Zenshin shimasu 前進します

[onceortwice12]

Hello!

I'm curious the meaning of Zenshin shimasu, and if this is the correct spelling 前進します.

It is my understanding that this means to move forward, or to advance. Or even "I will advance".

Any tips will be greatly appreciated

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

I'm curious the meaning of Zenshin shimasu, and if this is the correct spelling 前進します. (Yes. It can be.)

It is my understanding that this means to move forward, or to advance. Or even "I will advance".

Other posibilities would be:
漸進します : to move forward or to advance slowly or step-by-step (This can be possible, according to the context.)
全身します：to paint/decorate/put on/applay all of the body (This can be applied to a very special context.)
前審します: to judge in advance (This can be applied to a very special context.)

For example, [ráit] can be "write," "right (the opposite of left)," "right (the opposite of wrong)" or "rite" in English.
Different words may have the same pronuciation, coincidentally.
Therefore, more context and background is needed in order to answer your question more accurately.

Neverthless, I think 前進します would be the most common one, when I think of "under ordinary circumstances."

 

[onceortwice12]

Other posibilities would be:
漸進します : to move forward or to advance slowly or step-by-step (This can be possible, according to the context.)
全身します：to paint/decorate/put on/applay all of the body (This can be applied to a very special context.)
前審します: to judge in advance (This can be applied to a very special context.)

For example, [ráit] can be "write," "right (the opposite of left)," "right (the opposite of wrong)" or "rite" in English.
Different words may have the same pronuciation, coincidentally.
Therefore, more context and background is needed in order to answer your question more accurately.

Neverthless, I think 前進します would be the most common one, when I think of "under ordinary circumstances."

Thorough reply. I really appreciate the breakdown!

I'm getting a tattoo and want to portray something that I would say to myself, an affirmation of sorts. It sounds like the initial research I did was correct, and led me to a good place! It is a silly thing to get a tattoo of a non-native language, not understand it, and have it also mean something else.

Japanese script is beautiful in my eyes. Maybe because it's unique in the sense that I see English every day, or because of the letter formation satisfying the artist in me, but I truly enjoy breathing in different cultures. I have a tattoo of an Irish Ogham, and it's fascinating to me.

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

I don't think 前進します is cool as a tattoo design.
前進 or 前進あるのみ might be better.
You must be very careful to choose a decent tatto designer/maker, because some designers do not care about making wrong letters, the mirror immage of the correct version, the upside-down version, or even making wrong letter in Japanese that means "fuc* you" or "I love vegina" or something like that.

 

[onceortwice12]

I don't think 前進します is cool as a tattoo design.
前進 or 前進あるのみ might be better.
You must be very careful to choose a decent tatto designer/maker, because some designers do not care about making wrong letters, the mirror immage of the correct version, the upside-down version, or even making wrong letter in Japanese that means "fuc* you" or "I love vegina" or something like that.

It's going to be vertical and on the neck, so I'll have the artist reference a few designs and throw just 前進 in there to see how it'll look. The artist specializes in script, has extreme attention to detail, and I'm super confident in his work. 前進 still gets the idea across of what I am trying to portray, so I will stay open to maybe just tattooing that!

Thank you so much!!

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

And you may choose a cool font:

前進 フォント - Google Search

 

[KLAUSED]

前進 is probably not a word a Japanese (or Chinese for that matter) would have tattooed on their body. You can image search "漢字　タトゥー" on google to get a general idea of what characters are generally used. You might want to add "-外国人” to exclude results that show Chinese characters that seem really odd to native Japanese speakers when used as a part of a tattoo design.

 

[gengo]

I don't think 前進します is cool as a tattoo design.

Amen.

Onceortwice12, you haven't told us exactly what it is that you want your tattoo to express in English. It's important to know all the nuances of what you are trying to convey, because English and Japanese are very different languages and words often don't map very well between them. That is, while 前進 does indeed mean "advance" and "move forward" (the character 前 means ahead or before, and 進 means to proceed), it may not perfectly match your idea. 前進 can also be used in very ordinary situations, such as driving your car forward.

Personally, I don't understand why people want to get tattoos in a language they don't understand, but that's another issue.

 

[onceortwice12]

Amen.

Onceortwice12, you haven't told us exactly what it is that you want your tattoo to express in English. It's important to know all the nuances of what you are trying to convey, because English and Japanese are very different languages and words often don't map very well between them. That is, while 前進 does indeed mean "advance" and "move forward" (the character 前 means ahead or before, and 進 means to proceed), it may not perfectly match your idea. 前進 can also be used in very ordinary situations, such as driving your car forward.

Personally, I don't understand why people want to get tattoos in a language they don't understand, but that's another issue.

It is sort of in my second reply. I want it to mean "I will move forward."

Also, to your point, I am trying to understand it before I get it tattooed, hence this thread. And I detail my reasons above.

 

[onceortwice12]

It looks like there are a couple ways to achieve this.

前進すること (to move forward)
Zenshin suru koto

前進し続け (keep moving forward)
Zenshin shi tsudzuke

Are these correct?

 

[gengo]

I want it to mean "I will move forward."

There is no future tense in Japanese, nor anything that corresponds to the volitional meaning of "will." Also, we often don't use subject pronouns (I) in Japanese, and 前進(する) could refer to any subject (he, she, you, we, they, etc.). I mention these because your suggested translation is far more vague and ambiguous than the English above.

Also, you still haven't told us about the nuances of the above English. What exactly does that mean? That you will forget about the past and move into the future? That you have had some unpleasant experience and will move on from that?

 

[onceortwice12]

There is no future tense in Japanese, nor anything that corresponds to the volitional meaning of "will." Also, we often don't use subject pronouns (I) in Japanese, and 前進(する) could refer to any subject (he, she, you, we, they, etc.). I mention these because your suggested translation is far more vague and ambiguous than the English above.

Also, you still haven't told us about the nuances of the above English. What exactly does that mean? That you will forget about the past and move into the future? That you have had some unpleasant experience and will move on from that?

Ahh, very interesting! Thank you, I am learning a lot here. I am looking for something that is an affirmation of sorts, trying to portray that I will keep moving forward, pushing past struggle or obstacles. Moving forward and thru challenges.

These below phrases seem to interest me. With "Zenshin shi tsudzuke" seemingly the closest to what I am trying to achieve.

前進すること (to move forward)
Zenshin suru koto

前進し続け (keep moving forward)
Zenshin shi tsudzuke

 

[gengo]

I am looking for something that is an affirmation of sorts, trying to portray that I will keep moving forward, pushing past struggle or obstacles. Moving forward and thru challenges.

I see. In that sense, there is a verb that is very Japanese (that is, it relates very strongly to Japanese culture and the Japanese ethos): 頑張る (gambaru). It's difficult to translate, because the translation is very context dependent, but it more or less means what you have said, to push through difficulty and do your best to succeed. There is also a noun derived from that verb, 頑張り屋 (gambariya), which refers to a person who does this. That noun is defined in Japanese as: 困難に負けずに努力する人。 ねばり強い人 (a person who strives without giving in to defeat; a person who perseveres).

前進すること (to move forward)
Zenshin suru koto

That translates to a gerund in English (a verb form that functions like a noun): advancing.

前進し続け (keep moving forward)
Zenshin shi tsudzuke

That is an incomplete form. That is, it needs something after it.
前進し続けて -> keep moving forward (command)
前進し続ける-> (someone) keeps moving forward

I don't think either of the above two would work well as a tattoo.

 

[onceortwice12]

I see. In that sense, there is a verb that is very Japanese (that is, it relates very strongly to Japanese culture and the Japanese ethos): 頑張る (gambaru). It's difficult to translate, because the translation is very context dependent, but it more or less means what you have said, to push through difficulty and do your best to succeed. There is also a noun derived from that verb, 頑張り屋 (gambariya), which refers to a person who does this. That noun is defined in Japanese as: 困難に負けずに努力する人。 ねばり強い人 (a person who strives without giving in to defeat; a person who perseveres).



That translates to a gerund in English (a verb form that functions like a noun): advancing.



That is an incomplete form. That is, it needs something after it.
前進し続けて -> keep moving forward (command)
前進し続ける-> (someone) keeps moving forward

I don't think either of the above two would work well as a tattoo.

You rock!! Thank you for your help on this. Gambaru and gambariya sound like exactly what I am looking for.

I have an Irish Ogham (my roots) tattooed on me that spells "Persevere", so I think those two that you've shared with me would apply the best, and would even tie in with my other tattoo. I'm very glad I stumbled across this forum, and am grateful for you help.

 

[gengo]

I'm glad you like my suggestions, but I highly recommend checking with several native speakers to see what they think. Those in Japan should be waking soon.

 

[onceortwice12]

I'm glad you like my suggestions, but I highly recommend checking with several native speakers to see what they think. Those in Japan should be waking soon.

Gengo,

Can you elaborate on the differences between 頑張れ (Ganbare) and 頑張る (Ganbaru)?

 

[gengo]

Can you elaborate on the differences between 頑張れ (Ganbare) and 頑張る (Ganbaru)?

The former is a strong command form (like an order) and the latter is the base form, sort of like the infinitive in English, but which also is the present-tense conjugation for all subjects (I gambaru, he gambaru, they gambaru, etc.). I don't think the imperative form would be suitable for your purpose, unless you mean it as a command to yourself.

 

[onceortwice12]

The former is a strong command form (like an order) and the latter is the base form, sort of like the infinitive in English, but which also is the present-tense conjugation for all subjects (I gambaru, he gambaru, they gambaru, etc.). I don't think the imperative form would be suitable for your purpose, unless you mean it as a command to yourself.

Makes sense.

I think I am going to go with がんばりや (ganbariya). Feels and seems more representative.

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

I think 前進あるのみ is a good translation for "I will advance"
It literraly means that "The only choice of mine is to keep going," or "there is no other options but keep going."
Anyway, if you want to tattoo the katakana (あるのみ）, the font would be extraordinarily important for the tattoo design.

It's more like to choose an "ornamental writing" rather than "typographical style."

 

[onceortwice12]

I think 前進あるのみ is a good translation for "I will advance"
It literraly means that "The only choice of mine is to keep going," or "there is no other options but keep going."
Anyway, if you want to tattoo the katakana (あるのみ）, the font would be extraordinarily important for the tattoo design.

It's more like to choose an "ornamental writing" rather than "typographical style."

Can you give your input on the meaning of がんばりや

Thanks!

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

がんばりや（頑張り屋）is kind of "workaholic," it means a person, someone who always makes their best effots to do anything."

がんばりや or がんばれや (kansai dialect) means がんばれよ, which means "you should work harder!" with a little sarcastic tone in it.
Or "you may work harder if you want."

 

[onceortwice12]

がんばりや（頑張り屋）is kind of "workaholic," it means a person, someone who always make their best effot to do anything."

がんばりや (kansai dialect) means がんばれよ, which means "you should work harder!"

Interesting. The former is more of what I'm going for, the latter not so much.

Quite interesting how the same can mean something different in a different dialect.


前進あるのみ sounds like the way to go.

 

[gengo]

がんばりや（頑張り屋）is kind of "workaholic,"

I don't think that's a good translation, because the English word has a very negative connotation, while the Japanese does not. As I said above, it is a difficult word to translate because of cultural differences, but workaholic doesn't work for me, and would translate instead to 仕事中毒 or 働き中毒, or even 仕事の虫 or 仕事人間.

Just for curiosity, I plugged 頑張り屋 into an online translator, and it gave "someone who battles on in difficult circumstances." I think that is much closer to the meaning than workaholic.

 

[SoLaTiDoberman]

#23: Yes, you're correct.
As a pure language discussion, you're definitely right.
However, in this thread, the context and background is quite "special."

I don't want onceortwice12's skin are shown on such kind of insulting website and being laughed by Japanese people.
外国人が彫った面白い日本語（漢字）タトゥー・刺青まとめ【失敗!?】
In this kind of website, people will see tattoos with very sarcastic eyes. So do I.

Not only 馬鹿外人 but also 自発性, 夢想家 are regarded as funny by Japanese people, right?

I don't recommend 前進あるのみ on tattoo, unless its design is perfect.
Poorly hand-written Japanese letters are extremely awful, as if saying "I have a very low IQ," "My education level is very low" or something.
For example, even when みのるほどあたまのさがるいなほかな were written in the correct order, right to left, instead of left to right, it would still be awful because the handwriting is poor.

Anyway, I won't have any responsibility against the tatoo phrase. So just forget them.

 

[onceortwice12]

Forget about the tattoo aspect of it, I shouldn't have mentioned it. We are purely looking into the language and phrases here.

I've decided on 前進あるのみ.

Thank you!

 

[aevynn]

OPさんはもう決めたんですが、自分自身の心得のために質問をききたいんです 😅「前進する」の代わりに「頑張る」を使いたかったら、「頑張るのみ」も言えますか？「頑張るのみ」の意味は"There is nothing to do but to work hard and persevere"ですか？

 

[gengo]

OPさんはもう決めたんですが、自分自身の心得のために質問をききたいんです

to ask a question: 質問する (not 質問を聞く)

So you would say "質問したいんです" or "ひとつ聞きたいんです" or "聞きたいことがあります."

「前進する」の代わりに「頑張る」を使いたかったら、「頑張るのみ」も言えますか？「頑張るのみ」の意味は "There is nothing to do but to work hard and persevere"ですか？

That is the meaning, yes (that is, it can mean 頑張るしかない), but that doesn't sound very good to me, for the purpose of a tattoo. It can also mean "I'm just doing my best."

However, this is just my subjective opinion. I also don't think much of a tattoo that says "I will advance."

 

[aevynn]

to ask a question: 質問する (not 質問を聞く)

So you would say "質問したいんです" or "ひとつ聞きたいんです" or "聞きたいことがあります."

分かりました、訂正してくれてありがとう！😅

for the purpose of a tattoo... I also don't think much of a tattoo that says "I will advance."

心配しないでください、私はぜひタトゥーを入れるつもりじゃないんです！🙂

it can mean 頑張るしかない... It can also mean "I'm just doing my best."

🙏

一つ目の意味の「頑張るのみ」を「頑張るしかない」に比べると、使い方に違いがありますか？例えば、前者の方がフォーマルですか？それとも、ニュアンスは違いますか？

 

[gengo]

一つ目の意味の「頑張るのみ」を「頑張るしかない」に比べると、使い方に違いがありますか？例えば、前者の方がフォーマルですか？それとも、ニュアンスは違いますか？

In very general terms, のみ is probably used more often in writing, while しかない is used very often in normal speech. If you want to say something like "the only thing to do is X," use しかない. In casual speech, the latter is sometimes abbreviated as follows.

-俺の車はぼろぼろだ。故障ばかりで参ったな。
-もう、売るっきゃない。

We have drifted away from the purpose of this thread. If you have more questions about the topic, I suggest opening a new thread about のみ and しかない.