Can someone translate this Japanese for me?

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Painting and airbrushing
1

This is somewhat airbrush related because my son wants this picture airbrushed onto his motorcycle tank when he gets his bike soon.
Can someone tell me what this says?

Thanks

Mike

2

I could be wrong, but I think it says “SUN TZU” [:p]

3

You are a genius my friend! [:p]

Mike

4

I think that is Chinese rather than Japanese. [;)]

Same characters but the meaning changes slightly.

5

You are right MM, my bad. [;)]
Actually the Sun Tzu on the left is what it means I believe.
Sun Tzu is the Art of War based on the essays of the Chinese general by the same name who lived in 500 B.C.

Mike

6

first off it isnt japanese, its chinese, but i dont blame ya for mixing em up

individually the characters mean

people
friends
new

people
at
new

or something like that. most chinese characters have about half a dozen meanings, they mean different things when you put 2 or so of them together

chinese couplets like this usually dont have much apparant meaning, cos its usually abbreviated - sorta like expressions like “the real McCoy”. i asked a couple of my friends but they could not tell me what it means. i suspect it doesnt really mean anything, i will ask my chinese tutor tomorrow and i will tell you for sure.

7

It means nothing. apart from the semantical meaning of the 6 characters individualy, it has no other meaning.

just noticed something mike, its not two dragons, its a dragon and a tiger

8

Thanks Reggie, I appreciate your help my friend.

Mike

9

As the fellas have said, those characters are Chinese, not Japanese.
Those same Chinese characters, called kanji in Japanese (kan=Chinese + ji=character), are also used in Japanese, however. Those two combinations have no meaning in Japanese, but as Reggie said, individually they can mean:

  1. Min, Tami: Humankind, people, citizens

  2. Tomo: Friends, companions

  3. Shin, Sara, Ara: New, fresh

  4. Mei, Min, Myou, Akari: Wisdom, brightness, brilliance (as in light), tomorrow, and is also the character for Ming, as in the Ming Dynasty.

  5. Sai: The state of someone or something being somewhere

  6. Tomo: Friends, companions (same as Kanji #2)

When used in combinations , called jukugo, kanji can have different pronunciations. Which makes studying Japanese that much more fun!

I think Sun Tze (or Sun Tzu, or Sun Zi) is only two characters, by the way.

MM, living in Shanghai as you do, why don’t you ask somebody about it for Mike?

10

Thanks Brian.
The asian languages are indeed facinating, but difficult. [;)]

Mike