Help with Hiragana

[Kirie_Maiden]

Ok... This is going to sound really weird, but I don't know where else to turn.

I've had this hat for years with what I thought was Chinese Lettering on it. I have not been able to find it for about two years, but I found it today and noticed that it's not Chinese, it's Hiragana. Looked up what each symbol meant and, from top to bottom, this is the order of the symbols.

Se
I
Ko
U
Si
Yo
Ro

I wonder if this actually means something, or if somebody just stitched random Hiragana onto a hat. Can somebody help?

 

[Haruspex]

Gave it a shot with rikaichan, but nothing, I think its random.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

Ok... on second looking... it could also be a mixture of Katakana too...

Here they are again.

The First is Se
The Second is I
The Third could be either Ko or Ni
The Fourth could be either U or Ra
The Fifth could be either Si, Shi or Re
The Sixth is Yo
The Seventh is Ro

 

[Clawn]

Well, according to a quick google search for various combinations of the syllables, I've found a few possibilities, Seiko - which is a name and a watch company, Seikou - success, and siyoro is a town in Africa.

If I had to guess, I'd say its gibberish, but I'm still just a beginner in Japanese, so you might want to wait for a more experienced speaker's opinion.

 

[Haruspex]

Ok, lets count how many factorial possibilities there are lol, just joking, lemme take a closer look.

Hmm, although I don't quite get it why would they put random katakana in a word, they're not supposed to appear in one word.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

Thanks for the responses. Glad so many people are trying to help. Maybe this will help. I think these are the correct Hiragana / Katakana on the hat.


OR
OR

 

[nice gaijin]

They're all in hiragana, and written vertically in that order?

I'm at work so I can't type in Japanese, but Seikou means success (it's also the name of a company). Not sure about the second part. Shiyoro? Could be "Shoro," if the yo is small. Those aren't word I'm familiar with.

how about a photo?

 

[Haruspex]

せいコウしよる

せいこう also means sexual intercourse lol
しよ can mean subordinate
and る to bend over.

what? You got the hat from a sex shop?
Latex by any chance?

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

yeah. That is the order, but I am not sure if they are all Hiragana, because the one that could be Ko could also be Ni in Katakana. Also, the Si / Shi could also be Re in Katakana.

せいコウしよる

せいこう also means sexual intercourse lol
しよ can mean subordinate
and る to bend over.

what? You got the hat from a sex shop?
Latex by any chance?

Hahahahaha.... That's really scary!!!
It's a beanie hat... from a pound shop in the North of England...Haha.
せい <--- That is on the hat. Haha.
I am not sure if る is the correct one. At least... I hope not... Haha.

 

[Charles Barkley]

You sure its not

せ
い
こ
う
し
よ
う

This would mean: 'Let's have sex'

 

[nice gaijin]

or simply "let's succeed."

 

[Haruspex]

You sure its not
せ
い
こ
う
し
よ
う
This would mean: 'Let's have sex'

If thats the case perhaps you shouldn't wear that hat in public too much.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I think せいこうしよう is probably what your hat says. Is there a picture on your hat or just the lettering?

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

If thats the case perhaps you shouldn't wear that hat in public too much

Haha. Maybe not, eh? Not sure if it's Let's have Sex or Let's Succeed now, but;

せ
い
こ
う
し
よ
う

That looks about right. I'll go for, "Let's Succeed," and wear it as often as I want. Although... the first explanation scares me... this is why people should be weary of buying this kind of stuff. From now, I'm making any stuff like this myself. That way, I know EXACTLY what it says! Haha.

In response to Mikawa Ossan, it is just the lettering. A plain black hat with せいこうしよう stitched on it vertically.

 

[nice gaijin]

成功 doesn't explicitly mean sex, but it's use in slang is more like "home run," as in "to succeed [in one's conquest]."

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

成功 doesn't explicitly mean sex, but it's use in slang is more like "home run," as in "to succeed [in one's conquest]."

No, the seikou for sex is 性交. There are other possible meanings for seikou, as well, based on different kanji.

 

[nice gaijin]

ah, I'd never seen that compound before, but that makes a lot more sense. Good thing the hat doesn't say らんこうしよう...

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

So, are we saying the hat says, "Let's succeed," or, "Let's have sex," because I am unsure as to whether it is safe to wear this in public now. Haha.

 

[ajmd20]

I think the chances that it's meant to say 性交しよう rather than 成功しよう are very slim.

 

[nice gaijin]

I think the chances that it's meant to say 性交しよう rather than 成功しよう are very slim.

funny, I was going to say the opposite

The fact that it's in hiragana makes it ambiguous enough to be passable in public, but I'm pretty sure the inappropriate reading is the intended meaning. 成功しよう just seems like a strange thing to write on an otherwise nondescript beanie.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Yes, but Japanese people usually say ﾆ竪ﾆ鍛ﾆ蛋 to say sex nowadays.

I think the hat was most likely meant to mean one or the other without much thought of the other, or it was intentionally made to be ambiguous. I like that.

 

[Kirie_Maiden]

Ok. Fair enough. I'll wear it in public and if any Japanese people laugh at me, I'll know what it means. Haha. I'll start singing Vanilla by Gackt whilst wearing it too... just incase it does mean sex... I'll make a sexual fool out of myself. Haha.