Need help translating old tattoo

[Hippiechik721]

I know it was dumb to get the symbol without knowing it’s meaning but I picked it off a wall loved the dragon and the sun hope someone can help me lol

[Shelley]

Its hard to say for certain as its quite blurry, but I would hazard a try with yuán 鼋 it means soft shelled turtle.

 

Now I could be way off with this because my eye is not as skilled others.

@Publiusor others will probably be along soon to turn this on its head and point out the errors of my ways.

[Tomsima]

I'm guessing this is 竜 (dragon, as in 龍) tattooed by someone who doesn't know chinese

[Publius]

Yes, 竜 is the Japanese way of writing 龍.

[Shelley]

Japanese - that explains my confusion.

[Publius]

Yeah, Japanese have had their own script reforms. Sometimes the simplified kanji more or less resemble the PRC version, sometimes they look quite different:

仮／假

仏／佛

広／广／廣

気／气／氣
応／应／應

円／圆／圓

図／图／圖

囲／围／圍

桜／樱／櫻

芸／艺／藝

伝／传／傳

転／转／轉

駅／驿／驛

択／择／擇

売／卖／賣

読／读／讀

拠／据／據

竜／龙／龍

[Tomsima]

looking at that list makes me realise, the first round of simplification done in mainland is a lot more in line with traditional 草書 than Japan. Which begs the question, did Japan develop a radically different way to write 草書 separate from the established norms in China?

[大块头]

4 hours ago, Publius said:

Yeah, Japanese have had their own script reforms. Sometimes the simplified kanji more or less resemble the PRC version, sometimes they look quite different

 

https://xkcd.com/927/