A Japanese hand tattoo on pop star Ariana Grande (left) reads ‘small charcoal grill’ instead of the intended ‘7 rings’

Getting a foreign tattoo
Is something the trendy folk do
It’s all very well
As long as you spell
Correctly, just please think it through

John Moynes

Pics: Getty/Ariana Grande

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23 thoughts on “A Limerick A Day

  1. Paulus

    That’s nothing:
    The long one you see down people’s arms reads;
    “Please choose a tattoo from one of those below”!

  2. Cian

    Hmm… from a quick Google search, the first character on her hand is seven. 七
    Again, using google translate, “7 Rings” is 7輪
    which, to my untrained eye matches her tattoo.
    if you back-translate 七 輪 to English it is “7 wheels”.

    Any Japanese-speakers confirm this?

    1. Mark

      I’m not an expert in Japanese but yes technically the two characters are for seven and ring respectively. However, 七輪 (shichi rin) is commonly used to refer a small grill.

      Google translate may be confused as 輪 is both a noun (ring, circle, loop) and a counter (for wheels and flowers).

      Something like 七つの指輪 (nanatsu no yubiwa) would have been more appropriate. Yubiwa being `finger ring` and nanatsu the necessary counter.

      1. Sam

        Yes, Yubiwa makes it clear that it is rings of the finger, not loops or circles or other kinds of ring as 指 means finger. My Japanese is a bit rusty, mind but I reckon she would have been okay with just 七指輪 leaving out the hiragana ones つの.

  3. Junkface

    I wonder are there Asian superstars out there with a tattoo in English that says “ketchup” or “press here”.

      1. SOQ

        Well you obviously cared enough to comment?

        Here’s a tip, if you have no interest in what another person has to say then don’t read it, that is what I do with most of yours.

  4. f_lawless

    The exchanging of small charcoal grills is a fundamental part of every traditional Japanese wedding ceremony

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