Japanese Language/Kanji Symbol

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Expert: Dreams - 7/14/2009


Question

Little Sister?
I have a tattoo on my arm of a kanji symbol of what i thought meant little sister. I found out after that it is the english translation of it.. I was wondering if you could tell me if there was any hope of me getting it corrected?

Answer
Hello,

What it appears to me is that it is in fact the word 少妹 (shoumai - "little sister"), but the two symbols are reversed. It also seems to be written in rather sloppy sousho (Japanese cursive). As it is, the tattoo does not appear all that recognizable as much of anything.

I cannot advise much on how to get it corrected, because it may be difficult. If you scroll through this page (http://www.gokanji.com/cgi-bin/j-e/inline/dosearch?sDict=on&H=PW&L=E&T=sister), you will find other terms meaning "little/younger sister". My hope is that if you show some of these words to a tattoo artist, they may be able to compare them to your tattoo and artistically work something out. Please note that the terms are not written in the cursive style.

Best wishes,
Dreams

Dreams

Expertise

I have been teaching myself the language for the past seven years, having consistent practice with Japanese materials. I can help translate things from English to Japanese or vice versa. I can also help you get started if you're planning on taking up the language. =) I'm most familiar with things like anime, manga, J-pop, games and so on.

Experience

I began learning the language in 1999. I frequently talk with penpals and natives in Japan, as well as continually keep up practicing with authentic Japanese materials.

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