How to say "Rest peacefully father"

[IcewindDude]

Ouch... the nuances... How about pictographs? Fit your fancy?

I mean, technically, aren't the kanji simplified pictures with associated meanings derived therefrom (although some of those original meanings are lost)? Hieroglyphics are very similar in that way.

Originally Posted by MMM

Explain how the Native Americans exported their non-existent written language to the Chinese.

I was misunderstood. I was referring to the previous fad, not the precursor to the Chinese writing.

Concerning tattoos, to many the skin is just another canvas for art, however they wish to express it. It makes it no more or less wrong.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by IcewindDude

Ouch... the nuances... How about pictographs? Fit your fancy?

I mean, technically, aren't the kanji simplified pictures with associated meanings derived therefrom (although some of those original meanings are lost)? Hieroglyphics are very similar in that way.

Welcome to the forums, IcewindDude. You are coming in with both guns blazing. We can talk nice to each other.

Chinese and Japanese writings are not ancient and extinct writing systems, but are active and alive and are used by well over a billion people daily, so logogram is a part of the writing for both Chinese and Japanese, but not all characters in each language are logograms, so "characters" is the right term.

[IcewindDude]

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as heated . I just enjoy nitpicking debates a little more than I should.

In any case, a Kanji character (putting aside the phonetic characters) is a pictograph. A picture with a meaning. This doesn't mean it's obsolete or anything. They've been simplified to the point where the picture is mostly obscure. But not to the point of say... the alphabet that derived from hieroglyphics. There are still obvious pictures in the kanji.

Characters are the symbols of a writing system collectively. It's going to be a symbol whether it's kanji, hiragana, or even the alphabet. It represents and idea (kanji) or a sound (hiragana, alphabet). English is too varied to narrow it down to a single word whether it be character, pictograph, symbol, or even pictographic symbols. There is no politically correct about this as far as I've seen.

[jesselt]

I don't understand why so many people are concerned with "protecting" these individuals from getting Kanji Tattoos. It's their choice and I doubt anyone has ever changed their mind because of what people here have said; the least we should do is give them a proper translation and explain why we think it is a bad idea or why the translation may not make sense. I'm sure these people just leave here and look elsewhere for a translation that may or may not even be correct.

More importantly, it is scary how quickly people attack the OP in these threads. We know absolutely nothing about this person and have no reason to make judgments against them; perhaps her Father was Japanese or maybe had some other connection to Japan. She obviously doesn't live in Japan, so it is pretty irrelevant what Japanese people would think of her tattoo (though still worth mentioning in case she goes to Japan.)

[MissLicious]

Originally Posted by jesselt

Before the hounds find this thread, is there a reason you want the tattoo in Japanese? Was your father Japanese or does it have some other meaning to you?

wow, seems like its too late.. All the tattoo's iv got, and all the next tattoo's, are in japanese style (or how you say it), and i think i would be a shame too get something written in english when everything else is japanese. Im very fascinated by the japanese country and their tattoostyle, so.
If its a bad omen, then i couldnt care less.. Its my body, so i dont really care what other people think as long as i like it :-)

And by the way, im from Denmark, not America :-)

[MMM]

Originally Posted by jesselt

I don't understand why so many people are concerned with "protecting" these individuals from getting Kanji Tattoos. It's their choice and I doubt anyone has ever changed their mind because of what people here have said; the least we should do is give them a proper translation and explain why we think it is a bad idea or why the translation may not make sense. I'm sure these people just leave here and look elsewhere for a translation that may or may not even be correct.

More importantly, it is scary how quickly people attack the OP in these threads. We know absolutely nothing about this person and have no reason to make judgments against them; perhaps her Father was Japanese or maybe had some other connection to Japan. She obviously doesn't live in Japan, so it is pretty irrelevant what Japanese people would think of her tattoo (though still worth mentioning in case she goes to Japan.)

Actually several people have changed their minds after things that I have said. A tattoo is not a t-shirt or even a piercing. It is a message, and if the message will not be conveyed correctly or has another meaning in a foreign language, then the person getting that message permanently inked on their body deserves to know that.

Someone recently asked about getting "Live for today" in Japanese on her body. I could have just given her the translation, but instead told her that phrase inked on your body reads like a deathwish "I want to only live today". It gets tricky when you try to "translate" cultural ideals into different languages because it is RARE that it means the intended meaning, especially when it comes to Japanese and other especially foreign languages from English.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by IcewindDude

Sorry, I didn't mean to come off as heated . I just enjoy nitpicking debates a little more than I should.

In any case, a Kanji character (putting aside the phonetic characters) is a pictograph. A picture with a meaning. This doesn't mean it's obsolete or anything. They've been simplified to the point where the picture is mostly obscure. But not to the point of say... the alphabet that derived from hieroglyphics. There are still obvious pictures in the kanji.

Characters are the symbols of a writing system collectively. It's going to be a symbol whether it's kanji, hiragana, or even the alphabet. It represents and idea (kanji) or a sound (hiragana, alphabet). English is too varied to narrow it down to a single word whether it be character, pictograph, symbol, or even pictographic symbols. There is no politically correct about this as far as I've seen.

Sorry for the double post...

There are some still obvious "pictures" in kanji, but not all Japanese kanji are pictographs. Some were chosen for aesthetic reasons, some for aural reasons, some for symbols, and some are ??? So that's why we call them characters.

[packetpirate]

Just to let you know, as far as I know, no Japanese person gets kanji tattoos like Americans. The traditional tattoo over there is called "Irezumi". I don't want to say it's not accepted, but lets just say there's a reason that only the Yakuza does it. Also, there are even some places in Japan where they will not allow you access if you have a tattoo... that and the fact that you're a foreigner will bar you from a lot of places.

[IcewindDude]

Strangely enough, those with interests in getting tattoos in Japanese probably have no plans to ever actaully go... Also, in the US, things like bad omens and other superstitions are not mainstream. No one thinks about that stuff. Tattoos in the US can be associated with so much, there is no discrimination for them (at least when in moderation). Yes, they can be attributed to gangs, but also they are attributable to military, bikers, concerts, girl-friends (bunch of girls go out and get a small one), etc.. Japanese culture may not be a concern.

Originally Posted by packetpirate

Also, there are even some places in Japan where they will not allow you access if you have a tattoo... that and the fact that you're a foreigner will bar you from a lot of places.

Japan is still weird about access to certain stores or services to foreigners regardless. And the situation about a foreigner with a tattoo is moot. Obviously they have nothing to do with the Yakuza. Though, admittedly, it would be kind of embarrassing to be sporting a tattoo in Japanese in Japan while not being Japanese.

[jesselt]

Originally Posted by MMM

Actually several people have changed their minds after things that I have said. A tattoo is not a t-shirt or even a piercing. It is a message, and if the message will not be conveyed correctly or has another meaning in a foreign language, then the person getting that message permanently inked on their body deserves to know that.

Someone recently asked about getting "Live for today" in Japanese on her body. I could have just given her the translation, but instead told her that phrase inked on your body reads like a deathwish "I want to only live today". It gets tricky when you try to "translate" cultural ideals into different languages because it is RARE that it means the intended meaning, especially when it comes to Japanese and other especially foreign languages from English.

I agree that they should know this, but I think that immediately starting by saying how stupid/trendy/ignorant/racist it is without knowing anything about the person is rude and pointless (not that you were doing this, I'm just saying.)