Topic: A Japanese translation question

[troppo]

Well its finally happened, the bike has a name.......
SWMBO has called her my japanese mistress, so i thought i would try to find the japanese characters for  "the mistress" as in the "the other woman".
I have tried google, babel fish etc with no success, and i know japanese is a very complicated language  with very small differences between words.
I know there was a thread here a while ago about japanese or chinese words in tattoos and their actual meanings with a couple of meanings supplied by members that read japanese or knew folks that did.
I`d like to have this painted on the bike so i want this to be right, not to say "the landlady" or " the secretary" i want it to be able to be read by a japanese person and have them say "this is the woman you cheat on your wife with?".
Please help folks
Cheers
Troppo

[Frankenkit]

It might be difficult finding that term.  Well into the early 1900s, marriage was a formality for financial reasons and infidelity wasn't thought much of.  Hence geisha, who weren't really prostitutes so much as lovely women with whom a man could open up and relax. 


Geisha

...though you get to explain the etymology..

[troppo]

Thank you Kitsune, thats the sort of thing i was looking for, i just couldnt find it.....
I reckon that will go nicely over the cowl behind the seat.
Cheers
Troppo

[Frankenkit]

Just to be sure, cross-reference.  Look up kanji for Geisha.  You could probably find 'temptressu" or something like that in katakana or hiragana, but that's way longer and more of a phonetic gist.

[troppo]

Thanks Kitsune but you lost me there lol, i learned to count to ten and say a few simple words in japanese in high school (many years ago) but have forgotten them in the ongoing years. I was looking for the japanese symbols that would mean mistress, as in the modern english translation, as in "that #$%* that destroyed our marriage" 
I will settle for the one you gave me if you say that translates OK, dont want anything dodgy written permanently on the bike lol.
If i knew any japenese folks i would ask them, but as far as i know the only way i have to get the images of the characters is by asking on the net.
Thanks for all your help
Cheers
Troppo

[kghost]

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/concubine

Might help

側女 , 妾

[troppo]

Thanks Kghost, but i was looking for the japanese characters for the word. But that gives me another question, this link and what katsune has said makes me believe there is two languages spoken in japan, which is the major?
I just want the right characters on the bike and not some mistranslation, am i being too fussy? Theres folks out there with dodgy tats on their bodies lol....
Cheers
Troppo

[kghost]

Yeah I kinda got the same impression...two different dialects

Japanese Kanji     色女 , 二号 (number two), 側女 , 妾 (I, kept woman, mistress). (various references)
 
     
Japanese Katakana     そばめ, にぢう (number two), いろおアな, めかけ (kept woman, mistress). (various references)
 

[BobbyR]

There is one spoken language. The Japanese sent scholars to China to study Chinese writing since they did not have a written language. They brought back Chinese letters which they use today in formal writing. The word for Chinese is Benji.
Katakana is simplified written language developed for business use.

[troppo]

Thanks guys
So far i have learned a lot, the japanese have two written languages, they are both bloody confusing and one word can have more meanings than a politicians promise 
So far i have found or been given three images, all different (ones actually chinese but they tried for me lol) and i want to make sure i have the correct ones for the definition i want, i dont want something that says "the camels arse" for exmple  .
I`ve been given a tip on an artist over at rendorosity (3d cg graphics site i`m a member of) apparently he is japanese and may be willing to help me out. so off to finish reading the boards and then off to rendo
cheers
troppo

[sparty]

Thanks guys
So far i have learned a lot, the japanese have two written languages, they are both bloody confusing and one word can have more meanings than a politicians promise 
So far i have found or been given three images, all different (ones actually chinese but they tried for me lol) and i want to make sure i have the correct ones for the definition i want, i dont want something that says "the camels arse" for exmple  .
I`ve been given a tip on an artist over at rendorosity (3d cg graphics site i`m a member of) apparently he is japanese and may be willing to help me out. so off to finish reading the boards and then off to rendo
cheers
troppo

Troppo,

If you really want the correct symbols to use you should contact your local university's language studies department and see if you can hook up with someone that teaches Japanese.

Sparty

[troppo]

Thanks sparty


OK
well after a lot of searching i think i may have narrowed the search down.
I found this site http://linear.mv.com/cgi-bin/j-e/dict and it gave me 44 japanese meanings for mistress, everything from

lover; mistress;

all the way to


(1) upper reaches (of a river); upper stream; (2) top; upper part; upper half (of the body); (3) long ago; (4) beginning; first; (5) (hon) person of high rank (e.g. the emperor); (6) government; imperial court; (7) imperial capital (i.e. Kyoto); capital region (i.e. Kansai); region (or direction of) the imperial palace; ( head (of a table); (9) (hon) wife; mistress (of a restaurant); (P)

Damn this language is confusing, i have narrowed it down to ten symbols but have to make sure i have the right one, there are a couple of worrds that have two or three different versions of the characters involved so the meanings would be different for them. Heres the 7 different meanings (remember theres multiples on a couple of them) I have the symbols for them but dont want to post them until i can get a little more acurate info


aijin -lover; mistress


chikushou -keeping a mistress (concubine)


joufu -mistress; lover; prostitute


mekake -kept woman; mistress; concubine (apparently there are three versions of this one)



onname -kept woman; mistress; concubine



shou -kept woman; mistress; concubine



sobame -mistress; concubine (a couple of versions of this one)

cheers
troppo

[tramp]

having looked over the list i believe that joufu is the proper term
she is your mistress, you love her but you have a wife
she is your lover, because of the joy she gives you
she is a prostitute, she does take money to maintain and have around
just my two cents worth

[troppo]

Thanks tramp, thats the sort of thing i wanted to hear, now to work out the colours to get it painted on the bike
Cheers
Troppo

EDIT...
Had a play in paintshop couldnt get it right but got it close, the bike will be ford burgandy pearl and i dont know what to do about the gold.





I was thinking of getting the signwriter we use at work to do it for me (looks like a good pinstriper) leaning toward thee black but with a gold outline on the letters, but then again i could go the opposite lol
Cheers
Troppo

[tramp]

the black lettering

[donny]

a while back I had the idea to paint Soichiro Honda on the oil tank,  in Japanese characters.