The ratfox thread

[ratfox]

Huh? Translators are supposed to have a thread? Okay... Here is one.
Post your questions, and I'll answer... When I have the time... And I don't forget...
And I remember to look up this thread... You get the idea :p

[Gold Knight]

Are you a guy or gal? (No offense, always been curious...)

How did you learn Japanese?

Where are you from?

Is Naruto your favorite manga?

[ratfox]

I'm a guy. Disappointed? :p

I've been learning Japanese pretty much on my own for five years,
with a self-help book, a dictionary, and by reading hundreds
of manga in japanese. I'm also taking courses since last year.
I've been in Japan only once, last year, for three weeks, but
I plan on going there next year again :)

I'm from Lausanne, Switzerland.

Naruto is perhaps not my favorite manga, but it is the one I follow
the most attentively. My favorite manga would be something from
Adachi Mitsuru or Takahashi Rumiko... I've been a Ranma addict
for many years.

[Gold Knight]

I'm a guy. Disappointed? :p

:D Nah, just curious.


I've been learning Japanese pretty much on my own for five years,
with a self-help book, a dictionary, and by reading hundreds
of manga in japanese. I'm also taking courses since last year.
I've been in Japan only once, last year, for three weeks, but
I plan on going there next year again :)

Awesome - wow, how do you get your manga in japanese? Via e-bay? How did you get to go to Japan? Do you have family there?


I'm from Lausanne, Switzerland.

Cool! How many languages do you know, then?


Naruto is perhaps not my favorite manga, but it is the one I follow
the most attentively. My favorite manga would be something from
Adachi Mitsuru or Takahashi Rumiko... I've been a Ranma addict
for many years.


Ahh, I read Ranma 1/2 too. It's great. I'm only on the first 12 volumes though I think, planning to read more, though. That explains your panda avatar over at NF though =D

[nah-nah]

1. Who is your favorite naruto character?
2. If you were a ninja, what would be your specialty: genjutsu, ninjustu, or taijutsu?
3. What are your hobbies?
4. What made you want to learn Japanese?
5. What's your favorite food?

[ratfox]

Awesome - wow, how do you get your manga in japanese? Via e-bay? How did you get to go to Japan? Do you have family there?


I bought most of my manga on amazon.co.jp... Unless it's very old, they have everything.
They also charge a fixed price for delivery, so you can order 200+ mangas cheap. :amuse

I went to Japan with a few guys who are also hooked on anime. They have been going there
every two years for like 10 years :)



Cool! How many languages do you know, then?

Well: Only english and french
Less well: Japanese and german

I'm supposed to have learnt german in school, but... :darn

[ratfox]

1. Who is your favorite naruto character?
2. If you were a ninja, what would be your specialty: genjutsu, ninjustu, or taijutsu?
3. What are your hobbies?
4. What made you want to learn Japanese?
5. What's your favorite food?


1. Favorite is... Naruto I guess. I like Shikamaru too, but for different reason. and Kakashi is the coolest, of course :p
2. Ninjutsu. Something like Sai, but with music instead of drawings
3. Role-playing-games, music and martial arts. Less and less martial arts, I don't have the time any more.
4. The martial arts, and the manga. Also, I think kanji look cool :)
5. Lots of everything! :smile-big Especially rice dishes. And italian food. And chinese food, and japanese food, and... lots of everything!

[Leen]

Well, I have a few questions for u too. I've ask GK about it and thought u might as well answer it too.

Which moment in Naruto that make u go like this :

---------------------------> :nuts

------------------------------> :spaz

---------------------------------------> :yelling

[ratfox]

Well, I have a few questions for u too. I've ask GK about it and thought u might as well answer it too.

Which moment in Naruto that make u go like this :

---------------------------> :nuts
Gamabunta transformed into the nine-tails

------------------------------> :spaz
Rock Lee fighting Kimimaro

---------------------------------------> :yelling
Naruto being even more stupid than usual. Mostly in fillers...

[Gold Knight]

What kind of martial arts did you practice?

[ratfox]

What kind of martial arts did you practice?


Judo, Karate and Capoeira.
I've got a black belt in Judo and a brown one in Karate.
I haven't done much in Capoeira. I guess I wasn't much suited to it.

[Zenith]

Why didn't you try taekwondo? I think it's sorta cooler than karate.

[Anax]

I've had Tae-Kwon-Do (ITF) and it's a major brain washing! Everyday you are told how much Karate sucks and how stupid their moves and training methods are!! In the Tae-Kwon-Do (ITF) universe all martial arts are equal except for Karate and Tae-Kwon-Do (WTF)!!

@ ratfox --> I envy you for having at least tried three martial arts! In Tae-Kwon-Do I quit at half-red (half-brown in Karate) because I couldn't stand my sensei (and couldn't kick his lame ass either). You see, he hit on a high school girl (he even entered the sauna when she was inside) and was generally vulgar. He could beat any of his apprentices to a pulp because of his experience and trained reflexes, other than that his technique wasn't much... I'd like to try Ninpo (having read a book on Ninpo history by Shoto Tanemura, presumably the last ninja), as well as Aikido (again, having read a compilation of Morihei Ueashiba's sayings, and a book or two on Ki).

What do you think? :tem

[ratfox]

Replying every week... sigh.

I guess Tae Kwon Do does look cool, unfortunately, I prefered the teaching style of the karate instructor.
Anyway, I did Capoeira because it looked cool, and I never got really far... :tem
I've heard lots and lots of discussion on whether this was better or that, and in the end,
everybody likes something different. Usually, it's more important to have a teacher you like than
having this certain martial art, because if you quit after a few months it won't be useful :notrust

I even heard somebody saying once, "kyokushinkai karate is better, because it has lots of
turning kicks, and that's more efficient when you're fighting mutiple opponents".
Perhaps he should have tried kage bunshin :smile-big

[Gold Knight]

Don't worry about taking a while to reply, Ratfox. ^_^

But I do have a related question to that. How's life going for you? Busy?

[Anax]

Kyokushinkai Karate? Could you translate that? I think that in Kavala Kyokushinkai Karate is taught along with Ninjutsu... well, Ninpo would still be better for me but oh, well. Anyway, I'm searching for a sensei that I can call O-sensei, that I can admire and that I can have as a role model. Preferably said sensei would be teaching a martial art involving "ki". I'm saying all those "can", because sometimes you have to call your sensei something but you can't because they are :cussing

[ratfox]

Busy... I've got nothing taking me lots of time, I just have lots of little somethings taking all of it.
Not only work, also World of Warcraft, Japanese lessons, and getting drunk :amuse[br]Posted at: 2006-01-16, 12:32:41_________________________________________________The translation of Kyoku shin kai (極真会) could be something like "ultime true school".
(These names are oh so modest. The translation for Tai-ji-quan, Tai chi chuan, (太極拳) etc.
is "grand ultimate fist" :s ) But I'm not sure you're looking for that - it's a bit like full-contact.

I guess if you want a real "sensei", you should be prepared to look up many of them.
Most teachers I know are more like training coaches than "sensei".
I think you could find one like this in about any martial art, but I would rather try
the more "non-violent" of them. Usually, the guys who teach almost-real-fighting like
full-contact, kyokushinkai karate or krav maga tend to be more on the side of boxing coaches,
or even military instructors.

If you want a martial arts involving "ki", I guess Tai chi chuan would be one choice,
or perhaps Aikido. Both are usually rather "non-violent". I guess even in martial arts,
"ki" is rather on the philosphical and intellectual side...

Those are also the martial arts that will take the longest to be efficient. You can fight well after
three months of boxing, six of full-contact, one year of karate, three or more of Aikido.
(I'm making wild assumptions here. Don't take this seriously, it depends on you, the teacher,
and lots of other things.)

[Gold Knight]

(These names are oh so modest. The translation for Tai-ji-quan, Tai chi chuan, (太極拳) etc.
is "grand ultimate fist"  :s ) But I'm not sure you're looking for that - it's a bit like full-contact.



I found Tai Chi Chuan pretty interesting - the idea of "Grand Ultimate Fist" being a relaxed fist is pretty cool. (Took Tai Chi classes in college.) Still think the meaning is a bit too aggressive for a martial art like that, but it's excellent as a self-calming exercise.

[Anax]

GK and Ratfox --> I think Ki is by far underestimated... then again, that's just me :tem So, Kyokushinkai means Ultimate True School... hah, I've always laughed with Japanese and Chinese names for anything, they are so... grandiose! Really now, I don't see me looking for a sensei at a gym, especially not one that says: "Pay 30 euros a month and you can train in our gym, take Ninjutsu lessons and Kyokushinkai Karate, all in one" :notrust Right now I just want to lose some weight without it actually being muscle, rather than fat... If the martial arts endeavor fails (might since I just had a fight with the frined with whom I'd be joining, over a /spit he got from another friend who played an Alliance Night Elf Rogue named Haris) then I'll just keep the teachings I've come across and accepted close to my heart and train in what little things I've picked up in Tae-Kwon-Do or just simply... walk for miles! Ninpo even included various different styles of walking that had different effects on your body (training) and could also be used in the battlefield (to confuse the opponent about your distance and speed or to walk silently among other things).

Does "shin" mean something along the lines of "divine"? I'm getting that mostly from anime and manga. Does the word retain any of it's meaning when in compound words, such as "Kyokushinkai"? What would be the translation (if any) of the name "Shingo" that has me thinking of it all the time lately? Since you play WoW, what would be a fitting name for a Warlock and Hunter involving Kage? (note that I'm playing Horde). Also, what would be an accurate name for a Paladin, making immediately clear his downright unnatural obssesion with light and Holy, and also utter disgust for anything dark or out of "The Way"? A name that is a grandiose as they come and depicts the Paladin's rigid nature and fanatism if possible... Lastly, I named my Undead Rogue in Genjuros (now lv46) Kagekiri, hoping that Kage means "shadow" and "kiri" means "edge", "blade", "knife, making the compound something like "shadowblade"... I hope I'm not too liberal with my word mixes, especially since I practically know nothing about japanese (and can only write a,i,e,u,o,ka,ku by memory in Hiragana)...

[ratfox]

Does "shin" mean something along the lines of "divine"? I'm getting that mostly from anime and manga. Does the word retain any of it's meaning when in compound words, such as "Kyokushinkai"? What would be the translation (if any) of the name "Shingo" that has me thinking of it all the time lately?


There are different ways to read shin, one is divine [神], on is new [新], one is true [真] as in Kyoku shin kai.
Apparently, in Street Fighter, the shin of Shin Shouryuuken (Ryu) means "true", and the shin from Shinryuuken (ken)
means "divine"... For Kyoku Shin Kai it really means true and not divine.

(Actually there are many other readings for shin, including forest, heart, parents, pregnancy, whatever :s )

As for Shingo, there are 43 different ways of writing the name in Japanese according to my dictionary, but there are certainly
more of them. For instance, Shingo in KOF is 真吾, which would mean "true self". But Shingo, little brother of Sailor Mercury
would be 進悟, not in my dictionary, and would mean something like "progress in understanding". But none that I have see
actually use the "divine" character. Perhaps it would look too self-important...


Since you play WoW, what would be a fitting name for a Warlock and Hunter involving Kage? (note that I'm playing Horde). Also, what would be an accurate name for a Paladin, making immediately clear his downright unnatural obssesion with light and Holy, and also utter disgust for anything dark or out of "The Way"? A name that is a grandiose as they come and depicts the Paladin's rigid nature and fanatism if possible... Lastly, I named my Undead Rogue in Genjuros (now lv46) Kagekiri, hoping that Kage means "shadow" and "kiri" means "edge", "blade", "knife, making the compound something like "shadowblade"... I hope I'm not too liberal with my word mixes, especially since I practically know nothing about japanese (and can only write a,i,e,u,o,ka,ku by memory in Hiragana)...


For a hunter, perhaps Kageyumi (陰弓) would be good, as it means shadow-bow, but it sounds rather elvish :amuse
Perhaps you would prefer Inkyuu, same kanji, but with chinese reading. The "In" part is the same as "yin", as in the
negative of "yin and yang". So I guess it would be okay for the horde... For the warlock, perhaps Kagema (陰魔)
the "ma" part meaning witchcraft as well as demon (same as akuMA in Street fighter). It mixes japanese and Chinese reading,
but hey...

Kagekiri would perhaps mean cutting the shadow, like raikiri, the other name for Kakashi's Chidori, means cutting the lightning.
( By the way, Raikiri is a bit weird, because it mixes a chinese reading (rai) with a japanese reading (kiri)... Kagekiri is japanese
reading only, though :amuse )

[Anax]

Thank you so much Ratfox! :thumbs

So, if Raikiri mixes Japanese and Chinese readings, then what is the case with the famous "harakiri" in Greece, only seen as "sepukku" in American movies and manga... So, Kagekiri, cannot in any way be perceived as "shadowblade"? :sweat Man, that should teach me a lesson for making a cool sounding name without being sure of what it means and also trying to explain it to other people... :scry
There was this move I can't quite spell in romaji, though I can give you an idea of --> tatsumakisenpuukyaku <-- which was Ruy/Ken's Hurricane Kick. Seeing as how I don't look past anything Japanese nowadays, I found out it can be broken in parts like tatsu, maki, senpuu, kyaku. So, what do those mean? Doesn't Lee have a move called "Konoha Senpuu"? Wasn't that "Konoha's Wind"? (Tekken's Kuma makes me relate this to a fart, but, oh well). I think there was a wind orb in Onimusha called "shipuu"... Anyway, it's your fault all these came in my mind (and consequently in your thread) since you brought up Street Fighter :p

As far as WoW goes, I'm not starting an alt any time soon (after all the Blood Elves won't be in the game anytime soon), which means we can keep this discussiong going and see where it'll take us (Street Fighter, cute Japanese girls with high-pitched voices, Sakura (SF), Sakura (N), Ino, cute manga girls etc. etc.)

So, Kageyumi, huh? Well, the "yumi" part I've seen before for one (in some anime, girl name). Shadowbow has also been one of the things I've been thinking of, but in Greece we are more or less the opposite of China when it comes to names and the such (we haven't always been like that, the ancient Greeks were even worse than the Chinese, though usually when refering to Gods. Cheesiness could be a universal characteristic of ancient civilizations...), which means I always have some sort of inner conflict when thinking of names like "Shadowbow"... In the end, WoW is supposedly set in one of those fantasy world where cheesy, over-exaggerated names where casual. Please bear with me and let's talk about this more :sweat Inkyuu sounds weird... I like the "kyuu" part but... Well, my hunter would have to be Undead to have such a name (Kageyumi would be fitting for a Night Elf, implying being stealthy as a shadow, or Undead, refering to the dark, shadowy nature of the undead). So, let's scrap the dark part for the hunter. My hunter will be an Orc, so think of something Orcish if possible (words with (G)s and (R)s and (K)s ). Keep in mind that the Hunter is in sync with nature, he can smell the opponent in the air, he can see a group of people 12 hours after they passed from a place just by looking at the ground after they've passed over it... A hunter loves his pet, which means he respects his prey and doesn't kill for fun. He might also be a skinner, to use the body of the fallen animal and in this way show his gratitude, show the spirit that it's life wasn't taken on a whim, that it was the need which guided the lethal arrow. If you could think of a name for a cat type pet too (though I might choose something else, in which case I'll contact you, though if it's a scorpion I'll name it Sasori, hands down :D ).
Shingo would mean so many things huh? Any place I can look at for meanings? You said that if we assume "shin" means "divine" that would lead us to someone feeling self-important, should I presume "go" means "self"? Also, should I presume, "Shin Akuma" is "True Akuma" unlike the cool-but-puzzling "Divine Akuma" I had in mind? Well, "shingo" sounds awfuly nice (and is the name of my level 2 Paladin in Ahn Qiraj), but after your explanation (and not knowing which version of the name to pick with 43 possible meanings...) let us leave it outside of this conversation untill I have found, read and contemptlated on those meanings :amuse
So, Kagema sounds nice, but let us think of some more names... I'll include some more elements of the warlock nature I'd like you to think of: a sadomasochist (think "Life Tap" which makes him lose life and gain mana, and also "Hellfire" which is an AoE damaging him and others around him), corrupted to the bone, dark, vile, (master) demonologist, evil as hell, hellfire, shadowbolt, Infernal, Doom Guard, Curse of Doom, Curse of Agony...
Take you time and reply to the Paladin question, I think I've covered the aspects of his personality I mostly cared about :amuse

Ratfox, I know you are a busy person, and if you think that's all kinda too much, I'll ask for permission to copy my posts here to a new thread in the translations section :D Should you wish to keep the discussion going here, I'll just tell you how much I appreciate your hellp and thank you for your time spent helping me :D :thumbs

[ratfox]

So, if Raikiri mixes Japanese and Chinese readings, then what is the case with the famous "harakiri" in Greece, only seen as "sepukku" in American movies and manga... So, Kagekiri, cannot in any way be perceived as "shadowblade"? :sweat Man, that should teach me a lesson for making a cool sounding name without being sure of what it means and also trying to explain it to other people... :scry


Simple. harakiri is the japanese reading of 腹切, and seppuku is the chinese reading of 切腹. The proper word is seppuku,
so they use it in movies. I don't know why westerners say harakiri, since japanese never do. But it's actually the same thing,
like in english "orthograph" means "writing right". I've checked again about Kagekiri, and the kanji 刃 which means blade can
apparently also be pronounced "kiri" according to my dictionary. So stretching it a bit, Kagekiri would also be 陰刃, or shadowblade. :amuse
If you want to change your mind, 霧 is said mist and is also read "kiri". So 陰霧 means shadowmist :tem



There was this move I can't quite spell in romaji, though I can give you an idea of --> tatsumakisenpuukyaku <-- which was Ruy/Ken's Hurricane Kick.

Full score for the romaji! 竜巻 (tatsumaki in japanese reading) is tornado, litterally "coiling dragon". 旋風 (senpuu in chinese reading) is whirlwind, "rotating wind". 脚 (kyaku in chinese reading) is "leg", so I guess it means kick.



So, Kageyumi, huh? Well, the "yumi" part I've seen before for one (in some anime, girl name). Shadowbow has also been one of the things I've been thinking of, but in Greece we are more or less the opposite of China when it comes to names and the such (we haven't always been like that, the ancient Greeks were even worse than the Chinese, though usually when refering to Gods. Cheesiness could be a universal characteristic of ancient civilizations...), which means I always have some sort of inner conflict when thinking of names like "Shadowbow"... In the end, WoW is supposedly set in one of those fantasy world where cheesy, over-exaggerated names where casual.


Well, with name like Ironforge, Stormwind, and the like, I'd say shadowbow fits all right :amuse
Also, it's rather common in english compared to most languages to just stick two words together.



Please bear with me and let's talk about this more :sweat Inkyuu sounds weird... I like the "kyuu" part but... Well, my hunter would have to be Undead to have such a name (Kageyumi would be fitting for a Night Elf, implying being stealthy as a shadow, or Undead, refering to the dark, shadowy nature of the undead). So, let's scrap the dark part for the hunter. My hunter will be an Orc, so think of something Orcish if possible (words with (G)s and (R)s and (K)s ).


I would have thought japanese wasn't guttural enough for orcs ;) But still, here's something good:
Here are the different ways of writing simply "hunter" in japanese:

狩人 or 猟人 (hunt-person), pronounced "kariudo", "karyudo" or "karyuudo"
弋人 (the first character seems to have no meaning?? ) pronounced "yokujin"
猟師 (hunt-master) pronounced "ryuushi"

I think "kariudo" is rather good for an orc... :)



Keep in mind that the Hunter is in sync with nature, he can smell the opponent in the air, he can see a group of people 12 hours after they passed from a place just by looking at the ground after they've passed over it... A hunter loves his pet, which means he respects his prey and doesn't kill for fun. He might also be a skinner, to use the body of the fallen animal and in this way show his gratitude, show the spirit that it's life wasn't taken on a whim, that it was the need which guided the lethal arrow.


With all these possiblities, you can choose any japanese-sounding word, and I'll explain why it applies to an orc hunter :smile-big



If you could think of a name for a cat type pet too (though I might choose something else, in which case I'll contact you, though if it's a scorpion I'll name it Sasori, hands down :D ).

Don't forget you can have three pets! "Tora" means tiger... "kuma" means bear... "kumo" means spider...



Shingo would mean so many things huh? Any place I can look at for meanings? You said that if we assume "shin" means "divine" that would lead us to someone feeling self-important, should I presume "go" means "self"? Also, should I presume, "Shin Akuma" is "True Akuma" unlike the cool-but-puzzling "Divine Akuma" I had in mind?

It was indeed "True Akuma", although in japanese is name has been "Gouki" all along, so he was "Shin Gouki".



So, Kagema sounds nice, but let us think of some more names... I'll include some more elements of the warlock nature I'd like you to think of: a sadomasochist (think "Life Tap" which makes him lose life and gain mana, and also "Hellfire" which is an AoE damaging him and others around him), corrupted to the bone, dark, vile, (master) demonologist, evil as hell, hellfire, shadowbolt, Infernal, Doom Guard, Curse of Doom, Curse of Agony...

Same as the orc hunter :smile-big



Ratfox, I know you are a busy person, and if you think that's all kinda too much, I'll ask for permission to copy my posts here to a new thread in the translations section :D Should you wish to keep the discussion going here, I'll just tell you how much I appreciate your help and thank you for your time spent helping me :D :thumbs


Well, I'm not sure how it would fit in the translation section :notrust we can keep it here, I don't mind...

[Leen]

Hi ratfox.

You like panda? Why?

Why the name ratfox??

Can you tell me something about your background? Like how many members are there in your family etc.?

[Anax]

Do you know of a place that I can put simple words like "shadow", "cat" etc. and get a result in hiragana, kanji, romaji (either all of the three or just romaji), for me to do my research and then be able to ask solid questions?

Yokujin sounds so damn good... Perhaps this one Orc was one of advanced bloodline (pun intented), thus receiving a more subtle name. Concering the relation of orcs and Japanese though, you should keep in mind that the Warcraft Orcs have the Blademasters with names like Genjuros (meaning?), though, yeah they have names such as "Grom Hellscream" too, which kinda makes little sense... Oh, well :p

Kagekiri also means "Shadow Mist"? I'll have to view this page from my home where I can actually view the Japanese, so that I pick the character I like most. On stretching things though I have to object :p In Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, you have two words for whirlwhind put together! If that isn't an over exaggeration then what is? You have words that mix Japanese with Chinese pronounciation and the such and you say we are the ones stretching things? No, we are creating art, which I'm sure the renowned artist Deidara would aprove of  :plot Lastly on this, should Kagekiri also mean "Shadowmist" I might as well name my Cat Kagekiri, my Wolf Akamaru or {white}maru and my Scorpion, Sasori :D A bear would qualify for Kuma, though I'd hate it been assosiated with Tekken's Kuma... Well, I'll think about those... I don't have a hunter yet and I know nothing of pets, the rpg element is often enough of a reason for me (if not more) than dps and the like :tem

Well, Kagema qualifies for a Warlock name (loved your explaination of the name). I might as well stick with that (we'll see).

Just made two characters with two names I don't know what they mean, just to save them in case they prove good. An elf Rogue in Ahn Qiraj named "Shii" (Shi = death, was taken) and an Undead Warlock in Genjuros, Shikage (death's shadow?). Please, analyze, explain, refine, fix them and tell me :D Kagema is still getting all the more irresistable... *proceeds in saving that one too*

As for Ironforge etc. and putting two words together. In Greek it often sounds hilarious making a compound word out of two words. Shadowblade is still two words in Greek (Σκιερή Λεπίδα/Skih-er-ee Leh-pih-thah [th, as in there]/shadowy blade or Λεπίδα Σκιάς/Leh-pih-thah Skih-as/Blade [made of] Shadow, try to make ii Σκιολεπίδα/Skih-oh-leh-pih-thah/Shadowblade, that is sounds SO hilarious I nearly pissed myself laughing... Where am I getting at? What it's like in Japanese? Do they often combine words as in "Shadowblade"?

Ok, that's all for now... THANK YOU!! I'll rep the hell out of you :D

[Gold Knight]

^ ^

^

Such a contrast of posts.

*Just commenting - and teasing.*

[ratfox]

You like panda? Why?

Hmmm... They're funny?
Actually, I just like the dancing panda gif very much :)



Why the name ratfox??

I got the name from HunterXhunter... Near the beginning, it's a kind of
monster which can change appearance at will. I didn't think too much about it, though.
It's just I needed a coolish name and this one fit :tem



Can you tell me something about your background? Like how many members are there in your family etc.?

Hmm... I have a sister and two parents, but since I'm a grad student, I live in my own place now.
I've got a girlfriend, also a grad student, but she lives somewhere else, most of the time.

[br]Posted at: 2006-01-25, 20:50:53_________________________________________________

Do you know of a place that I cane put simple words like "shadow", "cat" etc. and get a result in hiragana, kanji, romaji (either all of the three or just romaji), for me to do my research and then be able to ask solid questions?

There's a fantastic place for this: http://www.nihongoresources.com/
Basically, it's a japanese/english dictionary on the web, with lots of search features.
It uses the same standard free use dictionary I've got on my PDA.



Yokujin sounds so damn good... Perhaps this one Orc was one of advanced bloodline (pun intented), thus receiving a more subtle name.

There are at least trolls named Vol'jin, Sen'jin and the like, so Yokujin could probably fit, even for an orc...



Kagekiri also means shadow mist? I'll have to view this page from my home where I can actually view the japanese, so that I pick the character I like most. On stretching things though I have to object :p In Tatsumakisenpuukyaku, you have two words for whirlwhind put tigether! If that isn't an over exaggeration the what is?

Well, I guess they needed ryu and ken to shout a word with each hit, so the name had to be that long :tem



Just made two characters with two names I don't know what they mean, just to save them in case they prove good. An elf Rogue in Ahn Qiraj named "Shii" (Shi = death, was taken) and an Undead Warlock in Genjuros, Shikage (death's shadow?). Please, analyze, explain, refine, fix them and tell me :D Kagema is still getting all the more irresistable... *proceeds in saving that one too*

Shii also has different meanings, like selfishness, thinking and surroundings :p
Shikage... Yes, death's shadow.



What it's like in Japanese? Do they often combine words as in "Shadowblade"?

All the time! 銀行 means bank and is actually silver-going, 音楽 means music and is actually sound-enjoy...
Most words are just two meanings sticking together. The weird part is that like in chinese, they often have
two words with the same meaning stuck together, so as not to have a single character. For instance,
蜘蛛 means spider, and both character mean spider. And even, you never meet them separately, always together!
So, to say spider, you need to say spider-spider :s

[Gold Knight]

How often do you get together with your girlfriend? I've been in long distance relationships and they can be pretty hard at times.

[ratfox]

How often do you get together with your girlfriend? I've been in long distance relationships and they can be pretty hard at times.

She doesn't live that far, we see each other every two weeks minimum for the whole week-end.
We also phone each other every day or so... For the moment it's all right.

In a way, it makes every time we meet special :)

[jiraiya001]

Hahaha! Kage Bushin solves all problems! Thanks for all your hard work! How do you go to japan so often? I hear it's expensive to fly to and to stay at. I want to go, but lack of funds ...

[Anax]

Once more, thank you for your time Ratfox, I really appreciate it.

So, let's take a short break from all that language stuff :D

Tell us: How would you feel if I were to tell you your alias (ratfox) and avatar (a dancing panda) influence my idea of you and in the long run, my mental image of you? The more I see this Panda the more I see you as a Panda-Rat-Fox entity that speaks in English but writes in Kanji!! Ok, I can't say I think in the most common of ways, but still, people just have to make some connection between your alias and your character, your avatar and your looks. Personally I don't feel like an anax (king) but it's what I'm usually called by close friends and has an usual sound for a modern Greek alias (the ending "x") too. As for the cat in my avatar let me tell you that the more I log into this site and see it, the more I relate to it and expect to see it in the mirror soon. That cat is so beautifull... I wouldn't mind becoming him (hopefully it's a "he").
Your turn!

@GK --> Where you comparing my post with Eileen's? :sweat

EDIT/ Shingo, Shii... I pick random words and they end up ending with something revovling around "self" and "selfishness"... Maybe there's a hidden meaning here for me to grasp :p

[Gold Knight]

Yep Anax XD I was just teasing ya guys.

Hey Ratfox, you doin' okay? =/

[HellbentTheGreatShinobi]

I hate to be a burden...Just a random question and I hope someone will answer me... What Japanese word to they use which means 'legacy' and 'son'? And which of the two did Kishimoto officially used in the manga? I'm not Japanese so please pardon me and thanks in advance...Err, I forgot the exact chapter but I'm sure it was way back when Itachi and Kisame came to Konoha to find Naruto.

[ratfox]

I hate to be a burden...Just a random question and I hope someone will answer me... What Japanese word to they use which means 'legacy' and 'son'? And which of the two did Kishimoto officially used in the manga? I'm not Japanese so please pardon me and thanks in advance...Err, I forgot the exact chapter but I'm sure it was way back when Itachi and Kisame came to Konoha to find Naruto.


Sorry about not answering sooner... The word they use is 遺産 ("isan"), which according to my dictionary,
means "inheritance, bequest". To be precise, the first of the two characters means "bequeath; leave behind;
reserve", and the second one means "products; bear; give birth; yield; childbirth; native; property".

There doesn't seem to be anything in this that would mean that Naruto is the son of the fourth. But,
one way or the other, It is a rather strange way to speak of somebody.

[HellbentTheGreatShinobi]

Thanks a lot ratfox! :smile-big

[ratfox]

Okay, I put all my translations in the Naruto Drafts section...

I'm as astonished by the number of chapters I've translated as
by how the first translations were crappy :sweat

[Gold Knight]

Thanks, Ratfox! And lol... it's called improvement!

Had to start somewhere right? ;)