christian samurai

Japanese translation: クリスチャン侍

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:christian samurai
Japanese translation:クリスチャン侍
Entered by: Katsunori Higuchi

14:14 Jul 6, 2004
English to Japanese translations [PRO]
Religion
English term or phrase: christian samurai
I wish to have this made into a tattoo, so I need not only the transalation, but the actual characters as well. Please. Thank you.

John Miller
John Miller
クリスチャン侍
Explanation:
In this case , if christian means someone who has Christianity in mind , "クリスチャン” is a popular way of expression. And a samurai is a famous Japanese English. One of the expression is "侍". The meaning of christian samurai is a samurai who has the mind of a christian.
Selected response from:

Katsunori Higuchi
Japan
Local time: 03:42
Grading comment
Thank you for help, I greatly appreciate it. I believe this is the concept that I was going for. Again, thank you so very much.

John
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3クリスチャン侍
Katsunori Higuchi
4See my comment
Mike Maynerich
3 -1切支丹侍
Kasuka
1 -2変な外人
Minmax


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5 peer agreement (net): -2
変な外人


Explanation:
変な外人

Minmax
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Mike Maynerich: 人の中傷は止めましょう。
2 hrs

neutral  Kurt Hammond: Hahahaha. this is funny :-) Mr. Miller - do not choose this answer no matter what.
2 hrs

disagree  Will Matter: "Hen na gaijin" doesn't mean "Christian Samurai" and you KNOW it. Deliberately posting wrong answers is a violation of KudoZ rules, the spirit of this site and an offense to those of us who attempt to provide assistance to those who need it.
6 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
クリスチャン侍


Explanation:
In this case , if christian means someone who has Christianity in mind , "クリスチャン” is a popular way of expression. And a samurai is a famous Japanese English. One of the expression is "侍". The meaning of christian samurai is a samurai who has the mind of a christian.

Katsunori Higuchi
Japan
Local time: 03:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you for help, I greatly appreciate it. I believe this is the concept that I was going for. Again, thank you so very much.

John

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mike Maynerich: そうですね。日本語としては頭を傾げますが、これになりますよね。
1 hr
  -> Thanks

agree  Kurt Hammond: It doesn't make much sense, but this is what it would be. The phrase is rather odd to a Japanese speaker. To get an understanding, Imagine an Asian with a tattoo that said "Buddhist Cowboy" in English??
2 hrs
  -> Thanks

agree  Will Matter: this is technically correct.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
切支丹侍


Explanation:
First of all, we strongly want you to refrain from tattooing in Japanese.
You have no right to tattoo in Japanese if you have to ask someone about it.

There are several reasons.

Many of the Japanese phrases which you came across or will are probably fakes which were made up by mere learners of Japanese or Japanophiles like you.
Even if the phrases were made by real Japanese, they will not always answer your expectation.
For example, "切支丹" for "Christian" is the word which was deeply influenced by the claim of the xenophobic goverment of the premodern Japan who claimed "Christians should be slashed to death".
"変な外人" (weird foreigner), Minmax said, is an aphorism to you, and many Japanophiles.

There is a problem also on the part of Japanese.
Calligraphy is popular also in Japan, but most of the Japanese calligraphers abandon the modern Japanese and escape into classics because the writing system of the modern Japanese is the mixture of the three sets of characters and is hard to harmonize into an artistic work.
Most of the Japanese letters which we see are commercial letterings now.
Tattooing in Japanese is equal to staining your body with the dust of commercialism, contrarily to your noble belief.

Using Japanese means entrusting an evaluation to Japanese people unconditionally because Japanese is the native culture which is spoken nowhere but in Japan.
You could confuse your friends, but some Japanese will laugh at you for your mistakes.

Do not get angry, we only want no more to feel bad any longer by using Japanese.

Kasuka
Local time: 03:42
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Mike Maynerich: Strong comment but I must say I agree with your basic point here. 切支丹もキリシタンもちょっとネガティブな意味合いがありますよね、時代劇の見過ぎや田舎育ちの現れかも知れませんが。でも仰る通りです。
7 mins

neutral  Kurt Hammond: While i see a lot of Japanese character tattoos these days, I hardly every see a Japanese with tattoos. I wonder where this craze got started. Kanji do look cool, but still.
27 mins

disagree  Will Matter: this answer carries strong and disagreeable cultural overtones that the asker may not be aware of and would do well to avoid.
1 day 18 mins
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
See my comment


Explanation:
Hi John. This will look strange in Japanese because this concept itself is odd. If you insist to have this, then I would go with what Mr Higuchi has put. The term "Samurai" also carries different nuances to non-Japanese people, and 武士 may also be what you are thinking of, and this means Japanese warrior (incl Samurai).

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Note added at 9 hrs 5 mins (2004-07-06 23:19:55 GMT)
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To Mr Matter:
Mr Kasuka does make strong statements, as I said. He certainly could have couched it better but everything he says is essentially true. I will admit that, living in Manhattan, I have seen many non-sensical Japanese tattoos and cracked up laughing at some of them. Many people get tattoos just because it¥'s cool, and superficial people like that are not interested in its historical and cultural significance, and these people chance being laughed at. Live and learn, I say. Anyways, ¥"Kurisuchan¥" is the word the Asker should use, if any. ¥"Kirishitan¥" has very negative connotations.

Mike Maynerich
Japan
Local time: 03:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Will Matter: agree that 'Kurisuchan' is a better choice than 'Kirishitan', the nuance of the ateji is unpleasant.
8 hrs
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