Pronounciation of "Bulma"?

[Silver Sinspawn]

Knowing him, he probably doesn't remember.

[Kiyza]

For the longest time, I've pronounced it "Bull-ma" but since I've started watching the anime, I've been using "Bool-ma," since it sounds a bit more like "Buruma."

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I know, I know... But it's not impossible for Toriyama to suddenly start writing her name as Bloomer on official art. Someone needs to interview him and ask him how to spell his characters' names in alphabet. Lol.

Agreed, because then we'd have a way that we can all write the characters' names. If Toriyama didn't use "Bulma" then we today probably wouldn't be using it.

[linkdude20002001]

And had he drawn Gokuh with a shirt or hat with "Gokuh" written on it in the first chapter, then that'd probably be the only spelling fans and companies would ever use. Same thing with Kulilin or any character really.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

And had he drawn Gokuh with a shirt or hat with "Gokuh" written on it in the first chapter, then that'd probably be the only spelling fans and companies would ever use. Same thing with Kulilin or any character really.

I'm pretty sure "KAIOH" was written on the number plate of his car in the anime, but was it written in the manga also?

EDIT: Just checked through the first VizBig and no, it wasn't written in the manga.

[linkdude20002001]

That's what I'd like to know. But I refuse to buy the Dragon Ball comic from Viz till they re-translate it more accurately.

[EnmaDaiou]

Right "romanization" is a very difficult thing.

I don't think there's really a "right" or "wrong" romanization.
There are a lot of options and reasons for each one.
There's exceptions, like Red Ribbon officials, Mister Satan or Cell. The names are clearly english words.

But in case of jokes, like "Bulma", "Kakarotto" or "Vegeta" and real japanese/chinese names like "Son Goku", "Tenshinhan" or "Kaiou" I like to use Hepburn romanization, one of the most used methods of transcription of Japanese.
I think it's the best way to romanize names.

In case of DB, thera are names that apears in alphabet on Manga.
Like BULMA and KAME.
But most of the names doesn't apear.
And there are cases that names apears with different romanization.

That's the reason form me to adopt the Hepburn romanization on my site for most of the words and names.

[caejones]

Building on Toriyama's comments (I think? ???) concerning language in Dragonworld...
Hasn't Toriyama said that English is probably the dominant language (I get the impression this was just his post-drawing interpretation of all the English he used)?
Also, that Goku comes from an isolated old-fashioned place, what with using a family name and all that?

So a possible interpretation is that characters like Goku and Kuririn don't have official alphabet spellings of their names in-universe, but Bulma does.

As for the original topic...
I thought for quite a while that it was spelled "Bolma" because of the dub pronunciation.
I kinda don't think there's a "good" way to pronounce "Bulma" in English that is close to the original without throwing in some sort of accent... So I'd be ok with sticking to "Bulma". If I really wanted to try and be more accurate, I'd just go with the Japanese pronunciation ("Buruma" is kind of like "Kuririn" in that it is much harder to say casually with an English "R" compared to the Japanese 'r').

[Amigo Ten]

That's what I'd like to know. But I refuse to buy the Dragon Ball comic from Viz till they re-translate it more accurately.

Is Viz really that inaccurate?

[linkdude20002001]

Well, in the first chapter Chichi's in, she talks (appropriately) like a hick, but every chapter thereafter her hick accent is gone. And a couple days ago I saw some volumes on sale at the mall, I took a look and Piccolo talked all Shakespearean like. O_o

And then there's also the random censoring... I can't make sense of the random on-off censoring.

[Amigo Ten]

Piccolo only talks like that for the first few chapters for some reason.

[linkdude20002001]

So, he talks normally in the 23rd Tenka-ichi Budokai, then he talks like a spazz for the Raditz stuff, then back to normal? Talk about inconsistent. :/

[Kiyza]

So, he talks normally in the 23rd Tenka-ichi Budokai, then he talks like a spazz for the Raditz stuff, then back to normal? Talk about inconsistent. :/

It was still kind of strange during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. I recall him saying to Goku "What now mortal!?" in that translation. It was, in places, rather strange during that arc. But not nearly as bad as the Raditz stuff.

[linkdude20002001]

And this is part of why I want a new translation like some other countries got. It would go great with a Kanzenban release.

[Thanos]

I used to say "Bole-Muh", but for quite a while I've pronounced it "Bewl-Mah"

In the Japanese, though, it very much sounds like they're pronouncing it "B'roo-mah"

[Ashy-kun]

Well, this is why I personally like to spell it "Blooma". It shows the pun on "Bloomers", but it also is very easy to pronounce.

That said, the Japanese version DID give us the spelling "Bulma", with "Love's Puzzling Puzzle - Dedicated to Bulma and Vegeta", and so this could be a pun as "Bluma" for "Bloomers". Yet at the same time, maybe they made a mistake* as they often do. ("Kulylyn" anyone? And "Gok.ou", of course. Sorry to have to bypass the filter, but it is demonstrating a point.)

EDIT:

* Whoopsie. "Mistake" is not the best word. I was a Language student for goodness' sake. Let's just say that it wasn't a standard Romanisation of what the name could be.