Japanese Help Questions/Translations

[MMM]

力 = power (you see a lot of athletes with this one)

精神力 = inner strength, emotional strength, mental strength, spiritual strength

内面の美しさ= inner beauty

You could pull off the "power" one, but I think the 2nd and especially the 3rd ones would not make good tattoos. These Western concepts in Japanese kanji would likely lead to points and giggles as tattoos.

[lucindathelandtrout]

"These Western concepts in Japanese kanji would likely lead to points and giggles as tattoos."[/quote]

In your opinion would it better if i tried to stray away from Kanji translations of western ideals, and go for something that speaks without words. For example the Japanese cherry blossom has a great deal of symbolism in itself without the funny American concepts, and odd translations. It would still hold a personal connection for me.

Thanks!

[MMM]

I have a friend with a cherry blossum tattoo, and I think that would be a MUCH better choice for a tattoo. Maybe google "traditional Japanese tattoos" and see what comes up. You will see almost no kanji in traditional tattoos...writing words in tattoos is more of a Western idea.

If it were me, that's what I would do.

I do know people that have gotten tattoos similar to what you originally asked, and thier American friends think they are cool, but Japanese people would come up and say "What is your tattoo supposed to mean?" and then after they explain it they would say "Oh, now I get it!" which was a little embarrassing.

Go with an illustration!

[mamok]

On a website which helps me learning kanji there are some for tottoos. Here you have link:
Kanji for Tattoos

[MMM]

Oh man, stay away from those "Your name in Japanese kanji" sites. DANGER DANGER!

[82riceballs]

ありがとう、enyafriend!

can someone help me w/ the following? (how would ya say that in japanese?)
anyways, i've been using japan yahoo! dictionary, and i'm confused as to what the symbols mean, so i looked them up in the key (which confuses me too).

8 非常用漢字は漢字の左肩に×をつけて示した。
さんご【×珊×瑚】
i kinda get that it means "if a kanji has an x in the upper-left corner, it's not used".

9 常用漢字外の読みのものには、漢字の左肩に▲をつけて 示した。
さすが【▲流▲石】
i think this means that "if a kanji is not jouyou kanji, there is a triangle in the upper-left corner."

正解ですか。

[dreamyourworld]

i want my name translated in kanji having tattoed on my back.

so i was hoping if anyone could translate it for me and could post it in a privat massage.

my name is michaela, wich on most enlisch to japanese sites is translated as mikeira, wich i don't know for sure.
i want the tattoo in kanji symbols.

i hope you can help me out

thanks!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by dreamyourworld

i want my name translated in kanji having tattoed on my back.

so i was hoping if anyone could translate it for me and could post it in a privat massage.

my name is michaela, wich on most enlisch to japanese sites is translated as mikeira, wich i don't know for sure.
i want the tattoo in kanji symbols.

i hope you can help me out

thanks!

I have said this many times, but I will indulge you Michaela. If you are not Japanese, then your name doesn't "translate" into kanji. It can be written in katakana, the writing system designed for non-Japanese words and names, but not into kanji.

ミケイラ

is how your name is writtenin Japanese. There are 2 main problems with writing it in kanji

1) Japanese kanji have many different pronunciations. Since you would be putting together kanji that have the sounds that make up your name, you have to know that they could also have other sounds. Dozens of other sounds. As a result, the chances that your name would be pronounced correctly by a Japanese native on the first guess are questionable

2) Japanese kanji have meaning, so Japanese names are put together with kanji that go well together. You are trying to do the opposite: find kanji that fit you name. What you will get is a group of characters that look like gibberish together.

So here is one possibility of MIKEIRA, your kanji name:

三毛医等

It means "tortoise-shell medicine, and the like" and could also be pronounced "MIKETOU" or "MIKENADO"

See my point?

[kurishi]

Would anyone help me to translate "Seniors" in japanese

My brother's class is thinking about putting Seniors in japanese for his class name

[MMM]

In general high school seniors are called 三年生 (san-nen-sei) which means "Third year student" (Japanese high schools are three years), but I think the word you are looking for is 先輩　(sempai) which means "senior" "the top" "the oldest" "the highest rank" in this situation. They could "Americanize" it and be "The Sempais" or "The Sempai Class". It is the word that younger students use to call older students.