Calligraphy......

[Lilongyue]

The Chinese characters that Japanese use (forget what the Japanese call them) have specific stroke orders, you can't just write them in any order you want.  It's like English letters, when you write "B" you start with the downward vertical stroke, from top to bottom, then the two round parts, the top one first, again from top to bottom, etc., etc.  Chinese characters are the same, only much more complex.  Also, there's a lot more to writing the characters with a brush than meets the eye.  

永 (yong) contains every type of stroke needed in writing Chinese characters.  To give you some idea of how complicated it is, when you write the dot-like symbol at the top of the character (called 点 [dian] in Chinese by the way) you don't just plop the brush down on the paper to get some kind of round shape, there are some very subtle wrist movements that need to take place to get the right shape.  Every aspect of the characters require equally subtle, and sophisticated movements.  To make a straight vertical or horizontal line you don't just drag the brush across the paper, like you would if you were writing the character using a normal pen.  If you really want to learn calligraphy that uses Chinese characters you'll have to find a teacher.

[TalnSG]

Excessum, I agree even though we are sounding like my professors when I wanted to use the internet to do research instead of the books on the library shelves.

And to add just one more point about caligraphy. Using a pen to write what was designed for a brush will also impair the accuracy of your strokes.

Then there is the variance between between literal and figurative translations of what you are wanting to communicate before you even make the first stroke.

Its a daunting task, but rewarding. Getting my tattoo right took a lot of research before it was ever inked. I wanted to be sure my "silver bear" really said what I intended.

[MissMisa]

Hiragana and Katakana Practice - Real Kana

This is Hirigana and Katakana, and I use this for practice.

There is also Your Name in Japanese :: Japanese Translator .co.uk which rougly translates names in Japanese, but I have no idea how accurate that is.

[yuujirou]

Originally Posted by MissMisa

Hiragana and Katakana Practice - Real Kana

This is Hiragana and Katakana, and I use this for practice.

There is also Your Name in Japanese :: Japanese Translator .co.uk which rougly translates names in Japanese, but I have no idea how accurate that is.

x.x''' rather silly....
just spell out your name using the japanese pronunciations x.x;;;

vowels: a i u e o
Constantns: k, s/z, t/d, n, h/b/p, m, r, y w [<--- not sure if that's all of em xDD
too lazy to check dictionary atm ;_;]

tonikaku~
some examples x]

Mat - Matto
Brown - Buraun
I love you - Ai Robu Yu [<---best pickup line EBA <33 xDD ]
Hard Gay - Haadou Gee <3
You're hot - Yu au hotto
Oh baby - Ou bebii~ yuu hotto x]
Yuujirou = Kawaii x]