Japanese Kanji Blog
Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 5
07/14/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hello again, Samurai fans! I received a new question about the kanji on an old katana sword! (*’▽’)/ Maybe you can help me translate the mei on a tang. There is also a small note on the saya. First of all, let me tell everyone about some Japanese words that katana sword owner is using. “銘(mei)” is the engraving that blacksmiths curve their address, name, date, and so on when he created the swords and things. Then, “鞘(saya)” means “Sheath” in Japanese. Well….(＠_＠;)))) …Oh, no. I’m so sorry but I can NOT read the mei…! The engraving is not clear and it’s not close enough to today’s Japanese kanji that …
Japanese Kanji on Correlation Diagram: KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR
07/10/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Do you watch the Anime show “KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR(かぐや様は告らせたい？)”? Today I’ll answer an interesting question from the follower! I’d like to know the meaning of the Japanese kanji on this diagram of relationships between Kaguya and the Shirogane family.(Season 2, Episode 10) OMG, this is cute. I don’t know this show but now I’m very interested in it.(*’▽’) OK, this follower knows Japanese Hiragana script, so he needs help only for kanji but I’ll explain whole thing for other fans. The Relationship between Kaguya and Shirogane Family Let’s see Kaguya first. There are no arrows from Kaguya to the Shirogane family. So, we can see how the Shirogane family …
How to Read the Kanji on a Souvenir from Japan 3
07/06/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Japanese paper lanterns(提灯: chouchin/chochin) are so beautiful. We can see them as decorations for stores or festivals usually. Chochin lantern making seems to be a popular thing to do in Japan! (*’▽’)/ I received a question about the kanji on chouchin. I made a chochin lantern in Japan. Mine is the right one in the first photo. There was a keychain pendant in a gift box from the chochin maker. What do their kanji words mean? Wow! You did an amazing job! This is one of the Japanese traditional fonts. It’s super bold and cool I think. Kanji on a Souvenir from Japan: Chouchin Lantern Your chouchin says “福神(fukujin)”. That’s …
How to Read the Kanji on a Souvenir from Japan 2
06/29/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Shrines and temples are the popular spot for sightseeing in Japan. Usually you can get special souvenirs around the big and famous ones. Take a look at this! I received a question from a follower about this cute little 鳥居(torii) gate this time. (*’▽’)/ This small torii gate is from Fushimi Inari Taisha. The seller wrote something on it for us. What do they mean? 伊智(Ichi) is supposed to be my name in Japanese kanji. At Nara Tourist Center, they helped me to decide my Japanese name. Nice! Fushimi Inari Taisha is known for these red gates paths! I bet so many people have ever seen the picture of them. How …
How to Read the Kanji on a Souvenir from Japan 1
06/26/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Japan is one of the attractive travel destinations. But it’s very tough to read the Japanese kanji on the souvenirs from the trip! (+_+) So, KansaiChick is here for help! (*’▽’)/ These two pictures are the front and the back of one envelope. What do the kanji letters mean? I got it from a friend who doesn’t know what it is. My assumption is that is from a temple and maybe it’s used as a package for an omamori. OK! As you say, this is the envelope from the temple. At the temples and shrines, anybody can receive the amulets and the other items, for the votive money. They use …
Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 4
06/18/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hello again, Samurai fans! I received another question about the engraving on an old katana sword! (*’▽’)/ Let’s see the katana sword! I’d like to find out where these amazing pieces of craftsmanship are from. OK, let me see…. ((( @_@) I see the second picture says “藤原清人作”! Then, the third picture says…文久…二? 年? 八月…目? or 日?? Hmmm, it’s tough to tell from the photo, but I got the basic idea!(*’▽’)/ The Meaning of the First Engraving on this Samurai Sword Let’s talk about “藤原清人作” first! 藤原(Fujiwara) is a Japanese family name that exists even today, so I can tell this part says somebody’s name clearly. When you see a …
Japanese Kanji Joke in Anime: Charmy’s Sleeping Sheep’s One Hit “Black Clover” Part 2
06/15/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hi, Black Clover fans! I got a question about kanji in Episode 28! The big battle vs Vetto is going on there, and Charmy showed her super move “Sleeping Sheep’s Hit” again. When Charmy used her power in Ep.48, the third punch was translated differently from the last time. It didn’t say “Three hit” or “Tragedy”, but they say “Dispersion”. Do you have any insight about this? Wow! You noticed the details! I don’t think that many people catch the difference, but indeed there is the Japanese kanji joke seems to be here as you noticed! Here is the link to the blog post about the first use. Japanese Kanji Joke …
Sword Art Online 2: How to Write the Word in Japanese Kanji
06/10/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Kanji fans sometimes want to write some words in kanji. But it’s not easy to look up the kanji that has the correct meanings, images, and sounds. Today, I’d like to share the question from a follower who wants to figure out how to write “Storm Sword” in Japanese kanji. I want to get kanji about “storm sword”, as the sword I choose the kanji for “Zekken (Absolute Sword)” like the one in anime “Sword Art Online 2”. Is “arashi no zekken” can be written with kanji “arashi(storm)”, hiragana “no”, and kanji “zekken”?? Oh, you know a lot about Japanese! What you are saying sounds very right. Zekken in Japanese …
Japanese Kanji on the Sheath of Katana Sword
05/18/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hi there, Kanji fans! I received a question about the Japanese kanji on the sheath(saya) of the katana sword today! KansaiChick is here for help!(*’▽’)/ Can you help me with the meaning of these two kanji (archaic, I believe) in the saya of my katana? Oh, I see! Even in Japan, we don’t see this kanji today. As the owner of this katana says, the kanji “戰” is the old character form of today’s “戦”. So, “戰い” and “戦い” are the same things. 戦い(tatakai) means “Fight”, “Battle”, “(small) war” and so on. Usually Japanese samurai sword blacksmiths engrave only Kanji and Katakana script on their works if necessary. But we …
Giving a Japanese Kanji Name to an Original Character
05/01/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hello, Kanji Fans! We see many Kanji names in Japanese books and shows. Then sometimes those name contains a lot of meanings, and even they may related to the secret of the story. Today, I’d like to share an interesting question from a follower about giving an original Japanese kanji name! My friend and I are writing a web-novel. We’ve been trying to name our four main characters in the story using proper Kanji and pronunciation. We know many of these names are probably not normal Japanese names. If you have a moment, we’d appreciate your assistance. Cool! You are writing a web-novel! (*’▽’)☆ OK, let me take a look …
