Playing cards in Latin and in your language

Adriane, I do not think there are any native Japanese adaptations of the French suit of cards commonly used in this age - only the borrowed English terms are in common use.

However, there were native adaptations into Japanese based on 16th century Portuguese cards. The name of the suits are all direct translations of the Portuguese terms, which I think are essentially identical to the Spanish ones: konbou 棍棒 (club), touken 刀剣 (sword), sakazuki 杯 (cup), kahei 貨幣 (coin). [‘ou’ and ‘ei’ are pronounced like long o and e in Latin respectively, never as in French or English]

The Portguese cards evolved along their own track in Japan, in a rather quirky process. There is some info on wikipedia.

Hishi-fishi = brill - diamond - lozenge - rhomb - rhombus - teetotum

I suppose rhomb-rhombus is the best answer.

Thanks Junya!

[End of off-topic discussion :smiley: ]

Thanks, Quendidil. You furnished more that I had hoped for. I was hoping to know the Japanese for the symbols on the French cards, that aren’t actually used for the card names.

To my mind, what you asked was relevant, Savator, because now I have two out of four names for the symbols (mitsuba and hishi).

Gratias tibi ago, Quendil. Plura quàm rogavi paravit. Speraveram scire appellationes signorum, ques non similes illis chartarum sunt.

Meâ mente, quod rogavisti aptum est, Salvator, quià nunc duas è quattuor signorum appellationes japonicè scio.

Yes, Alatius, and Swth\r, “Hishi” of “Mitsubishi” is rhombus, and the shape of diamond.
Originally, there is an aquatic plant called “Hishi”, and its shape is rhombus.
But Japanese don’t call the playing cards’ Diamond “Hishi”.
We just call it “Daia”, which means “Diamond” (a shortened form of “Daiamondo”).

Adrianus, Heart is in Japanese “Shinzo”, and “Spade” is in Japanese “Suki” or just generally “Shaberu”(a transcription of “shovel”).

But Japanese don’t call the playing cards’ Heart “Shinzo”, and Spade “Suki”. Japanese just use for them the transcriptions “Ha^to” and “Supe^do”.

quendidil さん、こんにちは。
ぼくは印度哲学科の学生ですが、ラテン語とギリシャ語を独学しています。

ぼくのブログです。
http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/dakuserukun
ラテン語の勉強で訳したのを投稿するだけの内容です。