"No Regrets"... or "I don't regret it?"

Mike sent in this Chinese tattoo confirmation with the following message:

"It is on my arm. In college I looked up No Regrets online (English to Chinese) translator.  I have been told at my tai chi class that "Unless you are trying to impress a Chinese linguistics professor" you're fine.  I have no idea though, I thought I had done my homework, but who knows.  You help is greatly appreciated.  I do know the first character appears to be Bu', for no or not.

Thanks so much for the help!!"

Hi Mike,

It could be loosely translated as "no regrets", but the word "regret" (jiu in pinyin) here should really be translated as "remorse". Regret carries no explicit admission that one is responsible for an incident, while remorse implies a sense of guilty responsibility and a greater feeling of personal pain and anguish. So in a way, you're really saying you feel no remorse for something that you directly, depending on different parties' perspectives, may or may not have responsibility in the specific consequence (i.e. you do not regret doing something you have already done).

So it may not be the perfect translation (depending on your intention), but is definitely not an incorrect tattoo.

I have attached in the file the correct translation for "No Regrets" if it had been the sense that prevailed in the English language.

Hope that makes sense!

Chinese Tattoo or Japanese Tattoo?

Kimberly sent me the Chinese tattoo confirmation below:

"I was told that it meant "Love Hurts." I do not remember what language, but I believe it is Chinese. I want to know if it's correct or not. If not, please send me the correct image because I can't find it anywhere, and if there is a different meaning to the tattoo I have, please let me know what it is.

Sincerly,
  ~Kimberly"

Hi Kimberly,

As far as I can tell, this is a Japanese Kanji tattoo. Japanese Kanji is derived from the system of writing "with" Chinese characters. Although they look the same (meaning that an average Chinese who does not read or speak any Japanese could understand these characters), their meanings could sometimes vary in the two languages (e.g. the word "geisha" in Japanese means "prostitute" in Chinese).

Unfortunately I am not Japanese and cannot offer any reliable insight. This reads to me as "love" and "pain", and something that is in Japanese that I cannot understand. Although the characters mean "love" and "pain" individually, the grammar is incorrect in Chinese, and I would hardly read it as "love hurts" in the Chinese language.

(I have attached the translation in Japanese for "Love Hurts" below the picture *Click to view Source)

I would suggest that you look for a Japanese translator for further clarification.

Thank you and good luck!