Tattoo’s weblog.

I just saw a Caucasian woman with a Chinese tattoo that says, ‘love birds’ in Chinese. But that’s what she thinks. When read in the Chinese context, it means either you love birds or and you are a bird lover! On the naughty side, it can also mean you love the male organ, you know, the reproductive one. If you don’t believe me, trying showing it to anyone in China or Taiwan.

So it is really crucial for Westerners who want to tattoo Chinese characters on their body to really know what it means and symbolize. The Chinese calligraphy may look impressive, especially when combined with a Chinese dragon tattoo, but get it wrong and you may be looking like a clown with a puzzle tattoo instead. And by the way, Chinese tattoos are not Japanese tattoos. Some characters may be the same, but most of them have different meanings in the different cultural context.

For those thinking of inking the Chinese characters tattoos, I would suggest consulting a Chinese speaking tattoo artist before the procedure. Unless you want to look like a victim of a practical joke, it’s better to get it right the first time because tattoos are permanent and removal can be painful. Chinese tattoos with just the characters or writing alone can look quite boring unless the calligraphy is done tastefully, which is rare unless the tattoo artist is trained to write and have practiced Chinese calligraphy for a period of time.

I would suggest combining it with Chinese symbols to give a better impact. The Chinese phoenix tattoo is a very powerful symbol for women and the Chinese dragon is a good one for men. Both are mystical creatures from Heaven and symbolize power and luck. If you are more ambitious, you can put all the twelve Zodiac tattoo signs on your back. But you better be tall for this project.

If you want a list of Chinese characters and their meanings, you can visit and download the Chinese Tattoos for free at our website listed below.

Ong Hui Woo
Chinese Tattoos
http://www.miluping.com/chinese_tattoo_characters

Tags: character, chinese, symbols, tattooscharacter, chinese, symbols, tattoos

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A lot of Western people love to get their names in Japanese, especially with the Japanese script called, Kanji. But, we also use 2 other Japanese scripts called Hiragana and Katakana to write names in Japanese.

So, which script is the best one to use?
It depends on a type of name, and your choice!

You know, although the majority of Japanese people have their names in Kanji, some people have their names written in Hiragana or Katakana.

How about writing English names in Japanese?

We usually write English names by using the Japanese Katakana Script.
Because Katakana is usually used for writing non-Japanese words which have been introduced into the Japanese language. For example, if you go to a McDonald in Japan, you will see its names in Katakana.

So, Can’t we use Kanji or Hiragana to write English names in Japanese?

Yes, you can.
As I said, a lot of Western people prefer to have their names in Kanji. In fact, there are many western people have their name in Kanji, especially those who live in Japan.
So, although we usually write English names with Katakana script, there is no strict rule that you cannot use either Kanji or Hiragana.

Take a look at the example of Aileen in Kanji, and this is written by using 2 Kanji characters which literally means “Love and Bell”.

This applies to another example I gave you - a famous Japanese Surname called “Ya Ma Da”, and literally means “Mountain field”

However, the Japanese people don’t think of them in this way at all.
Names are always known as names not meaning.

Then, how names are translated in Japanese?

The Japanese Name Translation is usually done by using the phonetic Translation.
It means that a suitable Japanese character is allocated by the sound of names.
There are roughly about 47 Katakana and Hiragana character.
So, to write names in either Katakana and Hiragna, We pick the one that has got that sound.

But, with Kanji scripts, there are too many characters to apply for names, so, it is far more complex than that.

With Kanji Scripts, there are 2 ways of reading in Japanese.
The Kunyomi and the Onyomi.
The onyomi has developed from the original Chinese pronunciation but
over the centuries it has been adapted to and become part of the Japanese language.
On the other hand, the kunyomi is native Japanese word.

To write names, we use both kunyomi and Onyomi reading.
But, English names are usually translated with Onyomi reading, and if the sound of onyomi reading of a kanji character is the same as the sound of your name, its kanji character is allocated.

So, say if your name is “Tom” which has got 2 different sound parts. “To” “Me”, and whatever the kanji which has got the onyomi reading of each sound is allocated.

But, there are also many kanji characters that has got exactly the same onyomi reading.
So, there can be many different ways to write names in Kanji.

For more information about writting Japanese name, please see the following site:
How to Write your English Name in Japanese

Takanori Tomita, a Japanese translator who is specializing in Japanese symbols.
He lives in Tokyo, Japan.
This article is (c) Takanori Tomita 2006. Permission is given to reproduce this article in whole with the URLs correctly hyperlinked.

Tags: design, Japanese, kanji, name, symbols, tattoodesign, Japanese, kanji, name, symbols, tattoo

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Teenagers who are afraid to get a flu shot from the doctor
will sit for hours on a table and allow a stranger to
pierce their skin repeatedly until a muti-colored
picture emerges on their skin. The skin is swollen
red and painful but the teen emerges from this
operation with a smile and a feeling of pride?

Big strong men who refuse to go to a doctor for
a checkup medication will allow an unknown
person to use a needle to inject ink on to their
skin for hours. Sometimes this ink is
projected on very personal parts of the body.
They leave the little tattoo shop beaming and
proud.

What is the allure of enduring hours of pain in order to
get a picture of your soon to be ex-girlfriend on you arm.
The process will have to be repeated to change the name
from Carla to Paula and then perhaps back again.

The purpose of getting a tattoo is as diverse as
the symbols, signs and pictures that are available
to adorn the body. At one time tattoos provided
a non-status symbol for the radical members of
society, hippies, motorcycle riders and prostitutes.
The tattoo kept them apart from mainstream
society.

On August 1, 1981, television changed forever.
MTV devoted an entire cable network to a combination
of music and video. MTV showcased musicians who
were sporting tattoos. MTV exploded and so did
the tattoo industry.

Tattoos have now became mainstream. People from all walks of
life wanted a tattoo. Everyone wanted to be
have a mark. Teenagers were allowed to get tattoos.
Businessmen took off their shirts and got symbols
or their favorite cartoon characters. Lawyers
and doctors marked themselves with the symbols
of their profession.

The reason for the need to have tattoos may
be less to do with being rebellious and stepping outside
the established status quo as it is an
ancient custom that is older than the modern craft of
body art.

Human have an intrinsic need to express themselves.
If you have artistic talent you can express your
thoughts and feeling using traditional methods.
You can write a song, or write poetry. If you have
a lot to say you may even write a book. Artist must
Draw or paint to showcase their feelings. But if you
have feelings or needs that you can not communicate
in the standard formats, you may find the need to tell
the world about you, your thoughts or ideas
via a tattoo.

The act of getting a tattoo may be even more than the
need of self expression. Some cultures believe
Tattoos have magical powers. Other think that
Tattoos offer protection against evil, sickness and
Misfortune. In African cultures tattoos are used
In some fertility rites

It is claimed that the art of putting symbols and
pictures on the body existed 12,000 years
BC. It is believed that The Egyptians created
the art of tattooing. The theory is that Egyptians
believed that amulets for protection. The
Permanent protection that could not be lost
Or stolen was a permanent adornment of the
Body that today we refer to as a tattoo.
protect them from evil. To insure the
protection from the Gods the tattoo became
a permanent adornment of the body.
Although the word tattoo comes
From the Tahitian “tatu” which means to
Mark something

There are cultures that use tattoos as part of
fertility rites, tattoos are thought to have
magical and religious significance in these cultures.

The word tattoo comes from the Tahitian “tatu”
which means “to mark something.”

For more information on tattoos to include what to look for in a tattoo shop, how to pick the perfect tattoo design and how to choose the best tattoo parlor try visiting Tattoo-Shops.info

Tags: adorn the body, getting a tattoo, ink, mark, needle, pictures, signs, symbols, tattoo, tattoo shopadorn the body, getting a tattoo, ink, mark, needle, pictures, signs, symbols, tattoo, tattoo shop

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