"Stop Woman Flow"

Two months ago, a young man named "Chuck" posted his tattoo which supposedly to be his daughter's initials in Chinese in BMEzine's tattoo gallery.However, his choice of characters was not the best, and his tattoo proudly indicating to everyone that he menstruates regularly.http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61204/high/bmepb404816.jpgToday while browsing...

Read More

Seeking Tattooed Participants for Portrait Book

Two weeks ago I was contacted by Professor Kip Fulbeck of University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) about a tattoo portrait book project.For those who are interested, here are the details:SEEKING TATTOOED PARTICIPANTSWe are looking for individuals who may have had incorrectly translated (or applied) Chinese calligraphy tattoos for our upcoming...

Read More

CNBC - Game On

On Nov. 15, 2006, CNBC aired a special titled "Game On" talking about the history of video games and its $25 billion financial impact.During the show, an American businessman was quoted "I was told the only Japanese I needed to know was 百万台, which meant 1,000,000 units." At the same time, CNBC showed 百万台 on the television screen with last two characters...

Read More

Miami Ink - Weathering the Storm

Reader Wendy has tipped me about an episode of Miami Ink broadcasted earlier this year titled “Weathering the Storm”. video: 16 MB Windows Media, mirrorIn the show, a young lady wanted a “Japanese sign of Happiness or Inner Peace”, but what she and her friend downloaded from the internet was incorrect.Chris Nunez then chimes in: “I think the single...

Read More

Chuck's Tattoos

* Photo removed on behalf of Chuck Smith's request ** The original photo can be found in BMEzine.com *Chuck posted a photo of his tattoos in BMEzine's gallery on Nov. 6. My Daughters Name In Chinesse(Dragon Done By Ron At Stormi Steele; Lettering Done By Scott, Stormi Steele, Kingston, Pa)It looks like Chuck got suckered into believing English alphabet can be translated directly into Chinese characters....

Read More

"It means 'Eternity'"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61023/high/bmepb379272.jpghttp://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61023/high/bmepb379271.jpghttp://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61023/high/bmepb379270.jpgThese three photos were posted in BMEzine's Kanji tattoo gallery on Oct. 30, 2006, with the caption of:It Means "Eternity". Muster Said. I Don't Know Exactly, But Any Way. Whatever.(by...

Read More

Hanzi Vigilante Blogger

For the last two weeks of October, I was in Montreal, Canada. While I was there, a friend of mine has sent me link to a story published in the Vancouver Sun titled "More Skin, Less Ink" by Paula Brook.The story is about people's regrets of their own tattoos. Of course with that, yours truly was mentioned.I laughed so hard when I read the part where Ms. Brook referred me as:Hanzi Vigilante BloggerI...

Read More

Caressing Flaw

Two weeks ago, I got an email from another U. S. Navy recruiter (I really think U. S. Navy should present me some kind of honorary award for my service) requesting tattoo translation. This young recruit got what he thought was "MC" tattooed on his chest.The two characters 摸 and 疵 are pronounced as "mo" and "ci" in Chinese. Perhaps that is where he...

Read More

Monster Blog Tattoo.

A new entry at last! ... also, I reckon I should have called this page the above - except that people might find it harder to discover.MBT Act 2: Lamplighter is certainly coming along, will be of greater girth than Foundling, but i warn all those who hated the 'Explicarium' - it is the plan to have another, so watch out at the rear parts of the tome:...

Read More

"This is a Tattoo" and "Fish Ball Soup"

It has been two years since I first started Hanzi Smatter. With almost 400 entries achieved here about poorly done tattoos, it is always interesting for me to receive emails from people who got humorous Chinese character tattoos.The first one I got is from Andy Scott and his “This is a Tattoo” tattoo: Hello, I just stumbled onto your site and I...

Read More

"Kimberly"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61003/high/bmepb365410.jpghttp://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61003/high/bmepb365409.jpgMy friend Alan Siegrist writes:Hi Tian,Just browsing bmezine’s kanji tattoo web pages can be entertaining indeed. I just noticed an astonishingly stupid Japanese tattoo:http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A61003/high/bmepb365410.jpgIt is supposed...

Read More

Eternal Evil Flame

This piece had the following caption in BMEzine’s September 27, 2006 tattoo gallery:Different Typs Of TattoosThis Is Kanji With Stars And A Green Filler(by Brandon Eardman, Tribal Expressions Tattoo & Body Piercing, 107 Highland rd Pauls Valley OK 73075) http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A60927/high/bmepb363279.jpgTo compare this person’s work...

Read More

"Daisy"

Few days ago I received an email from an U. S. Navy recruiter in Jacksonville, Florida, asking me to translate this tattoo of a new recruit for him.The new recruit claimed that his tattoo means “Daisy” in Chinese.I tried my best to decipher it, and then I realized the “characters” are just English alphabets that made to mimic the “Chinese-look”. Here...

Read More

Breaking of Extreme "Wind"

(full si...

Read More

Serenity’s Peach Tin Label

Reader Yin Huang spotted this peach tin label in The Prop Store of London.The label was made as a prop for the popular science fiction television show Serenity/Firefly. It was never used in the show, which is probably would be a good thing, since some of the printed Chinese characters are mirrored."A peach tin label made for the sci-fi adventure Serenity....

Read More

I am the nerdiest nerd that ever did nerd.

Hello deliberate friends and accidental visitors, "Well betide you", as is often said in the Hc. Thank you to those who have offered well-wishes at my nuptials. Sure am a lot calmer since that sweet, strange day... so much so people are commenting. Enough of that.Had a great session with Dyan (my wonderful, pain-in-the-posterior, insightful slave-driving publisher at Omnibus here is South Terra Australis...

Read More

Anti-Blood Clot Medication Kimono for Sale in Ebay

If you are interested in purchasing some authentic Japanese kimono replica, why not just check out eBay’s bargain selection?Especially item number 270025981666, “Boutique Clovergirls BDB Costume Geisha Kimono Japanese”. (thanks to "Furisode Fan" for the tip)* I have removed the photo that was originally posted here after “jetsoncity@gmail.com” (who...

Read More

Music is Life

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A60912/high/bmepb353388.jpg音乐是生命 means “music is life” in Chinese.If so, having the phrase partially tattooed, would that be the equivalent to “tone-deaf” of li...

Read More

Tutor

This photo titled “gabriel” is posted in Flickr by user “PunkyPlastik”. http://flickr.com/photos/punkyplastik/241227196/The top character 傅 means “tutor” or “teacher”, however it is done incorrectly and missing a small horizontal stroke....

Read More

Pothead

Tuur has sent in this photo of a fellow concert attendee from Leuven, Belgium several weeks ago. 大麻 is Simplified Chinese for “Cannabis Sativa”, also known as “marijuana”, “pot”, “chronic”, “weed”, “grass”, “ganja”, “420”, “blunt” (not James Blunt), “dope”, “reefer”, “mary jane” or “mj”, “cheeb...

Read More

Gibberish Asian Font Mystery Solved

Alan Siegrist, a professional Japanese-English translator, member of both Japan Association of Translators (JAT) and American Translators Association (ATA), has finally solved the mystery of gibberish “Asian Font”.With Alan’s help, I have compiled this following chart:Obviously the characters themselves might be correct and have meanings in both Chinese...

Read More

Now for excuses... (and what is with all the dots at the end of the titles anyway?)

Well, having been threatened with harassing for not posting here I am, back at it once more.But first the excuses - the excuses for no posting for a whole month:You see, not content with the crazy merry-go-round that writing has become in my life, I decided to up and get married, and have been away on my honeymoon for the last three weeks. A wonderful, bizarre, surprising and very real experience...

Read More

"Jason"

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A60828/high/bmepb336135.jpgThis photo was submitted to BMEzine.com's gallery in August 28th accompanied with the following caption: "lettering that was suppose to say Jason" (by Doc, A & B Productions, Brown City, Michigan) Another sucker of the downloadable gibberish “Asian font”....

Read More

"Lame"

Reader Robert found this photo posted in one of Lostcherry.com’s pages and would like to know what the phrase meant.http://www.lostcherry.com/viewimage.php?u=163773&albumid=0&i=1420980233The top character 太 means “very, too, much; big; extreme”, and the bottom one 屁 means “break wind; fart; buttocks”. In Chinese slang, especially in internet...

Read More

Short Sleeved Tee at Guess

I saw this shirt in Guess' store window today.When I asked the sales lady what the Japanese on the shirt meant, she replied "that is CHINESE" but still did not know what they mea...

Read More

Lucky?

I saw this photo in someone's MySpace page. He has since then closed his MySpace account, but the photo is still available at photopile.com.http://www.photopile.com/photos/LORDCHINO/Tattoos/243692.jpgI assume the last character is 幸, which means "fortunate" or "lucky".Notice his username "Lord Chino"? I am unsure about if he is referring to1. Trousers...

Read More

Jon Stewart Made Fun of Condoleezza Rice's Tattoo

I caught a glimpse of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight, where he made fun of Condoleezza Rice's Chinese character tattoo.Videos: 4.12 MB Divx, 2.39 MB Windows Media, and mirrorThis is after the Daily Show aired a clip showing Condoleezza Rice tried to use a Chinese phrase 危機 to describe American's war in Iraq (or terrorism in general?) during...

Read More

Maclean's "Botched in Translation"

In August 7th issue of Maclean’s magazine (Canada’s leading weekly magazine), there was an article titled Botched in Translation about Hanzi Smatter by Nancy MacDonald. (larger view)Besides the rectangular tidbit at lower right corner of the page about “Polish grannies making skimpy, see-through women’s thong using traditional crochet patterns”, I...

Read More

Dodgy Asian-Themed Restaurants

I was talking to a friend of mine Marc about a new Asian-themed restaurant just opened in northern Scottsdale called Ten Asian Bistro. A quick browse through their website, I have spotted something that is not quite right. Under each item in the rollover menu, it has a corresponding character.For someone that is not familiar with Chinese or Japanese,...

Read More

Carlos Mencia Says "Get the Right Tattoo!"

Miara tipped me about during one of Carlos Mencia's monologues in season one of Mind of Mencia, Carlos has talked about people getting tattoos.video: 3.35 MB windows media or YouTube“…Let me get this straight, you got a tattoo in jail from a guy that has failed English and Spanish, but now he knows Chinese, is that what you telling me?You have 26 letters...

Read More

Duty Honor Courage

Original Posting: July 31, 2006This is a freshly done arm band tattoo shown in BMEzine’s gallery (July 31, 2006) by James “Devilboy” Robinson of F.I.S.T. Ink in North Carolina (not the James Robinson of Nine in Brighton, UK). The six-character set supposedly to be “Duty Honor Courage”.http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A60731/high/bmepb320949.jpgThe first...

Read More

Fearless Gibberish

My friend Mark Swofford has informed me about a new movie called Fearless starring Jet Li, which is loosely based on the life of Huo Yuanjia.The movie is written and directed by a Chinese person, dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese, and the storyline is about a Chinese person, yet ironcally the characters in the movie's trailer are gibberish.These are...

Read More

Asian Font Gibberish 3

From Shannon Larratt's BMEzine.com gallery, here is a July 27th posting from Bulgaria:http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/A60726/high/bmepb316498.jpgTwo of my earlier postings (one & two) have already talked about some people would download this so called "Asian Font" from the internet and tattoo themselves with gibberish.If you have not seen Clerks...

Read More

Sorry for the wait...

Well I must firstly apologise to any and all who are wanting more of Rossamünd and his confrontations with the wider world sooner than the offered release time of mid next year. All I can add to that apology is that the next book will be longer - quite a bit longer. I hope this makes up for the wait in some way... possibly... I hope...Thank you to all those who have left yet more encouraging remarks....

Read More

Wise Words Very Beginning

Helen of eLearners.com sent in this photo from Zao Tattoo in Macomb, IL.http://www.zaotattoo.com/images/muriel/54.php名言 means "wise words" or "famous saying" and 最初 is "beginning" or "initial". Obviously this person has never heard of the wise words from Dr. Gregory House, Seth MacFarlane, Red vs. Blue, Fox News (it is a bit strange to see "Fox News"...

Read More

Parasol

Aiko Valentine sent this photo to me a few days ago. Her sister has purchased this parasol from a store called Earthbound Trading Company.(larger view)Despite the incorrectly written characters, 伊勢 or 伊勢囯 is a province in Japan. 戦国 or 戦国時代 is referring to Japan’s Warring State Period which is roughly from mid 15th to early 17th century. 戦国村 could...

Read More

HanselMinutes

Hanzi Smatter was mentioned in the latest episode of HanselMinutes with Scott Hanselman and Carl Franklin. For those who do not have the patience to sit through over twenty minutes of geek talk, the clip starts at time mark 26:30.audio: clip 517 KB mp3 or entire show22.5 MB mp3I use Macromedia Fireworks (now Adobe Fireworks) for most of the graphics...

Read More