Via Flickr, I saw this photo with caption of "Cindy, a beautiful canvas". I wish I could say the same about the artist, but unfortunately the mistakes are so obvious.
The first character 母 is correct and means "mother".
The second one, I am not sure if it was suppose be a Christian cross, 十 means "ten" with four sparkling flares, or 米 means "rice" which also phonetically translated as America in Japanese.
The third one is a mistake. The character 物 is vertically mirrored. When written correctly, 物 means "thing, substance, creature".
The last character 貴 means "expensive, costly, valuable".
Even if all the characters are correctly tattooed, the translation would still be:
"The Mother Ten Things Are Expensive"
What does that mean exactly?
Update: Todd thinks this tattoo means "Expensive American Malt Liquor":
It is 母米物貴. "母米" is from "酒母米", as in "American malt liquor". The whole thing means "expensive american malt liquor".
Could anyone verify this?
Oh Damn! I took that photo. I will refrain from telling her. It's not like she can change it, and she does not need to know!
ReplyDeleteNice to see one of my photos spread on the net.
BTW: look at my cc license.
The third one is not only upside down but a mirror image...
ReplyDeleteEXCELLENT idea for a blog!!... I found you the other day and I can't stop laughing ... although that's a mean thing to do actually... laughing at peoples ignorance... now I feel horrible. ~humph~
ReplyDeleteOh well... 4 stars!
it means:" I could tell ten things about the mother of this girl but it will be expensive, bro" XD
ReplyDeleteGoing with the Christian cross thing . . . "The Holy Mother is a Priceless Treasure." Heh. No, I didn't think so.
ReplyDeleteEven if she wanted those characters (and the rice/cross) for their phonetic value or something, that third one is inexcusable. The tat artist who inflicted that on her is inept.
Going with the Christian cross thing . . . "The Holy Mother is a Priceless Treasure." Heh. No, I didn't think so.
ReplyDeleteEven if she wanted those characters (and the rice/cross) for their phonetic value or something, that third one is inexcusable. The tat artist who inflicted that on her is inept.
I guess "my mother and Jesus are [the only] valuable things to me."
ReplyDeleteHey, first anonymous person, why don't you tell us what it was supposed to mean?? Please?
Let me guess.
ReplyDeleteShe asked to tatto "feminine, beautiful, fortunate, and gracious."
The tattoo artist went "Yeah, those'd look real good on you," and took out his pile of characters and started working.
母=female;
美=beauty/beautiful but 美国=米国 so 美 must be the same as 米 which has less strokes;
物=material things, it'll pass for plentiful=fortunate;
華貴=luxurious close enough to gracious and let me close my eyes and pick one out of the two characters---it's going to be 貴.
The second character, if we take it to be the Japanese character, 米, is horizontally mirrored.
ReplyDeleteIt could refer to a saying from the Bible. Proverbs 31:6 says "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." If you take the cross as being a Christian symbol, then you could read it as a virtuous (i.e. Christian) woman is beyond all price.
ReplyDelete"then you could read it as a virtuous (i.e. Christian) woman is beyond all price."
ReplyDeleteThere is no way this tattoo can be read in this manner. If the backward, mirrored 物 was replaced by 無 (both pronounced wu), as in 無價之寶 then there might be a case for regarding 無貴 as being priceless. But to describe something as 無貴 means that it lacks nobility more than it means transcending value.
This tattoo is so busted that the original message intended to be displayed might never be known, it should be viewed as a warning to all those who don't give any thought before they go out and get something indelibly stitched onto their skin.
Hay I only took the photo. I have no Idea what it was ment to mean. oh well, cool blog, love all the views to my photo it genreated, you should see the rest.
ReplyDeleteZenoptic
I think it was just the wrong use of words. For example, if you just read it out loud not taking the meanings of the words. It would sound like: Mu Shi Wu Gui.
ReplyDeleteProbably what it is trying to say is Mu (mother/s) Shi (is/are) Wu (no/not) Gui (expensive)
It'll probably mean (my) mother is cheap or mothers are cheap.
Alternatively, it probably mean that (my) mother is priceless or mothers are priceless.
I'm more inclined to choose the latter.
it's an oxymoron. there's no such thing as expensive malt liquor
ReplyDeletemight the artist have mistaken "mu mi" for mommy?
ReplyDeletelike... Mommy's expensive property?
When I saw this, I just thought - Dreadful! Poor girl.
ReplyDeleteThis is Cindy. Did you fuckfaces think MAYBE each tattoo was individual.... not a sentence? The mirrored one is mirrored for a reason. The cross is just a cross. Mother? I fucking love my mother.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend from Hong Kong draw these up for me. You guys are so silly to analyze the "deep meaning" in a tattoo that you don't even know. Laugh you asses of, I'm happy I could bring you pleasure.
Ala... Cindy fucking Woodham!
@Cindy fucking Woodham,
ReplyDeleteShould have thought about result before you got it done.
We are continuing to laugh our asses off at you, not with you.
Thanks for bring us pleasure.