Buy a Custom Fortune Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

The title says it all; this word is clearly understood in Chinese and Japanese as well as Korean Hanja.

This Character is pronounced "fu" in Chinese.

The character "fu" is posted by virtually all Chinese people on the doors of their homes during the Spring Festival (closely associated with the Chinese New Years).

One tradition from the Zhou Dynasty (beginning in 256 B.C.) holds that putting a fu symbol on your front door will keep the goddess of poverty away.

This character literally means good fortune, prosperity, blessed, happiness, and fulfillment.

See Also...  Lucky

Perhaps the Chinese equivalent of "This blessed house" or perhaps "home sweet home". This phrase literally means "Good fortune house" or "Good luck household". It makes any Chinese person who sees it feel that good things happen in the home in which this calligraphy is hung.

This can mean happiness, good fortune, good luck, and in the old days, good harvest or bounty.

Note: From Japanese, this character is sometimes romanized as "sachi", and is often pronounced "kou" or sometimes "rei" when used in compound words with other Kanji.

This means wealth or riches in Chinese.

Hanging this on your wall will label you as a "lover of money" or a "greedy person". Order this, only if you don't mind being seen in this light.

This character is often translated as "destiny". Sometimes this character is simply translated as "life", but more in terms of one's lot in life. In certain context, this can mean command or decree (generally from a king or emperor). Of course, such a decree are part of fate and lead you to fulfill your destiny.

In Chinese this word leans toward the fate or destiny definition.
In Korean, it is usually read simply as "life".
In Japanese, it can mean all definitions shown above, depending on context.

See Also...  Good Fortune

These two characters contain the ideas of "fate", "destiny", "fortune" and "luck". You can also say that it means "what life throws at you" or "your lot in life" because the first character contains the idea of "life" or "living".

See Also...  Good Fortune

These two characters contain the ideas of "fate", "destiny", "fortune" and "luck". This is often defined as "a person's fate" in various dictionaries.

These two characters can be put in either order with the same meaning in Chinese and Japanese. The character order shown here is more the more natural order for Japanese Kanji and old Korean Hanja.

See Also...  Good Fortune | Good Luck

This is a way to express destiny in a slightly religious way. Literally this means "Heaven's Wish" or "Heaven's Desire" with the idea of fate and destiny being derived as well. It suggests that your destiny comes from God / Heaven and that your path has already been chosen by a higher power.

My Japanese dictionary defines this word as "divine will" or "providence" but it also holds the meaning of "the will of the emperor". Therefore I don't suggest this phrase if your audience is Japanese - it feels a little strange in Japanese anyway.

These two characters mean, "Destiny that brings lovers together". It can also be translated technically as, "Predestined matrimonial affinity" (wow, talk about taking the romance out of this word - that was from the Oxford C-E dictionary).

Basically, this is talking about the fate (or karma) that brings a husband and wife together. I would translate this as "Together by fate" or "Joined by destiny", but in the context of marriage. You could use this for non-married lovers, but the first character has a suggestion that this refers to those that are married.

These two characters can be reversed (written in either order) and yield roughly the same meaning. Either way it's about your "fate", "destiny", "fortune" and "luck".

This character order happens to be more common in old Korean and less common in modern Chinese.

See Also...  Good Fortune | Good Luck

This is a common phrase to hear around the time of Chinese New Years. Directly translated character by character it means, "Year Year Have Surplus". A more natural English translation including the deeper meaning would be "Every Year may you Have Abundance in your life".

On a side note, this phrase often goes with a gift of something related to fish. This is because the last character "yu" which means surplus or abundance has exactly the same pronunciation in Mandarin as the word for "fish".

This is also one of the most common titles for traditional paintings that feature koi fish.

In China, this phrase might make an odd wall scroll - a customer asked special for this common phrase which is why it appears here. See my other abundance-related words if you want a wall scroll that will seem more comfortable in Chinese culture.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly-used term.

See Also...  Prosperity | Good Fortune

This word means prosperous, having abundance, well-to-do, or well-off.

It's a simple word that suggests that "you have made it" in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja.

See Also...  Good Fortune

This is a strong way to say "Prosperity and Abundance".

The characters shown here present and reinforce the ideas of being prosperous, a booming economy, well-to-do, well-off, wealth, riches and opulence.

This is the ancient / traditional Chinese way to write this, but most Japanese can fully read and understand it. It's also the correct form of old Korean Hanja (though few Koreans of the current generation will be able to read this).

See Also...  Good Fortune

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

You can also say that this means, "Be happy with whatever Heaven provides", or "Find happiness in whatever fate Heaven bestows upon you". This is kind of a way to suggest being an optimist in life.

Note: This is sometimes used as a given name in China.

This 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

This is the Chinese, Korean and Japanese word for "Gospel" or "Word of God". This is a specifically Christian word in Asia (not used for any other religion).

The first character means "blessing", "good fortune" or "good luck". This first character is a special character used throughout China to bring good tidings and fortune - especially during Chinese New Years. The second character means "sound", "noise" or "news".

Together, these characters create a word that means "The Good News" or "The Sound of Good Fortune".

When read by a Chinese or Japanese person, this word is always perceived as "The Christian Gospel", "Word of God", or even "The Voice of God".

See Also...  Christianity | Jesus Christ | God Of Abraham

These two characters contain the ideas of fate. But this is specifically the fate or destiny that brings two people together.

This is like the chance meeting of two people that leads some time later to marriage.

This could also be the chance meeting of two business people, who become partners and build a huge and successful company.

Basically, this is an idea often associated with a fateful meeting leading to good fortune.

Some will define this word as, "The destiny brings you two together", or "Meant to be".

Note: Second character can also be written without the left radical, as shown to the right. If you have a preference, please let use know in the special instructions for your project. There is no difference in meaning or pronunciation, just two (alternate) ways to write the same character.

See Also...  Soulmates | Good Fortune

This is often seen at weddings and other celebrations in China. It suggests that he dragon and phoenix will bring you auspicious tidings.

The first character is dragon.
The second is phoenix.
The third is presents or brings.
And the last means auspicious, propitious, or luck.

This is the Buddhist concept of a chance meeting or an opportunity that presents itself by fate.

Sometimes this is used to describe a cosmic chain of events or cause and effect.

It also is used to describe predestined relationships between people - and sometimes married couples (although if you want one about marriage, try this: Fate / Destiny of Lovers.

This word can also be translated as origin, karma, destiny, affinity, connection, and relation. This all depends on context - seen alone on a wall scroll, this will be read with a "fate / chance" meaning by a Chinese person, or a Korean person who can read Hanja.

The more complex definition of this word would be, "Direct causes and indirect conditions, which underlie the actions of all things".

This concept is known as nidana in the original Sanskrit. Also sometimes presented as hetupratyaya (or "hetu and prataya") which I believe is Pali.

Note: Japanese will tend to use this version of the second Kanji:
If you order this from the Japanese master calligrapher, expect that you'll get this version. However, this word often carries a negative connotation in Japanese (bad things happen), as it is used that way in a certain Japanese idiom. Therefore, this may not be the best choice if Japanese is your target language.

See Also...  Buddhism | Opportunity

Seeing the potential benefits or troubles that may lie ahead in the future.

Can also be defined as "presupposition" or "forethought".

See Also...  Fate

This concept has existed for thousands of years that humans have the ability to understand right and wrong, then make a decision one way or the other (thus affecting their own fate).

Sources such as Confucius, Buddhist scriptures, the Qur'an and the Bible all address this idea.

As for the characters shown here, the first two mean free, freedom, or liberty. The last two simply mean "will".

See Also...  Freedom | Strong Willed | Fate

This 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.

This 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.

This 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.

See Also...  Happiness

Added by special request of a customer...

The first character means gold or golden.
The second and third characters hold the meaning of auspiciousness and good luck.
the fourth character is dragon.
The fifth is a possessive modifier (like making "dragon" into "dragon's").
The last character means home (but in some context can mean "family" - however, here it would generally be understood as "home").

Note: The word order is different than the English title, because of grammar differences between English and Chinese. This phrase sounds very natural in Chinese in this character order. If written in the English word order, it would sound very strange and lose its impact in Chinese.

Note: Korean pronunciation is included above, but this has not been reviewed by a Korean translator.

This Chinese, Korean and Japanese word means "life force" or simply "life". The first character means "life" or "birth". The second means "life" or "fate". Together they create the meaning of "life force", though some will translate this as "existence" and sometimes "vitality".

See Also...  Vitality | Birth

This is a wish for long life for someone. The first part of this Japanese phrase is, "Nan Zan", which literally means "south mountain". This mountain is one of good wishes, good fortune, and prosperity. The title is often used as a salutation of good wishes.

The third Kanji is just a connector, and the last Kanji means long life or longevity.

I guess you could translate this phrase as "May your life be as long as Nan Zan is tall".

This is a phrase that means "May you have good fortune as great as the eastern oceans, and may your life last as long as the southern mountains".

In ancient Chinese mythology, the eastern oceans and southern mountains are where God resides (basically it is the same as saying "heaven"). So it's like saying, "May your good fortune and life be as vast as the heavens".

There is also a longer, 14-character version of this phrase. Also, this can be cut into two scrolls (with half the phrase on each side - great for hanging on either side of a doorway). Just let me know if you'd like a special version (there is an additional cost).

A simple way to express the state of being lucky. Also used in conversation to hope that all is well with someone. This is more often seen as part of a compound word with a lucky association (especially in Korean).

Not as often used in Japanese, but still means "good luck" but can also mean "joy" in Japanese.

See Also...  Good Luck

This is the kind of opportunity that comes via good luck or good fortune.

This word is sometimes translated as "stroke of good luck".

While there are other ways to express "opportunity", I think this version is best for a calligraphy wall scroll or portrait.

Note: In Korean Hanja, this would also mean "Meeting someone under strange circumstances".

See Also...  Good Luck

This is just what you think it means. It suggests that you are on a trouble-free voyage through life, or literally on a sailing ship or sail boat. It is often used in China as a wish for good luck on a voyage or as you set out on a new quest or career in your life. Some may use this in lieu of "bon voyage".

The literal meaning is roughly, "Once you raise your sail, you will get the wind you need, and it will take you where you want to go". Another way to translate it is "Your sail and the wind follow your will".

This is a great gift for a mariner, sailor, adventurer, or someone starting a new career.

Note: Can be understood in Korean Hanja, but rarely used.

See Also...  Bon Voyage | Adventure | Travel

This is the character for boar, pig, or swine in Chinese and old Korean.

If you were born in the year of the boar / year of the pig, you...

Are optimistic.
Have good luck with wealth and money.
Are honest, generous, and warm-hearted.

The character shown to the right is the Japanese Kanji for "wild boar".
It's an alternate/simplified form of pig/boar in Chinese (can be read by both Chinese and Japanese people). Click on that character instead of the button above if you want this version.

See also our Chinese Zodiac page.

Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This Japanese proverb is about the cycle of life, or how things come and go in life.

This can be used to suggest that youth, fortune, and life can come and go (everything is temporary).

This is title 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.