Buy a Custom Money Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

錢 is the simplest way to say “money” in Chinese.

It can also mean cash, coins, or currency. It's also a surname, Qian, in China.

This also means coins in old Korean Hanja and Japanese Kanji (though they use a slightly alternate form in Japan, as seen to the right). In both Japan and Korea, this can simply mean “one cent.”

On the left side of this character is a radical, which means “gold” (or metal, depending on context).

On the right are two repeated radicals which currently mean “small” or “narrow” but used to kind of mean “tools” or “weapons.”

It's a bit of a stretch, but you could suggest that money = “gold weapons” or “gold tools” in Chinese. Many Chinese people would argue otherwise depending on what they know of or the way they understand the etymology of the right side radical. I've seen some who say it means “industrialized gold,” but I take that to mean “raw gold turned into coins.”

金錢/金銭 means money, cash, currency, or wealth in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Literally, it means “gold coins” but has come to be used to mean money in general, as well as the idea of wealth.

The second character of this word is written in a variant form in Japan. The more common version in Japan is shown to the right. Click on the Kanji to the right instead of the button above if you want this Japanese variant in your calligraphy.

時は金なり is the Japanese phrase meaning “Time is Money.”

It matches the use and meaning of the same idiom as used in English.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

貴重品 means precious or treasured as an adjective or as a noun, valuables or treasures in Japanese.

貴重品 exists in the Korean dictionary but is rarely if ever, used in Korea.

In Chinese, 珍寶 means treasure, something you value highly, or something very precious to you.

In Japanese, 珍寶 has a meaning like “rare treasure.”

珍 can mean a precious thing or treasure. 寶 can mean a jewel or gem, a treasure, or simply precious. Together these two characters reinforce each other into a word that clearly means treasure.

寶 means precious thing or treasure.

This can also mean precious, a gem, a pearl, or anything valuable.

The version of this character shown to the left is the traditional Chinese and ancient/traditional Japanese version. In modern Japan and China, this character has been simplified. This simplified version is shown to the right. If you want this modern Japanese/simplified version, just click the Kanji on the right, instead of the button above. If your audience is Chinese or Korean, I recommend the ancient/traditional form. Only consider the simplified form if your audience is younger Japanese people.

財寶 is the Japanese word meaning “treasure” or “money and valuables.”

The first character means “property,” “money,” “wealth,” or “assets.” The second character means “treasure,” “wealth,” or “valuables” in Japanese. Together these two characters reinforce each other into a word that clearly means treasure in Japanese.

財寶 is also a word meaning “money and valuables” in Chinese but more of a daily use word - not as appropriate for a wall scroll if your audience is Chinese.

The second character shown to the left is the ancient/traditional Japanese version. In modern Japan, this character has been simplified. This simplified version is shown to the right. If you want this modern Japanese/simplified version, just click the Kanji on the right, instead of the button above.

護惜 is a Zen Buddhist word that means to protect, guard, treasure, and/or cherish.

This proverb can be translated as “Cherish Time as if it was Gold” or “Time is as Valuable as Gold.”

This basically suggests that time is gold, and you should value the time you have (and use it well).

春宵一刻 is a Japanese proverb that means “A moment of time in a spring evening (is worth a thousand pieces of gold).”

金魚 is the title for goldfish in Chinese and Japanese.

There was a time in ancient China when only the Emperor could possess the actual yellow-gold colored fish. This is why alternate coloration such as orange, black, red, and white was bred. Many believe this is why colors other than yellow-gold are more common for “goldfish” in pet shops today.

白酒紅人面黃金黑世心 literally says: [Just as] white liquor makes people's faces turn red, [So] yellow gold makes people's hearts turn black.

This is a warning about the nature of greed. The suggestion is that one who lusts for gold and riches will eventually have a black heart (or become a heartless greedy bastard). As a wall scroll, this is a reminder and warning to keep yourself from following the greedy path.

金 is the symbol for metal (often means gold or money) in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.

In an interesting twist, in Japanese, this Kanji can also mean “Friday.” I guess Friday is “the golden day” in Japan.

Gold / Metal is one of the five elements that ancient Chinese believed all things were composed of. These elements are also part of the cycle of Chinese astrology. Every person has both an animal sign, and one of the five elements according to the date of their birth. See also Five Elements and Chinese 12 Animals / Zodiac.

一刻千金 is a Chinese and Japanese proverb that can be translated as “time is gold,” “every minute counts,” “every moment is precious,” “time is money,” or “precious time.”

金星 literally means gold star. Most of the time, in the context of the sky, this refers to the planet Venus.

Away from the sky, this can refer to a dazzling victory (e.g. win of a rank-and-file wrestler over the grand champion) or be the Japanese surname Kinboshi.

In the Buddhist context, this is Śukra, from Sanskrit for the planet Venus.

武士の一言金鉄の如し is an old Japanese proverb about the value of the word of a warrior.

Here are a couple of versions of how this can be translated:

A warrior's single word is as unchanging and reliable as gold and steel.
A warrior's promise is as dependable as gold, and his [scabbard contains] untarnished steel (a sword).

Note: Sometimes this phrase is written as 男子の一言、金鉄の如し (danshi no ichigon kintetsu no gotoshi)

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Hiragana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

珍愛 means to cherish, to treasure, or to love dearly in Chinese.

秘蔵 means to cherish, treasure, or prize in Japanese.

金似金挨玉似玉 is a Chinese proverb that literally translates as: [One who is] close to gold [is] like gold [and one who is] close to jade [is] like jade.

Figuratively, this means:
A good environment produces good people.
People are influenced by the company they keep.

Basically, if you hang out with good people, you are likely to become or stay good yourself. The opposite also is true. 挨This is like the moral version of “You are what you eat.”

Note: In Japanese, they have a similar phrase, 類は友を呼ぶ (rui wa tomo o yobu) Birds of a feather flock together. However, this is not a good meaning, so we’re not offering it for wall scrolls.

金木水火土 is a list of the Chinese characters for the five elements in a comfortable order (meaning that they “feel right” to a Chinese person who views this arrangement).

The order is metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Note that sometimes the metal element is translated as gold. And earth refers to soil versus the whole planet earth.

This Japanese word means precious, valuable, priceless, noble, exalted, or sacred.

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

財富 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.

円 is Yen, the Japanese currency.

円 is the Japanese variant of the original Chinese 圓 or 圆. It means circle, entirety, whole, full, or complete. It was the slang usage that became money, dough, or moola.

Occasionally, this is used as a given name or for other interesting uses. This version of the character is seldom used in Chinese unless referring to Japanese money.

Unless you have a specific reason to request it, this is a strange selection for a wall scroll.

人為財死鳥為食亡 is a Chinese proverb that literally states that human beings will die for riches, just as birds will for food.

Figuratively it means that man will do anything in his means to become rich. Personally, I think dying for food is a more noble cause.

Often translated as “Men die in pursuit of wealth, birds die in pursuit of food. The 人 in this proverb just means human, so “men” is a placeholder for human with that translation - an English language problem that we have no easy gender-neutral nouns.

This proverb is meant to serve as a warning about the follies of greed.