My new avatar

[pendell]

... is SUPPOSED to be the Japanese Kanji for "respect", based on this youtube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViP2OfzpjUA&feature=share).

I would appreciate it if someone who actually does read Kanji could verify that I got the brush strokes right -- it was drawn by me , personally, in MS Paint and my perspective isn't the best. I want to make sure that I am saying what I meant to say and haven't accidentally drawn some rude symbol which would earn me an infraction.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Qaera]

It looks like this (http://japanese.about.com/library/bl50kanji_sonkei.htm) is Sonkei, or respect, in Japanese Kanji. No idea what yours is though.

[pendell]

It looks like this is Sonkei, or respect, in Japanese Kanji. No idea what yours is though.

As I explained, this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViP2OfzpjUA&feature=share) was put by someone who claims to be a person fluent in kanji. I *think* I have copied it correctly, so I don't know quite what to say.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[kamikasei]

It seems to be usually pronounced rei (http://www.jp41.com/kanji/rei.html) and mean something closer to "courtesy" or "manners" than "respect" as an abstract idea.

[Zeta Kai]

I genuinely do not mean to be rude by the following question, although I understand that some would be offended by it; therefore, I will try to phrase it as respectfully as possible.

Why do you want to have a symbol that you don't understand to be your avatar?

Your avatar represents you, for good or ill. It is your face on this forum. We recognize posters by their avatars, & our opinions of them are informed by the images that they present to us. You, by your own admission, cannot read Japanese, & do not seem to understand the full meaning of the language. And yet, you are choosing to use Japanese words to represent yourself. Why?

Perhaps you have no real reason to do so, & I'm not saying that you need to have a justification for this choice. But it strikes me as odd that you would want to have an avatar that you cannot read. It is your face, but its meaning is unknown to you. How strange...

[MoonCat]

@Zeta Kai: Because he's tired of being a flumph?

[pendell]

I genuinely do not mean to be rude by the following question, although I understand that some would be offended by it; therefore, I will try to phrase it as respectfully as possible.

Why do you want to have a symbol that you don't understand to be your avatar?

Your avatar represents you, for good or ill. It is your face on this forum. We recognize posters by their avatars, & our opinions of them are informed by the images that they present to us. You, by your own admission, cannot read Japanese, & do not seem to understand the full meaning of the language. And yet, you are choosing to use Japanese words to represent yourself. Why?

Perhaps you have no real reason to do so, & I'm not saying that you need to have a justification for this choice. But it strikes me as odd that you would want to have an avatar that you cannot read. It is your face, but its meaning is unknown to you. How strange...

Zeta Kai,

Have you noticed my signature? It isn't a block. I write it out and sign by hand every post, as a constant reminder to myself that "respect for self and others" is a fundamental way I deal with others on these boards. That is how I act, and that is what I expect in return. The concept of "rei" -- courtesy/manners -- fits equally well.

I chose a kanji writing it out in roman letters first , because no one has a latin alphabet word as an avatar. Second, because it is Japanese and I am going through an I-like-anime phase. Third, because I drew it myself, and I prefer that to something made by someone else or taken from Mr. Burlew's stock. My drawing skills being what they are, I could just about handle a kanji.

Fifth, it is entirely different and unique from anything anyone else has.

I may not have perfectly understood the Kanji, but I understood it well enough to make a stab at it and then ask for expert help both for my own edification and to prevent any ... unfortunate misunderstandings ... with our ever-vigilant mod squad.

I would be very disappointed to find that I had put a slash the wrong way and written "sex with monkeys" instead of "respect/courtesy/manners". Happily , I seem to have avoided that trap.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[John Cribati]

May I... er... respectfully suggest that you draw it a bit... better? Because that looks like a three-minute hack-job in Paint, when you could spend roughly the same amount of time working on it in Inkscape or something like that and get a much cleaner-looking image.

[pendell]

May I... er... respectfully suggest that you draw it a bit... better? Because that looks like a three-minute hack-job in Paint, when you could spend roughly the same amount of time working on it in Inkscape or something like that and get a much cleaner-looking image.

Thank you for the suggestion. I will consider it, but cannot promise that I will follow through and do so.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[John Cribati]

You can literally make that in Inkscape in seventeen clicks, barring adjustments or such to make it look symmetrical or whatever.

[Dvandemon]

I will surely miss pendell the flumph and sincerely welcome pendell the character of respect. While I do deeply respect your choice of self-sufficiency I would like to add that you should have spend more time on your avatar, unless you wanted to use Spray Paint to that effect.

[pendell]

Okay, Dvandemon and Herpestidae, I took your advice. It actually took about 20 minutes to redo the whole thing in Inkscape (10 minutes for internet download hangups, 2 minutes to draw and redraw twice, another 8 to upload and get it operable here). But I'd budgeted an hour. Still not perfect. I may try again later.

Thanks for the suggestions!

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[unosarta]

The character has meaning not only in Japanese (it is used, as rei, in order to show respect to a teacher before every class day [don't really want to explain this, it involves bowing and is hard to properly describe]), but also in Chinese. In Chinese, the character means respect as well, and is one of the main tenets of Confucianism.

[averagejoe]

The Mod They Call Me: Arts and Crafts is probably more appropriate for this thread.

[Teutonic Knight]

Now that's it's here, we can get a Japanese Arts and Crafts Playgrounder like Kasanip. Sorry first one that came to my head.

[pendell]

The character has meaning not only in Japanese (it is used, as rei, in order to show respect to a teacher before every class day [don't really want to explain this, it involves bowing and is hard to properly describe]), but also in Chinese. In Chinese, the character means respect as well, and is one of the main tenets of Confucianism.

Does it indeed? Thanks! That makes it even more appropriate, for reasons I cannot now go into.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Mad Mask]

On the artistic aspect of the symbol, I would suggest removing the white background and making the characters themselves bigger. Like this:

http://www.kinogo.com/madmask/avatars/otheravatars/pendell-kanji.png

I've also remade a more "freehand" version based on the video you posted:

http://www.kinogo.com/madmask/avatars/otheravatars/pendell-kanjifree.png

[unosarta]

Does it indeed? Thanks! That makes it even more appropriate, for reasons I cannot now go into.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

It has a slightly different meaning and usage in Chinese, however. In Chinese, the meaning is more like ritual, or following the will of your ancestors (something that is touched upon, used, or described in detail by Confucius a lot). However, it still has connotations and other meanings of respect.