Hime vs. Ojyo-sama
Bobby Clark
by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a
princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
Bobby
Rob Kelk
It's a different title. Geneon used the phrase "m'lady" as a translation
of ojou-san in their translation of "Stellvia," so I'm assuming the
honorific isn't as highly ranked as hime-san is.
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Captain Nerd
rob...@deadspam.com (Rob Kelk) wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Nov 2009 12:48:11 -0600, "Bobby Clark"
> <bclark@REMOVE4_airmail.net> wrote:
>
> >In "RailGun" the main character is constantly referred to as an "Ojyo-sama"
> >by the rest of the cast and supporting characters. In most anime a
> >princess is a "Hime". Is this use of "Ojyo-sama" a put down?
>
> It's a different title. Geneon used the phrase "m'lady" as a translation
> of ojou-san in their translation of "Stellvia," so I'm assuming the
> honorific isn't as highly ranked as hime-san is.
May have to do with "acquired status" as opposed to "status from
birth". According to one dictionary, "ojousama" is a "term of
respect for another's daughter, or daughter of a high-class family".
"Himesama" is defined in my dictionary as "daughter of a nobleman".
So, in most feudal-type societies that start developing a rich
working-class, when you become as wealthy as a nobleman, you won't
ever be noble, but you deserve respect (since you might be wealthy
enough to buy the nobleman) anyway.
Cap.
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Nick
On Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:49:08 -0500, in rec.arts.anime.misc, Captain Nerd
<cpt...@nerdwatch.com> wrote:
> May have to do with "acquired status" as opposed to "status from
> birth". According to one dictionary, "ojousama" is a "term of
> respect for another's daughter, or daughter of a high-class family".
> "Himesama" is defined in my dictionary as "daughter of a nobleman".
> So, in most feudal-type societies that start developing a rich
> working-class, when you become as wealthy as a nobleman, you won't
> ever be noble, but you deserve respect (since you might be wealthy
> enough to buy the nobleman) anyway.
That seems to agree with the way I see 'ojousama' used in manga scanlated by
groups that retain the original (untranslated) Japanese honorifics and other
forms of address: a daughter of a wealthy, powerful family, but not a noble
by birth.
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Andrew Floyd
Hime?
But that other word, I would romanize it as "Ojou-sama"
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Bobby Clark
"Andrew Floyd" <MrSh...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:2647-4AF8...@storefull-3113.bay.webtv.net...
>
> Hime?
>
> But that other word, I would romanize it as "Ojou-sama"
Thank you for catching that. I used the sub titles spelling and did not pay
enought attention to it.
Best Regards,
Bobby
Nobody
One possible source of confusion:
[terms in quotes are from edict]
嬢 (jou) = "young woman"
お嬢 (ojou) = more polite version (honourific o- prefix)
お嬢様 (ojousama) = "(term of respect for) another's daughter, daughter
of a high-class family"
王女 (oujo) = "princess"
[cf: 女王 (joou) = "queen"]
Also:
姫 (hime) and 媛 (hime) = "princess, young lady of noble birth"