Astro's name in Japanese

Talk about all things Astro Boy!
User avatar
Tetsuwan Penguin
Robot Revolutionary
Posts: 4712
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Chelmsford, Ma
Contact:

Astro's name in Japanese

Postby Tetsuwan Penguin » 9 years ago

I've seen it written on the title pages of the original manga, I'm not going to try and write it on the computer now.

The name is 5 characters long (though the first two characters look like sets of two smashed together). I don't know what script it's written in but the last three characters I'm certain are Katakana, they clearly spell 'atomu'. I can't find the first two in the on line dictionaries, not in the Katakana or Hiragana sets I've seen anyway.
[sigpic][/sigpic]Image

:tenma: I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! ;)
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4672860/Tetsuwan-Penguin

I can also be found on Deviant Art http://tetsuwanpenguin.deviantart.com/

My home page
http://scharkalvin.weebly.com/about-me.html

Windswept Cloak
Banned
Posts: 2115
Joined: 10 years ago
Location: Sitting at my desk, surrounded by books and papers.

Postby Windswept Cloak » 9 years ago

The first two characters are kanji. The first is "Tetsu" and the second is "wan", so it's "Tetsuwan Atomu". That's the original Japanese title for the series, and also the character's correct Japanese name. ;)
I joined this forum in late 2013 when I was 15 going on 16. Ignore my oldest posts, they embarrass me so much that I've considered permanantly leaving the forum more than once. I've grown out of my fangirling phase over Black Jack, Atom and Uran ages ago but the memories still embarrass me at times... :unsure: Though, I try to be more open-minded about it and accept it as an "interesting stage of my life". :tezuka:

User avatar
Tetsuwan Penguin
Robot Revolutionary
Posts: 4712
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Chelmsford, Ma
Contact:

Postby Tetsuwan Penguin » 9 years ago

That's strange mixing Kanji and katakawa in the same phrase isn't it?
[sigpic][/sigpic]Image



:tenma: I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! ;)

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4672860/Tetsuwan-Penguin



I can also be found on Deviant Art http://tetsuwanpenguin.deviantart.com/



My home page

http://scharkalvin.weebly.com/about-me.html

Windswept Cloak
Banned
Posts: 2115
Joined: 10 years ago
Location: Sitting at my desk, surrounded by books and papers.

Postby Windswept Cloak » 9 years ago

Oh no, actually it's quite common for people to do that in the Japanese language. For example, I have been watching a Japanese live-action TV series (you can watch these on TV here in Taiwan, since we are south from Japan and very close to it) in which the main character is called "Meiko" (メ ィ 子 ;) , メ ィ pronounced "Mei" and 子 pronounced "ko", meaning "child", a common ending for old-fashioned feminine Japanese names.

(I'm kind of learning a lot about Japan lately since the setting of my new original series, as well as my fanfic, are both in Japan.)
Last edited by Windswept Cloak on Tue Jun 24, 2014 1:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I joined this forum in late 2013 when I was 15 going on 16. Ignore my oldest posts, they embarrass me so much that I've considered permanantly leaving the forum more than once. I've grown out of my fangirling phase over Black Jack, Atom and Uran ages ago but the memories still embarrass me at times... :unsure: Though, I try to be more open-minded about it and accept it as an "interesting stage of my life". :tezuka:

User avatar
Dante69
Rocket Ball Champion
Posts: 253
Joined: 10 years ago
Location: Online

Postby Dante69 » 9 years ago

鉄腕アトム。 The first thing I learned to spell in Japanese.
:tenma: :astro: :o cha: LOL

User avatar
Tetsuwan Penguin
Robot Revolutionary
Posts: 4712
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Chelmsford, Ma
Contact:

Postby Tetsuwan Penguin » 9 years ago

One of two things in Japanese I can recognize on sight. The other is Osmau Tezuka's name.
[sigpic][/sigpic]Image



:tenma: I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! ;)

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4672860/Tetsuwan-Penguin



I can also be found on Deviant Art http://tetsuwanpenguin.deviantart.com/



My home page

http://scharkalvin.weebly.com/about-me.html

User avatar
Earthshine
Moderator
Posts: 2583
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Pacific Northwest of the USA

Postby Earthshine » 9 years ago

Tetsuwan 鉄腕 is strictly Japanese but Atomu アトム is a 'borrowed' English word so thus the Japanese cannot make kanji out of the word (they COULD but they refrain from doing so, that's what katakana is for).

Katakana is strictly for 'borrowed' words, or sound effects or other words that a person wants to separate.

It's not uncommon at all to have all sorts of alphabet combinations for names in Japanese media and even occasionally for real names. Sometimes they use hiragana or katakana as part of a name just to make sure that someone understands how to pronounce a name.

Some Japanese will elect to spell their name with hiragana or katakana if a kanji in their name is rare or people use the wrong pronunciation all the time. Think of it like someone with the name of Jaime... Is it Jay Mee or the Spanish pronunciation of Hai May? (in this case it's actually Spanish). Only in Japan this person would be able to write EXACTLY how to pronounce it and not get weird looks.
Last edited by Earthshine on Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:28 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
Tetsuwan Penguin
Robot Revolutionary
Posts: 4712
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Chelmsford, Ma
Contact:

Postby Tetsuwan Penguin » 9 years ago

So Japanese is close to being a phoenic alphabet? BTW is the final character that Tezuka added to his signature (mushi) kanji?
[sigpic][/sigpic]Image



:tenma: I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! ;)

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4672860/Tetsuwan-Penguin



I can also be found on Deviant Art http://tetsuwanpenguin.deviantart.com/



My home page

http://scharkalvin.weebly.com/about-me.html

User avatar
Earthshine
Moderator
Posts: 2583
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Pacific Northwest of the USA

Postby Earthshine » 9 years ago

虫 mushi is kanji, it means 'bug'.

Kanji is literally Chinese writing.

User avatar
Tetsuwan Penguin
Robot Revolutionary
Posts: 4712
Joined: 11 years ago
Location: Chelmsford, Ma
Contact:

Postby Tetsuwan Penguin » 9 years ago

Probably more properly, "Insect". Tezuka was a budding entomologist as a kid, he drew lots of very detailed pictures of insects. He added the Mushi character to his signature as a result, and later named the animation studio he founded for it. I have to laugh at the Google translate page that literally rendered "Mushi Studios" as "Insect Studios" :-)
[sigpic][/sigpic]Image



:tenma: I'm on Fanfiction.net as Tetsuwan Penguin. Please check out some of the other stories I've written! ;)

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4672860/Tetsuwan-Penguin



I can also be found on Deviant Art http://tetsuwanpenguin.deviantart.com/



My home page

http://scharkalvin.weebly.com/about-me.html


Return to “Astro Boy Discussion”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 75 guests