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Are Kanji acronyms ever used?
I have seen NTT, OPEC, DIY, NHK, etc. used but are there any Kanji acronyms commonly used?
|
There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of those, so it would be almost unnatural to list just a few here. Instead, I am posting a good link I have found.
<
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
部品 vs. 用品 - difference in usage
Both {} and {} are translated as **parts**. Is there a difference in their usage?
|
{} and {} mean totally different things; therefore, there should virtually be no interchangeability between the two.
means "part(s)", "component(s)", etc. of a product. From bolts to nuts and from springs to bearings, every little thing that is used to assemble a product is called .
is completely different. It means a product used in a particular area of life, activity, etc. It does NOT mean "part(s)".
For instance, refers to all things needed for the game of tennis -- rackets, shoes, wear, strings, etc.
would refer to plates, pots, pans, spatulas, etc.
, therefore, are already finished products in and of themselves.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "word usage, pragmatics"
}
|
しちゃいない meaning in this sentence.
I came across the following sentence
I'm not too sure what the means ( I know what the sentence means).
I know that is a contraction of but in that grammar I've always seen it followed by or . Is the just the negative of and can follow on since we had the form (as well as particle) of in which case I'm then not sure of the meaning of just ...
Thanks.
|
present form, positive
present form, negative
perfect form, positive
perfect form, negative (denial of positive)
casual perfect form, negative
( →
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
What is the meaning of 業{ごう} in this line?
{{pad}}
> {}{}
{{pad}} {}…{}
|
_karma_
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
What are the colored borders of a tatami called?
I researched several dictionaries and I am unable to precisely identify the term. Thank you.
|
They are called or {}.
The pitch accent is on the , which would mean that many J-learners would tend to pronounce the word incorrectly by placing the accent on the first syllable .
It is []{LH}.
Put the accent on the and you will be saying the katakana word meaning " **helicopter** " instead -- []{HL}.
!enter image description here
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 9,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
What does 古えの地綺譚 mean, how do you read it, and what is its origin?
Looking at the meaning of the individual kanji doesn't help much--Jisho says each means: old or ancient; earth or ground; figured cloth or beautiful or thin twilled silk fabric; and talk--and although I was able to find an entry on [[]{}]( I still can't fully piece together what this phrase means.
As far as reading goes, I get the feeling it's something along the lines of []{}[]{}, but I'm not certain.
With regard to the origin of this phrase, I have no idea. I'm less interested in this than the other two, so if you can't answer this that's fine. It's more or less a general curiosity.
* * *
**Note** : I am looking at this book, which is where I found the phrase.
|
Parse it as + .
* **** : =; of the ancient times, ancient (so-called "no-adjective")
* **** : place, land
* **** : (beautiful/mysterious) tale, story (according to this page, it's a word made up by Kafu Nagai in the early 20th century. literally means "mysterious tale" and literally means "beautiful tale", but the difference is not probably important here. Now this word is found in the title of many books.)
So those amount to "ancient place's story" or "tales of the ancient land". As for the origin, I think it's just the subtitle of this specific book.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, etymology, readings"
}
|
Can a two Kanji character word ever have the same meaning if written in reverse order?
I am asking this question because it might be possible for two Kanji characters, if written in reverse order, could have the same meaning. Thank you very much.
|
Usually reversing the order drastically changes the meaning even if it happens to mean something:
> * company ≠ society
> * cow milk ≠ milk cow
> * reality ≠ realization
> * running away from home ≠ entering the priesthood
> * Japan ≠ today
>
But some pairs have a very similar meaning, if not completely interchangeable. Examples include:
> * ≒ two sides (eg of a paper)
> * ≒ nature (of a person), character
> * ≒ upper floor
> * ≒ every year
> * ≒ birth
> * ≒ hills and fields
> * ≒ things
> * ≒ hardship
> * ≒ left and right
> * ≒ unevenness
> * ≒ ancestor
>
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 20,
"question_score": 7,
"tags": "words"
}
|
What does プチプチ mean?
I thought that it might be a sound, but it may also mean bubble wrap. I just want to clarify. Thank you very much.
|
{HLLL} is an onomatopoeia for the sound when bubbles (or something swollen) pop continually. It's reduplication of .
{LHHH} is the most well-known name of bubble wrap or (although it's a brand name). Obviously it's named after the onomatopoeia.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
Lack of particles in songs
I was trying to translate this song, it was all going well until I stumbled upon this line
>
I am having a hard time spliting the words correctly I feel like it either is lacking some particles or commas, I'm not really sure... What I could come up with so far:
> () - It's like both do not hesitate.
>
> I can only walk one more signpost. (lol sounds weird, I might be wrong)
So maybe the whole thing should rather be structured like this?
> () It's like both do not hesitate, (but) I can only walk one more signpost.
Thanks in advance!
Ps: This is the last line of one paragraph of the song, so it's a ful sentence which should hold some meaning alone, also the previous line is talking about other stuff aswell.
EDIT: The whole paragraph of this song is this:
>
>
>
>
> .
|
The critical problem here is wrong parsing:
>
> _(It is) the only signpost [that enables us (two) walk along (in pair) without(=the way not) losing our way]_
It's a typical "gapless" relative clause explained in this topic. The literal translation would be "the only one signpost that/where we can walk along..." but it doesn't make sense in English, I guess. This construction tells "signpost" has something to do with "we can walk along without being lost", thus results in the translation above.
For lack of particles, you can insert or after (it's ambiguous whether it means "we two" or "in two of us"). You can also add after , but it doesn't change the meaning in this context.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, particles"
}
|
Difference between words ゴミ and 廃棄物
Both and have the meaning of waste, but how could I distinguish these two words? For sure they have some different points in meaning.
Originally I thought, that is informal word for , but now I think that it is not true...
|
is made of +
apparently means "to abolish, to scrap, to repeal" (both physical things and stuff like treaties). So I guess we can think of `` as _waste_ (something to be disposed of) and `` as _trash/garbage/dust/dirt_ (something to be cleaned up and thrown away but not necessarily destroyed).
It also helps to check examples in the dictionaries to get a better feel of the usage. E.g. for you find "factory waste", "radioactive waste", "polluted by waste", "reducing waste", while for it's usually something related to household/street garbage and figurative meaning of "trash".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
What type of clause is 「蛙飛び込む」 in the famous haiku by Basho?
Usually, Basho's famous haiku, when written with a translation, is presented thus:
>
>
>
And translated roughly (similar to three out of five translations available in Wikisource):
> An old pond
> A frog leaps
> The sound of water
However, there are inversions of order of the last two lines, as was brought to my attention in a recent post I made in the Literature Stack Exchange:
> An old pond
> The sound of water
> As a frog leaps in/Of a frog leaping in
Here, the second line is modified by the third, whereas in the first, they stand separate.
In Japanese, what type of clause is the phrase in this haiku?
|
Grammatically modifies as a relative clause. It's not that modifies . Japanese is an almost pure head-final language#Head-initial_vs._head-final_languages), which means a modifying part almost always comes before a modified part.
This relative clause is a bit special, and it's a bit hard to give a very literal translation of . This is called a gapless relative clause described here, or type C relative clause described here. Basically explains what kind of we are dealing with. One rather literal translation would be "the sound of water of/from a frog's leaping in." Although this one is grammatically closer to the original haiku, it doesn't look similar to the original in terms of line order. So neither is definitely better than the other.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "syntax, relative clauses, haiku"
}
|
きれいな鳥に連れてってもらいます
Someone asked his/her friend "What did you do after the wedding party" and his/her friend said:
>
I don't understand the meaning of "" here, and "" here .
|
literally means "I will have [my husband] take me to a beautiful bird."
* : beautiful
* : bird
* : (destination marker)
* : te-form of "to take someone (to somewhere)"
* : contraction for , which is the te-form of the subsidiary verb
* : masu-form of (implies someone does a favor for you; see What is the meaning of here?)
Of course it makes little sense. Perhaps you have mixed (bird) and **** ( **island** )? Going to a beautiful island for a honeymoon is certainly a common thing to do.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
What is a term for "good to go"?
I want to verify if is the correct term, or if another word(s) can be used.
|
One idiomatic way of saying "good to go" is
>
(also ) means "preparations".
Another standard way would be
> or
>
* * *
could be misunderstood as asking "may I go?". may indeed be used in this context for "are you good/ready to go?" as . However, I _don't_ think would be a natural way of saying "I'm good to go".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, expressions, english to japanese"
}
|
To describe how to write a kanji, is it more useful to say the radical first, or the base kanji?
When explaining how to write a kanji verbally (by using radicals) is it more natural to say the radical, then the base kanji, or the other way around? Does it matter?:
> (1) **** ****
> (2) **** ****
>
> (1) **** ****
> (2) **** ****
>
> (1) **** ****
> (2) **** ****
Does this drill seem like a natural way to learn radicals? Or are these more like trivia questions?
|
In speech people usually say the well-known radical first. (=) (=) (=) sound perfect to me. is not wrong but sounds awkward.
or is better than here, though.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "kanji, radicals"
}
|
Can someone help translate this gravestone?
I've been trying to research my family back through my Japanese heritage. I got all the way back to the Masuhara name but didn't know the kanji. I knew that I had a Great Uncle that was a doctor. I finally found his gravestone and I've translated the first two kanji as the Masuhara name and the since he was a doctor. But I can't really see or understand the last few kanji on there. I tried using the google translate writing tool just to see if the kanji would come up and I think I got one that looked similar and was like "Tooru no" or something . I don't know if that is on the right track and I can't even find the last kanji anywhere.
Any help would be appreciated!!\[robert t masuhara doctor 1907 1938]1
|
I think usually direct translation requests are not allowed, but since you seem to have done most of the work: the last character is just {} - grave. So, it says, "Doctor Masuhara Tōru's grave".
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation, kanji"
}
|
Meaning of に in プラスチック**に**は体に悪い物質が付きやすいため
> ****
> As for plastic, because bad materials easily stick in the body, there is a worry that if fish eat plastic it will also have a bad effect on the people and animals who eat those fish.
I can't understand the purpose of the in bold at the start of this sentence.
Can it be omitted without changing the meaning?
|
You seem to have failed to parse this sentence correctly. Treat as one set here.
> **** [] **** …
> [Substances which are bad for your body] easily stick to plastic, ...
AB is a common way to say "A sticks to B," and it's not the body but plastic that bad substances stick to. So after is just "to" as in "stick to ", and after is "for" as in "bad for ".
The topicalizer always replaces /, but it doesn't usually replace /. See this.
You can omit in this case without changing the meaning. But I wouldn't do so because this section is relatively complicated and omitting may make it a bit harder to understand. See: When do you use / for /?
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, particle に"
}
|
Is んですから/ので/... grammatically correct?
I've been told by my teachers not to use and / together, but I encounter them sometimes, both by sight and by ear. When I try to use it myself, it's always marked wrong.
For example, I am quite sure the sentence 10in this link would be considered incorrect by my teacher, but it's stated to be correct here.
jgram also states that should never be used with other words/ constructions that also indicate reason, like .
Which of the following are grammatically sound?
> /
>
> /
>
> /
|
> 10{}{}{}{}
This sentence would sound O.K. and even fairly natural, if not perfect, **if it were uttered by a busy mom in an informal situation**. Grammarians might disagree here, but it is something you would actually hear native speakers say in real life. The average speaker is not a grammarian.
If you said instead of , then it would probably satisfy everyone. But who speaks his native language to satisfy everyone?
Interestingly, though, it would sound 100% natural (instead of just 90% as it does now) if you switched the two clauses and uttered them as two sentences as in:
> 10
That would just wipe out the small amount of awkwardness of the original sentence above.
Moving on...
> Which of the following are grammatically sound?
>
> /
>
> /
>
> /
and are unquestionably sound.
is sound in {}, {}, etc. but you _**cannot**_ say .
and are simply out of the question.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "spoken language, particle から"
}
|
What does ぼうしのどんぐり mean on this page of Yotsuba&!! ?
I am reading Yotsuba&! manga ch.82, pg.16. Here's the page
? I think it means acorn which look like the caps that Yotsuba has seen before but I am not sure if I am correct. Or does the ``here mean something else ?
Manga page source : <
|
It's "acorns with a cap". As you can see in this link, some acorns you can find in the wild wear a cap, and some don't. She said to only refer to ones with a cap.
can mean "wearing ":
* a man in a coat
* angels in white (nickname for nurses)
*
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, words, manga"
}
|
What does ばだった stand for?
What is the meaning and the grammar behind ?
Here is the sentence I've found it in:
> ****
|
40% + It was about 45%.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
How do you "try" a suru verb? Like "to try to cook"
According to the internet, to say you try an action you need to use the volitional form + _to suru_. So _miroutosuru_ is "to try to see". But what about _suru_ verbs like _ryouri suru_ ("to cook")?
|
A _suru_ verb consists of a noun + _suru_. All conjugation is done on _suru_.
If you want to use the construction _-(y)ō to suru_ , on a _suru_ verb like _ryōri suru_ , you have to find the volitional of _suru_ , which is _shiyō_ , giving
> _ryōri shiyō to suru_
* * *
There is also a different construction for "to try to [verb]", namely, _-te miru_. Again, for a _suru_ verb, you would find the _te_ -form of _suru_ , which is _shite_ , giving
> _ryōri shite miru_
For the difference between these two constructions for "to try to" you can read the question What is the difference between "verb" and "verb()+"?
Depending on the context, the second construction might actually be more appropriate.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, verbs, conjugations, subsidiary verbs, volitional form"
}
|
Why are verbs written in kanji and kana combinations instead of all kanji?
All verbs are written in kanji and kana combinations, but I am not able to find the reason for them to be written in this way.
|
This may not be the type of answer you expect, but the reasons is "because the Japanese government decided to do so".
The current government says all conjunctions (, , , ...), adverbs (, , ...), particles (, , , ...) and various auxiliaries (, , , , , ...) are to be written in hiragana. This rule was different in the old days. There were times when particles and auxiliaries were written in kanji, and there were times when particles and auxiliaries were written in katakana, and there were even times when the government seriously considered abandoning kanji altogether (like Koreans actually did). And as you know, verbs and adjectives have lots of conjugations, which are made possible by auxiliaries.
* Japanese script reform
* Modern kana usage
Practically, many Japanese people believe that mixing kanji and kana enables us to tell word boundaries easily without any spaces.
* How to separate words in a Japanese sentence?
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "verbs"
}
|
What is the difference between 未満 and 不足?
Both and have the meaning of insufficient in JMDict. What is the difference in their usage?
|
: it expresses **value**. e.g. 20 means 'less than 20 years old'. means 'He is beyond a friend but not to the level of a boyfriend.'
: It expresses **status**. It is necessary indeed, but it is insufficient now (and you would like to fulfill soon.). e.g. means 'you have not studied enough and you have to study more'. means 'You have a sub-optimal level of vitamins' (because you have not taken in enough vitamins).
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "word choice, word usage"
}
|
AM and PM in Japanese
Some details first. I am building a clock and it will be all in Japanese. Getting the numbers isn't a problem.
I want there two be two lights that indicate if AM or PM. I don't want to just translate the letters, as I guess there is a Japanese term for AM and PM.
|
The Japanese terms for AM/PM are
* = AM
* = PM
_Some_ real clocks widely available in Japan use them:
![enter image description here](
* * *
But what kind of clock are you building? What do you mean by "clock all in Japanese" and what do you mean by "just translate the letters?" Perhaps you are thinking of building a real "kanji clock"?
![enter image description here](
Then go ahead and use /. While it does not suit Japanese people's taste at all, it probably makes sense as a souvenir for foreigners. Before doing it you may want to read this article carefully. Reproducing a single Japanese character can be a challenging task for those who do not understand the language.
Japanese people generally do not like to wear something with kanji on it, and even domestic Japanese clock/watch makers like CASIO mainly manufacture English-only products. Even small Japanese kids understand `AM/PM`, and you don't need to translate it, usually.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, time"
}
|
What are common familially intimate names?
In both family units you often find special intimate names being used between members according to their role.
You have intimate familial names like 'mama' and 'papa' for parents, and words like 'honey' for children(as sons and daughters don't play distinct enough roles to warrant different names).
What are the Japanese equivalents to these fairly common English familially intimate names?
|
* mother -- , []{}, , , []{}, etc.
* father -- , []{}, , , []{}, etc.
* elder sister -- []{}, , , []{}, etc.
* elder brother -- []{}, , , []{}, etc.
* elder daughter -- , (but not )
* elder son -- , (but not )
* wife -- []{} (maybe old-fashioned?); often , etc. when you have kids (but not )
* husband -- , (maybe old-fashioned?); often , etc. when you have kids (but not )
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "word choice, culture, kinship terms"
}
|
Where does the exclamation せ〜の come from?
I note that the exclamation is quite frequently used, in a manner similar to how we use "ready, go!" in English. I'm curious about its etymology: where does come from?
|
is a form of expression when shouting or calling (with enthusiasm), which can also be found as , or and . Regarding the origin of expression, there are several threads in Japanese that have been quoted as following.
From this thread on !goo, the best answer noted that the expression was derived from the word 'hisser' in French.
> 2002/02/07 11:36
>
> hisser [ise]
>
> →→→
From this post on Jacky, the blogger has noted similarly that it was indeed derived from a French word 'hisser' (pronounced 'ise') and the meaning is "to pull out/up" (or "to hoist, to raise" according to hisser on Wiktionary).
> June 11 [Wed], 2008, 16:10
>
> [...] hisser [...]
Note that above sources had cited no reference for the explanation, which may suggest that the etymology is lacking historical evidence. No further information on Wikipedia, except was mentioned briefly in the Japanese article .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 11,
"question_score": 10,
"tags": "etymology"
}
|
Difference between 内容, 明細 and 詳細
According to JMDict , and meaning is details. I see these at the same time on banks websites. What are the nuances of their usage?
|
## []{}
* The contents, part of something
* Physically inside of something
* Near to `[]{}`, which means more physical _content_
## []{}
* Detailed document of something like bank accounts
* Detailed statement
It appears often in topics and documents related to money.
Example:
> []{} = payslip
It can also be an adjective but it's not a common usage.
## []{}
* Nearly most common word which means `detail`, in written language
* `` and `[]{}` are mostly identical
The combination `` is possible like
> []{}
>
> Please tell me the detailed contents.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word usage, pragmatics"
}
|
what different between よほど、困ったのだろう " and "さぞ、困ったのだろう"
what different between " and ""
|
They are near in nuance like `` but the original meanings are different.
## ()
Near to `` (very, really).
>
>
> Somebody seems to be really embarrassed.
##
`` is an old antique word which appears since Heian-era.
It means like `` and implies that the speaker is guessing something. ` ` is an idiomatic pair.
The original meaning doesn't contain the meaning like `very`, but it implies `very` in most usage.
>
>
> Somebody seems to be embarrassed.
>
>
>
> You seem to be embarrassed.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word usage"
}
|
Who is doing the wanting in this sentence?
From this article talking about the evacuees from Fukushima experiencing bad treatment from people in the places to which they have evacuated:
> ****
> A professor of X university said "The evacuees have lost their houses and home town. Even now they don't want to forget about painful living."
Who is doing the wanting () in the bold sentence? My English translation attempt sounds weird. It makes it sounds like the evacuees are complaining about thier bad treatment because they want to feel oppressed. Why would they not want to forget about hardship?
I would have expected something more like:
>
> Even now they are unable to forget about hard living
What's wrong with my understanding here?
|
The professor doesn't want you to forget about that.
It would start from "Please don't forget that..." or "I hope you don't forget that...".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "reading comprehension"
}
|
Can だ/だった be omitted before conjunctive が?
On the results of measuring the amount of plastic found in a sample of 31 fish:
> **** ****
> The result (was that) from 9 fish the size was at least 5mm of plastic but on average they found 1.1mm.
I'm struggling with several aspects of the grammar in this sentence:
1) Is the first in bold a subject marker and the second the conjunctive particle? Is there a omitted before this ?
2) Is the counter word somehow used as a substitute for repeating the unit mm?
If not, then I'm lost on how to parse this sentence.
|
Both in this sentence are subject markers.
Consider this "double-subject" sentence (cf. / ):
> 5mm
> Those plastic (fragments) are 5 mm or smaller in size.
Form a relative clause from this (note that works as a no-adjective):
> 5mm
> the plastic (fragments) which are 5 mm or smaller in size
With this as the subject of the main sentence, you can say:
> 5mm
> The plastic (fragments) which were 5 mm or smaller in size were found.
is a generic counter for small and round objects. is not a pronoun and it never replaces a unit of length, time, etc. So this 1.1 refers to the number of plastic fragments per fish (cf. 2). means "on average".
> 5mm1.1
> An average of 1.1 plastic fragments which were 5 mm or smaller in size were found.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, particle が, counters"
}
|
What are the election vans called?
Vans with cute girls, loud speakers, and political candidates.
|
They are usually called ****. Another name for this is , according to Wikipedia, but ordinary people rarely see this term.
Such vans without candidates but with a large ad on them are called or .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word requests, english to japanese"
}
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What is the meaning of the word 数独 (sudoku)?
I know that the term is used for a puzzle using the numbers 1-9, but I am unable to ascertain the meaning of the word. I was able to translate as number and Germany, but it doesn't seem right. Thank you.
|
Um, it's called "Sudoku" in English, and pronounced approximately as . See the Wikipedia entry: <
You want to know where the meaning comes from? It's "number" () plus "lone/unique/single" (), meaning that there is a unique number which fits in each square.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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Genki pg 305, [day of the week] NI vs [day of the week] WA
On page 305 of Genki , you can see that Mary starts off each paragraph with a day of the week and the particle that follows is different. Any reason why friday is listed w/ NI vs the other days that all have WA? Could you replace the WAs with NI?
The text goes as follows:
> ****
>
> ****
>
> ****
|
and are used with because she is changing the topic to those days respectively. That is, since she was talking about the day before in the _previous_ paragraph, she is now changing the topic to talk about what she is doing on Saturday (or Sunday) in the current paragraph.
Using with them wouldn't be wrong, but it sounds better with in this context because she's listing off the days in order and then dedicates a paragraph to describing what she did. If only were used, the days wouldn't sound as important.
She also could have used with , but it doesn't matter as much as the others because she wasn't talking about anything before, so there's no need to emphasize .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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When へ is used as a response, to something someone has said, what does it mean?
I have heard the expression used, but can't find its correct spelling or usage.
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(also spelled , , , ...) is even listed in a dictionary (from ):
> **** [1]
>
>
> 1. ——
>
> 2. —
>
>
roughly
> ****
> _interjection_
>
> 1. An utterance expressing surprise, admiration or doubt. »—, so he got married, eh?« »—, really?«
>
> 2. A word used (especially by women in the Kansai area) to reply or agree. »—, thanks a lot«
>
>
Depending on the context, English equivalents could be "wow", "oh", "no way", "huh", etc.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "colloquial language, spoken language"
}
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When you have to use "to" when using "no aida" to express "in between"
Why are these 2 phrases different? One uses "to" between the two nouns and the other doesn't. Is the "to" optional? Is one of them incorrect?
"Hikaru sora **_to_** kumo no aida tooku habataku toritachi"
"Teeburuto doa no aida yo."
|
Both sentences use between nouns.
[Hikaru sora]to[kumo]
[Teeburu]to[doa]
When saying "Between A and B", you need to use . However, as you may already know, usage of itself does not necessarily require the use of in other forms of use, such as .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "particle と"
}
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Do the Japanese actually use the word "Hentai" to mean "Anime Porn", like in English?
The English word "Hentai" likely came from 4chan. Thus, like a lot of Japanese loanwords that come from 4chan, I have to ask whether the Japanese actually use the word to mean "Anime porn" like in English.
If it isn't, or if a different word is more often used, could someone share what that word is? The Japanese people I communicate with always find my use of it confusing or wrong.
|
No, _hentai_ is a typical "" that has gained a totally different meaning outside of Japan. It never means anime porn in Japan.
Wikipedia defines _hentai_ as "catch-all term to describe a genre of anime and manga pornography." In Japanese, this idea is well described by a slang word (lit "two dimension"). The opposing idea is of course ("three dimension", live-action ones or sometimes real people). They are often contracted to (lit "secondary")/ (lit "tertiary"). 18 is too broad and / are too specific.
Most Japanese fans understand these ateji argots: (lit "rainbow") for and (lit "disaster") for . Yeah, posting a image to a certain type of image board is certainly disastrous to the users :)
**EDIT:** Oops, I should've mentioned that / by themselves do not necessarily refer to X-rated ones, while it's hard to imagine a fan who dislikes porn. does not sell X-rated goods, for example.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 55,
"question_score": 33,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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What does he exactly say in this phrase?
I know the title of the topic is really bad because it isn't descriptive, but I don't know how to phrase it really. If you have a better idea please edit it.
What does Yamcha say in this phrase? What I hear is
"Sora na kirei da na" but this doesn't make sense to me, it seems syntactically wrong, I believe for saying "the sky is pretty" it would be something like "sora wa kirei da" or perhaps "sora wa kirei da na" but not what I hear. What is he exactly saying?
|
He says, **** .
can be pronounced as "nga", which can sound like if you're not used to the difference.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation"
}
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tte vs to as quotation markers?
I've been taught here that "to" is used sometimes as quotation marker. Now I've read in a website that "tte" is used for indirect speech and what seems to be quotation too? If so, when should I use "to" and when "tte" ?
|
To put it simply, "tte" is for casual speech and therefore mostly used with family and close friends. "to" is the proper form you should use.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "particles, particle と, particle って"
}
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Difficulty with this sentence
…
In this sentence X is talking to Y and Sakura is the third person.
My question: who is going to suffer? Sakura or Y?
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It seems that Sakura ran away and therefor shall not be forgiven and there will be hell to pay for that!.
> Sakura run away
> Without forgiving
> Hell
> Plan to show
Y also seems to get robbed though.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation"
}
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What does *kata* mean in the sentence provided below?
joushaken o omotome ni naru kata wa, douzo kochira e. Those who want to buy passenger ticket please go this way.
Is it (), which means type or model?
|
In this case, kata is the polite (honorific) form of 'hito' (person, or people).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
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what is the difference between oshieta and oshiete kureta?
oshieta is the plain past tense of oshieru and oshiete kureta is usually translated as the past tense of oshieru too. What is the difference between them?
|
In many contexts, the two translate similarly, but it might help to look at longer sentences to see why they are not identical.
> []{}[]{}[]{}
= [you - implied subject] taught me math.
> []{}[]{}[]{}.
= [you - implied subject] _deigned_ to teach me math.
means something like "lowered yourself" / "gifted me by" ...
In other words, it emphasizes that the person who taught you math did you a kindness by teaching you math.
* * *
The converse emphasis which you didn't ask about (but @Shoko kindly mentions) is
> []{}[]{}
this emphasizes that I _received_ math instruction from you.
you can also upgrade the phrases with []{} to
> []{}[]{}
Here, you are further emphasizing how great of a thing you've received.
* * *
You can also degrade yourself with []{} and change into . This emphasizes how much you think someone was doing something beneath their station by helping you.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "verbs, conjugations, tense, past"
}
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Is there a reason it is -to omou instead of wo omou to say you think something?
I realize it is just something I got to remember, but is there any explenation to what is going on gramatically with to omou? Why to? Or is it just a thing that is?
Also, why to moushimasu/to iimasu, is the same thing happening there?
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That's because and its colloquial version are used to "quote" relative clauses.
They usually go with verbs like:
1. (u-verb) - to say
2. (u-verb) - to ask; to listen
3. (u-verb) - to scream
4. (u-verb) - to call
5. []{}u-verb) - to think
The same way you say:
> - I think I will not go to college today.
You also say:
> ? - What did he say to you?
So with these verbs you will use or instead of .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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Daisuki vs Aishiteru (大好き vs 愛してる)
Daisuki is supposed to mean like/love
Aishiteru is used for husband/wife
However, I've encountered several cases in many anime where best friends (girls) say aishiteru to each other. They are straight, just date boys and eventually marry one. Why say aishiteru to their best friend?
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The types of "like"/"love" I know in japanese are the following:
> [suki] - To like (Just like in english).
>
> [daisuki] - To like a lot.
>
> [ai]: sacrificial, unconditional, love for the other person's sake (often parallels the Greek agape, but can extend into philos as sawa mentions)
>
> [koi]: selfish, conditional, love for one's own sake (often parallels the Greek eros).
For the last two I used this answer as source: Love in the air: { vs } you shoudl check it out for a deeper insight on the matter.
Edit: For the case you mentioned, in my opnion it would mean that they love each other as friends in a true and ever lasting way, they way I see (aishiteru) would be something you'd say to your wife after years together, so you know that's "true" love, that's how I feel. But if you feel you can say it to a friend, that's personal I guess.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 10,
"tags": "words, nuances"
}
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What does the term Honcho mean?
I have seen the term used when calling out for a taxi, but I thought it was a term meaning boss.
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Honcho in English is an "" term derived from . In Japanese refers to the head of a **small** group/team, and it's not really a big word. means a team/group/squad of typically 3-10 people. Practically, you will never see romanized in Japan, and the normal romanized spelling of is hancho, not honcho.
If you saw Honcho on a signboard in Japan, it's probably . It's just another place name which literally means "main town". There are hundreds of districts called all over Japan.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "meaning"
}
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Is 「(i-adjective) + そうだったと思う」 grammatical/natural?
The lack of Google results for this kind of construction (relative to the number for the equivalent [i-adjective] + and [i-adjective] + for many i-adjectives) made me antsy about using it.
E.g. "I think Jim Morrison seems like he was really interesting."
Am I doing something wrong here?
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Yes it's natural and it means "I think he seemed very interesting". You are thinking now, and you are thinking about the past situation regarding him.
You can use it when you are recalling your vague memory.
> (I think I thought "He is interesting" in those days, but that could be a lapse in my memory.)
And you can also use it when you are implying the statement is no longer true now.
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, i adjectives"
}
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Is the term さん also used on envelopes when sending a letter?
I know that the term is used on the letter being written, but I'm not sure if it is required to use it on the envelope. Thank you.
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You cannot use on envelopes. Just as you have to use Mr./Ms./etc on English envelopes no matter how you normally call them, you have to use on Japanese envelopes. is a more polite name suffix than . is also okay if you usually call them _sensei_ (a teacher, lawyer, etc.). If you send a letter or a card to a kindergartner, / is also acceptable.
Inside the envelope you can call them however way you think is suitable.
is for a person. You have to use instead of when you send a mail to an organization. See: How to address someone in an email who referred to themselves as part of a department
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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alternative ways to say "who are you?"?
For saying who are you? I understand you can say
Kimi wa dare nanda? or Anata wa dare? and similars.
Then what does Silver Fang say here?
What I hear is "Dare ja ne .. kimi wa" I guess I'm misshearing a lot because as far as I know "ja ne" it's a way to say good bye so it doesnt make sense to be there? What is he saying exactly?
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You're not mishearing it. The is a corrupted form of common to accented speech in Japan. does something similar, but uses . The works as similarly to (question-indicating sentence final particle), but I would think of it as a softer, more colloquial .
(In Shoko's comment on this answer, she suggests that it feels a little bit arrogant and is most likely to come from an old man.)
If is "Who are you?", you can think of as "Who da... hell're you?" or similar.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation"
}
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formality of ちゃう・じゃう
Is it sometimes considered politer or more formal to say as opposed to Does it give a more positive nuance than
An example: One time I was going to be late to a dinner date and someone called me asking how late I would be. They were nervous and I'm their senior so they were using keigo the whole time, and then I said something like "it's ok if you start without me," and they replied which I took to mean "ok, we're going to go ahead and start then."
I mean its not a big deal to me but I was just curious because intuitively it does feel like saying would be completely wrong. Something about gives me more of a nuance of agency where and don't.
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I think they actually said using **** (transitive).
is always colloquial and relatively informal, but usually not impolite. It's inappropriate to use in formal greetings and business letters. But in everyday conversations, many people use it even when they are talking with their bosses using light keigo (/). If you were an unfriendly , they might have avoided and said .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 7,
"tags": "contractions, formality"
}
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How to pronounce 5,60年?
I came across this sentence:
> 5,60
>
> I cannot imagine how the lifestyles of people will change after fifty, sixty years.
I am wondering how to pronounce the 5,60 part. Is it or ? Or does both work?
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It's .
2,30 is .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "pronunciation, numbers"
}
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How to say "serve" in "The server serves the request"?
In the computers field, a server **serves** a request (ex: web server).
How to express that in Japanese?
English example documentation for a method that serves a request:
/**
* Serve the request.
*/
public Response serve(Request request)
I want to translate that documentation to Japanese, so I write `____`
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I doubt there is a direct equivalent. If you don't mind rephrasing it, you can use:
* (to distribute)
* (to respond)
* (to process)
But in programming contexts, just using is also a good idea. There is no good kanji word for _server_ , after all.
**EDIT:** The reason why _serve_ is difficult to translate literally is because one can say both "serve a request" (the object is something coming into the server) and "serve a file" (the object is something going out of the server). and are close to the former sense, and is close to the latter sense. I think covers both meanings.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "verbs, word requests, computing"
}
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Is this phrase missing something?
I was reading a lesson in Japanese and they translated this phrase like this:
>
>
> = Edamame, itsu dekiru kanaa.
>
> I wonder when I can harvest Edamame.
kanaa = I wonder
dekiru = be able to
itsu = when
Where is the "harvest" here?
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This is a simple intransitive verb that means "to form", "to be made/completed/ready". Thus literally means "I wonder when edamade will be ready."
There is no word that corresponds to "harvest" here. Edamame is both the name of the beans and the name of a dish. Depending on the context, this sentence can mean both "I wonder when edamame (beans) will be ready (for harvesting)." and "I wonder when edamame (dish) will be ready (for eating)."
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "translation"
}
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Why are "loanwords" written in katakana?
I am interested in learning why katakana was chosen to represent foreign words.
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Because that's the original purpose of katakana. Katakana was invented to denote the readings of unfamiliar foreign words (although, in those days, "foreign words" mainly referred to words in Asian languages such as Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese). On the other hand, hiragana developed as the shorthand for native Japanese sentences written in Manyo-gana. For details, please read the following questions:
* Why was both katakana and hiragana created?
* Why are there 3 ways of writing in Japanese?
The Japanese writing system underwent multiple major overhauls in the last 1500 years, but one main role of katakana basically remained the same: to serve as the phonetic alphabet to purely represent the sounds of non-ordinary words.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 10,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "katakana, orthography, history, loanwords"
}
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nowa , to in the phrase "kimi o shiawase ni dekiru nowa boku dake da to shinjite imashita"
I'm trying to make sense of this phrase to me
>
> Kimi o shiawase ni dekiru nowa boku dake da to shinjite imashita.
which I found translated as
> I always believed I was the only one who could make you happy.
"kimi o shiawase ni dekiru" is "be able to make you happy" or something like that
shinjite imashita is "believed"
"boku dake da" , "I just am" (I suppose)
Question is, is the "who" given by some word or particles (such as nowa) or is it just the structure of the sentence who puts a "who" when translated there , and which meanings/functions have the "nowa" and "to" particles here?
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The 'no' in 'nowa' can be thought of as the pronoun 'one'. Your familiar with phrases like 'aoi **no** ga hoshii desu' = 'I want the blue one' right?
This 'one' pronoun is modified by the relative clause 'kimi o shiawase ni dekiru'. And then the whole lot is made into a topic with 'wa'. So "The one who can make you happy" is the topic of the sentence.
'kimi o shiawase ni dekiru' kind of works like the adjective 'aoi' in that it modifies 'one' and tells you what kind of 'one' the person is talking about.
We could have translated the example as "I want the one **which** is blue", to which you might legitimately ask 'where did the **which** come from?. It's the same with 'who' in your example.
If you still can't see where the 'who' comes from try this link, or just check out 'relative clauses' in general.
For the last part of your question, the particle 'to' translates to 'that'.It marks quotes (direct and indirect). "I believed **that** I was the only one ...".
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation, cleft sentences"
}
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癖のある~ and negative connotations
I know that means "habit", most likely a bad one, for example the habit to bite nails:
>
But what I am wondering about is whether _by itself_ also necessarily has a bad meaning or connotation (when said about people): my dictionary gives a translation _"quirky"_ , which I would say is more of a positive thing. But in Japanese I find descriptions like , which to me again is somewhat ambiguous (is it regarded positive or negative, 50/50 etc.).
Does this expression always carry a somewhat negative tone, or would the meaning tend more towards the English "quirky"? Thanks in advance.
|
When we say (X) or /X without specifying what sort of it is that X has, the word often refers to _a distinctive or peculiar quality_ of some kind, rather than a particular behavioral pattern.
We may speak of ("a distinctive taste (of food)"), ("a person with a peculiar quality or two") or say things like , with the implication that things/people described as such have distinctive qualities that make people love or hate them (or at least make some people cautious in dealing with them). So I'd say has an ambivalent connotation, but maybe a bit more negative than positive.
means something different and more specific, namely that someone _has an acerbic or abrasive disposition_ , and I suppose it's usually used in a somewhat negative way.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "translation, nuances"
}
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Verb conjugations such as 思わん、言えん
I have seen these forms used in manga:
> 1)
>
> 2)
>
> 3) ...
Are these simply the negative forms, or are they something else?
|
These are simply contracted forms of the negations of those verbs, i. e. `` etc.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "verbs, contractions"
}
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What were the units of measure used before the metric system was implemented?
As the metric system has not been used for an extremely long period of time, there must have been some type of standardized system in place prior to its use. Thank you.
|
It's all described here: <
Although these are now essentially never used for any sort of calculation, many traces remain in everyday life; the cost of land is quoted in yen per tsubo (), sake is sold in bottles of 1 _shō_ (). And my favourite: the staging used to build a platform on stage comes in modular sizes, such as 3x6 or 4x6 _shaku_ , always referred to as _saburoku_ (3x6), _shiburoku_ (4x6), etc, but the preprinted plan they give you is marked in 1-metre squares.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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Who is the subject in 「駅の前にいるから、迎えに行ってくれる？」?
I'm currently studying Japanese grammar and there's this sentence:
>
By default the translation given is:
> I’m in front of the station, can you come here to meet me?
But couldn't it also be translated as:
> [since] You are in front of the station, can you come to meet me?
The reason I'm confused is because there is no subject and no context to infer the subject from. This is pretty normal occurrence in Japanese from what I understand, but is there something else in the sentence that could make either of these two translation a "preferred one" or am I being completely wrong here?
|
>
As you said, the subjects are omitted, but there are several clues. Let's say A is talking to B.
* A assumes B is currently not in front of the station, otherwise he wouldn't ask him/her to go there.
* implies that _someone_ is in front of the station.
* If A were at the station, he would have said ****
* Since neither A or B are in front of the station, it has to be a third person C.
We get
> _[A talking to B]._ C is in front of the station. Could you pick him/her up?
Who A, B, C are would have to be determined from context. However, C is different from A and B, so there are _three_ people involved.
In particular, neither of your translations is consistent with these clues.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "subjects"
}
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What is the term for the large ball shaped lights that are used to illuminate roads during construction?
I see the large lights used for illumination at night, but they are shaped kind of like a round ball and powered with generators. Thank you.
|
I think most people who are not in the construction industry just call them (or something like ).
If you really need a specific term for that purpose, you can use or .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word requests"
}
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Translation of ハッピーニューイヤーンバカーン
I ran across this phrase spoken by a manga character. Basically I see this reads as "A Happy New Year", but I'm not sure what the addition of 's mean after and .
At the end there is also , which I'm not sure whether it's a sound effect like 'BAM!' or 'idiot', as in ), with the added as I mentioned above.
Can anyone help me with this?
 literally means "no" or "I dislike it" and () is "idiot." It's not a refusal but rather an aged, stereotyped word used when a woman toys or trifle with a man. So the person who said it is childishly and jokingly mimicking a sexy adult woman.
Probably it's a wordplay similar to a classic joke . It's a type of pun-like wordplay made by combining a totally meaningless phrase. The more meaningless and irrelevant phrase you join, the funnier it will sound. It's technically called a . So that part does not really carry an important meaning, and you may even ignore it.
~~ **** is " _Un_ happy New Year" rather than "A Happy New Year." That should be another cheesy joke he made.~~ That followed by is like "oh" or "ah" induced by sexual stimuli.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "manga, puns, jokes"
}
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Is this a kanji, a radical or something?
I've seen some kanjis have this figure inside it. It's similar to other radicals and kanjis, but I couldnt find anywhere that it is a kanji or radical of its own. Is this a kanji or a radical by its own? Being able to identify part of a kanji as another kanji or as a radical helps memorizing them
I can't type the symbol with my computer, if someone can please add it to the title it would be appreciated and it would make the question more descriptive and useful for others
### Update
User istrasci pointed out that the central component of is four strokes, not five. Upon further research into the historical development of the character, it is clear that this component was originally something more like ("ear of grass" pictogram) or ("dense"), where the vertical stroke extends below the bottom-most horizontal bar.
So depending on the context in which you see the graphical element you included in your post, it might be , or it might be one of these other elements.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "kanji, radicals"
}
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What's the meaning of "どアップしんどい"?
I found this sentence in a manga and I can't understand what it means. (or ) should mean close up, while means tiring, bothersome, hard etc., but what do they mean when they are put together?
The scene goes like this: Two girls are nose-to-nose , one of them is completely enthralled by the beauty of the other, and in her inner dialogue she says "“" before praising the eyes and the eyelashes of the other girl.
I've seen it used as a hashtag on Instagram (on close up pictures) but that didn't help me at all. Can someone help me out?
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*
Yes, it means close-up. Beyond that, it usually describes an extreme close-up shot that whole picture is covered up by the object (often is a person's face). In this specific case, it mentions the closeness with the other that she sees her face. The prefix makes a very strong slang that means "total(ly)", "absolute(ly)", or "f***ing".
*
The word literally means "fatigued" or "fatiguing", but also is a recent slang that mostly used by otaku fangirls to express they are in the climax of excitement that they "can't bear anymore". If your description of "enthralled" is correct, it might be used in this sense.
The sentence seemingly tells that she is being , though no particles between them. So, some free translations would be:
> The close-up stare drains me out!
> The close-up stare is killing me!
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "translation, words, slang, internet slang"
}
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Does this sentence 「彼女が美しくなりましたね。」 need 「に」?
Does this sentence:
> [...]
need in the marked spot? And why? Can it be used both ways?
I tried searching for the usage but it seems to be the most elusive particle as it's used in literally hundreds of different contexts.
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No, this sentence does not need .
However, does appear in a similar construction: When you want to use "to become" with adjectives, you use the _ren'yōkei_ , which is formed as follows,
1. for _na_ -adjectives add
2. for _i_ -adjectives, delete and add
So
> 1. ****
> 2. ****
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "particle に, adjectives, i adjectives"
}
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What does the term ふうん mean?
I was chatting on the internet and the term was used in response to a question that I had but the person was unable to explain the term to me. I am thinking that it may be an abbreviated form of Thank you.
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No, it is not. We don't reduce to .
is a sort of filler meaning 'I see/ uh-huh/hmmm/really?/for real?/I don't care/how dare you/etc.
When it's actually spoken, the meaning of a or can vary very widely depending on the tones and context. On the other hand, written / on the internet generally means 'ic.'( I see.) unless it's not in a quotation.
I'm not enough adept at scripting an answer to show the subtle tones and nuances, let me look up for a video that explains well about variations of /
I found a video that epitomises for meaning 'how dare you say such a thing!'. It's hilarious actually that I want to share with you.
<
The male MC Mr. Shimoda reads a letter from a listener dubbed himself 'Koharungo2'.
The letter begins with 'Hello Mr. Shimoda and Ms. Tadokoro. I know this is sudden but I love boobs.' Then Tadokoro who's known for her huge tits response with a consummate This is it.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "words"
}
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What does ぶわははは mean?
I am participating in online chats to improve my Japanese, and occasionally receive chat words or expressions that I do not understand. Thank you.
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It represents (somewhat of) a deep, bellowed laughter. `Bwahahaha`
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice, expressions"
}
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Why are some prefecture names written in hiragana on license plates?
I noticed a license plate with hiragana characters written on it instead of Kanji. I had assumed that all prefecture names would be written in Kanji. Thank you.
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No prefecture names are written in Hiragana officially. As you note they are all written in Kanji.
License plates are not from the prefecture but designated cities (some of which ARE written in hiragana (usually due a dispute about what the name a newly formed city after a merger, e.g. ))
For scooter liscence plates, any city/ward/village/town can issue them so the city/ward/village/town name appears. If that happens to be Hiragana then hiragana is displayed on the plate.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words, kanji, hiragana"
}
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Why is the term オナニー written in katakana?
I know what the term means, just curious about the katakana spelling.
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More specifically, is from German _Onanie_. Interestingly, German apparently borrowed the term from older English _onania_ (per Duden's etymology here), which in turn was a derivation of the name _Onan_ from the Biblical story mentioned by user Nothing at all. As a relatively recent non-native borrowed term, is thus written in katakana.
(Incidentally, Japanese learners quickly figure out the use of _o-_ as an honorific prefix. Do not use this prefix when asking someone in Japanese, _"what shall we do?"_ )
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 42,
"question_score": 14,
"tags": "katakana"
}
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Is 吾 a joyo kanji?
I was trying to learn the joyo kanji, which if I understand correctly is a list of kanji listed in a guide by the Japanese ministry of education or something like that. By recommendation, I'm taking a look at the "learning the kanji" book, which helps memorize kanji and meanings, but it gives no info about their pronunciation (or at least it doesn't from what I've read). The book lists the kanji in this picture (which is a simple kanji if you consider the number of strokes) , it is one of the kanji for a widely used word "I" , but I can't find it in the joyo kanji list. Is this some sort of "unofficial" kanji or something like that, or I do I have an incomplete list of joyo kanji? (or am I plain dumb and I can't find it?)
.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "kanji, jōyō kanji"
}
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Does this kanji for "village" have 2 different meanings?
In a jōyō kanji list I read, there are 2 kanji for village. One of them is just mentioned in the jōyō kanji list to mean "village", it is mentioned in another book to mean a measure of distances that is about 4 km or 2.5 miles. Does it have 2 meanings? Is one of the meanings obsolete or wrong?
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It does have the two meanings you mentioned: a unit of distance {} (which is more or less 4km), and the meaning village {}.
Note that {} is a counter. … (be precise because is not read as ).
However, the unit of distance is obsolete, and the meaning for village is not used anymore productively. You will still find it in place names and in some words like {}, but nothing more.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "kanji, jōyō kanji"
}
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What is this kind of book layout called?
That may be off topic, but what is this two-row book layout called in Japanese? And to what extent is this format common?
. (paragraph) is a different concept.
* What is a newspaper , exactly?
Newspapers and magazines almost always use multiple-column layout. It's not very common in novels, but we sometimes see this layout especially when it's a long, hard-covered one with a lot of short lines.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "word requests"
}
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How to understand みんなしてお出かけですか?
I have seen some cases where is placed before a verb:
> 1)
>
> 2)
Is this regular practice? Is this grammatically correct? Can this be done with other conjugations of ?
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What you're seeing is not written in a strange order, but a fixed adverbial phrase **** ("get together and (do )", "with many others", , ). is not a suru-verb in the first place. doesn't have to be followed by another suru-verb. For example means everyone says the same thing almost at the same time (=).
You cannot use as a regular suru-verb. is a fixed expression derived from archaic Japanese, and it always appears exactly in this form. In archaic Japanese, was used like a standalone particle similar to in modern Japanese. See this and this. meant , meant /. You may still see this type of in literary sentences. doesn't sound particularly archaic to me.
is also used in modern casual conversations (e.g., ).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 12,
"question_score": 8,
"tags": "verbs, conjugations"
}
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Can the term せんもん be used to describe a professional person?
I want to describe that I have a professional occupation. Thank you.
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{} is a speciality and a {} is a specialist
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": -3,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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Can 大変mean amazing and awful?
I have heard the word spoken on occasion, but I am not sure if it can be used in both situations. Thank you.
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It can mean both awful and very very
(This is terrible)
[]{}(You helped me very much!)
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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What is the term for off limits to foreigners?
There are certain establishments that are exclusively Japanese only. Thank you.
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The very few times I've seen it it's been one of the following:
Foreigners entry into store is refused
Foreigners refused
Both are written in a formal way. Longer more formal versions also exist, but with the same basic format, such as:
Foreigners refused entry into this establishment
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "english to japanese"
}
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What is the term for sleepers (the crusty discharge that forms in the eyes during sleep)?
I cannot find the term to accurately the term for "sleepers". Thank you.
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The proper word for it is
but more common words are: and
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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Is "otaku" a male term?
I want to determine if the term is gender specific. Thank you.
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No, it's not. There are many female otaku, too. Among those who understand the modern otaku culture, otaku is a fairly gender-neutral term. For example, about 35% of attendees of Comiket are female.
That said, otaku is a slang word with a relatively long and complicated history, and it used to have a very derogatory and narrow meaning. I imagine there are still many people who believe otaku-like hobby is only for males.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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Can こんちゃbe used as a slang form of こんにちわ?
It was a typed response to me after I greeted the person in an email. I am wondering if it is a slang term or if it has a different meaning. Thank you.
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is slang that have more friendly meaning. Almost there is no difference in the point of meaning. But you don't have to use it at first time, or for people on higher position.
In my opinion, I don't like this expression and I don't use it. Because it contains also foolish sense.
Thanks.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice, slang, internet slang"
}
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Some trucks are highly customized with flashy metal, horns, and lights, what are they called?
I particularly notice the creativity with dump trucks and small pickups, customized interiors too. Thank you.
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They are called , which stands for .
Oh, there's even an article on English Wikipedia.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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途中で or 時に? And what's the difference?
**/**
In this sentence, I wonder which one is correct or better than the other? I also have trouble to understand what exactly is used for, since in almost any case I feel like I could use as well.
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is generic "when", whereas is "in the middle". They are often interchangeable but the latter would sound more emphatic. Compare "when I was sleeping" vs "in the middle of sleeping".
They are not always interchangeable. Use "when" if you don't have to say "in the middle".
> * I wear glasses when I study.
> * [?] [?] I wear glasses in the middle of studying.
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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What is the practice of conforming to group standards in society called?
Japanese society highly values the group over the individual. I am unable to find a name for this practice. Thank you.
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(as opposed to )
... maybe?
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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How to say 'I think so"?
I was wondering how to say _I think so_ in Japanese, do you have to say 'watashi wa kore ga omoimasu' or a different thing?
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> / (sou omou yo / sou omoimasu yo.) - closer to "I think so.".
>
> /sou da ne / sou desu ne.) - That's right.
>
> sou nanda.) - That's right. (but with more emphasis).
In the conversation context it is explicit that you're the one saying so there's no need to use at the beginning.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, word choice, words"
}
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How can I tell if a Japanese person's given name is male or female?
I am hoping that there may be some particular kanji and/or sounds used in determining if a persons given name is male or female.
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There are a number of common suffixes you can use to try to guess. Here is an incomplete list of common suffixes which are a pretty safe bet:
### Female
* _ko_
* _mi_
* _ka_
* _e_
* _na_
* _no_
* _ri_
### Male
* _rō_
* _ta_
* _suke_
* _o_
* _ya_
* _kichi_
* _hiko_
* _nobu_
Also, "girly" _kanji_ —like "love", "happiness", "flower", "beauty" etc.—or _hiragana_ will usually indicate a girl's name.
Similarly, "boyish" _kanji_ —like "righteous", "health/strength", "win", "honesty", etc., will usually indicate a boy's name.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 46,
"question_score": 29,
"tags": "meaning, kanji, pronunciation, names"
}
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Why is ペラペラ written in katakana?
I am aware of the meaning of this word, but want to know the reason it is predominantly written in katakana. Thank you.
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Many onomatopoeia are written in Katakana (and many in hiragana as well).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "etymology, katakana, onomatopoeia"
}
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What is the name of the green cross safety flag used at construction sites?
I have seen the flag flying at administrative buildings used at construction sites. Thank you.
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It's {}. Also you can call it {}{}, it is not at all unusual.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "words, word requests"
}
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Is 戈 a joyo kanji? What does it mean?
I'm taking a look by recommendation to the "remembering the kanji" book. In it appears the kanji below. I look for it in a list of joyo kanji and it doesnt appear, at least not when I look for it by its meaning. The meaning the book says it has is "fiesta". Fiesta is a spanish word, and I dont even understand what it is doing in an english book unless it means something different in another language or japanese? Anyway, I'd like to know if this is a joyo kanji, and if this is the meaning it has "fiesta" and if that meaning it's the same meaning than the word "fiesta" in spanish
By the way, I can't type the kanji in my computer, so if anyone can add it to the title it's appreciated. Same thing happened with other couple of topics I've opened, and I realize since the topic title isnt descriptive, the topic isnt helpful for others
![enter image description here](
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This glyph is both a radical, and an independent character: . This has the _on'yomi_ of **ka** , and the _kun'yomi_ of **hoko**. The independent character isn't used much in either Japanese or Chinese. The original meaning was _"a dagger-axe, a polearm similar to a halberd"_. In modern Chinese, it appears most often in names. In modern Japanese, it's a less-common alternative spelling of {}.
This is not included in the list.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "kanji, jōyō kanji"
}
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How do I say "boner"?
Its a term used in English to describe an erect penis. Thank you.
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The term is {}. (The noun form at least)
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, slang"
}
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What is the meaning of やかおもすぐ?
What's the meaning of "" here in this sentence?
>
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It's ("[He] can also remember the name and the face of people [he] has met.").
* "name" ( should be a typo)
* "and" (See: The many ways to say "and" in Japanese)
* "face"
* "also" (this replaces the direct object marker . See: Using in place of )
* "at once"
* "memorize, learn"
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "translation"
}
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the meaning of "つくってゆしゅつしてます”?
What's the meaning of "" here?
> A
>
> B
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It is indeed harder without kanji ;)
{}{} means "producing and exporting"
* to produce
* to export
* is spoken form of ****
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
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Unrelated clauses joined by て or the extra meaning of こともある
**** ****
> When the audit office investigated (they found that) it's the same people that buy a lot of these coupons. There was an occasion where 1 million Yen was spent in one shopping trip. People from the same company bought a total of 18 million Yen's worth of coupons, and there was a time they were even used to buy a boat.
I'm a bit puzzled by at the end of this paragraph. At first I assumed that the company who bought 18 million Yen of coupons were the people who bought the boat, because the clause are joined with . But the ending makes it sound to me like the boat buying was a separate thing.
Is there some aspect of that I'm missing or are these two events unrelated (even though they are joined with )?
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Judging from your translation attempt, it's not but those Japanese commas that are actually throwing you off. Don't try to split the sentence into two there. Instead, parse them like so:
>
> ..., there was { a case where one person bought a lot of coupons and spent over 1 million yen ('s worth of coupons) on a single purchase }.
>
>
> There was even { a case where people in one company bought a total of 18 million yen's worth of coupons and used them (=1800) to buy a boat }.
See:
* used right before comma: What does this mean, and how is it grammatically possible?
* Usage of commas in Japanese sentences
* Commas and relative clauses
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "reading comprehension"
}
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Can you use multiple 'no's?
For example, if you wanted to say 'my mother's house' would you say 'watashi no oka-san no ie'?
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Yes, you can, and they can be extended indefinitely.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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Do Roman numerals have on and kun readings?
I know that kanji numbers can be read using on and kun readings. Does the same apply to Roman numerals?
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Roman numerals ( _rōma sūji_ ) represent **numbers**. It's the numbers that have readings, no matter what numeral system you use to represent them. Roman numerals are thus read according to the number they represent:
> [I]{}, [II]{}, [III]{}, [IV]{}, [V]{}, [VI]{}, [VII]{}, [VIII]{}, [IX]{}, [X]{}, ..., [L]{}, ...
just like if you used _kansūji_ (…) or _arabia sūji_ (1, 2, 3, 4, ...).
To refer to a Roman numeral, you could say for XVI.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "readings, orthography, numbers"
}
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Can the term ちわ be used as slang for こんにちわ？
The term was used in a chat and I can't find the meaning.
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is an abbreviated form of , when written using hiragana
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": -2,
"tags": "word choice, slang, internet slang"
}
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Does the term 女性語 identify words only used by women?
Women speak with certain word differences when compared with men and I want to verify if this term is used to describe them. Thank you.
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has an article called in Japanese. Quoting the first sentence and providing a translation:
>
>
> 'jyoseigo' are those expression or word that are marked by feminine use. The opposite term is 'danseigo'.
The article also links to this article in English on Wikipedia, which mentions as another term. But that seems to be unused in the article in Japanese.
> [...] In Japanese, speech patterns associated with women are referred to as _onna kotoba_ (?, "women's words") or _joseigo_ (?, "women's language").
Both terms `` and `` are easily found in online dictionaries. However, I can't seem to find either one in the physical Japanese dictionaries that I have.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "terminology, gender, feminine speech"
}
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What is the hair bun on a sumo wrestler's head called?
Sumo wrestlers wear a hair bun on the top of their heads and I want to know what it is called.
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It's called _ōichō_ , which is a type of _mage_ (bun/topknot).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "sports"
}
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Is いつもの an adjective or the object in the following sentence?
Context: Character A, a middle-aged man, suddenly enters the room where Riku, a child, is.
> Character A:
>
> Riku:
Then, in the next balloon (it's a manga), Riku explains what he was doing.
What is in the sentence above? Is it an adjective? If so would the translation be "oh, the usual man/the man that always comes here"? Or is it the object of the implicit sentence "(I'm doing) the usual, old man"? I would say it is an adjective, because if it was the object it would be **** ", right? Thank you for your help!
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Yes this simply means "the man who always comes here".
//etc is a common way to refer to _that_ person you often see or talk about ("you-know-who"). is similar.
In reality, it's unusual to directly address a person with , and this smells a bit like to me. is an jargon term that refers to unnatural lines in fiction (often long one) which only serve as a description _for the readers_. (Here are typical in a battle scene; he talks to himself to explain to the readers)
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, particles"
}
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What is an answer for ごめんなさい？
There must be an appropriate response, when the term is used. Thank you.
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(/) -> it's alright. / -> i don't mind. () -> it's (already) good. / -> don't mention it. -> so am(it should be me saying...) i. Would be plausible I guess...
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
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What is the term for road rage?
I tried to explain this term to a friend with no luck. Thank you.
|
There is no word in Japanese that means 'road rage'.
1. If a listener knows 'road rage'
You can say .
2. If a listener doesn't know 'road rage'
You can say:
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "word requests"
}
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Meaning of で in 敦賀から新大阪まで〈で〉２兆１０００億円かかる予定です
Regarding the construction of a new bullet train line:
> []{} ****
> The construction cost from to is expected to be (some eye watering amount of money).
I can't understand the function of the in bold. Can it be omitted? It seems to make sense to me without it.
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That is part of a set phrase `[purpose/item] [price] ` ("to cost [price] **for/to** [purpose]"). You can use instead of .
* 1{/}30 It takes 30 yen to make one call.
* 1{/}2 Making a 1-yen coin costs 2 yen.
* CPU3010
It costs $30 for the CPU and $10 for the battery to manufacture this smartphone.
In your example, that can be omitted but it feels more formal and a bit more natural to keep it.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "particle で, particle まで"
}
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What are the envelopes used for giving money on special occasions called?
On special occasions such as weddings and on New Year's Day, envelopes that have prewritten Kanji on them and other decorative items are used for giving money.
Is there a generic term for these envelopes, or do they have specific names for specific events?
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The generic term is , but Japanese people do not use this word commonly. Common words are:
for black and white ones used on funerals:
 or for colorful ones used for weddings or other happy occassions:
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word requests"
}
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Why is りんご written in hiragana?
I recently bought some apples and the term was written in hiragana.
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can be written in _kanji_ as . However, the second _kanji_ is not a _jōyō kanji_ , so the whole word is often written in _kana_.
The same happens with hundreds of other everyday items
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* ...
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "kanji, orthography, hiragana, jōyō kanji"
}
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Why is ところ used instead of こと in these sentences?
> **** **** ****
> The television crew were recording experts investigating the volcano. On the video (you can see) white smoke rising to the sky and stones flying.
Am I correct that all the instances of in bold could be replaced with ? If so, what nuance/change of meaning does using bring to these sentences?
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They are not interchangeable with , while they are interchangeable with and ("scene").
can refer to one concrete situation or scene.
and are acceptable when you want to present them as a general fact (i.e., "the fact that experts investigate volcanoes"). sounds perfect, but may sound like the earth is sometimes not spherical.
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, nominalization"
}
|
What is the difference between 時々and たまに？
I have been chatting online and both terms seem to mean the same thing. Thank you.
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means _sometimes_ while means _rarely_. should not be confused with which means _by coincidence_ (even if rarely can be used to say _sometimes/rarely_ )
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
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