[OmqMZtkv]

Well thats my first post on this nice board!
maybe a gonna start with introduceing myself:
i am a 19 y/o kendoka from germany and i got my 6th kyu.
ok i am male and my hobbies (expect kendo) are listening to music meet friends and stuff.

ok the reasson i started that threat is becouse i am looking for the kanji for "ki"
like in "Ki Ken Tai Ichi" my problem is that my computer cant read kanjis so i may need a .jpg or .gif file
the reason i am searching for this is that i may get a tatoo on my right arm where that kanji should be in

ehm thanks for reading and thanks for your help!

[mikeydesignzinc]

If you can spell the word correctly then an excellent resource for finding kanji is kantango.com. Actually it is a great Japanese to English dictionary for anyone. Then once you know the kanji, you can just image search on google for one that looks more pretty in terms of the caligraphy aspect of it versus kantango's very blocky/computer text style looking writing style.

[Peptobismol]

i really thank you for your fast help and i came up with a caligraphy of my favorite shop:
http://www.kendo24.com/index.php?eID...3318bd85cdfd31
and i may use that one.

*edit*
i will build up the image of my future tatoo and upload it so you could commend it and say something about it. like how you like my idea

[Chito]

Did you guys not read his post?

The only thing I can say is DO NOT GET A TATTOO. Especially one with something you don't even understand.

Please I know Germans aren't known for intelligent tattoos, but seriously. If you plan to practice kendo, and possibly come to Japan, lay off the ink.

[Mr_White]

its not that i want to run to the next tatoo shop, its more like an idea wich i came up a few weeks ago and i just am trying to find a design i like now and if i still like the design of the tatoo in a year or two i will think of doing it. right now i just think of designing it.

[JeremyBalll]

Getting a tattoo of a kanji that the artist does not understand and does not know how to draw is just asking for laughter when someone sees it who does know the kanji and how to draw it.

its not that i want to run to the next tatoo shop, its more like an idea wich i came up a few weeks ago and i just am trying to find a design i like now and if i still like the design of the tatoo in a year or two i will think of doing it. right now i just think of designing it.

[auctionlover]

I would say that you should reconsider getting that type of tattoo. Think about some Japanese person getting a tattoo of something in German that they thought sounded cool. You would probably look at it and wonder why they did it, because to you it'd look silly right? I remember once my sister got the kanji for "cat" on her shoulder, and I just laughed, because I think it'd be hilarious if a Japanese person came up to me with the tattoo "Cat" in english. Chinese characters look cool, but they only hold some really special meaning here; abroad, they're just words.

[Bondjrno]

i really thank you for your fast help and i came up with a caligraphy of my favorite shop:
http://www.kendo24.com/index.php?eID...3318bd85cdfd31
and i may use that one.

*edit*
i will build up the image of my future tatoo and upload it so you could commend it and say something about it. like how you like my idea

Like everyone has said, DO NOT GET A TATOO! I considered getting one in the past with my own writing, but I still haven't gotten it. That should tell you something. Bottom line, it'll look silly and you'll regret it later. By the way, I can write better than the link you provided there.

[doksSirmAdods]

Bad idea imo.

My skin crawls enough seeing people who have horrible kanji tatoos, don't shoot yourself in the foot too.

[Hetgvwic]

Please.
See here why not.
http://www.hanzismatter.com/
I sure have a lot of fun with the tattoos on that site but others have said it before, the Japanese are not too fond of tattoos and that's an understatement.

[bp9QxekG]

First up I should say that I have considered getting tattoos in the past and am now very glad I didn't, but...

I don't think there's much wrong with it. We've all done dumb things when we were young (some of us are still doing them!) and we often have the scars to prove it. A tattoo's a bit like that.

Re this kanji idea:

1) Sure, the kanji for 'cat' 猫 is kind of dumb if you think of it as just the word 'cat', but kanji are not just words, they are 'pictures' also. Even in Chinese and Japanese culture they are considered pictures. This is why calligraphy (i.e. 書道) is to traditional Japanese painting what life drawing is to Western painting.

2) The phrase "Kikentaiitchi" is not such a bad choice. It's meaning is clear and it can't be misread as 'brothel' or 'wanker' or some such other unfortunate colloquialism.

3) The calligraphy example that the OP posted is not bad, I've seen much worse.

4) A good tattoo artist will be able to copy an image you give them pretty much exactly, so they don't have to be a calligrapher themselves.

If I were young and dumb and full of... it, I'd probably get this (just the top two kanji), or this.

b

[Vmysobfi]

Did you guys not read his post?

The only thing I can say is DO NOT GET A TATTOO. Especially one with something you don't even understand.

but seriously. If you plan to practice kendo, and possibly come to Japan, lay off the ink.

Agree completely.

You may just as well ask the kanji for Yakuza, as that is what the Japanese will think of your body art.

[DeilMikina]

Why do you guys care if he gets a tatoo? He didn't say he was doing it to impress the Japanese nation. If he sticks with Kendo and goes to Japan to train ten years from now and most people think it's stupid, he can say "I was 19 and stupid" and they can all laugh over a beer about it.

[Nakforappealp]

Tattoos are a way of expresssion. You want to be very sure about what you want to express. Kanji are tircky. Between Chinese and Japanese, different styles of writing, different artists putting their spin on this art, there a re thousand of ways t screw it up. Remember Tattoos are permanent, They don't come off, or at least fully come off, even with expensive removal treatments. If you want kanji, I would suggest seeking out someone who knows what he or she is doing. one i have found that seems pretty reputable is Eri Takase. www.takase.com Eri is a master calligrapher and seems to be an exceptional artist. If you find some thing you want to mark your body with for ever, go ahead knock yourself out. My experience is that most people in class are indifferent to the tattoos. Some have even shown a mild curiosity. Just my two cents.

[geraint.faughn]

You may just as well ask the kanji for Yakuza, as that is what the Japanese will think of your body art. As JJ Cruiser and 1st dan mentioned, tattoos are a form of self expression. If Peter decides he wants a kanji tattoo and is prepared for people to have a chuckle at him, he should go nuts. What he shouldn't do is care about what people on an internet forum think, and what he 100% shouldn't do is give a crap about what the Japanese people think (Props on reducing a nation of people to a single stereotype btw)

My advice would be the same as 1st dan's. Make sure if you're going for calligraphy you either research it yourself (difficult if you don't speak the language) or get someone who absolutely knows what they're doing and is a close enough friend not to screw you over for laughs. Also, if you're getting it on your shoulder and are concerned with it affecting job prospects in the future, wear a short sleeve business shirt when you're going to get drawn up so that you are sure that it won't be visible. Don't just check with your arms by your sides, make sure it won't be visible if you stretch your arms up or forward if you're concerned about that kind of thing.

[flower-buy]

siriusly, i think kendo kanji for a gaijin is kinda "trying too hard". traditional japanese sensei don't like it, even more so in japan. as mansuka said, you might as well tatoo yakuza on your body. it's like me with barb wire, skulls tatoos at a Harley bike rally. silly, right? this is all right though.

[SigNeewfoew]

siriusly, i think kendo kanji for a gaijin is kinda "trying too hard". traditional japanese sensei don't like it, even more so in japan. as mansuka said, you might as well tatoo yakuza on your body. it's like me with barb wire, skulls tatoos at a Harley bike rally. silly, right? this is all right though.

with all due respect

how many traditional sensei

did you had conversations about this?

I dont see how they are able to see these tattoos

when they are hidden in some obscure body area

do they stare at their students in the changing room after practice?

for all SOME of them care it doesnt matter

its a free world

and we are not HIS mother

all he asked was suggestion for kanji

not its morality

[embefuri]

with all due respect

how many traditional sensei

did you had conversations about this?

I dont see how they are able to see these tattoos

when they are hidden in some obscure body area

do they stare at their students in the changing room after practice?

for all SOME of them care it doesnt matter

its a free world

and we are not HIS mother

all he asked was suggestion for kanji

not its morality

if he's getting kaji tatoo, he wouldn't be hiding it at some obscure place. True, I haven't talked to any Japanese sensei specific on this topic. I don't need to. And I know enough to have guessed what they think about kanji tatoos. We are not his mother and he doesn't have to listen to us. There are plenty places on the internet he can find kanji for his tatoo. I can laugh at his tatoo or explain to him why it's not a good idea. I choose the latter.

By the way, you probably have 鬼 tatoo "hidden" on your butt cheek.

joke for those of you in HK.

ps: now i remember why you are on my ignore list.

[bestformaldress23]

seriously if i had known that that simple question would turn out in this kind of discussion i would have thought of makeing that threat,
well as i mentioned i wont run to the next tatoo artis and begging for the next date to come but getting a tatoo was in my mind for 5 years or something and i wont get the tatoo until the next 2-4 years i want to be sure if i like it in a couple of years as well so i could imagine to have it for the rest of my life.
i am well aware that some traditional ppl (not only japanese) wont like it but i dont care if i like its totaly fine.
greez Pau

[phsyalcvqh]

... but others have said it before, the Japanese are not too fond of tattoos and that's an understatement.

You may just as well ask the kanji for Yakuza, as that is what the Japanese will think of your body art.

Is it really that bad? I've wanted a tatoo for 10 years now and I finally decided on some art that I've liked for longer than 2 years... It's not kanji (god forbid) but it does have to do with Japanese pop culture.

I don't want to make a bad impression as the "crazy gaikokujin girl with the yakuza painting on her back" (especially since the tatoo would be of someone who is known for killing yakuza )

But seriously, I'm the kind of person that does care about what kendo sempai and sensei think, should I reconsider? I don't really want it that bad.

I seem to remember hearing that as foreigner they know that you're obviously NOT a yakuza or a criminal. Is that true? And also that many people won't freak out anymore as soon as they see you have some ink?

Maybe I'm also misguided because a lot of people I know personally who do kendo over here, especially girls, have tatoos. :3

Or will I be able to get away with it cause I'm a girl and tatoos are sexy??!!

Edit: dunno if others helped you out yet with the "ki" (spirit) kanji but here you go: Stroke order