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Personalize your custom “猴” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “猴” title below...
1. Monkey
2. Wood Monkey
3. Fire Monkey
4. Earth Monkey
6. Water Monkey
8. Monkey King
9. Monkey Fist
10. Monkey King
Year of the Monkey / Zodiac Sign
猴 is the monkey character in Chinese.
猴 means ape in Japanese due to an error made long ago as Japan absorbed Chinese characters.
If you were born in the year of the monkey, you . . .
Are smart, brave, active, and competitive.
Like new things.
Have a good memory.
Are quick to respond
Have an easy time winning people's trust.
Are, however, not very patient.
See also our Chinese Zodiac page.
Note: This character does have the meaning of monkey in Korean Hanja but is not used very often.
The Year of the Wood Monkey
The Year of the Fire Monkey
The Year of the Earth Monkey
The Year of the Golden/Metal Monkey
The Year of the Water Monkey
猴王 is the short title for “Monkey King.” This can refer to the character made famous by the ancient novel Journey to the West.
This literally reads “Monkey King.” However, this title is open to interpretation and could be used for someone who is the boss of the primate exhibit at the zoo or certain characters in Chinese opera.
猴拳 literally means what you think, it's the “Monkey Fist” school of Kung Fu. A style that mimics the punches and movements of monkeys and apes.
Becoming popular during the Qing Dynasty, this style can trace its origins back to as early as the Song Dynasty. Some of the romance and popularity of this style comes from the novel “Journey to the West” which features the Monkey King and his fighting skills.
This novel and martial arts style has spawned a stream of Hong Kong movies featuring the Monkey King and other Kung Fu style variations such as “Drunken Monkey” and “Monkey Stealing Peaches” (a technique of disabling your opponent by grabbing and yanking on his testicles).
Note: This kind of makes sense in Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji but probably unknown by all Koreans and Japanese except those who have an interest in this form of Kung Fu.
Martial arts term
猴子偷桃 is a martial arts term that I find hilarious. I thought Stephen Chow had made this up for his Monkey King movie. After some research, it turns out to be real.
This can be translated as “monkey stealing peaches” or “monkey steals the peach.” It refers to distracting an opponent with one hand and seizing his testicles with the other.
In colloquial Chinese speech, this can refer to grabbing somebody by the balls (without any martial arts technique to the grabbing).
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your 猴 search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
猴 see styles |
hóu hou2 hou go |
More info & calligraphy: MonkeyThe monkey; 3-5 p. m. |
猴拳 see styles |
hóu quán hou2 quan2 hou ch`üan hou chüan |
More info & calligraphy: Monkey Fist |
猴王 see styles |
hóu wáng hou2 wang2 hou wang |
More info & calligraphy: Monkey King |
猴子偷桃 see styles |
hóu zi tōu táo hou2 zi5 tou1 tao2 hou tzu t`ou t`ao hou tzu tou tao |
More info & calligraphy: Monkey Stealing Peaches |
嬰猴 婴猴 see styles |
yīng hóu ying1 hou2 ying hou |
galago; bush baby |
抓猴 see styles |
zhuā hóu zhua1 hou2 chua hou |
(Tw) to catch an adulterous man in the act (from Taiwanese 掠猴, Tai-lo pr. [lia̍h-kâu]) |
東猴 see styles |
toukou / toko とうこう |
(surname) Tōkou |
沐猴 see styles |
mokkou / mokko もっこう |
(rare) (See 猿・1) monkey |
熊猴 see styles |
xióng hóu xiong2 hou2 hsiung hou |
Assamese macaque |
狐猴 see styles |
hú hóu hu2 hou2 hu hou |
lemur |
猴兒 猴儿 see styles |
hóu r hou2 r5 hou r |
monkey |
猴子 see styles |
hóu zi hou2 zi5 hou tzu |
monkey; CL:隻|只[zhi1] |
猴年 see styles |
hóu nián hou2 nian2 hou nien |
Year of the Monkey (e.g. 2004) |
猴急 see styles |
hóu jí hou2 ji2 hou chi |
impatient; to be in a rush (to do something); anxious; fretful; agitated |
猴戲 猴戏 see styles |
hóu xì hou2 xi4 hou hsi |
monkey show |
猴痘 see styles |
hóu dòu hou2 dou4 hou tou |
monkeypox; mpox |
猿猴 see styles |
yuán hóu yuan2 hou2 yüan hou enkou / enko えんこう |
apes and monkeys (1) monkey (esp. a gibbon); (2) (See 人形浄瑠璃) hand of the puppeteer (puppet theatre); (3) (See 河童・1) kappa; (4) (archaism) menstrual period; (place-name) Enkou monkeys |
獮猴 狝猴 see styles |
xiǎn hóu xian3 hou2 hsien hou sengo |
a monkey |
獼猴 猕猴 see styles |
mí hóu mi2 hou2 mi hou migo |
macaque The larger monkey, mischievous, restless, like the passions. |
申猴 see styles |
shēn hóu shen1 hou2 shen hou |
Year 9, year of the Monkey (e.g. 2004) |
痴猴 see styles |
chī hóu chi1 hou2 ch`ih hou chih hou |
The deluded monkey seizing the reflection of the moon in the water, e.g. unenlightened men who take the seeming for the real. |
癡猴 see styles |
chī hóu chi1 hou2 ch`ih hou chih hou chigo |
deluded monkey |
耍猴 see styles |
shuǎ hóu shua3 hou2 shua hou |
to get a monkey to perform tricks; to put on a monkey show; to make fun of sb; to tease |
跗猴 see styles |
fū hóu fu1 hou2 fu hou |
tarsier |
僧帽猴 see styles |
sēng mào hóu seng1 mao4 hou2 seng mao hou |
capuchin monkey; genus Cebidae |
卷尾猴 see styles |
juǎn wěi hóu juan3 wei3 hou2 chüan wei hou |
white-headed capuchin (Cebus capucinus) |
恆河猴 恒河猴 see styles |
héng hé hóu heng2 he2 hou2 heng ho hou |
rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta); rhesus monkey; lit. river Ganges monkey of north India |
水猴子 see styles |
shuǐ hóu zi shui3 hou2 zi5 shui hou tzu |
mythical monster that preys on swimmers |
猴兒精 猴儿精 see styles |
hóu r jīng hou2 r5 jing1 hou r ching |
(dialect) shrewd; clever |
猴孩子 see styles |
hóu hái zi hou2 hai2 zi5 hou hai tzu |
little devil |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Monkey | 猴 | hóu / hou2 / hou | ||
Wood Monkey | 木猴 | mù hóu / mu4 hou2 / mu hou / muhou | ||
Fire Monkey | 火猴 | huǒ hóu / huo3 hou2 / huo hou / huohou | ||
Earth Monkey | 土猴 | tǔ hóu / tu3 hou2 / tu hou / tuhou | t`u hou / tuhou / tu hou | |
Golden/Metal Monkey | 金猴 | jīn hóu / jin1 hou2 / jin hou / jinhou | chin hou / chinhou | |
Water Monkey | 水猴 | shuǐ hóu / shui3 hou2 / shui hou / shuihou | ||
Drunken Monkey | 醉猴 | zuì hóu / zui4 hou2 / zui hou / zuihou | tsui hou / tsuihou | |
Monkey King | 猴王 | hóu wáng / hou2 wang2 / hou wang / houwang | ||
Monkey Fist | 猴拳 | hóu quán / hou2 quan2 / hou quan / houquan | hou ch`üan / houchüan / hou chüan | |
Monkey King | 美猴王 | měi hóu wáng mei3 hou2 wang2 mei hou wang meihouwang | ||
Monkey Stealing Peaches | 猴子偷桃 | hóu zi tōu táo hou2 zi5 tou1 tao2 hou zi tou tao houzitoutao | hou tzu t`ou t`ao houtzutoutao hou tzu tou tao |
|
Drunken Monkey Kung Fu | 醉猴功夫 / 醉猴功伕 醉猴功夫 | zuì hóu gōng fu zui4 hou2 gong1 fu zui hou gong fu zuihougongfu | tsui hou kung fu tsuihoukungfu |
|
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. |
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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.