| Author | Message | ||
     CR Reid |
I 'met' a gorgeous (and enormous) dog in the park the other day- I noticed kanji characters on his collar and asked the dog's owner what they meant. I didn't catch what the owner said in Japanese, but she translated it to "Cheerful Mountain' in english. Would someone be so kind as to translate the dog's name back to Japanese (pronunciation tips would be great, also) for me please? | ||
| CR Reid |
Searching around the internet, I found this: 陽気な山 for 'cheerful mountain' but it doesn't looks quite as I remember it- dialectic difference? And, of course, I still don't know how to pronounce it! I think I'm actually more lost now than I was when I started! | ||
| Kyle G. |
wow, i only got about half way down and i'm already annoyed. most of you just assume that anything can be translated letter for letter into Japanese! first of all, kanji is ideographic, not syllabic, so any non-Japanese name wouldn't make any sense because it would be translated based on sound, not meaning. second of all, most of the things you ppl are asking for would never show up together in any Japanese text. If you really want a tattoo get something that means something to you, treat it as if it were written in english. do you realize just how stupid a Japanese person would think you are for completely destroying ther language because you think it's cool to have basically anything inked permanently to your body as long as it's in some sort of Japanese writing? shame on all of you (except Mr. Anonymous who has had the patience to deal with you all). and last but not least, culture is a major part of any language; that means that many everyday english words, phrases, and other things (such as zodiac signs) can't be translated into Japanese without losing all meaning. Do some research on Japanese culture, find something that means something to you, and if you still want a tattoo, get that done. | ||
| Kyle G. |
my apologies, it seems that my previous post was posted in the wrong thread. | ||
| Anonymous |
Kyle, I feel the same way, too -- but then, the Japanese have done a tremendous job trashing English. And they themselves don't know that. It is only recently with a growing number of bilingual Japanese in Japan that English has begun to be spoken the way it should. (Not there yet, though.) I'm an old-timer who have witnessed English being used in Japan since the 1960's and in my youth wailed and moaned over the abuse. I have mellowed and decided that whatever way it is, it is nice for people to take interest in things Japanese. Sooner or later, some of them will really study all the way and achieve great understanding of the language and culture -- maybe even better than the Japanese themselves. Still, it's people like you who will work as the brake to cool people down and try to see things in perspective. As for the dog, I have no idea. The dog is probably a purebred of some kind and was given a grandiose name in kanji -- since most pet dogs in Japan have English or English-like names like John and Mimi. My guess: 喜山(kizan) or 陽山(youzan) Hope this helps. | ||
| info |
The dogfight was very popular in Japan before the emergence of animal protection movement and fighting dogs carried grandiose names like sumo wrestlers. Though I am not sure, the name of 陽山(youzan) evokes it. | ||
| Anonymous |
Yes, I think so. I kept thinking about the dog all day!! I checked and maybe (if it is a Japanese dog) it is an Akita (dog native of Akita Prefecture), which weighs about 50kg when full grown. |