Chapter 1: Owl Post
| Simplified Chinese (Mandarin: China) | ||
| 猫头鹰邮递 Māotóuyīng yóudì |
猫头鹰 māotóuyīng = 'owl'. 邮递 yóudì = 'mail delivery'. |
Owl Mail Delivery |
| Traditional Chinese (Mandarin: Taiwan) | ||
| 貓頭鷹郵件 Māotóuyīng yóujiàn |
貓頭鷹 māotóuyīng = 'owl'. 郵件 yóujiàn = 'postal item'. |
Owl Mail |
| Japanese | ||
| ふくろう便 Fukurō-bin |
ふくろう fukurō = 'owl'. 便 -bin = 'post, delivery service'. |
Owl Post |
| Korean | ||
| 부엉이 집배원 Bueongi jibbae-won |
부엉이 bueongi = 'eared-owl'. 집배원 (集配員) jibbae-won = 'mailman, postman'. |
Owl Postman |
| Vietnamese (Chinese characters show etymology) | ||
| Hộp thư cú | hộp thư (thư: 書) = 'mail box, letter box'. cú = 'owl'. |
Owl Letter Box |
| Mongolian (new) | ||
| Уулийн шуудан Uuliin shuudan |
ууль uul' = 'owl' (-ийн -iin Genitive form). шуудан shuudan = 'post'. |
Owl Post |
Owls are the mail delivery service of the wizarding world.
How is 'owl' translated?
Translations mostly use the common word for 'owl' in each language.
- Both Chinese translations use 猫头鹰 māotóuyīng (Trad.) / 猫头鹰 (Simpl.) māotóuyīng, literally 'cat-headed-hawk', which is the name by which owls are popularly known. (Ornithologists prefer to use old classical words in naming the owls.)
- Japanese ふくろう fukurō is also the usual term for 'owl'.
- The Korean translation uses 부엉이 bueongi, related to 부엉 bueong meaning 'a hoot'. It's one of two common words for 'owl', used for the fierce-looking eared owls. The other word for 'owl' is 올빼미 olppaemi, which mostly applies to owls without ears (rounded head shape).
- Vietnamese uses the common term (con) cú 'owl'.
- Mongolian uses ууль uul' for owl, although шар шувуу shar shuvuu 'yellow bird' is probably more common.
How is 'post' translated?
The English word 'post' is a broad term that can refer to the postal service in general, postal deliveries, and mail handled or delivered by the postal service. As a verb it means to lodge a letter or article for delivery. It is largely synonymous with the word 'mail' in all these uses.
- 郵 (Trad.) / 邮 (Simpl.) yóu is the general Chinese term for 'post, mail'.
- In the Chinese (Mainland) version, 'post' is rendered as 邮递 yóudì meaning 'to send mail' or 'to deliver mail', i.e., a mail delivery.
- The Chinese (Taiwan) version uses 郵件 yóujiàn meaning an item or article of mail.
- In the Chinese (Mainland) version, 'post' is rendered as 邮递 yóudì meaning 'to send mail' or 'to deliver mail', i.e., a mail delivery.
- The Korean translation refers to a 'mailman, postman': 집배원 (集配員) jibbae-won. 집배 jibbae (in Chinese characters 集配) means 'collect and dispatch', a word that originated in Japan. (For a similar function Chinese uses 收發 (Trad.) / 收发 (Simpl.) shōufā 'receive and despatch'.) 원 (員) -won is used for a member of staff with a specific role or position.
- The Japanese term for 'mail' or 'post' is 郵便 yūbin. Here the suffix 便 -bin, which is used for mail or postal services, including courier or delivery services and even airline flights, is attached to 'owl' to mean 'owl post'. The use of 便 -bin in this sense originated in Japan and is largely confined to Japanese and Korean, and to some extent areas of China previously occupied by the Japanese.
- Vietnamese uses hộp thư meaning 'mail box'.
- Mongolian шуудан shuudan is the normal word for 'post' or 'post office'.
(Korean appears thanks to "Hiro".)
(Detailed notes on the chapter can be found at Harry Potter Lexicon)
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