Buy a Custom Welcome Chinese or Japanese Calligraphy Wall Scroll

歡迎光臨 would be the ultimate Chinese “welcome mat.” Except it will be on your wall, and people will not step on it.

In a somewhat literal translation, you could say it means “I feel happy as I welcome you, as you have brought a shining light to this place with your arrival,” or more simply, “I am happy you've come as your presents brightens up the place.”

It has become common for this greeting to be announced by the staff upon the arrival of any customer into a fancy store in China. You will also see these characters on the “welcome mats” in front of 4 and 5-star hotels in China.

Having this on a wall scroll is an extra nice touch. I have seen a few horizontal scrolls with this phrase on the wall behind the reception desk of better hotels or near the front door of fine shops. At the fanciest department stores and restaurants in China, several greeters (almost always young women) will stand by the front door, all wearing sashes with this phrase embroidered. As you walk in, they will bow and say “huan ying guang lin” to welcome you to the establishment.

Note: The first two and last two characters do make words in Korean Hanja but are seldom used as a sentence like this in Korean.

お帰りなさい is a common Japanese way to say, “welcome home.”

This is said by a person greeting another as they return home. It's a typical phrase that is almost said by reflex as part of Japanese courtesy or etiquette.

Sometimes written as 御帰りなさい (just the first character is Kanji instead of Hiragana).

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

いらっしゃいませ is the Japanese greeting that you'll hear just about every time you enter a sushi bar, restaurant, or shop in Japan.

This calligraphy would be appropriate to hang by the entry door of your business or shop.

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Hiragana, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

道場へようこそ or “Dōjō e yōkoso” means “Welcome to the dojo” or “welcome to [our] dojo” in Japanese.

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

熱愛 means love passionately, ardent love, devotion, adoration.

The literal meaning is “hot love,” as the first character means heat, fervent, hot, and warm. Sometimes it can mean fever, restlessness, or zeal. The second character is, of course, love. If you adore and are devoted to someone with all your love, this is the title for you.

熱誠 is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

It can mean earnestness, enthusiasm, ardor, zeal, devotion, spirit, or fervor.

熱情 is a Chinese and Korean word for enthusiasm that can also be translated as passion (for a cause), ardency, ardor/ardour, enthusiasm, or zeal.

Enthusiasm is being warm, cheerful, happy, and full of spirit. It is doing something wholeheartedly and eagerly. When you are enthusiastic, you have a positive attitude.

In some contexts, this could mean being extremely fond of something or having a fondness for a cause or person.

This Chinese word can also be translated as "sincere and warm" or literally "warm sentiment / affection."

See Also:  Motivation | Passion | Commitment | Tenacity

熱心 literally means “warm-hearted” (can also mean warm-spirited or warm-souled).

This is one of a few ways to say Enthusiasm in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

熱心 is also used to express the ideas of earnestness or eagerness.

Can mean “zeal” in Japanese.

饱带干粮暖带衣 is a proverb that translates as:
Carry [extra] food when [you are] full and [extra] clothes when [you are] warm.

Figuratively, this means:
Always be prepared for a rainy day.

This Chinese phrase suggests that a good host will make guests feel like they are returning home or are as comfortable as they would be at their own homes.

賓至如歸 is also the Chinese equivalent of “a home away from home,” and is used by Chinese hotels, guest houses, and inns to suggest the level of their hospitality that will make you feel at home during your stay.

熱 means hot in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This can also be translated as: to warm up; to heat up; hot weather; fervent; fever; (high) temperature.

In some contexts, it can mean zeal, passion, enthusiasm, craze, or rage.

親切 is a Chinese/Japanese/Korean word that can also mean affectionate, cordial, warm, or close (emotionally).

Kindness shows you care and are doing some good to make life better for others. Be thoughtful about people's needs. Show love and compassion to someone who is sad or needs your help. When you are tempted to be cruel, to criticize or tease, decide to be kind instead.

See Also:  Love | Caring | Benevolence

師父 means master in Chinese (occasionally used in Korean Hanja and Japanese). In the context of Martial Arts, this is the master and teacher who instructs students.

The second character by itself means father. Thus, you get the “Fatherly Master” translation. There's an old Chinese saying that goes something like, “One who is your teacher for one day is your father for life.”

Language notes: I've often seen this romanized as “sifu,” this is actually the Cantonese romanization. In Mandarin Chinese, it's “Shifu.” The pronunciation in Mandarin is actually like “sure foo” (using typical English pronunciation). There's an “R-sound” in there, which is not obvious from the romanization. Many martial arts studios incorrectly pronounce this like “she foo” (which is actually the Japanese pronunciation). In Cantonese, it sounds like “Sea foo” (almost like “seafood,” minus the “d” at the end).

師父 is kind of a weird selection for a calligraphy wall scroll; this entry is more for educational purposes. But you are welcome to buy it if it suits your circumstances.

身心靈 is probably the best way to express the idea of “Body, Mind, and Spirit” in Chinese and old Korean Hanja. We are actually using the word “heart” here because, for thousands of years, the heart was thought to be the place where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions came from. We do something similar in the west when we say “warm-hearted” or “I love you with all of my heart.” In this context, heart = mind in Asian language and culture.

The very literal translation of these three characters is “body, heart & spirit,” which could also be interpreted as “body, mind & soul.”

We have arranged these characters in this order because it simply “feels” like the proper order in the Chinese language. Word lists like this are not so common for calligraphy artwork, so we must be careful to put them in the most natural order. It should be noted that this is not a common title in Asia, nor is it considered an actual phrase (as it lacks a clear subject, verb, and object).

In Japanese Kanji, they use an alternate form of the character for soul or spirit. If you want this using the Japanese alternate, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above.

Japanese disclaimer: This is not a natural phrase/list in Japanese. While not totally-natural in Chinese, this word list is best if your audience is Chinese.

誰言寸草心報得三春暉 is the last line of a famous poem. It is perceived as a tribute or ode to your parents or mother from a child or children that have left home.

The poem was written by Meng Jiao during the Tang Dynasty (about 1200 years ago). The Chinese title is “You Zi Yin” which means “The Traveler's Recite.”

The last line as shown here speaks of the generous and warm spring sunlight which gives the grass far beyond what the little grass can could ever give back (except perhaps by showing its lovely green leaves and flourishing). The metaphor is that the sun is your mother or parents, and you are the grass. Your parents raise you and give you all the love and care you need to prepare you for the world. A debt that you can never repay, nor is repayment expected.

The first part of the poem (not written in the characters to the left) suggests that the thread in a loving mother's hands is the shirt of her traveling offspring. Vigorously sewing while wishing them to come back sooner than they left.
...This part is really hard to translate into English that makes any sense but maybe you get the idea. We are talking about a poem that is so old that many Chinese people would have trouble reading it (as if it was the King James Version of Chinese).

This is the Japanese surname Settai.

This also is a word that means to receive (a visitor), to admit (allow somebody to enter), reception, welcome, to receive and treat, to entertain, or wait upon.

豬 is the character for boar, pig, or swine in Chinese and old Korean.

If you were born in the year of the boar/year of the pig, you...

Are optimistic.
Have good luck with wealth and money.
Are honest, generous, and warm-hearted.

The character shown to the right is the Japanese Kanji for "wild boar."
it’s an alternate/simplified form of pig/boar in Chinese (can be read by both Chinese and Japanese people). Click on that character instead of the button above if you want this version.

See also our Chinese Zodiac page.