[Kinny Riddle]

Originally Posted by dKiWi

As far as I'm concerned, 春日 (pronouced in Chinese as Chun Ri) is juz a really dumb translation for Haruhi. Katakana tends to be translated really badly into Chinese I guess. I really have no idea where they got this. 春日 means spring day. It doesnt make sense and shouldnt. In chinese circles, and in the novel, Haruhi is refered to mostly as 春日. I really dislike this personally.

Unless someone hu understands both Jap and Chinese can confirm that the Katakana for Ha-ru-hi means Spring Day.

What are you talking about?

According to the Japanese wikipedia entry of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, Tanigawa Nagaru got his inspiration for the three SOS-dan girls from Japanese wartime battleships - the Haruhi (春日), Asahi (朝日) and of course, the Nagato (長門).

So Haruhi in kanji IS "Spring Day" (春日), it's just that Haruhi chooses to write it in katakana, and I personally don't see anything wrong with that. I seriously don't understand what you find wrong with her name. I think it's a good name for a girl. Not to mention Haruhi being quite a common girl's name. Her name symbolizes the spring sun coming out of the coldness of winter, which can be seen as a reflection of her optimism in trying hard to find aliens, time travellers and espers.

凉宫 in Japanese is read as Suzu-miya, but in Chinese it is read as Liang Gong, and roughly means Cooling Palace. So as u can see, they are translating it for translation's sake. It really shouldnt mean anything. Cooling Palace Spring Day doesnt make any sense does it?

I don't understand what you mean translation for translation's sake. That's how her name is written in kanji. Are you suggesting she should be given a Chinese name for the Chinese version?

Suzumiya is simply a common Japanese surname. I mean, do you go to a Mr Smith and tell him he shouldn't be called Smith because he doesn't look like a Blacksmith? Or a Schumacher that he should either start making shoes or stop using that name?

Nobody really looks into the meanings of their surname nowadays, maybe their first names, but not their surnames, as long as their parents don't give them names that end up as silly puns.

So "Cooling Palace Spring Day" (涼宮ハルヒ) doesn't exactly mean anything, just as "Long Gate With Hope" (長門有希) doesn't really mean anything, while "Old-Fountain Single-Tree" (古泉一樹)and "Valley-Mouth Flowing" (谷川流)are just names. Even my real name (in Chinese that is) hardly makes sense, but no one's complaining.

It even gives me the creeps. I sincerely apologise to anyone who is disturbed by that translation.

If there are any other Chinese/Singaporeans hu would like to comment it would really help. Coz I've been getting Cs for Chinese all my life, but that doesnt mean I havent put in effort. Have been studying Chinese all my academic life.

You're definitely thinking too much into this. Please relax, they're just bloody names.