ZeroWiki:FFIV Terms

As Fatal Frame IV saw multiple fan translations before the official translation was released, this page tracks localization of Japanese terms and especially differences which may arise between the 零Wiki and Fan Patch.

Terms

Japanese	零Wiki	Fan Patch	Notes
朧月神楽 ろうげつ　かぐら	Rogetsu Kagura	Rogetsu Kagura Dance	It is common real-world convention to translate Place + Kagura names directly into romaji (adding the word "dance" if the intended consumer is unlikely to know that kagura is a dance). We have elected to simply use the word "kagura" to reduce redundancy, as it feels a bit like saying "doing a waltz dance" or "going to see the ballet dance". (Not wrong, but awkward.)
月幽病	Moonlight Syndrome	Luna Sedata Syndrome	The name of this disease is a bit of a play on words. It evokes interpretations such as, faint moon disease, secluded moon disease, or moon-dimming disease. The disease is thought of as a memory disorder somehow influenced by the phases of the moon, so that's one way to think about it. However, on the island "moon" is also a poetic way to refer to the soul, which - if one equates the soul with memory and personality - is also being eroded away (as the moon is during an eclipse). However, the use of the character 幽 is meant to be a hint about the truth: It is one of the symbols in 幽霊 (yurei; ghost). The name is a coy way to communicate, moon-ghost disease, as Rogetsu Isle sees the moon as a symbol of the underworld. The Fan Patch chose to translate the characters literally in Latin for something vaguely official sounding. While we believe that Koei Tecmo would probably give this an English name, we have elected not to for the time being. Not only is it difficult to guess what name might be chosen, any translation would almost certainly lose most of the intended connotations in translation. As the disease exists only in Japan and there is no adequate way to translate it, there seems to be little harm in people just learning what it means.
器	Vessel	Utsuwa	While neither the wiki nor the fan patch uses an English word for this term, the best option would perhaps be "Vessel." As far as we know, there is no ambiguity or wordplay lost here, as "utsuwa" carries connotations of emptiness and a purpose of receiving or being filled by an external object or force.
奏	Kanade	Kanade	Pronouncing this character kanade suggests that we are using the verb form (to play music) as a noun. While neither the wiki nor the fan patch uses an English word for this term, the best option would perhaps be "Instrument", which carries both connotations of being an object which produces music or an object to be used in conjunction with another to perform a specific purpose.
帰来迎	Rite of Descent	Ceremony of Passage	While we believe that Koei Tecmo would probably give this an English name, we have elected not to for the time being. The name refers to a concept from Pure Land Buddhism called the Raigou (which is not typically translated in English). The Raigou is a vision of Amida Butsu (Amitabha Buddha) welcoming one into the afterlife upon their death, easing their suffering. This ritual is the reverse of this, whereby the shrine maiden welcomes the returning dead back to the world of the living, easing their suffering in turn. As "Raigou" is usually called "Raigou", we have continued to refer to "Kiraigo" as "Kiraigo". Like Getsuyuu Syndrome, it might be best to only translate the character 帰 (ki; return) if an attempt was made. However, we have yet to find a good way to render it. Like "Kusabi" (Wedge Man) in Fatal Frame II, it might be better to just leave it alone.
月守 つきもり	Tsukimori	Tsukimori	This name's use as a clan and family name renders it a proper noun, similar to Mikomori in FF5.
月の音	Lunar Melody	Lunar Melody	Game content specifies that this is pronounced tsuki-no-ne, the "moon's sound(s)" or "moon's tone(s)". This is similar to terms like 鐘の音 (kasunone; chime, or bell's sound). Because other connotations or wordplay have not been identified, we have adopted the Fan Patch's use of the poetic-sounding "lunar melody". It's possible that using "ne" over "oto" synergizes with connotations such as 根 (ne; root or origin) and/or 寝 (ne; rest or sleep), as the lunar melodies reach to the core or true nature of something and bring it peace, allowing it to rest, not unlike a lullaby. However, "melody" captures these just as well.
憑き歩き＋月歩き つき　あるき	Ghostwalking Moonwalking	Inconsistent	Both of these terms are actually the same term. The islanders stopped writing it 憑き歩き (tsukiaruki; possessed walking) and started writing it 月歩き (tsukiaruki; moon walking), which Dr. Asou speculates was a deliberate change (perhaps to avoid speaking of a feared, negative topic directly). Because this condition was associated with sleepwalking, "ghostwalking" and "moonwalking" are the best I've come up with so far.
無苦の日	The Day Without Suffering	The Day Without Suffering	Many concepts related to the rituals of Rogetsu Isle are rooted in Pure Land Buddhism. The character 苦(ku; suffering) refers to the Buddhist concept of dukkha. While "suffering" is as poor of a translation of "dukkha" as "god" is for "kami", its use in Westernized Buddhism is ubiquitous and this we will keep this consistent.
零域	Zero Point	The Afterlife	In classic Fatal Frame style, the developers simply swapped 霊 (rei; ghost or spirit) for 零 (rei; zero) in the real-world term 霊域 (reiiki; sacred ground). However, here, the sacred ground of the afterlife is thought of as the place where souls come from and return to when all of their memories (thus their identity and their soul) have been lost. It is also literally the Zero Ground. However, there is little precedent for leaving the term untranslated as "The Reiiki", and "Sacred Ground" is both vague and lacking in meaning. For this reason we have elected to use the term Zero Point, naming it after the "point" (dot) referenced in Soetsu and Soya's metaphorical soul-circle.

Locations

Japanese	零Wiki	Fan Patch	Notes
朧月島 ろうげつ　とう	Rogetsu Isle	Rogetsu Island	朧月 is usually pronounced oboroduki and is used to refer to the hazy appearance of the moon on spring nights. Here this refers to the shadow-like motifs representing spiritual energy and the Other World seen in-game. The pronunciation rougetsu is usually represented by 臘月, which is a nickname for the 12th lunar month and has connections to Buddhism. Following the lead of DCB and FF5, we have elected to leave the name, a proper noun, alone and only translate the character for "island".
胎生ノ間	Birth Chamber	Birth Chamber	Dammy
大臓宮	Daizou Shrine	Daizou Shrine	Dammy
月奏ノ社	Lunar Odeum	Shrine of the Full Moon	Dammy
祓ヒノ道	Purification Path	Road of Purification	Dammy
朧月胎道	Primeval Passage	Birth Path	Dammy
朧月台	Rogetsu Stage	Rogetsu Dais	Dammy
首現堂	Shugen Temple	Inconsistent Hall of the Conscious Mind Conscious Mind Hall Current Head's Room	首現堂 is pronounced Shugendou, wordplay with multiple layers. 首 is a character with a few pronunciations, most easily recognized as "neck" or "head" (kubi). It is used in both the anatomical sense as well as positions of leadership, succession, or skill. It is also sometimes used to stand in for 兄 (konokami), referring to the head of a clan of a skilled craftsman. 現 is a character with connections to the present (time, place) and reality or consciousness. When used as the second character of a compound is often refers to the process of making something present or bringing something to realization. 堂 (dou) is a common suffix character denoting that the aforementioned is a place; a temple, a shrine, a large building for public use, or a front room for example. Taken together, this name likely refers to a culturally-significant place where skilled craftsman come into being, i.e. a workshop. This is supported by Ruka's calling it a しごとば, meaning 仕事場 (shigotoba; workspace) in her diary. Shu-gen-dou is here also wordplay for 修験道, a religion whose name means "The Way of Trial and Practice", which is how master Rogetsu mask-makers are made.
首現ノ祠	Luminary Shrine	Shrine of the Conscious Mind	See Above. A 祠 (hokora) is a miniature shrine.
忌の宮‎	Court of the Unhallowed	Shrine of Mourning	Dammy
葬頭川	Souzu River	Soutougawa River	Dammy
胎生ノ階段	?	??? Staircase	Dammy
診察室	Doctor's Office	Doctor's Office	Dammy
月映ノ洞	Moonbeam Cave	Moon-Reflection Cave	Dammy
中庭	Courtyard	Courtyard	Dammy
瞑想ノ洞	Meditation Cave	Meditation Cave	Dammy
月黄泉堂	Temple of Tsukiyomi	Underground Lunar Hall|	The term 月黄泉 (tsukiyomi; Moon Yomi) is a homophone of the name of the great kami of the moon, Tsukuyomi (月読). Unfortunately, the pun is lost without the visualization of the characters, and (because there are no kami revered on Rogetsu Isle) it's better not to risk confusing anyone.

Items

Japanese	零Wiki	Fan Patch	Notes
青い霊力の欠片	Blue Crystal	Blue Crystal	Dammy
赤い霊力の欠片	Red Crystal	Red Crystal	Dammy
霊石灯	Spirit Stone Flashlight	Spirit Stone Flashlight	Dammy