Writing in the World of Avatar

Writing and literature form an integral part in societies all across the World of Avatar. All four nations use a common system of characters borrowed from the Chinese system for daily purposes. The four nations primarily use writing for communication and literary purposes, but there are some who practice calligraphy, such as Piandao.

Writing materials


Writing in the Avatar World is achieved through several means. This is primarily through the use of brush, ink and paper; however, there are also engravings. The actual written language is Chinese, with thousands of characters made up of different kinds of strokes, and is usually written top down, right to left, though this is not always the case.

Brush
The brush is the traditional writing implement in the World of Avatar. The body of the brush can be made from bamboo, wood, or other rare materials. On the other hand, the head of the brush can be made from the hair of a wide variety of animals.

Paper
Paper is used for scrolls, books, letters, and memos. Paperweights are typically used to smooth out the paper for writing; these are, basically, just two plain rectangular blocks of wood.

Characters
Traditional Chinese characters are used for all writing in the Avatar World. There are tens of thousands of characters, but only a few thousand are required for day-to-day communication. There are several types of characters used in order to complete a sentence and thus be able to make text readable.


 * Pictograms - These characters are derived from stylized, simplified drawings of an object. This type of character is used to represent that object. Examples include 日 (rì) for "sun", 月 (yuè) for "moon".
 * Ideograms - Although not a direct derivative of pictures like pictograms, ideograms are related to them in that they are a stylized abstract representation of an idea. Direct examples include 上 shàng "up" and 下 xià "down". Notice that the character for up literally points up and the other literally points down.
 * Ideogrammic compounds - These are created through combining elements of pictograms and ideograms to form another abstract representation of an idea or object. An example is that doubling the pictogram 木 mu "tree" produces 林 lin "forest". There are literally more trees. The existence of this category as an independent category is disputed in the real world.
 * Phono-semantic compounds - The name is complex, but most characters fall under this category. It is impossible to be able to draw absolutely everything into a character, hence the existence and size of this category. These characters are usually made of two parts. One part is a small pictograph that gives a representation of the idea of the character, and the other, larger part is another character that gives an idea to the pronunciation of the character. For example, one of the characters for river is 河 (hé). The three strokes to the left are a stylization of water, and the right part is the character 可 (ke).
 * There are a few more categories, but the above are enough to summarize the types of existing characters.

Calligraphy


Calligraphy is a form of art where one writes, or rather, draws or paints characters in a particularly artistic way to emphasize its beauty and shape. The paper, ink, brush, and inkstone are essential implements in calligraphy. A paperweight is also used to keep the paper straight and flat on the table, negating the need for one's hand to touch the clean paper. Only the highest quality types are used. It is unknown how widely calligraphy is practiced, but Piandao taught Sokka its basics.

Chinese character translations

 * For an in-depth list of translations for proper names and words used in the series, click here.

In Mandarin, each character is one syllable. For example, Yue's name is pronounced Yuè, rather than "you-eh." The list here is of Traditional Chinese characters.

Opening sequence
At the top and bottom of the Avatar map are two separate rows of four Chinese characters in classical form. They form a couplet that can be translated as:

"- Powers are divided into Four - The World [all under heaven] is guided by one"

The four inscriptions on the corners are referred to each element (nation), and can be translated to:

"- Water is Benevolent - Earth is Strong - Fire is Fierce - Air is Peaceful"

Above the Avatar title slide, the characters can be translated to:

"- the divine medium who has descended upon the world (e.g. the Avatar)."

"The Warriors of Kyoshi"

 * The fan the statue of Kyoshi holds to her dress is inscribed with the character (kyō in Japanese), which means "capital". This character also appears on the sleeves of the Kyoshi Warriors' uniform. The fan in Kyoshi's outstretched hand carries the character, pronounced "shi", meaning "warrior". These two characters together make up Kyoshi's name.

"Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World"

 * The circles on the floor of Roku's Sanctuary contain the characters for various celestial events:, the Spring Equinox; , the summer solstice; , the Autumn Equinox; and , the winter solstice. These are all part of the traditional east Asian calendar.

"The Waterbending Scroll"

 * The left side of the scroll says, which can be translated as "Waterbending drill first form". The right side says , which translate as "water single whip". Since the term "waterbending" is not a real word in Chinese, the phrase that the creators of the series use literally translates as "cut off water divine ability".

"The Blue Spirit"



 * Aang's wanted poster reads as follows:
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.
 * Wanted — The Avatar. This fugitive knows airbending, can create whirlwinds, and flee like the wind. Hunters, be extremely cautious! By decree of the Fire Lord.

"The Fortuneteller"

 * The calligraphy on the screen in Aunt Wu's parlor is written in Cao Shu (grass script style), a freehand form which is notoriously difficult to read.
 * The sign against which Sokka kicks a rock has the character 福 (f ú) on it, which ironically meaning "good fortune and happiness".

"Bato of the Water Tribe"

 * The map to the rendezvous point is covered with characters indicating locations and notes, but most are not legible. On the top left corner are the characters, which roughly translates as "The Blessing and Protection of the Sea and Moon". The smaller characters in the center of the bay are and , meaning "senior official" and "warrior". In the bottom left corner, a mountain is marked with , meaning "east mountain".

"The Deserter"



 * Fire Festival Poster
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!
 * Celebrate the Fire Day Festival. Featuring traditional Fire Nation food, Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, magicians, firebending masters, puppet shows, and plenty of fire to make you feel like you are back home in the Fire Nation!




 * Jeong Jeong's wanted poster
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Jeong Jeong. Was a Fire Nation Admiral. He is sixty years old and white-haired. Appears weak; is actually a master in fire bending. Hunters be cautious.




 * Chey's wanted poster
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.
 * Wanted — Chey. Was a captain in the Fire Nation Army, is a coward, a deserter and a traitor. He is 30 years old and skilled with explosives. Mentally unstable. Hunters be cautious.




 * Blue Spirit wanted poster
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.
 * Wanted: The Blue Spirit. Stole the Avatar. He wears a blue Earth Kingdom opera mask. His true identity is unknown, but disregard the rumors that he is a ghost. If you discover his whereabouts, spare no effort in apprehending him.


 * The Fire Lord's Seal found on all the wanted posters reads, meaning "Fire Lord Ozai's Official Seal".

"The Siege of the North, Part 2"

 * The scroll which Zhao finds in the library reads, in ancient Chinese calligraphy, and, meaning "Moon Spirit and Ocean Spirit" and "Northern Water Tribe".

"The Avatar State"



 * Iroh and Zuko's wanted poster reads as follows:
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.
 * The Fire Lord orders the arrest of Iroh and Zuko, the two rebellious traitors. General Iroh was once the Dragon of the West. Prince Zuko was Crown Prince to the Fire Lord. Both traitors violated imperial orders. They refused to exterminate the Water Tribe barbarians as well as capture the Avatar. Permission is granted to kill them on sight.


 * The writing on Zuko's knife reads, which means "Never give up without a fight."

"The Cave of Two Lovers"



 * The sign over the entrance to the cave reads, in ancient Chinese script,, meaning "Cave of the Lovers".
 * The sign over the door in Song's clinic is, meaning "doctor" or "medicine".
 * The first panel of the Lover's story reads, in ancient Chinese script,, which means approximately "The man and woman (Oma and Shu) were separated by two areas; they will meet at this peak."
 * The character that appears when Katara reads about the war between the Lover's villages is, meaning "war".
 * The final panel of the Lover's story reads, in ancient Chinese script,, which means approximately "Omashu City, to forever remember their love."
 * The writing on the relief of the two lovers seems to read, which means something along the lines of "Love is brightest in the dark".

"Return to Omashu"

 * The governor's ransom letter reads as follows:
 * Cowardly kidnapper, I agree to exchange your lowly King Bumi for my son Tom Tom's safety. The exchange will take place precisely at noon tomorrow at the base of the city's summit rock statue.
 * Cowardly kidnapper, I agree to exchange your lowly King Bumi for my son Tom Tom's safety. The exchange will take place precisely at noon tomorrow at the base of the city's summit rock statue.
 * Cowardly kidnapper, I agree to exchange your lowly King Bumi for my son Tom Tom's safety. The exchange will take place precisely at noon tomorrow at the base of the city's summit rock statue.
 * Cowardly kidnapper, I agree to exchange your lowly King Bumi for my son Tom Tom's safety. The exchange will take place precisely at noon tomorrow at the base of the city's summit rock statue.

"The Swamp"

 * The sign on the cart which passes Iroh and Zuko reads, meaning "Happy Traveler's Opera Troupe".

"Avatar Day"

 * A lantern during the parade scene has the character painted on it, meaning "alcohol" and indicating a tavern.
 * The ancient Chinese scripts carved on the lower part of the statue reads, meaning "Emperor Chin". He is named after Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, from whose name the English name for China is derived.
 * The writing on the "Birth of Kyoshi" painting reads, which translates as "On this day, Avatar Kyoshi split and created Kyoshi Island, in the hope that our citizens' culture will forever be isolated from the tyranny of the world."

"The Blind Bandit"

 * The advertisement for Master Yu's Earthbending Academy reads as follows:
 * Master Yu's Earthbending Academy is the best school in the entire country. Guaranteed everything taught will be learned. Special promotion - first lesson is free. You only need to purchase a high-quality uniform.
 * Master Yu's Earthbending Academy is the best school in the entire country. Guaranteed everything taught will be learned. Special promotion - first lesson is free. You only need to purchase a high-quality uniform.
 * Master Yu's Earthbending Academy is the best school in the entire country. Guaranteed everything taught will be learned. Special promotion - first lesson is free. You only need to purchase a high-quality uniform.
 * Master Yu's Earthbending Academy is the best school in the entire country. Guaranteed everything taught will be learned. Special promotion - first lesson is free. You only need to purchase a high-quality uniform.


 * The sign over the entrance to Master Yu's school reads, meaning "Master Yu's Famous Earthbending Academy".
 * Toph's ransom note reads as follows:
 * If you wish to see your daughter alive, (bring) five hundred gold bars to the arena. (Signed) The Boulder & Xin Fu.
 * If you wish to see your daughter alive, (bring) five hundred gold bars to the arena. (Signed) The Boulder & Xin Fu.
 * If you wish to see your daughter alive, (bring) five hundred gold bars to the arena. (Signed) The Boulder & Xin Fu.
 * If you wish to see your daughter alive, (bring) five hundred gold bars to the arena. (Signed) The Boulder & Xin Fu.

"The Library"

 * The writing on Professor Zei's map reads, meaning "Wan Shi Tong's Mysterious Library".
 * The book Sokka pulls off the shelf while Aang is looking at the lion turtle painting has on its cover the characters, meaning "child" or "master" and "white", respectively; however, these are likely just random characters chosen for looks.
 * The parchment documenting the Fire Nation's Darkest Day reads, which means "The 9th day of the 7th month of the Cultivate Rule Dragon Year was the darkest day in Fire Nation history".
 * The Chinese characters around the calendar wheel form the era names used for dating events in the Avatar World.
 * 1. - Superior military
 * 2. - Honest and exalted
 * 3. - Foundation and origin
 * 4. - Bright abundance
 * 5. - Great prosperity
 * 6. - Overflowing culture
 * 7. - Cultivate rule
 * 8. - Shining virtue
 * 9. - Virtuous harmony
 * 10. - Immersed in brightness
 * 11. - Peace of Emperor Yao
 * 12. - Burning honor
 * 13. - Peaceful atmosphere
 * 14. - As smoothly as the Zhang River
 * 15. - City of righteousness
 * 16. - Burning light
 * The first character in these two-character words has a radical (one of the 214 ideographic elements in Chinese writing used in combination with phonetics to form thousands of different characters) that represents one of the four elements, and rotates in the order of air - water - earth - fire.
 * 气 - the "air" radical, used in characters related to gas
 * 氵 - the "three drops of water" radical, used in characters related to liquid
 * 土 - the "earth" radical, used in characters related to dirt, earth, mineral, etc.
 * 火 - the "fire" radical, used in characters related to fire, heat, etc.
 * Note: These definitions are very loosely based on the characters, as many of the combination are difficult to understand. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.
 * Note: These definitions are very loosely based on the characters, as many of the combination are difficult to understand. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.
 * Note: These definitions are very loosely based on the characters, as many of the combination are difficult to understand. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.


 * The date of the Day of Black Sun is set on the dial as "The 1st day of the 8th month of the Superior Military Monkey Year" . This could translate to August 1 in the Gregorian Calendar. However, if the World of Avatar uses the Chinese lunar calendar, the date would fall sometime in mid to late August or September.

"The Serpent's Pass"



 * Toph's passport reads, meaning "Earth Kingdom first class passport - Toph Beifong".
 * The ferry tickets read, meaning "Full Moon Bay Ferry Ticket".
 * The gate at the entrance of the Serpent's Pass reads, meaning "Coiling Serpent Pass". The graffiti reads , meaning "despair" (literally "sever hope").
 * Iroh's forged passport reads, meaning "Earth Kingdom passport - Hong Mushi".
 * Zuko's forged passport reads, meaning "Earth Kingdom passport - Hong Li".
 * The stamp the official lady puts on Aang's forehead says, meaning "denied".

"The Drill"

 * The banner in the Ba Sing Se customs office reads, meaning "Welcome to Ba Sing Se".
 * The plaque on the slurry pipeline reads, meaning "slurry pipeline".

"City of Walls and Secrets"

 * The invitations to the Earth King's party have written on them, meaning "South Gate".
 * The name of the tea shop is, meaning "Pao Family Tea House".

"Tales of Ba Sing Se"

 * The characters before each story read, in order, (Katara and Toph's tale),  (Aang's tale),  (Sokka's tale),  (Iroh's tale),  (Zuko's tale), and  (Momo's tale). In the title card for "The Tale of Toph and Katara", the Chinese translation puts Katara's name before Toph's. Toph's name is also written differently in the titlecard than on her passport from "The Serpent's Pass" and the letter from her mother in "The Earth King". Zuko's name is also different; In "The Desert", Zuko's name was listed on a Fire Nation wanted poster in Chinese as "祖寇" (zǔkòu), while here his name is written as "蘇科" (sūkē). The character 蘇 (sū) is also used in Fire Lord Sozin's name.
 * The sign on the spa which Katara and Toph visit reads, which translates as "Noble Lady's Beauty Parlor".
 * The Chinese characters on Lu Ten's picture, when read in the traditional right and vertical way, roughly translate as "General Iroh, I will see you again when victory is obtained. Your loyal son, Lu Ten."
 * The sign in front of the zoo Aang visits reads, which translates as "Happy Zoo".
 * The sign outside of the hall in "The Tale of Sokka" reads, which translates as "Five-Seven-Five Society".

"Lake Laogai"

 * Appa's wanted poster reads as follows:
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."
 * "Searching for a flying sky bison. His name is Appa, he has six legs and weighs ten tons. If you have any information, please contact Avatar Aang in the Upper Ring, 96th District, house #217."

"The Guru"

 * The signboard over the door of the Jasmine Dragon reads, its name in Chinese.
 * The characters on the sign inside the teashop displays a traditional Chinese proverb: "It is better to go for three days without food than one day without tea".

"The Avatar and the Fire Lord"

 * The characters on the scroll Zuko receives read, and mean approximately "You need to know what's happened after your great-grandfather's demise, it will reveal your own destiny"; the hidden message, means approximately "The secret history of the sages of Fire Nation is hidden in the Dragon Bone Catacombs".
 * The characters on the first box containing Sozin's history read, which means "The Last Testament of Fire Lord Sozin". The second box reads , which means approximately "Draft of the Last Testament of Fire Lord Sozin".
 * The characters that can be seen at the end of Sozin's testament are, which means "threat", and , which is presumably the end of the word "airbender".

"The Runaway"



 * Toph's wanted poster reads as follows:
 * Wanted — The Runaway. Authorities are offering a reward of thousand gold coins for the arrest of this twelve year old girl. She disguises herself as a blind person, and although she is small, she is extremely dangerous. Any information will be promptly rewarded.
 * Wanted — The Runaway. Authorities are offering a reward of thousand gold coins for the arrest of this twelve year old girl. She disguises herself as a blind person, and although she is small, she is extremely dangerous. Any information will be promptly rewarded.
 * Wanted — The Runaway. Authorities are offering a reward of thousand gold coins for the arrest of this twelve year old girl. She disguises herself as a blind person, and although she is small, she is extremely dangerous. Any information will be promptly rewarded.
 * Wanted — The Runaway. Authorities are offering a reward of thousand gold coins for the arrest of this twelve year old girl. She disguises herself as a blind person, and although she is small, she is extremely dangerous. Any information will be promptly rewarded.
 * Wanted — The Runaway. Authorities are offering a reward of thousand gold coins for the arrest of this twelve year old girl. She disguises herself as a blind person, and although she is small, she is extremely dangerous. Any information will be promptly rewarded.


 * The messenger hawk advert reads as follows:
 * Messenger bird training class. Meets at sunrise at the post office. Each lesson is three copper pieces.
 * Messenger bird training class. Meets at sunrise at the post office. Each lesson is three copper pieces.
 * Messenger bird training class. Meets at sunrise at the post office. Each lesson is three copper pieces.
 * Messenger bird training class. Meets at sunrise at the post office. Each lesson is three copper pieces.


 * The poster before Toph's wanted poster reads, meaning "Fire - Arrests". It probably signals the start of the wanted posters section.
 * The poster on the far right of the billboard reads, meaning "Topics for this evening's street conference: air quality and street gambling".
 * The poster with two dragons entwined in a heart reads, meaning "Ember Island Theater". It is a reference to the Ember Island Players, and is most likely a poster for "Love Amongst the Dragons" (which Zuko says he used to see every year with his mother).

"The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion"

 * Sokka's maps read as follows:
 * - The Greatest Nation (eg. Fire Nation) Royal Atlas
 * - Map of the World
 * - Chart of the Entire Nation's Land and Sea Territories
 * - Map of Capital Island
 * - Map of the Royal Capital City

"The Ember Island Players"

 * The poster for "The Boy in the Iceberg" reads as follows:
 * The Boy in the Iceberg: The famous Earth Kingdom playwright Pu-On Tim's new work has collected information about the Avatar from around the globe, from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. Information came from nomad singers, pirates, prisoners of war and a knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Starring the Ember Island Players.
 * The Boy in the Iceberg: The famous Earth Kingdom playwright Pu-On Tim's new work has collected information about the Avatar from around the globe, from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. Information came from nomad singers, pirates, prisoners of war and a knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Starring the Ember Island Players.
 * The Boy in the Iceberg: The famous Earth Kingdom playwright Pu-On Tim's new work has collected information about the Avatar from around the globe, from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. Information came from nomad singers, pirates, prisoners of war and a knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Starring the Ember Island Players.
 * The Boy in the Iceberg: The famous Earth Kingdom playwright Pu-On Tim's new work has collected information about the Avatar from around the globe, from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. Information came from nomad singers, pirates, prisoners of war and a knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Starring the Ember Island Players.
 * The Boy in the Iceberg: The famous Earth Kingdom playwright Pu-On Tim's new work has collected information about the Avatar from around the globe, from the icebergs of the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom capital. Information came from nomad singers, pirates, prisoners of war and a knowledgeable merchant of cabbage. Starring the Ember Island Players.


 * The sign over the stage reads, meaning "Ember Island Theater".

"Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang"

 * The ending card reads, meaning simply "The End".

Other translations

 * The Chinese calligraphy featured on the cover of the Season Three boxed set (as well as on a T-shirt given away at Comic-con) can be seen below; however, as much of it is either blocked by Aang or hidden by the poor contrast
 * (Missing character suggestion: "king" or  "angry", used with  to form "tyrant" or "burning rage")
 * Translated as:
 * The comet's evil floods the vast sky,
 * The tyrant, Ozai, longs to burn all things.
 * Heroic Aang... peace...
 * The sound of arms does not cease.
 * The tyrant, Ozai, longs to burn all things.
 * Heroic Aang... peace...
 * The sound of arms does not cease.


 * The poster Sokka holds up in part 1 of the Private Fire comic reads as follows:
 * Join the winning team! Sign up at your local recruitment center today!
 * Join the winning team! Sign up at your local recruitment center today!
 * Join the winning team! Sign up at your local recruitment center today!


 * The message Aang leaves Katara in School Time Shipping reads, and means "Katara, will you go to the dance with me? Aang."
 * For some reason, the sign above the entrance to the Ember Island Arcade reads, meaning "near-synonym". It is strangely also written entirely in Simplified Chinese.

The Promise Part 1

 * The signs the mob outside Yu Dao are holding read, meaning "Get out!" or "Go back!"; , meaning "Give us peace!"; and , meaning "Give us security!"
 * During the scene where Zuko tours Aang through Yu Dao, several signs can be seen. The farthest back one his too blurry to read, but seems to contain the character, meaning "Green Flame Inn". The red sign reads , meaning "Yu Dao Grocery Store", and the closest two yellow signs read , meaning "Tasty Hotpot Restaurant".
 * The sign in front of the blacksmith's shop reads, meaning "Old Chen's Blacksmith Shop".
 * In the scene where the Mayor Morishita's family appears for the second time, two signs can be seen: one reading, meaning "Sweet Aroma Teahouse" and one reading , meaning "Green Blaze Inn".

The Promise Part 2

 * The signboard over the door of the Beifong Metalbending Academy reads, meaning "Beifong".

"Welcome to Republic City"

 * The poster behind the Equalist protester is emblazoned with the character 平 (píng), meaning "equal". The two side banners read, meaning "Join the revolution!"
 * In the scene where Korra fights the triads, and the subsequent chase scene, many signs can be seen, most of which are repeated throughout the scene. They are, meaning "dumplings"; , meaning "fresh vegetables and fruits"; , meaning "jewelery"; , meaning "general store"; , meaning "antiques; meaning "bookstore"; , meaning "barbershop"; , meaning "herbal medicine store"; , meaning "tailor"; , meaning "noodles"; , meaning "clothing store"; , meaning "acupuncture".
 * The shop sign above the phonograph store being held up by the Triple Threat Triad says, meaning "phonographs", and the sign on the clock store opposite reads , meaning "clock and watch store".
 * The police blimp has the word for police,, painted on the front and side.

"A Leaf in the Wind"

 * The newspaper Korra is reading at the table has the characters written at the top. Typical of many Chinese names and titles, this may have multiple meanings; here, the title at the top may be translated as "First Dispatch", "Basic Dispatch", or in a looser sense, "Breaking News". It may also mean "Yuan News (in the sense of "Penny News".)
 * The newspaper with Chief Lin Beifong and Tarrlok's pictures that Korra uses when attempting airbending is called Republic News.
 * The scoring tubes read, meaning "Round 1"; , meaning "Round 2"; , meaning "Knockout"; and , meaning "Winner".

"The Revelation"

 * The front of the 25-yuan bills seen throughout the episode have, meaning "25", written on the sides, and , meaning "Republic City", written across the top. The back has again 25 written on the sides, and , meaning "The Home of the World", written across the top.
 * When Korra and Mako first encounter the Chi-blockers, the shop signs in the background read, meaning "herbal medicine store", and , meaning "barbershop".
 * The flyers the Equalist protester is handing out read, meaning "Witness - Tonight at 9."
 * The poster behind Amon reads, meaning "Witness! Join the Revolution!" The banners are again emblazoned with the character , meaning "equal" or "peace".

"The Voice in the Night"

 * The signboard over the entrance to Kuang's Cuisine reads, its name in Chinese (literally "Kuang Family Delicacies").
 * The banners for Korra's party in front of Republic City Hall read, meaning "Avatar".
 * The sign in front of the bookstore reads meaning simply "bookstore".
 * The poster in the hidden Equalist training room reads, meaning "Amon is the answer!".
 * The clock face has the Chinese numerals 1-12 arranged around the outside. The characters on the two inner wheels are written in the archaic Seal Script form.

"The Aftermath"

 * The police tape reads, meaning "Republic City Police".
 * The poster in the underground Equalist factory reads, meaning "Amon is the answer", and , meaning "Follow Amon!"

San Diego Comic-Con panel

 * In the Comic-Con presentation where Korra is seen battling multiple Equalists, several signs and advertisements can be seen, though not all are legible:, meaning "come" or "return", , meaning "wind", and , meaning "Fire People Street".

Literature


There are many books and scrolls in the Avatar World. Many of these are located, or have a copy at Wan Shi Tong's Library.

List of known works

 * Waterbending scroll - a scroll stolen from the Northern Water Tribe by pirates, later recovered by Katara and was donated to Wan Shi Tong and his collection of knowledge
 * Book of Clouds - a book belonging to a fortuneteller named Aunt Wu, its information holds the meaning of various cloud shapes and is used to tell villagers of Makapu Village their fortunes.
 * Star chart - a map of the stars in the sky. It is used to guide people across unknown lands by showing them how to follow the path of stars.
 * The Last Will and Testament of Fire Lord Sozin - Sozin's Final Testament: an inscription on the final testament of Fire Lord Sozin that was read by Prince Zuko in the Dragon Bone Catacombs.

Trivia

 * The written Chinese content in Avatar: The Last Airbender was provided by cultural consultant Dr. Siu-Leung Lee. He handled all of the translation and calligraphy for Avatar: The Last Airbender, including the calligraphy for the logo. His vast knowledge of various styles of calligraphy throughout China's history added a culturally grounding component to the show.
 * Most of the Chinese used was classical Chinese. However, due to S. L. Lee's deep knowledge, archaic Chinese was also included for ancient texts (about spirits or elements).