Five Must-Knows When Getting a Kanji Tattoo

Japanese tattoos are cool. But if a personal translator is out of your league how can you avoid becoming a kanji fashion victim and get stuck with a tattoo you will really regret?

1. Know the difference ? hiragana, katakana and kanji

Before you talk to your tattoo artist, make sure you know what you are talking about. You say you want a Japanese tattoo, but what do you know about Japanese characters? You need a quick stint in 2-minute Japanese boot camp.

First off, let's be clear that there is no Japanese "alphabet". There are three sets of Japanese characters ? hiragana, katakana and kanji ? and each group has its own history, function and style. Get your head around these facts and you will already know more than 99% of the people walking around with Japanese tattoos right now:

Hiragana ? These simple, rounded characters represent sounds, but have no independent meaning. They were developed by women in the Heian period and are still considered feminine by Japanese people.

Katakana ? Developed by Buddhist monks around the same time as hiragana, these are simple, angular characters that also represent sounds and have no meaning of their own. You saw them cascading down the screen in Matrix (although they were backwards!)

Kanji ? Originally from China, these characters are like pictures, representing a meaning and also several different sounds depending on the situation.

Just reading this has probably given you an idea of which style you might like for your tattoo ? but don't stop just yet! Now you know what kinds of Japanese characters there are, let's move on to?

2. Writing styles

Come a bit closer. Lean forward towards the screen. That's right. Now, look at the words in front of you. Take a good, close look at the shapes of these letters. OK? Now tell me honestly: Would you want a tattoo in Times New Roman? How about Tahoma? What's that? You don't want a tattoo by Canon or Epson? Sure you don't. And in the same way, you don't want to have your Japanese tattoo looking like a printout either!

So, now we move on to writing styles. Just like there are three kinds of Japanese characters, there are also three ways they can be written. Don't worry. This is easy! I know, you are thinking that you can't even read Japanese, so how on earth will you be able to recognize these different styles? Well, try this:

Kaisho ? Block letters. You learned to write your ABCs like this, and Japanese kids learn to write their characters in just the same way: Like a Volvo ? boxy but good.

Gyousho ? Cursive letters. You moved up to middle school and learned you could write faster by letting the parts of some letters flow into the next. Yes, you guessed it - the Japanese do the same thing, and they call it gyousho.

Sousho ? Super-cursive letters. Ever seen a prescription from a doctor? Then you know what sousho is like in Japanese: Sure, the writer or some other trained person can (probably) read it, but no one else has a clue what it says!

Are you getting the picture? If you want to look like a computer printout, then be my guest and go for the kaisho style. That's your choice. But I think you probably want to use either gyousho or sousho for your tattoo. My personal preference would be gyousho: It's stylish, but it won't leave even native speakers baffled.

3. Real or fake?

Remember I mentioned Mel C at the beginning? Well guess what kanji she got tattooed on her arm? That's right ? "Girl Power": Great in English, but show this kanji combination to most Japanese people and you'll get a blank look at best. Want a worse example? Try "big daddy". Now, you know what it means in English, but put it into kanji and you end up with "large father"! It just doesn't work.

I'm sure you remember that kanji are the only characters that have meaning as well as sound. And their beauty means that they are what most people want for their tattoos. But watch out: As well as being popular, they can also be the most dangerous!

Let's see if we can find a pattern here: Look carefully at the examples above. What are they communicating - concrete concepts or abstract ideas? Can you see the difficulty the translators had? The kanji for "dragon", "samurai", "love" or any other concrete ideas are pretty easy to discover. But go for anything with an idiomatic meaning and whoever is trying to help you translate it is going to get a major headache!

Just an idea, but how about this suggestion: Rather than trying to force a round English peg into a square Japanese hole, why not find a real Japanese phrase that you like and get that instead? Bushidou (the Way of the Warrior) and Ninjutsu (The Art of Stealth) are two good examples of real Japanese terms that would make great tattoos.

4. Your name in Japanese

As I'm sure you remember from 2-minute Japanese boot camp, katakana are the characters usually used to write foreign words and names. So, if you want to get a tattoo of your name, technically these would be the characters you would choose. But I am guessing that, like most people, you want your name written in kanji.

Do a quick search on Google and you can find a number of sites that specialize in translating names into kanji. Basically there are two different methods that these sites use, so let's look at them here.

Translating the meaning

This method involves finding out the original meaning of the English name, and then researching the kanji equivalent.

For example, my name has its origins in Greek and means "crowned one". The one who is crowned is the king, so I could translate my name into the kanji for king and call myself ohsama. (Perhaps a little pretentious ? and disturbingly similar to Mr. Bin Laden's first name!)

Translating the sound

This is a lot more difficult! Flick through a dictionary and you will find a bunch of kanji that can be combined to sound like your name. But sound isn't everything: Remember that kanji have meaning as well. In fact, it is even more complex than this! Be sure to check each of the following factors with anyone who translates your name like using this method:

1. Sound ? Does it sound like your name or not? I have seen my name "translated" on certain websites to sound like Stefan. Shame my name (Stephen) is actually said the same as Steven!

2. On-yomi and kun-yomi ? Yes, more technical words! But don't panic ? they are easy to understand: Basically, kanji have two kinds of reading. One kind, on-yomi, is their original Chinese sound. The other, kun-yomi, is their Japanese-only sound. What to watch is that (like oil and water) on-yomi and kun-yomi don't mix. Use either all on-yomi reading or all kun-yomi readings to make the sound of your name.

3. Meaning ? Do the kanji have a good meaning together? Now, it can be very difficult to find kanji that sound right and have a good meaning, so you may need to compromise a little on one of these.

4. Masculine or feminine ? I guess this is more like a sub-category of meaning, but it is something you need to check out to avoid embarrassment. For example, while "Asian Beauty" may be a great combination for a woman, I get the feeling most men would not be too happy about having that permanently written into their skin!

5. If in doubt, check!

First, use your new-found knowledge of Japanese to ask a few difficult questions to your tattoo artist or kanji "specialist". If you get the feeling they don't know what they are talking about, you probably want to look elsewhere.

Next, before you get anything permanent done, use an online dictionary to check whether the Japanese really means what you want it to. You may not be able to input Japanese yourself, but you can copy and paste characters from an email or web page and see what they mean.

Finally, if you are lucky enough to know any, ask a Japanese person what they think. Their confused expression may tell you that you have come up with another "big daddy"!

Follow this advice and you will avoid the most dangerous pitfalls of Japanese tattoos and get a kanji tattoo you can be proud of.

Stephen Munday lives in Japan and is the creator of http://www.japanese-name-translation.com/, where you can download images of over 2,200 names in kanji or have a unique phrase translated into Japanese for a tattoo.

---

The Skys the Limit when it Comes to Buying Sunglasses Online

There is a never ending supply of quality sunglasses options... Read More

Sunglasses; Function Doesnt Have to be Ugly

There are many reasons that we wear sunglasses. They keep... Read More

Finding The Fashion Youre Comfortable With

Fashion is not only what we wear, it is also... Read More

Which Type of Handbag Suits Your Body Type?

Over the past year, handbags have quickly become the most... Read More

Your Wild and Crazy Side with Zombie Contact Lenses

Zombie contact lenses are a whole new concept in the... Read More

What to Wear: Summer Dressing in a Business Environment

Choosing appropriate clothing for the business environment can be challenging... Read More

Casual Dressing: What to Wear

Is your casual wardrobe working for you? Dressing casually does... Read More

An Introduction to Lapel Pins

Lapel pins are not just jewelry; they are a way... Read More

Dolphin Jewelry Promotes Environmental Awareness

"And when the day comes that we can communicate intelligently... Read More

The Ring - Step Back in History

The popularity of rings increased during the medieval period. People... Read More

Bra and Panties ? Reassess Your Intimates Before Fall

There is a great chance that you forgot to do... Read More

The Brand of Ugg!

There are few trends that last longer than one season.... Read More

A Cigar Box Purse or Handbag is a Unique Fashion Accessory With a Touch of Old World Charm

There's an unmistakable charm about a cigar box purse or... Read More

Fedoras & Floppy Hats - Hot Hot Hot for 2005 & 2006

For those of you that love hats you'll be in... Read More

Oakley Sunglasses! A Global Brand That Defines The True Meaning Of ?Vision?

It's amazing that it has been 30 years since the... Read More

Pretty in Pink Contact Lenses

Want a different eye color than the one you were... Read More

Stylin? Safety Glasses Are Hot to Look At

What do you think of when you hear the words... Read More

Why Weight Train During Pregnancy?

There was once a time that a pregnant woman was... Read More

Leather Jewelry - a Touch of Forbidden (and Friendship)

Most people will agree that leather jewelry is great. Whether... Read More

Anklets Ahoy!

"Hail to that foot of the lusty beloved which hits... Read More

Ten of the Most Famous Diamonds and Who Owns Them

There are more than three hundred fifty named diamonds famous... Read More

Cat Jewelry: Freeing the Inner Feline

"Cats are possessed of a shy, retiring nature, cajoling, haughty,... Read More

Lingerie as Fashion Statement

When Madonna first wore her sexy underwear as outerwear our... Read More

Guess Handbags Are A Popular Fashion Accessory!

Guess is a widely recognized brand name that most people... Read More

Fashion with a Conscience

While wristbands have become a fashionable way to show our... Read More

Turquoise Necklace Facts and Beliefs

'Pieces of sky.' That's how turquoise was called by some... Read More

Sterling Silver Jewelry Fashion Trends for the New Year and Beyond

Each year, on fashion runways from New York to Paris,... Read More

The Mindful Shopper: Learning From Your Trendy Mistakes

Are you a fashion trend-watcher?Do you spend a lot of... Read More

Eyewear Lens Technology Makes Wearing Eyewear a Pleasant and Fashionable Experience

Modern eyewear technology gives more eyewear lenses and eyewear frame... Read More

Discovering the Amazing Secret Benefits of Womens Shoes

I love womens shoes and in my lifetime will never... Read More

Freshwater Pearl Necklace Sets Foundation for the Perfect Look

Have you been searching for that certain piece of jewelry... Read More

The New Wedding Band Styles

You've decided to tie the knot and now you've got... Read More

How Body Piercing Works

An impressive number of people around the world have body... Read More