question dict | answers list | id stringlengths 1 6 | accepted_answer_id stringlengths 2 6 ⌀ | popular_answer_id stringlengths 1 6 ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1682",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "I'm translating a song which can be seen\n[here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQV5g9QoUA). At the end of the song is\nthis:\n\n> 傷つけてしまう夜もあるだろう 分かち合えない想いもあるだろう\n\nWhat is the subject of 傷つけてしまう夜もあるだろう? Is the singer saying, \"there may be\nnights wher... | [
{
"body": "It seems to be the former. If it were \"each other\", it would need to be an 〜合う\nverb (like the latter), like 傷つけ合う夜 (or with しまう, 傷つけ合ってしまう).",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-01T16:50:15.897",
"id": "1681",
"last_activity_date": ... | 1680 | 1682 | 1681 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 8,
"body": "Does anyone know any online Japanese dictionary which provides audio reading?",
"comment_count": 9,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-02T04:57:24.870",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "1684",
"last_activity_date": "2015-06... | [
{
"body": "Pretty much every online Japanese dictionary that I know of provides reading,\nunless you mean something out of the ordinary by \"reading.\" Take the following\nentry from [WWWJDIC](http://wwwjdic.mygengo.com/cgi-data/wwwjdic?1C) for\nreference:\n\n> 結論 【けつろん】 (n,vs,adj-no) conclusion; (P)\n\n**Edit:... | 1684 | null | 2099 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1689",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I read this expression in a text. It seems to be an old proverb about monkeys.\nBut I am not sure about its meaning. Why 筋, for instance? Does it mean muscle?\nreasoning faculty? Why would they be lacking?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC... | [
{
"body": "It means: \"Monkeys are less clever than humans\" or literally: \"Monkeys have 3\nhair less than people\"\n\n足らぬ being used for 足りない\n\nand 筋 being the counter for hair\n\nTo add a bit of history/legend:\n\n毛 doesn't stand for \"hair\" but for apparel, appearance or skill...etc.\n\nThe legend states ... | 1687 | 1689 | 1689 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1691",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "Can すみません always be used in place of ありがとう? What's the difference?\n\nWhen using すみません to express thanks, what other words are used with it?\n\nCould you show me some examples?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date... | [
{
"body": "すみません is used to express thanks when you want so express gratitude for someone\ngoing out of their way for you, or you that you feel like you inconvenienced\nthem by receiving their effort. Another part is someone doing something\nunexpectedly for you. Of course ありがとうございます also fits in the same situa... | 1690 | 1691 | 1691 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1714",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "For example, while having lunch with your coworkers and you have to attend\nsome matter soon, what would be a natural way to leave the table? I think that\nin this case saying お先に失礼します would be wrong.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-S... | [
{
"body": "`お先に失礼します` may not be ideal for this situation, as it is what you say when you\nleave work before others (see: [When is it appropriate to use お疲れ様\n(otsukaresama)?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1158/when-is-it-\nappropriate-to-use-otsukaresama)).\n\nごちそうさま[でした] is the closest you coul... | 1699 | 1714 | 1714 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1704",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "So there are several ways to express something is \"seemingly not ～\":\n\n> * ～なさそう\n> * ～そうにない\n> * ～そうもない\n> * ～そうにもない (is this one even real?)\n>\n\nI was always taught ～なさそう in my Japanese classes, and it was not until I heard\none of the oth... | [
{
"body": "Looks like you have done your research well. You are correct with verbs only\ntaking そうに/もない。Although そうにもない is not grammatical.\n\n> * 雨が降らなさそう you make an assumption based on current state of the sky.\n> * 雨が降りそうにない you have confidence that it wont rain (due to some extra\n> information maybe).... | 1701 | 1704 | 1704 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1709",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "[WWWJDIC](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-\nbin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E3%81%99%E3%81%A3%E3%81%A8) says すっと means \"quickly / all\nof a sudden\" yet it can also mean \"quietly / gently / softly\"\n\nSo basically I was wondering how do we tell if すっと mea... | [
{
"body": "My dictionary defines すっと with these _four_ meanings:\n\n 1. 真っすぐ，ほっそりと (straight or slender)\n 2. 素早く (quickly)\n 3. 滞りなく (without delay/obstacle)\n 4. 気分がさっぱりと (refreshed/neat/plain feelings)\n\nSo what do all these have in common? All of them vaguely mean _smooth_. I'd\ndescribe すっと as pretty ... | 1708 | 1709 | 1709 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I like to read children literature in foreign languages I am learning. I\nusually do not have troubles picking them in european language, but I would\nneed recommendation for Japanese.\n\nI would like a book\n\n * with a small vocabulary (and eventually a... | [
{
"body": "Check out some [graded readers](http://www.thejapanshop.com/Readers-and-More-\nJapanese-Bookstore-Products/b/2359251011?ie=UTF8&title=Readers%20and%20More).\nThey're perfect for everything you've asked for, and sorted by reading ability\nso you can some that are perfect.",
"comment_count": 0,
... | 1710 | null | 1711 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "In [another question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1505/is-\njapanese-really-an-agglutinative-language) we established that Japanese is an\n[agglutinating language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agglutinative_language)\n([more here](http://e... | [
{
"body": "The example you point to is not analyzing `tabe-sase-rare-ta`. It is analyzing\n`tabe-sase-rare-takatta`. In traditional grammar, `takatta` is considered the\npast form of the adjectival affix `tai` 'want', and the link you point to\nanalyzes it as such. But if you look at it in more detail, it is ac... | 1712 | null | 1718 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1717",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Can \"みたい\" mean \"want to see\", or does it always mean \"looks like\"/\"seems\nlike\"? If not, how would \"want to see\" be expressed?\n\nSpecifically, assuming it has both uses, it would seem ambiguous to me here:\nなんだか違う映画みたいだなあ\n\nWould that be \"I ... | [
{
"body": "\"That seems like a somewhat different movie\" would be\n\n> なんだか違う映画みたいだなあ\n\nWhereas \"I want to see a different movie\" would be\n\n> なんだか違う映画をみたいなあ\n\nSo to answer your question directly, yes, \"を見たい\" means \"want to see\" -- and\nyou'd use the kanji \"見たい\", in most general cases. (There's no だ... | 1716 | 1717 | 1717 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1728",
"answer_count": 9,
"body": "What would be appropriate expressions or idioms to convey the typical English\nresponse:\n\n> What's it to you?\n\n(in a sense that goes somewhere between \"None of your business\" and \"This is\nnot your problem\")\n\nThe best I can think of is `あなたには関係... | [
{
"body": "How about something along the lines of:\n\n> なぜそんなの知りたいの？\n\nDepending on how you deliver it and who you're talking to, it can be pretty\naggressive or just a somewhat innocent question.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-04T07:18:17.287",
... | 1724 | 1728 | 1728 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1731",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I was wondering what is the difference in the nuances / usage of 気に病む and 心配する\n?\n\n(E.g. If I want to tell my friend not to worry about a test (albeit an\nimportant test), is it more appropriate to use 気に病むな or 心配するな ?)",
"comment_count": 0,
"conte... | [
{
"body": "It's simply a difference of image just like \"Don't worry\" and \"don't make\nyourself sick over it\"\n\nIt depends on the level of anxiety of your friend (気に病むな being stronger)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-04T10:23:32.583",
"id": ... | 1730 | 1731 | 1731 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1739",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "How are the following verbs which are related to learning different to each\nother?\n\n * 勉強する\n * 習う\n * 学ぶ",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-04T11:10:40.283",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "173... | [
{
"body": "勉強する is 'study' and is usually applied to school/literature.\n\n習う is 'learn' and is usually applied to things like learning instruments or\nskills.\n\n学ぶ carries a more 'in depth' meaning to it, and is usually applied to things\nlike a vocation or 'years of study in XYZ'.\n\n勉強する is the most common ... | 1732 | 1739 | 1739 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1759",
"answer_count": 6,
"body": "What is the difference between the two kanji variants for 「けいさんき」, the other\nword for 「コンピューター」?\n\n * 計算器\n * 計算機",
"comment_count": 7,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-04T13:06:23.300",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id"... | [
{
"body": "機 usually refers to a somewhat large(-scale) \"machine\" (機械), while 器 usually\nrefers to a small(-scale) \"tool\" (器具). So I think the latter would be closer\nto a computer (back when they were huge, beastly machines) and the former\nwould be closer to a calculator (電卓). But the 機 or 器 definitely im... | 1733 | 1759 | 1759 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1737",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Do Japanese writers use underline to emphasize a point, or other techniques?\nWikipedia mentions the use of katakana in its article on\n[Emphasis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emphasis_%28typography%29) and in its\narticle on [Katakana](https://en.wikip... | [
{
"body": "The Japanese equivalent of underlining for emphasis would probably be using\n[傍点【ぼうてん】](http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=2022) or\n[脇点【わきてん】](http://www.unicode.org/cgi-bin/GetUnihanData.pl?codepoint=25E6):\n\nDots added over (if writing horizontally) or to the right (if vert... | 1735 | 1737 | 1737 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1745",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "This is probably a bit of a silly question, but what do you say in Japanese\nwhen you're asking for the bill in a restaurant? Or is it unusual to say\nanything at all?\n\nWhen I was in Japan I could never really catch any particular phrases and when\nI w... | [
{
"body": "I got by pretty well with お勘定ください (かんじょう), お勘定を and お勘定をお願いします. Looking around\nthough perhaps I was supposed to say お勘定してください, because 勘定's definition is to\ncalculate.\n\nAn American friend told me that I could also cross my two index fingers if I\ndidn't feel like yelling すみまーせん！ to get attention.... | 1743 | 1745 | 1745 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1891",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I've seen several translations of the following song lyrics from Lady Gaga's\n\"Edge of Glory\" online, and none of them look quite right.\n\n```\n\n I'm on the edge, the edge, \n the edge, the edge, \n the edge, the edge, \n the edge,\n I... | [
{
"body": "What is \"the edge of glory\" ?\n\nThe edge seems like a cliff since she's saying later \"I'm hanging\". So she's\n_hanging_ between \"glory\" and \"a person\". She's keeping a theme here. Edge,\nhanging, a moment, falling.\n\nNow in a translation you need to think whether you want to keep images+mea... | 1748 | 1891 | 1891 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1794",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "In two conjunctions 「ところで」 and 「ところが」 that mean \"by the way / incidentally\"\nand \"however / nevertheless\" respectively, what is the significance of the\nword 「ところ」?\n\nHow does ところ + で give the nuance of \"this is an extra information\", while ところ\n+... | [
{
"body": "Just like in English, 'here' and 'place' don't always mean a physical location\nin Japanese. Sometimes they mean the current situation, etc.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-05T10:38:58.033",
"id": "1753",
"last_activity_date": "20... | 1751 | 1794 | 1794 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1762",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I saw an colleague's email asking for a few days of vacation, and I was\nsurprised by the ultra-polite level. This colleague is usually on relatively\ncasual terms with the boss, so it was quite unexpected. Selected extracts:\n\n```\n\n 以下の日程で有給休暇を取得し... | [
{
"body": "Asking for anything in Japanese requires you to consider two things:\n\n```\n\n 1. Relationship to the listener\n 2. Nature of the subject matter\n \n```\n\nThe Japanese concept of 迷惑 (meiwaku) as mentioned above by @MarkHosang is a\nconstant theme in Japanese communication. When the train i... | 1752 | 1762 | 1762 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1795",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "How do we tell whether 2 hiragana should fit in 1 \"mora\" or 2?\n\nFor example, why is it that [四季](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-\nbin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E5%9B%9B%E5%AD%A3) and\n[士気](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-\nbin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%... | [
{
"body": "I think that's still 2 mora. The only time multiple kana will be a single mora\nis when the second one is smaller, like しゃ (sha) and きょ (kyo).\n\nI think your real questions is about the difference in stresses, and I think\nyou just have to learn by experience for that.\n\nThe little つ is an exceptio... | 1754 | 1795 | 1795 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1761",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I always read 降る as ふる but for a particular sentence I noticed that the\nreading was written as くだる. Are there any tips to help figure out which\nreading to use?\n\n~~Examples: \n\n> たとえ雨が降ろうとサイクリングにいくぞ。 \n> I will go cycling even if it rains. [M] \n... | [
{
"body": "広辞苑 lists both 【下】and【降】in the entry for 【くだる】. It says that【降】is often used\nwhen くだる means \"going/coming down from a high place to a lower place all at\nonce (as opposed to a gradual descent)\" or when it means like \"surrendering to\nan enemy\" (降参).\n\nSince the former definition is quite a comm... | 1760 | 1761 | 1761 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Let's have some fun with particles! Create a sentence using as many particles\nas you can. Rules:\n\n 1. The sentence can combine any number of clauses or ideas but it must be meaningful (i.e. no gibberish) and should be using standard Japanese (i.e. no s... | [
{
"body": "\"「よ、ね、な、で、に、へ、が、は、と、から、の、では、でも、のに、ので」は助詞です。\" That could be even longer, but\nyou get the point that it's going to be difficult to beat the concept :)",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-06T04:45:45.053",
"id": "1764",
"last_activity... | 1763 | null | 1785 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1766",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I was having a discussion with a colleague and we couldn't recall how they\nboth worked. Does 一人以上 mean a) 1 or more persons or b) more than one person?",
"comment_count": 6,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-06T05:02:19.... | [
{
"body": "According to the [Wikipedia article on these\ntwo](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8A%E3%83%BB%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8B),\n以下 and 以上 _include_ the number that precedes them.\n\n> ５０以上 => 50 or more\n>\n> ５０以下 => 50 or less\n\nIf you want to exclude the number on the upper end (instead of 以下) us... | 1765 | 1766 | 1766 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1772",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "I can see that someone got mad or someone made someone else mad. The things\nthat make it difficult are `に` and the `られる` form of `怒る`. What does this\nmean? How do you figure out who did what in these types of sentences?",
"comment_count": 3,
"conte... | [
{
"body": "Maybe the fact that `に` is used in both active and passive sentences with `怒る`\nis making it difficult for you. `に` can be used either as a dative case marker\nor as an element leading the agentive-phrase in passive. In English, you can\nsee that the dative is `to`, whereas the agentive-phrase is hea... | 1770 | 1772 | 1771 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1776",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "`絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき}` is a slang term that refers to the visible bare skin from\nthe bottom of a woman's skirt to the top of her thigh high stockings. Or,\nshort pants and thigh high boots... pick your preferred style. The point is\nthat it's the exposed p... | [
{
"body": "As with many odd slang words and phrases, it came from a quote in a particular\nsituation.\n\n\"The distance between kneesocks and mini skirt is invicible! I can even say\nthat it's the God's Absolute Territory...\"\n\nFrom: <http://en.dic.pixiv.net/a/Absolute+Territory>",
"comment_count": 3,
... | 1775 | 1776 | 1776 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1783",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I can't find this defined anywhere.\n\nHere's an example:\n\nタオルケットをちょちょいかけにきてくれる。\n\nI am also interested in what this whole sentence says.",
"comment_count": 6,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-06T20:07:56.963",
"fav... | [
{
"body": "It's a variation of ちょっと, but usually in reference to an action. Just like\nちょっと in that context, it's meant to indicate that the action will be quick and\neasy. It's more casual (and therefore more emphatically quick and easy) than\nちょっと.\n\nNot that it's rude, but I wouldn't use it outside of casua... | 1778 | 1783 | 1783 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1782",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I came across a sentence using もあれば where there wasn't a conditional. あれば got\ntranslated as sometimes:\n\n> 名詞から動詞が派生していること **もあれば** 、その逆のこと **もある** 。 \n> Sometimes a verb is derived from a noun and sometimes it is the other way\n> around.\n\nLooking ... | [
{
"body": "`ば` is conditional just as in the first example. `も` in these cases means\nsomething like 'as less as'. The literal translations are respectively (Don't\nexpect that they are grammatical or natural in English):\n\n> (The distance) from Kyoto to Koyasan is such that, if you have as less as\n> three ho... | 1779 | 1782 | 1782 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1790",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I see 情弱乙 being used (as an interjection?) on many websites, but I can't find\nit in any dictionary, even online dictionaries. I guess the pronunciation is\nじょうじゃくおつ. What does it mean?\n\nExamples:\n\n```\n\n 情弱乙！\n \n ガラケーｗｗｗ情弱乙ｗｗｗ\n \n ... | [
{
"body": "[Chiebukuro\nsays](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1344455238)\nthat 情弱乙（じょうじゃくおつ）is short for 情報弱者.\n\nWhat is a 情報弱者?\n\n[Chiebukuro has you covered\nagain](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1022125000);\nit refers to a person on the wrong side of the... | 1788 | 1790 | 1790 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1793",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Today, while looking up random words in WWWJDIC, I stumbled upon an example\nsentence for the word [いとしい](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-\nbin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E3%81%84%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%84) as below:\n\n> 少女は人形を **いとしげに** 抱き締めた。 The girl s... | [
{
"body": "**Adjectives**\n\n> Does such conjugation exist (or is it actually something else)?\n\nIt's a way to make an adverb from a い-adjective\n\n> And if so, how is it different from ~く form?\n\nUnlike 〜く, it is very empathetic, it shows that the subject of the proposition\n_visibly_ expresses its emotions.... | 1791 | 1793 | 1793 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1798",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "It might be hard to read because of the image resolution, but on the cover of\n[this\nbook,](http://www.amazon.co.jp./gp/product/images/4469221686/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=465392&s=books)\non the bottom left side, it says:\n\n> へんな日本語にも理由がある。\n\nWhich me... | [
{
"body": "Your statement\n\n> わけ is not a reading for 理由. 理由 is only read りゆう\n\nis too strong. `りゆう` is the most natural reading, but it can also be read as\n`わけ`. Although, it is true that, as with your example `妻` with `ワイフ`, furigana\nsometimes departs from its established reading under expectation of some... | 1796 | 1798 | 1798 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1800",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "A Japanese person told me that they have ブラコン。I looked it up on Wikipedia and\nit said something like an emotional attachment to one's brother. But they said\nthat it meant something like someone who likes rap music. I couldn't find a\ndefinition like th... | [
{
"body": "R&B, not rap. Straight from\n[Wikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3&oldid=15934234)\n(\"black contemporary\").",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-07T23:11:59.500",
"id": "1800",
"la... | 1799 | 1800 | 1800 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1803",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ?\n\nFor example:\n\n1) これは機会だぜ！\n\n2) これはチャンスだぜ！",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-08T07:11:39.750",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "1802"... | [
{
"body": "Do really people say \"これは機会だぜ！\"? I doubt it…\n\nWhile you do say \"これはチャンスだ\" to mean \"it's now or never\", \"just do it!\", \"go\nfor it!\" and other once-in-a-life-time opportunities, I think that \"機会\" is a\nmuch more usual opportunity, less outstanding situations. You would use 機会 to\nsay \"S... | 1802 | 1803 | 1803 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1806",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "What honorifics, if any, are used with nicknames?\n\nFor example, would Matz-san (for [Yukihiro\nMatsumoto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukihiro_Matsumoto)) make sense (at\nleast coming from someone new to Japanese), or would the mixture of the\nslightl... | [
{
"body": "It is OK.\n\nEven though it mixes formal and informal, colleagues often call me ニコさん.\n\nちゃん and くん is used with nicknames more often.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-08T12:06:08.677",
"id": "1805",
"last_activity_date": "2011-07-... | 1804 | 1806 | 1806 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1810",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I am organizing an event and posted a flyer on a famous SNS.\n\nSomeone commented on it saying: `イベント立てちゃいなよ`\n\nFrom the context I guess it is advising me to create an event (SNS feature),\nam I mistaken?\n\n**QUESTION:** What are the different grammati... | [
{
"body": "Slightly less informally, we have:\n\n> イベント **を** 立てちゃ **ってね** 。\n\nThe 立てちゃって of course comes from 立てちゃう, a spoken version of 立ててしまう, so I'm\nguessing the な in 立てちゃいな is what's confusing. Unlike the prohibition な, which\nattaches to the dictionary form of the verb (するな, 食べるな), this な attaches to\nt... | 1807 | 1810 | 1810 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1819",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "What is the conceptual difference, or difference in nuance between these two\nconstructions when used to mean 'and'? I realize there are some syntactic\ndifferences, such as や not appearing after the final item being enumerated,\nbut as far as general nu... | [
{
"body": "や is often taught as a non-exhaustive connective. When you say AやB, you mean\nthat there may be a C, but you didn't mention it (for example, you could say\n\"ロックのCDやジャズのCDを買いました\" because maybe you bought doughnuts too (but who cares?);\nbut you wouldn't say \"部屋には男性や女性がいます\" since there is not other... | 1817 | 1819 | 1819 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1826",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "According to my references, both of these are used in situations where one\nthing happens immediately after another. Here are some example sentences:\n\n 1. （火事を見た人の話）ドーンという音がして、１分たつかたたないかのうちに火が出てきました。\n 2. 彼は、５時のベルが鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに手を止め、工場を飛び出した。\n 3. （ニュ... | [
{
"body": "Aか〜ないかB means what it does: you're in a situation where you don't even know\nwhether A is or isn't, that already B. Definitely a favourite of amateurs of\nquantum mechanics. It's almost instantaneous, and often unrelated.\n\n> \"No sooner had he passed the doorstep that it started to rain\" \n> 彼は家... | 1818 | 1826 | 1826 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1824",
"answer_count": 7,
"body": "Hi all I understand that つもり means \"intention\" like say 夏休みにはゆっくり休むつもりです。 = I\nintend to rest during the summer vacation.\n\nBut what does 分かっているつもりだ。 means?\n\nWell if I translate directly, it seems to be \"I intend to be in the know\" ?\n\nHowever th... | [
{
"body": "The translation 'intention' is not that bad, but maybe, 'have in mind' will\nwork more generally.\n\n> 夏休みにはゆっくり休むつもりです。\n>\n> I have in mind to take a full rest during the summer vacation.\n\nIn `分かっているつもりだ`, `つもり` is one way of making your statement accurate, and in\nmany cases polite. In linguisti... | 1822 | 1824 | 1824 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "I think a graded anthology of haiku or tanka might make an excellent\nchrestomathy for learning kanji and japanese.\n\nAre there any appropriately-licensed (e.g. creative commons / public domain)\nhaiku or tanka anthologies in electronic form that could be... | [
{
"body": "If you want to learn Japanese, you don't need to be reading Tanka. That would\nbe like learning English by reading Beowulf. If you want a \"learning curve is\nalmost 90 degrees\" tough-love approach to learning the Japanese writing system\nand its vocabulary, I recommend [Japanese Newspaper\nCompound... | 1829 | null | 2087 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1835",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "While studying for JLPT N2 I came across this expression `の折に`. It appears to\nbe _almost identical_ to `の時に`. My reference suggests that it's basically the\nsame, but simply less polite.\n\nWhat I find suspicious is that I've been studying Japanese for ... | [
{
"body": "`A の折に B` 'B on the occasion of A' may have the nuance that A is some special\noccation and is not that frequent. `A の時に B` 'B when A' is neutral in this\nrespect. Depending on the context, this may make some difference.\n\nI had thought that `折に` is rather the polite one. `折に` is slightly archaic or... | 1833 | 1835 | 1835 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1837",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "Generally, in all Japanese language classes, the rule you're taught is that です\ndoes not follow い adjectives. Instead, い adjectives can act like stative\nverbs, and as such terminate a sentence by themselves. However, I have heard\nthis usage frequently.... | [
{
"body": "'です' does follow i-adjectives. It's purpose is to add politeness. I see no\nproblem with it, but maybe I am missing something. Was there a particular\nexample that was discussed when the person said it is dangerous? The only\nthing I can think of is that the expression can be made milder by adding th... | 1834 | 1837 | 1836 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1848",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "This one stumped my Japanese friend that I was having dinner with earlier\ntonight. We were talking about the fact that tomorrow is Monday and I had a\ntough work week ahead. She said `ガンバレ`, I paused, and asked what was the\ndifference between that and ... | [
{
"body": "> がんばれ is the imperative form of がんばる\n\nFor most verbs of action it is clearly used to give an order and can be\nperceived as rude or very familiar in most cases. (You might have often heard\n死ね in movies. This is the imperative form of 死ぬ.)\n\nがんばれ, of course is not rude. It's familiar and encourag... | 1839 | 1848 | 1848 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1847",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Can someone explain the usage of a _na_ -adjective with the を particle?\n\nI cannot understand why we can say\n\n> ほうれん草を嫌いな人もいる。\n\nbecause I'd thought that it had to be a が or の particle instead of an を.\n\nAlso, why can we say\n\n> きみがなぜジャズを嫌いか私にはわからな... | [
{
"body": "I think it's just a nuance (which I don't understand very well) and that in\nsome situations, having を (at least for 好き and 嫌い) instead of の or が helps\nreading the sentence which may have already too many other の's and が's and be\ntoo ambiguous.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC B... | 1841 | 1847 | 1847 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1844",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Well if I'm not wrong, usually when a word has multiple kanjis one of them is\nselected as the \"main\" or more commonly used one.\n\nBut is it true that 才 and 歳 are both the \"main\" kanji for さい?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3... | [
{
"body": "It seems that 歳 is the \"official\"character for the age, even though both it\nand 才 are reglementary (常用漢字). However, it is too difficult for the pupils\n(小学生) who are supposed to learn it since it's a very common word. Therefore,\nthe different (but _not_ simplified) character 才 is taught instead s... | 1842 | 1844 | 1844 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1877",
"answer_count": 6,
"body": "ユーザ or ユーザー, which is more in use or is there no difference?\n\nI see both of them in use, but is there one that is more correct than the\nother or is at least the prevailing standard?\n\na similar word is サーバ and サーバー.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content... | [
{
"body": "Well, a quick google search gives basically 500 million ユーザー and 100 million\nユーザ. Wikipedia says both spellings exist. I conjecture the same conclusion for\nサーバー and many English words that finish in \"er\" in English and are used in\nJapanese.\n\nI would go for the \"アー\" version.",
"comment_co... | 1850 | 1877 | 1877 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "9610",
"answer_count": 6,
"body": "There are at the very least several i-adjectives can be used as na-adjectives\nby dropping the final い and adding な in its place. The most common examples of\nthis, as far as I am aware, are 大きい and 小さい, which become 大きな and 小さな,\nrespectively. For quite... | [
{
"body": "> And finally, is there any difference in nuance or feeling when these are\n> used as na-adjectives versus i-adjectives?\n\nShort answer: Consensus is \"using the な version makes the adjective more\nsubjective\".",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2... | 1853 | 9610 | 9610 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1858",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Every now and then I hear 待ちに待った, as in:\n\n> 待ちに待ったライブ a long-awaited concert\n\nI started wondering if this pattern can apply to other verbs, and it certainly\nseems to, if Google is any indication. I found instances of 望みに望んだ, 祈りに祈った,\nand even things... | [
{
"body": "It seems to just be for emphasis, as this sort of \"emphasis-repetition\" is\ncommon in other languages as well. I've only heard it a handful of times, in\nregards to foods:\n\n> のど渇きに渇いています → I am extremely thirsty \n> お腹すきにすいた → I was really hungry\n\n**Question A:** Not sure of any nuances of it... | 1856 | 1858 | 1876 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Specifically, in the expression\n\n> 好き **なんだ** (I love you)\n\nwhy not just say\n\n> 好きだ\n\nor\n\n> 好きです\n\n?",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-11T15:28:14.053",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "1859",... | [
{
"body": "なんだ is a pattern that is sometimes called the \"extended predicate\". The exact\nbest way to express this in English is subject to debate.\n\nUsually the usage follows a pattern of explanation of some question that\neither has been asked explicitly or could be asked implicitly. For example, if\nA-san... | 1859 | null | 1863 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1892",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Just wondering If choosing a reading is as simple as whether 得る is a suffix.\n\nThis is from tatoeba.org, a wiki-like sentence mine, so I'm not sure if える,\nthe reading entered is correct.\n\n> 彼はとてもよく訓練された役者だけが本当に成功し得ると思っている。 He thinks that only very we... | [
{
"body": "Both readings can be suffixes and both can be used in many of the common\nconstructions of 得る:\n\n> 当を得る (to be in order):【とうをうる】or 【とうをえる】\n>\n> あり得る (to be probable): 【ありえる】or 【ありうる】\n>\n> etc. etc.\n\n[Yahoo dict\nsays](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E3%81%88%E3%82%8B&dtype=0&stype=1&... | 1861 | 1892 | 1864 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1869",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Recently I learned of a new way to express potential form. Here's a few\nexample sentences:\n\n * 今回は予測し得ないことが起きたけど、皆、落ち着いていた。\n * 自分の意見を自由に言えないなんて、普通の国ではあり得ない。\n\nThe second example I put for contrast, because it illustrates one obvious\ndifference wh... | [
{
"body": "Japanese here. The two \"得ない\" are same to me at least. The first example talks\nabout \"some thing that couldn't possibly be anticipated happened\", and the\nsecond example talks about that \"there is no way that this happens in a normal\ncountry\". \nThey both simply express impossibility. Only th... | 1865 | 1869 | 1868 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "When using `あまり` in the sense of \"too much\" (as opposed to \"not very\"), until\nrecently I had always seen it as `あまりにもA`, with A being the thing that there\nwas too much of. I never really tried to relate the meaning of individual\nparticles `に` and `も... | [
{
"body": "Yes, the meaning is the same, but the usage is not necessarily\ninterchangeable. According to my book, in the form `～のあまり`, the 「～」 part is\nsupposed to be something that expresses emotion or feeling. (感情を表す言葉)\n\n> 例： 驚きのあまり、心配のあまり、感激のあまり、懐かしさのあまり、などなど\n\nThere is also one form that you didn't menti... | 1866 | null | 1871 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1882",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "When I learnt this grammar point a while ago, my teachers told me not to use\nit with \"から\". There reasoning for this was that のだ already implies a reason or\nsupporting information for a conclusion.\n\nEven reading through the answers for \"[What conno... | [
{
"body": "> お兄ちゃんのことがぜんぜんすきじゃないんだからねっ！！ \n> This is a title for a movie. However, how would this be different if the\n> title had have been: \n> お兄ちゃんのことがぜんぜんすきじゃないんだっ！！\n\n1) That's because I really don't like him! \n2) I really don't like him!\n\n> If のだ is used as a way to indicate reason, then why is ... | 1870 | 1882 | 1882 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1874",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "This sentence was in a grammar textbook:\n\n> 彼{かれ}は同僚{どうりょう}にライバル意識{いしき}、ひいては殺意{さつい}すら **抱** いていた\n\n... it means:\n\n> \"He regarded his colleague as a rival, even to the point of considering\n> murder.\"\n\nMy question is about the last kanji, 抱. It s... | [
{
"body": "Well, first, I think that うだく is archaic, as I read it:\n\n> 〔上代語「むだく」の転で、「だく」の古形。平安鎌倉時代の漢文訓読にだけ見える語〕\n\nThen, だく seems to be use for concrete situations, when you really use your\nhands.\n\nいだく seems to be\n\n * a more literary reading, or\n * used in abstract situations, like 「理想を―・く」「不安を―・く」. Th... | 1873 | 1874 | 1875 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1879",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Why is it that the っけ suffix / け particle (indicating that the speaker is\ntrying to recall some information) can only be attached to a sentence when the\nsentence itself is a question-sentence?\n\nBecause all 10 example usages i see in\n[WWWJDIC](http:/... | [
{
"body": "Although these sentences are nearly always _translated_ as questions, the\n(admittedly informal and possibly colloquial) usage of っけ followed by か\nsuggests that there is a difference at least on some level. In my experience,\n\"questions\" formed via the っけ particle are often rhetorical -- but just ... | 1878 | 1879 | 1879 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1883",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "This question has 2 parts.\n\nWhy is it that ああ has so many different kanji 嗚呼; 於乎; 於戯; 嗟乎; 嗟夫; 吁; 嗟; 噫; 鳴呼\n[(source)](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-\nbin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC)\n\nand is the average japanese (16 yr old and above) ... | [
{
"body": "These seem to mostly be cases of 義訓【ぎくん】, where it the kanji are only used for\ntheir meaning. The most common of the kanji compounds (鳴呼) for example is\ncomprised of kanji which carry the meanings of the sound of crying and \"to\ncall out.\"\n\nAs for why there are so many, I would say that it is b... | 1880 | 1883 | 1883 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1889",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Last summer my family hosted a Japanese exchange student for two weeks, and\nwe've kept in touch with her a lot. Unfortunately, about 2 months ago I found\nout she had Leukemia. She said she'll recover...but it'll take a long time (6\nmonths according to... | [
{
"body": "There are a couple of ways to say this.\n\n> 体に気をつけてください → Please look after yourself \n> 体をお大事に → Take care of yourself\n\nHowever, given the severity of her illness, these sound casual, a little\n\"flaky\", and somewhat insincere. Here are a few that are better.\n\n> ご自愛を祈ります → Please take good c... | 1888 | 1889 | 1889 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1894",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "Is there any rules that govern when to use 不 and 非 and 無 and 未 in regards to\nthe meaning of \"not\" or \"un-\"\n\nfor instance 非表示, 不満",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-13T03:16:18.947",
"favorite... | [
{
"body": "It's not that there are rules, it's that the different kanji have different\nmeanings which can help determine which one is the right choice. You can use\nthe following definitions as guidelines, but please be aware that there will\nbe exceptions and differences depending on specific words.\n\n`無【む】`... | 1893 | 1894 | 1894 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1902",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "When is it appropriate to put さ at the end of a sentence? Do women say this\nalso? I think I remember seeing a female character say it in an anime.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-13T04:36:27.843",... | [
{
"body": "さ can be used by both males and females. Though my dictionary says mainly\nmasculine and used for assertion.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-13T05:39:08.793",
"id": "1896",
"last_activity_date": "2011-07-13T05:39:08.793",
"las... | 1895 | 1902 | 1902 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Do you keep a list of set phrases that you use often, or phrases that you'd\nuse someday? I do. [Here's\nmine](https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/7ad0a989-2ddd-4593-8408-06383d761f29/a30ae5b90c085089ae3e665cbdc31685),\na list of phrases I've collected fr... | [
{
"body": "Here is my list (please ignore the French translations lol). \nSuggestions/corrections welcome!\n\nそれでは、水曜日の3時にお邪魔させて頂いても宜しいでしょうか？ OK, alors je viens chez vous mercredi a 3h ?\n\n電話でお話していた件、 添付ファイルでお送り致します。 Comme convenu au telephone, je vous envoie le\nfichier\n\n前回、必要であれば、あと一回伺うことになっておりましたが、いかがでしょ... | 1901 | null | 1913 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1962",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I often see adverbs used in one of three ways:\n\n1) Adverb appears in isolation in a sentence:\n\n> **あまり** 好きじゃないんですが。\n\n2) Adverb is followed by に\n\n> **別々に** お願いします。\n>\n> 1970年代後半、多くの罪もない日本の一般市民が **次々に** 失踪した。\n\n3) Adverb is followed by と\n\n> 鮮明... | [
{
"body": "From what I gather at\n[Chiebukuro](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1321351983),\nall three are the same, though the one who answered (dendenko123, a master in\nJapanese category of Chiebukuro) said that `と` has a slightly formal feeling.\n\nOf course, there are fukushi(`副詞`)... | 1903 | 1962 | 1962 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "6155",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Descriptions of Japanese phonology (such as\n[Wikipedia's](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_phonology#Devoicing))\nusually describe high vowels between voiceless consonants (or word-finally) as\n\"devoiced\". For example, the pronunciation of ⟨圧⟩ 'p... | [
{
"body": "> such as \"/desu/ → [des]\" rather than \"→ [desu̥]\".\n\nAs far as I know, it really depends on who is talking… Some linguists I met\nsaid that it _should_ be pronounced since there is no way to write \"s-without-\na-vowel\" in the language…",
"comment_count": 8,
"content_license": "CC BY-S... | 1904 | 6155 | 6155 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1907",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "When learning Japanese everyone's taught いる is for a living thing and ある is\nfor non-living things. However, I recently saw the following sentence ...\n\n> あと、サッカー選手でもあります。\n\n... which ends in ある / あります for a living subject, assuming were not talking\na... | [
{
"body": "`で（は）あります` is the expanded form of `です`. So when you say 「XはYです」, it is really\n「XはYで（は）あります」. From this, you can easily see the negative form (ではありません). And\nalso でもあります as in your example. `でもあります` means \"is also\".\n\n> あの人はサラリーマンです。あと、サッカー選手でもあります。 → That guy is a business worker (salary man).\n... | 1905 | 1907 | 1907 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1911",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I have seen many ways of saying 'food'. I am wondering if there is ever a\ndifference in appropriateness.\n\n食品、食べ物、～物(type+物)、飯、ご飯、etc.\n\nMost commonly, I think, is 食べ物, but I thought I'd use 食品 for an assignment\ninvolving 敬語（けいご）since it sounded more... | [
{
"body": "食べ物 - appropriate as written or spoken language, a basic word, commonly used\nin speech\n\n食品 - food product, think of a packaged food product on a shelf in the store\n\nご飯 - literally rice (polite), used to refer to \"a meal\" as in breakfast, lunch\nor dinner\n\n食事 - a meal, frequently used in hote... | 1909 | 1911 | 1911 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I often used に対して when speaking, and have noticed にとって as the favorite\nexpression of the author who's book I'm now reading. What's the difference in\nusage? Are there any other similar expressions I should be wary of misusing?",
"comment_count": 0,
"c... | [
{
"body": "These are _way_ different expressions. ～に対して can either mean \"towards/to\n(someone・something)\", or \"as opposed to\". ～にとって means \"for\"/\"thinking about it\nas\" in a way that I can't better explain without just using examples:\n\n## ～に対して:\n\n> * 隣人に対して友情を表す → Be friendly (\"show friendliness\... | 1910 | null | 1912 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1996",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Are there any differences between these three sets:\n\n> からして、からすると、からすれば\n\nvs.\n\n> から見て、から見ると、から見れば\n\nvs.\n\n> から言って、から言うと、から言えば\n\nThese 'sets' seem to be used in 2 basic ways:\n\n 1. Presents something as a basis for judgment. \n 2. To mean \"Fro... | [
{
"body": "First of all, even the intra-set items are not the same. Meaning that, for\nexample, `からすると` is not even the same as `からして`, etc. I don't have the\nproficiency to discuss the differences between every possible combination of\nitems, but I do have a strong grasp of the difference between `からすると` and\n... | 1916 | 1996 | 1996 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1920",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I know that a sentence that ends in the て form of a verb can be imperative.\nHow do you know for sure if it is? Why is「～しようとして」not imperative?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-14T06:19:28.963",
"f... | [
{
"body": "`て` is a form that is quite basic (called gerund, infinitive, or participle in\nmodern linguistics depending on the researcher) and has different usages.\nAmong the various usages, it can be used as an omitted form of `...てください`\n'please do ...' or `...てほしい` 'I want you to do ...', expressing request... | 1917 | 1920 | 1920 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1924",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "What's the difference between 打ち合わせ and 会議 and ミーティング?\n\nTo me it seems that 会議 may be more formal, but I'm not entirely sure.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-14T08:36:24.607",
"favorite_count":... | [
{
"body": "打合せ is more generic. When you go abroad to meet your boss, your colleagues or\ncustomers, you'd say 打合せ.\n\nI use ミーティング for when I need to discuss a point with someone. If you're a\nstudent and discuss with you advisor once a week, that's it.\n\n会議 is defined as \"there's a boring speaker, and every... | 1921 | 1924 | 1924 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1961",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Is it more common to read 門 as かど or もん?\n\ne.g. how would we pronounce the 門 in 彼らは門が開くのを待っていた。",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-14T09:10:04.453",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "1922",
"last_act... | [
{
"body": "I think that もん is the word you mean, and かど is used mostly (only?) in names.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-14T09:40:50.267",
"id": "1923",
"last_activity_date": "2011-07-14T09:40:50.267",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_e... | 1922 | 1961 | 1961 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1932",
"answer_count": 7,
"body": "I noticed that \"dame\", which means \"not good\" or \"don't do that\", is sometimes\nwritten in manga as katakana. I was wondering, is it because katakana is used\nto express a strong feeling?\n\nSometimes, there are also other words written in katakana... | [
{
"body": "There are several usages for katakana.\n\n 1. To describe (what feels like) Western origin words\n 2. To describe onomatopoeia\n 3. To describe the fact that it is normally written in kanji, but that it is written without it because either the writer wants to write faster, has no access to the kan... | 1930 | 1932 | 1932 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1941",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "On twitter I saw this:\n\n> なのに風呂掃除したら100円もらってたおれ…叱ってやりたい！笑\n\nWhat does it mean?\n\nThis is the previous tweet:\n\n>\n> 最近だなー。食ったらすぐ食器洗うのが習慣になったの。実家に居た頃は全部母親がやってたから甘えちゃってた。仕事もしてて家事も完璧にやってた母親、今更ながら尊敬します。",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC B... | [
{
"body": "When this person used to live with the parent(s), the mother had a job and did\nhousehold work, both completely. Nevertheless, this person recieved 100 yen\nfrom the mother each time for washing the bath tub (Washing the bath tub is a\ntypical daily household job assigned to children in Japan). After... | 1940 | 1941 | 1941 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1943",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "If I've understood correctly, ちょうど followed by a counting word usually means\nsomething like \"just x\" or \"exactly x\" depending on the context, but I can't\nfigure out what it means in this opening sentence of a novel:\n\nバルサが鳥影橋をわたっていたとき、皇族の行列が、ちょうど一... | [
{
"body": "**Edited**. (As Tsuyoshi Ito points out, it may be more natural to take `ちょうど`\nas modifying `さしかかる` rather than `一本`.)\n\nPerhaps, this river has several bridges crossing it, and when バルサ was crossing\n鳥影橋, the royal parade had just reached 山影橋, which is **one bridge** (i.e., the\nnext bridge) towar... | 1942 | 1943 | 1943 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2094",
"answer_count": 7,
"body": "As a foreigner in Japan, one has to get used to the fact that some Japanese\nwill compliment you on things that are too mundane to really deserve mention.\nLike the fact that you can use chopsticks, eat sushi, say 「今日は」, and all that\nsort of thing.\n\nM... | [
{
"body": "I don't think `乗り切って` is a suitable translation in this case. It is too\nliteral of a translation. It does not have to be physical, but it will mean\n'to overcome something'.\n\nMaybe you can start a different topic by\n\n> * それは置いておいて 'leaving that behind, ...'\n> * それはそうと 'while that is that, .... | 1944 | 2094 | 2094 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1956",
"answer_count": 6,
"body": "In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase:\n\n>\n> 幸{さいわ}い日本{にほん}で日本語{にほんご}を勉強{べんきょう}して、かなり話{はな}せるようになりました。日本{にほん}に行{い}っただけのことはありました。\n\nThe translation given is:\n\n> Fortunately, I studied Japanese in Japan and now I can speak it fairly well.\... | [
{
"body": "The given translation is a good one.\n\nGiven some scale, `だけ` either excludes the lower side or the higher side of\nthe standard. Probably you only knew the usage of excluding the higher side.\nThat usage is more common.\n\n * Excluding the higher side of a scale: 'no more than', 'nothing other tha... | 1945 | 1956 | 1956 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1953",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "How do you respond to ありがとうございます and other ways of giving thanks? Are there\nany expressions similar to the English \"You're welcome\" or \"No problem\", or is\nit appropriate to not respond at all?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA ... | [
{
"body": "どう致しまして(どういたしまして) is one way. I tend to go with a simple nod and 'ん', myself.\n(I'm really bad at receiving 'thank yous' in both languages, though.)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-15T12:41:16.013",
"id": "1952",
"last_activity_da... | 1951 | 1953 | 1953 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "「けれども」と「けど」と「けれど」はいったいどう違うんですか。「けれども」はテレビ番組でよく使われているが、「けれども」は「けれど」より丁寧ですか。\n\n_**English translation:_** What exactly do 「けれども」 and 「けど」 and 「けれど」 mean?\nThey often use 「けれども」 on TV programs, but is 「けれども」 more polite than 「けれど」?",
"comment_count": 2,
... | [
{
"body": "`けど` is short for `けれど`, and hence, is colloquial and less polite. `けれども` has\n`も` 'even' added somewhat redundantly. I don't see clear differences between\n`けれど` and `けれども`. The difference among the three may be parallel to the\ndifference among English `though`, `although`, and `even though`. So if... | 1964 | null | 1965 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1967",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "When starting some activity, I've heard something like 'Se..inou... ' (I'm not\nsure what are the specific words for this). The context for this word I'd\nthink is pretty much the same as when saying 1,2,3 start! in English.\n\nActually, is it just some ... | [
{
"body": "It is used to do something simultaneously. \"Together on 2... one, two!\"\n\n「せーの」 is used the most.\n\nYou can hear せーのーで or いっせーの for 3 \"beats\"\n\nVariations will apparently depend on regions and dialects, but 「せーの」looks like\na national standard.\n\nThe stories and origins are multiple and vague... | 1966 | 1967 | 1967 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1980",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I recall in my speaking/listening class last semester in Japan, when we were\ndiscussing proper intonation in the standard dialect, that the intonation of\nありがとう varied rather widely between dialects (i.e. on which mora the intonation\nrises and falls).\... | [
{
"body": "Well, it's kinda tough to put this in text, but I'll try. The number indicate\nthe strength (bigger=stronger).\n\nTokyo: \nありがとう \n5 3 3 3 2\n\nOsaka (Kansai): \nありがとう \n3 3 3 5 5 \nおおきに \n3 3 5 2\n\nI'm not very sure how they sound in other areas like Tohoku, Nagoya, Chugoku\n(Hiroshima etc), ... | 1973 | 1980 | 1980 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1979",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm having trouble understanding this rock star's tweet:\n\nたまーに仮歌とか流れてくる笑RT @maoloveai: @mao_sid シド率はどのくらいですか(^0^)？\n\nWhat is 仮歌？\n\nWhat does that tweet say?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-16T0... | [
{
"body": ">\n> 口でメロディーを歌うデモテープの場合は適当な言葉をあてがうことが多く、この状態のものを「仮歌」と呼び、仮歌を専門に歌う「仮歌シンガー」と呼ばれる歌手もいる\n\n[from\nwikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%87%E3%83%A2%E3%83%86%E3%83%BC%E3%83%97)\n\nSo I'm not 100% sure but they are probably talking about some early prototype\nof a song which still uses some tempora... | 1975 | 1979 | 1979 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1984",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "What are the differences between these three words. They all seem to translate\nto \"books\".\n\n書物、図書 and 本",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-16T13:00:54.793",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "1981",... | [
{
"body": "`本` typically means hard-bounded volume. `図書` can equally refer to magazines\nas well. `書物` has an academic flavour. See Tsuyosh Ito's comment below.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-16T13:52:38.357",
"id": "1984",
"last_activity_d... | 1981 | 1984 | 1984 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1983",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "What is the difference between:\n\n書店 and 本屋\n\nAre there any specific places where you can use one over the other? Or is it\nsimply like the English Bookstore/Bookshop, and are perfectly interchangeable?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC ... | [
{
"body": "`本屋` means bookstore. `書店` means bookstore or publishing company, latter of\nwhich would be normally called `出版社`. `書店` but not `本屋` can be used as\naffixal; there are `....書店` but no `...本屋` with this meaning. There are\n`[...本]屋` like `貸本屋`, but that has a different structure.",
"comment_count"... | 1982 | 1983 | 1983 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1987",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "This is a mistake I habitually make, even though I know what the right form\nis.\n\nEarlier tonight, I wanted to tell my friend \"Let's go together!\", so I sent a\nmail saying:\n\n> 一緒{いっしょ}`で`行{い}こう！\n\nMy friend sent back a mail :\n\n> はい、一緒{いっしょ}`に`行... | [
{
"body": "First, we can't make the blanket statement that 一緒で is always incorrect, only\nthat it is incorrect in this particular case.\n\nLet's start by identifying how に is used here. In the case of 一緒に, に works the\nsame way as in expressions like きれいに (\"neatly\", \"prettily\") and 気軽に\n(\"casually\"): it t... | 1985 | 1987 | 1987 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1990",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I was wondering how do we identify what instruments may be used with the verb\n引く, or 弾く, or both?\n\nIf both 引く and 弾く can be used is there any difference in nuance between one vs\nthe other?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
... | [
{
"body": "引く and 弾く, while pronounced the same, mean different things:\n\n * 引く means to pull, draw or otherwise move or lead in a literal or mostly literal sense (e.g. 手を引く, to lead someone by the hand; 引っ込める, to withdraw or retract)\n\n * 弾く means to play, for a wide variety of instruments, ranging from th... | 1989 | 1990 | 1990 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1993",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Another rock star tweet that I don't understand. Here the word たいがい confuses\nme.\n\nいや、しん様には負けます( ；´Д｀)RT @shinji_sid: いやいやあなたもたいがい…RT @mao_sid: しん様(((o( _ﾟ▽ﾟ_\n)o)))今日もイケメンでした(((o( _ﾟ▽ﾟ_ )o)))RT @shinji_sid: ♪(´ε｀ )つティモテ\n\nIt looks like they are compl... | [
{
"body": "`大概` (taigai) in this context means 'to a decent degree'. In the example, they\nare being modest to each other. A person is praised for something, and that\nperson says that that appies to the other person as well to a decent degree.\nDepending on the context, it may be an irony, and they may actuall... | 1991 | 1993 | 1993 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "1995",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Here's another habitual mistake I make. I'm looking at a sign for a restaurant\nwith pictures of great food. So I remark to my friend:\n\n> 美味{おい}しいそう、ね？\n\n... intending to mean, \"that looks good, don't you think?\" (more literally:\n\"[that] seems del... | [
{
"body": "I believe the issue can be explained more simply than you might think. ～そうだ\nhas two different meanings. One is, indeed, to report hearsay. The other is to\nmake a judgement or conjecture based on a visual cue or observation.\n\n_They have an extremely similar, but slightly different formation._\n\nF... | 1994 | 1995 | 1995 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2002",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I saw this in a tweet just a few minutes ago.\n\nアメリカ…俺よりカイデーな選手がゴロゴロ(ﾟoﾟ;;\n\nThis could be talking about the world cup.\n\nI can't find カイデー defined anywhere. What does it mean? What does that tweet\nsay?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "C... | [
{
"body": "I am not fully sure, but it may be an instance of playing around with words:\ncut a word in half and put them together in the wrong order, which is often\ndone especially among celebrities. In this case:\n\n> でかい → デ + カイ → カイ + デ → カイデー [Vowel lengthened to make it four-mora, which\n> sounds more fa... | 2001 | 2002 | 2002 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2010",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "A few minutes ago after the World Cup ended, Shinji, guitarist of SID, tweeted\nthis:\n\n胸が熱くなりました…(^-^)/日本に勇気と希望をありがとう！\n\nI'm having trouble understanding 日本に勇気と希望をありがとう！\n\nDoes it mean, \"Thank you for giving courage and hope to Japan,\" or does it\n... | [
{
"body": "It is the former. The full sentence will be: `日本に勇気と希望を(くれて)ありがとう`. `有難う` is\nliterally 'it is difficult to happen' or 'it is rare, and hence a valuable\nthing'. There is no room for a `...に` phrase or `...を` phrase to appear within\nthe frame of the predicate; you cannot attribute the rareness to so... | 2005 | 2010 | 2010 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2016",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Saw this on twitter.\n\nつんくさん！いただきます！\n\n<http://lockerz.com/s/121213710>\n\nWhat does that mean?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-17T22:49:57.107",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "2015",
"last_ac... | [
{
"body": "[He](http://www.tsunku.net/) is a rock musician, and is the person who created\nthe idol group `モーニング娘。`. He seems to have appeared in [a TV\ncommercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga-jpFONIic). `いただきます` is the\ngreeting word said before meal, or occasionally before drinking, as in this\ncase.",
... | 2015 | 2016 | 2016 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2018",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I assume you don't -san about the company or organization that employs you, on\nthe grounds it'd be akin to using it about your own family members.\n\nBut when is it usually used? Is it merely when you're talking about the\norganization itself (eg \"This... | [
{
"body": "It can be used for companies because companies have a \"quasi-personality\", but\nnot for their products. But if you use it for companies, it will sound like\nyou are a business person.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-17T23:44:36.467",
... | 2017 | 2018 | 2018 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2022",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I think this what the women's soccer team is called, but I'm not clear on it.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-18T00:51:43.460",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "2020",
"last_activity_date": "2011-... | [
{
"body": "It's a nickname for the Japan women's World Cup team:\n<http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B5%E3%83%83%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E5%A5%B3%E5%AD%90%E4%BB%A3%E8%A1%A8>",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-18T01:04:24.900",
"id": "... | 2020 | 2022 | 2022 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2029",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "What's the difference between 少{すこ}し (sukoshi) and 小{ちい}さい (chiisai)?\n\nIn what situations would I use each one?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-18T04:35:11.963",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "2... | [
{
"body": "「少し」 is an adverb, and as such it modifies verbs (「少し話せる」 -> \"can speak a\nlittle\"), and refers to ability or capability. 「小さい」 is an adjective, and so\nmodifies nouns (「小さい餓鬼」 -> \"little brat\"), and refers to size.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_da... | 2023 | 2029 | 2024 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2027",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "At the bottom of this picture it says あーんしちゃろうか？\n\n<http://ameblo.jp/maofish/entry-10957305590.html>",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-18T05:02:17.050",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "2025",
"las... | [
{
"body": "```\n\n 「あーんしちゃろうか」 = あーん して やろう か \n Shall I give you a mouthful?\n \n```\n\nAt first I also thought it might be 「してしまう」 but only something very unhealthy\n(i.e. a guilty pleasure) would justify this. The 高菜チャーハン (たかなちゃあはん) seemed\npretty healthy to me.\n\nOn further examination (and check... | 2025 | 2027 | 2027 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2054",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Hi all is it true that\n[と言っても](http://jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=toittemo) and\n[とは言え](http://jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=tohaie) are the same thing\nexcept that [と言っても](http://jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=toittemo) is for\nspoken clauses... | [
{
"body": "According to [A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese\nGrammar](http://bookclub.japantimes.co.jp/en/title/A%20Dictionary%20of%20Advanced%20Japanese%20Grammar),\nと（は）言っても and とは言え are synonymous and interchangeable without changing the\nmeaning of the sentence. とは言え is used primarily in writing, while と（は）言... | 2030 | 2054 | 2054 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I received this email from someone close, who has a deadline to finish a\ngraduation thesis:\n\n```\n\n 期日は20日です(>д<)\n これ右端揃うかな？笑\n \n```\n\n右端揃 means \"right-alignment\" but I don't understand what is the meaning of the\nsecond sentence? Is the ... | [
{
"body": "Japanese fonts are usually non-proportional. Each Japanese character\n(hiragana, katakana, and kanji) is a complete square: the height and the width\nare the same. This size is called 全角 'full square'. One reason for this is to\nmake it possible to use the same fontset for vertical and horizontal wri... | 2031 | null | 2032 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "最近の家電はブルーライト推しですな♪(´ε｀ )宇宙船ぽくてカッコマン(^-^)/\n\n<http://lockerz.com/s/121398862>\n\nWhat does カッコマン mean?\n\nWhat does はブルーライト推し turn into in English?\n\nWhat does that whole thing say?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_... | [
{
"body": "As for the `カッコ` part, it is pretty much obvious that it is shortened from\n`格好いい` (kakko(o) ii) 'cool'. I am not sure about the `マン` part.\n\n`ブルーライト推し` means 'to favour blue light LED'.\n\nThe whole translation (except the `マン` part) is:\n\n> Recent household electronics use blue light LEDs so ofte... | 2035 | null | 2042 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2040",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm somewhat confused about the usage and limitations of the ～め suffix that\nmeans \"somewhat/slightly\". I've only ever heard it on a handful of words:\n\n> * 大きめ\n> * 小さ目\n> * 多め\n> * 少な目\n> * 早め\n>\n\nand maybe a few others that I can't reca... | [
{
"body": "1. Yes. There seems to be no limitation on the combination of i-adjectives and `目`.\n 2. Yes. For example, `静かめの曲`\n 3. It is not interchangable. As you already wrote in the question, `目` weakens the attribute expressed by the adjective. Therefore, the adverbial usage `...目に` will in general be a w... | 2037 | 2040 | 2040 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2041",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "What are the differences in the following words meaning **flattery** / **to\nflatter** :\n\n * お世{せ}辞{じ} \n\n * 追{つい}従{しょう} \n\n * おべっか \n\n * 胡{ご}麻{ま}をする \n\n * 阿{おもね}る \n\n * 諂{へつら}う \n\n * 煽{おだ}て（る） \n\n * 美{び}辞{じ}麗{れい}句{く} \n\nWhich o... | [
{
"body": "Most of the listed words imply some insincerity, or at least mixed motives,\nwith the possible exception of 美辞麗句. Roughly, the nuances are as follows:\n\nお世{せ}辞{じ}: Praising someone to make them feel better (despite their poor\nshowing)\n\n> \"Honey, that's a fantastic drawing, I don't care if it got... | 2038 | 2041 | 2041 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2046",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "I have found a kanji in a manga I am attempting to read, that looks like this:\n\n\n\nI have tried to find it in numerous dictionaries, and used multiple different\nmethods. I know the third section is... | [
{
"body": "It looks like a cross between\n\n\n\n<http://jisho.org/kanji/details/%E5%96%9E> (喞)\n\nand\n\n\n\n<http://jisho.org/kanji/details/%E5%8D%BF> (卿)\n\nI love the jisho.org kanji by radical lookup:\n<http://jisho.... | 2044 | 2046 | 2046 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2048",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "From Google searches, I can see that all three particles と, に and が are used\nwith 出会う, but are there differences when using each of the particles or are\nthey interchangeable?\n\nFor ease of explanation, would anyone please explain the differences in\nn... | [
{
"body": "Consider the similarity and the difference between the following English\nexpressions:\n\n> * I and you met ( _or_ You and I met)\n> * I met you\n> * You met me\n>\n\nThe first one handles the two people as a group and as the subject. The second\none is describing from the viewpoint of _I_ ; _y... | 2047 | 2048 | 2048 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2091",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Like a lot of other foreign guys, I picked up some of my Japanese from\nimitating the women I spoke to. Certain phrases may have made me sound\nunwittingly effeminate in the early days when I had less of a grasp on the\nnuances.\n\nOne of those habits wa... | [
{
"body": "_It's late so I'll keep this fairly short and make edits if need-be later._\n\nIt's not that だろう is more masculine in form, it is that it is less formal. And\nto be less formal, is to be more masculine.\n\nWhile slowly changing, Japanese speech is still, for lack of a better word,\nsexist (as well as... | 2049 | 2091 | 2091 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2058",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "In the names of cartoon movies 桜花抄, 百鬼夜行抄, what's the special meaning of 抄? Is\nit a kind of synonym of 物語?",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-19T05:26:26.423",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "2051",
... | [
{
"body": "It means a collection of abstracts/summaries from some original writings.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2011-07-19T07:16:18.953",
"id": "2053",
"last_activity_date": "2011-07-19T07:16:18.953",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_edito... | 2051 | 2058 | 2058 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "2056",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I've been thinking if it is true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで.\nIn other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance?\n\n1) 彼は日本語を20年も勉強しているが、その彼 **にしたところで** 、まだ分からない文法に時々出くわすそうだ。\n\n2) 彼は日本語を20年も勉強しているが、その彼 **にしたっ... | [
{
"body": "The タ-verb (plain past) form + って pattern is most similar, if not identical,\nto the ～ても pattern:\n\n> そんなこと **言ったって** しょうがない。（＝そんなこと **言っても** しょうがない。） It doesn't help matters to\n> say things like that.\n>\n> 名前を **変えたって** 基本的な問題はそう簡単に消えてくれない。（＝名前を **変えても** 基本的な問題はそう簡単に消えてくれない。） Even\n> if you chang... | 2055 | 2056 | 2056 |
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