Chinese calligraphy generator
Give us your name, or a Chinese name you already have, and it is written in four classic scripts: running script (行书), cursive (草书), clerical (隶书) and seal script (篆书). The characters are painted by an image model from a reviewed name, then the ink is lifted off the paper and traced to vectors, so every piece is a transparent PNG and an SVG that stays sharp at any size. The first piece is written free so you can see the hand before you buy.
Already have a Chinese name?
Choose how it is written
Pick a collection and we write in it; the first piece is written now, free. The pictures below are samples of 诸葛亮 Zhuge Liang. Yours carry your own characters.
Write in this collection
The first piece is written now in your own characters, free. Unlock the rest when you like it.
Simplified is standard in mainland China; traditional in Hong Kong, Taiwan and most tattoo studios. The seals use seal script, which predates the split.
The four scripts, side by side
Chinese calligraphy has four brush scripts that look nothing alike, and this tool writes your name in all four. They were not invented as styles: each was the ordinary way of writing at some point in the last two thousand years, and each kept a job after the next one arrived. Regular script (楷书, kǎishū), the printed form, is the fifth; it is what you see in books and on signs, so we leave it to the typeface.
| Script | Chinese | Era | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Running | 行书 | from the 3rd century | strokes linked, fluent, still easy to read | a framed name, a signature, a first tattoo |
| Cursive | 草书 | Han, matured in the Tang | characters abbreviated, written in one rush | an art piece for a wall; hard to read even for Chinese readers |
| Clerical | 隶书 | Han dynasty | wide and flat, heavy strokes with a flared tail | posters, plaques, embroidery and engraving |
| Seal | 篆书 | before 200 BC, standardised under Qin | even, rounded lines; many forms differ from modern characters | seals and pieces meant to look ancient |
The pronunciations are xíngshū, cǎoshū, lìshū and zhuànshū. Our guide to the calligraphy scripts covers their history and shows one historical name in each.
One name in four scripts
林 (lín) forest, a common surname that echoes Lynn or Lynch; 清 (qīng) clear, clean; 远 (yuǎn) far, far-reaching. Together: clear-minded and looking far. The surname is in the Hundred Family Surnames, the given name is a pairing a Chinese parent could choose, and the tones (rising, level, dipping) do not repeat, so it is easy to say. The name generator proposes names of this shape from your own.
Running script. The two trees of 林 lean into each other, and the three dots of the water radical on 清 run together into a single hook and flick. Anyone who reads Chinese reads it at once.
Cursive. 清 shrinks to a few loops, and the walking radical of 远 becomes one long sweep that carries the eye off the page. It is the most beautiful of the four and the one most likely to need a caption.
Clerical. Each character sits wide and flat in its own square, and the last stroke of 远 ends in the flared tail called the swallow tail. It is the steadiest of the four at a distance, which is why it suits a poster.
Seal script. 林 is drawn as two small trees with roots, close to the picture it began as, and 远 takes its old full form, closer to the traditional 遠 than to the simplified one. Seal script predates the split between simplified and traditional characters, so a seal-script name looks the same whichever you chose.
What the files are and how people use them
Every piece arrives as a transparent PNG and an SVG vector, traced from the ink so the edges stay sharp at any size. The PNG has no paper behind it, so it sits on any background; the SVG is a set of filled shapes that design, cutting and engraving software can open. The calligraphy pack adds a 9:16 poster and A4 practice sheets.
Framing. Print the PNG or the poster on matte or textured paper and the black reads as ink. A name in running script framed in a narrow column is the most common use, often as a gift with the meaning of each character written underneath.
Embroidery. Embroidery software digitises from a vector, so send the SVG. Clerical and running script stitch well because their strokes are thick; the hairline dry-brush trails in cursive are thinner than a thread and get lost.
Laser engraving. Wood, leather, slate and anodised metal all take the SVG directly. Keep characters at least two centimetres tall so the fine ends of strokes survive the burn. For a stamp-like mark on the same piece, the seal generator sets the name in seal script inside a red square.
How it works
Enter your name and choose a Chinese name, or type the Chinese name you already have.
Pick the Calligraphy collection and an ink colour. The first script is written now, free.
Unlock the other three for the full-resolution files, the poster and the practice sheets.
Questions
Is the calligraphy real brush writing?
It is brush-style calligraphy painted by an image model, not a scan of a calligrapher's hand. The model writes the characters of your chosen name on paper; we then lift the ink off the background and trace it into vectors. It is art made for you, and we say so plainly.
Which Chinese calligraphy script should I choose for my name?
Running script is the safe choice: elegant and easy to read. Clerical is square and stately and reproduces well at any size. Seal script looks ancient and is the least legible. Cursive is the most expressive and the hardest to read, even for Chinese speakers. Many people frame running script and use clerical for engraving.
How do I get my name in Chinese calligraphy?
Type your English name and choose one of three real Chinese names, or type a Chinese name you already have. Pick the Calligraphy collection and an ink colour, and the first script is written straight away, free. You can then unlock the other three scripts.
What is in the calligraphy pack and how much is it?
The calligraphy pack costs $12.90. It contains your name in all four scripts as full-resolution transparent PNG and SVG vector files, a 9:16 poster, and A4 practice sheets. The first piece of calligraphy is free, so you can see the hand before you pay.
Can I use the calligraphy for embroidery, engraving or printing?
Yes, for personal use. The SVG vector is what embroidery digitising, laser engraving and vinyl cutting software expects, and the transparent PNG prints cleanly on any paper. Clerical and running script hold up best when stitched or burned, because their strokes are thick.
Can I get my name in traditional Chinese calligraphy?
Yes. Switch Characters to Traditional before the name is written and the brush scripts use traditional forms, such as 遠 for 远. Seal script is unaffected by the choice, because it predates the split between simplified and traditional characters.
How do I know the Chinese name is right?
Names are proposed by a language model within our naming rules (a real surname, common characters, no awkward homophones) and scored by a second, independent model. The free name checker reads any name back the way a Chinese reader would. A Chinese friend is the final word.
What are the practice sheets for?
The practice sheets are A4 pages of your name for copying by hand, so you can learn to write it with a pen or brush. They come in the calligraphy pack and print on ordinary paper.
Is calligraphy different from a Chinese font?
Yes. A font repeats every stroke identically; brush calligraphy varies the pressure, width and joins of each stroke, and a Chinese reader sees the difference at once. A typed name looks like a sign, while a brush-written one looks like a person wrote it.
Read more
- The 5 types of Chinese calligraphy styles, explained with one nameThe 5 types of Chinese calligraphy are seal, clerical, regular, running and cursive script. When each arose, how it looks, how legible it is, and which to choose for a name, a seal or a tattoo, shown with the same name written in each.