Japanese Kanji Blog
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 …
Meanings of the 9 Armors Spirits for “Ronin Warriors”
03/11/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
In Japan, kanji are sometimes used as the symbols of virtues. 武士道(Bushido) for Samurai is very well-known one. And I received a question about the virtues in the Anime show today! I’m watching “Ronin Warriors (鎧伝サムライトルーパー)”. Is this English dub accurate? 仁, 義, 礼, 智, 信, 忠, 孝, 悌, 忍 virtue, justice, trust, wisdom, life, loyalty, piety, obedience, and serenity Hmmmm, unfortunately, they don’t seem to be accurate. First of all, I searched the same episode in the original language, Japanese, and I found out that they said nothing in that part. (+_+) Yeah…Japanese people enjoy the silence a lot. There were no words but the slow music and the …
Before Getting Tattoo: Is This Meaning of Kanji Correct?
03/06/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Kanji Tattoos are cool. But WAIT!! I strongly recommend that you make sure that your kanji is correct. Japanese language is super complicated and the info that you got could be a big misunderstanding. I’ve seen so many tragedies because of wrong info spread online. (-_-;) Well, I got a question about some kanji meanings from a follower who was researching kanji for the tattoo! I’m a tattoo artist. My friend wants to get “Warrior” and “Life” in Japanese kanji. But the kanji he showed me doesn’t seem to be right. Does this kanji mean “Warrior”? O M G ! Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ！ I’m VERY glad he contacted me before the ink …
Which Japanese kanji suits my Tattoo “Warrior”?
02/26/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Kanji contains a lot of meanings. So, we can say one thing with many different ways. However, when people translate Japanese into English, they usually pick some words without explanations of the details. That’s why, some info get lost so easily. (+_+) Well, that’s inevitable. Therefore, I bet many people have hard time to choose the kanji from the list of translations on the dictionary. Even I look up the answer sometimes! Today, I share the question from a follower about this type of situation. Thank you for contacting KansaiChick!(*’▽’) I need to pick the right kanji “Warrior” for my tattoo. What I want it to signify is I have …
Meanings of Kanji on Katana Sword in “The Last Samurai” 今古有神奉志士
01/08/2020 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hi there, Kanji fans! I received a question about the Japanese kanji on the katana sword! KansaiChick is here for help!(*’▽’)/ This kanji phrase is on the blade of the katana sword that I has just got. What does it mean? Nice! It looks new and clean. It says 今古有神奉志士. I looked up this phrase and I found out some info! Katana Sword with 今古有神奉志士 in “The Last Samurai” 今古有神奉志士 is the engraving on the Katana (Samurai Sword) in the movie “The Last Samurai (2003)”. In this movie, the Samurai 勝元(Katsumoto) explained about the meanings of this phrase. He gave this sword to Nathan before the final war and he …
Does My Signature Look Like a Japanese Kanji?
12/21/2019 Japanese Kanji Blog
Today I received a very different question from a follower. This is my signature(artist logo) I always write on my artwork. I think it looks like a Kanji. Do you know if there is a Kanji similar to this? She explained about her logo: The top of the image is the letter “K” for my first name, turned sideways. Underneath is the “T” from my last name. It also forms the letter “A” which represents my maiden name. Oh, that’s awesome!(*’▽’) And…OK, I see why you think it looks like a kanji. I can show a kanji character luckily! This Kanji Looks Similar to That Logo If I add one line …
Meanings of Kanji on A Katana Sword 3
12/15/2019 Japanese Kanji Blog
Hi there, Samurai fans! I received another question about the engraving on an old katana sword!Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ KansaiChick is here for help!(*’▽’)/ I’d like to find out what the markings on the blade mean. Let me see…oh, thank goodness, this one is clear enough for me to read everything!! It says, “相州住盛重”. How to Read Engravings on Samurai Swords Japanese people call this engravings 銘(mei). Usually the blacksmiths engrave their name, plus their brand name (faction / location). Sometimes we find the first owner’s name of the sword there as well. So, which is which? Ummm, that is the historian’s job to determine. However, even I can tell you one idea …
The Meaning of the Japanese Kanji on the Haikyu!! Sweatshirt
11/27/2019 Japanese Kanji Blog
My favorite volleyball anime show “Haikyu!!” is now available on Netflix! And I got a question about the symbol in the show. I found this symbol on the “Haikyu!!” sweatshirt. What does it mean? Thank you for your question! (*´▽｀*)☆ That’s is from the team banner of Karasuno high school! The Meanings of Karasuno’s Team Slogan In Japan, sport teams often own this kind of banner to cheer the team. Usually, volleyball teams hang those banners on the fence of the second floor in the gymnasium, which almost all schools have. I see “烏野高校男子バレーボール部OB会” in the bottom right corner. That means, team graduates donated this banner. The banner says 飛べ(tobe). …
