Reason For Being in Japanese Calligraphy

生甲斐 (ikigai)

生甲斐 (ikigai) means "a reason for being," that which makes life worth living. It joins 生 (i), from 生きる (ikiru) "to live," with 甲斐 (kai, here gai) "worth, value." Not a grand purpose necessarily, but the thing that gives one's days their meaning.

Verify: 生甲斐 in the Japanese-English Dictionary

Reason For Being (生甲斐) in Block style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Block Vertical VB3C

Reason For Being (生甲斐) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Cursive Vertical VC4B

Reason For Being (生甲斐) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Design Vertical VD3B

Reason For Being (生甲斐) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Semi-Cursive Vertical VS3C

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Block Horizontal HB2A

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Cursive Horizontal HC2A

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Design Horizontal HD2A

Reason For Being 生甲斐 ikigai Semi-Cursive Horizontal HS2A

About the Designs

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.

Delivery

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