Gift Guide · By Recipient

For Your Best Friend

Three characters for the person who has been there longer than most relatives have.

The picks

The right gift for a best friend names what the friendship has been about — without getting sentimental about it. These three characters are the Chinese way of saying I see you without the speech.

勇 (Yǒng) — Courage / Strength

For the friend going through something hard. 勇 is not the loud kind of bravery — it is the quiet kind, the kind that gets up and keeps going. The right wish for someone in transition.

See 勇 →

安 (Ān) — Peace

For the friend who has carried too much. 安 means peace and safe rest — a wish, in a single character, that what comes next is calmer.

See 安 →

福 (Fú) — Blessing

For everyday occasions or no occasion at all. 福 is the friend’s all-purpose blessing — health, comfort, family, peace — and the most universally welcome character in the Chinese tradition.

See 福 →

Each character is hand-brushed by Artist Lina Sun on rice paper.

See on Etsy