Can anyone help translate the characters on this glass?
 

I'm new to this forum, so forgive me for failing to post the image of the drinking glass clearly.

Here is a web link to the image:

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/photo2jl.jpg/[/IMG]


Thanks in advance!

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Where is it from actually? :o

I don't understand your question, but I'll try to answer.

The glass is part of a set of drinking glasses that were acquired in Tokyo in the 1950s by my parents and recently bequeathed to me.

Thanks!
I don't think I could help you anyways though, but some background information is always useful to get your answers :)

Thank you for your advice. I hope someone in this forum can help solve the mystery!

Cheers!!

I believe its 福, but other users who is more used to reading calligraphy can confirm

If it is 福, then there is no direct translation, it can mean a bunch of thing: Happiness, Luck, Wealth, Good Health..

Thank you!!

Godwine is correct, this does look like 福 in cursive script, however, (if it indeed is 福) the form itself is incorrect. There should not be a vertical line in the middle of that character. A short one can be written, and then it indicates a left hand side strokes of 口 and　田, but the line in that character goes from very top and it is perpendicular to the character base. In short, it is wrong.

Below, ink rubbing from a work by 智永 (Zhì Yǒng), from the Sui dynasty period （隋朝, 581 - 619）. As you can see there is no vertical line in the middle.



There is a form in clerical script, where the 口 and　田 are combined with a vertical line on the left hand side, however, it is not showing on any of the cursive forms in the dictionary. I think someone based this on either seal script or clerical script. Seal script forms of 福 are quite popular. In those, both sides of 口 and　田 are often merged with vertical lines. If pictures are needed to understand this better, I will post them up.

Could it be written in simplified chinese? I don't know anything about calligraphy, sorry...