We have many options to create artwork with the Chinese characters / Asian symbols / Japanese Kanji for Best friends on a wall scroll or portrait.
1. Best Friends / Closest Friend
2. Best Friends
4. Beautiful Life / Life in Perfect Harmony
6. Beautiful Heart / Beautiful Spirit
10. Best Love / Most Sincere Love
12. Broken Hearted
13. Christian Friend
14. Daredevil Warrior / Soul of a Warrior
15. Determination
16. Devotion / Dedication / Attentive / Focused
17. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse
18. The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger
19. Dragon Spirit
20. The Spirit of Dragon and Tiger
22. Eternal Friendship / Friends Forever
26. Friend
27. Eternal Friendship / Friends Forever
28. Soul Mates
29. Friendship
32. Dear Grandfather
34. Dear Grandfather
36. Dear Grandmother
38. Dear Grandmother
39. Heart and Soul
42. Independent Spirit / Independent Heart
43. Inner Beauty / Beauty of Spirit
45. Inner Peace
46. Life Energy / Spiritual Energy
47. Lingering Mind
50. Lost Soul
51. Loving Mother
52. Mateo
53. Mateus
54. Mind Body Spirit
55. Mind Like Water
56. Morality of Mind
57. No Mind / Mushin
59. One Heart / One Mind / Heart and Soul
61. Purified Spirit / Enlightened Attitude
62. Soul Mates
64. Spirit
65. Spirit / Spiritual Essence
66. Spirit / Soul
67. Tao / Dao of the Heart / Soul
68. Together Forever
70. Warrior Soul / Heroic Spirit
71. Warrior Soul / Spirit of a Fighter
73. Whole Heart
74. Wolf Spirit / Soul of a Wolf
75. Soul / Spirit
76. Mateus
77. Soul Sisters
78. Matea
79. Mateja
至友 is one way to say best friend in Chinese.
The first character can mean “most,” “extreme,” or “best.”
The second character means “friend” or “friends” (plural forms work differently in China).
Can also be translated as “close friend” or “most intimate friend.”
See Also: Friendship | Soulmates
至交 is an alternate way to say best friend in Chinese.
The first character can mean “most,” “extreme” or “best.” The second character means “making friends” or “building friendship.” There's sort of a suggestion with the second character that fate caused you to intersect in life and become friends (that character can mean intersection in some context).
This can also mean “most intimate friend,” “very good friend of long-standing,” or “closest friend.”
See Also: Friendship | Soulmates
親友 is the Japanese way to say “best friend.”
The first character can mean “relative” or sometimes “parents.” The second character means “friend.” Think about the close relationship that Japanese people have with their parents and relatives, and this starts to mean “close friends.”
Some Japanese-English dictionaries also translate this as “bosom friend,” “old friend,” “intimate friend,” “buddy,” “crony” or “chum.”
Note that in Chinese, this means “relatives and friends.” It's a good meaning in Chinese, but it's not quite the same as “best friends.”
和美 is a word that means “harmonious” or, “in perfect harmony.”
The deeper meaning or more natural translation would be something like, “beautiful life.”
The first character means peace and harmony.
The second character means beautiful. But in this case, when combined with the first character, beautiful refers to being satisfied with what you have in your life. This can be having good relations, good feelings, comfort, and having enough (with no feeling of wanting).
Note: In Japanese, this is often used as the name "Wami." This title is probably more appropriate if your audience is Chinese.
美德 written in Chinese or Korean Hanja can also mean “grace of character” or “noble virtue.”
There is a slight variation in the modern Japanese Kanji form of the second character. If you want the modern Japanese version, please click on the special Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note that the traditional Chinese form is still readable and understood by Japanese people ( it’s the ancient Japanese form anyway).
Shoshin
初心 is often translated in Japanese as “beginner's mind” or “beginner's spirit.”
In Chinese, the dictionary definition is “one's original intention.”
The first character means first, initial, primary, junior, beginning, or basic.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence.
初心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness that always remains fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.
至愛 can mean the best love or most sincere love of your life.
This could be a romantic love such as your love for your spouse or a boyfriend/girlfriend.
It can also apply to the extreme love you have for your children or a parent and maybe a really good friend.
See Also: I Love You
In Chinese, this can mean losing one's love; to breaking up (in a romantic relationship); to feel jilted.
In Japanese Kanji, this means disappointing love, broken heart, unrequited love, or being lovelorn.
失戀 is also valid in old Korean Hanja, which means unrequited love, unreturned love, a disappointment in love, or a broken heart.
Note: In modern Japan, they will tend to write the more simple 失恋 form instead of 失戀. If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, expect the more simple modern version to be written (unless you give us instructions to use the older or more traditional version).
Depending on the context, 教友 can mean Christian or “friend of the same religion.”
While technically, it could be any religion, this is used mainly within the Christian faith. You can also translate this as “Christian friend” and, in some cases, “Church member.”
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.
決心 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that holds the dictionary definition of determination but literally means determined heart.
The first character means to determine or determined.
The second character means heart, mind, or soul, so you can imagine that this form of determination partially means putting your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).
See Also: Devotion | Tenacious | Passion | Dedication | Will-Power
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.
龍馬精神 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone good health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse.” These four characters are often accompanied by four more which mean “...and the power and prestige of the tiger.” Here we are just offering the first part which is considered the short version.
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have an amazing quality. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
Note: In Japanese, this would be read as the spirit of 坂本龍馬 (Sakamoto_Ryōma), a beloved rebel who help abolish the old Japanese feudal system. This can be confusing, so I am declaring this proverb to be Chinese only.
龍馬精神虎虎生威 is an old proverb that is used to wish someone great health and success combined as a great compliment.
The meaning is “The vigor and spirit of the legendary dragon-horse and the power and prestige of the tiger.”
By giving a wall scroll like this to someone, you were either wishing or telling them that they have these qualities. There is also a suggestion of good health - at least anyone with the vigor of a dragon horse would seem to also be in good health.
龍神 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja title that can mean “dragon god,” “dragon king,” or “dragon spirit.”
In the context of Buddhism, this is one of eight kinds of spiritual beings found in Mahāyāna texts.
龍虎精神 means the spirit of the dragon and tiger.
It speaks to the vitality and vigor that is the nature of these two creatures.
Beyond “spirit,” the last two characters can also mean mind, soul, or heart. Therefore, you can also say this means “Heart of the Dragon and Tiger,” etc.
龍虎精神 is often titled “Ryukoseishin” in many Japanese martial arts.
熱心 literally means “warm-hearted” (can also mean warm-spirited or warm-souled).
This is one of a few ways to say Enthusiasm in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
熱心 is also used to express the ideas of earnestness or eagerness.
Can mean “zeal” in Japanese.
永遠の友 is a Japanese phrase about eternal friendship.
The first two characters mean eternal, eternity, perpetuity, forever, immortality, and permanence.
The third character is a possessive article which sort of makes this selection mean “Love, of the eternal kind.”
The last character is “friend” or “Friendship.”
See Also: Best Friends
永遠に私の心の中に means “forever in my heart” or “always in my heart” in Japanese.
The character breakdown:
永遠 (eien) eternity; perpetuity; immortality; permanence.
に (ni) indicates the location of a person or thing.
私の (watashi no) my; mine.
心の中 (kokoro no naka) the middle of one's mind; the midst of one's heart.
に (ni) indicates the location of a person or thing (makes this “in” the middle of one's heart).
Note: There’s more than one way to say "Forever in My Heart" in Japanese, so you’ll find another version in our database. This is the very verbose version.
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
友 is the simplest way to express the idea of friends or friendship in Chinese.
It can mean friend, companion, or pal in Japanese. In Korean, it can mean friend, companion, or associate.
This single character is open to interpretation, so it can mean different things to different people (not necessarily a bad thing, as you can decide what it means to you). If you want a more concisely-defined word, you should probably pick one of our multi-character friendship-related words.
See Also: Best Friends | Friendly | Friendship
友達 is the most common way to say “friend” in Japanese.
See Also: Best Friends | Friendly | Friendship
永遠的朋友 means friends that are eternal or a friendship that will last forever - you will remain the best of friends as long as you live.
The first two characters mean forever, eternal, eternity, perpetuity, immortality, and/or permanence.
The middle character links the words (it's a possessive article).
The last two characters represent friendship, or simply “friends.”
魂の友 is one of a few ways to write “Soul Mates” in Japanese.
The first Kanji means soul, spirit, ghost, immortal soul, the mind, or conscious mind. From Sanskrit, it's Vijñāna.
The middle character is a Japanese Hiragana connecting or possessive article that links the two ideas together.
The last Kanji means friends or friendship.
友誼 can be defined as companionship or fellowship.
This word is common in Chinese and Korean Hanja but is seldom used in Japanese anymore.
See Also: Partnership | Friendliness
友情 can be translated as “camaraderie” or “fellowship.”
But this character combination is only used commonly in Japanese Kanji and Korean Hanja.
魂魄 is a Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja term for ghost, soul, or spirit.
It's used in the context of Buddhism as:
Animus and anima; the spiritual nature or mind, and the animal soul; the two are defined as mind and body or mental and physical, the invisible soul inhabiting the visible body, the former being celestial, the latter terrestrial.
Maternal (Northern China)
Maternal (Northern China)
Maternal (Southern China)
Maternal (Southern China - Informal)
Maternal (Southern China)
Maternal (Southern China - Informal)
Maternal (Northern China)
Maternal (Northern China)
Maternal (Southern China)
Maternal (Southern China - formal)
Maternal (Southern China)
Maternal (Southern China - formal)
心魂 is “heart and soul” in Japanese Kanji.
The first character means heart (but can also mean mind or soul).
The last character means soul or spirit (spiritual essence).
心 would often be translated as “heart.”
However, because it was believed in Chinese culture for thousands of years that your consciousness and thoughts came from the big red organ in the middle of your chest, it also means “mind” or “spirit” and sometimes even “soul.”
In Korean, beyond heart, mind, and spirit, this character can mean moral, nature, mind, affections, intentions, core, and center. In fact, it is used in Chinese to mean “center” as well but only with another character in front of it. For instance, “medical center” or even “shopping center.” Separately and alone, it will not be read with that “center” meaning unless thought of as “the center of your soul.”
心の伴侶 is a Japanese-only title for soulmates.
心 means heart, soul, mind, core, or center. In ancient times, the heart was believed to be the mind or center of your soul and being.
の is a possessive article that connects everything here.
伴侶 means mates, companions, partners, and spouses.
This Japanese version of soulmates is about two partners, coupled or joined by their hearts.
獨立心 means independent spirit or independent heart in Japanese.
The first two characters mean independent or independence. The third character means spirit, heart, or mind.
獨立心 is a Japanese term, although Chinese people could guess the meaning (the characters make sense individually in Chinese but are not often used this way). Also, the first character would be written 獨 in Traditional Chinese versus 独 which is the Simplified Chinese and modern Japanese version.
內心平靜 is a Chinese and Japanese phrase that is a direct translation of the western idea of inner peace.
The first two characters contain the idea of “heart,” “innermost being,” or “deep in the/your inner mind.”
The last two characters mean “tranquil” and “serene.”
I have seen this phrase used as “inner peace” for art prints and even on the side of coffee cups. But I think the translation is too literal. It feels like a direct translation from English rather than a nicely composed Chinese or Japanese phrase. See my other entries for “inner peace.”
See Also: Serenity | Simplicity | Peace
Chi Energy: Essence of Life / Energy Flow
This 氣 energy flow is a fundamental concept of traditional Asian culture.
氣 is romanized as “Qi” or “Chi” in Chinese, “Gi” in Korean, and “Ki” in Japanese.
Chi is believed to be part of everything that exists, as in “life force” or “spiritual energy.” It is most often translated as “energy flow” or literally as “air” or “breath.” Some people will simply translate this as “spirit,” but you must consider the kind of spirit we're talking about. I think this is weighted more toward energy than spirit.
The character itself is a representation of steam (or breath) rising from rice. To clarify, the character for rice looks like this:
Steam was apparently seen as visual evidence of the release of “life energy” when this concept was first developed. The Qi / Chi / Ki character is still used in compound words to mean steam or vapor.
The etymology of this character is a bit complicated. It's suggested that the first form of this character from bronze script (about 2500 years ago) looked like these samples:
However, it was easy to confuse this with the character for the number three. So the rice radical was added by 221 B.C. (the exact time of this change is debated). This first version with the rice radical looks like this:
The idea of Qi / Chi / Ki is really a philosophical concept. It's often used to refer to the “flow” of metaphysical energy that sustains living beings. Yet there is much debate that has continued for thousands of years as to whether Qi / Chi / Ki is pure energy or consists partially or fully of matter.
You can also see the character for Qi / Chi / Ki in common compound words such as Tai Chi / Tai Qi, Aikido, Reiki, and Qi Gong / Chi Kung.
In the modern Japanese Kanji, the rice radical has been changed into two strokes that form an X.
The original and traditional Chinese form is still understood in Japanese, but we can also offer that modern Kanji form in our custom calligraphy. If you want this Japanese Kanji, please click on the character to the right instead of the “Select and Customize” button above.
More language notes: This is pronounced like “chee” in Mandarin Chinese, and like “key” in Japanese.
This is also the same way to write this in Korean Hanja where it is Romanized as “gi” and pronounced like “gee” but with a real G-sound, not a J-sound.
Though Vietnamese no longer use Chinese characters in their daily language, this character is still widely known in Vietnam.
See Also: Energy | Life Force | Vitality | Life | Birth | Soul
Zanshin
First off, 殘心 should only be used in the context of Japanese martial arts. In Chinese, it's a rather sad title (like a broken heart). In Chinese, the first character alone means destroyed, spoiled, ruined, injured, cruel, oppressive, savage, incomplete, or disabled. However, in Japanese, it's remainder, leftover, balance, or lingering.
The second character means heart, mind, soul, or essence in both languages.
殘心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: The spirit of zanshin is the state of the remaining or lingering spirit. It is often described as a sustained and heightened state of awareness and mental follow-through. However, true zanshin is a state of focus or concentration before, during, and after the execution of a technique, where a link or connection between uke and nage is preserved. Zanshin is the state of mind that allows us to stay spiritually connected, not only to a single attacker but to multiple attackers and even an entire context; a space, a time, an event.
In modern Japan (and Simplified Chinese), they use a different version of the first character, as seen to the right. Click on this character to the right instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version of lingering mind / zanshin.
孤魂 is a Chinese title that means “lonely soul.”
In the context of being a soul without a mate or all alone, this can be translated as a “lost soul.”
身心靈 is probably the best way to express the idea of “Body, Mind, and Spirit” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word “heart” here because, for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say “warm-hearted” or “I love you with all of my heart.” In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.
The very literal translation of these three characters is “body, heart & spirit,” which could also be interpreted as “body, mind & soul.”
We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply “feels” like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we must be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).
In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.
Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.
Mizu No Kokoro
水の心 is the Japanese Buddhist and martial arts phrase, “Mizu no Kokoro,” which means “mind like water” or “heart of water.”
The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects its surroundings when calm but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.
The idea of 心德 or “morality of mind” goes along with 行德 or “wu de” (martial morality or virtues of the warrior).
Here, the first character is a representation of your heart or mind.
The second character refers to morality or virtue.
This can also be translated as “morality of heart,” “virtue of heart,” or “virtue of the mind.”
Since ancient times in Asia, the idea of your mind (where your soul resides and your thought originates) has been associated with the heart. Just as in western culture, where we say “it comes from the heart” or “heartfelt emotions,” there is a belief that your heart and mind are one and the same (medical science now begs to differ).
See Also: Morality of Deed | Martial Morality
In Japanese, 無心 means innocent or without knowledge of good and evil. It literally means “without mind.”
無心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, places such as the Budo Dojo define it this way: “No mind, a mind without ego. A mind like a mirror which reflects and dos not judge.” The original term was “mushin no shin,” meaning “mind of no mind.” It is a state of mind without fear, anger, or anxiety. Mushin is often described by the phrase “Mizu no Kokoro,” which means “mind like water.” The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects its surroundings when calm but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.
This has a good meaning in conjunction with Chan / Zen Buddhism in Japan. However, out of that context, it means mindlessness or absent-mindedness. To non-Buddhists in China, this is associated with doing something without thinking.
In Korean, this usually means indifference.
Use caution and know your audience before ordering this selection.
More info: Wikipedia: Mushin
This Japanese title can be translated as “for this time only,” “chance meeting,” “one meeting, one opportunity,” “never again,” or “one chance in a lifetime.”
The characters literally mean “one time one meeting” - of course, the Kanji characters have meaning far beyond a direct translation like this.
Some might use this proverb to talk of an opportunity that presents itself just once in your life. It could also be a one-and-only chance meeting with your true soul mate. An expression of any event that might happen once in a lifetime.
This is primarily a Japanese title, however, there is also a Traditional Chinese (and old Korean) version of this proverb. Just the last character is different.
The traditional form was used in Japan before WWII and in Korea prior to 1900. This title is somewhat known in China.
If you want the older traditional form, just click on the character to the right.
一心 literally reads as “one heart” in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
Colloquially or figuratively, it means: wholeheartedly; heart and soul; of one mind; wholeheartedness; one's whole heart; with the whole mind or heart; one mind in heart.
I'm not kidding, all of those came right from the dictionary for this one title.
In Buddhism, this can refer to the bhūtatathatā, or the whole of things; the universe as one mind, or a spiritual unity.
In Japanese, this can be the female given name, Hitomi.
伴侶 is a Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean word that expresses the kind of partnership in which a good marriage is founded.
伴侶 could also be translated as mates or companionship or as a noun to refer to a partner or companion.
This does not have to include marriage but at least refers to a partnership with a deep relationship or bond.
Note that this is not the same as a business partner. Different words are used for various types business partnerships.
See Also: Friendship
A Japanese martial arts title/concept
The first Kanji alone means to wash, bathe, primness, cleanse or purify.
The second Kanji means heart, mind, soul, or essence.
Together, these two Kanji create a word defined as “purified spirit” or “enlightened attitude” within Japanese martial arts.
洗心 is one of the five spirits of the warrior (budo) and is often used as a Japanese martial arts tenet. Under that context, it's often defined as a spirit that protects and harmonizes the universe. Senshin is a spirit of compassion that embraces and serves all humanity and whose function is to reconcile discord in the world. It holds all life to be sacred. It is the Buddha mind.
This title will only be familiar to Japanese who practice certain martial arts. Others may not recognize this word at all.
洗心 does not show up as a word in too many Chinese dictionaries, but it can be read and has the same meaning in Chinese.
There is an issue with the first character. The original, and probably most correct version is shown above. However, many dojo documents and other sources have used a more simple first character. Arguments ensue about which version is correct. If you want to be correct in the Japanese language, use the "Select and Customize" button above. If you want to match the Kanji used by your dojo, click the Kanji shown to the right. There is a slightly different meaning with this first character which means before, ahead, previous, future, precedence.
It was tough to find the best way to say “soul mates” in Chinese. We settled on 天生一對 as an old way to say, “A couple selected by heaven.”
The first two characters together mean “natural” or “innate.” Separated, they mean “heaven” and “born.” The last two characters mean “couple.” So this can be translated as “A couple that is together by nature,” or “A couple brought together by heaven's decree.” With a slight stretch, you could say, “A couple born together from heaven.”
It's a struggle to find the best way to describe this idea in English but trust me, it is pretty cool, and it is a great way to say “soulmates.”
If you're in a happy relationship or marriage and think you have found your soul mate, this would be a wonderful wall scroll to hang in your home.
靈魂伴侶 is the literal translation of “Soul Mates.”
This is kind of the western way to express “soul mates” but translated into Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
The first two characters mean “soul” or “spirit.”
The second two characters mean “mate,” “companion” or “partner.”
Although not the most common title, these characters have good meaning and will be received well in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It's a universal title!
精神伴侶 means “Spiritual Soul Mates.” The first two characters mean “spiritual” or “soul.” The second two characters mean “mates,” “companions,” or “partners.”
This is more about the spiritual connection between partners rather than a “fate-brought-us-together” kind of soul mates.
Both halves of this title have meaning in Japanese but I've not yet confirmed that this is a commonly used title in Japan.
魂の伴侶 is a Japanese-only title for soulmates.
魂 means soul, spirit, immortal soul (the part of you that lives beyond your physical body), or the conscious mind. In the Buddhist context, this is vijñāna or viññāṇa (consciousness, life force, or mind).
の is a possessive article that connects everything here.
伴侶 means mates, companions, partners, and spouses.
精神 is the kind of spirit you have if you perform well in sports or competitions. It is the idea of having a good attitude and putting your all into something - so much so that others can see or feel your spirit. It is the essence of your being that can only be subjectively described because there are no words that can fully explain what “spirit” really is.
For your information:
My Japanese dictionary further tries to explain this word by comparing it to mind, soul, heart, or intention.
My Chinese dictionary compares these characters to meanings like vigor, vitality, drive, and mentality.
My Korean dictionary defines this as mind, spirit, and soul.
神 is the simplest way to write spirit in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean.
This single character alone will conjure up ideas of the spiritual world. 神 can also be translated as “vital awareness” as in the fact that one must know they exist to exist (I think, therefore, I am).
Other translations include:
God, deity, mysterious, divine essence, lively, spiritual being, divinity, supernatural, soul, mind, nerves, and energy. In some extended context, it can mean genius or unusual.
Japanese romanizations vary a lot when this character is combined into other words. However, shin is the original pronunciation taken from Chinese into Japanese. You'll also see it romanized as kami, gami, jin, and a few others, depending on context.
靈 is spirit or soul in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.
If you look in the dictionary, you'll also find definitions for this character like:
quick; alert; efficacious; effective; departed soul; coffin; spiritual; energy; effective; clever.
There is a modern Japanese version of this character. The button above will get you the traditional/ancient form. But, if you want the modern Japanese, click on the Kanji to the right instead.
心道 means “The Way of the Heart” or “The Way of the Soul.” The first character means “heart” but can also mean soul, spirit, mind, or your essence. In this case, it is most accurately translated with the heart or soul meaning.
The second character is Dao as in Daoism. Please note, this is the same thing as Tao as in Taoism (just Romanized differently - it's always been the same in Chinese for about 2300 years.
ずっと一緒 is “together forever” in Japanese.
The first three characters mean “continuously,” “throughout,” “all along,” “the whole time,” or “all the way.”
The last two Kanji mean “together.”
Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.
勇士精神 can be translated as the warrior's spirit or warrior's soul. The first two characters can be translated as “warrior” or literally “brave soldier/man,” although some will translate this word as “hero.” Therefore, this is also how to say “heroic spirit.”
The second two characters mean vigor, vitality, drive, spirit, mind, heart, mental essence, and psychological component. Basically “your soul.”
We have two versions of this phrase. The only difference is the first two and last two characters are swapped. The version here suggests that you admire or like the idea of the spirit of a warrior. The other version suggests that you are the warrior or hero.
精神勇士 can be translated as the spirit or soul of a warrior. The first two characters can be translated as vigor, vitality, drive, spirit, mind, heart, mental essence, and psychological component. Basically, “your soul.”
The second two characters mean “warrior” or literally “brave soldier/man,” although some will translate this word as “hero.” Therefore, this is also how to say “soul of a hero.”
Note: This title is best for Chinese and old Korean. It does make sense in Japanese but is not a common or natural Kanji combination in Japanese.
We have two versions of this phrase. The only difference is the first two and last two characters are swapped. The version here suggests that you are the warrior or hero. The other version suggests that you admire or like the idea of the spirit of a warrior.
魂 means soul or spirit as in the immortal soul that can be detached from the body.
This can also refer to one's Yang energy or spirit.
In the Buddhist context, this can be the soul, conscious mind, or vijñāna.
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Best Friends Closest Friend | 至友 | zhì yǒu / zhi4 you3 / zhi you / zhiyou | chih yu / chihyu | |
Best Friends | 至交 | zhì jiāo / zhi4 jiao1 / zhi jiao / zhijiao | chih chiao / chihchiao | |
Best Friends Buddies | 親友 亲友 | shin yuu / shinyuu / shin yu | qīn yǒu / qin1 you3 / qin you / qinyou | ch`in yu / chinyu / chin yu |
Beautiful Life Life in Perfect Harmony | 和美 | wa mi / wami | hé měi / he2 mei3 / he mei / hemei | ho mei / homei |
Beautiful Soul | 美麗的靈魂 美丽的灵魂 | měi lì de líng hún mei3 li4 de ling2 hun2 mei li de ling hun meilidelinghun | mei li te ling hun meilitelinghun |
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Beautiful Soul | 美しい魂 | utsukushii tamashii utsukushiitamashii utsukushi tamashi | ||
Beautiful Soul | 美魂 | bi tamashi / bitamashi | ||
Beautiful Heart Beautiful Spirit | 美麗的心靈 美丽的心灵 | měi lì de xīn líng mei3 li4 de xin1 ling2 mei li de xin ling meilidexinling | mei li te hsin ling meilitehsinling |
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Beautiful Spirit | 美しい精神 | utsukushi seishin utsukushiseishin | ||
Beautiful Virtue | 美德 美德 / 美徳 | bitoku | měi dé / mei3 de2 / mei de / meide | mei te / meite |
Mind of the Beginner | 初心 | sho shin / shoshin | chū xīn / chu1 xin1 / chu xin / chuxin | ch`u hsin / chuhsin / chu hsin |
Best Love Most Sincere Love | 至愛 至爱 | zhì ài / zhi4 ai4 / zhi ai / zhiai | chih ai / chihai | |
Best Love Most Sincere Love | 最愛 | moai | ||
Extremely Good Friends | 莫逆の友 | bakugyakunotomo | ||
Broken Hearted | 失戀 失恋 | shitsuren | shī liàn / shi1 lian4 / shi lian / shilian | shih lien / shihlien |
Christian Friend | 教友 | jiào yǒu / jiao4 you3 / jiao you / jiaoyou | chiao yu / chiaoyu | |
Daredevil Warrior Soul of a Warrior | 鬼武者 | oni mu sha / onimusha | ||
Determination | 決心 决心 | kesshin / keshin | jué xīn / jue2 xin1 / jue xin / juexin | chüeh hsin / chüehhsin |
Devotion Dedication Attentive Focused | 專心 / 専心 / 耑心 专心 | sen shin / senshin | zhuān xīn zhuan1 xin1 zhuan xin zhuanxin | chuan hsin chuanhsin |
The Spirit of the Dragon Horse | 龍馬精神 龙马精神 | lóng mǎ jīng shén long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 long ma jing shen longmajingshen | lung ma ching shen lungmachingshen |
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The Spirit of the Dragon Horse and Power of a Tiger | 龍馬精神虎虎生威 龙马精神虎虎生威 | lóng mǎ jīng shén hǔ hǔ shēng wēi long2 ma3 jing1 shen2 hu3 hu3 sheng1 wei1 long ma jing shen hu hu sheng wei | lung ma ching shen hu hu sheng wei | |
Dragon Spirit | 龍神 龙神 | ryuu jin / ryuujin / ryu jin | lóng shén long2 shen2 long shen longshen | lung shen lungshen |
The Spirit of Dragon and Tiger | 龍虎精神 龙虎精神 | ryu ko sei shin ryukoseishin | lóng hǔ jīng shén long2 hu3 jing1 shen2 long hu jing shen longhujingshen | lung hu ching shen lunghuchingshen |
Enthusiasm Warm-Hearted | 熱心 热心 | nesshin / neshin | rè xīn / re4 xin1 / re xin / rexin | je hsin / jehsin |
Eternal Friendship Friends Forever | 永遠の友 | ei en no yuu eiennoyuu ei en no yu | ||
Family and Friends | 親朋好友 亲朋好友 | qīn péng hǎo yǒu qin1 peng2 hao3 you3 qin peng hao you qinpenghaoyou | ch`in p`eng hao yu chinpenghaoyu chin peng hao yu |
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Family and Friends | 家族や友人 | kazoku ya yuujin kazokuyayuujin kazoku ya yujin | ||
Forever In My Heart | 永遠在我心中 永远在我心中 | yǒng yuǎn zài wǒ xīn zhōng yong3 yuan3 zai4 wo3 xin1 zhong1 yong yuan zai wo xin zhong yongyuanzaiwoxinzhong | yung yüan tsai wo hsin chung yungyüantsaiwohsinchung |
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Forever In My Heart | 永遠在我心 永远在我心 | yǒng yuǎn zài wǒ xīn yong3 yuan3 zai4 wo3 xin1 yong yuan zai wo xin yongyuanzaiwoxin | yung yüan tsai wo hsin yungyüantsaiwohsin |
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Forever In My Heart | いつまでも私の心の中に | i tsu ma de mo watashi no kokoro no naka ni | ||
Forever In My Heart | 永遠に私の心の中に | ei en ni watashi no kokoro no naka ni | ||
Friend Friendship | 友 | tomo | yǒu / you3 / you | yu |
Friend | 友達 友达 | tomo dachi / tomodachi | ||
Eternal Friendship Friends Forever | 永遠的朋友 永远的朋友 | yǒng yuǎn de péng yǒu yong3 yuan3 de peng2 you3 yong yuan de peng you yongyuandepengyou | yung yüan te p`eng yu yungyüantepengyu yung yüan te peng yu |
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Soul Mates | 魂の友 | tamashii no tomo tamashiinotomo tamashi no tomo | ||
Friendship | 友誼 友谊 | yuugi / yugi | yǒu yì / you3 yi4 / you yi / youyi | yu i / yui |
Friendship | 友情 | yuujou / yujo | yǒu qíng / you3 qing2 / you qing / youqing | yu ch`ing / yuching / yu ching |
Ghost Soul Spirit | 魂魄 | kon paku / konpaku | hún pò / hun2 po4 / hun po / hunpo | hun p`o / hunpo / hun po |
Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的老爺 慈祥的老爷 | cí xiáng de lǎo ye ci2 xiang2 de lao3 ye ci xiang de lao ye cixiangdelaoye | tz`u hsiang te lao yeh tzuhsiangtelaoyeh tzu hsiang te lao yeh |
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Dear Grandfather | 親愛的姥爺 亲爱的姥爷 | qín ài de lǎo ye qin2 ai4 de lao3 ye qin ai de lao ye qinaidelaoye | ch`in ai te lao yeh chinaitelaoyeh chin ai te lao yeh |
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Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的外祖父 | cí xiáng de wài zǔ fù ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 fu4 ci xiang de wai zu fu cixiangdewaizufu | tz`u hsiang te wai tsu fu tzuhsiangtewaitsufu tzu hsiang te wai tsu fu |
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Loving Grandfather | 慈祥的外公 | cí xiáng de wài gōng ci2 xiang2 de wai4 gong1 ci xiang de wai gong cixiangdewaigong | tz`u hsiang te wai kung tzuhsiangtewaikung tzu hsiang te wai kung |
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Dear Grandfather | 親愛的外祖父 亲爱的外祖父 | qín ài de wài zǔ fù qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 fu4 qin ai de wai zu fu qinaidewaizufu | ch`in ai te wai tsu fu chinaitewaitsufu chin ai te wai tsu fu |
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Dear Grandfather | 親愛的外公 亲爱的外公 | qín ài de wài gōng qin2 ai4 de wai4 gong1 qin ai de wai gong qinaidewaigong | ch`in ai te wai kung chinaitewaikung chin ai te wai kung |
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Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的姥姥 | cí xiáng de lǎo lao ci2 xiang2 de lao3 lao ci xiang de lao lao cixiangdelaolao | tz`u hsiang te lao lao tzuhsiangtelaolao tzu hsiang te lao lao |
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Dear Grandmother | 親愛的姥姥 亲爱的姥姥 | qín ài de lǎo lao qin2 ai4 de lao3 lao qin ai de lao lao qinaidelaolao | ch`in ai te lao lao chinaitelaolao chin ai te lao lao |
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Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的外婆 | cí xiáng de wài pó ci2 xiang2 de wai4 po2 ci xiang de wai po cixiangdewaipo | tz`u hsiang te wai p`o tzuhsiangtewaipo tzu hsiang te wai po |
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Loving Grandmother | 慈祥的外祖母 | cí xiáng de wài zǔ mǔ ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 mu3 ci xiang de wai zu mu cixiangdewaizumu | tz`u hsiang te wai tsu mu tzuhsiangtewaitsumu tzu hsiang te wai tsu mu |
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Dear Grandmother | 親愛的外婆 亲爱的外婆 | qín ài de wài pó qin2 ai4 de wai4 po2 qin ai de wai po qinaidewaipo | ch`in ai te wai p`o chinaitewaipo chin ai te wai po |
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Dear Grandmother | 親愛的外祖母 亲爱的外祖母 | qín ài de wài zǔ mǔ qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 mu3 qin ai de wai zu mu qinaidewaizumu | ch`in ai te wai tsu mu chinaitewaitsumu chin ai te wai tsu mu |
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Heart and Soul | 心與靈 心与灵 | xīn yǔ líng xin1 yu3 ling2 xin yu ling xinyuling | hsin yü ling hsinyüling |
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Heart and Soul | 心魂 | shin kon / shinkon | ||
Heart Mind Spirit | 心 | kokoro | xīn / xin1 / xin | hsin |
Soul Mates at Heart | 心の伴侶 | kokoro no han ryo kokoronohanryo | ||
Independent Spirit Independent Heart | 獨立心 独立心 | dokuritsushin | ||
Inner Beauty Beauty of Spirit | 內在美 内在美 | nèi zài měi nei4 zai4 mei3 nei zai mei neizaimei | nei tsai mei neitsaimei |
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Inner Beauty Beauty of Spirit | 内面美 | nai men bi / naimenbi | ||
Inner Heart Inner Soul | 心扉 | xīn fēi / xin1 fei1 / xin fei / xinfei | hsin fei / hsinfei | |
Inner Peace | 內心平靜 内心平静 | naishin heizyou naishinheizyou naishin heizyo | nèi xīn píng jìng nei4 xin1 ping2 jing4 nei xin ping jing neixinpingjing | nei hsin p`ing ching neihsinpingching nei hsin ping ching |
Life Energy Spiritual Energy | 氣 气 / 気 | ki | qì / qi4 / qi | ch`i / chi |
Lingering Mind | 殘心 残心 | zan shin / zanshin | cán xīn / can2 xin1 / can xin / canxin | ts`an hsin / tsanhsin / tsan hsin |
Lonely Soul Solitary | 形單影隻 形单影只 | xíng dān yǐng zhī xing2 dan1 ying3 zhi1 xing dan ying zhi xingdanyingzhi | hsing tan ying chih hsingtanyingchih |
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Lonely Soul Lost Soul | 孤魂 | gū hún / gu1 hun2 / gu hun / guhun | ku hun / kuhun | |
Lost Soul | 喪魂失魄 丧魂失魄 | sàng hún shī pò sang4 hun2 shi1 po4 sang hun shi po sanghunshipo | sang hun shih p`o sanghunshihpo sang hun shih po |
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Loving Mother | 慈母 | ji bo / jibo | cí mǔ / ci2 mu3 / ci mu / cimu | tz`u mu / tzumu / tzu mu |
Mateo | 馬特歐 马特欧 | mǎ tè ōu ma3 te4 ou1 ma te ou mateou | ma t`e ou mateou ma te ou |
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Mateo | マテオ | mateo | ||
Mateus | 馬泰烏斯 马泰乌斯 | mǎ tài wū sī ma3 tai4 wu1 si1 ma tai wu si mataiwusi | ma t`ai wu ssu mataiwussu ma tai wu ssu |
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Mind Body Spirit | 身心靈 / 身心霊 身心灵 | mi shin rei mishinrei | shēn xīn líng shen1 xin1 ling2 shen xin ling shenxinling | shen hsin ling shenhsinling |
Mind Like Water | 水の心 | mizu no kokoro mizunokokoro | ||
Morality of Mind | 心德 | xīn dé / xin1 de2 / xin de / xinde | hsin te / hsinte | |
No Mind Mushin | 無心 无心 | mu shin / mushin | wú xīn / wu2 xin1 / wu xin / wuxin | wu hsin / wuhsin |
Once in a Lifetime | 一期一會 一期一会 | ichigo ichie ichigoichie | yī qī yī huì yi1 qi1 yi1 hui4 yi qi yi hui yiqiyihui | i ch`i i hui ichiihui i chi i hui |
One Heart One Mind Heart and Soul | 一心 | isshin / ishin | yī shì dài yi1 shi4 dai4 yi shi dai yishidai | i shih tai ishihtai |
Partnership: Marriage | 伴侶 伴侣 | hanryo | bàn lǚ / ban4 lv3 / ban lv / banlv | pan lü / panlü |
Purified Spirit Enlightened Attitude | 洗心 先心 | sen shin / senshin | xǐ xīn / xi3 xin1 / xi xin / xixin | hsi hsin / hsihsin |
Soul Mates | 天生一對 天生一对 | tiān shēng yí duì tian1 sheng1 yi2 dui4 tian sheng yi dui tianshengyidui | t`ien sheng i tui tienshengitui tien sheng i tui |
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Soul Mates | 靈魂伴侶 灵魂伴侣 | reikon hanryo reikonhanryo | líng hún bàn lǚ ling2 hun2 ban4 lv3 ling hun ban lv linghunbanlv | ling hun pan lü linghunpanlü |
Spiritual Soul Mates | 精神伴侶 精神伴侣 | sei shin han ryo seishinhanryo | jīng shén bàn lǚ jing1 shen2 ban4 lv3 jing shen ban lv jingshenbanlv | ching shen pan lü chingshenpanlü |
Spiritual Soul Mates | 魂の伴侶 | tamashii no han ryo tamashiinohanryo tamashi no han ryo | ||
Spirit | 精神 | sei shin / seishin | jīng shén jing1 shen2 jing shen jingshen | ching shen chingshen |
Spirit Spiritual Essence | 神 | shin / kami | shén / shen2 / shen | |
Spirit Soul | 靈 灵 | ryou / ryo | líng / ling2 / ling | |
Tao Dao of the Heart Soul | 心道 | xīn dào / xin1 dao4 / xin dao / xindao | hsin tao / hsintao | |
Together Forever | 永遠在一起 永远在一起 | yǒng yuǎn zài yī qǐ yong3 yuan3 zai4 yi1 qi3 yong yuan zai yi qi yongyuanzaiyiqi | yung yüan tsai i ch`i yungyüantsaiichi yung yüan tsai i chi |
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Together Forever | ずっと一緒 | zutto issho zuttoissho zutto isho | ||
Together Forever in Love | 永遠愛在一起 永远爱在一起 | yǒng yuǎn ài zài yī qǐ yong3 yuan3 ai4 zai4 yi1 qi3 yong yuan ai zai yi qi yongyuanaizaiyiqi | yung yüan ai tsai i ch`i yungyüanaitsaiichi yung yüan ai tsai i chi |
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Warrior Soul Heroic Spirit | 勇士精神 | yǒng shì jīng shén yong3 shi4 jing1 shen2 yong shi jing shen yongshijingshen | yung shih ching shen yungshihchingshen |
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Warrior Soul Spirit of a Fighter | 戦士魂 | senshi damashii senshidamashii senshi damashi | ||
Soul of a Warrior | 精神勇士 | jīng shén yǒng shì jing1 shen2 yong3 shi4 jing shen yong shi jingshenyongshi | ching shen yung shih chingshenyungshih |
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Whole Heart | 全心 | zenshin | quán xīn / quan2 xin1 / quan xin / quanxin | ch`üan hsin / chüanhsin / chüan hsin |
Wolf Spirit Soul of a Wolf | 狼魂 | routama / ookami tamashii routama / ookamitamashii rotama / okami tamashi | láng hún / lang2 hun2 / lang hun / langhun | |
Soul Spirit | 魂 | tamashi / kon | hún / hun2 / hun | |
Mateus | マティアス | matiasu | ||
Soul Sisters | 姊妹花 | jiě mèi huā jie3 mei4 hua1 jie mei hua jiemeihua | chieh mei hua chiehmeihua |
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Matea | 馬泰亞 马泰亚 | mǎ tài yà ma3 tai4 ya4 ma tai ya mataiya | ma t`ai ya mataiya ma tai ya |
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Matea | マテア | matea | ||
Mateja | マテヤ | mateya | ||
Mateja | 馬特賈 马特贾 | mǎ tè jiǎ ma3 te4 jia3 ma te jia matejia | ma t`e chia matechia ma te chia |
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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. |
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.