Japanese translations (kanji)?

PaulHeymanGuy · 19 Feb 2013

Hey guys, I'm not sure if there's a thread about this already but I just want to make sure a few translations are right. I'm interested in getting a tattoo in Kanji writing, one being "courage" and another being "pride". I got rough translations for these words and I don't know if they are correct. In addition, I do not know if Kanji is written up and down or left and right. Could someone help me out as to what my design should look like exactly? Thanks in advance.

Mike Cash · 19 Feb 2013

You won't know the difference anyway, nor will any of your friends, so what the hell does it matter?

Angel Valis · 19 Feb 2013

It's stickied at the top of the board.

WANT A KANJI TATTOO? Read before you ask | Japan Forum

Japanese is classically written top to bottom, right to left.

If you want to ask about the appropriate translations, then feel free, but do be warned that not everyone is thrilled about people getting tattoos written in languages they don't understand (and likely can't even read aloud). Be sure to get a second (third...fourth...fifth...etc) opinion on anything that someone tells you; if you do get a tattoo, you'd probably rather it not say that you're an uninformed idiot.

Also realize that by choosing Japanese rather than Chinese, you may have to deal with having kana included which is something that some vehemently refuse to use (for some weird reason); sometimes you get lucky and words/phrases don't require them, but often you don't.

PaulHeymanGuy · 19 Feb 2013

Angel Valis said:
It's stickied at the top of the board.

WANT A KANJI TATTOO? Read before you ask | Japan Forum

Japanese is classically written top to bottom, right to left.

If you want to ask about the appropriate translations, then feel free, but do be warned that not everyone is thrilled about people getting tattoos written in languages they don't understand (and likely can't even read aloud). Be sure to get a second (third...fourth...fifth...etc) opinion on anything that someone tells you; if you do get a tattoo, you'd probably rather it not say that you're an uninformed idiot.

Also realize that by choosing Japanese rather than Chinese, you may have to deal with having kana included which is something that some vehemently refuse to use (for some weird reason); sometimes you get lucky and words/phrases don't require them, but often you don't.

Thanks for the info. I had read that thread but it didn't really answer my questions. My questions don't really have much to do with a tattoo but I'm aware that I probably made a bunch of people angry with that.

So would a word like "courage" (in Kanji) have any kana in it? Would this be the correct way of writing it? In addition, would it also be correct to write this from top to bottom instead? If so, which one would go on the top and which one would go on the bottom?

Sorry for the excessive amount of questions but I am interested in knowing. Thanks again in advance.

BrianLewis · 20 Feb 2013

勇気

勇
気

If you can't read the font, the left one goes on top if you make it vertical. And yes, that's the right character; I have seen tons of those tattoos, usually vertical on a person's right calf, though it's also popular on the lower arm, surrounded by all sorts of waves attacking it.

PaulHeymanGuy · 20 Feb 2013

BrianLewis said:
勇気

勇
気

If you can't read the font, the left one goes on top if you make it vertical. And yes, that's the right character; I have seen tons of those tattoos, usually vertical on a person's right calf, though it's also popular on the lower arm, surrounded by all sorts of waves attacking it.

Thanks so much man! Really helpful

Japanese translations (kanji)?

PaulHeymanGuy

後輩

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Angel Valis

黒川

PaulHeymanGuy

後輩

BrianLewis

先輩

PaulHeymanGuy

後輩

Similar threads