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便利が悪い and 不便 usage
I sometimes come across people (japanese) using the phrase "" and it keeps me wondering why they aren't using instead.
While is being roughly translated into "bad convenience / the convenience is bad" and being "inconvenience" isn't it the same thing?
For example, would "" and "" both be translated into "the location is inconvenient" or is the former "" putting more emphasis on the convenience itself being bad, while other things about the location may be good?
|
usually means "convenient" (na-adj), but it also means "convenience" (noun), according to a dictionary. is listed as a valid example.
That said, I personally never use /, and I think I haven't heard it for years (I live in Tokyo). I vaguely remember a few elderly people were using it when I lived in the western part of Japan many years ago. From a quick google search, it seems to be used mainly in Chugoku and Kyushu regions. I don't think there is a significant difference in meaning.
/ and ()/ are totally fine because and only work as nouns.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
Why the past tense is used in this sentence?
It's about this passage:" **** "
First of all, "" is modifying "" but the comma is written for more visibility, isn't it ?
And to follow, my main question, why the verb is in the past tense ? "" is in the present and so the usage of false name is continuous too no ? Why it is not "" or ""
Thank you
|
> **** ****
In this sentence, the "main" verb is or the whole verb phrase at the very end. **That is the only verb whose tense determines the tense of the sentence**.
That means that you should not really be calling the "past tense" only because there is a in it. As I stated above, has no affect on the tense of the sentence.
Consider the English sentence (first of the two):
> "I **am eating** a hamburger **made** with real Kobe beef. It's heavenly!"
The tense of the sentence itself is clearly the present progressive as the verb here is "am eating". If so, why use "made"? Is using "made" there incorrect?
I know very little English, but I still know that it is 100% correct, grammatical and natural to use "made" in that sentence. Or am I deluded?
Thus, is the most natural verb tense choice in the original sentence. would sound quite awkward if not totally incorrect.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, conjugations, relative clauses, relative tense"
}
|
About を in 再稼働をてこに収益改善
Can anyone please tell me what does in in the sentence below indicate? I know that is followed by a verb, but how come in this case it's followed by a noun ?
>
|
> I know that is followed by a verb..
Not true. It is often followed by a noun as well.
> + +
in this context, means:
> "with ~~ as the driving force"
If, however, you insist on "seeing" a verb, try thinking one is implied and left unsaid as in:
>
You should be able to see the verb there.
In any case, the phrase means:
> "(anticipating improved profitability) **_with the restart of the nuclear plant (used) as the driving force_** "
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "particles, particle を, business japanese"
}
|
Meaning of 拳神降臨
During a boxing match there's a banner hanging from a terrace with this expression written on it:
>
The match in question is a match of the tournament for the best newcomer (), could it be linked to this? It is not clear if it was hung by some supporters or if it is an official banner of the tournament. The literal translation would be "the advent of a boxing god", but does it have a particular meaning? Is it an expression normally used in sport contexts (for example, could you write )?
Here's the two pages where the banner can be seen.
|
You can stick to your literal translation, or rephrase it as you like to match your culture. ! is a phrase that is like "Here comes !" or "We're seeing !" and used somewhat slangily on net forums (see this). is understandable as a phrase on a cheering banner, but it's not common at all. The letters look hand-written by brush, and there is a kanji (" club") below (maybe = "supporter's club"?). So I think this is an unofficial banner created by fans. As far as I can tell, this phrase has no particular reference to a famous song, proverb, person, etc. I feel is slightly less natural or common than , but is not nonsense, either.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation, meaning, expressions, sports"
}
|
How would I say 'home state' in Japanese?
I'm looking for home state or really any Japanese equivalent meaning? I'm trying to explain why I love my hoodie with Wisconsin across the front. If there isn't one I could always just reword my sentence but I was curious and couldn't find anything online.
|
This is not an easy question because there are no "states" in Japan, but to talk about what U.S. state someone is from, we would use:
> {}
More informally:
> {}{}
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice, word requests, word usage"
}
|
Understanding 切れやすくしてあります
****
The only thing I can understand is "" which means "easy to cut", but what is doing here? Could it mean something like "I made it (or it has been made) easy to cut with scissors"?
|
>
means:
> "(it has been) made/produced so that ~~"
So, this particular type of packing tape **comes precut so it is naturally easy to cut**.
To mention the grammar used, **** is the {} ("continuative form") of **** .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, meaning"
}
|
Translation help of gravestone
I'm still learning Japanese so many of these kanji I can't even make out. This is the back of my great uncles grave in Hawaii and I'd appreciate if I can get the kana and English translations.
![](
|
It says:
{}
{}{}{}
{}
{}{}
It means:
"June 12th, 1907
Born in Hawaii, U.S.A.
July 7th, 1938
Deceased at the University of Michigan Hospital"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "translation, kanji, kana"
}
|
Meaning of ハートしている
In a boxing match, a trainer is telling a boxer to stay away from the opponent and wait the end of the round to recover, but he doesn't listen to him. Then the trainer says this sentence:
>
What is the meaning of this expression? Does `` mean `heart` here, or is it the abbreviation of something else? Here is the page it is taken from. Thank you for your help!
|
can often be translated into English as "to have". See: Meaning of ? and Use of to describe one's colour
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
>
So is "What kind of heart do you have?" i.e., your behavior/mentality is unbelievable.
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, expressions, katakana, manga, sports"
}
|
What's the difference between やく and くすり?
They both mean medicine. But when to use which?
|
According to this dictionary entry {} means medicine, but {} is a slang word for drugs/narcotics.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, nouns"
}
|
Why is it 書いてあります instead of 書かれた?
For full context: <
The sentence in question:
My attempt at translation: "Furthermore, the roman popes message is written 'these are fruits of war'."
I've seen this many times in the meantime, but I still can't really explain why is written here. I think the subject of this predicative is not defined, and this is okay, I just wonder why no passive voice is used because this would at least follow the grammar I know xD
|
It's because is more common and orthodox than (passive for inanimate objects), which was originally not considered grammatical and relatively recently came to be accepted. In terms of modern grammar, either will be fine.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Did I interprete this 反対してきました correctly?
For full context: <
The sentence in question:
My attempt at translation: "Concerning the roman pope, saying even until now 'mankind hasn't learned anything from hiroshima and nagasaki', he began resisting nuclear weapons."
|
> {}{}
Your translation of that is:
> "he began resisting nuclear weapons"
I must say, unfortunately, that your translation is off.
> Verb in te-form + or
**_always_** means " **to do something continuously for an extended period of time** ".
It could never mean "to begin to (verb)" or "to begin (verb)+ing"
Thus, the phrase in question means:
> "he has (always) been against nuclear arms"
The subsidiary verb is used to describe future actions and , for past actions up to the present.
⇒ ⇒
The original uses , the polite form of .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Saw this sentence in the title of an article and I'm a bit confused
If the particle is used here shouldn't it be / if it is acting like a verb?
|
This is common headline style. In both English and Japanese, headlines are written in a clipped, abbreviated style. For example:
> Queen to address parliament
Is a perfectly normal and comprehensible headline but would be unacceptable in speech or narrative prose. Omission of the in verbs, especially at the end of a headline, is common in Japanese. Here's a paper on the subject:
Transforming a Sentence End into News Headline Style
It's not really relevant in this case because sounds fine in casual speech, but another characteristic of Japanese headlines is strong reliance on , probably both for formality and to save space.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, translation, usage, particles"
}
|
〜てくれますか or 〜てあげますか
Which one of the following is correct?
> 1. ****
> 2. ****
>
And what's the difference?
|
If you want to say "When will you pay me back the money?", you can say **** .
**** would mean "When will you pay back the money (to someone _other than me_ )".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, subsidiary verbs, giving and receiving"
}
|
Meaning of おめでとさん
During a boxing match a spectator is congratulating a boxer for winning the previous match saying this sentence:
>
What is the meaning of ? He his clearly congratulating the guy, so I think it must come from , but why the omission of the and the addition of ? I don't think it could really be the guy's name.
Here you can see the whole page where it is taken from. Thank you for your help!
|
It's one of ways to say more friendlily. The closest translation would be congrats?
There're similar type of words like , , and .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning, manga, sports"
}
|
Does 韓国 mean "South Korea" or "Korea as a whole"?
When I type in in Google, I find South Korea. But when I use Google Translate, I find just Korea. I recently read a Japanese news article where they refer as South Korea (I think).
So what is the right way to write "South Korea", and what will "Korea as a whole" be?
|
The origin of the word "Korea" is (), which was a nation that existed from 918 to 1392. In that era, North Korea and South Korea were one country.
Now, we commonly call South Korea and North Korea (). The English name of South Korea is Republic of Korea and that of North Korea is Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 18,
"question_score": 14,
"tags": "words, etymology"
}
|
Meaning of 持たねば?
> ****
I don't have the slightest idea what stands for. Is that another way of saying ?
|
is a literary way of saying ; therefore, it is used to form a negative if-clause.
> "Because I already know that if I don't have diversified perspectives, I won't be able to reach the Truth."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Is it strange to say おはようございます to family members at home?
My teacher said that it is strange to say to parents, brothers and sisters at home. Is it true?
|
True for some families and not true for others. Each family is different.
would be used in more families than is, but this is strictly a personal choice, so calling using the longer version "strange" is a little too much IMHO.
Which one to use can also depend on who is talking to who within the family. Very few, if any, parents would say to their kids, but the reverse is seen more often.
Between siblings, would be very rare, but it is not rare at all to say it to your elder siblings-in-law.
Between older married couples, it is not uncommon for the wives to say to their husbands.
So, in conclusion, what we really never say to family members are and and certainly not .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "culture"
}
|
Both ので and から in one sentence
From a short article on tax:
> **** ****
I'm unsure about the final sentence - why is used at the end? I think the whole sentence means something like "Since tax is taken from salary as a whole, the amount received in practice decreases". The first clause is the cause and the second clause is the effect, but it seems both clauses as being marked as causes with and respectively.
|
It's explaining the previous sentence. Your translation of the last sentence looks good to me, but you've omitted translating the last "". If you include both it and the previous sentence in your translation, I think it becomes clearer.
> Also, when receiving salary from (my) company, (I) feel the same way. **Because** since tax is taken from salary as a whole, the amount received in practice decreases.
Although obviously this is slightly awkward English. You can also reorganize the Japanese to just put the sentence ending in "" first and the meaning is basically the same, though it gets pretty verbose.
>
When you see a sentence that ends with like "..." or "...", it's often a good hint that the sentence is being used to explain/as the reason for something else. A comparable phrase in English might be "It's/That's because...". Just be careful not to mix it up with "" for descriptions of time, like ”9".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "parsing, reason"
}
|
What is the meaning of にも?
What does mean in this sentence?
>
(full text here)
I've found a topic where is discussed but it's not the same context and the explanations doesn't suit if I understand well: What is the function of in this sentence?
Thank you.
|
Let us first get this usage of down.
> Person + **** \+ Verb in te-form +
means:
> "(Someone) wants (Person) to (verb)."
The particle needs to be there; No other will work.
So, adding a should not make it any more difficult.
> Person + **** \+ Verb in te-form +
thus means:
> "(Someone) wants (Person) **also** to (verb), too."
The "also" modifies (Person) here.
> "President Moon would like the North Korean athletes also to participate in the Olympics."
I hope you understand now that it is not possible to translate all by itself.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "particle に, particle も"
}
|
How suitable is "僧侶" for "priest"?
Page 79 of Fluent Forever's "Awesome Word List" for Japanese gives as the Japanese word for "priest", listed just after "" for "church". How suitable is it for "priest", if at all?
Doing a google image search for "" mainly gave Buddhists (though that could be because more Chinese-speakers and Japanese-speakers are Buddhists than Christians), the English language Wiktionary translates it as Buddhist monks, while jisho.org says "priest; monk - Buddhist term" (seemingly saying that both "priest" and "monk" are Buddhist terms). The Japanese language's disambiguation page for ) has mention of Christianity.
|
() is sometimes used as a catch-all term for priests and monks of non-Asian religions. This is typically true for imaginary religions in fiction. For example priests/ in _Dragon Quest_ franchise do not look like that of Buddhism at all.
is rare for Christian clergies because Christianity has the set of better-known terms like .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "translation, religion"
}
|
Is there any case in which 見せてください and 見させてください are interchangeable?
# Case A
When a police prompts me to show my id card, he might say:
>
I am not sure whether it is natural if he says:
>
# Case B
A boy enters an emergency room where his brother's wound is being sutured by a doctor. In order to avoid mental disturbance, his father covers the boy's eyes but he insists on seeing and says:
>
I am sure it is impossible to use
>
in this case.
# Question
Is there any case in which and are interchangeable?
|
I think Case B can be interchangeble.
>
Let me see! (You are asking the dad for you to see him)
>
Please show me! (You are asking the dad not to hide him)
"." is a bit odd for me if a policeman stops you to check it. Since normally he is an authority, they should use "" when they stop you. I think "" is fine for making sure the number or somethiing.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
Why is と used in a seemingly temporal meaning here?
For full context: <
The sentence in question:
My attempt at translation: "When NHK asks in the 23 sections of Tokyo, the new adults were 83400. With 18000 among these being foreigners, among 8 there was 1 foreigner."
I don't know of any other function of than conditional, quotation, contrast and "and/with". However, I feel like it takes the function of , but I didn't dare to just translate it like that. The translation with conditional also seems kinda flawed though.
|
> {}{}{} **** {}{}{}{}{}{}
The usage of here is to describe the (natural) result of an action.
> Phrase A + **** \+ Phrase B
>
> = "B happens as a natural result of A."
Thus, this is like a cross beween "if" and "when". The problem, however, is that if you actually used "if" or "when" in your translation, it would often end up sounding awkward or unnatural. Please always remember that quality translation between two linguistically unrelated languages like Japanese and English does not work like science. It is an art.
My own TL if I had to do a TL:
> "Upon inquiry to the 23 wards of Tokyo, NHK found out that there were approximately 83,400 new-born adults. Among them, about 18,000 were foreigners, resulting in 1 out of every 8 of them being foreigners."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, particle と, conditionals"
}
|
What machine are they talking about here?
For full context: <
The sentence in question:
My attempt at translation: "They also prepared a machine which can hear the ceremonys speech in english."
First, I am really skeptical of my translation "a machine which can hear...". I'd rather think that this is a machine with which YOU can hear the speech in english too, although this is indeed somehow included in the statement that "the machine" can hear the speech in english.
Second, What machine are they talking about? I think they offer interpreters broadcasting simultaneous interpreting on a channel or something the like. But why is this expressed through the term "machine"??? Or are they talking about a kind of machine I simply have no clue about???^^
|
is a relative clause modifying . The non-relative version of this noun phrase would be:
> **** (← The subject is unmentioned/implied )
> "With that machine, one/you/they can hear the ceremony speeches in English."
To turn it back into the relative phrase:
> (← goes missing)
> "A machine [with which one/you/they can hear the ceremony speeches in English]"
> (i.e. "A device that enables you to hear the ceremony speeches in English")
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
How do I interpret にならないとも限りません?
> ****
I'm having trouble interpreting the above phrase especially the
Would it mean something like
"Hiding that person might cause trouble(?)"
|
**** is a set phrase that means "You cannot take it for granted that ", "It's not always true that ". You can find examples here. This is a quotative particle, is a topic marker. is a double-negative expression which effectively means "It's possible that ".
You can replace this with and say **** , which also means the same thing.
The difference between and is small, but the former sounds a little more direct and the latter sounds a little more reserved. This is one of the basic roles of the particle . See: What is the difference between and
>
> You cannot assume you won't run into trouble by sheltering that person.
> (i.e., You may run into trouble if you hide that person.)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "particle と, particle も"
}
|
Meaning of 「～でも～でもない」?
I have been translating mini comics to practice my Japanese and I came across this sentence:
>
What exactly do they mean? I know the meaning of the words and kanji but I can't translate it because I don't understand. I think it may mean, "neither friends (comrades) nor family, that seemed very attractive," quite literally. Can someone give me a proper translation and/or explanation of how exactly this sentence works?
|
If you don't know Japanese relative clauses yet, please learn them first. If you already know relative clauses, is just another relative clause that modifies (="it"). is simply "to be neither nor ".
If it's really the very first sentence of the story, no one can understand what refers to at this point. Probably will be explained later in the story.
>
> It, being neither "buddy" nor "family", appeared attractive, really.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, translation, phrases"
}
|
もう meaning in "もう腹ペコだ"
I can not understand very well the meaning of in "". Looking online, the majority of the traslations say that "" simply means "I'm starving/I'm very hungry".
So, my first interpretation of that is that it is used as interjection to strengthen the expression. Is it correct or not?
But, anyway, means also "already", so I wonder if "" can means also "I'm already starving".
|
The meaning of in actually depends on the context.
Possible meanings:
"I'm already hungry."
"I'm really hungry."
"I'm hungry now."
etc.
Without context, this is all I could say. **In speaking, believe it or not, is pronounced differently depending on what meaning it is being used for**.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, expressions"
}
|
Does this で mean である?
> ****
I always wondered if it was possible to replace with , is it what that is?
Furthermore, I'd like clarifications regarding two other things:
1- How would you translate in this case? 2- Is something working by itself? It reminds me of
|
> {}{} **** {}{}{}{}{}{}{}
This is explained here:
How to parse
> I always wondered if it was possible to replace with , is it what that is?
No, it is not, but you almost got it. In meaning:
**** and not ****
That is because **** is in the terminal form, with which you can end a sentence. and **** are both in the continuative forms.
> 1- How would you translate in this case?
"as if"
> 2- Is something working by itself? It reminds me of
It can work by itself, but in this case, it works in conjunction with .
means the same thing as . Only, the former is more formal than the latter.
> "As if (someone) were the party concerned and knew the truth, s/he would create new and uncanny stories and..."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, translation"
}
|
Use of で when describing survey results (or answers)
Could someone please explain the use of (in bold) below? The line is taken from the article: and describes the results of a survey.
> **** **** ****
I'm confident about what is meant (since context makes it so clear) but if I were to have constructed it myself, I never would have used . I'd have probably done something like:
which could easily be unintelligible gibberish and would appreciate a correction is needed.
Also, I'm having a hard time finding exactly what a is. Is this a person who prepares food at a restaurant, is it a waitress, is it just a generic term for anyone who works at a restaurant, or is it something else entirely?
|
In response to your comment, AB" doesn't mean A is B. I'm assuming this is sentence is describing a survey.
>
>
> "Among girls the most frequent (answer/finding), for 21 years in a row, **was** _waitress_ **and** was 11.3% (of the total). The second (most frequent) **was** nurse **and** was 9.5%...
So simply means "...is X and..." or "...was X and..." just like it normally does.
By the way, I'm not sure about my translation of . Please correct me if I got it wrong.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "words, particle で"
}
|
How do you say "That, or" in a nice way
In English you say, e.g.
> This restaurant seems to be very popular. That, or everybody just wants to use the toilets, which seem to be free.
The thing is, I already complete the sentence, and then as an add-on we add an alternative suggestion to that sentence. What is a nice way to express that sentiment.
I thought about , but I don't know if that really expresses what I mean.
|
You can use either (literary/formal) or (colloquial/casual). Common patterns include:
* AB
* AB
* AB
* AB
For example:
> *
> *
>
There is also (literally "if that's not the case"), which is even more stiffer than .
The particle forms a list, and thus means "in addition to that". This is not what you want now.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "phrase requests"
}
|
Double meaning of てしまいます
I learned that can both express regret and having finished a task.
How can one differentiate between the two meanings without context ?
Example: . - I have finished drinking the water / I drank the water (with a sense of regret)
If one cannot differentiate without context, is there a way to make explicit which meaning is implied ?
|
It only has one meaning: "to do something in an irreversible manner". Applying it to various examples may produce various expressions in other languages. But that's a problem of translation, rather than that of the meaning of the word itself.
In the case of your example, doesn't mean "I have finished drinking the water", (or rather I suspect there are any cases where it means "to have finished something"), but "I drank water", and in this case sense of irreversibility usually reflects that of regret.
This sense of irreversibility is not always rendered into that of regret. For example, is an encouragement or an invitation to do something that would feel reluctant otherwise.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, て form"
}
|
Correct translation of 人が運転しなくても走る
From an article about self-driving cars:
>
I'm unsure on the translation of part of the above sentence. Does this mean that:
1. Even people who don't drive can travel in these self-driving cars
2. The car can travel without anybody driving it
2 was my initial thought reading this, but it seems an odd thing to state. It wouldn't be self-driving if someone was driving it. But 1 also seems odd to me, since this doesn't seem like something that could possibly be legal.
Which is the correct translation?
|
The literal translation is 2. The relative clause just explains the meaning of the phrase itself. In other words, this relative clause does not refer to a subcategory of . has been a well-known concept, but somehow the author thought it needed clarification.
>
> Toyota is introducing an autonomous car, (which is) a car that runs even if a person does not drive it.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation"
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Meaning of 首ひねり in the following sentence
A boxer has just managed to bring down his opponent landing his final punch. However, he surprisingly goes down too. Here you can see the whole page. His trainer comments with this sentence:
> []{ }[]{}……
 is a common set phrase (not specific to boxing) that means rotating or coking your head. Most of the time this phrase also figuratively means "to think deeply" or "to be puzzled" (similarly to "to shrug"), but its figurative meaning is not relevant now. In this context it just refers to the physical movement of rotating your head in order to absorb the shock of the punch, as illustrated in your picture and this entry. This may be obvious to you, but remember the masu-stem can be used to nominalize a verb.
Next, I believe this []{} is , which is another set phrase meaning "to faint". Note the dots beside , which often imply some slangy/derivative meaning of a word is used. For example []{} might mean or "to kill".
Therefore the basic meaning of the sentence is "Boy, you had been unconscious since your last move".
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "translation, meaning, katakana, furigana, sports"
}
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General meaning of AとBのC?
Is it (AB)C, A(BC), or (AC)(BC) ...?
|
It depends on the context.
For example, in the case of . When he is a child, it means A(BC). When he is an adult, it means (AC)(BC). When he is the daughter's father and the sentence is , it means (AB)C.
In the case of , it also could mean the three patterns. If you clearly want to mean (AC)(BC), you should say .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "particle の, particle と, parsing, ambiguity"
}
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考えないことには と 考えないとなれば （新完全マスタ N2）
> 1.
>
> 2.
2
|
…
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, jlpt"
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Rules regarding 尊敬語 through history
I'm reading a story that takes place like 30 years ago, which I think could be the only possible explanation of what I'm going ask. I often see this structure : Verb stem+ as below:
> ****
However, it seems that japanese people pretty much all agree on the fact that this is a wrong usage of . Does that mean that although it was accepted before, it is not anymore? Or was it always considered as wrong?
|
is grammatically correct. Since Japanese language began to be recorded in somewhat forms, there have been no periods when people ceased to use it. When something has used since old time and is still used today, you don't call it ungrammatical.
On the other hand, there's misconception even among native speakers that it's ungrammatical due to an administrative document that says (generally considered not decent). In my opinion, however, this meant that you should avoid use overly polite expressions in public speech for the sake of kind of political correctness (otherwise it wouldn't make sense because it was once officially used for imperial family member). In private speech, it's irrelevant to begin with.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, sonkeigo"
}
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Understanding きれいに見えるように
Regarding children performing the tea ceremony for their mothers:
> ****
> The children rotated the cup so that it looked pretty/clean and placed the tea in front of their mother.
I don't know which part of I'm mistranslating but neither of my translations makes much sense. I understand that rotating the cup is part of the ceremony but my translation isn't providing a sensible explanation.
|
The children rotated/turned the bowl so that it looked pretty/nice to their mother, with the (hand) painted design/motif ([]{}/[]{}) facing her (i.e. so that the front of the bowl faced her).
…
![](
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "adverbs, reading comprehension"
}
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Meaning of ブラック in this sentence about work
A Japanese friend that works as a teacher told me he wants to quit his job and come to work in Europe. I asked why and he answered:
> EU
What is the meaning of in this sentence? I understand it has a negative connotation, but what does it imply actually? Is the job of teacher not respected in Japanese society? I spent one year in Japan and it didn't look like it to me. Does he mean that the job is tiring or underpaid?
In general, what is the meaning of when it does not refer to the color? Thank you for your help!
|
This refers to or , which is a workplace with terrible/illegal working conditions. Typically, employees are required to work for a long time, not allowed to have a day off freely, unpaid for their overtime work, or forced to face chronic mental stress.
Note that this can happen even for respected professionals like teachers, lawyers and doctors. Such people tended to pride themselves and volunteer to overwork so as to meet the high social expectations, and few people seriously cared about that. Recently, many people started to consider their working environments are problematic and illegal.
He said **** (" _even_ in the Japanese society") because Japan has been widely considered a hard-working country (cf. Karoshi).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "meaning, katakana, loanwords"
}
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Understanding Vよりも前
The following is an excerpt from a conversation between me and my language partner. This is her reply to a question I had about form + :
+ to do something in advance for the future convenience.)
Skype
the sentence in question:
My attempt at translation: "In case of '' , because it is past tense, even though it turns out that you have sent it from before writing the message, you have sent it, concerning the relation to the message, it isn't shown."
I'm not entirely sure wether I handled the phrase correctly. I think that refers to the writing of the message to which the meaning of -form + points. should refer to the Skype stickers she sent me before she wrote the message to which -form + pointed, right?
|
It's hard to translate that literally because English does not respond well to subjectless verb constructions.
For
>
I would translate it as:
> In the case of , because this is in the past tense, it is clear that [they] were sent before typing the message, but it does not indicate any relation with the message.
I don't think "even though it turns out" is a good translation for here. One important thing to remember is that sometimes functions as a copula verb in Japanese and doesn't always have the strong connotations of / become.
In short, what she's trying to explain is that the () form indicates that the action was undertaken as preparation for the other action. E.g., I shaved the morning because I wanted to look nice for my interview.
Conversely, the () past form merely indicates that one event occurred before another with no clear indication of whether the two events were related.
tells us did A and did A as preparation for B.
tells us did A before B.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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Does ピンク use a な-particle?
Page 82 of Fluent Forever's "Awesome Word List" for Japanese says that is a noun or a -adjective. However, jisho.org says it's a -adjective, and I recall hearing elsewhere that it is a -adjective. I tried checking Wiktionary, but neither the English-language nor Japanese-language editions mentioned what particle it uses.
As a general side-question, do words either only use or only use , or do some words sometimes use either of them?
|
It's basically a -adjective (or a noun). However, when the "pink" means atmosphere (which is "horny" or simply "happy"), not a substantial color, it can be a na-adjective. e.g
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "particles, adjectives"
}
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What does なる mean in words like 完全なる＆聖なる？
It doesn't seem to have any of the "to become" meaning that the normal meaning has. In most translations there is usually no mention of "becoming" at all. Then what purpose does naru serve then?
Also . referred to an already existing great power in a show and it didn't have to 'become' great.
|
Here is the answer ( Wiki )
My answer or quote is almost same with that of Aketoshi san, so I don't understand why his answer was downboted.
Anyhow, from the link,
It comes from the old Japanese way of use.
It is the remnant of the 4th form of the ( Old Japanese ), which in much older time, being but shortened to
The translation of the 4th form.
> 4
>
> 4 denote the condition, nature, characteristic.
>
> There was a charming boy who is about tall. ( Sanzun ( about 9.18cm )) ( ( Taketori Monogatari ) )
The auxiliary's conjucated form is, as you can see too,
+(this auxiliary)
>
> (noun, meaning perfect)+(same)
>
> (noun, meaning holy)+(same)
respectively, taking the attributive form of the conjucation.
So, Aketoshi san's answer is not wrong.
Since this form is the inheritance of the old meaning, today's "to become" can not be applied.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, adjectives, copula"
}
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How to combine progressive form and potential form?
I can't really think of a sensible context to be honest. Let's say I want to say that I can eat right now but I don't know for how long I'll be able to, so I use the progressive form.
Is there a difference in the meaning between these forms:
As for construction, which verb should be conjugated to progressive in such case?
|
> Is there a difference in the meaning between these forms:
>
>
>
>
I would like to ask you, do you mean by "progressive" to mean "to keep eating"?
In that case, the upper would be good, though it a bit sounds without any limit IMO.
The lower would sound to Japanese as either
1 the honorific expression
or
2 the passive expression
IMO, which would fall would depend on the prior or latter texts.
Probably another "form" of the "progressive style" would be,
, meaning, to keep eating.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
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Is より used in superlative function here?
The following is an excerpt from a conversation between me and my language partner:
My attempt at translation: "Concerning whalemeat, because there are regulations, chances to eat (it) are few and concerning the prefecture I live in, horse meat is the easiest to go into your hand." I've never before encountered in the function of marking the superlative, only comparison (.........) and in the function of "from". So I wanted to ask whether I got it right here ^^
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> ****
I find that normally translates well as 'rather than' or 'compared to'. In this case the latter translation works best:
> ****
> compared to horse meat it's easy to get.
So it's not a superlative but a comparison just like you expected.
> Because whale meat is regulated there aren't many chances to eat it, but in the area where I live it's easier to get than horse meat.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, particle より"
}
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what is the meaning of ほっくり?
Sentence in question:
I cant find a translation for on jisho.org. Anyone here who can help?
|
> ****
You can think of it as a variant of the onomatopoeia ...
Examples of this kind of variants: - , - , - , - , - , - , - , etc... these pairs have almost the same meaning, if not always interchangeable.
/ mean:
>
> ****
> ()
>
> ② ****
> ()
>
>
> ****
> What a good potato! It _has a light, dry texture_.
> ()
>
> ****
> _be not soggy and taste very good_.
> ()
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words"
}
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Is starting with a と a typo? Is ending with a し a typo?
The following is an excerpt from a dialogue between me and my language partner.
>
>
>
> **** ****
>
>
> ****
>
The parts in bold are the ones which I'm not quite sure wether they were intended. 1) I have no idea what the first is supposed to do there. Really nothing. 2) I guess it could be making the verb chuushi form, but I don't see how this would lead to a meaningful sentence combined with 3) confused me at first, but I guess it is a casual way to say that she is going to say something about . "About " I guess is what shall be expressed by that?
|
There is no typo. You need to notice there is one big sentence with two embedded (or in-lined) example sentences. An English equivalent is something like this.
> As for , there are both intransitive and transitive usages.
>
> You can use it as a transitive verb _**like**_ :
>
>>
>
> _**...and**_ you can also use it as an intransitive verb that is followed by , _**like**_ :
>
>>
1. This is a simple quotative particle. The quoted part is the first example sentence right before it.
2. This is a way to connect two verbs in a sentence. Note that the sentence does not end at this point because the punctuation mark right after it is a comma (``). As you can see, colon (`:`) and ellipsis (`...`) are commonly used for this purpose in English.
3. This here is a simple connecting particle that relates two nouns. The first "noun" is the second example sentence right before it.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
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Where does a hane turn?
For characters with hane, does all hane do the sharp upward turn to be always on the left side? Please provide an example for characters with hane turning upwards to the right if there is any.
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A hane to the right can also be seen in some characters, an example would be .
A hane, therefor can be observed to have a sharp turn pointing upwards on either the left or the right side.
is an example a character where the hane is on the left side.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "handwriting, stroke type"
}
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Meaning of 先 in this sentence
****
May I know what is meant by in the bolded sentence? Does it mean "former" or future"?
|
In your example () the meaning would be 'Death is something ahead of you', i.e., in the future.
If you think of as something 'ahead of you' it would mean the future. For example: 'Think about the future'. 'Before you' and 'Ahead of you' are the same.
Something can be before me, which means that it is also ‘ahead’ of me. On the other hand, something can come before me, in which case it is ‘behind’ me (chronologically).
has many meanings. The proper one can be gleaned from the context surrounding it, according to this Q&A response:
>
>
>
>
>
>
Also, here's a useful explanation from kanjibunka.com here.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "usage"
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あまりありません/たくさんあります
These sentences seem unnatural to me, but I have trouble putting my finger on why.
_There's not much by my house_
_there is a lot close to my house_
I feel that they need to have a subject to sound like good Japanese (they don't sound too good in english eiter TBH), but now I have been looking at them for so long that they start to make sense again. Are these sentences ok, or should they be changed around, and if so how?
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# English
>
In the above sentence, it is unknown "what" there isn't, so it is incomplete as a sentence. However, in the case of a conversation between A and B as follows, B-1 is a perfect sentence, but from the context it is clear that they are talking about "Ramen shop", so it is normal for B to use the sentence with B-2 instead of B-1.
>
In the above sentence, it is unknown "what" there are a lot of, so it is incomplete as a sentence. However, in the case of a conversation between A and B as follows, B-1 is a perfect sentence, but from the context it is clear that they are talking about "Ramen shop", so it is normal for B to use the sentence with B-2 instead of B-1.
A:
B-1:
B-2:
#
>
ABB-1BB-1B-2
A:
B-1:
B-2:
>
ABB-1BB-1B-2
A:
B-1:
B-2:
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
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Why is causative form used here?
The following is an excerpt from a reply from my language partner:
_For context:_ I tried out a rather overcomplicated structure in passive voice because I wanted to see wether this is still grammatical/understandable or not. I also wrote down the same sentence in the active voice and I asked for her feedback.
Here are the 2 sentences (ridden with awful grammar):
passive voice:
> whalesharkFish, 2
Active voice:
> whalesharkFish, 2
So, back to the sentence in question, here is my attempt at translation: "Concerning your experiment, _? comparison ?_ I think the example sentence is a bit difficult."
I don't know what to do with this causative verbform. I know it in context of sentences like these: -> "The teacher made the students do lots of homework." But in context of the sentence in question, I really have no idea how whoever has made whoever make a comparison xD I also don't really know what to make of this second in
|
>
> I think your example sentence is a bit too difficult (for me) to make a (good) comparison (between passive voice and active voice).
So you're mainly interested in voices (passive/active interchangeability), but she said "your example sentence is too difficult to discuss about that" Actually, your example sentence has a number of more basic errors, and she thought you needed to start with simpler sentences.
* and are interchangeable in this context. See this similar question: Difference between and (transitive usage only)
* after is the purpose marker (="to", "in order", "for").
* after that is another topic/contrast marker. See: Can we have two thematic particles in a sentence?
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, causation"
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も in 「Vのもアレなんだけど」
I've read Need help with translating and Meaning of a sentence with A and other considerations, and understand that in a construction like , and are functioning as filler words in place of words that the speaker is too abashed to use. However, what I don't understand is the usage of in these phrases. How would **** differ from **** ? The latter I would translate directly as "Asking now is a little weird, but..." while I would translate the former as "Asking now is also a little weird, but...." However, the answer given in Need help with translating seems to translate **** as "Asking now is a little weird, but..." (no "also"). Why is that the case? What does do in these constructions?
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The is neither "also" nor "even".
The is used in the sense of definition #12 in :
>
>
>
> **** **** **** **** **** **** **** …
These threads might be of help: What is the difference between and / Usage of in a Specific Context
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "particle も"
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The meaning of の in this sentence: 私の方こそ聞きたいですね
means my? So why does it appear in this sentence?
> ****
Which translates to 'How? That's what I'd like to know.'
Can Someone please give me a break down of this sentence
Thank you :)
|
The in the noun phrase "X" designates X as a "side" involved in a given matter or event. It is used to highlight the division of a matter/event between its participants, and picks out particular one of them.
So in, "" picks out "" (as the subject of the sentence) from among the participants/sides, with the event in question being the present conversation.
The sentence says it is , not other participant(s)/side(s) in the conversation -- namely, "you", presumably -- who should want to ask the question (whatever that is). Translation:
> That's what _I_ would like to ask. (with emphasis on "I")
Here the is the genitive particle: ""→"I"; "" → "my"; →"my side"
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, particle の, relational nouns"
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What does そうじゃなくて mean in this context?
****
May I know what does the bolded sentence mean? Does it mean that **If I think that I am messed up and there are no good things at present, the situation will become so?** But I have no clue about the that comes after. means it will become but means it is not like that. It seems the two are contradictory to each other?
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I guess "" here in the sentence negates the way of thinking "" as you described "If you think like things have been messing up and not really that good things happen, things tend to be so." And she gives advice "You shouldn't think like that. Recalling should be projected onto the future." I think "" is a hint for what they are actually talking about.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation, meaning"
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其之 what's the exact meaning of this?
I'm translating a comic and I found this kanji combination on the headers. It's like a counter for pages.
>
>
> etc.
is the reading. I wanted to get more info about that but I didn't find anything via google. Is that somehow familiar to you or is this way how it's written just really old?
|
is a rare kanji version of meaning "its". The kanji on its own means "it" and means "'s". Today is almost always written in kana, but they used difficult kanji for archaism. Is the comic about ninja or something?
is usually used as an old counter-like prefix for chapters/episodes/parts of a story, not pages. For example 5 typically means "episode 5" or "part 5", not "page 5".
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 14,
"question_score": 9,
"tags": "meaning, archaic language, kosoado"
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Difference between 第二回目 and 第二回
What is the difference between
>
and
>
It seems to me that is more common and is superfluous. Are there any cases where not adding would sound strange? Whats the difference in feeling between with and without
|
and serve the same function ( being Chinese reading and being Japanese). Using them both together is strange. That is not to say that nobody does it. In general, however, it is considered incorrect.
For official purposes would be used. For example: 23, etc.
In conversational terms would be used. Ex.:
There is no real difference in feeling, but adding both might be seen as making it a bit less formal sounding or possibly for sake of clarity. Not too sure about the reasoning, though.
It is discussed (in Japanese) here.
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
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How to use の身で and what does that mean?
> ………
My guess would be that , in this case, means "one's position" or something like this, but how does that really work? For instance, if I were to say in a context where an American wouldn't be appropriate to talk about something, would that work as "Even though he's American..." or "Being American.." (in a negative way)? It reminds me of .
Additionally, I'd like to know what expresses here. Is it something to express a feeling of surprise?
|
Yes this means one's position or social status. means "as an American", but it's more emphatic than .
This phrase on its own does not have a negative meaning, but it's often used with negative expressions, and in such cases you may want to translate it as "although he's American", "despite being American", or such. Here are some non-negative examples:
> *
> I'm still a student. (maybe sounds more humble than )
> *
> From now on I want to be my own master.
>
has several meanings, and this expresses the speaker's surprise; "How can you !" or "How dare you !". It's often used with . Examples.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, words"
}
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What does 富 mean in this sentence?
"``"
I know that the meaning of is wealth but it doesn't suit the context well, and I have the impression that this word could just be removed and it would be fine.
|
is a vague term that broadly refers to things that are considered to have financial values. Money, real estate, precious metals, jewelry, food, oil, pepper, and so on.
In the modern society mainly refers to money itself, but in the old days it could have been stones, seashells or bags of rice which people sought in order to be "rich". I don't know what the first prostitutes in the human history gained in return :)
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
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Purpose of 中 in 自然の中で
> ****
> Please enjoy the flavour of ice slowly made by nature.
If not sure if I should read this as 'ice made **by** nature' or 'ice made **in** nature'. The is really confusing me because I normally think of this as inside/among/throughout, none of which really seem to work well here.
|
The Japanese verb for 'made' does not appear in your sentence. The word frozen is (.
What does mean? Inside/within. What does mean? Occurring inside/within.
and its English counterpart 'nature' can refer to 'a natural environment'.
= in nature, = occurring within nature (natural surroundings)
= Frozen within natural surroundings (a natural environment).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, particle で, relational nouns"
}
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I will be leaving soon
It is almost the end of the day. So I want to say to my office mate that I will be leaving soon. Is it natural to say:
>
or :
>
|
Unfortunately neither of your examples are very natural.
There are already a couple fixed expressions. (go home) or (take my leave). You wouldn't use progressive forms for either. While in English you can say 'I'll be going home now', that doesn't work for Japanese. 'I go home now' is more natural.
means to depart for somewhere, usually far off, that is not your home. would indicate that you're going out, but you might be back.
or would be appropriate.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "syntax"
}
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What's the difference between 行動 and 動作?
I did some looking around and I found that is the behavior of machines and is the behavior of people, but that can't be it since on my textbook I find the following sentence:
>
Also saw some people saying that is the movement of people and is movement of the body, but I'm kinda confused about that.
Can someone explain the difference between these two words?
|
is more like behavior or activity. It's a relatively complex movement of a lifeform that may take a long time and usually has a certain purpose. Examples of include "going shopping", "preparing and eating dinner", "playing baseball" and "attending a meeting". It's typically used for human activities, but you can also safely say or if it appears to be a purposeful sophisticated movement (or sequence of movements).
refers to more primitive, mechanical movements. It can be involuntary. Examples of include "walking", "clapping hands", "hitting a ball with a bat" and "breathing". Operation of a machine or software is also called .
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 13,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice"
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Why is 洛 associated with Kyoto / the capital?
I recently found out that the kanji is associated with Kyoto / the capital.
Here are some example words showing this association:
: "in Kyoto or the capital"
: "outside Kyoto or the capital"
: "southern part of Kyoto / south of the capital"
I figured it must be from the time when Kyoto was Japan's capital, but I've been unable to find where the relation between and "capital" comes from.
Could it be similar to how, for example, is associated to America, and with Asia? Maybe was used to write "capital" or "Kyoto" at some point?
|
It was because we Japanese borrowed many words from Chinese.
For example is the capital of English) in Three Kingdom Age.
Here Wiki says,
> [6][7]
>
> Kyoto was in old times called or , appropriating the words of Chinese Empire's ( capitals ). A theory holds Kyoto was once divided into to 2 sides, East and West, respectively the West was called the East, , was called Whereas, has lots of swampy lands, so that eventually the street style remained only in ( the East ), Therefore the word came to denote the center of Japan, and just using of became to denote the capital.
The famous another example is that was later called which is the after name equivalent with Chinese one after he resigned the old Japanese political ranking .
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "kanji, etymology"
}
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と (to) vs に (ni) in a phrase like "I am speaking with/to"
I've heard the following two sentences and I'd like to understand the differences between the two, if any, and when it is appropriate to use one vs the other:
> ****
>
> ****
It is my understanding that these both translate to "I am speaking to the doctor", but what is the difference between `` and `` here?
|
**** is "I am talking _with_ my doctor", whereas **** is "I am talking _to_ my doctor".
The first one with is natural in most cases, because when you go to a doctor, normally both you and your doctor will talk to each other.
can be naturally used when you're talking to something that do not reply to you:
>
> He is talking to a doll.
...or what is important is whom you are talking to:
>
> I am talking not to you, but to my doctor!
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, particle に, particle と"
}
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Use of 以上 and 以下 with negative numbers
On the temperature in eastern Russia:
> ℃ **℃**
> There are many places that have reached **less than** -50℃, which is 10℃ lower than usual years.
Firstly, I was fairly confident in my translation, but I read an English article that said the average temperature in a normal year was -50℃, whereas my translation suggests that -40℃ is the usual temperature, so now I'm not so sure.
My main question is about the use of and with negative numbers. This sentence is opposite to my expectations. My usual understanding would be that -50 means 'not less than -50' i.e it could be -40, -30 etc. But from the context I must assume that it means temperatures colder than -50.
|
I think your understanding is perfectly correct. Mathematically "-50℃" must mean -40, -30, 10, etc., but from the context I also think it refers to temperatures colder than or equal to -50℃. "-50℃" should have been the correct wording. Perhaps the person who wrote this is not good at math. Rest assured there is no strange Japanese rule regarding negative numbers and the usage of /.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, numbers, reading comprehension"
}
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Is a sentence containing two similar kanji any known figure of speech
Searching for Japanese poetry or simply reading song lyrics, I can find very often some sentences that contain two kanji characters of specific properties: They are usually close to each other, one is a compound of the another one (or they can just look similar) but usually their meaning is different.
Some examples:
> [hakanaku yume, fleeting dream]
>
> [sukui o motomete, craving for help]
>
> [itta koto shinjirarenai, unbelievable what was said]
_(the last one did not come from the real life but it is only an example so it can be grammatically wrong)_
My question is: Is it some kind of identified figure of speech like alliteration or assonance in English? If yes, what is the name of it?
|
I think these are _basically_ coincidences, although they may not be total coincidences because related words tend to share the same radical anyway ( and both have , for example). Normally, Japanese lyricists do not care about kanji radicals as English speakers try to rhyme lines. Of course there should be some poets who intentionally tried to do this as a wordplay in the past, but this is not common at all.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "kanji, song lyrics, poetry"
}
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What does そうではないいわば mean in this context
> --- ****
From my understanding, this paragraph, ignoring the means:
> Before considering the form of which the deep interest in languages emerges at present, I think that it is better to check out the character of the traditional view on languages first.
But what does mean in this sentence? I am not sure what is referring to here.
|
* refers to what was mentioned in the first part of the sentence: or .
* is a relative clause that modifies .
* is "what might be called " or "so to speak". It independently modifies the following phrase.
My attempt:
>
> something not modern, what might be called a traditional view on languages
> something different, a traditional view on languages, as one might say
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, translation"
}
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How can I say "I apologize if I sound presumptuous"?
Recently I've been talking on Twitter with a few people and at some point I wanted to say phrase that I have written in the title. I probably didn't express myself very well because the only think I had come up with when I replied was by using ...
What I would like to know is how can I express something by saying..."if I sound (arrogant, bossy for example). Can you perhaps help with more examples? Thank you!
|
There are various expressions used between Japanese people, but if the opponent of OP is a Japanese and he/she knows that OP is a non-native speaker of Japanese, he/she will take everything into consideration including what you think to "be presumptuous", so it is better that you wouldn't care about extra things and write/say what you like without using difficult expressions like .
By the way, I'll show you what kind of expressions are used among Japanese people.
*
*
*
*
*
*
Last but not least, even Japanese people rarely use them because they are very difficult expressions to be used properly.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "translation, word choice, expressions"
}
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経由 - how would I use this in a sentence?
While learning vocab using the kanji I came across the word which is translated on jisho.org as:
> _Adverbial noun_
> 1\. through; by way of; via
>
> _Suru verb_
> 2\. to go via; to go by way of
>
This left me confused as to the difference between this word and the particle and whether it can be replaced by or used with this particle. If anyone could enlighten me to a context in which this word would be used and a few sentence examples, I would be very grateful!
|
directly follows a noun representing a place and works like a **no-adjective** as a whole.
*
*
*
*
And it works as a prefix-like noun meaning "intermediate" or "transit (point)".
*
*
*
It also works as a suru-verb meaning "to go through/via ". It takes .
*
*
You can ask a transit point like this:
*
* (less formal)
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words, particle で, sentence"
}
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pronunciation, dialects/background: わたす、すた？
I was watching a few episodes of the anime for and I couldn't help but notice that the main character, a girl from in this story, pronounced some words containing as though they contained instead, such as being pronounced , or being pronounced as , for example. I don't recall this coming from a specific dialect, but I could be proven wrong. This might not even be a dialect, but I guess my question is three part:
1. Am I hearing her right? Is she really pronouncing closer to ?
2. Is there an area of Japan where this kind of pronunciation is common?
3. Does this derive from a dialect/Can this be considered a dialect?
|
> 1. Am I hearing her right? Is she really pronouncing closer to ?
> 2. Is there an area of Japan where this kind of pronunciation is common?
> 3. Does this derive from a dialect/Can this be considered a dialect?
>
yes **** **** **** ****
user27280Eiríkr Útlendi+1 upvote
> 1. Am I hearing her right? Is she really pronouncing closer to ?
>
4:23
> 2. Is there an area of Japan where this kind of pronunciation is common?
>
Eiríkr Útlendi
Eiríkr Útlendi
Eiríkr Útlendi
Eiríkr Útlendi
video letter common understanding
Eiríkr ÚtlendiWikipedia
****
> 3. Does this derive from a dialect/Can this be considered a dialect?
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "pronunciation, dialects, phonology, vowels"
}
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Filling out a cheque - 金
I'm watching a drama and there's a scene with a closeup of a cheque. It shows the box where you would write the amount to pay, which I've parsed as below. What is `` used for and how is it read? `` already specifies it's an amount of money plus there are two different yen symbols used.
>
=
>
=
> (amount)(yen symbol) **(?)** ()(another yen symbol)(exact amount / "only")
|
Writing "" at the beginning of numbers such as monetary amounts is to prevent altering or falsification. Possible altering is to add another number before the digit string. Therefore, it is important not to leave a gap between "" and the beginning of the numbers so that not any numbers are added.
Further more, we use ", , , , , and " instead of ", , , , , , and " respectedly in order to prevent altering. They used "" in the example given by OP, but we usually use "" for "".
I think you can easily understand that "", "" and "" are easily altered into "".
"", "" and "" could be changed into "", too.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "kanji, numbers"
}
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Is it correct to say 小さな氷
> **** ...
> The gases that came from the rocket turned into small ice (crystals) and ...
Is this sentence complete? I would expect to see "small ice crystals", "small pieces of ice" etc, rather than just "small ice".
If this is fine can I extend it to other quantities that, in English, would be regarded as uncountable, e.g. can I say to mean large droplets of water, or even large amounts of water. Depending on the context I can imagine this referring to cloud formation or contrasting the size of a lake with the size of an ocean.
|
is perfectly valid in Japanese. It refers to small ice particles rather than a small amount of ice (or ). You can also say , 3 and such referring to each block of ice. But you cannot usually say and you should say or instead.
Distinction of countable and uncountable nouns is not always the same in other languages. Japanese people who are learning English, including myself, often make mistakes like "two ices", "three newses", "five breads", etc. See also: What is a TV news story called?
|
stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Difference between よく + verb, and verb + ことが多い
>
> The is an animal that often lives in cold seas.
I'm not entirely sure that 'often' is the right translation here. How does this sentence differ in meaning/nuance from:
>
|
In your specific case, and are interchangeable, and they both mean "to be often seen/found in cold waters." (Note that these sentences do not mean individual earless seals often migrate from cold waters to other places.)
In general, and are not always interchangeable. means:
1. often; frequently
> * I often play tennis on Sundays.
2. there are many things to
> * I have lots of things to do on Sundays.
also means several things depending on the context:
1. often; frequently
> * He often eats bananas.
> * I often see taxis here.
2. well; much; intensively
> * He is a good eater.
> * Look at that taxi carefully.
That said, I think and are almost always interchangeable.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, nuances"
}
|
Meaning of 閉店ガラガラガラ in the following sentence
An American boxer has been living in Japan for 3 years. He lives in the Kansai area, so he speaks Kansai dialect. He complains that after 3 years in Japan he still hasn't fought against a really strong opponent, then he says this sentence:
> ――― ――
Here you can see the whole page. What is the meaning of the second part of the sentence, in particular ? Is that Kansai-ben too? Thank you for your help!
|
→ "Well then, that's it for the opening act."
is one of the signature shticks of the comedian , of the Kansai comedy duo , typically used at the end of their comedy sessions. ( means the closing of a shop and is here an onomatopoeia for the shutter being pulled down.) The extra in the manga could be a precaution against a potential lawsuit.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "meaning, manga, dialects, kansai ben, sports"
}
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The different usage of「知っている」and「知っていた」
I am curious about the tense of ”” because both present and past tenses are often used.
> 1. **** **** (present, past)
>
> 2. **** **** (past, present)
>
> 3. **** **** (present, present)
>
>
And, another observation is the tense of "" doesn't correlate with the tense of the object.
My intuition/interpretation is:
1. The dismantle of the building is in the future, but the news was released before now. Both past tense and present are fine.
2. Not sure / No intuition
3. The existence of an object is regarded as an "present action" and therefore present tense only.
Is there any rule to tell when we can use "" only, and when "" only, and when both are interchangeable?
|
is used to provide information the listener might not know. In English it's "Did you know _< fact I already know>_?" is sometimes used in the same situation, but it is mainly used to get information the listener is expected to have. "Do you know _< fact I want to know>_?" or "Can you tell me ?"
The tense of the information itself (target of ) has nothing to do with the choice between and .
> *
> Do you know what he will do tomorrow?
> *
> Do you know what he is doing now?
> *
> Do you know what he did yesterday?
> *
> Did you know he will marry tomorrow?
> *
> Did you know he married yesterday?
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "tense"
}
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Use of の with かもしれない
> ****
> They might have ended up entering the river en route to the Hokkaido coast.
What is (in bold) doing in this sentence? It was my understanding that came straight after the predicate.
My guess is that this is the so-called 'explanatory ' rather than a nominaliser. Please can you confirm or correct my thoughts?
|
Yes, this is a typical example of explanatory-. Looking at the source, we can see this sentence is trying to explain _why_ the was found in the mountain.
> *
> The animal ended up entering the river.
> *
> It is that the animal ended up entering the river.
> *
> The animal may have ended up entering the river.
> *
> It may be that the animal ended up entering the river.
>
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, particle の, no da"
}
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What does 絶賛 in 絶賛仕上げ中 mean?
This is a rather straightforward question. I have the following line said by person H to person G.
> H: {}
It's an answer to unvoiced question of G to H about what M is doing since M was not able to come and greet G and friends as they were entering the home.
The first bit is rather easy and should mean the following:
> Since we heard everyone will be coming, we’ve been making sweets/candy.
The second bit I think means something like this:
> She is putting finishing touches right now.
since is finishing touches and {} probably indicates that M is right now in the process of doing the finishing touches.
What I wonder is what purpose does serve here. It's supposedly means high praise. But I for the love of me can't figure out what it would be doing in a sentence like this.
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This is a wordplay on , a set phrase used in the same way as "Now on sale" or "In store now". literally means "highly praised" or "great review", but marketers add this word routinely even when the item is not particularly popular. is similar.
In this case, is rather straightforwardly used to incite a sense of expectancy. Sometimes this phrase is jokingly used even with something bad, for example or . See: Help with the meaning of in this sentence
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation, meaning"
}
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U/RU verbs vs Noun+Suru verbs
When I learn new words in Japanese (using jisho.org), I often see a verb like for example "to drive" as and , "to study" as and , "to understand" and , why ?? Why is there for the same English verb both a verb and another as Noun+suru in Japanese ? Do we use both of them as we want, or is there a rule to know what verb to use ? Do they mean the same thing ? Is there one that is more often used ?
I'm confused, and because there is a lot of English verbs that has 2 translation in Japanese, it makes the study of the language harder. Thank you :)
|
The verbs with (aka suru-verbs) are part of Sino-Japanese vocabulary (aka _kango_ ). Ones without are part of native Japanese vocabulary (aka _wago_ or _Yamato kotoba_). If you already know _on_ and _kun_ readings of a kanji, you can see most suru-verbs use _on_ readings, and most u-/ru-verbs use _kun_ readings.
Therefore, the basic tendency is that suru-verbs, as _kango_ , look stiffer, more technical or academic. U-/ru-verbs, as _wago_ , are preferred in casual conversations. Unfortunately, there are some exceptions, and ultimately you'll have to learn the usage of each verb from real examples.
Finally, the verb pairs you listed as examples are not really the same in meaning. I won't go into each example, but for vs , see: Differences between and ?
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, verbs, wago and kango"
}
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Is it more common to write "wakarimasu" with or without kanji?
I've had two vocabulary lists where _wakarimasu_ is written as . However most of the time in news articles and manga I find it back as just . So I wondered what is commonly used among Japanese people.
Is it like writing _ohayou_ as or is it just a matter of preference?
|
Here are the hit counts from BCCWJ.
All entries (1971-2008):
* : 6492 : 1739 : 130
* : 2834 : 1065 : 109
* : 1300 : 84
* : 7090 : 420 : 102
Recent entries (2000-):
* : 4162 : 1327 : 92
* : 2164 : 989 : 100
* : 1140 : 47
* : 5573 : 332 : 95
(Note: these should contain a few false-positives such as and )
So is roughly 3 times more common than , but is not uncommon at all. While is becoming less and less popular, the usage of is not declining.
I personally think both and are totally fine unless you are a professional writer who has to follow some opinionated guideline. I recommend you write and in hiragana.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 18,
"question_score": 12,
"tags": "word choice, kanji choice"
}
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Is「球が速い」a common expression?
I'm reading this interview with a voice actress, and this phrase came up pretty much out of context from the interviewer (in the sense that they weren't talking about baseball or a literal ball).
> \--
>
> [interviewee] : ……
>
> \-- **{**
Is this perhaps an alternative to saying ” **** ” /the interviewee gave a "straight" answer?
|
Yes, this is a baseball metaphor. , , or refers to a straight or unreserved statement from someone. The opposing idea is , which refers to a tricky statement. I think is far more common as metaphorical expressions. Note that in baseball contexts, is always read . is read in mathematical contexts ("sphere"). () refers to a precious "orb" or "gem".
What she has said in the interview is not particularly a to me because that is almost a cliché used by many people near the end of interview sessions. Maybe the interviewer was surprised at the "straight" comment while he had expected something more unique and "fresh" as an . (She is a new seiyu, and normally she doesn't have to worry about forgetting her and yet.)
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation, word choice, usage, nuances, expressions"
}
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Did I interpret the interaction of より and 前 correctly?
The following is an excerpt from an explanation by my language partner about the difference between "simple past" and She discussed a situation where she first sent me new-years stickers on Skype before sending me another message on italki where she talked about her sending the stickers on Skype before sending the message on italki with a construction.
>
I think that means something along the lines of "from before", although I don't really know what this does here. My attempt at translation:
> In case of '', because it is past form, even though it takes the meaning of having it (=the Skype stickers) sent from before writing the message, it doesn't demonstrate the relationship with the message.
|
> ****
The means "before" or "earlier than". ( means "than", and means "earlier".)
You can rephrase the sentence without changing the meaning:
> ****
> ****
"although it would mean that (I) sent it before writing the message, ..."
sounds more explicit than just , and sounds a bit more emphatic than /.
As for the :
> ⇒
>
* * *
Sidenote: You can't replace () with when it follows a noun, e.g.
> ()×
> "I arrived before Yamada-san. / I arrived earlier than Yamada-san."
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar"
}
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Difference between 溺れた人, 溺れている人 and 溺れる人
> ****
> At that time, near the coast, some people were practicing rescuing people who **have drowned** using a drone.
> ****
> The people who new the boys **had drowned** flew the drone to the open sea.
> ****
> The drone dropped a device to rescue the people who **had drowned** right next to them.
I don't understand why is used in these sentences, rather than , or even . It seems to me that at the time of rescue the people are either drowning now or will drown rather than having already drowned.
I'm not sure if I'm having a problem with this specific verb or if it indicates a bigger hole in my understanding of aspect in relative clauses. I tried reading this, this and this but I have to admit to being completely mystified.
|
Your confusion is due to your translation of to mean drown (to death). This is a better translation:
> Fall into water and potentially die.
The only definite thing that we can ascertain from the use of is that they were submerged. In this case, in water.
> Person who WAS under the surface (was drowning).
>
> Person who IS under the surface (is drowning).
|
stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, relative clauses, aspect"
}
|
What's the meaning of 私だけなのが?
In the story I'm reading, a girl is given a gift from her boyfriend, after which she says,
> … **** …
I'm at a complete loss as to how to parse this.is happy? "Only I am happy"? Somehow I find that interpretation unlikely, as the boyfriend isn't popular and the girl isn't the jealous type.
Could someone shed some light on this?
|
> ……
> → **** ()
>
> (literally) Happiness is that it was only me who received it.
> What is happy is that I am the only person who received it (from the boy).
The second before is a nominalizer. The part in the brackets is a cleft-sentence, but (or ) is replaced by an ellipsis (presumably because she is a taciturn character).
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "translation, meaning"
}
|
"～とでもいうのか" meaning in this sentence
I can not understand very well this "" found in Dragon Ball.
The context in this: Goku and Frieza begin to fight, and Goku say:
> ""
Frieza reply:
> "?"
![enter image description here](
I found here on japanesestackexchange some topics in which has been discussed about this "". Here is stated that is a expression for add emphasis. Here and here it is says that "" stands for "or something".
So, which is the correct answer? And, is this translation correct?
"You wouldn't be saying that you saiyan never killed innocent people?"
|
As you can easily see in your first answer, the sentence-end `()?` is used almost as a set expression, and almost always has a fairly accusatory overtone; "Are you really saying ?" I could not find a perfect explanation of this in monolingual dictionaries, so I think you can memorize this as a fixed pattern. But the closest definition in dictionaries was " or something like that", as your remaining answer says.
See also:
* Meaning of "" in ""
* Sentence ending with -
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Usage of 「と」in a sentence from Harry Potter
In the following sentence
> ****
is used in a place where I'd rather use or . I know that is used for inevitable conditions like facts of nature but it doesn't fit that sentence.
1. Does particle has another meaning similar to in the context of the above sentence? If so, is there a difference between the two?
2. Similarlyand (I think the difference here would be being more formal than ).
|
It's very subtle.puts more emphasis on time so usually reserved for more memorable occasions which often happened further back in time--like "the time when Sarah turned 30" would be a time to bust out.
* = "When the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..."
* = "That time when the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..."
Cheers!
|
stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, nuances, conditionals"
}
|
Meaning of 引き手 in the following sentence
In a manga about boxing, a character is explaining what the famous Muhammad Ali's phantom/anchor punch is. The phantom punch is basically a fast punch landed over the opponent's punch, but I can't entirely understand the character explanation:
> … …
What is the meaning of ? I understand it has to do with pulling something, but I can't see how it fits the context. Also, being between quotes, I think it could have a metaphorical meaning. Here you can see the whole page, while here you can se a video of the phantom punch in slow motion. Thank you for your help!
|
I think this pretty straightforwardly refers to the movement of the fist returning to the body after a punch was thrown. When you throw a punch, it's always followed by a . A normal counter punch starts being thrown when the opponent's fist is still coming toward you. But this "phantom punch" starts _after_ the opponent's punch was thrown. It needs to be extremely fast, as you can see in the video. Note that modifies as a whole, not alone. This is actually or .
> …
> A counter punch that is thrown over (the opponent's) , which is (a counter punch) faster than (one thrown over an approaching) punch...
These quotes are used to indicate is not a common established term. They add the nuance of "so to say", "as one might call it" or "so-called". seems to mean something else in karate, but it's not a common boxing term.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning, manga, sports, metaphor"
}
|
Meaning of 史上 in this blog
I'm trying to translate this blog.
The blogger talked about the album of Abe Mao called "Pop ()".
> ****
>
> "MY BABY"
>
> ""
According to Jisho,
> = in history; ever; historical
Since this album is just another studio album and was not classified as "best album",
I was quite confused what does **** mean in his blog?
Is it possible that it was an abbreviation of some sorts?
|
on its own can mean "in the history", but it can be combined with many nouns to mean "in the history of ". For example you can say (the greatest president in the history of America).
So also literally means "in the history of Mao Abe," which is already a bit colloquial usage of (it can be used in ads but not in formal documents). However, in this context, it doesn't even refer to her actual career as a musician, but refers to the author's own personal experience concerning Mao Abe. The author is comparing his memory concerning Mao Abe to "history." This is not a proper way of using , but we can feel he has liked the musician for a long time. means the author himself is listening to the album most as compared to her previous albums.
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
What is the role of 「より」 and 「かつ」 in this sentence
Below is a paragraph from a Japanese light novel. (Classroom of the Elite - Volume I)
> **** **** []{}
What exactly and do in the second sentence?
Also, what kind of meaning does at the very end add to the sentence/pragraph?
|
>
> Well, the situation has become _more_ complicated _and_ serious, _though_.
* right before an adjective is "more". See: Different versions of ?
* is a stiff way of saying "and". It's in kanji, although this kanji is rarely used. is " and " (right-node raising).
* Sentence-end (or , , ) is "..., though." It makes a contrast with what has already been mentioned in the previous sentence.
* Just in case you didn't know, this is not but , which is like "that being said" or "although". See: Learn JLPT N2 Grammar:
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, words"
}
|
Choosing between 大丈夫 or いい when asking/giving permission
It seems like and can be used interchangeably when asking or giving permission.
For example when asking for permission, you might use:
* ... vs ...
* ... vs ...
Similarly, when answering such a request (with a positive response), one might say:
* vs
Is my understanding correct that they are indeed interchangeable? If they are, can I reply to the request with the "other" word (e.g., ... -> ; or ... -> )?
If they aren't interchangeable, when should I use one or the other?
|
...? and ...? are as you said. For example, when you are asked "?" or "?", you can say both "" and "". However I think you don't need to change the word.
...? and ...? generally mean "Is OK?", "Is all right?" and "Is good?", not asking for permission. In this case, I think you shouldn't use the "other" word. For example, when you are asked "?", you should say "". When you are asked "?", you should say "". When you are asked like "?", you can say both "" and "".
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stackexchange-japanese
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{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
How do you say "remaining" in the sense of asking how long someone is staying in the country?
E.g. How much longer are you staying in the country for your holiday?
sounds wrong. So is Help appreciated.
|
In general, when asking how long someone will stay in a certain place, one would use .
implies long-term (permanent) residence. would imply remaining beyond what was expected or allowed as a length of stay. = To stay behind, to be left behind. Even if you are asking someone how much longer they will remain, you would still normally use:
> (How much longer will you be in Japan?)
For stay at accommodations specifically, would be appropriate.
As was mentioned in one of the comments, people will often just ask when you are returning to 'your' country, à la .
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stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation, meaning, word choice"
}
|
Do Commas Have Any Impact On Meaning In Smaller Sentences?
Playing a game I encountered two different shop keeps that say the same line. Only one says a line with a comma, the other says it without. I do know that commas can help in breaking up clauses in Japanese, but do commas have any impact on meaning in small sentences like these? Or does it more describe how it would be spoken?
>
>
>
|
In general, using commas more than usual emphasizes a sentence (for example "Do, it, right, now."), and of course they affect how the sentence is read. But what is usual depends on the word. In this case, whether to put a comma after is pretty arbitrary, and the difference between the two sentences is not really significant. Maybe the one with a comma would sound a little more emphatic or emotional, but I doubt the person who wrote this was thinking about the comma.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
VかV-negか vs. V | V-neg vs. Vかどうか
Is there any difference in meaning between these three structures? I think they all roughly mean "whether or not" but are they interchangable? Examples below:
> ****
vs
> ****
vs
> ****
|
All of the forms that you have listed have the same effective meaning and are interchangeable, so long as they follow the proper context. Cross-searching these examples on Weblio, they are pretty much all listed as synonyms, with some seemingly trivial usage differences that I do not think will actually dissuade most speakers from using them interchangeably.
> standard colloquial
>
> casual colloquial
>
> * * *
>
> standard (spoken or written)
>
> formal (usually written); somewhat pedantic
To use as an example some advice once given by Master Yoda:
> → OK
>
> → OK
>
> → a little strange (not quite casual enough)
>
> → strange (mixing formal with casual)
Finally, or could be used to carry a separate nuance; one of impatience and frustration; e.g. ‘So, are you going to do it or not!?’.
If someone has another take I will be happy to consider editing.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, word choice, embedded question"
}
|
What does the phrase 「学問に励む」 means in this sentence?
This is a quote from a book.
>
What does mean?
Thank you.
|
To put it simply, it means " **study hard**."
* ⇒ **study**.
* ⇒ **at** , **on** , **to** and etc.
* ⇒ **make an effort**.
So the phrase directly means "make an effort at studying" or "focus on studying."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "grammar, words"
}
|
How would you say, "Why can't I have them both?"
I've been looking at the structure of sentences like "They're both cute" and "I want this one" and meaning which one but how would I say the following:
> "I don't know what I want"
And
> "Why can't I have them both" / "Can't I have them both"
Thank you!
|
Maybe
> neither
>
> both
would be appropriate for the respective cases.
> I like neither.
>
> I want both.
Just as in a conversation:
>
>
> Which do you want to eat? Both seem delicious so choose what you want.
So if you want to go for both, why not go with:
> I want both, so buy them (for me) okay?
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, word choice, english to japanese"
}
|
How to say that an inanimate agent makes something happen
I'm guessing that the causative form only works with animate agents, so how would I say something like:
> Learning Japanese **makes** life interesting.
This is my attempt, but I'm not at all convinced by it:
>
Is it correct? What better ways can I express the phrase "X makes Y" where X is not a person?
|
As your English example for life implies not daily life or manner of living, but life in general, I would use instead of .
Your attempt: Means (My) daily life becomes (sic) interesting, so I am studying Japanese.' Aside from the tenses not agreeing, the cause/effect order is reversed.
I would suggest the following:
> 'Studying Japanese makes life more interesting.' (using here instead of underlines Japanese as opposed to other areas of study)
>
> 'Studying foreign languages broadens (your) world.'
>
> I study Japanese in order to make life more interesting.
In the original order that you used, it would work as a suggestion/recommendation:
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, causation"
}
|
What is the counter for languages
I've looked this up in a few different dictionaries and the only word I got was written in a few different ways. but all of them contain which I have come to understand means national language. Does this only refer to national languages for example:
>
or can this be used in other contexts
I am looking for a way to talk about how many languages one knows, and I don't trust google translate enough to believe what it says about just using .
|
You can also use , etc. to talk about how many languages one speaks, as in...
> ****
> ****
You can also use , as in...
> ****
You could also use terms like , , , as in:
> ****
> ****
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 12,
"question_score": 11,
"tags": "counters"
}
|
Can なければなりません apply to previous clause joined with て
> ****
> The JMA said "Because volcanic activity is still continuing, we'll have to pay attention to what happens from now on, and go and look at it."
I'm not 100% confident in my translation. My assumption is that applies to both clauses and . If not, then I can't make the two clauses link together in any logical way.
Assuming my assumptions are correct would it also be natural to swap the order of these clauses:
>
> We have to go and look at it and pay attention to what's happening.
In English this order feels more natural, but I have no idea about Japanese.
|
I think the best way to think of the here is as a quasi-adverbial usage modifying . In other words, refers to the single action of "carefully watching over it going forward".
Note that the in here does not literally refer to going anywhere, but is part of the common usage meaning "to do something from now on". If the meaning was "go and look at it", it would have to be **** .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, て form"
}
|
"I hope" - といい vs. ように
In trying to search for a Japanese equivalent to "I hope~" in English, I've found two expressions and/. However, I'm not sure how to use them properly. (I feel that the latter construction is more similar to "I hope" purely in terms of structure, but that doesn't mean anything, necessarily.) What is the difference between these two expressions?
For example, what's the difference between
> (1)
>
> (2)
in trying to say "I hope you pass the exam"?
|
I think you mean rather than . is more natural.
They are basically the same meaning. However I think has a stronger wish than .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "meaning, nuances"
}
|
What's the difference between から and からには
It's in the title. is translated as 'now that, because' and as 'because, from'. What's the difference?
|
has the following basic meanings: Since; due to the fact that; because
This is a colloquial usage and should not normally be used in written form, in which case you could use . See here.
It functions similarly to in the example below:
> ’If you’re gonna do it, do it right.’
>
> “ “
More examples of can be found here.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "word choice, nuances"
}
|
Is there an opposite of gairaigo, covering both kango and wago?
Is there a term that means that something isn't _gairaigo_ , words recently derived from (predominantly European) foreign languages?
For example, I'd like to say that is a non- _gairaigo_ word, which could be _kango_ or _wago_ (also known as _yamato kotoba_ ), as opposed to the _gairaigo_ word .
|
I think a natural/obvious choice for "non- _gairaigo_ " would be just literally . Of course it covers both _kango_ and _wago_ , as these aren't _gairaigo_.
The term is being used, for example in this draft paper title (PDF)
>
> Frequency of Katakana Representation for Japanese Non-loan Words as Observed in the BCCWJ Corpus
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "loanwords, terminology"
}
|
Breakdown 「欲しけりゃくれてやるぜ」meaning
> (One Piece)
Especially the part "" (from what I gather, it's an inflection of ?) Is this a common construct? How can I break it down?
How can I better search for this kind of thing?
* someone on hinative translated the second sentence as "if you want I'll give it to you";
* Google translator seems to ignore completely if I don't put a comma in the middle.
|
In case the links that have been provided to you in the comments below your question do not satisfy your curiosity:
.....
means the same thing as
is an informal variation on . Examples can be found here.
The phrase in question would be standardized as:
> ’I’ll give it to you if you want it.’
The translation for reads thus:
> - Said when giving something to someone who is either below you in status or who you do not think kindly of.
In this case, it can be read as ‘I will grant you my treasure.’
This question was asked on Yahoo . You can find it here.
> My treasure?
>
> If you want it I’ll give it to you.
>
> Search for it!
>
> I’ve amassed there the entire world.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, conjugations, manga"
}
|
What does ただいま Mean in the Context of Preparing Food?
I heard it a couple of times after I thought that I understood it to mean "I'm home".
The other contexts I've heard it were in the context of preparing food either to go or right away, I wanted to know a more precise meaning.
Are there other contexts in which is used?
|
"" is commonly used as the shortened version of "" meaning "I'm home" or "I just came home".
The exact meaning of "" is "right now" or "just now". In this context it is written as "" in Kanji rather than Hiragana.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, usage"
}
|
になるほど in this sentence
I can not understand very well the meaning of "" in this sentence, from a Japanese Dragon Ball Guide Book.
 ****
Is it maybe something similar to the construction "The more... the more..."? Or does it have relations with "I see" ?
And, in your opinion, can this translation be correct?
"The Power-Up of the fusion (context: by means of Potara) earring), it's something impressive closer/more similar to multiplication rather than a sum of the power forces of the two warriors."
|
`XY` (or `XY`) in this context means "Y to the point where X" or "so Y that X". The "the more , the more " construction is not relevant. This is not relevant, either. You have to add if the following modified word is a noun. is an adjective, and is its nominalized form ("-ness").
* so small that it's invisible; too small to see
* the price so expensive/inexpensive that it's surprising; surprising price
* the size big enough to be problematic
So is "intensiveness to the point where it becomes a multiplication" or "the tremendous power going up in a multiplicative manner (rather than the usual additive manner)". The sentence says the fused power increases in a way the fusion of 100 and 100 becomes 10000 rather than 200, for example.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
How would you say "I'm so confused"
Just wondering how you would say "I'm so confused" or just, "I'm confused", for context it (if needed) would be for deciding something, if someone couldn't decide what they wanted, what would be the Japanese equivalent of "I'm so confused" or "I don't know, in so confused!" ("What is going on!?" Would also be helpful! Which I think is something along the line of )
|
I would say, that when presented with a difficult choice and cannot decide, many people would use some form of (, etc.. While the more common definition is 'to be lost', another of it's definitions is to waver, hesitate, vacillate.
> I can't decide which to choose.
Another option would be : to be anxious, unsure, distressed.
> I'm unsure and can't decide.
These expressions can be shortened to utterances of and to express uncertainty.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "phrase requests"
}
|
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