User:AzimuthAcolyte/Sandbox/Japanese - Revision history

Saix at 10:19, 11 March 2026

2026-03-11T10:19:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:19, 11 March 2026
Line 272:		Line 272:
	=====Hasbro=====		=====Hasbro=====
	Around the onset of the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', Hasbro evidently discovered the quick and easy trademarking joys of ''agressively'' literal romanization.		Around the onset of the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', Hasbro evidently discovered the quick and easy trademarking joys of ''agressively'' literal romanization.
	*''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[~~Daburu (TR)~~\|Daburu]]" after the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".		*''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[White Leo\|Daburu]]" after the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".
	*When the duo of Generation 1 dinosaur casettes [[Dile]] (ダイル) and [[Zaur (G1)\|Zaur]] (ザウル ) (plays on "reptile" and "dinosaur" respectively} finally made their way across the Pacific after some 3` years, they were given the localized names [[Dairu]] and [[Zauru]].		*When the duo of Generation 1 dinosaur casettes [[Dile]] (ダイル) and [[Zaur (G1)\|Zaur]] (ザウル ) (plays on "reptile" and "dinosaur" respectively} finally made their way across the Pacific after some 3` years, they were given the localized names [[Dairu]] and [[Zauru]].
	*To add insult to injury, when the pair received "[[Black redeco\|nemesis]]" recolors, they were given these names backwards*, producing the truly bizarre "[[Uriad]]" and "[[Uruaz]]."		*To add insult to injury, when the pair received "[[Black redeco\|nemesis]]" recolors, they were given these names backwards*, producing the truly bizarre "[[Uriad]]" and "[[Uruaz]]."

BerylRoll at 13:25, 2 February 2026

2026-02-02T13:25:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:25, 2 February 2026
Line 192:		Line 192:
	Off.		Off.

	On occasion, some popular English catchphrases for the brand have been translated into Japanese and then ''re-translated'' back into English, producing a particularly brutal contrast with the "correct answer." A prime example is when the tagline "More than meets the eye" was translated into Japanese and then re-translated back into English for the packaging of the Japanese release of the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line, producing the trainwreck, "The truth who the eyes met before!"		On occasion, some popular English catchphrases for the brand have been translated into Japanese and then ''re-translated'' back into English, producing a particularly brutal contrast with the "correct answer." A prime example is when the tagline "More than meets the eye" was translated into Japanese and then re-translated back into English for the packaging of the Japanese release of the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron (toyline)\|Heroes of Cybertron]]'' line, producing the trainwreck, "The truth who the eyes met before!"
	{{-}}		{{-}}

Line 274:		Line 274:
	*''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[Daburu (TR)\|Daburu]]" after the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".		*''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[Daburu (TR)\|Daburu]]" after the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".
	*When the duo of Generation 1 dinosaur casettes [[Dile]] (ダイル) and [[Zaur (G1)\|Zaur]] (ザウル ) (plays on "reptile" and "dinosaur" respectively} finally made their way across the Pacific after some 3` years, they were given the localized names [[Dairu]] and [[Zauru]].		*When the duo of Generation 1 dinosaur casettes [[Dile]] (ダイル) and [[Zaur (G1)\|Zaur]] (ザウル ) (plays on "reptile" and "dinosaur" respectively} finally made their way across the Pacific after some 3` years, they were given the localized names [[Dairu]] and [[Zauru]].
	*To add insult to injury, when the pair received "[[~~black repaint~~\|nemesis]]" recolors, they were given these names backwards*, producing the truly bizarre "[[Uriad]]" and "[[Uruaz]]."		*To add insult to injury, when the pair received "[[Black redeco\|nemesis]]" recolors, they were given these names backwards*, producing the truly bizarre "[[Uriad]]" and "[[Uruaz]]."
	{{note\|CW "[[Deathsaurus (G1)\|Deszaras]]", more probably}}		{{note\|CW "[[Deathsaurus (G1)\|Deszaras]]", more probably}}
	{{-}}		{{-}}

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Furigana Frenzy */

2022-01-23T05:45:49Z

Furigana Frenzy

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:45, 23 January 2022
Line 207:		Line 207:
	[[File:Generations Selects Primus Vanguard.jpg\|upright=2\|right\|thumb\|Three cheers for the Pun Patrol!]]		[[File:Generations Selects Primus Vanguard.jpg\|upright=2\|right\|thumb\|Three cheers for the Pun Patrol!]]

	~~The~~ saga of the technicolor warrior monks known as the [[Primus Vanguard]] utilizes a truly dizzying array of furigana puns in the names of its major characters, up to and including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (2)\|Optimus Prime]] himself.		As discussed above, the grammatical construction known as "[[Japanese language#Furigana\|furigana]]" doesn't really have a clean analogue in English. Thankfully this particularly elaborate form of wordplay is pretty rare in ''Transformers'' media, perhaps due to the younger-skewing demographics of the franchise. Rare, that is, with one prominent exception: the saga of the technicolor warrior monks known as the [[Primus Vanguard]] utilizes a truly dizzying array of furigana puns in the names of its major characters, up to and including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (2)\|Optimus Prime]] himself.
	*Each officer of the Vanguard utilizes a classic ''Transformers'' title in their rank, with "Commander" ({{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''shriekan'') being "pronounced" as "Convoy" (コンボイ ''Konboi'') while "Marshal" ({{ruby\|元帥\|プライム}} ''gensui'') becomes "Prime" (プライム ''Puraimu'').		*Each officer of the Vanguard utilizes a classic ''Transformers'' title in their rank, with "Commander" ({{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''shriekan'') being "pronounced" as "Convoy" (コンボイ ''Konboi'') while "Marshal" ({{ruby\|元帥\|プライム}} ''gensui'') becomes "Prime" (プライム ''Puraimu'').
	*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').		*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Furigana Frenzy */

2022-01-23T05:38:17Z

Furigana Frenzy

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:38, 23 January 2022
Line 211:		Line 211:
	*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').		*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').
	*The [[New Primus Vanguard]], evil doppelgangers of the Primus Vanguard made out of Megatron clones, also got in on the pun action, with the classic "[[Emperor of Destruction]]"({{ruby\|破壊大帝\|メガトロン}} ''Hakai Taitei'') title being paired up with "Megatron"(メガトロン ''Megatoron'').		*The [[New Primus Vanguard]], evil doppelgangers of the Primus Vanguard made out of Megatron clones, also got in on the pun action, with the classic "[[Emperor of Destruction]]"({{ruby\|破壊大帝\|メガトロン}} ''Hakai Taitei'') title being paired up with "Megatron"(メガトロン ''Megatoron'').
			{{-}}

	===="High concept" names====		===="High concept" names====

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Furigana Frenzy */

2022-01-23T05:38:04Z

Furigana Frenzy

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:38, 23 January 2022
Line 204:		Line 204:
	{{note\|[[Lawbhammer]] is probably a good candidate here}}		{{note\|[[Lawbhammer]] is probably a good candidate here}}
	====Furigana Frenzy====		====Furigana Frenzy====
	~~Honestly~~ the [[Primus Vanguard]] ~~gang could probably fill~~ their ~~own section here~~.
			[[File:Generations Selects Primus Vanguard.jpg\|upright=2\|right\|thumb\|Three cheers for the Pun Patrol!]]

			The saga of the technicolor warrior monks known as the [[Primus Vanguard]] utilizes a truly dizzying array of furigana puns in the names of its major characters, up to and including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (2)\|Optimus Prime]] himself.
			*Each officer of the Vanguard utilizes a classic ''Transformers'' title in their rank, with "Commander" ({{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''shriekan'') being "pronounced" as "Convoy" (コンボイ ''Konboi'') while "Marshal" ({{ruby\|元帥\|プライム}} ''gensui'') becomes "Prime" (プライム ''Puraimu'').
			*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').
			*The [[New Primus Vanguard]], evil doppelgangers of the Primus Vanguard made out of Megatron clones, also got in on the pun action, with the classic "[[Emperor of Destruction]]"({{ruby\|破壊大帝\|メガトロン}} ''Hakai Taitei'') title being paired up with "Megatron"(メガトロン ''Megatoron'').

	===="High concept" names====		===="High concept" names====

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Hasbro */

2022-01-19T06:03:17Z

Hasbro

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:03, 19 January 2022
Line 264:		Line 264:

	=====Hasbro=====		=====Hasbro=====
	''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[Daburu (TR)\|Daburu]]"~~, a ''very'' literal romanization of~~ the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".		Around the onset of the ''[[Prime Wars Trilogy]]'', Hasbro evidently discovered the quick and easy trademarking joys of ''agressively'' literal romanization.
	~~{{note~~\|[[Dairu]], [[~~Zauru~~]], CW "[[Deathsaurus (G1)\|Deszaras]]", ~~there are oodles~~ more ~~at this point~~}}		*''[[Titans Return (toyline)\|Titans Return]]'' [[Doublecross#Generations\|Twinferno]]'s [[Titan Master]] is named "[[Daburu (TR)\|Daburu]]" after the Japanese rendition of the word "double" (ダブル), after Twinferno's original Generation 1 name, "Doublecross".
			*When the duo of Generation 1 dinosaur casettes [[Dile]] (ダイル) and [[Zaur (G1)\|Zaur]] (ザウル ) (plays on "reptile" and "dinosaur" respectively} finally made their way across the Pacific after some 3` years, they were given the localized names [[Dairu]] and [[Zauru]].
			*To add insult to injury, when the pair received "[[black repaint\|nemesis]]" recolors, they were given these names backwards*, producing the truly bizarre "[[Uriad]]" and "[[Uruaz]]."
			{{note\|CW "[[Deathsaurus (G1)\|Deszaras]]", more probably}}
	{{-}}		{{-}}

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Translating the untranslateable */

2022-01-15T19:25:04Z

Translating the untranslateable

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:25, 15 January 2022
Line 203:		Line 203:
	*''Galaxy Force'' [[Spiral\|Gagenda]] (ガゼンダ), [[Oval\|Cyaana]] (シアーナ) and [[Backtrack (Armada)\|Sullow]] (スロー) are named with modifications of their primary colors: magenta (マゼンタ), cyan (シアン) and yellow (イェロー).		*''Galaxy Force'' [[Spiral\|Gagenda]] (ガゼンダ), [[Oval\|Cyaana]] (シアーナ) and [[Backtrack (Armada)\|Sullow]] (スロー) are named with modifications of their primary colors: magenta (マゼンタ), cyan (シアン) and yellow (イェロー).
	{{note\|[[Lawbhammer]] is probably a good candidate here}}		{{note\|[[Lawbhammer]] is probably a good candidate here}}
			====Furigana Frenzy====
			Honestly the [[Primus Vanguard]] gang could probably fill their own section here.

	===="High concept" names====		===="High concept" names====

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Because it looks cool */

2022-01-15T18:35:14Z

Because it looks cool

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:35, 15 January 2022
Line 226:		Line 226:
	We've [[Drift (G1)#Toys\|all seen]] Japanese characters tacked onto English language goods to "look cool" on solely aesthetic grounds. Did you know that goes the other way too? Unsurprisingly this rarely produces intelligible results in either direction.		We've [[Drift (G1)#Toys\|all seen]] Japanese characters tacked onto English language goods to "look cool" on solely aesthetic grounds. Did you know that goes the other way too? Unsurprisingly this rarely produces intelligible results in either direction.
	=====Cool Japanese=====		=====Cool Japanese=====
	{{~~note~~\|[[~~Pat Lee~~\|~~The Funana debacle~~]], [[Drift (G1)#Generations\|Drift]] and [[Drift (SG)#~~Toys~~\|Drift's]] ~~giant kanji thing~~.}}		*[[Pat Lee#Notes\|Pat Lee]]. Nuff said.
			*As befitting the brand mascot for {{w\|Japanophile}} behavior, [[Drift (G1)\|Drift]] has racked up an impressive count of soulful Japanese tattoos.
			**Drift's original IDW character design sported ドリフト (''Dorifuto''), the katakana for ''his own name'' on the doors.
			**The doors of [[Drift (G1)#Generations\|Drift's ''Generations'' toy]] were [[tampograph\|tampographed]] with the more sensible kanji 侍 (''samurai'').
			***These proved to become Drift's most iconic tats, reappearing on his ''[[Drift (G1)#Transformers: Earth Wars\|Earth Wars]]'' character model and ''[[Drift (G1)#Adventure\|Adventure]]'' toy.
			**[[Drift (SG)#Timelines\|''Shattered Glass'' Drift's]] hood was adorned with 定 ("decide") in [[Drift (SG)#Notes\|a vague attempt to approximate "doom."]]
			**The ''Generations'' toy's broadsword was also molded with the rather cocky 天下無双 (tenka musō, "peerless"), which was naturally passed on to Drift's moldmates ''Shattered Glass'' Drift and [[Deadlock (Cloud)#Legends\|''Legends'' Deadlock]].

	=====Cool English=====		=====Cool English=====

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Romanization */

2022-01-15T17:46:23Z

Romanization

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:46, 15 January 2022
Line 142:		Line 142:

	==Romanization==		==Romanization==
	"Romanization" refers to the adaptation of languages or words that do not use Latin letters to the 26-character Latin [[alphabet]] used in English (among other, less important languages). Technically, the English-specific term would be "Anglicization".		"{{w\|Romanization}}" refers to the adaptation of languages or words that do not use Latin letters to the 26-character Latin [[alphabet]] used in English (among other, less important languages). Technically, the English-specific term would be "Anglicization".

	Any writing system is, at best, an approximation of the sounds it represents. The modern Japanese writing system distinguishes between fewer {{w\|phoneme}}s than most, but this does not mean the language ''lacks'' those phonemes, merely that different sounds can be represented by the same symbols. English has more than twenty-six sounds denoted by character-combinations (ex. "{{w\|Voiceless postalveolar affricate\|ch}}" makes a sound that is not the combination of the mouth-movements for "{{w\|Voiceless velar plosive\|c}}" and "{{w\|Voiceless glottal fricative\|h}}", but a close cousin), but even those combinations are imperfect; the "oo" letter sequence represents different sounds in "{{w\|Near-close near-back rounded vowel\|cook}}" and "{{w\|Close back rounded vowel\|spook}}". While Japanese does have official romanization systems, such as the {{w\|Nihon-shiki romanization\|Nihon-shiki}}, it can still be difficult to romanize a Japanese word to match its author's intent due to the sharing of phonemes and other artifacts of the differences between the English and Japanese languages.

			Any writing system is, at best, an approximation of the sounds it represents. The modern Japanese writing system distinguishes between fewer {{w\|phoneme}}s than most, but this does not mean the language ''lacks'' those phonemes, merely that different sounds can be represented by the same symbols. English has more than twenty-six sounds denoted by character-combinations (ex. "{{w\|Voiceless postalveolar affricate\|ch}}" makes a sound that is not the combination of the mouth-movements for "{{w\|Voiceless velar plosive\|c}}" and "{{w\|Voiceless glottal fricative\|h}}", but a close cousin), but even those combinations are imperfect; the "oo" letter sequence represents different sounds in "{{w\|Near-close near-back rounded vowel\|cook}}" and "{{w\|Close back rounded vowel\|spook}}". While Japanese does have official romanization systems, such as the {{w\|Nihon-shiki romanization\|Nihon-shiki}}, it can still be difficult to romanize a Japanese word to match its author's intent due to the sharing of phonemes and other artifacts of the differences between the English and Japanese languages.

	==Lost in Translation==		==Lost in Translation==

AzimuthAcolyte: /* Examples */

2022-01-15T17:42:19Z

Examples

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:42, 15 January 2022
Line 103:		Line 103:

	===Examples===		===Examples===
			'''Kana'''<br>
			*トランスフォーマー (''toransufōmā'', Transformer in katakana)<br>
			ト = ''To''<br>
			ラ = ''ra''<br>
			ン = ''n''<br>
			ス = ''su''<br>
			フォー = ''fō''<br>
			マー = ''mā''<br>
	<br>		<br>
	'''Kanji'''<br>		'''Kanji'''<br>
Line 110:		Line 118:
	体 = "body, figure"<br>		体 = "body, figure"<br>
	<br>		<br>
	*司令官 ''shi rei kan'' ("[[Supreme Commander\|Commander]]", )<br>		*司令官 ''shi rei kan'' ("[[Supreme Commander\|Commander]]")<br>
	司 = "official" or "director"<br>		司 = "official" or "director"<br>
	令 = "law" or "command"<br>		令 = "law" or "command"<br>
	官 = "governor/bureaucrat"<br>		官 = "governor/bureaucrat"<br>
	<br>		<br>
	'''~~Kanji~~ and ~~kana~~'''<br>		'''Kana and kanji'''<br>
	*超ロボット生命体トランスフォーマー ("[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)\|Super Robot Lifeform Transformer]]")<br>		*超ロボット生命体トランスフォーマー ("[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)\|Super Robot Lifeform Transformer]]")<br>
	超 (''chō'', "super-")<br>		超 (''chō'', "super-")<br>
Line 122:		Line 130:
	トランスフォーマー (''toransufōmā'', Transformer in katakana)<br>		トランスフォーマー (''toransufōmā'', Transformer in katakana)<br>
	<br>		<br>
	'''~~Kanji~~ and ~~kana~~ with furigana'''<br>		'''Kana and kanji with furigana'''<br>
	*ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ("[[Blue Big Convoy\|Blue Grand Commander]]")<br>		*ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ("[[Blue Big Convoy\|Blue Grand Commander]]")<br>
	ブルー = (''Burū'', "Blue", katakana)<br>		ブルー = (''Burū'', "Blue", katakana)<br>

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:45, 23 January 2022
Line 207:		Line 207:
	[[File:Generations Selects Primus Vanguard.jpg\|upright=2\|right\|thumb\|Three cheers for the Pun Patrol!]]		[[File:Generations Selects Primus Vanguard.jpg\|upright=2\|right\|thumb\|Three cheers for the Pun Patrol!]]

	~~The~~ saga of the technicolor warrior monks known as the [[Primus Vanguard]] utilizes a truly dizzying array of furigana puns in the names of its major characters, up to and including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (2)\|Optimus Prime]] himself.		As discussed above, the grammatical construction known as "[[Japanese language#Furigana\|furigana]]" doesn't really have a clean analogue in English. Thankfully this particularly elaborate form of wordplay is pretty rare in ''Transformers'' media, perhaps due to the younger-skewing demographics of the franchise. Rare, that is, with one prominent exception: the saga of the technicolor warrior monks known as the [[Primus Vanguard]] utilizes a truly dizzying array of furigana puns in the names of its major characters, up to and including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Generations Selects Special Comic (2)\|Optimus Prime]] himself.
	*Each officer of the Vanguard utilizes a classic ''Transformers'' title in their rank, with "Commander" ({{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''shriekan'') being "pronounced" as "Convoy" (コンボイ ''Konboi'') while "Marshal" ({{ruby\|元帥\|プライム}} ''gensui'') becomes "Prime" (プライム ''Puraimu'').		*Each officer of the Vanguard utilizes a classic ''Transformers'' title in their rank, with "Commander" ({{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''shriekan'') being "pronounced" as "Convoy" (コンボイ ''Konboi'') while "Marshal" ({{ruby\|元帥\|プライム}} ''gensui'') becomes "Prime" (プライム ''Puraimu'').
	*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').		*The puns go even further, as the officers' personal names (sandwiched between their assigned color and rank) are "spelled" as a highfalutin adjective, resulting in configurations such as "Blue Big Convoy" (ブルービッグコンボイ ''Buru Biggu Konboi'') being read "Blue Grand Commander" (ブルー{{ruby\|偉大なる\|ビッグ}}{{ruby\|司令官\|コンボイ}} ''Buru Idainaru Shireikan'').