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Custom Family Chinese & Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

We have many options to create artwork with Family characters on a wall scroll or portrait.
If you want to create a cool Family Asian character tattoo, just email us and we'll help you select from many forms of ancient Asian symbols that express the idea of Family.


Quick links to words on this page...




Select

Family / Home

Mandarin: jiā
Japanese: ei / uchi / ke
Korean:

家

This is the single-character that means family in Chinese and Japanese. It can also mean home or household depending on context.

Pronunciation varies in Japanese depending on context. When pronounced "uchi" in Japanese, it means home, but when pronounced "ke", it means family.

傢Note that there is an alternate form of this character. It has an additional radical on the left side, but no difference in meaning or pronunciation. The version shown above is the most universal, and is also ancient/traditional. The image shown to the right is only for reference.

Select

Forever Family

Mandarin: yǒng yuǎn de jiā

永
遠
的
家

This is a special phrase that we composed for a "family by adoption" or "adoptive family".

It's the dream of every orphan and foster child to be formally adopted and find their "forever family".

The first two characters mean forever, eternal, eternity, perpetuity, immortality, and/or permanence. The third character connects this idea with the last character which means "family" and/or "home".

Select

One Family Under Heaven

Mandarin: tiān xià yī jiā
Japanese: tenka ikka
Korean: 천하일가

天
下
一
家

This phrase can also be translated as "The whole world is one family". It is used to mean that all humans are related under heaven.

The first two characters can be translated as "the world", "whole country", "descended from heaven", "earth under heaven", "the public" or "the ruling power".

The second two characters can mean "one family", "a household", "one's folks", "a house" or "a home". Usually this is read as "a family".

Note: This phrase can be understood in Japanese, though not commonly used.

Select

Family / Household

Mandarin: jiā tíng
Japanese: ka tei
Korean: 가정

家
庭

This is a common way to express family, household, or home in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

However, for a wall scroll, we recommend the single-character form (which is just the first character of this two character word). If you want that, just click here: Family Single-Character

Select

Any success can not compensate for failure in the home

Mandarin: suǒ yǒu de chéng gōng dōu wú fǎ bǔ cháng jiā tíng de shī bài

家
庭
的
失
敗
都
無
法
補
償
所
有
的
成
功


Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This could also be translated in English as "No success can compensate for failure in the home".

Also, the word for "home" can be exchanged with "family".

Select

Home is where the heart is

Mandarin: jiā yóu xīn shēng
Korean: 가유심생

家
由
心
生

This old Chinese idiom is roughly equal to the English phrase "Home is where the heart is". If you know Chinese, you may recognize the first character as home and the third as heart.

Select

Child

Mandarin: ér tóng
Japanese: jidou
Korean: 아동

兒
童

This is how to write "child" in Chinese. There are several ways to write child or offspring in Chinese, but this is the best form for calligraphy, or written (versus oral) form.

If children are important to you, this might be the scroll you want. Or if you are a child at heart, this also works.

児In Japanese, they use a slightly-morphed version of the original Chinese first character. If you want the special Japanese version, please click on the Kanji image shown to the right, instead of the button above. Note: Japanese people would still be able to understand the Chinese version and vice versa.

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Select

Brotherly and Sisterly Love

Mandarin: shǒu zú qíng

手
足
情

This is the love between siblings. When you love, protect, care for, and have a deep bond that only brothers or sisters can.

The actual translation is "Hand and Foot" but it is said the relationship between brothers or sisters is like that of hands and feet. They belong together, and complete the body. Even though this says "hand and foot", it will always be read with the brotherly and sisterly love meaning in Chinese.

Note: During the past 20 years, the "One child policy" in China is slowly making this term obsolete.

Select

God Daughter

Mandarin: jiào nǚ

教
女

This is the title for a female child in which you have a sworn duty to raise, should the girl's parents die. The second character specifically designates that we are talking about a female child, thus the title God Daughter.

Select

Mama / Mother / Mommy

Mandarin:
Korean:

媽

This is the oral way that most Chinese people refer to their mothers. Often, they will put this together twice (two of the same character in a row) to create a word that sounds like "Mama". That's absolutely what little kids call their mothers in China. This Chinese "Mama" is the rough equivalent of "Mommy" in English. Beyond a certain age, Chinese will start to just say "Ma", which is like saying "Mom".

This entry is just here for a language lesson. This would make a strange wall scroll by Chinese standards. In Chinese, there are sometimes oral words that don't seem appropriate when written in calligraphy, and this is one of them. See our entry for "Loving Mother" for a better selection.

See Also...  Loving Mother

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Select

Mother and Daughter

Mandarin: mǔ nǚ
Korean: 모녀

母
女

This simply means "mother and daughter" kind of as a unit, or as if mother and daughter are a whole together.

This is an unusual selection for a calligraphy wall scroll, and can be read many different ways. Your native Asian friends might wonder what you are trying to say. They might even read it as meaning "a mother and daughter without a dad".

This entry was added to our database for a customer's special request. It has the same meaning in Chinese Characters and Korean Hanja.

See Also...  Mother And Son

Select

Loving Father

Mandarin: cí fù
Japanese: jifu
Korean: 자부

慈
父

These characters create the title of loving father, affectionate father, or merciful father. A great gift for your dad.

Select

Loving Mother

Mandarin: cí mǔ
Japanese: ji bo
Korean: 자모

慈
母

These characters create the title of loving mother, affectionate mother, or merciful mother. A great gift for your mom.

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Select

Loving Grandfather

Maternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de lǎo ye

慈
祥
的
老
爺

This is what you would call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Loving Grandfather

Maternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de wài zǔ fù

外
祖
父
慈
祥
的


Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This is "Loving Grandfather" in the formal way that people in Southern China usually call their mother's father (maternal grandfather).

Select

Loving Grandfather

Maternal (Southern China - Informal)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de wài gōng

慈
祥
的
外
公

This is "Loving Grandfather" using an informal way to call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Southern China.

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Select

Loving Grandfather

Paternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de yé ye

慈
祥
的
爺
爺

This is "Loving Grandfather" using the most common way for people in Northern China to refer to their father's father (paternal grandfather).

Select

Loving Grandfather

Paternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de zǔ fù

慈
祥
的
祖
父

This is "Loving Grandfather" in the way people in Southern China call their father's father (paternal grandfather).

Select

Loving Grandmother

Maternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de lǎo lao

慈
祥
的
姥
姥

This is "Loving Grandmother" in the common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Northern China.

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Select

Loving Grandmother

Maternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de wài pó

慈
祥
的
外
婆

This is "Loving Grandmother" in a common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China.

Select

Loving Grandmother

Maternal (Southern China - formal)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de wài zǔ mǔ

外
祖
母
慈
祥
的


Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This is "Loving Grandmother" in the formal way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China.

Select

Loving Grandmother

Paternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de nǎi nai

慈
祥
的
奶
奶

This is "Loving Grandmother" in probably the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in northern China.

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Select

Loving Grandmother

Paternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: cí xiáng de zǔ mǔ

慈
祥
的
祖
母

This is "Loving Grandmother" in the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in Southern China.

Select

Dear Grandfather

Maternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de lǎo ye

親
愛
的
老
爺

This is what you would call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandfather

Maternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de wài zǔ fù

外
祖
父
親
愛
的


Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

This is the formal way that people in Southern China usually call their mother's father (maternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Back to the top of this page

Select

Dear Grandfather

Maternal (Southern China - Informal)

Mandarin: qín ài de wài gōng

親
愛
的
外
公

This is an informal way to call your maternal grandfather (mother's father) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandfather

Paternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de yé ye

親
愛
的
爺
爺

This is the most common way for people in Northern China to refer to their father's father (paternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandfather

Paternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de zǔ fù

親
愛
的
祖
父

This is the how people in Southern China call their father's father (paternal grandfather) with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

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Select

Dear Grandmother

Maternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de lǎo lao

親
愛
的
姥
姥

This is the common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandmother

Maternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de wài pó

親
愛
的
外
婆

This is a common way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandmother

Maternal (Southern China - formal)

Mandarin: qín ài de wài zǔ mǔ

外
祖
母
親
愛
的


Characters shown
above are read
vertically, starting
from the right

The formal way to refer to your mother's mother (maternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Back to the top of this page

Select

Dear Grandmother

Paternal (Northern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de nǎi nai

親
愛
的
奶
奶

This is probably the most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in northern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Dear Grandmother

Paternal (Southern China)

Mandarin: qín ài de zǔ mǔ

親
愛
的
祖
母

The most common way to refer to your father's mother (paternal grandmother) in Southern China with the adjective/title "Dear" on the front.

Select

Mother and Son

Mandarin: mǔ zǐ
Japanese: bo shi
Korean: 모자

母
子

This simply means "mother and son", or the essence of the relationship and bond between mother and son.

This is really a single word that expresses this idea (showing how important or significant this bond is).

This is not the most common choice for a wall scroll, it is acceptable if you feel this term is important to you.

See Also...  Mother And Daughter

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Select

No one knows a son better than the father

Mandarin: zhī zǐ mò ruò fù

知
子
莫
若
父

This can be translated as "No one knows a son better than his father".

This idiom is based on the idea that after spending many years together, family members know everything about each other. Better than anyone else, a father knows the qualities and shortcomings of his son.

If you are looking for something about "father and son", this is probably the best selection.

This is the original phrase (very old) but others have been composed about various combinations of mothers, sons, daughters, and fathers.


Wall scroll artwork shown on this page is priced as follows:

1 character $29.88 each

2-3 characters $39.88 each

4 characters $49.88 each

5-10 characters $59.88 each

11 or more characters $69.88 each


We dispatch any size order to any country worldwide for a flat rate US$9.80 P&P

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 $13 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.

A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

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)

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

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.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

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.


A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

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.



See: Our list of specifically Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls. And, check out Our list of specifically old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.



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)
Family / Home
家 / 傢
ei / uchi / ke
ei/uchi/ke
jiā
jia
jia1
jia
Forever Family永远的家
永遠的家
n/ayǒng yuǎn de jiā
yong yuan de jia
yong3 yuan3 de jia1
yongyuandejia
One Family Under Heaven天下一家
天下一家
tenka ikka
tenkaikka
tenka ika
tiān xià yī jiā
tian xia yi jia
tian1 xia4 yi1 jia1
tianxiayijia
Family / Household家庭
家庭 / 傢庭
ka tei
katei
jiā tíng
jia ting
jia1 ting2
jiating
Any success can not compensate for failure in the home所有的成功都无法补偿家庭的失败
所有的成功都無法補償家庭的失敗
n/asuǒ yǒu de chéng gōng dōu wú fǎ bǔ cháng jiā tíng de shī bài
suo you de cheng gong dou wu fa bu chang jia ting de shi bai
suo3 you3 de cheng2 gong1 dou1 wu2 fa3 bu3 chang2 jia1 ting2 de shi1 bai4
Home is where the heart is家由心生
家由心生
n/ajiā yóu xīn shēng
jia you xin sheng
jia1 you2 xin1 sheng1
jiayouxinsheng
Child儿童
兒童
jidou
jido
ér tóng
er tong
er2 tong2
ertong
Brotherly and Sisterly Love手足情
手足情
n/ashǒu zú qíng
shou zu qing
shou3 zu2 qing2
shouzuqing
God Daughter教女
教女
n/ajiào nǚ
jiao nv
jiao4 nv3
jiaonv
Mama / Mother / Mommy
n/a
ma
ma1
ma
Mother and Daughter母女
母女
n/amǔ nǚ
mu nv
mu3 nv3
munv
Loving Father慈父
慈父
jifucí fù
ci fu
ci2 fu4
cifu
Loving Mother慈母
慈母
ji bo
jibo
cí mǔ
ci mu
ci2 mu3
cimu
Loving Grandfather慈祥的老爷
慈祥的老爺
n/ací xiáng de lǎo ye
ci xiang de lao ye
ci2 xiang2 de lao3 ye
cixiangdelaoye
Loving Grandfather慈祥的外祖父
慈祥的外祖父
n/ací xiáng de wài zǔ fù
ci xiang de wai zu fu
ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 fu4
cixiangdewaizufu
Loving Grandfather慈祥的外公
慈祥的外公
n/ací xiáng de wài gōng
ci xiang de wai gong
ci2 xiang2 de wai4 gong1
cixiangdewaigong
Loving Grandfather慈祥的爷爷
慈祥的爺爺
n/ací xiáng de yé ye
ci xiang de ye ye
ci2 xiang2 de ye2 ye
cixiangdeyeye
Loving Grandfather慈祥的祖父
慈祥的祖父
n/ací xiáng de zǔ fù
ci xiang de zu fu
ci2 xiang2 de zu3 fu4
cixiangdezufu
Loving Grandmother慈祥的姥姥
慈祥的姥姥
n/ací xiáng de lǎo lao
ci xiang de lao lao
ci2 xiang2 de lao3 lao
cixiangdelaolao
Loving Grandmother慈祥的外婆
慈祥的外婆
n/ací xiáng de wài pó
ci xiang de wai po
ci2 xiang2 de wai4 po2
cixiangdewaipo
Loving Grandmother慈祥的外祖母
慈祥的外祖母
n/ací xiáng de wài zǔ mǔ
ci xiang de wai zu mu
ci2 xiang2 de wai4 zu3 mu3
cixiangdewaizumu
Loving Grandmother慈祥的奶奶
慈祥的奶奶
n/ací xiáng de nǎi nai
ci xiang de nai nai
ci2 xiang2 de nai3 nai
cixiangdenainai
Loving Grandmother慈祥的祖母
慈祥的祖母
n/ací xiáng de zǔ mǔ
ci xiang de zu mu
ci2 xiang2 de zu3 mu3
cixiangdezumu
Dear Grandfather亲爱的老爷
親愛的老爺
n/aqín ài de lǎo ye
qin ai de lao ye
qin2 ai4 de lao3 ye
qinaidelaoye
Dear Grandfather亲爱的外祖父
親愛的外祖父
n/aqín ài de wài zǔ fù
qin ai de wai zu fu
qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 fu4
qinaidewaizufu
Dear Grandfather亲爱的外公
親愛的外公
n/aqín ài de wài gōng
qin ai de wai gong
qin2 ai4 de wai4 gong1
qinaidewaigong
Dear Grandfather亲爱的爷爷
親愛的爺爺
n/aqín ài de yé ye
qin ai de ye ye
qin2 ai4 de ye2 ye
qinaideyeye
Dear Grandfather亲爱的祖父
親愛的祖父
n/aqín ài de zǔ fù
qin ai de zu fu
qin2 ai4 de zu3 fu4
qinaidezufu
Dear Grandmother亲爱的姥姥
親愛的姥姥
n/aqín ài de lǎo lao
qin ai de lao lao
qin2 ai4 de lao3 lao
qinaidelaolao
Dear Grandmother亲爱的外婆
親愛的外婆
n/aqín ài de wài pó
qin ai de wai po
qin2 ai4 de wai4 po2
qinaidewaipo
Dear Grandmother亲爱的外祖母
親愛的外祖母
n/aqín ài de wài zǔ mǔ
qin ai de wai zu mu
qin2 ai4 de wai4 zu3 mu3
qinaidewaizumu
Dear Grandmother亲爱的奶奶
親愛的奶奶
n/aqín ài de nǎi nai
qin ai de nai nai
qin2 ai4 de nai3 nai
qinaidenainai
Dear Grandmother亲爱的祖母
親愛的祖母
n/aqín ài de zǔ mǔ
qin ai de zu mu
qin2 ai4 de zu3 mu3
qinaidezumu
Mother and Son母子
母子
bo shi
boshi
mǔ zǐ
mu zi
mu3 zi3
muzi
No one knows a son better than the father知子莫若父
知子莫若父
n/azhī zǐ mò ruò fù
zhi zi mo ruo fu
zhi1 zi3 mo4 ruo4 fu4
zhizimoruofu
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 "Family" 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.
Please note: Rush service can be as fast as two weeks, but regular service is over a month for delivery.


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