The name Kirin Giraffe Mythical Creature in Chinese / Japanese...

麒麟 is the title of a mythical beast of Asia.

The animal is thought to be related to the giraffe, and in some ways, it is a giraffe. However, it is often depicted with the horns of a dragon or deer and sometimes with the body like a horse, but many variations exist.

In Japanese, it is pronounced “Kirin” as in “Kirin Ichiban” beer.


Notes:

1. This is sometimes spelled as “kylin.”

2. In Japanese, this is the only Kanji word for giraffe. Therefore in Japan, this word needs context to know whether you are talking about the mythical creature or the long-necked giraffe of Africa.

3. Apparently, this was the first word used for regular giraffes in China (some were brought from Africa to China during the Ming Dynasty - probably around the year 1400). Though the mythical creature may have existed before, the name “qilin” was given to the “new giraffe.” This is because, more than 600 years ago, giraffes somewhat matched the mythical creature's description when Chinese people saw them for the first time. Later, to avoid such an ambiguous title, a three-character word was devised to mean a “giraffe of Africa.” The characters for “qilin” shown here are only for the mythological version in modern Chinese.

4. More information about the qilin / kirin from Wikipedia.

5. This creature is sometimes translated as the “Chinese Unicorn,” although it is generally portrayed with two horns. I think this is done more for the fantasy aspect of the unicorn and because most westerners don't know what a qilin or kirin is (this avoids a long explanation by the translator).

6. In Korean, this can mean kirin or simply giraffe (usually, the mythological creature is what they would think of when seeing these characters alone on a wall scroll).

長頸鹿 is the Chinese word for Giraffe (the animal).

Not to be confused with the mythical “kirin” or “qilin” beast.

海為龍世界雲是鶴家鄉 is a somewhat poetic way to say that everyone and everything has its place in the world.

The first line (which is the column on the right) says, “The Ocean is the World of the Dragon.” The next column says, “The Clouds are the Domain of the Cranes.”

The image to the right is what this calligraphy can look like in xing-kaishu style by a Master Calligrapher.

獨角獸 is the Chinese name for the western unicorn (a horse with a spiral horn emerging from the head).

獨角獸 is an unusual title for a Chinese wall scroll, but it's OK if you really love unicorns.

Chinese have their own ancient unicorn-like creature called a “qilin” (or kirin in Japanese).

一角獣 is the Japanese name for the western unicorn (a horse with a spiral horn emerging from the head). This can also refer to a narwhal, depending on context.

一角獣 is an unusual title for a Japanese wall scroll but it's OK if you really love unicorns.

Japanese have their own ancient unicorn-like creature called a “kirin” (or qilin in the original Chinese).

香格里拉 is the Chinese title for Shangri-La.

This is the mythical location (perhaps currently known as Dêqên or Diqing in the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of modern China).

飛龍馬 is the title for a “flying dragon-horse.”

This can refer to a mythical beast or, more realistically, a very fast horse at the track.

鶴 is a famous bird of China.

Known in China to be a very spiritual creature, the crane is a symbol of both longevity and the journey of the souls and spirits of ancestors.

Note: 鶴 can mean crane or stork in Japanese.

怪獣 is a Japanese word for monster or “strange creature.”

This usually refers to a genre of tokusatsu films. These films feature monsters that often attack Tokyo or fight with other monsters. The most internationally famous of these is the Godzilla franchise of movies.

仏島 is the place name Hotokeshima (Buddha Island) which is located in Chiba, Japan.

This can also be the personal name Hotokejima.

If you wanted a more religious version, the first character should probably be 佛, making it 佛島 for a more literal or mythical island of Buddhas.

This is a common transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Griffin.

This sounds like the English name Griffin but using Chinese sounds to approximate the pronunciation.
This does not have the meaning of the mythical Griffin beast.

A 鲲 (Kun) is a famous sea monster, often associated or used interchangeably with a 鵬 (Peng).

鯤 is comparable to Leviathan or Jonah's whale.

In Chinese mythology, the Kun is a giant fish said to be able to turn into a bird.

鯤 and the mythological creature is also known in Japanese and Korean. However, in some contexts, this character can refer to fry (fish babies).

グリフィン is the name Griffin in Japanese.

This is used mostly as the name Griffin but can also refer to the mythical beast. It sounds like “Griffin” but does not hold the meaning of the beast known as a Griffin. This is strictly a transliteration of the way Griffin sounds in English but using Japanese sounds to pronounce it.

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

竜 is an alternate form of the dragon.

Still pronounced the same in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

This particular Kanji is often associated as an imperial symbol as well as representing the mythical Asian dragon. You may have seen it on the chest or flag of the emperor in old Japanese and Chinese movies.

Note: I would rate this as a non-universal alternate form. The other dragon character is by far more common, and universally understood.

We strongly recommend if you are looking for the symbol of dragon.

See Also:  Phoenix | Emperor | King

鼇 means “legendary turtle” in Chinese. 鼇 is a great mythological turtle that travels the seas. The creature is comparable to the dragon of China, however, it so happens that dragons became a bit more famous as history progressed. In modern Chinese, this character can just refer to a large sea turtle.

Note: 鼇 can be pronounced in Korean but this is a very rare Korean Hanja form - it hasn't been used in Korea for at least a few hundred years (even before they switched to Hangul characters).

鷹頭獅 is the Chinese title for a Griffin.

This refers to the legendary creature with the head, talons, and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Sometimes also spelled Gryphon or Griffon. From the Greek γρύφων or γρύπων, or Latin Gryphus.

This Chinese title, 鷹頭獅, literally means “Eagle Head Lion.”

五祖拳 is a martial arts concept (or school) known as Five Ancestors' Fist.

The first character means five.
The second means ancestor, forefather, or grandparents.
The third means fist.

The ancestors referred to by this title and whose attributes contribute to this style are as follows:
1. Grace of the White Crane.
2. Agility of the Monkey.
3. Precision and skill of Emperor Taizu (great mythical ancestor).
4. Power of Luohan (Buddhist arhat).
5. Breath of Damo (founder of Buddhism, or the first Buddha).

金剛 can translate as adamantine from Chinese, Japanese, and old Korean.

Other meanings and translations can include diamond, thunderbolt, Indra's indestructible weapon, a Buddhist symbol of the indestructible truth, Vajra (a mythical weapon), guardian deity, hardness, indestructibility, power, the least frangible of minerals.

The Chinese pronunciation of “Jīn Gāng” became the loanword used in English as “King Kong.” You can see King Kong as the indestructible ape guardian deity depending on how you read the story.

天狗 is the Japanese title for Tengu, which roughly translates as “heavenly dog.”

Tengu is a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and is also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural being).

The origin is Chinese, though this term is seldom used in Chinese anymore. It was a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou)

Although the title contains the word “dog,” the tengu are often depicted with human and bird-like characteristics. Sometimes they have large noses or beaks like birds.

牛 is the character for bull, cow, ox, or bovine creature in Chinese, old Korean, and Japanese.

If you were born in the year of the ox/bull/cow, you . . .

Are dedicated to your work.
Are discrete, careful and conscientious.
Value work and family.

Note that in this Chinese character, there is no distinction between bull and cow. All bovine creatures fit into the definition of this character. To distinguish between male and female, another sex-designating character is added in front of this character. Therefore, in China, the energy drink “Red Bull” (Hong Niu) is often translated in the minds of Chinese people as “Red Cow” or even “Red Ox.”

See also our Chinese Zodiac page.

龍 is the character for dragon in Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji.

The dragon is a creature of myth and legend that dominates Chinese, Japanese, and even European folklore. In China, the dragon is the symbol of the Emperor, strength, and power, and the Chinese dragon is known as the god of water.

From the Chinese Zodiac, if you were born in the year of the Dragon, you . . .

Have a strong body and spirit.

Are full of energy.

Have vast goals.

Have a deep level of self-awareness.

Will do whatever you can to “save face.”

See also our Chinese Zodiac or Dragon Calligraphy pages.

鵬程萬里 is an ancient Chinese proverb used in modern times to wish someone a long and successful career.

It's really about the 10,000 Flight of the Peng (Peng, also known as Roc is a mythical fish that can turn into a bird and take flight).

莊子
Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu

Breaking down each character:
1. Peng or Roc (a kind of bird).
2. Journey (in this case, a flight).
3. 10,000 (Ten Thousand).
4. Li is a unit of distance often referred to as a “Chinese Mile,” though the real distance is about half a kilometer.

Direct Translation: “Peng's Journey [of] 10,000 Li.”
Literal meaning: “The 10,000-Li Flying Range Of The Roc.”
Perceived meaning: “To have a bright future” or “To go far.”

This proverb/idiom comes from the book of Zhuangzi or Chuang Tzu. It tells the tale of a huge fish that could turn into a gigantic bird. This bird was called a “peng” and was many miles long. This legendary size allowed the Peng to fly from the Northern Sea to the Southern Sea in a single bound.

Wishing someone “a Peng's Journey of 10,000 Li” will imply that they can travel far without stopping and will have great success, a long career, and a prosperous future.

危機 means crisis in Chinese and Japanese.

Separately, the first character here does mean “danger” or “to endanger,” and the second character can mean “opportunity.”

However, I want to debunk a myth that was propagated by some westerners who did not have a clear understanding of Asian languages...

While often, Chinese/Japanese/Korean compound words (words of two or more characters) are the sum of their parts, this is not always the case. The compound is often understood with a completely different meaning than the two characters individually.

Many have said that the Chinese/Japanese/Korean word for Crisis is made up of the characters for “danger” and “opportunity.” 危機 is true when phrased this way.
However, it's not absolutely correct to say that “danger + opportunity = crisis” in Asian cultures.

English example:
If I tell you that...
Bovine creature + Guy behind the plate in baseball = Locomotive train protection
...you would think I was mad. But consider that “cow + catcher = cowcatcher,” which is the device that used to be found on steam engines to protect them if they hit an animal on the tracks. When we hear the word “cowcatcher,” we don't separate the words into their individual meanings (necessarily).
The same is true with the word for crisis in Chinese/Japanese/Korean. While you can separate the characters, few Asian people would automatically do so in their minds.

The final answer:
It is a half-truth to say, “danger plus opportunity equals crisis” in Chinese/Japanese/Korean. Use this statement and concept with caution.

Also, the second character can mean “secret” or “machine,” depending on context so I guess you have to say “a dangerous machine = crisis” or “danger + a secret = crisis.” Both of these are only slightly more ridiculous than the first premise.

PS: 危機 is probably not a great word for a scroll unless you have a special use for it.