japanese culture – Calligraphy by Vicky

Writing foreign names in Japanese

A Japanese calligraphy work in katakana characters, on a small red hanging scroll.

Japanese has a separate writing system for writing foreign words. It’s called katakana and it’s mostly used for foreign loan words such as kōhī (coffee), pan (bread) and gorufu (golf). It’s also used for foreign names. If your name isn’t originally written in kanji (the logographic characters used in Japan, China, and to a lesserContinueContinue reading “Writing foreign names in Japanese”

梅 (umé) plum

A Japanese calligraphy work on 1 kanji character, meaning "plum".

It will soon be blossom season in Japan! By far the most famous of Japanese blossoms are cherry blossoms, but they’re not the first spring flower to bloom. Plum blossom usually start appearing as early as mid-February. Although not as dramatic as the more-famous cherry blossoms, they are well-loved for their subtle beauty. The imageContinueContinue reading “梅 (umé) plum”

如月 (kisaragi) “February” (archaic)

A 2-character Japanese calligraphy work, black ink on a white background.

Like many countries, Japan uses a 12-month calendar. The names are very simple. January is literally “Month One”, February is “Month Two”, etc: 一月 = January 二月 = February 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 toContinueContinue reading “如月 (kisaragi) “February” (archaic)”

鬼 (oni) “Demon”

A Japanese calligraphy work of 1 character, meaning "demon". The character was written in black ink on white paper.

Sometimes translated as “demon”, “devil” or “ogre”, an oni is a traditional Japanese monster typically depicted as wearing a tiger pelt and carrying an iron club. They usually have red or blue skin and horns. They are popular characters in Japanese fairy tales and legends. In early February the annual bean-throwing festival is practiced toContinueContinue reading “鬼 (oni) “Demon””

まこ “Mako”

A framed hiragana calligraphy work next to some flowers.

I was very honoured to receive a commission to create this artwork. “Mako” is the name of the client’s beloved cat, named after the Japanese actor Makoto Iwamatsu. (Image by client). If you’re interested in owning your own custom-made calligraphy artwork, please feel free to email me. Or check out the “purchase a work” pageContinueContinue reading “まこ “Mako””

前進 (zen-shin) “Keep moving forwards!”

A Japanese calligraphy work. Black ink, white card, green frame.

A motivational message for the client to hang in their room, with the option of turning it into a tattoo design. This was my first calligraphy commission 😊

How many writing systems does the Japanese language use?

kanji (left side), hiragana (top right) and katakana (bottom right) When you begin learning Japanese, chances are you’ll find yourself coming up against not only one writing system, but multiple. Each of these writing systems has its own purpose and place within the written Japanese language. In this article I give a very brief overviewContinueContinue reading “How many writing systems does the Japanese language use?”

冬 (fuyu) “winter”

A Japanese calligraphy work of one kanji meaning "winter", black ink on white

睦月 (mu-tsu-ki) “January” (archaic)

a 2-character Japanese calligraphy work, referring to the ancient word for "January"

熊 (kuma) “bear” (kanji of the year 2025)

A Japanese calligraphy work of one kanji character meaning "bear", black ink on white background

At the end of each year, one kanji is chosen to be “kanji of the year”. The winning kanji represents that year’s current events. 2025’s kanji was “bear” (kuma) 熊. 2025 saw a marked increase in the number of wild bear attacks on Japanese citizens, due to environmental changes leading them to abandon their naturalContinueContinue reading “熊 (kuma) “bear” (kanji of the year 2025)”