Hanzi Smatter is one of my favorite websites. The subtitle to the blog—dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture—says it all. Or almost all, as the blog does address Japanese characters (Kanji) as well. Let’s just say that rampant misuse seems to be a problem regardless of which Asian characters are involved.
One of the most frequently-addressed topics within the blog is bad Kanji tattoos, and this has got to be one of the best entries ever:
Co-worker’s Tattoo
Q: [My co-worker] thinks it means “Bitch”
A: What this woman tattooed really means “cheap whore”
Even though I know it is wrong to laugh at other people’s misfortune, I am still laughing and I have shared the link with my co-workers so that they may laugh as well.
And yes, I am a teeny bit smug about having a team of “Kanji advisors” who would never let this happen to me! Although I speak and read only a very little Japanese, my parents, uncles and aunts are completely bilingual and if they don’t know a specific character, they have their own “Kanji advisors” to get more help from. Although I must say I wanted to die when my mom asked the reverend at her church about characters on a particular tattoo (thank God, and I mean that in every sense, that it didn’t say something filthy), at least I know I will never need a tattoo saying “cheap whore” removed from my body!