Arawaza meaning

[Tsuki]

Hi everybody,

I would like to know the real meaning of the word "ARAWAZA" in Japanese dictionary. Can anybody help?

I have a karate school and would like to name it Arawaza. This name was suggested to us by a Japanese translator meaning "feat of strength" or something powerful, very hard to achieve... but this person doesn't do karate. Is she right?

We have a controversy with somebody who leaves in Japan (but it's not Japanese...) who says the name "Arawaza" is not appropriate for martial arts
and people would make fun of it. If he translate it from Japanese to English it means ara = rude, rough or wild, and "waza" = technique or skill so it has a negative meaning...like a rough job or a wild technique (out of control)

However the Japanese translator who suggested the name to me says the real meaning of Arawaza can be found only in a real Japanese - Japanese dictionary and not a Japanese - English dictionary. She says it's hard to translate, but would be something about "feat of strength" or a "powerfull and spectacular technique" or "some skill very hard to achieve"... However as mentioned before, this person doesn't do karate and maybe it makes a difference in the way martial arts practitioners would understand it. She says that the word Arawaza exists in the Japanese dictionary only (as a single word) and has a nice and profound definition; it cannot be translated into two words.

I also called a Japanese Karate Master and he told me that Arawaza can be translated as a very, super dynamic and powerful technique, word frequently used in Judo...or other martial arts.

I would appreciate if somebody can tell me if the name ARAWAZA is a positive or a negative word in the Japanese language and culture and what's the exact real definition (how a Japanese person would understand it)??? I am really confused...

Thanks for your help!!!

 

[PaulTB]

I have a karate school and would like to name it Arawaza. This name was suggested to us by a Japanese translator meaning "feat of strength" or something powerful, very hard to achieve... but this person doesn't do karate. Is she right?

Hmm, well she's probably not entirely wrong.

We have a controversy with somebody who leaves

*cough*lives*cough*

in Japan (but it's not Japanese...) who says the name "Arawaza" is not appropriate for martial arts and people would make fun of it. If he translate it from Japanese to English it means ara = rude, rough or wild, and "waza" = technique or skill so it has a negative meaning...like a rough job or a wild technique (out of control)

Which is exactly the definition given in WWWJDIC
荒技 【あらわざ】 rough method or job

However the Japanese translator who suggested the name to me says the real meaning of Arawaza can be found only in a real Japanese - Japanese dictionary and not a Japanese - English dictionary. She says it's hard to translate, but would be something about "feat of strength" or a "powerfull and spectacular technique" or "some skill very hard to achieve"... However as mentioned before, this person doesn't do karate and maybe it makes a difference in the way martial arts practitioners would understand it. She says that the word Arawaza exists in the Japanese dictionary only (as a single word) and has a nice and profound definition; it cannot be translated into two words.

Well goo gives the definition as ...
柔道・相撲・武術などで、激しい動作を伴った、荒々しい技。また、思い切った大技。
Which translates as something like,
In judo, sumo , martial arts and such, a wild techique accompanied by violent action. A drastic and effective move.

I also called a Japanese Karate Master and he told me that Arawaza can be translated as a very, super dynamic and powerful technique, word frequently used in Judo...or other martial arts.

Hmm, well there are two points that spring to mind.

1. This is already a word used in Judo so it you use it as the name for school there might be some room for confusion.
2. I don't know that people would make fun of the name, but there certainly seems to be room for doubt as to whether there would be too much 'rough' nuance in with the 'powerful'. It wouldn't necessarily give a very elegant and controlled image. Not that I suppose you'd want that

 

[Tsuki]

Any other opinion??

 

[GaijinPunch]

Isn't there a martial arts forum here? You'd probably have better luck asking there, as unless you've practiced karate, etc., you probably won't know what's appropriate or not.

 

[Fantt]

Try asking over at e-Budo.com. They'll let you know real quick if it's too silly for martial arts.

 

[Scrivener]

The key is the first character "arai"

あらい【荒い】

1 〔性質などが強く激しい〕violent;〔乱暴な〕rough
荒い扱い方 rough ｢treatment [handling]
荒い海 a rough sea / 《文》turbulent waters
彼は気性が荒い He has a violent temper. / 《口》He is a rough customer.
彼は言葉遣いが荒い He uses ｢harsh [violent / coarse] language. / He is rough in speech. / He has a rough tongue. (harsh は冷酷な, violent は激情的な, coarse は粗野で下品な, rough は粗暴な感じを含む)
2 〔勢いが激しい〕
荒い呼吸をする pant / breathe hard
彼は人使いが荒い He works his men hard. / He is a slave driver.
彼女は金遣いが荒かった She spent her money ｢recklessly [freely]. / She was a spendthrift.

Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary

As you can see it is not exactly "auspicious" in the tradition of Chinese/Japanese thinking. If you use that, be aware it has a meaning of "overwhelming but inelegant".

 

[TwistedMac]

"overwhelming but inelegant".

HAHA! sounds like the description of a mongoloid retard gone berserk!
(If you've ever seen a mongoloid retard get real angry, you know what I mean.. they'll just rain a flurry of punches on you, that will most probably hurt alot, but lack any real technique or finesse)

aaaah... *stops laughing* hehe...
I love the mongoloids.. they all look the same, and this school of mongoloids ran this diner near where my dad used to live.. they sold this really good bread there, and we used to buy it for breakfast. You should've seen the confusion when we asked for a bag to carry the bread in.. hilarious.

the place was run entirely by mongoloid retards, except for one woman overlooking it all.

In addition to that, The building my school used for electronics classes was shared by a mongoloid retard school. One of the mongoloid girls had this huge crush on a classmate of mine...

They're like really entertaining real life muppets.

 

[PaulTB]

HAHA! [BIG snip]

Are you trying to see how much of your reputation you can lose on one post?

 

[Pox]

モンゴロイドの俺としては涙を禁じ得ないポストだわん。

 

[Elizabeth]

モンゴロイドの俺としては涙を禁じ得ないポストだわん。

彼は、悪気はないかも知れないんですが、よくほかの人を傷つけます。 言った事で気を悪くしないでくれ。

 

[TwistedMac]

Are you trying to see how much of your reputation you can lose on one post?

meh, wasn't my original intention, no.
Was just typing.

 

[Scrivener]

Well I guess the correct term is "Down's Syndrome sufferers" or something. My friends worked as carers for them for quite a few years (Rudolf Steiner charity). I don't think TwistedMac had bad intentions - if you have spent much time with them, you don't pity Down's Syndrome sufferers because they have a good life so long as their basic needs are looked after. They have a great sense of humor and great gusto for things. Just they don't always quite know what is going on.

Actual racial mongols include the actual Mongol people as well as Japanese, some Himalayan countries, etc. Mongol babies have red bums when they are born, hence "aka-chan". I double checked with my Bhutanese friend that this was true there.

 

[Elizabeth]

Downs Syndrome may no longer officially be mongolism or mongolian idiocy, but for a lot of people, not only TwistedMac, the visual and linguistical linkage is still there.

 

[Glenn]

You mean there was a connection between Downs Syndrome and mongoloids? That's surprising to me on the one hand, but I guess not so surprising on the other. But I certainly never would have guessed it.

 

[Elizabeth]

I mean that was the old name for Down's Syndrome, based entirely on their "Oriential" looks. Although I did read somewhere the number of diagnoses were also higher for Asian populations, I'll leave it at that not being qualified to interpret medical data.