Please help me with writing KAREU in JAPANESE!

[Elizabeth]

It's normal that people likes other languages, because they sound fine to them.

I won't ask how much if any the sound of Japanese your friend has ever "heard" but what does how it "sounds" have to do with how one kanji looks branded on your body for the rest of your life ? :? To someone who is not even able to recognize the character, I can only hope they have a better reason than that....

 

[Zaff]

Im a fan of people getting a tattoo with a meaning, I just well sorry I laugh at those who get other languages that they cannot read daubed on them. This includes those people who have latin inked into their skins when they have no idea what it says except "a website told me" or "the guy in the parlour told me".

How do you know that this community isnt full of people who would tell you the incorrect spelling or even meaning. Saw a guy last week in the place where I work (a bar) with a tattoo that was meant to say (as far as I could figure out) "I love xxxxx" well ive never seen such an abortion in my life... Not only was the kanji for love completely wrong the persons supposed name was just a load of random letters. Some tattoo artist was sitting pretty when he saw that guy coming.

 

[-Rudel-]

lol....You won't believe what I saw on my Staff Sergeant's arm. I really never noticed before, until I gave a good hard look at it.

It was 愛子. He went on to say it meant that he loves his children, but I told him to be careful when walking around Japan as that could mean he "loves" children. LOL Now I give him hell calling him a pedofile.

 

[undrentide]

lol....You won't believe what I saw on my Staff Sergeant's arm. I really never noticed before, until I gave a good hard look at it.

It was ﾋ?､ﾅｽq. He went on to say it meant that he loves his children, but I told him to be careful when walking around Japan as that could mean he "loves" children. LOL Now I give him hell calling him a pedofile.

To Japanese people ﾋ?､ﾅｽq does not mean "to love children" but Aiko - a girl's name.
So he does not have to worry about being mistaken for pedofile, but he should not show it off as people may misunderstand that he's having affair with someone called ﾋ?､ﾅｽq.

 

[Mars Man]

To Japanese people ﾋ?､ﾅｽq does not mean "to love children" but Aiko - a girl's name.

Oh...and does that name conjure up some both sweet and sour memories. Most unfortunately, I must admit, far more sour than sweet.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Hey, maybe the staff sargent just really likes the imperial crown prince's daughter!

 

[-Rudel-]

He doesn't even think of it as Aiko. He wanted those Kanji to mean he loves his children, and not so much a name. hehe. All-in-all. If he loves his children I have a feeling a phrase would have to be used and not just 2 kanjis.

 

[Zaff]

Suppose its better than that fool David Beckham who has his childrens names inked on him.

 

[epigene]

Long, long ago, when I began looking through the Web for Japan-related sites, there was a place that gave out kanji for tatoos. I don't know whether it's still there, but its moderator was a European guy with just better-than-beginner Japanese language skills. Although I understood that he meant well, he kept on giving out indecipherable Japanese kanji combinations that he thought was good--something in the lines of "Aiko" to mean "love his children." There were some regular visitors who apparently had native-speaker level Japanese proficiency to correct him and give out correct responses themselves. However, they were outnumbered by the number of strange requests for kanji tatoos (coming from blatant ignorance of Japanese, etc.), the kind we see here once in a while. Then, the respondents turned into trolls deliberately giving out ridiculous answers, such as request for "I love you" answered with Japanese for "I'm an idiot" or similar.

I think the Japanese forum here needs a sticky on making requests for kanji tatoos, warning people of the risks they are taking and the potential difference in nuance stemming from differences in cultural perspectives, etc. How about that?

 

[Mike Cash]

It's a kind and wonderful idea, but it would be largely useless, I'm afraid. You see the sort of reaction such advice always elicits when we bother to type it out for each individual. It would be resented just the same in a sticky. The only difference is that we would be spared the effort of typing.

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

 

[Elizabeth]

He doesn't even think of it as Aiko. He wanted those Kanji to mean he loves his children, and not so much a name. hehe. All-in-all. If he loves his children I have a feeling a phrase would have to be used and not just 2 kanjis.

The kids are still loved. But you're right, if the order of the two characters had been reversed at least it would be salvagable. What he needs is an arrow (back -- front) above the tattoo to indicate that was his real intention.

 

[Zaff]

Went out last night dressed up as 40's gangsters for a birthday but thats besides the point. Whilst out saw a guy with his name (in English) on his arm, why on earth would he want that? Is it so he can show people his arm when he is too drunk to talk?

 

[Half-n-Half]

Maybe he forgets how to spell his name

Staying on topic I agree with most people here when they say it is pointless to have a kanji tattoo. It really would be no different than putting "Frog" on your arm instead of the kanji (only difference is, you might get laughed at).

 

[Elizabeth]

It's a kind and wonderful idea, but it would be largely useless, I'm afraid. You see the sort of reaction such advice always elicits when we bother to type it out for each individual. It would be resented just the same in a sticky. The only difference is that we would be spared the effort of typing.

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

It would have to be called something very non threatening like "Where to go to get a real Tattoo" starting out with information on parlors and artists only in small type at the end leading up to the stupidity of it all...