Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later

今笑い後で泣く (ima warai ato de naku)

The Japanese phrase 今笑い後で泣く meaning "Laugh Now, Cry Later" is composed of the words 今 (read ima) meaning "now; the present; just now", 笑い (read Warai) meaning "Laugh; laughter", 後で (read atode) meaning "afterwards; then" and 泣く (read naku) which is the verb meaning "to cry". In Japanese the verb comes at the end of the sentence and so you may have noticed that the word order when directly translated to English is "now laugh, later cry".

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Block Vertical VB5C

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Cursive Vertical VC5B

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Design Vertical VD6B

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Semi-Cursive Vertical VS5C

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Block Horizontal HB4A

Laugh Now, Cry Later (今笑い後で泣く) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Laugh Now, Cry Later 今笑い後で泣く ima warai ato de naku Semi-Cursive Horizontal HS4A

Also available as a hand-brushed Japanese scroll

Master Calligrapher Eri Takase creates each scroll personally, hand-brushed to order on traditional Japanese paper.

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