Japanese kanji for unicorn

Hello, I would like to get a tattoo of the Japanese kanji for the word "unicorn " (which to me symbolizes being able to get over a divorce and move to a different country by myself- despite all the struggles of doing all this) and I want to make sure i have the correct one before permanently engraving it on my body. Can someone please help me with this? it would mean very much to me. I would post a picture of the kanji a have but i can't find an option for that. Thank you very, very much to anyone who can take the time to help! - Chloey

Unicorn is 一角獣 . The first character is "one". The second and third are "horned" and "animal".

Per Wikipedia it can be written 一角獣; this is probably uncommon, but it is understandable.

I would wait for advice from a native Japanese here on the forum or get it tattooed (if you really must) in your own language. The problem with unicorn is that it is a mythological animal, but not a mythological animal from Japan. Thus the most common writing is in katakana ユニコーン which really looks more like ユニクロ (= uniqlo).

Per Wikipedia it seems that unicorns are originally from Ancient Greece. So maybe you could do some research how it was written in Ancient Greek and get that tattooed?

John B Digs Japan and Firas got it right. But be sure you get it done in an artistic flowing script style, not in block font, by a tattooist who knows kanji. Otherwise please avoid getting an tattooin alsmguage you don't know.

一角獣 indeed is the word, but the impression we get from the word 一角獣 and the word UNICORN are quite different from each other. The latter is much more cool and somewhat right, probably because it's a European legend as opposed to an Asian one. To me, the former would end up as another one of those dumb tattoos regardless of the calligraphy, which would ruin your beautiful idea. Get one in your own language.

http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Music/Info/unicorn/bio/

I agree with Uco. Using the "word" 一角獣 will bring confusion. Because it's not a word, but more a phrase. It literally means: " One horned animal ". A narwhal is a one horned animal, as is a rhinoceros. Though, they have a different word for rhino. And writing it in katakana seems silly.

Using the "word" 一角獣 will bring confusion. Because it's not a word, but more a phrase.

By that logic, 日本語 is not a word, it's a phrase meaning "the language of Japan" (or is it "the language of the origin of the sun"?)...

一角獣 is a proper "word," and I don't know when I learned this word when I was a child but the immediate image that comes to mind is that white horse-like mythical creature with one horn on its head, running through the meadows or forest, like in European storybook (maybe that is where I read it). I don't think there is any Asian version of that creature. (And I am Japanese, just to show that not every Japanese gets the same impression from one word.)

But getting a tattoo of a word that you yourself don't have a sense for is not a good idea at all. If you "must," at least have it done at a proper tattooist fully familiar with the language/calligraphy, is what I meant to say.

I assume that what Carlove is trying to say is that "automobile" is more like a phrase while "car" is a word. I'm not sure if that was what I wanted to say, but if a Japanese person wanted to express that mystic feeling a unicorn evokes, the person would typically use the imported word "unicorn" rather than "ikkakujuu".

Come to think of it, "uni-corn" is more like a phrase too, and in fact, "ikkakujuu" is its literal translation. Well, whatever.

@Uco.

Yeah, thanks. I meant a 'composition' instead. But then again, most Japanese words are compositions..
一本 'one long cylindrical thing / one book'
That's not a single word, to us. But might be to the Japanese. But I'm getting off topic.

Go with the thing that's most natural to the Japanese.
A colleague has one that says: "Together forever"
It doesn't say: ずっと一緒 or 永遠に一緒に or anything that is normal Japanese.
His says: 末代一緒.
Translated by a "professional". To the everyday person they wouldn't know the difference. But we/Japanese do.

I don't understand why you'd get unicorn written in Japanese anyway. Why Japanese? That'd be like getting a tattoo of kangaroo written in Russian or a leprechaun in Arabic.

The kanji compound " 一角獣 " sounds not suitable for your purpose,
mainly due to the kanji character 獣 (Readings: juu | kemono, kedamono).

In Japanese 獣 usually means beasts rather than the animal as a whole.
(A major exception is 獣 as in " 獣医 " [veterinary].)
" けもの (kemono) " is a common word to refer to quadruped animals with fur.

What can be problematic is that 獣 may be linked to unfavorable images.
" けだもの (kedamono) " may imply not only the wild nature of けもの
but also the cruelty of a person.
(For example,
a victim woman of assault may call the perpetrator man as けだもの .)

the word "unicorn"
(which to me symbolizes being able to get over a divorce and move to a different country by myself-
despite all the struggles of doing all this)

Then, " ユニコーン " sounds much better.

Or, how about " 不死鳥 " [phoenix]
(Literal meaning: immortal bird; Reading: fushichou)?
Personally I feel " 不死鳥 " in kanji
more miraculous than " フェニックス " in katakana.

一本 'one long cylindrical thing / one book'

We count books by 冊 (satsu): 一冊 (issatsu), 二冊 (nisatsu), ....
I have never seen " 一本 " meaning one book in the contemporary Japanese.

A colleague has one that says: "Together forever"
His says: 末代一緒.

That looks to me more like Chinese rather than Japanese.