# Asian script-what does this say? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575 "2009-01-29T17:04:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/1 "2009-01-29T17:04:37Z")
I just got a cool jacket for like 3 bucks. It is black leather, and I look quite studly in it. However, it has writing on it that I do not have the capacity to translate, It is some sort of Asian script…I think. It could be made up, I’m not sure. I DO know I look blamed cool in it, but I will be wearing it at the local Community College, and I don’t want any of the Asian students to be laughing at me, and thinking: “Why would a child molester advertise on his clothing? And why would his parents name him Dingleberry?” Can anybody translate the script? Here is a copy of it. [http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/handsomeharry/?action=tageditmany](http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/handsomeharry/?action=tageditmany) Thanks, handsomeharry ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/2 "2009-01-29T17:07:27Z")
That link doesn’t work - it just redirects me to the Photobucket home page. Perhaps you need to link to the image itself rather than the image in the library? ETA: here’s your image: [http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/handsomeharry/?action=view¤t=MVC-518F.jpg](http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/handsomeharry/?action=view¤t=MVC-518F.jpg), and I regret to say I can’t read that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/3 "2009-01-29T17:09:01Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > That link doesn’t work - it just redirects me to the Photobucket home page. Perhaps you need to link to the image itself rather than the image in the library? I thought I did. I tested it. Did you scroll down? I’m going to check it out myself right now. thanks, hh just tested it. It works for me…let me back out and see what else I can come up with. thx ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/4 "2009-01-29T17:12:51Z")
I can’t read it either (not that kind of Asian) but I’ve learned a few things about “asian” writing on cheap items. Often when it comes to a language that has characters, they’ll use a simple character like “hope”, or “love”, something like that. Or they’ll use gibberish. Best of all was when my SO’s aunt brought me a bag, from China, with Hindi lettering on it. It cracked me the fuck up to read the lettering and discover it said “bag”. Not the Hindi word for bag, but actually, “b”, “a”, and “g” in Hindi lettering. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/5 "2009-01-29T17:14:01Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > That link doesn’t work - it just redirects me to the Photobucket home page. Perhaps you need to link to the image itself rather than the image in the library? > > ETA: here’s your image: [Photo Storage](http://s694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/handsomeharry/?action=view¤t=MVC-518F.jpg), and I regret to say I can’t read that. 😉 Thanks for doing the legwork for me!:)😃 This is my first time at photobucket, and I guess i’m not as smart as i thought! Anyway, thanks for the help, and thanks for looking! hh ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/6 "2009-01-29T17:26:25Z")
It says “Powerful Dragon” ETA: I guess I should add that “力勢” does not, to the best of my knowledge, have any particular meaning in Japanese or Chinese. But both characters can be roughly translated as “power,” so that’s what I went with. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/7 "2009-01-29T17:43:24Z")
Literally “power force dragon”. In Cantonese “lig sai loong”. **cckerberos** I did find “勢力” meaning “power or influence”. ---
**Author:** ![cckerberos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@cckerberos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cckerberos)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/8 "2009-01-29T17:50:01Z")
Heh, yeah, I guess you could read the whole thing right to left and get “Dragon Force” or something. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-script-what-does-this-say/483575/9 "2009-01-30T02:50:29Z")
Thank you all very much for your help! I’ve worn it about 20 times, and this afternoon was the first time that somebody asked me about it: I had the answer! Triple thanks to all of you. hh