We have many options to create artwork with Devotion characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Devotion Asian character tattoo, you can purchase that on our Chinese and Japanese Tattoo Image Service page and we'll help you select from many forms of ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of devotion.
Quick links to words on this page...


This can be translated as "to dedicate oneself to...", "self-devotion" or "dedication". Some would also translate this as "commit ones energy to", "devote to", or "self-sacrifice" (especially in Korean).
While the form shown to the left is considered an ancient Japanese version, in modern Japan, they use the simplified version of the first Kanji (shown to the right).
Click on this Kanji instead of the button above if you want this modern Japanese version.
If you are looking for a more religious meaning, see faith.
See Also... Confidence | Dedication


This means firm belief, faith, persuasion, conviction, and sometimes religion or creed in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. This word clearly fits religious connotation of the English word "devotion".


This word is universal in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. It can mean earnestness, enthusiasm, ardor, zeal, devotion, or fervor.


This is a wide-ranging word that is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. It can mean aggressive, enterprising, vigorous, energetic, devotion, diligence, concentration of mind, purification, pushing, or assiduity. Used in the context of Buddhism, it means making earnest efforts to cultivate virtue and get rid of evil.


This word is often used to describe the devotion someone has to their profession - However, it can just mean career, depending on context. We don't highly-recommend this selection for a wall scroll.
In more simple terms, this word also means undertake / to deal with / to handle / to do. It does not have to refer to a career issue, as it could be used to encourage someone that is beginning their university studies etc.
This kind of makes sense in Japanese, however, there is a slight deviation in the way they write the first Kanji in Japanese.


This is the idea that you enter into something with the utmost sincerity and fidelity. Ideas such as devotion, honesty, and "one's true heart" are also contained in this word.
This is a universal word as the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja are all identical.


This means love passionately, ardent love, devotion. The literal meaning is "hot love", as the first character means heat, fervent, hot and warm. Sometimes it can mean fever, restless, or zeal. The second character is, of course, love.


Faith is one of the "Seven Heavenly Virtues". These characters express the idea of "having a belief", or "trusting in the unseen".
This word could also be translated as beliefs or convictions.
See Also... Dedication | Trust


This is the more religious form of "faith". It has this same meaning in Chinese, Korean and Japanese and is often used to refer to a person of faith or a religious person. Can be directly translated as "firm belief", "creed", "conviction" or simply as "religious" depending on context.
See Also... Trust


This is the kind of dedication you might have to your job, or a person.
Trivia: It is the same word used as an adjective in front of the word for "network" to say "dedicated network" in Chinese.
Please note: While this is a word in Korean, the meaning is private or "exclusive use". So this is best if your audience is Chinese.
See Also... Passion | Tenacious | Commitment


This is the Japanese word for dedication. It means "give undivided attention" or "devote oneself to (something)".
Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly-used term.
See Also... Passion | Tenacious | Commitment

This single character is often part of other words with similar meanings. Alone, this character can mean to believe, truth, faith, fidelity, sincerity, trust and confidence in Chinese, old Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji.
It is one of the five basic tenets of Confucius.
In Chinese, it sometimes has the secondary meaning of a letter (as in the mail) depending on context, but it will not be read that way when seen on a wall scroll.
Mandarin: xìn niǎn shì zài lí míng qián de hēn àn zhōng néng gǎn dào guāng míng de niǎo


















Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right
This is a philosophical poem/quote from Indian Poet and Philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore, 1915
This quote is not sourced, and therefore several variations exist in English. Some suggest the original was in the Bengali language.
This of course is the Chinese translation which has the meaning of, "Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark".


You focus your energy and efforts on a task and stick with it until it is finished. Determination is using your will power to do something when it isn't easy. You are determined to meet your goals even when it is hard or you are being tested. With determination we make our dreams come true.
The first characters means "to determine" or "determined". The second character means "heart" or "soul", so you can imagine that this form of "determination" partially means to put your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).
See Also... Tenacious | Passion | Dedication


Besides "to hope" this also means "to wish for" or "to desire". It can also mean expectation or aspiration depending on context.


Depending on context, this word can mean "cordial", "enthusiastic", "passionate" or "passionately".
This version is sometimes used in Japanese, but the character order is more common in Chinese. The meaning in Japanese for this Kanji order is "ardour" or "zeal", but rarely used in modern Japan. I suggest you choose the other "passion" if your audience is Japanese.
See Also... Persistence | Tenacity | Commitment


A reversal of the characters between Chinese and Japanese/Korean languages yields this "passion" meaning. While many characters and even multi-character words have the same meaning in both languages, often some conventions are different or may have changed over time.
Note: This character order is not natural in Chinese. However, a typical Chinese person can guess that this is a Japanese or Korean word and also understand the intended the meaning. This selection is best if your audience is Japanese or old-school Korean.
See Also... Persistence | Tenacity | Commitment




Perseverance is being steadfast and persistent. You commit to your goals and overcome obstacles, no matter how long it takes. When you persevere, you don't give up...you keep going. Like a strong ship in a storm, you don't become battered or blown off course. You just ride the waves.
This translation literally means, "something so persistent or steadfast, that it is not uprootable / movable / surpassable".
See Also... Tenacious | Persistence | Indomitable


These two characters together mean "Tenacious", "Hard to Defeat", or "Dogged".
Alone, the first character means mischievous, obstinate or stubborn. But it loses some of the mischievous meaning when the second character is added.
The second character means strength, force, powerful or better.
See Also... Determination | Dedication | Never Give Up




Used to refer to someone who puts forth maximum effort and achieves much. We might call this kind of person a "go-getter" in English.
See Also... Dedication | Tenacious
Wall scroll artwork shown on this page is priced as follows:
1 character $28.88 each
2-3 characters $39.88 each
4 characters $49.88 each
11 or more characters $69.88 each
After you select your calligraphy, our website will take you through the process of customizing your artwork.
Options for other mounting such as portraits are available for $12 less.
We also offer the services of a famous master calligrapher for a $40 fee on any scroll if you are looking for investment-quality calligraphy.
If you chose our famous master-calligrapher, you also get more choices for silk and paper colors and the option for larger artwork.
All of our calligraphy is completely done by hand in the ancient way.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to our 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.
Therefore, allow at least 3 weeks for delivery from the time you place your order.
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The scroll that I am holding in this picture is a "regular size"
4-character wall scroll.
As you can see, it is a great size to hang on your wall.
(We also offer custom wall scrolls in larger sizes)
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.
The following table is only helpful for those studying Chinese (or Japanese), and perhaps helps search engines to find this page when someone enters Romanized Chinese or Japanese
| Title | Characters Simplified Traditional |
Japanese Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Hanyu-Pinyin (Romanized Chinese) | |||
| Devotion | 献身 獻身 | kenshin | xiàn shēn | xian4 shen1 | ||
| Devotion | 信仰 信仰 | shinkou | xìn yǎng | xin4 yang3 | ||
| Devotion / Enthusiasm | 热诚 熱誠 | nessei | rè chéng | re4 cheng2 | ||
| Devotion / Diligence / Vigorous / Energetic | 精进 精進 | shoujin | jīng jìn | jing1 jin4 | ||
| Devotion to your Profession / Career | 从事 從事 | n/a | cóng shì | cong2 shi4 | ||
| Sincerity and Devotion | 至诚 至誠 | shisei | zhì chéng | zhi4 cheng2 | ||
| Passionate Love Ardent Love and Devotion | 热爱 熱愛 | netsuai | rè ài | re4 ai4 | ||
| Faith | 信念 信念 | shinnen | xìn niàn | xin4 nian4 | ||
| Faith | 信仰 信仰 | shinkou | xìn yǎng | xin4 yang3 | ||
| Dedication | 专用 專用 | n/a | zhuān yòng | zhuan1 yong4 | ||
| Dedication | 専念 専唸 | sennen | n/a | |||
| Believe / Faith / Trust | 信 信 | shin | xìn | xin4 | ||
| Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark | 信念是在黎明前的黑暗中能感到光明的鸟 信唸是在黎明前的黑闇中能感到光明的鳥 | n/a | xìn niǎn shì zài lí míng qián de hēn àn zhōng néng gǎn dào guāng míng de niǎo | xin4 nian3 shi4 zai4 li2 ming2 qian2 de hen1 an4 zhong1 neng2 gan3 dao4 guang1 ming2 de niao3 | ||
| Determination | 决心 決心 | kesshin | jué xīn | jue2 xin1 | ||
| Hope | 希望 希望 | kibou | xī wàng | xi1 wang4 | ||
| Passion for a Cause | 热情 熱情 | netsujou | rè qíng | re4 qing2 | ||
| Passion for a Cause | 情热 情熱 | jounetsu | qíng rè | qing2 re4 | ||
| Perseverance | 坚韧不拔 堅韌不拔 | n/a | jiān rèn bù bá | jian1 ren4 bu4 ba2 | ||
| Tenacious / Tenacity | 顽强 頑強 | gankyou | wán qiáng | wan2 qiang2 | ||
| Industrious / Hard Working | 爱岗敬业 愛崗敬業 | n/a | ài gǎng jìng yè | ai4 gang3 jing4 ye4 | ||
| If you have not set up your computer to display Chinese, the characters in this table probably look like empty boxes or random text garbage.
This is why we spent hundreds of hours making images so that you could view the characters in the "Devotion" listings above. If you want your Windows computer to be able to display Chinese characters you can either head to your Regional and Language options in your Win XP control panel, select the [Languages] tab and click on [Install files for East Asian Languages]. This task will ask for your Win XP CD to complete in most cases. If you don't have your Windows XP CD, or are running Windows 98, you can also download/run the simplified Chinese font package installer from Microsoft which works independently with Win 98, ME, 2000, and XP. It's a 2.5MB download, so if you are on dial up, start the download and go make a sandwich. | ||||||
All custom calligraphy items are made-to-order in our little Beijing artwork-mounting workshop.
Normal delivery isjust over 3 weeksfor these handmade items.
Key / Important Pages |
Information Pages |
"How To" Pages |
Search Engine & Tech Stuff |
|
| Home | About Us | Asian Art Questions & Answers | How We Make Our Wall Scrolls & Portraits | Site Map |
| Asian Art Gallery | About China | How Chinese Paintings are Mounted | How To Care For Wall Scrolls | Asian Language Tools |
| New Asian Art Arrivals | F.A.Q. | Asian Art Adventures | Framing Suggestions for Chinese Art | Characters |
| Contact Us | Gary's Stories | Japanese & Chinese Calligraphy Search | How To Frame Asian Art | Asian Art Index |
Copyright Oriental Outpost 2002-2007 - All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy