精一杯生きる seiippai ikiru Live Life

精一杯 seiippai is an adverb, to the limit of one's strength, as much as one can, first cited from a puppet play of 1766; 生きる ikiru is to live, the verb under every phrase in this family. The dictionary form is not an imperative: a Japanese reader hears a resolution, what one does or means to do, not an order, so the line reads without an exclamation mark.

精一杯生きる is ordinary modern Japanese, in print in this form by 1937. Here it is the house's Japanese for the English live life to the full, which the title shortens.

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 精一杯生きる.

Each design is Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase's hand-brushed calligraphy of the word or phrase on this page, delivered as a PDF you can print. Every PDF includes the line art, so a tattoo artist or a craftsperson can work from the outline as well as the brushed image.

Your purchase includes a personal-use license: use the design as a tattoo reference, frame it, engrave it, print it for yourself, or make it into a gift. For more information see Licensing, which also covers commercial-use options that may be purchased separately.

Your PDF is available for download the moment your order completes, and a copy is attached to your emailed receipt.

If you need your design again later, ask us for it and we will send it.