Chinese Calligraphy Generator
Type Chinese characters and see them in real Chinese brush, Kai, running and cursive script fonts. Write horizontally or top-to-bottom, then download a PNG or transparent PNG for cards, couplets, posters and designs.
Classic calligraphy scripts
Pick a script to load it into the preview.
Font preview. Download a PNG to keep this exact look — copied text pastes as ordinary characters.
Customize style Applies to the preview and PNG downloads
Explore 14 Chinese calligraphy & font styles
Every style is a real Chinese font, free on Google Fonts. Each card shows whether it was designed for Simplified or Traditional characters — characters a font doesn't include fall back to a plain system font.
No styles match those filters.
What is a Chinese calligraphy generator?
A Chinese calligraphy generator shows the characters you type in fonts based on brush writing (书法, shūfǎ), so you can see how a word looks in regular, running or cursive script without picking up a brush.
This one uses real Chinese fonts rather than images or symbols. That means it can render any common character you type — names, greetings, poems or New Year couplets — and you can download the result as a high-resolution PNG for printing, social posts or design work.
It shows characters — it doesn't translate
Paste or type text that is already in Chinese. The tool won't turn English into Chinese, and it can't check that a phrase means what you think it means. For tattoos, names and anything permanent, have a native speaker confirm the characters before you use them.
A font isn't the same as a calligrapher's hand
Brush fonts repeat each character the same way every time, while a calligrapher varies every stroke. Use these styles for designs and mock-ups; for authentic artwork, a printed design from this tool makes a good brief for a real calligrapher.
The five Chinese calligraphy scripts
Chinese calligraphy is usually grouped into five script styles. Here's which ones this generator covers.
| Script | Example | What it looks like | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 篆书 Seal script (zhuànshū) | 篆 | Ancient, even-width curving strokes; used on name seals. | Not available — no free seal-script web font covers enough characters. |
| 隶书 Clerical script (lìshū) | 隶 | Wide, flat characters with flared horizontal strokes. | Not available yet. |
| 楷书 Regular script (kǎishū) | 楷 | Clear, separate strokes — the style children learn to write. | Ma Shan Zheng, LXGW WenKai TC |
| 行书 Running script (xíngshū) | 行 | Semi-cursive; strokes flow together but stay readable. | Zhi Mang Xing, Long Cang |
| 草书 Cursive / grass script (cǎoshū) | 草 | Highly abbreviated and expressive; hard to read without training. | Liu Jian Mao Cao |
Common Chinese font problems, explained
Characters show as boxes
An empty box ("tofu") means the font in use has no design for that character. Rare characters and Traditional forms in a Simplified-only font are the usual cause. Switch to a font with the right character set, or download a PNG so the viewer's device doesn't matter.
Simplified vs Traditional
Mainland China and Singapore use Simplified characters; Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau use Traditional. Many brush fonts only include one set, so other characters quietly switch to a plain font. Each card here is labelled 简体 or 繁體 so you can match your text.
Chinese and Japanese look different
Chinese and Japanese share many characters, but some are drawn differently in each language. These are Chinese fonts, so Japanese kanji may not look as a Japanese reader expects — use the Japanese calligraphy generator for Japanese text.
How the Chinese calligraphy generator works
Type or paste Chinese
Enter up to 80 characters, or tap a sample like 福 or 新年快乐.
Choose a script
Compare regular, running and cursive brush fonts, and filter by Simplified or Traditional.
Style it
Switch to vertical writing, choose ink and paper colours, or use the red couplet look.
Download
Save a PNG or transparent PNG, or open the font on Google Fonts to use it yourself.
Where your results work
Chinese characters always paste correctly — but the calligraphy font only comes with them as an image or where you can choose the same font.
| Where you'll use it | Copied characters | Calligraphy look | Best option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instagram, TikTok, WeChat, WhatsApp | Paste fine | Lost — app uses its own font | Post a PNG |
| Word, Google Docs | Paste fine | Only if the font is installed | Get font, or insert a PNG |
| Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma | Paste fine | Install the font first | Get font, or place a transparent PNG |
| Canva | Paste fine | Depends on Canva's Chinese fonts | Upload a transparent PNG |
| New Year couplets, cards, posters, print | — | Kept in the image | PNG (couplet red or rice paper) |
| Tattoo or stencil reference | — | Kept in the image | Transparent PNG — after a native speaker checks the meaning |
More calligraphy tools
Frequently asked questions
Ready to write in Chinese calligraphy?
Type once, compare 14 Chinese fonts and download your favourite.
Open the generator