Keep it secret, keep it safe.

March 6, 2013 6:43 AM

Eastern-language experts: what does this ring say? I don't know the language or even if I've got it right-side-up. I photographed the characters in order, picking one at random to start with. If it's written in Fake Words For Honkies and doesn't actually mean anything, that's fine; if it will summon a Nazgul, that's even better!
posted by cmyk to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

Best answer: 吉祥如意. 吉祥 Is for fortune and good luck, 如意 is basically for "may (ten thousand...which isn't written here) things go your way."
posted by Hakaisha at 6:48 AM on March 6, 2013 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Fantastic, thank you! In case you're curious about provenance... this was my grandmother's wedding ring. My grandfather was in the Merchant Marines during WWII and went all over the world, though nobody has a specific list of ports he visited. He could've picked it up from anywhere. Though it probably came from a jeweler in Manhattan.

Which.. variation.. of Chinese is it?
posted by cmyk at 9:09 AM on March 6, 2013

Best answer: Dictionary links:

吉祥如意

posted by XMLicious at 9:19 AM on March 6, 2013

Best answer: I would just like to mention that, generally speaking, there are no Fake Words For Honkies (nor is the term "white devil" used outside of, say North Korea).

Some of the choices Westerners themselves use for tattoos are somewhat arbitrary regrettable.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:35 AM on March 6, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the clarification, KokuRyu -- I was thinking of the regrettable tattoo sort of thing.

I was almost hoping it was one of those translations -- I hereby wed thee with PINECONE DRAINPIPE CLOUD SHOE -- because that would have fit perfectly with the general WTFery of my family.
posted by cmyk at 9:58 AM on March 6, 2013 [3 favorites]