Hope, depression in japanese and mandarin

[Clarou_scg]

hello, i want to do a tattoo, could someone please give me the right translation of the word hope and the word depression in Japanese and in mandarin? really love the 2 languages but i don't know which one to choose?

 

thanks :)

 

[Shelley]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

I would strongly suggest that you don't do this.

 

Just having the characters for hope and depression will not convey the message I think you are trying to share. ie they are opposites.

It will be lost in translation and you will have 2 random words forever on you.

 

You also have the problem of who does the tattoo, if they are not a skilled calligrapher, you could end up with a horrible mess that you will be embarrassed to show.

 

Having these words in Chinese characters does not impart any kind of magic or make them anymore special.

 

What is the point of having a message that I assume you want to share or why else would you want them tattooed forever on you, that no one around you can read. I am assuming there are no Chinese people where you are or else you could have asked them. 

 

Have these words in your own language in a beautiful font with perhaps some other decoration. You will know its correct and you won't have to spend the rest of your life answering people when they ask "whats that say?"

 

Please reconsider.

 

Before you ink, think and think again and again.

 

Just say no.

 

 

[陳德聰]

You’re in luck, the words are the same in Chinese and Japanese in this case:

 

hope 希望

depression 憂鬱

 

However, the complexity of the characters leaves a huge opportunity for error if the tattoo artist is not a skilled calligrapher who deals with the Chinese script/Japanese kanji regularly.

 

 

[Clarou_scg]

thank you very much, is it hope in the meaning of "have faith in something like the future ?" (that's what i'm looking for)

[Clarou_scg]

@Shelley

hello shelley, i never said that i wanted to tattoo both words, as you may know in every language there is a very little probability for 2 words put side by side to have an actual meaning. About the tattoo artist don't worry, i trust mine and his skills. There is nothing magical, i just really like the aesthetic of Chinese and Japanese and these are 2 culture that i really want to discover . Moreover who tells you that i want everybody to understand the meaning of my tattoo? you don't make a tattoo for other to see it, you make it for yourself only.

I have other tattoo and each of them come from a very long time of reflexion, i like them it's all that matters.

So i will advice you to not give any advice if you don't have all the information, which is the case here. thanks.

[陳德聰]

希望 means basically the same thing as “hope” in English.

 

1) you want a certain outcome 我希望考試通過 “I hope I pass the exam” and 2) you believe that something may still happen, usually something good 尚未收到大學的錄取信，但他仍抱有希望 “he hasn’t received the university admission letter yet, but he still has hope”

[Shelley]

@Clarou_scg thanks for letting me know that you are going in to this with your eyes open and your trust in your tattooist is good. I hope it works out for you. 

5 hours ago, Clarou_scg said:

So i will advice you to not give any advice if you don't have all the information, which is the case here. thank

  

The lack of information is common, I do my best with what I am given. 

 

On 11/18/2018 at 9:34 PM, Clarou_scg said:

really love the 2 languages but i don't know which one to choose?

Because of this I thought you were trying to decide between Japanese or Chinese not which word, so I thought you wanted both words.

 

But I will continue to give this advice to anyone who asks about translating words to use as tattoos. There are so many tattoos that are regrettable that I think its better to be safe rather than sorry. I also don't think I am the only one with this opinion.

 

[js6426]

5 hours ago, Clarou_scg said:

Moreover who tells you that i want everybody to understand the meaning of my tattoo? you don't make a tattoo for other to see it, you make it for yourself only.

 

Irrespective of whether you want people to understand it or not, over 1 billion native Chinese/Japanese speakers will ?

 

Hope you will post a picture of the finished product for us all to see!

[Shelley]

5 hours ago, Clarou_scg said:

you don't make a tattoo for other to see it, you make it for yourself only

 

I am not sure most people do it for themselves only, why else put it on your body where all can see it. You might as well just write the words in a book, shut the covers, put it on a shelf and be satisfied that it is written down and only you know about it.