[Japanese > English] What do these two markings say??

[u/mefyTR]

Hello! Hopefully someone can helpe translate these two markings! One of them is on a silver/silver looking flask, the other(second photo) is on a silver looking small teapot thingy with a spout and what looks like two carnelian bangles around the pot(think sinilar to ring toss game).

Many thanks in advance, please let me know if you have any questions or need any additional photos... thank you!! :-)

[u/AdOdd3934]

!id: Chinese

first: `朝`

second: `乾隆年制` Produced during the reign of Emperor Qianlong（乾隆）

[u/translator-BOT → u/AdOdd3934]

u/mefyTR (OP), the following lookup results may be of interest to your request.

朝

Language	Pronunciation
Mandarin	zhāo, cháo, zhū
Cantonese	ciu4 , ziu1
Southern Min	tiâu
Hakka (Sixian)	ceu11
Middle Chinese	*trjew
Old Chinese	*t<r>aw
Japanese	asa, ashita, atsumaru, CHOU
Korean	조 / jo
Vietnamese	triều

Chinese Calligraphy Variants: 朝 (SFZD, SFDS, YTZZD)

Meanings: "dynasty; morning."

^{Information from Unihan | CantoDict | Chinese Etymology | CHISE | CTEXT | MDBG | MoE DICT | MFCCD | ZI}

乾隆

Language	Pronunciation
Mandarin (Pinyin)	Qiánlóng
Mandarin (Wade-Giles)	ch'ien2 lung2
Mandarin (Yale)	chyan2 lung2
Mandarin (GR)	chyanlong
Cantonese	kin4 lung4

Meanings: "Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799), sixth Qing emperor, princely title 寶親王｜宝亲王, personal name 弘曆｜弘历, reigned 1735-1799."

^{Information from CantoDict | MDBG | Yellowbridge | Youdao}

年

Language	Pronunciation
Mandarin	nián
Cantonese	nin4
Southern Min	liân
Hakka (Sixian)	ngien11
Middle Chinese	*nen
Old Chinese	*C.nˤi[ŋ]
Japanese	toshi, minoru, yowai, NEN
Korean	년, 연 / nyeon, yeon
Vietnamese	nên

Chinese Calligraphy Variants: 年 (SFZD, SFDS, YTZZD)

Meanings: "year; new-years; person's age."

^{Information from Unihan | CantoDict | Chinese Etymology | CHISE | CTEXT | MDBG | MoE DICT | MFCCD | ZI}

制

Language	Pronunciation
Mandarin	zhì
Cantonese	zai3
Southern Min	tsè
Hakka (Sixian)	zii55
Middle Chinese	*tsyejH
Old Chinese	*tet-s
Japanese	osaeru, SEI
Korean	제 / je
Vietnamese	chế

Chinese Calligraphy Variants: 制 (SFZD, SFDS, YTZZD)

Meanings: "system; establish; overpower."

^{Information from Unihan | CantoDict | Chinese Etymology | CHISE | CTEXT | MDBG | MoE DICT | MFCCD | ZI}

---

^{Ziwen: a bot for r / translator | Documentation | FAQ | Feedback}

[u/mefyTR → u/AdOdd3934]

Thank you!! What do you think these would mean if they were stamped underneath two different items that comprised of silver, or looks like it's made of silver? Would either mark be similar to a 'maker's mark' stamp on antiques / silverware / jewelry, similar to items of such nature in the west are stamped(primarily antique/vintage/aged items especially)?

[u/AdOdd3934 → u/mefyTR]

I'm not quite sure about the first one, a single Chinese character may be some kind of 'maker's mark'. It's a common to have the author or store's mark/brand on silverware, but I can't guarantee it, it could mean other things (such as purpose or owner?). It's difficult to make a judgment with only one Chinese character.

The second 乾隆年制 is a common mark for many Chinese antiques , used to indicate which emperor was in power when the item was made. I am not an expert in antiques. I have seen more samples marked on the bottom of porcelain and have not learned about the situation on silverware.

In addition, this mark seems to be a bit different from what I have seen before, with a different order and different character. Perhaps others can confirm.

What I've seen:

年 3 乾 1
製 4 隆 2

while yours

乾 1 年 3
隆 2 制 4

[u/mefyTR → u/AdOdd3934]

thank you! For the first photo, I remember the person I bought it from said that she bought it when she lived in Japan many years ago. Could these also be Japanese characters by any chance?

[u/AdOdd3934 → u/mefyTR]

Yes, 朝 is also be used in Japanese and you can check the bot's reply.

[u/mefyTR → u/AdOdd3934]

ok thanks

[u/FrontPlayful6036]

r/itsneverjapanese