至誠 is the idea that you enter into something with the utmost sincerity and fidelity. Ideas such as devotion, honesty, and “one's true heart” are also contained in this word.

至誠 is a universal word as the Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and Korean Hanja are all identical.

專心 makes a word that means “paying attention with your heart.”

It's often translated as “dedication,” as in “be absorbed in” or “concentrate one's efforts.” It's also used to mean “with the single mind,” “whole-heartedly,” “paying attention,” “undivided attention,” “concentration (-ed),” “engrossed,” “devotionally (listening/watching),” and/or “attentive.”

The first character means “for a particular person, occasion, or purpose,” “focused on one single thing,” “concentrated,” and sometimes, “special.”

The second character means “heart” or “mind” by itself.

My favorite translation, which comes from the Oxford Advanced Chinese/English Dictionary, is, “wholehearted devotion.”

If it seems like the meaning of this word is quite open, you are correct. The context in which the word is used matters a lot. It can mean different things depending on how you use it. This makes it useful as you can decide what this means to you (within some limits). This is always positive in meaning, so even if a Chinese person reads it differently than you, it will still have a good meaning.

In Japanese, they tend to use a variation of the second character which has one less stroke. If you want your calligraphy written this Japanese form, please click on the Kanji shown to the right instead of the button above. Note: Japanese and Chinese people will recognize either form.

See Also:  Faith

忠誠 is the written form of loyalty that is universal in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Loyalty is staying true to someone. It is standing up for something you believe in without wavering. It is being faithful to your family, country, school, friends, or ideals when the going gets tough and when things are good. With loyalty, you build relationships that last forever.

Notes:

1. There is also a Japanese version that is part of the Bushido Code which may be more desirable depending on whether your intended audience is Japanese or Chinese.

2. This version of loyalty is sometimes translated as devotion, sincerity, fidelity, or allegiance.

See Also:  Honor | Trust Your Heart | Integrity | Sincerity and Faithfulness

While 真心 literally reads as “true heart” or “genuine heart,” the understood meaning is sincerity, devotion, sincere, or heartfelt. Some will extend the meaning to be like “true love.” It's the idea of doing something or treating someone with genuine feelings.

真心 is valid and has the same meaning in both Chinese characters and Japanese Kanji.

Note: While not too common, this can be the female given name “Mami” in Japanese.

信仰 means firm belief, faith, persuasion, conviction, and sometimes religion or creed in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

This clearly fits the religious connotation of the English word “devotion.”

This is often used to refer to a person of faith or a religious person.

This can be directly translated as “firm belief,” “creed,” “conviction,” or simply as “religious,” depending on context.

Some will also use this to mean “trust in God” in Japanese (though the term for God is not actually in this title).

It should be noted that this word is a little strange alone on a wall scroll.

While this can be pronounced in Japanese, it’s not a great selection for a wall scroll if your audience is Japanese.

See Also:  Faith | Trust Your Heart | Trust in God

愛崗敬業 is used to refer to someone who puts forth maximum effort and achieves much.

We might call this kind of person a “go-getter” in English.

See Also:  Dedication | Tenacious / Tenacity

信念 expresses the idea of “having a belief” or “trusting in the unseen.”

信念 could also be translated as beliefs or convictions.

Note: Also considered to be one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

See Also:   Dedication | Trust Your Heart

Depending on the context, 熱情 can mean “cordial,” “enthusiastic,” “passionate,” or “passionately.”

This version is sometimes used in Japanese, but the character order is more common in Chinese and Korean Hanja. The meaning in Japanese for this Kanji order is ardor/ardour or zeal but rarely used in modern Japan. I suggest you choose a different version of “passion” if your audience is Japanese.

See Also:  Persistence | Tenacious / Tenacity | Commitment | Motivation

情熱 is the Japanese word that means enthusiasm or “passion for a cause.”

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

Can also be translated as passion, zeal, ardor/ardour, or fervor.

Note: This word (or character order) is not natural in Chinese. However, a typical Chinese person can guess this is a Japanese or Korean word and understand the intended meaning. This selection is best if your audience is Japanese or old-school Korean.

See Also:  Persistence | Tenacious / Tenacity | Commitment | Motivation

頑強 means “Tenacious,” “Hard to Defeat,” or “Dogged.”

Alone, the first character means mischievous, obstinate, or stubborn. But it loses some of the mischievous meaning when the second character is added.

The second character means strength, force, power, or better.

See Also:  Determination | Dedication | Never Give Up

專用 is the dedication you might have to your job or a person.

Trivia: It is the same word used as an adjective in front of the word for “network” to say “dedicated network” in Chinese.

Please note: While this is a word in Korean, the meaning is private or “exclusive use.” So this is best if your audience is Chinese.

See Also:   Passions / Feelings / Emotions | Tenacious / Tenacity | Commitment

専念 is the Japanese word for dedication.

It means “give undivided attention” or “devote oneself to (something).”

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean, but it's not a commonly used term.

See Also:   Passions / Feelings / Emotions | Tenacious / Tenacity | Commitment

堅韌不拔 is about perseverance, being steadfast and persistent.

堅韌不拔 is a great phrase for you if you commit to your goals and overcome obstacles, no matter how long it takes.

The translation of this proverb literally means “something so persistent or steadfast, that it is not uprootable, movable, or surpassable.”

Other translations include being firm and indomitable or tenacious and unyielding.

See Also:  Tenacious / Tenacity | Persistence | Perseverance / Indomitable / Invincible Fortitude

決心 is a Chinese, Japanese, and Korean word that holds the dictionary definition of determination but literally means determined heart.

The first character means to determine or determined.

The second character means heart, mind, or soul, so you can imagine that this form of determination partially means putting your heart into something. It can also be translated as resolve, resolution, or decision (as in a decision made and followed).

See Also:   Tenacious / Tenacity | Passions / Feelings / Emotions | Dedication | Will-Power / Self