Hi everyone, I'm planning on getting a Silent Hill F tattoo and I wanted to get a quote tattoed in japanese to match the design... But first, I want to check if the sentence is correct! I just started studying japanese, so I can't catch nor transliterate well what the protagonist is saying in this clip yet (https://youtu.be/EogTtvYqOHI?is=XRO67deDtsrOzcP7 — 11:58 min)

Is it the same quote from the video? I can't really catch what she's saying:

私の幸福は私が決めます。他の誰かに与えられるものじゃない！

(Watashi no kōfuku wa watashi ga kimemasu. Hoka no dareka ni atae rareru mono janai!)

Translation:

(My happiness is something I decide. It's not something given to me by anyone else!)

I have the appointment next month, please let me know thank you! :')

Hello everyone,

Could native Mandarin speakers please review the following song lyrics?

I'm mainly interested in:

• grammatical correctness

• natural wording

• whether the lyrics sound like something that could naturally be used in a Mandarin song

• any phrases that feel awkward, unnatural, overly literal, or unusual to native speakers

Please feel free to point out specific lines and suggest alternatives if necessary.

Thank you very much for your help.

像那棵树 静静地

被命运系在原地

像冰河上漂浮的

百年故事的痕迹

我想把心碎的

重新连成一体

在梦里轻轻地

寻找那答案的语气

我今天唯一的愿望

是找到属于家的土地

身旁有我的爱 有童年的回忆

我今天唯一的愿望

是找到属于家的土地

身旁有我的爱 有童年的回忆

一切都会有它的时机

我心里藏着力量的涌起

前方的道路已经清晰

我知道自己想要的生命

随风的波浪带我前行

登上最高最亮的山顶

现在我终于懂得

心里想说的话语

我今天唯一的愿望

是找到属于家的土地

身旁有我的爱 有童年的回忆

我今天唯一的愿望

是找到属于家的土地

身旁有我的爱 有童年的回忆

I'm on the hunt for old PC backgrounds to put on my windows 7 laptop, and came across this.

Thanks!

https://x.com/mozu_hayanie/status/1297123093471588352?s=20

Bought this from an old guy at a fleamarket in Kyoto. Before I display it, I would love to know more about the text. Maybe someone is able to read and translate it?

Hello! I bought a matcha bowl from Japan and this was written on the inside of the box lid. Could someone help translate it please? Thank you!

A divider I’ve had for quite sometime. I used google translate. Says it is “Increase Retreat”. I can’t imagine that’s right, maybe it is I have no idea.

First image is from the sheath of a Japanese vegetable knife. The others are the inscription on the blade. Was told this was a Yoshihiro brand. Trying to translate these symbols to confirm.

TY!

I don't know if this is the right subreddit to post this in, but I'm not sure where else to ask and the bot on r/LearnJapanese sent me here when I tried to post.

So I'm working on a romhack for a PC-98 game called Nostalgia 1907, and for the most part there's been no issues and even technical dialogue relating to seafaring / ships have been easy to figure out from context.

However, there's this one section that I'm struggling with because one of the lines feels unrelated to the previous conversation:

船長「同じ航路上に僚船がいるはずだ」
航海長「英国海運局発刊の船舶運行時刻表によると、この次ここを通過するのはイギリスの貨物船メアリースター。３日後です」
船長「当船が撃沈されれば、われわれの水死体を発見してくれるわけだ」
機関長「そいつは、ボーンコレクター。伝説の骨拾い船になれまンな。チィッとばか季節はずれやが」

Is "bone collector" something I'm misunderstanding? And how is it "unseasonable", is that a synonym for "off-colour" / "a bad joke"? I've asked the romhacking community I'm in but no one's responded yet, and a friend with roughly the same fluency as me is also confused by it. I'm hoping someone here has encountered something like it before, or can figure out what the speaker might have been trying to say.

Dies ist nicht der Himmel. Es ist die Welt. Und sie ist voller (Agnes?)

Is he saying “Agnes”? If so, what does it mean? I couldn’t find this word in a German dictionary.

Hi everyone! I need some help from native speakers or advanced Japanese scholars to settle a technical debate about a specific expression used in a fanbook of a manga (Demon Slayer.)

The text is describing a swordsman's technique (Obanai Iguro, the Serpent Hashira) and uses the phrase 変幻自在 (Hengen Jizai).

The official Japanese text is:
“蛇の呼吸の極意 蛇の呼吸の変幻自在な剣技は、正確な太刀筋があってこそ。極限まで磨き上げることで、狭い隙間をすり抜ける“うねる”一撃を可能にしている。”

An official translation in my country translated 変幻自在な剣技 as "illusory techniques" (as in, literally creating optical illusions). However, looking at the kanji and the context, I argue that it is being used metaphorically to describe a fighting style that is extremely fluid, versatile, unpredictable, and flexible (like a snake winding through tight spaces), rather than meaning literal magic or optical illusions.

Could you please clarify:

1. In a martial arts, swordplay, or sports context, what does 変幻自在 (Hengen Jizai) usually imply? Does it mean the person is creating actual "illusions" to trick the eyes, or does it mean their movements/tactics are highly adaptable, versatile, and constantly changing in an unpredictable way?
2. Given the context of the sentence ("a slithering blow that slips through narrow gaps"), which interpretation makes more sense naturally in Japanese?

Hi! I did read the rules and had a little look through the sub but I cant quite find what I'm looking for.

I've just made a friend who is bilingual, our daughters go to dancing together. I've been trying to speak Japanese to her and her daughter but I really only still have some basic phrases under my belt.

I'm working through the textbook and improving my words every week but I'd really love some little phrases - her daughter just lights up when I ask how she is in Japanese and when I know the animal names in Japanese and it warms my heart, so I want to do it more! (We are almost trading Japanese and Auslan phrases with our daughters so they're going to be such clever little chickens)

My problem with trying to put the phrases into a translator is the grammar often comes out weird.

I'd really love some help with some phrases like:

"Are you ready for dancing today? Yay! Let's go friends!"

"Thank you for being so kind!"

"You did great at dancing today!"

And maybe a few birthday ones as both their birthdays are coming up

"Thank you for coming to [daughters] birthday!/Thank you for inviting us to [daughters] birthday!"

Thank you ❤️

Hi everyone, I was going through some old boxes of stuff from my family and found this hand made silk cloth with this printed on it. I am not sure what it says, or what language it is. Can anyone translate this? I am also not sure which side is right-side-up for the symbols, so have posted it at four different rotations.

Also for more context: a tag on it read: "Yesildal ipek, Bursa - Turkey"

Thanks!

Hi, I am currently transcribing all the lyrics to the "Fading Yellow" music compilation series onto genius.com, which showcases late 60's/early 70's music from around the world. Volume 14 gives us very delightful Spanish songs from that era, only trouble is, I don't know Spanish.

After scouring the internet for a good hour or two, there are 4 songs left to be given lyrics: (I have provided YouTube links)

Ana - Amores: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f45fTjSmKjU

Cantándole Al Viento - Isasi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAZO5kgCS8

Mira De Frente - Las Cuatro Monedas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWfhDOQ3bMQ

En Sueños - Albert Band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCzYyOIY34

If you already have an account on genius.com, then you can just search and put it there. But if you don't, you can just comment below.

Good luck!