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Hi! Just thought I'd put my two Korean cents in. Or one cent, since I'm half Korean.
Why does it have to be an oriental stamp set? I think as long as you are creating something beautiful, and the sentiment is appropriate, they will appreciate and admire it no matter what. It is good of you to be sensitive to the likes of others.
The kanji is actually done in Chinese characters, and work for both Chinese and Japanese - the Japanese use a variation of the original Chinese characters. I don't have a catalog in front of me so I can't exactly remember what's in it this year, but I would say Oriental Brushstrokes, and the long life symbol... can't remember which set it's in. We get all kinds of furniture and things here in Okinawa that is made in Korea and they use the long life symbol on a lot of it. A word to the wise though - it's turned sideways in the catalog. After I get home this afternoon, I will try to look in the catalog and repost here...
I have had similar questions about "Asian" or "Oriental" scrapbooking items or stamps.
We adopted a baby girl from China last year, and I am really adamant about using ONLY stamps and stuff that I KNOW are actually in Chinese -- I would hate it if I found out that a stamp I'd used for one of the China pages had Japanese writing on it! I just want to be accurate, and although it might look the same to someone who doesn't know the language, a person familiar with the language would know immediately.
So, generally, unless I know it's Chinese writing, I don't buy it. I don't buy anything marked only "Asian" or "Oriental." Which stinks, but part of my scrapbooking reason is for her to have a keepsake of our trip to China. I think the Oriental Brushstrokes set is really nice, but because I can't be sure of the symbols and stuff, I won't buy it.
I know this doesn't help, but ... I really wish there was an easy way to find out which language these things are, if they have writing on them.
And yes, Kanjii is Japanese -- so I didn't buy the Kanjii set, either.
My advice would be -- unless you are making a card or other item specifically for a "heritage" type of thing, don't use an Asian theme, unless you know FOR SURE that the symbols and language used on them are KOREAN.
Y'all are right about kanji being Japanese... I didn't write out my previous post quite right. I just know that there are so many different styles of writing - and that although they are different languages, many of the Chinese and Japanese characters are similar. Sorry if I gave bum information or set anyone on the wrong path...
To me, Oriental Brushstrokes, Calming Garden and Art of the Orient are all Japanese. They focus on things that are typically Japanese like the fish, the crane, the ikebana and cherry blossoms. Am I off base Karen?? I grew up with a Japanese stepmother and grandparents, and these stamps seem very Japanese to me.
You could probably use the mountain in Oriental Brushstrokes though. That is a very nice image, and there are mountains in Korea.
You are totally right -- there ARE different styles of writiing, which is one thing that confuses the issue even more. For Chinese, for an example, there is the "old-style" of calligraphy, and then there is the Simplified Chinese, which is supposedly easier to learn. So it's VERY confusing!
That's why I depend on manufacturers to tell me what the language is.
One example: I went to ACCI this year. The Heidi Grace booth had a BUNCH of awesome Asian stuff. It's called the Feng Shui line. I asked the guy, "Which language is this?" The people in the booth said it's a mix. Which is great if you don't mind that, but if you know your languages (and I DON'T know Chinese from Japanese!) then it might not be so cool. So I don't want to use any of it in my China album, etc.
Thanks so much for all your help with this ... I know that my future SIL would be happy with whatever I make for her, but she very specifically has a liking for Asian things. (Especially red!) I just thought it would be nice to do something with some Asian flair ... but I didn't want her to think I was totally ignorant (which I am ... but that's why I'm investigating!) if I gave her something with Japanese/Chinese writing.
To me, Oriental Brushstrokes, Calming Garden and Art of the Orient are all Japanese. They focus on things that are typically Japanese like the fish, the crane, the ikebana and cherry blossoms. Sonya
it's such a tough call... the cherry blossoms to me are definitely Japanese. The only set that I felt was truly all Japanese was the hostess appreciation set a couple of years ago, Gifts from the Orient. It has the kokeshi dolls, origami folded crane, boys' day flags, etc.
It's a tough call... I personally think the easiest way to get around this would be to not use any of the words and use the image stamps instead. The mountains will work, any floral would work, vases would be good too... ugh, wish I had a catalog!
Heather-totally hijacking this thread for a minute-thereis a good website called www.adoptshoppe.com that has a memory book for a journey to ______ (country) as a keepsake for memories about the voyage, first meeting etc. You may already know of the site, but if you don't you may want to check it out. Cute dolls, toys, etc. from countries kids are often adopted from.
__________________ I want people to be afraid of how much they love me-M. Scott
I'll ditto the mention that the mountains stamp in Oriental Brushstrokes could be considered Korean. Being of Korean descent, it's the only thing of the current catalog offerings that I feel could be considered Korean. My mom likes the stamp because it reminds her of the mountains she grew up in, and we have a painting at home which is similar to the stamp.
This is what I remember from my childhood weekend Korean language lessons. Before the Korean alphabet was invented, Koreans used to use Chinese characters. While some of the characters might have been pronounced differently, for the most part, they meant the same or similar things.
I found a web site that has some okay stamps representing different Asian countries. I bought most of the Korean ones that I liked. This one seemed to have a nice-sized collection of all the kinds that are out there, but you can find similar stuff on a lot of adoption-type sites (link included).
None of the current SU! stamps have Korean text on them -- it looks QUITE different, and once you've seen it you'll be able to easily tell it apart from something written in Chinese or Japanese! I've attached a sample pic of some text I found online so you can see what I mean.
I tried learning some Korean once, and used to be able to write my name in Korean characters. The vowels were always tricky to remember, though. Wish I could find a class!
__________________ Rachel Proud SU! demo and Sci-Fi Geek!
My Stampin' Up! blog "I'm a time traveler -- I point and laugh at archaeologists." 10th Doctor, "Silence in the Library"
Sara,
My husband is Korean and he and his family have lived here for about 30 years. One of my brother-in-laws went back to Korea to find a wife (we were all too westernised for him! LOL) Anyway, when we get together and make cards she loves flowers, mountains, and children. For our wedding present she presented us with a huge handwritten poster that is a traditional family gift. It is written entirely in Chinese! She told me that their roots go back to Chinese and this is why it was not written in Korean. She also said Chinese writting is very beautiful unlike Korean. I hope this helps! I am sure your soon to be SIL will love whatever you decide to make.
I'm glad you clarified that she likes Asian themed things
I'm a Korean linguist in the US Air Force and was stationed in Korea for 2 1/2 years. I have a number of Korean friends, one who tried to introduce me to stamping. I wish I had tried it then! She made a lot of pretty butterfly cards.
The Kanji set is Chinese characters which are used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Since the Korean language has Chinese roots, any of the Asian sets would be fine.
My husband speaks some Mandarin Chinese. Some (possibly all . . . catalog is not within reach) of the characters in the SU book are technically both Chinese and Japanese. They mean the same thing but they are pronounced differently depending on which language you speak. For example: The set Kimono (which was discontinued after the 2002-2003 catalog) has writing that means "Joy." If a Japanese person was to see it they would understand that it means Joy. A Chinese person would understand that it means Joy. However they would each pronounce it differently.
Another example: If a Chinese person who didn't speak Japanese was trying to communicate with a Japanese person who didn't speak Chinese. They could write back and forth and they could understand each other as long as they wrote in the traditional script (called Kanji in Japanese).
Make sense?
If there is interest, I can get the translation for the characters and whether they could be understood by Chinese and Japanese.
What is the translation of the Japanese characters in the Calming Garden set on page 164 of the catalog?
The Calming Garden set includes one stamp featuring three Japanese symbols called �kanji� symbols. Kanji is the name for this type of Japanese writing. On the stamp, the top symbol means �love,� the middle one means �peace,� and the bottom one means �happiness.�
What about the images in the Art of the Orient set on page 165 of the catalog?
The square symbol on the bottom left of the page (and also featured on the box) is �shou,� which means �longevity.� The kanji symbol in the set means �happiness.� (Two different symbols represent happiness: this one and the one featured in the Calming Garden set.)
Do the images in the Oriental Brushstrokes set on page 165 symbolize anything?
While the images are Asian in orientation, they do not have specific meanings.
I don't know if this helps anyone. All I know is I just LOVE all those sets!!
I agree with the others. She will be so happy with what ever you decide to do for her.
I'll ditto the mention that the mountains stamp in Oriental Brushstrokes could be considered Korean. Being of Korean descent, it's the only thing of the current catalog offerings that I feel could be considered Korean. My mom likes the stamp because it reminds her of the mountains she grew up in, and we have a painting at home which is similar to the stamp.
This is what I remember from my childhood weekend Korean language lessons. Before the Korean alphabet was invented, Koreans used to use Chinese characters. While some of the characters might have been pronounced differently, for the most part, they meant the same or similar things.
I found a web site that has some okay stamps representing different Asian countries. I bought most of the Korean ones that I liked. This one seemed to have a nice-sized collection of all the kinds that are out there, but you can find similar stuff on a lot of adoption-type sites (link included).
I'm also of Korean descent and ditto Myzuk on the Oriental Brushstrokes, the Korean / Chinese alpha / characters and going to weekend Korean language lessons when I was a kid! The crane, cherry blossoms, mountains, moon and fish... is a big part of Korean life as it is in Japan. Oriental Paintings would work also. I just came back from Korean 2 weeks ago... could not find Korean theme rubber stamps anywhere or for that matter any rubber stamps! I have a lot of Chinese character stamps w/ different sayings and the older family members are able to read them.
I'm Korean. I grew up in Korea. You don't have to use Asian theme or Korean theme stamps for her. In fact, the Asian style(?) stamps from SU catalog are not quite Korean. I, personally don't have any of Asian image stamps.
We don't use Chinese characters for everyday life, although we learn them for better understanding about our history in school. Since Kanji stamps are Chinese charaters and SU doesn't have Korean character stamps, go ahead and use any of your sayings stamps or alphabet stamps. That's what I do for my Korean friends and family.
Which stamps suitable for Koreans?
