zhi4 sheng ling suo jie de guo zi jiu shi ren ai xi le he ping ren nai en ci liang shan xin shi wen rou jie zhi | sheng ling so chieh te kuo tzu chiu shih jen ai hsi le ho p`ing jen nai en tz`u liang shan hsin shih wen jou chieh chih sheng ling so chieh te kuo tzu chiu shih jen ai hsi le ho ping jen nai en tzu liang shan hsin shih wen jou chieh chih |
|
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 | 愛は寛容であり愛は親切ですまた人をねたみません愛は自慢せず高慢になりません礼儀に反することをせず自分の利益を求めず怒らず人のした悪を思わず不正を喜ばずに真理を喜びますすべてをがまんしすべてを信じすべてを期待しすべてを耐え忍びます愛は決して絶えることがありません | ai wa kan youdeari ai wa shinsetsudesu mata hito o netamimasen ai wa jiman sezu kouman ni narimasen reigi ni hansuru koto o sezu jibun no rieki o motomezu okorazu hito no shita aku o omowazu fusei o yorokobazu ni shinri o yorokobimasu subete o gaman shi s ai wa kan yodeari ai wa shinsetsudesu mata hito o netamimasen ai wa jiman sezu koman ni narimasen reigi ni hansuru koto o sezu jibun no rieki o motomezu okorazu hito no shita aku o omowazu fusei o yorokobazu ni shinri o yorokobimasu subete o gaman shi s | ||
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.