What's new

Love Letter Translation

JapanFresh

Kouhai
25 May 2014
26
0
11
Okay, so I fell in love with a Japanese woman and it's mutual!! I plan to do 告白 soon and am writing a love letter, but don't know how to say some things properly. Can anyone please fix my translation?
  1. With each interaction, I've come to know you better and my feelings for you have deepened. 会う毎にあゆみのことをもっと分かるようになって、あゆみ向けの気持ちが深くなった。
  2. Every time I hear your voice, I feel happy and fulfilled. I want the best for you and making you happy and comfortable is my pleasure. Is this true love? 君の声を聞く時に、幸せになって心が豊かになる。あゆみのためにベストが欲しくて、君を幸せと快適にするのはマイプレジャー。これは真実の愛か?
  3. You may not realize, but this personality of yours is rare and incredible. Regardless of my emotional state, I can enjoy this part of you.あゆみが気づいてるかも知らないけど、その性格は珍しくてすごい。気持ちにかかわらず君の性格が楽しめる。
  4. When I interact with you, I instantly feel soft and gentle. あゆみとの時はすぐ気持ちが柔らかく穏便になる。
  5. you are good at home interior... It's still early, but I think we are quite compatible. => home interiorが上手し。まだ早いけど、2人はすごくcompatibleだと思うよ。
  6. I've waited my whole life for you, Ayumi... Many women have come and gone from my life, but I never settled for less; I wanted to preserve myself until I met you! 君に一生待っていたよ。複数の女の人は自分の人生に入ったり出たりしたけど、「十分の女性」に一回でも据えてない。君のために自分を保ちたかった!
  7. We've done a lot together as good friends, but I want to take our relationship to the next level in order to remove the boundaries between us. This will allow us to speak even more honestly, the privilege of skinship, and the promise of commitment to each other. いい友だちとして色々一緒にやったけど、間の壁をなくすために僕達の間柄を次のレベルにしたい。これしたらもっと正直で話せるようになって、スキンシップの権限を得て、一緒の言質を取られる。
 
I never had a girlfriend.
It is mutual. We need to make it official before we can have skinship.

I think I'll submit the letter in both English and my strange Japanese. She'll probably be moved by how much effort I put into it!

She's like my princess!
 
You can search on the internet the meaning.
It's not about sex with this one. I actually want to wait a while before doing.

I want to hug her and hold hands!
 
Yes. Her best friend is the same religion as me and she has studied the religion. She is very understanding and I'm not going to push anything onto my princess!
 
Yes. Her best friend is the same religion as me and she has studied the religion. She is very understanding and I'm not going to push anything onto my princess!

Just try to make sure 22 years of pent-up exuberance doesn't burst out all at once or you'll end up pushing yourself onto her and maybe even pushing her away.

May I ask what your religion is? You needn't say if you don't want to. What is her religion? How will your parents react to it?

By the way, use 度(たび) instead of 毎

I would suggest dialing the exuberance in the letter back a few notches as well. If she's really into you, then it wouldn't matter, I suppose. But if she's on the fence you might scare her away.. Try to remember that she may not be at the same fever pitch you are and that it is highly unlikely she has grown up with the near puritanical attitude toward inter-gender relationships that you have...whether she's ever even had a beau or not...and that her being receptive to your company probably doesn't have the same significance regarding current feelings of love or future prospects of marriage that you associate with that sort of mutual proximity. In plain English....just because you would only get into this with someone you are (or would be) interested in marrying you shouldn't make the mistake of assuming she's approaching it from the same mindset. Maybe she is...maybe she ain't. Just don't be too pushy. If she is a coworker, multiply that by a hundred until you can really see which way the wind blows. If not, and things don't work out, you could end up making things so awkward that one of you ends up having to change jobs.

Don't worry so much about Japanese errors in your letter. They won't kill her.
 
Thanks for the advice, Mike.
My religion it's a secret.
She's not a coworker.

She's 28 and is looking for marriage. We've discussed. It's obviously mutual. We've had many dates and talk on the phone for hours. People seeing us think we're a love love couple.

She's more loose on having partners and sex, but that's okay cause I think she'll be committed also.

Gotta go to work now. I'm having a nomikai with some older female Japanese friends. They'll advise me more.
 
The phrase "privilege of skinship" somehow makes me want to cringe. It has this effect in English, but when translated into Japanese it has the double-effect of confusing me while at the same time making me want to cringe. Firstly, it is a vague, contrived word that somehow has made it into the Japanese lexicon. Two people who are so obviously "love-love" as you are convinced you are, do not require advanced written notice in order to hold hands. You are turning a natural expression of affection into something unnatural. It is as if, for the avoidance of doubt, you are telegraphing your desire to touch her, which is not only unromantic, it is amazingly creepy. It would be one thing to say (verbally) to your lady friend that "it would be a privilege to hold your hand", but announcing in writing that you think its time for you to enjoy this privilege is the opposite of romance. And, if you are saying the privilege is for both of you, you are presuming too much. It is an oddly puritanical sentiment that would be creepy even if you were both Puritans. And why do you need to take the relationship to the "next level" in order to speak honestly to each other? It makes it sound as though you have not been honest with her up until this point. Or worse, it makes it sound as though you are bargaining; that you can only be honest with her if she agrees to share the "privilege of skinship" with you.

If you are trying to charm your lady friend, I think it would be better to do so face to face. And, I wouldn't assume that she will be moved by your effort at translation. It might cause confusion. It might have the opposite effect from what you intended.
 
Last edited:
You want to hold hands? Here's the uncreepy way to go about it:

At a crosswalk, just matter-of-factly state この辺が危ないから while checking the traffic, take her hand and squire her across the intersection ala Sir Walter Raleigh. (Choose one with some traffic...). Once across, you just maintain and let her be the one to break the grip. You can thank me later.
 
I did kokuhaku under the moon eclipse, in front of the river, near the sakura.
She said OK!

Then, I escorted her on the train to her hometown. There, we hugged each other for like an hour and then realized that we missed the last train. So, we hugged for like 2 more hours kissed but then we had to split up because we both needed to sleep for appointments tomorrow.
She really liked smelling me.

Ah, we love each other!! Is this normal?
 
Yes, it's normal.

Congratulations! I'm very happy for you!

(There was an eclipse last night?)
 
Any updates?

Pardon me but I just wanted to check if I understood right. The OP wrote a love letter and "did kokuhaku". Meaning, it was read out by the sender? Or did she read it out herself? In front of each other?

Its just kinda curious to me because I have not encountered (nor done) anything like this for almost 20 years!
 
We have dated for more than 2 months and get along well.

We were together sitting in front of the river and under the sakura trees.
I gave her the love letter. She didn't have the intention to open it, but I told her to open it and then she read it.
And, then I asked if she would be my gf. And she said OK!!
 
Wow.. you are one lucky guy, assuming she did not feel pressured by you making her read the letter in your presence
 
Back
Top Bottom