Kanji Name help.
 

Hello. I was wondering if i could get some help with the name Kim.

I would like to get a tattoo of it on my arm and i dont want it to be some bullshit like some people get.

I found something that i like but im not 100% certain its the correct kanji.

Kanji Name | Kim

Thats pretty much just what i want confirmed.

Thanks in advance.

Is it a surname or a forename? Is it a Korean or Western 'Kim'? Because that might affect what characters you'd use to make it legible and sensible. If it's 'Kim' as a western first name, for example, you'd have to use the characters キム or else it's like writing 'Andrew' as 'Andrea'. The cultural difference mucks it up.
The most obvious Korean/Japanese kanji versions seem to be 金 or 金武. I would recommend 金武 as being the better of the two as a tattoo, because 金 by itself can also just mean 'money' and would confuse the meaning of it as representing a name, but these both are surnames (family names) and not forenames (personal names). I searched a couple of japanese name sites for you, but 'Kim' does not seem to exist as a forename in Japanese.

So basically, the link you posted to me looks like obscure rubbish. It's Ok, but no one is going to read it and go "Ah, yes, 'Kim'." They will read it and think "'rejoice dream'? what?"

Thanks for the reply.

Its a Forname. Western. I dont really care if other people know what it means though i just dont want it do be something stupid.

It was my brothers name. He died 4 days ago. So its pretty much for myself and dont need others to know its meaning. But if it has nothing to do with the name Kim then i need to find something else.

But if it means Rejoice and dream but also Kim then i would be fine with it.

It had nothing to do with the name Kim; I don't recommend using it. The difficulty with western names is that they almost impossible to transcribe sensibly into kanji. I would try and think of something that closely relates to your brother instead of his name and work with that instead. Something he loved perhaps or that strongly reminds you of him; then if you still want it written in Japanese, come back and maybe someone can suggest something that would be appropriate.

Thanks alot for the help. I will find something else.

No problem. I hope you find something!

You could get the tattoo in a language your brother spoke, may he rest in peace.

This reminds me very much of a friend of mine at work who wanted the Initials of his close friends on his arm after he had some trauma and decided this was the best way to put something important to him into a permanant statement.

After explaining Japanese doesn't really do initials, he didn't understand.. he is the sort of Japanesespeaker who approaches the languages with a few anime and video game catch phrases with no idea how the grammar or alphabets work in practise, and ended up asking another friend who suggested he got them in katakana and wrote it out for him.

Now saying he wanted the initials A.S.C.A.K (I cannot remember the exact ones)
his arm now reads in katakana

ア．サ．カ．ア．カ

and everytime I see him I forget and ask what "asscack" or "asakaaka" is, and he doesn't know what I am on about then I remember why.

I don't understand why people would want Japanese tattoos when they don't understand Japanese or even really the basics of how the language works.

My condolances for your loss O.P, but as someone else suggested try think of something more relevant and IMHO also don't rush into a tattoo as a backlash gut reaction to the hurt you are feeling.

For some reason, it is a popular belief everything in one language can be literally translated to the smallest detail into another language. Grammatical and phonetic difference don't seem to cross their minds.

This is absolutely the best explanation and response I've ever seen. Do you mind if I start using something similar, but replacing "my friend" with "I know a guy whose friend"?

Edit Woah, I rolled over 1,000 posts.