Japanese Kanji Translation Don't Let Your Kanji Tattoo
Get Lost in Translation
There are many words in English which can be translated into kanji symbols. Kanji is just one of three different Japanese scripts. Although certain English words can have a slightly different meaning in Japanese or simply not translate accurately at all. Often a word or phrase can mean something completely different when translated literally into Japanese.My friend and business partner Takanori relates a story about a man who got an incorrectly translated Japanese kanji symbol for his tattoo. He tells this unfortunate story about this American guy who met a mutual Japanese friend at a party some time ago. 
They struck up a conversation and while they were talking he happened to mention that he went to Japan because he had been interested in traditional Japanese culture most of his life. While he was boasting about his love for all things Japanese he revealed to her the Japanese symbols tattooed on his arm to prove his point. He said with great pride in his voice that his tattoo meant Wind God in Japanese. After a quick look at his tattoo she broke the news to him that the symbols actually mean Lady in Japanese, not Wind God as he wrongly believed. He was absolutely convinced he had gotten an accurate translation but to a native Japanese speaker it was glaringly obvious. He was absolutely crestfallen as she explained to him that the Japanese words for Wind God is Fujin. The symbols he should have used were:  But the actual words he had tattooed on his arm were:  This means Lady, but is also pronounced Fujin. Apparently he had used a FREE Japanese translation service on the Internet. He just typed the word Fujin into the free software and the kanji symbols for lady came back. Because he had absolutely zero understanding of Kanji symbols he just accepted it without question as being accurate. I don't advise going around boasting how much you love Japanese culture with a Japanese kanji symbol tattoo which means something completely different to what you had intended. To me there is a bit of a difference between a Wind God and a Lady. Perhaps what the guy really wanted was a cross-dressing guy who blows. Who knows?  Looking for an accurate translation for your kanji tattoo?
My friend Takanori Tomita, can do a 100% accurate translation for you in no time. He is native speaker of Japanese and fluent speaker and writer of English. He has literally translated thousands of words for kanji tattoos. It turns out that these embarrassing examples are much more common than previously thought. Much of the Japanese tattoo flash in tattoo studios is actually generated by using these free online translation services. It is estimated that a substantial percentage of these are completely wrong and that there are lots of people floating around with potentially highly embarrassing tattoos on their bodies. Ignorance most definitely is NOT bliss when it comes to tattoos. I'm not too sure about you but I don't want to be going around for the rest of my life with a mistake on my body. I think I'll go with the advice of my good friend Takanori so that I am certain of getting an accurate translation if I ever consider getting another kanji tattoo. He will even teach you some basic Japanese for free while you are at it! Get Your Japanese Kanji Tattoo Translated Accurately by Takanori
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