This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Need a Kanji Translated? Just ask!

japankov said:
Sorry, I thought there was some Hiragana on one of the images so I guessed Japanese. Thank you for letting me know it is Chinese.
Click to expand...

These are not katakana. There are bopomofo used to aid pronunciation in Taiwan.

2
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've tried for the life of me to look up this kanji (using the radicals ハ and 口), but I just CANNOT figure out what it's meant to be!



"大???に" What is the symbol in the middle? I mean, it looks so simple! At first I thought it was 船, but the radical on the left looks too simple for that. It's like a 月 with only one line through it, and a 丶 at its top. Could someone please help? If it helps, the context is: "大???に のったつもりで おまかせを。"
 
Yes, that's 船. Games, especially old ones often use very simplified kanji fonts due to the problem of the resolution.
 
Ah, okay. That's really going to make things annoying, LOL. Well, I guess it'll make good practice to see how many I can decipher. Thanks for your help!
 
(Disregard last post. I found the kanji I was looking for.)
 
Last edited:
Can someone please help me with the correct kanji for the english word "wanderlust"? From researching online i've found 旅行熱 and 旅心 . The first seems to be more common. Are either correct? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
My guess is that the first one is more correct, but it seems that both are used as a translation, and there's even a third one (according to Wikipedia) -- 放浪願望.


ワンダーラスト - Wikipedia
 
I would use 放浪願望. 旅心[たびごころ] sounds a bit classical, and 旅行熱 is often used for a specific "wanderlust", for instance, 円高で、人々の海外旅行熱が高まっている.
 
I had a question about the kanji 花火 I know it means hanabi... But shouldn't it be hanahi? I mean why does hi get a change?
 
It's a pretty common phenomenon known as 連濁 (rendaku). In the case of 花火, it could be that it was once はなのひ and that turned into はなんひ then into はなんび then into はなび. That's just a guess on my part, though. At any rate, this phenomenon is more generally referred to as assimilation, and it happens in English all the time too. For instance, the prefix "in-", which is a negator, changes when it comes before words that start with "m", "p", "b'", and "l", such as "immaterial", "impotent", "imbalance", and "illegal", but not before other sounds, like in "insufficient", "indeterminate". This is actually manifest in the spelling in these words, but that isn't always the case. For instance, "n" sounds like "ng" (like in "king") whenever it comes before "k" or "g", like in "think" and "bring", but we don't spell it any differently.
 
I see. How would you tell when it's sounded differently than? I'm reading the link right now but my mind has flew far away
 
Well... you can't really know for sure without actually knowing the word, but at least if you're aware of it, you can make guesses. I think it's best to look at lots of words and see if you can feel out a pattern.
 
Translating Artwork Characters

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum, but have recently become interested in far-eastern artworks. This is a venture into new territory, after studying European/Western art for a while. My knowledge is severely lacking on some pieces that I have acquired so I'd like to know the historical periods behind them and to understand the markings. My Japanese is severely lacking (I'm definitely a beginner).I don't even know if the symbols are Kanji, although I am hopeful.

First off I have a collection of hand-painted plates with markings on the reverse, and a silk painting (in which the fabric is embellished with manji symbols). I don't expect them to be particularly old, although this doesn't matter too much since I just like the designs and workmanship! Can anyone help with the character interpretations?







Thanks in advance everyone.
 
The first picture is turned 90 degrees to the right. 小柳製造[Koyanagi Seizō] seems like the name of a company. (Koyanagi can be the name of the artist.)

The last two characters of the vertical line on the silk painting; "白石" is the name of the artist. It could be Hakuseki, Shiraishi or Shiroishi, if s/he is Japanese. It can be Chinese, though.
The three characters above it; "丙子秋" shows the season and year (of the drawing, mostly). 丙子[Hinoene or Heishi] refers to 1996, 1936, 1876, 1816, 1756,,, and 秋[aki] means autumn.
 
Thanks for the information - it is most interesting. I quite like the idea that nothing is completely definite in meaning, such as the dates, although perhaps this is due to transliteration? I know that dates can be ambiguous even within Japanese, but are names in Japanese itself (not just the transliterated forms) also ambiguous?
You've encouraged me to learn more! Thanks for the patience regarding my ignorance.
 
See the wiki page linked below.

Sexagenary cycle - Wikipedia

丙子[Hinoene / Heishi] "The year of yang fire rat" comes every sixty years, so it's impossible to identify the year only from this information.

BTW, why do you think it's a TRANSLITERATION???
 
Last edited:
Hi!

I found that signs: Could you tell me what is the meaning of them?



I'm new and I can't send link of image from external source.
 
I have a problem with the kanji 汽

I believe the definition is Steam/Vapor but when I go to this site 汽 ? Tangorin It tells me the kanji doesn't really exist and steam/vapor is 蒸気.

Help please.
 
Razahia said:
I have a problem with the kanji 汽

I believe the definition is Steam/Vapor but when I go to this site 汽 ? Tangorin It tells me the kanji doesn't really exist and steam/vapor is 蒸気.

Help please.
Click to expand...

Well I don't know about that specific kanji but there are plenty that are only found in compound words. So perhaps it does mean "steam" but the dictionary is telling you there's no result for words made of just the kanji on its own?



2
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Yep, 汽 is used in some words relating to steam, (like 汽車 for steam train), but it is not used by itself in Japanese.
 
Hi!
I am new in the JREF. First of all, I would like to thank you for this extend and complete website about Japan, its culture and its language. I would like to ask your help to translate a Japanese kanji tattoo. My friend did the tattoo when he was a teenager, together with his girlfriend, as proof of how stupid teenage love can beﾂ… I know it sounds ridiculous but he can't remember the meaning of it. Also they did it in a cheap nonprofessional place, so probable the meaning is different.
Can you tell us the meaning of the Kanji? I assumed its possible that there is more than one.
We will appreciate your help. Thank you in advance. You guys are making a great job here.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Sticky
Need a word or phrase translated?
632 633 634
Replies
16K
Views
3M
zeroh4nter
  • Sticky
Want a Kanji tattoo? Read before you ask!
3 4 5
Replies
109
Views
100K
Mike Cash
N
"Proverb" Translation
2
Replies
35
Views
75K
Swede
S
M
Help with translation
Replies
12
Views
59K
Jerry1834
J
Z
"Never Give Up" Kanji Tattoo
Replies
6
Views
53K
Made in Japan
M
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…