| Author | Message | ||
     Keith |
Close to a year ago I got a tattoo of the Kanji symbol for perseverance tattooed pretty big on my back, between my shoulder blades. I made sure to get it out of a translation book so that it was right, and I checked a couple other sources. Everything seemed good, but I've been seeing other translations more often. What I got is the upper symbol seen here: http://www.ideogear.com/jukugo/u6839u6c17 I'm wondering if I need to get the second symbol shown there in order for it to really mean perseverance. I posted about this before, and some helpful individual said: "根 (read "ne' or "kon") originally means "root" as in plant root. It is used in combination with other kanji characters to suggest patience, endurance, etc. (because of the immovable image associated with plant root). So, the character itself holds that meaning. However, if I should see your tatoo for the first time, I would interpret it immediately as plant root. I think tatoos should express the meaning at first glance. I recommend you add another character to suggest perseverance, such as: 根性 (konjo): Tenacity or will power 根気 (konki): Patience, endurance 機根 (kikon): Spiritual strength, drive to take action after gaining understanding of Buddhist teachings." So, should I add the second symbol, as shown in the link I posted, in order to make my tattoo truly mean "perseverance"? Thank you so much for any help you can give me, I really need to figure this out! | ||
| Ms. Anon |
I'm the one who posted what you are quoting. Yes, you need the second symbol if you're going to use the kanji 根. I made the three suggestions because you appeared to be intent on using that kanji. Perseverance has many interpretations (and nuances) in Japanese, so there are many kanji words to express it. If you've seen others, they are most probably correct (provided that they have been posted by native Japanese speakers or someone with equivalent fluency in Japanese). | ||
| Ms. Anon |
For your information, other alternatives for "perserance" that I can think of right away are: 忍耐 (nintai) 堅忍 (kennin) 粘り強さ (nebari-zuyosa) | ||
| Keith |
Thanks for the help and replies, but what I'm kind of looking for here is verification that the specific translation that I posted a link to is a viable one. I was hoping that any native speaker could verify that 'perseverance' (or related meaning) would come to mind first when seeing that symbol combination. Thanks again! | ||
| Keith |
Can anyone shed any light on this? I'd really really appreciate the help! |