kanji – Calligraphy by Vicky

翔 “to soar” 🦅

A Japanese calligraphy work of one character, black ink on white card

A commission for a friend who enjoys gliding 🛬 If you know someone who would like a unique gift, feel free to contact me about commissioning a calligraphy artwork. You can find more details here: https://calligraphybyvicky.co.uk/commission-a-work/#custom

楽 (raku) “fun”

A Japanese calligraphy work of one kanji, black ink on white paper

A somewhat stylised work I did ages ago. I decided to post it now because in Japan it’s currently Golden Week – a period of consecutive holidays and, hopefully, fun 😊

痛みは避けられない… (pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!)

A Japanese calligraphy work of four horizontal lines of kanji characters, black ink on white.

痛みは避けられないでも苦しみは自分次第だ！ Pain is inevitable but suffering depends on you! This Buddhist-inspired quote is by the famous Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, from his book on how he uses Buddhist teachings to live a good life. It’s one of my housemate’s favourite phrases. This work was my birthday present to him a few yearsContinueContinue reading “痛みは避けられない… (pain is inevitable, but suffering depends on you!)”

想 “idea”, “thought”, “conception”

Sorting out some of my old artworks today when I came across the original designs for my logo. The kanji is 想, meaning “thought”, “idea” or “conception”. This is because the original name for my calligraphy business was “Calligraphy to Inspire”. I’ve since changed the name, but kept the kanji.

和気藹々 (wa-ki-ai-ai) “happy friendly atmosphere”

A 4-character Japanese calligraphy work on a yellow hanging scroll, the ink is black and gold.

My housemate wanted some calligraphy for our house. He asked for a phrase which relates to people coming together and having a good time. I asked my Japanese teacher for such a phrase and she recommended this 4-character idiom. Loosely translated, it means “full of a happy friendly atmosphere when people gather together”. 和 =ContinueContinue reading “和気藹々 (wa-ki-ai-ai) “happy friendly atmosphere””

咲 (saku) “to bloom”

A 1-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on pink card

Springtime is the season for beautiful blooming flowers in Japan. The most well-known are cherry blossoms. Plum and peach blossoms are popular too. They look similar, but there are some key differences:

🌸 桜 (sakura) “cherry blossoms” 🌸

A Japanese calligraphy work of one character, meaning "cherry blossom", black ink on white background

It’s cherry blossom season in (parts of) Japan! Cherry blossoms are arguably the most beloved of Japanese flowers, and even feature on the 100 coin. In springtime many Japanese people like to do 花見 (Hanami) “viewing cherry blossoms”, sometimes taking the excuse to have a party and drink under the trees.

陰陽 (in-yō) “yin-yang”

a Japanese calligraphy work of two characters, in silver and gold ink, on dark blue card, framed

Yin is dark, cold, receptive, magnetic. Yang is light, hot, giving, active. Both are present in everything. Rather than being opposites, they are two sides of the same coin. A cup is Yang, but the empty space inside is Yin. Daoists believe that everything contains the seed of its opposite; in this way Yin andContinueContinue reading “陰陽 (in-yō) “yin-yang””

珈琲 (kōhī) “coffee”

a client's tattoo of the kanji for "coffee"

Japanese language students will know that “coffee” is usually written in katakana: コーヒー However it does have a kanji! (Or rather, it’s made of 2 kanji): 珈琲 These kanji are what is known as ateji – kanji which are used to phonetically represent foreign loan words. In many cases, the ateji are chosen primarily forContinueContinue reading “珈琲 (kōhī) “coffee””

弥生 (yayoi) “March” (archaic)

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month one”, February is “Month two”, etc. However, before the Meiji Restoration (mid-1800s) it was common to use an older 12-month system. These months’ names referenced the weather and the seasons (similar to the French Revolutionary calendar). March is:ContinueContinue reading “弥生 (yayoi) “March” (archaic)”