Honor in Chinese
The Chinese word for honor is 荣誉 (róng yù). Honour in the sense of glory and good name. In traditional characters it is written 榮譽.
róng yù
Honor
What 荣誉 means.
荣 means glory and 誉 means reputation, so 荣誉 is honour that others recognise, such as an award or a title. For personal integrity, Chinese speakers would rather use 义 (righteousness) or 诚 (sincerity).
- 荣
- glory, honour
- 誉
- reputation, praise
Simplified and traditional
荣誉
榮譽
Both are correct and mean the same. Traditional 榮譽 keeps the older, fuller shape that calligraphy grew up with; simplified 荣誉 is what most Chinese readers use today. Our seal and clerical styles write it in the traditional form.
About honor in Chinese
How do you write honor in Chinese?
Honor is 荣誉 in Chinese, pronounced róng yù. Honour 荣 means “glory, honour”, 誉 means “reputation, praise”.
How do you pronounce 荣誉?
Say róng (second tone, rising), yù (fourth tone, falling). Mandarin tones change meaning, so it is worth listening to a native speaker once.
Is 荣誉 different in traditional Chinese?
Yes. The traditional form is 榮譽, used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and classical calligraphy; 荣誉 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore. Both are correct.
Is 荣誉 a good Chinese tattoo?
Yes, it is a real, everyday Chinese word rather than a machine translation, so Chinese readers will understand it. Keep the characters in their order, top to bottom or left to right, and never mirrored. Choose a readable style such as Kaishu, bring a clean reference to your artist, and show it to a fluent reader before your appointment.