texts:
Here are some examples:

  取れる+たて ->　取れたて

  ・取れたてのたけのこ; fresh bamboo shoots that have just been harvested.

  できる+たて -> できたて

  ・できたてのごはん;  fresh rice that has just been cooked.

  生まれる+たて -> 生まれたて

  ・生まれたての赤ちゃん; a newly born baby

In what way is it a version of the conjunctive form (連用形?) ?
How does this suffix(?) work and what meaning does it express?


texts:
I'm having trouble deciphering this handwriting. So far, I can definitely tell that the first column says 参拾弐 in 大事, and the fourth column says 手本. Really struggling with column two and some of column three (last two kanji are 弐号, but what's the first?)

(Click for full image.)


texts:
AとB is an exhaustive list, whereas AやB and AやBなど mean A and B and more. (And AとBなど feels inconsistent.) But is there a difference between AやB and AやBなど?

Aなど means 'something like A' or 'A and the like': removing 'など' would substantially change the meaning. On the other hand, AやB and AやBなど are (exactly / more or less) synonymous.

Towards a better understanding of など is related but is about Aなど rather than about AやBなど (it does not have a single 'や' in it).


texts:
I'm trying to say:

  My brother does not use headphones and earpieces because he finds them uncomfortable.

And the basic sentence structure I have in mind is:

  兄は (reason) からヘッドフォンやイヤフォンを使わない。

But I'm not sure how to phrase the "finds them uncomfortable" part as I'm not sure what word/phrase can express this correctly. I found words like 気｛き｝詰｛づ｝まり, 気｛き｝味｛み｝悪｛わる｝い etc in the dictionary but they all seem to deal with the emotional aspect of comfort, such as feeling safe, calm etc. I'm looking for words that refer to physical discomfort, in this context, because headphones are too heavy, stuffy, bulky etc.

Can those words be also used for describing this physical discomfort, or are there better words to express this situation?


texts:
When a friend asks if you want to go to dinner, but have already eaten, then you say "もう食べた".

Is there a way of saying "just ate" (a few minutes ago). Maybe it is another way of saying もう食べた


texts:
This is my understanding:

する名詞：

  運転する。
  残業する。
  勉強する。

their potential forms:

  運転することができる。
  残業することができる。
  勉強することができる。

abbreviated potential forms:

  運転できる。
  残業できる。
  勉強できる。

Can you say 日本語する?
If the answer is no, how can 日本語できる be grammatically correct?
Without realizing it, you are actually saying 日本語が分かることができます.

If ジョンが日本語できる is grammatically incorrect, why is it listed as the premier example of how to use が with the exhaustive listing meaning in this thread with 83 up-votes: What's the difference between wa (は) and ga (が)?

I read ジョンが日本語できる as ジョンが日本語が分かることができる. But, now it looks like a sentence with 3 が that has 2 implied. That seems kind of deceptive and not that useful.

Summary of the question

I agree that ジョンが日本語できる sounds ok. It looks like a sentence with one が. But, you can only create that by tacitly implying が分かることが? 日本語 is not a サ変名詞. You can't say 日本語する. So, you can't simply say 日本語できる? There must be implied が?

83 up-votes cannot be wrong, so where am I wrong?


texts: Is it grammatically correct to use よう without な, に or だ（です）after it?

texts:
神の思し召しであなたとよき友情を育むためにあなたにメールするようお告げがありました

I think the sentence roughly translates into: "For the sake of raising you and good friend into God's thoughts, you mailed a divine message"

Instincts tell me that there should be a な or に before/after the よう in the sentence

I found some pages on the net discussing the proper usage of よう in a sentence from this site and here. All of the examples had ような、ように、なよう, and によう.

I did come across a sample that was written as 話せるよう. The thing that has left me confused is that nothing came after よう.

Was I right to suspect this sentence as being grammatically incorrect or am I completely off the mark?


texts: How do you decide the alias of the radical for kanjis such as "字" and "旧"?

texts:
I recently came across a document that says the radical of "字" is "こへん". And I think that is wrong. Any "_へん" must be in the left region of a kanji (or is that just a guideline?).

The aliases for "子" are listed as: [こども、こ、こへん、こどもへん].  Which of these statements is correct?:

"字"の部首{ぶしゅ}はこへんです。
"字"の部首はこどもへんです。
"字"の部首はこです。
"字"の部首はこどもです。

Just like with "子", there are lots of radicals that can be placed in different regions. So how do you decide the proper radical alias to use for each kanji? For example, the radical of "明" is definitely "ひへん". But, should the radical of "旧" also be called "ひへん"?

CLARIFICATION
I am not asking how to identify the radical of a kanji. Rather, I want to know how to decide the name of the kanji radical aliases.

字 = (うかんむり + こへん)

"うかんむり" is perfectly placed. A radical alias with a "かんむり" suffix goes on top.
"こへん" seems wrong because a radical alias with a "へん" suffix goes in the left region.

字 = (うかんむり + ?)

I'm thinking those suffixes are just guidelines.


texts: How to say "Episode 22", "Chapter 22", "Act 22", etc?

texts:
I just wanted to make sure that my understanding is correct.

When saying Chapter 22, Act 22, or Episode 22 (basically parts of a larger piece), it normally starts with 第22 (or 第[number]) and then the counter. Right? And 第 is another way of saying 目? Basically -th, ie.: fifth, sixth, second, first, ninth. So all I need is the counter for the word I'm using. For instance, the counter for "chapter" is: 章. And the counter for "episode", according to this thread, is: 話.

Is my understanding correct?


texts: -ています / present continuous form not used in habitual action

texts:
I have read this sentence in my book :

  山田{やまだ}さんは毎朝{まいあさ}６時{じ}に起きます{おきます}。

Why isn't the present continuous used (起きています) since it is obviously a habit for Yamada-san to wake up at 6 every morning?
Is it because we already have 毎朝 in the sentence? But then, would it mean that the -ます form is prefered over the -ています form if the meaning of a sentence is clear enough?
Then, does it sound weird to use the present continuous in that kind of sentences?
If my assumption is wrong, what is the difference between this sentence and the same one with -ています form?

To go further…

Could this sentence be translated to future as:

  Mr Yamada will get up at 6 every morning.

Does it depend only on context or would we need to add some words to make sure we understand it as future tense?

Ressources

Wasabi-jpn.com "Customary Actions: the Plain Form VS. the Te-form + いる"
From another book:

  The -ています form can also be used to express a customary and repeated action that takes place through a certain period of time.

  Examples:

    ぎんこうにつとめています。 I work in a bank.

    あねは英語{えいご}の先生{せんせい}をしています。 My sister
    is an English teacher.


texts: Why the adjectival form is used instead of the adverbial form?

texts:
"活発な意見が交された。""There was a lively exchange of opinions."

Why it's not "活発に意見が交された。" ?

The sentence and the translation are both from the deck (of flashcards) core10k.


texts:
みなさん!

I'm supposed to prepare a small speech for an oral exam I have on Monday based on the meals of the day. I'm just a bit confused as to what the correct structure would be;

私は朝ごはんにオートミールを食べます。
朝ごはんはオートミールをたべます。

And a side question porridge = オートミール ?

The doubt I have is that our 先生 hasn't taught us the grammar for the first phrase, so I'm not sure he'd be happy with me using that one. Cheers in advance guys!

ありがとうございます!


texts: Why is を触れさせる rather than を触れる used here?

texts:
十香はその場に座ったまま、不思議そうな顔をして、唇に指を触れさせていた。 (The context is 十香 touched her lips with her finger.)

顔に出ていただろうか。士道は自分の頰を撫でるように手を触れさせながら、誤魔化すように続けた。 (士道 touched his cheek with his hand)

I come across these uses of the causative form long time ago. I’m always wondering why を触れさせる is used, since 触れる can be a transitive verb, as in 彼は私の肩に手を触れた。Could you please explain why 触れさせる, rather than 触れる is used in these sentences?


texts: Is とどまることを知らなかった a misuse of とどまるところを知らなかった?

texts:
休憩が終わり、元のデザイン表とにらめっこしながらペンを走らせつつも、未だ出海の愚痴はとどまることを知らなかった。
Hi. I know the last part of the sentence means she was still complaining. I’m just wondering: is とどまることを知らなかった a misuse of とどまるところを知らなかった, although their meanings are the same? If I search the former on the internet, I will always be redirected to the latter.
Thank you.


texts:
mc「洗濯物？　俺別にその辺に置いといてもらえればそのまま着るけど」

  girl 「だめ、ちゃんと畳むの」

  mc「それよりまずメシ……」

  girl「これが終わったら作ってあげる♪」

  mc 働かざるものなんとやらってか。

I'm pretty sure this is analogous to this saying, so "no folding, no food" of some sorts

but i'm not sure what やらってか is abbreviated from


texts: How do I know when to read the kanji 抱 as 「だ・く」, and when to read it as 「いだ・く」, or even 「うだ・く」?

texts:
This sentence was in a grammar textbook:

  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

... it means:

  "He regarded his colleague as a rival, even to the point of
  considering murder."

My question is about the last kanji, 抱. It seems to have three readings, だ・く, いだ・く, and うだ・く, though I think the last one might be rare.

So far as I can tell, they all carry exactly the same definition, which is "to hold, to embrace, to carry", which can be meant both in the physical sense of actually holding something, as well as the metaphorical sense of holding onto a feeling, like a grudge. (So I would assume the translation above, which isn't mine, took the liberty of changing "harbouring intentions of murder" into "considering murder".)

Is there a way I can determine which reading is the right one? Unless I'm mistaken, they all conjugate with the same okurigana, so I can't use the trailing hiragana as any kind of indicator.

Is there any difference in implied meaning or usage between the readings?

Also, slight bonus question... My understanding is that the だ・く reading can be used as a slang way of saying sex (I saw it used that way in a TV show once). Is that true, what would be the nuances it carries, and is it also true for the other readings?

Lastly: As is always my preference, please keep answers readable for all, with either no technical linguistic terminology, or with linguistic terms in a separate section for those who want it. Thanks!


texts: What is the difference between 危ない and 危うい?

texts:
I came across this question, and found the same meaning in the dictionary for both options

  (a-危ない)　or　(b-危うい)　ですから　下がってください

however the answer booklet says it is (a-危ない), what is the difference?


texts: Why does Duolingo say that 中 is pronounced "naka" but spelled ちゅう?

texts:
I am currently doing the beta course for Japaneses on duolingo. In one of the lessons, I was confronted with this question which I kept getting wrong:

When I play the sound, the voice clearly says "naka", which I think is なか, but the answer is ちゅう, which I beleive is pronounced "chuu".

What is happening here?


texts:
I came across this sentence, and I've been trying to figure out it's exact meaning.

  要は言わなきゃいいだけの話です。

First we have the 言わなきゃいい, which means "it doesn't have to be said".

It is followed by a verb + だけ construct, that is used to trivialize the verb, thus so far we have something like "You simply don't have to talk about that".

Combining all this in the sentence rationally, I came to the conclusion that it means the following:

  The point is, it's a topic that you simply shouldn't touch.

For some reason though, my gut feeling tells me that it is more complicated though, one other possible meaning that I can think of:

  The point is, this should be obvious to anyone / shouldn't even be mentioned.

Is one of these translations correct?


texts: Is it even sensible to translate non-English/Chinese vocabularies into Japanese?

texts:
I suppose the average Japanese does not know another alphabetical language other than English, so even I if I managed to use katakana to match the pronunciation perfectly it would not be understood.
That means it must either be translated into another language first or left alone as it is. Is there any other suggestion?
(note:not a translator, just curious)


texts: 含む vs. 含んでいる vs. 含まれている

texts:
I would like to know if there is a difference in nuance between these four sentences. I am trying to say oranges are high in vitamin C. These are based off a sentence I found in Jisho.

  1.) オレンジはたくさんのビタミンＣを含む。
  2.) オレンジはたくさんのビタミンＣを含んでいる。
  3.) オレンジにはビタミンＣがたくさん含まれている。
  4.) オレンジにはビタミンＣがたくさん含まれる。

Thank you!


texts: What is the purpose of で in this sentence?

texts:
I am currently reading chapter 118 of the webcomic One-Punch Man, and came across this sentence:

  検定の日を狙っていた奴がダメ押しでもう一人現れた.

I run across a lot of sentences with the particle で, and I never know when it's supposed to be used as "and" when it's used together with a noun, or "because". I don't know if this sentence is "(the person) made doubly sure, AND..." or if it is "BECAUSE (the person) made doubly sure, ...." or maybe it means something completely different.

Is there a rule or hint I can use to rule out one or the other?

Edit:

So I asked A Japanese lady I tutor in English, and she said that this is a really weird grammar structure that mostly youth use, and seems to be kinda limited to be used only in Manga (unsure how genuine this is), but the meaning of the で particle here is connected to ダメ押し, meaning that the person who came/aimed at this test came here by being absolutely /doubly sure in their heart that they would win/pass, and it connects to もう一人現れた by meaning that another person who was absolutely/doubly sure they would win/pass in their heart also arrived.

Now I probably paraphrased this horribly, but at least now I know that it was neither of the ways of using the particles that I previously thought, and I can use that information to research it more on my own.


texts: In modern usage how do Japanese natives regard the differences between 外人, 外国人 and 外人さん?

texts:
As a near native speaker of Japanese, I find it annoying to be called 外人 since it seems to imply that I "know nothing about Japan" (outsider). I much prefer 外国人.

In modern usage, how do native speakers regard the differences between 外人, 外国人 and 外人さん?

Also are there any newer more "PC" uses of the word coming into use (akin to not calling North American natives 'Indians')?


texts:
For full context, see here:
https://www.docdroid.net/oraqSdS/img-20170830-0001-new.pdf

The following sentence is taken from Line 11-13:
奇数番号は記憶型かどうか調べるもので、丸が4つ以上ある人は「ぼんやり」、6つ以上あったら「かなりぼんやり」である。

First, I’m a bit puzzled on this もので. Is it particle も + ので, or もの + (の中)で?
Second, I don’t know whatsoever with this まる and the numbers. I’ve no idea what they are talking about.
Third, I can’t integrate 「ぼんやり」 and 「かなりぼんやり」 , which is also because I’m lacking context (See First and Second).

However, here’s my attempt at full translation.
„Concerning a series of odd digits, out of the search results about which type of memory, the people where the circle is 4 and upwards (it is) ‘absentminded’, and when it is 6 ‘fairly absentminded’.

I’m basically clueless what the text is talking about here xD


texts:
So Link (this elf kid) walks into an weapons shop and the seller/vendor says:

武器やったらなんでも売ってるで、金塊次第やなあ！

I guess he's saying:

If you want to buy weapons, I sell everything, provided you have the money! Muhaha!

やったら 1. if that's the case
なんでも売ってる I sell everything

But this translation is a bit off, doesn't sound smooth.


texts: I heard そうよ存外怖くはないわ in a song, but I don't get the meaning of そうよ.


texts:
I was reading an article and I came across this sentence:

  車の会社がいつごろこのような自動運転の車を売り始めるか予想しました

What exactly does the か in this sentence/what is the meaning?


texts: Why does やすい conjugate to やすく in 分かりやすくいえば?

texts:
I was wondering how やすい becomes やすく in 分かりやすくいえば?

Here is the full sentence:

  分かりやすくいえば あいつらにとって葉山は友達で


texts:
I've read it on syotetsu https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0715el/95/

From what I gather, "その逸話に違わず" means something like "Different from the anecdotes." Is that correct?

Is this a set phrase or something?

Why is anecdote used here instead of something like rumors or stories?


texts:
Difference between 入って and 入りって ?
I imported a car from Japan some time ago, and when I turned on the ignition for the first time, the car started talking to me! I managed to translate the sentence using Google translate:
"Kado iritte kudasai"
kado - "card"
iritte - 入って - "go in"
kudasai - ください - "please give me"
I.e. "Please enter card". Makes sense.
However, entering "入って" gives the pronunciation as "haitte", which is not what I'm hearing from the device.
Why does "iritte" get transliterated to "入って",  which is then pronounced "haitte" (according to Google translate, at least)? I did somehow manage to get different kana for "iritte" as 入りって.


texts:
The phrase in question comes from がばいばあちゃん p.167, ch. 13.

I think 水を張った大きな箱 means a box filled with water (and tofu, as it says elsewhere in the text).

I'm a little confused because I thought 張る is used with 氷 to say 'spreading ice' or 'forming ice'.

Please clarify.


texts: What's the difference between にはおかない and にはすまない?

texts:
I've searched them online, but still couldn't distinguish these two. I know:
①The former is to remark or to express a strong feeling.
②The later is more about personal emotion, obligation and social common sense.
There are two sentences below.
③理由はどうであれ、飲酒運転でまったのだから、罰金を払わ「ないではすまない」。⭕
④理由はどうであれ、飲酒運転でまったのだから、罰金を払わ「ないではおかない」。　❌
I know why the ③ is correct, but I don't understand why the ④ is wrong. Why can't I view the ④ as a kind of remark? So it will be correct.
And how to explain the use of てはすまない  in the picture?


texts: Mora count for 思ふ in Classical Japanese?

texts:
During an analysis I was performing of the poems contained in the 古今集 I noticed a curious pattern.  Otherwise perfectly-formed poems included in the collection seemed to ignore the morae-count on a consistent basis with respect to the verb 思ふ【おもふ】, allowing it an extra beat, as you can see in the following examples:

6-7-5-7-7:

  をしと思【おも】ふ
  心【こころ】はいとに
  よられなむ
  ちる花【はな】ごとに
  ぬきてとどめむ

5-8-5-7-7:

  五月雨【さみだれ】に
  物思ひ【ものおもひ】をれば
  郭公【ほととぎす】
  夜【よ】ふかくなきて
  いづちゆくらむ

5-7-6-7-7:

  夕【ゆふ】ぐれは
  雲【くも】のはたてに
  物【もの】ぞ思ふ【おもふ】
  あまつそらなる
  人【ひと】をこふとて

5-7-5-8-7:

  いつはとは
  時【とき】はわかねど
  秋【あき】のよぞ
  物思ふ【ものおもふ】事【こと】の
  かぎりなりける

5-7-5-7-8:

  春【はる】きぬと
  人【ひと】はいへども
  うぐひすの
  なかぬかぎりは
  あらじとぞ思【おも】ふ

These examples are not exhaustive; they are merely to demonstrate the phenomenon and to show that it doesn't matter which line it appears in.

What I'm wondering is if the rules on morae-counts are more complex than originally thought and actually have a provision allowing for this, or if there were some other explanation for it.

On a similar note, I noticed while researching this question that あらば gets a pass when on a 5-morae line when paired with 3-kana words (e.g. 「こころあらば」、「いのちあらば」), while the related あれば seems to get a free pass in more settings (about 1/3 of total occurrences).  I'm almost inclined to think any potential rule involves the ば form, however that's not a consistent element in the 思ふ cases.


texts:
Here's an excerpt from the article I am reading (link to the article):

  あくまで私の個人的な評価ではありますが、この中からあなたのお気に入りの本がきっと見つかるはずですよ！また、今回取り上げる本は文庫版がほとんどなので気軽に買って読んでもらえる作品ばかりです。

Last line is where I am stuck at. I understand it as,

'Most of the books I am going to introduce this time are paperbacks which can be casually bought and read anywhere'

What I don't understand is the もらえる at the end. Is it there only for politeness or does it have any nuance ?

Would the last sentence make sense without the もらえる、

  今回取り上げる本は文庫版がほとんどなので気軽に買って読める作品ばかりです。


texts: Why is 着 used for both "to wear" [着]{き}る and "to arrive" [着]{つ}く?

texts: The usual situation with multiple kun readings for a kanji is that they are closely related in meaning (like [上]{あ}がる, [上]{のぼ}る). But with [着]{き}る and [着]{つ}く I fail to see any semantic connection. Why is the same character used? Did one of the meanings formerly use another character that became the same by simplification?


texts: What was the Japanese word for "clockwise" (時計回り) before clocks were commonplace?

texts:
In English, before clocks were commonplace, the word "clockwise" was obviously not in common use. Instead, the closest alternative to "clockwise" was the now-archaic word "deasil", and its antonym was "widdershins" (or, perhaps, people just used "right" and "left"; see also: What did we say before “clockwise”? on English.SE).

The Japanese word for "clockwise" - 時計回り - also involves clocks. What was the Japanese word for 時計回り before 時計 became commonplace? I see that 右回り is given as a synonym/definition for 時計回り in some dictionaries; is this what was most commonly used in olden times?


texts:
I was reading a manga and a character said:

  今宵はここまでだ
  下がって良いぞ

After they noticed that the person they were talking to didn't move, they said:

  おい
  余は退がれと
  言ったのだ

That's why I'm guessing 退がる reads and means the same as 下{さ}がる, but I don't understand how it came to be. It's hard to find something about it on the internet.

退{しさ}る comes up. It seems to have the same meaning as 下{さ}がる in this context, as well as the more modern word 退{しりぞ}く.


texts: Does なりやした mean なりました?

texts:
I received this message:「行けることになりやした」. Doing a quick Google search for なりやした, I found a few phrases like 「新米母になりやした！」and 「遅くなりやした。」

Is it a kind of slang for なりました?


texts:
I already know how to use あげる、もらう and くれる as verbs...
But I  have some questions regarding the te form of a verb + てあげる、てもらう、てくれる. Where I'm learning it they translate Verb(teform)+あげる/もらう as making a favor like

友達がゲームをするのを教えてくれた。
My friend made me the favor  of teaching me how to play the game. Is there a better way to translate it?

What different tone this sentence has in comparisson to something like:

友達がゲームをするのを教えた。?

Also, is くれる　only allowed when the action is going for me? When talking about a third person should I always use あげる or もらう?

"The mother took her children to the school."
母が彼女の子供に学校で連れてくれた. Is it wrong? How could it be right?
母が彼女の子供に学校で連れてもらった.
母が彼女の子供に学校で連れてあげた.

Also I can't really tell what different meaning the sentence would have changing the end like that, even though I know how to use it as verbs alone.
Sorry for the big question, I hope I am making sense.


texts: na-adjectives in different tenses. これは真面目だった人です。

texts:
I need some help with basic grammar.
What is the difference between these sentences:

  これは真面目だった人です。
  これは真面目な人でした。
  これは真面目だった人でした。

Thank you in advance!


texts:
listening to a song lyric, I hear: あたしをしかってくれるひと　…　the only しかって I know well is "scold" ... but it doesn't make a lot of sense in the lyric. I typed しかう　(thinking it might be a verb I don't know) into google, and google says it means "to think" ...but google doesn't offer any kanji form, so I can't compare the word, and can't find any other website that offers a translation of しかう.

it is from the first ending song of the recent anime Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san.

the lyrics up to that point are as follows:

  ロマンティック 恋{こい}のアンテナは
  romanitikku koi no antenna wa
  My romantic love antenna

  嵐{あらし}で何処{どこ}かへ飛{と}んでいった
  arashi de dokoka e tonde itta
  was blown away somewhere by a storm

  嘘{うそ}でしょう 冷{つめ}たく遇{あしら}った
  uso deshou tsumetaku ashiratta
  "I can’t believe you" he said, spurning me coldly

  こしゃくなエクボに
  koshaku na ekubo ni
  his impudent little dimples

  ちょっと 心{こころ}が揺{ゆ}れてる
  chotto kokoro ga yureteru
  are making my heart flutter a little

  ホントは 本気{ほんき}であたしを
  hontou wa honki de atashi wo
  "The truth is, you’re important to me

  叱{しか}ってくれる大事{だいじ}な人{ひと}
  shikatte kureru daijina hito
  because you scold me so seriously."


texts: Must do : ～なければならない vs ～なくてはいけない

texts:
What are the differences when using ～なければならない and ～なくてはいけない, or their colloquial contracted forms ～なきゃ and ～なくちゃ when saying "must do"?

For example, what is the difference in the nuance and usage of the following "must eat" statements:

食べなければならないよ。
食べなくてはいけないよ。

Also, I found that ～なければいけない and ～なくてはならない also exist when searched on Google but are they also as commonly used as the first two? What are the differences?


texts:
首相は
  「想定の利益が出ないなら当然支払いに影響する。
  給付に耐える状況にない場合は、給付で調整するしかない」
   と述べ、

This is more a need for translation help.
I am going to share my analysis about this text.

  The prime minister said
  [If the supposed profit will not arrive, of course it will have influence on payments.
  If it looks like we come to a situation where we cannot bear the payments, we will make adjustment through them (The payments).]

にない=Negative of 似る
給付で調整するしかない= I think で in this case has the meaning of "by means of".

Here is the source:
http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20160215-00000074-jij-pol


texts: Is「挑発に対応しなかった」another way to say「挑発に乗らなかった」?

texts:
「挑発に乗る」 and 「挑発に対応する」 both sound to me like: "To respond to a provocation."

Is this correct? Any important differences?

--- extra question #2 ---

As per the given answer, 「挑発に乗る」 is to respond irrationally. That makes sense because it is a metaphor.

What about negating both phrases?

「挑発に乗らなかった」 means to not respond to provocation (in an *irrational* manner)
「挑発に対応しなかった」 means to no respond to provocation (in a *rational* manner)

Ultimately, could I say something like:

  田中さんの挑発に乗らなかったにしても、対応した。

means:

  I didn't let Tanaka provoke me into an irrational response. Rather, I countered his provocations in a measured tone.


texts:
I came across an image on Deviantart that has Japanese text written on it, so I am trying to translate it. You can see it here: https://www.deviantart.com/ryonapage/art/Dominated-710481249 (Warning: Not Safe For Work)

The part that I'm stuck on is the onomatopoeia ピクンッ. I found out from the website (http://thejadednetwork.com/sfx/search/?keyword=%E3%83%94%E3%82%AF&submitSearch=Search+SFX&x=) that ピクッ means twitch. But it doesn't have ピクンッ listed. Is it some sort of  variant?

If you know the answer, please tell me. Thanks in advance.


texts: Use of に with -てあげる/-てくれる with a human direct object

texts:
Quoting from page 292 of A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (DBJG), entry for に, note 2:

"Any transitive verb used in the V-てあげる or V-てくれる construction can take に, if the verb does not take a human direct object."

"...ほめる, which takes a human object, cannot take に..."

The (only) example they give for the second quote is

  先生は私(を / *に)ほめてくださいました。
  My teacher praised me.

My issue is that since the indirect object (the one receiving the favour) and direct object (the one praised) are the same (私), one would normally leave out the indirect object anyway. i.e. you wouldn't say

  ☓先生は私に私をほめてくださいました。

But DBJG seem to be saying that a transitive verb in てあげる form with a human direct object cannot take an indirect object under any circumstances.

So let's construct a sentence where the indirect object and direct object are two different people (me and Tanaka respectively). Is the following sentence allowed?

  先生は私に田中を叱ってくださいました。
  The teacher scolded Tanaka (for my sake).


texts: In this sentence, is changing "迎える" to "迎えられる" for a potential or honorific reason?

texts:
Here is part of a document that I am reading:

  本日は、世界最高の大学のひとつで卒業式を迎えられる皆さんとご一緒できて、とても光栄です。

"everyone who is able to be attending" or
"everyone who is attending" as an honorific ?


texts: Why do Japanese people read Classical Japanese with a set of weird sound shifts?

texts:
I'm learning a bit of Classical Japanese recently, and of course the spelling of words is pretty different, due to sound changes over the centuries. For example, きょう was spelled けふ. That I can understand, since no language has static sounds.

I then went to YouTube and listened to a Japanese guy explain Classical Japanese. In the first lesson what he did was explain "historical kana orthography" and gave a whole bunch of ridiculous pronunciation rules. Yes, I understand that was how Japanese pronunciation changed over the centuries, but why should we emulate the sound shifts into Modern Japanese when we are reading Classical Japanese? What bad is there in reading いろはにほへと、ちりぬるを as "i ro fa ni fo fe to, ti ri nu ru wo" as it used to be pronounced?


texts: られる honorific/polite versus passive origin

texts:
Is the られる used as a honorific (some sources use "polite", but I assume it's a honorific?) related to the passive form (perhaps it's alternative usage) or is it something that emerged separately? (would the difference have some potential impact?)

From what I found out:
Passive
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugation
"The passive is used: (...) as a form of respectful language"

https://cotoacademy.com/japanese-keigo/#Honorific
"The honorific style can also be expressed with what is called the “easy keigo” with verbs used in the passive form れる or られる"

https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-lessons/the-honorific-form-the-humble-form-and-the-polite-form/.l
"Alternative Form: To Use the Passive Form"
"When using the passive form as a honorific form"

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/causepass#Using_passive_form_to_show_politeness
"using passive form is another more polite way to express an action"

Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
"Passive verbs are also used as honorific expressions"

Versus

Not passive
https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/651/9719
"Don't forget that there is a third conjugation of this form that is a type of keigo"

Author of Japanese from Zero in discord:
"That is not passive nor is it potential. It is a high level polite."

So no idea who is right. It being a different usage of the passive form would imho make sense as it would follow the politeness through indirectness approach (passive somewhat feels less direct to me) ... and maybe that it seems less likely there would be another conjugation to just happen to end with られる. But I'm not a linguist


texts:
上には上がいるので自分はすごいんですなんてそうそう言っちゃいけないなとつくづく感じるわ……
本気ですごいでしょ？って言っていいのなんて世界で一番の界隈に入った時だけよな〜〜
じゃないと恥をかく

I'd translate it as:

I strongly feel that, because there is always someone better than you, I can't particularly say that I'm amazing
I could only say that I'm amazing when I entered the best neigbourhood in the world. Otherwise, I get embarrassed

I saw 「X界隈」 can mean "person who likes X", but that doesn't seem to fit here. However, "neighbourhood" doesn't, either.
That's my main issue, but I also particularly don't understand this part:

言っちゃいけないなとつくづく感じるわ

Is that 「な」 the one that adds certain emotion at the end of the sentence?
And I don't really understand this part either:

本気ですごいでしょ？って言っていいのなんて世界

Is that 「の」 the one that adds a tone of explanation?
Is 「本気ですごいでしょ？って言っていいの」 qualifying 「世界」 through 「なんて」? If so, how could I translate it? I understand that the structure 「Aで一番B」 means "the most B among A". So that would turn the translation of the second part of the tweet into something like this:

Only when I entered the best neighbourhood in a world where I can easily say that I'm seriously amazing

I'm definitely wrong somewhere, so please help me.


texts: Recognizing these kanji: a counter with a circle at the top; and "【?】に" (looks like 大 at the bottom)

texts:
I'm puzzling over these kanji...

And this. Is it 数, right? Then, it might be translated as "several meters"?


texts: I'm sure 椅子 is more common but I can't find any information on the nuance of 席


texts:
I am trying to translate a sentence from English to Japanese in order to include it in an email, but I can't really find a satisfying equivalent in the target language.

The sentence goes as :

  But it is true that it (the Japanese language) is getting easier over time.

I have :

  でもだんだんやさしくなることは本当です。

Or should I say 「やさしくなっていることは」

I have have also tried :

  でもなるほど日本語がますますやさしくなってきています。

Please let me know if this is wrong, or if there is a better way to say it.


texts: Origin of Natsume Soseki's Translation of "I love you"

texts:
Recently, while playing through Persona 4, I've learned that apparently Natsume Soseki translated the English phrase of "I love you" into

  月が綺麗ですね。

and I, wondering if there was a source for this, did some googling. Some seem to indicate the actual phrase is

  月がとっても青いなぁ

or

  月がとっても青いから

Which one of these is it actually? And is there a source for this?

P.S. Apparently, "I love you" is translated as 死んでもいいわ by 二葉亭 四迷


texts:
In the context of 「冬場は朝の空気がピンと張{は}りつめている」I'm confused about 「張りつめている」.

I've seen examples where 空気が張りつめている means a tense atmosphere/air, but how would this be expressed in the context of "winter morning air"?  Can winter morning air be "tense"? And would this a positive or negative feeling?

I've come across a synonym in an online dictionary that said "tingling" but gave no example. When I think of "tingling/tingley" I think of "electrifying" or "chill(ing)" - something that sends a feeling through your body - so would it be a stretch to say that this could possibly be similar to brisk or crisp or bracing (or any other synonym of "brisk")? I just can't get past a description of winter morning air as being tense or stifling.


texts: What is the English proverb equivalent of 腹八分目{はらはちぶんめ}に[医者]{いしゃ}いらず and the history behind the proverb?

texts:
Context:
I encountered this in a compulsory book about moral education for elementary school student by MEXT "私たちの道徳"
Source
My question:

What is the best equivalent proverb in English of: 腹八分目に医者いらず?

What is the background story of this proverb in Japanese?

Why do the Japanese use "八分目" or "80% full"?

Is there probably any medical record or any medical publication source that this is true or is this only a conjecture at best?

My attempt in translating it:

Eating in moderation is good for your health.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Is this natural?
Thank you in advance!


texts: 指導に当たる meaning? To teach someone or to be taught by someone

texts:
I was reading a passage about the life of Hideyo Noguchi and found this phrase.
The biography said

  39ー51歳
  黄熱病の研究のため、中・南米に渡り、アフリカにも行く。

  現地の医師の指導に当たる。

My question is, does that mean that Hideyo taught and instructed the local physicians there at Africa or was he taught by those locals?

Thanks


texts: I was just wondering what is the translation for "いいのにな" in English. I'm kind of confused about that "のに".


texts:
That is, why does adding the 「も」 particle to question words give it a universal, for lack of a better term, word. It's not even always required to be there, as in sentences like

  お好み焼きが何よりいい
  Okonomiyaki is better than anything

which is just as correct as using 「よりも」 as far as I'm aware.


texts: If both are correct, are there any differences between them?


texts: 頭金 means "initial deposit". The meaning of first Kanji is "head", the second - "money, gold". How to understand them both - etymology? "Head" + "money" seems not related.


texts:
When writing in humble 謙譲語｛けんじょうご} language, I see いたします and させていただきます. What is the difference between these two forms?

For example both mean "I will contact you" in humble language, what is the difference in the two?

  連絡させていただきます。
  連絡いたします。


texts: What does it mean to have も plus the て form and きて？A translation gives me “Now that it’s snowing...” so does するもしてきて mean “Now that it’s X...”? Or is there another meaning to it?


texts:
The island of Tsushima is written 対馬{つしま}. Why? No reading of 対 and 馬 can produce つしま, and clearly つしま has something to do with 島{しま}. There seems to also be no gikun-type motivation in meaning to write 対馬, which honestly is a weird name for an island ("against a horse"?).

The Korean and Chinese names do use the characters 対馬 and Chinese-based readings though (daema and duima). However, it seems unlikely that the Chinese/Korean name came first, as the island is Japanese throughout history. In any case, even if 対馬 came from Chinese, why keep the つしま name?


texts: What is the difference between 端, 縁 and 先っちょ?

texts:
I struggle to visualise the differences between 端, 縁 and 先っちょ after
reading many examples and definitions online:

The approximate english translations are very similar:

端: end, tip, point margin (synonyms: 端っこ)

縁: rim, brim, edge brink

先っちょ: end, tip, point (synonyms: 先、先端)

I don't understand the difference between these sentences (some might be incorrect)

  がけ端 vs. がけの縁 vs. がけの先っちょ
  ベッドの端 vs. ベッドの縁 vs. ベッドの先っちょ
  鉛筆の端 vs. 鉛筆の縁 vs. 鉛筆の先っちょ

Another word I found is 際, but I'm guessing this is rarely used.

Probably a related post:

縁＆端: Are these readings still relevant?

I would like to know the contexts and when it's appropriate to use each word.


texts:
How would you say: "I want a girl to sit on my face" in Japanese?
Would it be something like this: "俺の顔の上に女の子を座りたいだ"?


texts:
Today I had a discussion with some coworkers about items in apartments.

One coworker called the water heater above the sink [給湯器]{きゅうとうき}, and the other coworkers thought that that item was called [湯沸器]{ゆわかしき}. Eventually, they weren't quite sure but decided that the 給湯器 vs. 湯沸器 issue was a generation thing (i.e., people in their 20s call the water heater 給湯器 and people mid-30s and above call it 湯沸器.)

Is there any difference in meaning between 給湯器 and 湯沸器? If not, is there any difference in who uses 給湯器 and 湯沸器?


texts:
I came across this sentence which confused me:

どう言う苗字を付けようかと思った時,...

I didn't understand how 言う describes a word like 苗字 better. Now I started to think backwards about it.
So if one was to start with a sentence that had と言う苗字, と言う名前, と言う意味 a「quote」would precede the phrase. If と gets replaced with どう, there obviously can't be a quote preceding it. However the sentence could have been 「山田」と言う苗字を付けようかと思った時,... → When they were thinking about taking the name yamada. And now it is → When they were thinking which name to take. The thing that got me is, that that means the 言う "belongs" more to the どう than the 苗字.
Is it ok to think about it like that?


texts:
I'm having trouble understanding this person is saying.  I understand he is complaining that someone is late but not much more after that.

  おそいぞ 10時ギリギリか 相変わらずとぼけた奴だぜ


texts: Why does the word for "high school" use 校 instead of 学?

texts:
I'm learning Japanese on Duolingo and they're starting to teach me some vocabulary about schooling. Things like 大学, 中学, 小学, and... 高校?

I know that 学校 is the kanji spelling of "school," but why does "high school" use the 校 kanji, whereas all the other forms use the 学 kanji? What's the difference between these two kanji/why is one more appropriate for high-school specifically?

James' answer below has informed me that 日本語 has abbreviations for some of its words, in this case from 高等学校 to 高校. My question now becomes, "Why does 高等学校 get abbreviated to 高校, keeping the 校, but all other forms of school keep the 学 instead?"


texts: Understanding the particle や in the phrase "今や"

texts:
(Moved from Insertion of "y" sound between vowels since it appeared to be unrelated.)

In the following quote:

  私の世界へようこそ。 今やこの世界をコントロールできる唯一の人間だ。

What is the function of the particle や here?  I see a definition for 今や in edict:

  now (esp. in contrast to the past); now at last; at present; right now

I don't understand how や figures into this, though.  I would have expected 今は.  Is there any way to understand the function of や here, or should I memorize 今や as a set phrase?


texts: Is 「出ちゃいけません」 short for 「出ちゃってはいけません」?

texts:
The sentence in question:

道の外側に出ちゃいけません！

While it is obvious what it means, I am wondering how precisely it is constructed grammatically.
The textbook way of expressing "must not do" using いけない is:
[て-Form] は いけない
So going by that I would construct it as follows:
出る　→　出ちゃう　→　出ちゃって　→　出ちゃってはいけません
So I assume 「出ちゃいけません」 is simply a shortened form of this grammar.
Is that correct?
If yes, is this common?
If no, how is 「出ちゃいけません」 made up grammatically?


texts: Why in the expression "ぜんぜん違う" the verb is in positive?

texts:
I have been studying the adverbs and in the grammar book they said that there are some negative adverbs that means that when you use it the next verb must be in negative form, for example:

  あまり わかりません

  ぜんぜん 出来ない

But I found the expression ぜんぜん違う shouldn't it be ぜんぜん違わない? how do I know when to put the verb in a positive form or in a negative form?


texts: How do I find the right meaning of homonyms 同音異義語 via audio?

texts:
Japanese has a lot of homonyms and sometimes one has more than 10 meanings.

When I heard the following sentences on the phone or a radio. How do I deal with it?

はしのはしですか？
きのう、かきをたべたけどあまりおいしくなかった
これはすいせいですか？きんせいですか？
かいじょうには、たくさんのえいががありました


texts:
So I was reading from this particular site on Japanese sentence structure and what dawn to me was, this particular structure seems to be OVS.
(object/noun, verb, subject)
There's not a whole lot of explanation behind this, can someone confirm if I am right?

  Did you hear from her?

  彼女｛かのじょ｝から聞｛き｝きましたか？

  彼女 means “her,” so what you’re saying is “her from” rather than “from
  her.”


texts:
I have a sentence in my book like this:
日本が　アメリカによく聞かれて困る質問の一つに、”How are you?"　は　日本語で何と言うか、というのがある。

and found a similar example here:
アメリカでは大学への申込の手続きの一つに「なぜＸ大学に行きたいのか」ということに関してエッセイを書くというのがあります。

The part I am confused about is the の一つに... in particular, the に part. Why are we placing a location particle next to 一つ... shouldn't it just be ｘの一つは　（Ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　Ｘ）


texts: would 「なんとか」 be an acceptable replacement for "something"?

texts:
like as an example:
if i forgot the name of a song but i remembered part of it, so i said "zenryoku something" (i say something because i don't know what comes after zenryoku), would 「全力」なんとか be an appropriate translation?

sorry if i tagged this wrong, this is my first time asking on this forum.


texts:
Is there any difference in meaning between the words じょうご and ろうと, both meaning something like "funnel", both written with the kanji 漏斗?

There's some indication in the answers here that ろうと may be a specific term used when you're talking about scientific experiments, but no such distinction in the dictionaries I have access to.

How about in compounds? For example, 漏斗雲{ろうとうん} - is it always ろうと in these cases?


texts: How should I use 始める (はじめる) and 始まる (はじまる) as a suffix to intransitive verbs?

texts:
When describing intransitive actions that are commencing, I often end up saying dumb things like 沸き始まる (わきはじまる) instead of 沸き始める (わきはじめる) - starting to boil. Perhaps it's some meta pattern I am projecting from my knowledge of English!?!

When should I use which, what are the rules and common exceptions?

Thank you


texts: What is the function of おけ in this sentence? 記しておけ

texts:
記しておけ

what is the role of おけ in this sentence.
Another sentence

放っておけ


texts: Nuance and conversational use of なきにしもあらず

texts:
In a story I am reading, a woman (who I assume is in her 20-30s) uses the expression:

なきにしもあらず

A simple dictionary lookup shows this means something like:

ないわけではない
少しはある

While this fits the context, I am surprised why a younger person would be using this expression, which seems to have an old/literary connotation.

Would any modern young person actually use this expression? If so, would it sound like they are trying to sound "cool" or "intellectual"?


texts: Do Japanese people use quotation marks for emphasis?

texts:
I came across this tweet today:

  Is this the least confidence-inspiring use of inverted commas ever?

The English part of the sign has "Safe" and "Comfortable" in inverted commas, and the Japanese part likewise has "安心" (relief, peace of mind) and "快適" (pleasant; agreeable; comfortable) in quotation marks / corner brackets.

I've previously seen people, including native speakers of English, use quotation marks for emphasis in English, though it's listed as a "Word Crime" in "Weird Al" Yankovic's song. Do people use quotation marks for emphasis in Japanese as well?

(Note for non-native speakers of English: Don't worry about the stuff said in "Word Crimes" - it's complaining about mistakes made by native speakers, not those learning it as a second language, and some experts disagree with some of the rules about English espoused in the song)


texts: Saying "to miss" ("I missed you over the weekend")

texts: What's the best way to say "to miss" in the sense of feeling a longing for something, or that something pleasant is missing? I understand there's [懐]{なつ}かしむ, but it seems to me that, like 懐かしい, is more appropriate for recalling your childhood home or a great vacation or something like that, not a "smaller" context like "I miss having lunch with you on the weekends" or something like that. Am I wrong?


texts:
Can someone help me with the difference between この and こんな and when to use each?

Also I see that こんな is almost always with に particle, why's that?

Does the rules to when to use each of those apply to the difference between その and そんな as well?


texts:
I am working on Genki, 1st ed., vol. 1, p. 139, F., 3. The question asks me to “Make your own sentences on the topics below using adjectives...”

Here is the “topic” it provides me to construct the sentence:

  「私のとなりの人は」

I Googled this phrase for its meaning, but I did not find an exact match. Instead, I found a similar phrase:

  Yamada-san wa watashi no tonari no hito desu.

which it also translates into English as,

  Mrs. Yamada is the person (who is sitting) next to me.

Anyway, does the topic I provided above thus mean “the person who is next to me”? I expected 私のとなり人は, without the の between となり and 人 (i.e., like 人は私のとなり).


texts: How would you say "x is exhausting/tiring"?

texts:
I know that "I'm tired" translates to

  疲{つか}れました

But how would you say, for example "PE class is exhausting" ?  疲れる is intransitive, so you can't say something like "PE class exhausts me", and there doesn't seem to be an adjective that has a meaning that is similar to "exhausting".


texts: I am aware that both are to be but i have trouble figuring out which one is appropriate for which sentence. Would one be for stating a fact about oneself and the other be for an action？


texts:
I would like to say

"Ryura! Would you like to sing 'Isshin Furan' with me and a friend?"

This is what I have so far...

Ryuraさん！「一心不乱」を私と一緒に歌えませんか？

Please help me make it sound more fluid if possible!


texts: Must relative clauses attach directly to the noun they are modifying

texts:
For example I can write:

  日本に行く友達がいる。
  I have a friend who is going to Japan

But can I write:

  日本に行くジョンという友達がいる。
  I have a friend, named John, who is going to Japan.

Basically, is it permissible to insert any other modifiers between the relative clause and the noun it is modifying? If not, how do I re-phrase my example sentence?


texts: Relationship between temporal/adverbial nouns modified by relative clauses with verbs

texts:
I came across with the following sentence:

  受験勉強で疲弊した深夜、グレープフルーツのへそに親指を挿入した瞬間、胸からぷしゅっと黄色の粒子が噴出した。

I was doubtful about how the sentences separated by commas were related to each other, so I asked a Japanese person to help me out. She said the nouns 深夜 and 瞬間 were both functioning as adverbs. She also added that the particle に could be placed after these two nouns and the meaning would be the same, even though it would make it more casual instead of the current literary version.

However, I still have a question. If these nouns are actually working as adverbs, that is, temporal nouns, what verb specifically were they actually modifying? After trying to answer it for myself, I ended up with three possibilities, but I can't say which is correct.

They are modifying the next verb. 挿入する for 深夜, and 噴出する for 瞬間.
Both are modifying the last verb, 噴出する.
They are actually independent sentences, that is, the 深夜's sentence is a sentence separated from the remaining and the same applies to 瞬間. And if that's the case, how could they be adverbs?

This sentence structure seems to be quite frequent, and I always get confused with it.

Note that this question about Adverbial Nouns and Temporal Nouns has nothing to do with mine.


texts: Nuances and implications of 「これだけは許してください」

texts:
I understand the meaning of sentence in the title as "please forgive (me) for just this." Is this understanding correct?
What exactly is the logical role of だけ here? 「これだけ」 or "only this" means an upper bound: this and nothing else. Why would anyone wish for forgiveness for one thing only and nothing else? Wouldn't you want to say "at least" rather than "only"?


texts: Is Japanese similar to English in that saying 享 twice in 享年 means last last year?

texts: In English it's possible to say last last year to informally say "the year before the last". Is it similar in Japanese that I can say きょうきょう年 to mean the same?


texts: What is the difference between ちょっと and 少し?

texts:
Specifically for when they mean "a little".
In what situations would they be used and are they completely interchangeable without any differences?


texts: What is it called when someone is made poor from attending too many weddings?

texts:
I cannot remember the phrase once taught me for when someone has become poor by attending too many weddings in Japan.

Due to usually having to pay at least 30,000 yen just to attend weddings as a guest here.


texts: What is とは、のが、のは、には、 へは　and では？

texts:
Someone told me that these aren't actually particles, but they're separate particles put together. I vaguely have an understanding of には and では but it's とは、のが、 and のは that confuse me a lot.

I heard that とは means with?

Why are these particles combined together? What are their meanings and purposes?

Is ことが the same thing as のが?


texts:
I'm familiar with the usage of かどうか for "whether or not," but I can't understand its usage in the following example:

部の記録見る限り７０符なんて千局に一回出るかどうか

Is this an idiomatic usage of it? Since I'm pretty sure its supposed to indicate that the probability is even less than 1/1000 games.


texts:
From: No Game No Life ep.2 timestamp: 04:02
Context: Characters discuss bets before the game of rock-paper-scissors.

…で 何を賭けるんですの？
お前が勝ったらお前の要求をすべてのもう

Netflix translation: "If you win, we'll do anything you want".
It seems like there's a verb like する missing from the sentence, but then what role does すべてのもう play here and what does it mean, exactly? Without the の, すべて would be an adverb for する but in this case it's a noun instead, no?
Interestingly enough, even Google can't find this construction. Maybe it's supposed to be written in kanji?


texts: What function does と serve in this phrase?

texts:
我輩はノイクレザント卿騎士である。
  この惑星を滅ぼさんと企む悪の魔法使いの手より姫を守りし
  世界を滅亡から救うためはせ参じた公貴の力を貸して欲しい

The bold part is the one I don't really understand, the rest is included for context. What function is "と" serving here?


texts:
I want to say, "Okinawan people have a very strong cultural identity". Any idea on how to say this concept in Japanese?

Would it be 「沖縄の民族は文化のアイデンティティがつよいです。」？


texts: Comparing で with にして in 一瞬で and 一瞬にして and in other time words

texts:
Consider the following:

To disappear in an instant:

一瞬でなくなる
一瞬にしてなくなる

To change overnight:

一夜で変わる*
一夜にして変わる
一晩で変わる
一晩にして変わる*

I was unable to find example sentences containing 一夜で and 一晩にして on WWWJDIC's example search which is why I marked 3 and 6 with asterisks.

My choice of verbs なくなる and 変わる are entirely arbitrary and are there to make the phrase sound complete. (I did not purposefully select verbs to complement the time expression, and if my chosen verbs are iffy please substitute them accordingly)

(Questions)

When is で used and when is にして used?
What is the difference between 1 and 2 above?
Are phrases 3 through 6 possible?
Is the choice between で and にして limited by the kind of time expression that comes before it, or are they idiosyncratic? (i.e. unique to a particular way of saying and there's no justification or predictable rule)
Is the choice between で and にして limited by the kind of verbs that comes after the time adverbs, or are they idiosyncratic?


texts:
In Chinese, 控 means:

  　1. 告状，指出罪恶：～告。～诉。指～。被～。 (accuse of wrong doing)

  　2. 节制，驾驭：～制。遥～。 (to restrain/cause to move)

  　3. 开弓：弓不再～。 (to use a bow)

  　4. 投：～于地。(to throw something)

  　5. 人的头部朝下或使让残液流出容器的口朝下：～净。～一～。(to tip something down i.e. head/bottle)

I checked the Kangxi dictionary and it seems to that the definition was 1-4 as well back then.

These largely match with the Japanese definition for 控える, but the following don't seem at all related (along with every definition for the intransitive use of the word):

  （他動詞）

  ④  すぐ近くにある、ということを他動詞的に表現する。

  ㋐  近い関係にある。
  「近くに有数の観光地を－・えた都市」 「代議士がバックに－・えている」
  ㋑  時間的に間近にせまる。
  「開会式を三日後に－・えて準備に忙しい」

  ⑤  記録にとどめる。メモする。 「電話番号を手帳に－・える」

Where did these meanings come from? Was ひかえる a native word that meant "close to" (or to take notes I suppose) already and just took on the kanji 控?


texts: Particle は seems like it should be を in this sentence

texts:
So I'm translating this song (https://www5.atwiki.jp/hmiku/pages/31606.html) and the particle usage in a line confused me:

チョコレート中毒さ　それはもう大変な (this is just for context)

Chocolate poisoning, it's already so much

甘い甘い結末は望んでなんかいないよ

But I don't wish for a sweet, sweet end (?)

The usage of は really confused me; it would make sense, especially with the チョコレート中毒, if the person didn't wish for the sweet, sweet end, but the way it's written with は, the sweet sweet is the subject.

Is this just as written, that the sweet, sweet end is the subject, or is は just a stylistic choice in some way, and can be translated as if it was を, as would make sense?

Thank you!


texts:
From 《君の名は。 (角川つばさ文庫) (新海 誠;ちーこ)》,

まだ十歳くらいか、ツインテールでツリ目がちの、生意気そうな子どもだ。

My inferred translation:

She was a kid with slanted eyes and a pony tail who looked like she
was around 10 years old and cocky.

But I don't know what role ちの plays or how it changes my translation.
There is also no usage found for this vocab word on jisho: https://jisho.org/search/%E3%83%84%E3%83%AA%E7%9B%AE%20%23sentences
But I did find two usages for 目がち: https://jisho.org/search/%E7%9B%AE%E3%81%8C%E3%81%A1%20%23sentences
However, when I look up verbs for ち I can't seem to find anything that fits with eye (unless I am misunderstanding the sentence): https://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%A1%20


texts:
What's the difference in using んだ and よ to end a sentence? For example:

嬉しいよ

嬉しいんだ

Both of them sorts of either answers a silent question or gives new/sometimes unexpected information about the sentence if I am not mistaken


texts:
I would like to know the use of その結果 "as a result"
Is it formal ?
Use in written language ?
Could it be replaced with some other expressions like "それで”　?

  三ヶ月ダイエットを続けた。その結果、５キロやせた。 I continued my diet for three months. As a
  result, I lost 5 kilos.

  父は、人の何倍も努力した。その結果、仕事で成功した。 My father worked so much harder than anyone
  else. As a result, he has succeeded in his career.


texts: Figuring out what 「言わないまでも」means in this sentence

texts:
「犯人とはいわないまでも何があったのか尋問できるのはお姉ちゃんだけだ！」

Does this pattern have the same meaning as the one explained here: とまではいかないまでも meaning?

I think it is different from the explanation linkend above. The linked example ‘includes’ statement A and B as true, while here statement A (犯人) is ’excluded’ while statement B (尋問できる) is ‘included’ as property/"feature" of 「お姉ちゃん」
(Translated along the lines of "not going as far as to say that something/someone/etc. is X but something/someone/etc. (obviously) is Y ")

Context:

The speaker talks to a female prisoner that was caught in a mysterious incident (invoving around 50 deaths) within the prison. She herself is not the culprit in this but at the same time the only person that survived the incident...

(Preceding sentence: 「懲罰房東で生き残ったのは刑務所側からすればお姉ちゃだけで！」
Original "separation" of the sentence": 「犯人、とはいわないまでも、何があったのか、尋問できるのは、お姉ちゃん、だけだ！」)


texts: "Engineered" is a difficult word to translate

texts:
How would you translate "Engineered" into Japanese by the following examples?

Engineered chemistry ; engineered arts
Clinical transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway
Engineered for freedom
Engineered explosives
Hardware and software engineered to work together

I feel this word can have multiple meanings when it is translated into Japanese.

For 1 and 4 I suppose the word engineered more related to meaning as in "改造".

For 2 I figure the word is closer to ”tissueを介した”.

For 3 and 5 the word could mean "...のためにデザイン（構築）した"

Does anyone have a different thought?


texts:
For full context, see here:
https://www.docdroid.net/hK45eJm/img-20170916-0001-new.pdf

it is taken from line 7-8:
また、建物の向きは、風や太陽の向きを考えて決められている。風の抵抗を少なくし、夏は涼しく、冬は暖かく過ごすためである。

=> "Then, concerning the buildings inclination, it was decided considering the inclination of wind and the sun. Because it takes care of that the wind resistance is low and that it is warm in the summer and that it is cool in the winter."

"to take care" is classified as an archaism on jisho http://jisho.org/search/sugosu so I wanted to ask wether this archaic interpretation is justified here or if I just understood it all wrong..^^


texts:
Following the current trend of pitting the particles に and で against each other, here is another question that does the same but from another type of usage and perspective.

When we want to say "do X before Y", we use "Y 前に X":

  食べる前に「いただきます」と言う。

On the other hand, when we want to say "do X after Y", we use "Y 後で X":

  食べた後で「ごちそうさまでした」と言う。

What is the simplest explanation to explain the differences between 前 and 後 that make 前 goes with に while 後 goes with で in the two situations above?


texts: Help understanding this phrase ヘマッたことが多すぎて?

texts:
From this manga panel:

I'm having trouble with understanding「ヘマッたことが多すぎて」

I guess this to be  "The messed up things (I did) are too many"

I think ヘマ = blunder, and こと = generic "thing", but I don't understand the ッた between them.


texts: How to express "Today I would like to talk about X" when opening a speech

texts: Can one use 「本日、Xを話したいです」　when opening a speech, or is it too rough? For example, translations for the sentence "Today I would like to talk about my past" that I can think of are 「本日、私の過去を話したいです」　or 「本日、私の過去について話したいです」　or　「本日、私の過去について話したいと思います」。 Which of these would be the best, or is there anything better?


texts: 好きだ or 好きな: which one to be used in the below mentioned sentence

texts:
Which one is correct?
私が好きだ日本の食べ物はてんぷらです。
Or
私が好きな日本の食べ物はてんぷらです。

I am not sure whether to use sukina or sukida
Please post your answer with explaination.
Thank you.


texts: Does バラの寝床 come directly from the English expression "bed of roses"?

texts:
I came across this phrase in a Haruki Murakami short story, and I was wondering if this is just a literal translation of the English phrase?

I tried googling the Japanese phrase, but I could only find it as a Japanese translation for the English phrase (such as here: http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/ej3/7427/m0u/%A5%BC%A5%C3%A5%AD%A1%BC%A5/). If it is in a 国語辞典, then I couldn't find it, but I'm also not really sure where to look for phrases instead of single words...

If this is just a literal use of the English phrase, would a typical native Japanese speaker know what it means, where it came from, etc.?
Also, while I'm asking, is this something that Murakami does often? I've often read that Murakami writes "American Japanese" but I've never really understood what is meant by that.


texts: Why is し added at the end of this sentence?

texts:
A person says these phrases:

嫌ではないです(it's not disgusting)
というか... (I mean...)
どっちかっていうと (If I had to choose) - /I'm not sure about this translation I made here/
...気持ちいいし (and it feels good?)

I know し means "and", "in addition", "what's more", etc but I don't know why is at the end of this sentence since there's no enumeration or additional comment. Perhaps I misunderstood something in my translation?


texts: How to understand usage of ツ in words with a closed syllable?

texts:
We have words ペット、ベッド、ファックス、ピクニック.
The symbol ッ usually is indicated for doubling consonants or to indicate a closed syllable.
The question is why the word post (ポスト) was written without ッ before ト?
Cause this word has a closed syllable too. In which cases should I use ッ for indication of a closed syllable?


texts:
This is a line from a sports manga (soccer), after a rather unusual shoot, but I can't seem to make sense of it:

そんなのアリかよ!?

I have no idea what the "ari" in here refers to? Is this some slang? Some short form of an idiom? It certainly doesn't seem to be related to any ant...

Thanks in advance!!


texts:
I encountered the following sentence in a comic book which I could not make sense of.

The comic strip depicts a character using a simple bird trap and saying:
「長年やってるけどかかったためしないなあ」
The first part, 長年やってるけど, can be roughly translated as "I've been doing this for quite a while", and this is quite clear.

The second part, かかったためしない, is not clear.

My guess is that it means something like "Catching is not the reason I'm doing this." The dictionary shows that かかる can be translated as "to catch (prey)" and I know that ため can be an "intention" and する is "do". However, I feel I may be wrong here, especially since it's all written in hiragana.

Some help would be appreciated.


texts: The meaning of 石松 in 待ってください用心棒なら この石松が

texts: I am looking for the meaning of 石松 in this context (待ってください用心棒なら この石松が) but I cannot find it anywhere. Also, this sentence is one that was interrupted, hence the abrupt "が".


texts: How to exhaustively list predicates in a non-temporal way?

texts:
Supposing that you want to express a list of events or actions exhaustively and without significance in ordering (for example: Yesterday, I ate some ice cream, went to the store, and read a book, but those things weren't necessarily done in sequence), what are the possible grammar constructions that can be used? These are some possibilities I've seen:

  て →　This seems too temporal to me; that is, it seems like all events are sequential. Can the て-form be used without time relations or restrictions?
  たり →　This seems like it would work, but I don't know how exhaustive it is, since it seems to imply somethings might have been left out.
  Stem (連用中止法) →　Not sure about this one. What is the proper way to use this? I believe this is similar to the て-Form.
  そ(う)して →　I think this simple conjuction works, but it seems slightly tiresome if one is listing many actions.

I hope this question isn't being too open. I'm just looking for some opinions and explanations for the different grammatical constructs that could be used in these types of expressions.


texts: How to understand おきます in this sentence?

texts:
The following is an excerpt from a conversation between me and my language partner:

  私の Skype ID を書いておきますので、もし良かったら登録しておいてください。italki と Skype のどちらでメッセージを送ってもいいです。今すぐ使わなくても、将来役に立つときが来るかもしれません。

So, about て-form おく, I know three usages:

Accomplishing a preparatory task for the future, like in:
旅行のまえに、切符を買っておきます。
In preparation of future use, one accomplishes a preparatory action:
はさみを使ったら、元のところに戻しておいてください。
You leave the state of something as it is:
明日会議がありますから、いすはこのままにしておいてください。

I'm not really sure if one of these applies for the おきます construction in context of the sentence in question. However, here is my attempt at translation:

  "Because I have to write my Skype ID, if you don't mind, please make a registration (Shall I register on Skype here or shall I "register" her ID???). We can send messages both on Skype and italki. Even not using it right now, the future point in time where it is of use will probably come."

What makes me so unsure about my understanding of the おきます constructions is that I can't really say how her "preparation" of writing me her Skype ID is in a relationship with my "preparation" of registering on Skype/registering her Skype ID? I can see the purpose of registering someones Skype ID with whom I want to talk via Skype. However, I have problems with the "preparation" semantics here...^^


texts:
This is what the old country lady says when Goku "パンパン" her to check if she's a woman. Just before meeting Oolong for the first time.
What I can understand would be something like:
"Best if you do it with a stick".
But that looks like an inappropriate statement for a kid's manga!!!


texts: How does -ki form of i-adjectives work? (e.g. 愛しき)

texts:
In one of the Bleach anime ending songs, "Hanabi" has the following line:

  繋ぎゆく この想い 愛しき 君

"itoshiki" seems to come from "itoshii", but how does this -ki form of i-adjective work? I found a few other adjectives that have -ki forms, e.g. 幼き{おさなき}, 素晴らしき{すばらしき}, 古き{ふるき}, 良き{よき} etc but that's about it.

Is this form productive? Is it selective, i.e. only some i-adjectives can have this form? Or has it become archaic, and thus only limited to those that survived into present Japanese?


texts:
I'm trying to understand the lyrics to the children's song 雨降りお月さん (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21JW-j5JJdc ; analysis here http://homepage3.nifty.com/funahashi/sonota/hoka23.html ).  What's up with these verses:

  雨降りお月さん　　雲の[蔭]{かげ}
  お嫁に行くときゃ　誰とゆく
  ひとりで[傘]{からかさ}　　　さしてゆく
  傘ないときゃ　　　誰とゆく

Is the きゃ a contraction, and if so, of what? What does it mean?
Are those とs companionship, conditional, or something else?


texts:
I have stumbled upon instances where "は + verb" is used in situations where I thought "を + verb" should be used. For example, recently I've seen

その覚悟はしてました
I was prepared for that
楽な道は選ぶな
don't choose an easy road

Is there a difference? And if there is, what's the "rule" when to use は instead of を?


texts: Why does "hajimete" mean "for the first time"?

texts: はじめて(hajimete) is the te-form of the verb はじめる(hajimeru) - to begin. How come it means "for the first time" and is used appropriately to mean the whole phrase? Is it an idiom?


texts: Conventions used to comprehend graphs, charts, etc

texts:
Consider the following graph and the 7th and 8th statements.

For me, the 7th and 8th statements are ambiguous.

7th statement

If we consider the statement only by subtracting 13.2 from 18.9 which is 5.7 then the statement is true.
But if we calculate the percentage of increment by (18.9-13.2)/13.2 = 0.43 then the statement is false.

8th statement

If we consider the statement only by comparing 2 consecutive years then the statement is true.
However, if comparison can be performed on any pairs then the statement will be false because the most decrements occur between 1965 and 2001.

Questions

Do you think these 2 statements ambiguous? Or there are some conventions among Japanese that I miss here.


texts:
I've tried looking up this word in dictionaries + translate tools, it all say the word 「うめる」means is "to bury".
So what does it mean in this sentence?

わかるところからうめるようにしましょう。

I read it on the start section of a textbook, so I guess it means something like "this book will explain everything a little by little", but I'm not sure is it true or not.


texts:
I am curious about the tense of ”知る” because both present and past tenses are often used.

来月、このビルが壊されます。知っていましたか。(present, past)

彼女がどこへ行ったか知っていますか。(past, present)

〇〇ってどこにあるか知っていますか。(present, present)

And, another observation is the tense of "知る" doesn't correlate with the tense of the object.
My intuition/interpretation is:

The dismantle of the building is in the future, but the news was released before now. Both past tense and present are fine.

Not sure / No intuition

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 "知っている" only, and when "知っていた" only, and when both are interchangeable?


texts: What is the grammatical function of "が" in this context of counting people?

texts: In an anime I've been watching, the protagonist goes to a village where one of his friends came from, where all the people in the village have the same hair color as his friend. (with "〇" being the name of his friend) He says "〇が一人、〇が二人、〇が三人...". English subs say "One〇, two〇s, three〇s...". He says this out of surprise of the amount of people that look like his friend due to their hair. I'm a bit confused as to the use of the particle "が" in this context. Is "が" taking the place of "の" or  being used as some other sort of possessive particle? Is it a certain way of counting people? Or something else entirely?


texts: Confusion on してもらって and the subject of this sentence

texts:
Here is my sentence, この前の俺と一緒にしてもらっては困る.

I'm having some difficulty figuring out it's meaning. This sentence was said aloud by a male character to a female character. Just before he said this, he had gotten the girl to agree to let him tutor her but she asked him one more question to see if he were truly smarter than her and he got it incorrect. Thus, she now refuses to let him tutor her.

I assume この前の to mean "the thing before this" or "the thing that just happened". That's why I gave the background information last paragraph. I believe the subject of the sentence to be "you/the girl" since the speaker says together with himself. Next, I would think してもらって would be some sort of receiving of an act of doing. The subject, the girl, received something that they did together. And lastly, as for this, the speaker is troubled by this.

I feel like this sentence is largely context based, but I am not 100% sure so I apologize if I've left out any crucial details. I think this sentence is basically saying that the speaker is trouble by what just happened between them. I'm not sure why してもらって is used though. In the て form nonetheless.  The subject, the girl, would be the one doing the receiving and I'm confused on what type of act she received.

Any help would be much appreciated. I apologize if I'm sort of all over the place with this question.


texts:
I'm working on a translation and there's this one line I can get through but can't get a handle on.

こんなヤツに負けおって
いままで何のために練習
してきたと思っておる!

Problem 1 is that I can't figure out if this is one sentence or two
sentences respectively ending on おって and おる.
Problem 2 follows if these are two sentences: what would the -て ending
mean here? An answer to another question mentioned that the -て ending
can mean that the line of thought hasn't ended yet and that's the
only thing that seems to make sense.
Problem 3 is 何のために, because I can't make "for what" work. I've been
wondering if it could translate as "for nothing" ("To think that all
this time [=until now] you've been training for nothing." But I worry
I'm making a mistake.

The context is a very angry coach raging at their star pupil for losing a crucial match.

Thanks in advance!


texts: Is there a difference between ことがある and　ものがある？

texts:
This has been split from this question..

So what are differences between two? Are there times where they can be interchangeable or can they only be used in certain situations?

I saw this about ことがある.


texts: I had a friend in high school whose mother came from Japan.  I remember she told us that her mother laughed whenever anyone mentioned the OSU team, Ohio Buckeyes. I remember Ohio sounds like the word for Good morning, but I can't remember what "Buckeye" sounds like.  Can anyone help?


texts: Is "今の" in "今のは誰？" considered a synthetic noun?

texts:
Good afternoon all,

After a discussion, I was wondering is "今の" in "今のは誰？" considered a synthetic noun?

My analysis of the sentence "今のは誰？" is:

  noun 今: just now
  genitive particle の (converts the noun 今 into an adjective to describe 人)
  noun 人: person (optional due to ellipsis)
  topic-marker は (optional due to ellipsis)
  (pro)noun だれ: who

Flaw's analysis of the same sentence "今のは誰？" is:

  noun 今の: just now that one
  topic-marker は (optional due to ellipsis)
  (pro)noun だれ: who

Flaw's argument is that "今の" is a synthetic noun (it can be used anywhere where a noun can be used). Assuming that that holds true, it must mean that we can say "今のの[noun]" because "[noun]の[noun]" is surely grammatical.

So basically, I was wondering Is 今のの[noun] considered grammatical?

For example, is "今のの状態" (phrase found here) considered grammatical?


texts: I searched the term on the site, and I noticed that while it could mean "what's that", it also had some negative meanings. What would be a better way to ask "What's that?"


texts: What does だって do in 「それは僕だって知ってる…」?

texts:
This is from 楽しいムーミン一家. You can watch the full dialogue here starting from 2:35 if you need more context. The part I'm asking about begins around 3:25.
Basically, winter is coming so Snufkin is planning to go on a journey as usual. Moomin doesn't want to part with his friend so he asks Moomin Papa if he can go together with Snufkin. Papa says:

スナフキンは孤独を愛している。だから、彼には一人旅がどうしても必要なんだ。
Snufkin loves to be alone. For him it needs to be a solitary journey no matter what.

To which Moomin replies:

それは僕だって知ってる…

The overall message is undoubtedly "I know that" but what does だって add here? My guess is that it means "I know that better than anyone else" but I'm not sure... It doesn't seem to match the dictionary definitions.


texts:
I am trying to understand the dialogue 5:03 in this tutorial video.
What I'm hearing is this:

なにがいますか。
なにもいませんね。
あれ。ねこがいますよ。
え、どこに？
あそこにいますよ。

The lesson is about how to say that something is somewhere and the differences between います/あります。 So the video goes on to explain the last three sentences.
The first sentence, I think, means something like: "Who's/what's there?". However, I don't understand that the second means. I know も is used for "also", so all I came up with was the nonsensical
What too isn't there, is there?
Please help :)


texts:
From the Japanese tangled song ("Healing Incantation"), the lyrics go like
“傷を癒せ、運命の川”-Heal wounds, river of fate
I don't understand why 癒せ is used instead of a proper conjugation, is it a colloquial way of speaking? or is it a form that isn't used a lot?


texts:
I would like to say

"It's hard to fight thinking in stereotypes."

Or

"Thinking in stereotypes is bad but hard to fight."

Can I use 戦う to say this or is there a more suitable word? I'm also unsure of how to say "thinking in stereotypes". ステレオタイプで考えるのは戦いにくい？


texts: Why is it 'tsuitachi' if the pronunciation can only be ichi, hito, or hitotsu?


texts: How would you say 'a fork is a tool you eat with'?

texts: It's kind of a silly sentence, but I was wondering how you would get the で particle's meaning into a modified noun. Like you could say 'フォークで食べる' but how could you turn that into a noun? I hope this makes sense.


texts: I have been learning/using Japanese for the past 16 years and now that I have become a mother to my 3 month old son, I would like to bring him up exposed to both English and Japanese. I haven't had many interactions with small children so don't know much baby/child specific language. I would love some suggestions. E.g. Can you use 愛している to say I love you to your child, or is that only for use with a significant other?


texts: The closest that I can see is 出し合う. Is there something better to express doing what you are expected to do in a pre-arranged situation?


texts: It seems like they both mean the same, young man.  What is the difference between them?


texts:
Both words can be translated as feeling. However, after referring to some online dictionaries and websites, it is suggested that one refers to a physical feeling and the other refers to a psychological feeling.

The reason for this question is that some of these materials are in conflict with each other. Some say:

  気分: physical feeling

  気持ち: psychological feeling

and others say:

  気分: psychological feeling

  気持ち: physical feeling

Which is correct? Or, alternatively, can both words refer to either a psychological and physical feeling depending on context?


texts:
In the context of a very well fortified place,

what does 入る者なく出る者なし mean?

It seems like it would mean: none may enter, none may leave, but
I'd like to make sure, and understand the naku form better.

So I'm pretty sure naku is the adverb form of nai, which is nonexistence.
Nashi means "without".

I've also considered naku might be a shortened nakute in the sense of naide/zuni.

Taking these meanings, the sentence would mean: no person enters without leaving, but that doesn't make sense in context. Just based on context, something like none who enter may leave would make sense.

The more I think about it, the more I get confused. Any help?


texts: Much has been written about the distinction between ある and いる, such as which is appropriate for robots or corpses.I know water is usually referred to with ある, but in a sentence such as 'この川にはいっぱい水が「ある/いる」', where the speaker is talking about moving water and not a source of water, which verb is correct? If a person wanted to indicate that the water was stagnant, would the use of ある get the message across, or would 溜まり水 or 止水 be necessary to communicate the meaning?


texts:
Japanese shockingly is really into politeness, and thus I've found a million different words for the English 'please'.

But I must ask, what would be the best word/phrase to use when begging. Like when a child asks 'Please daddy don't go!', what is the Japanese equivalent to the English's emphasising word 'please'?


texts: What do you call males in their late teens/early twenties?

texts: For example, what word would I use to say like “Boys are cute” or “Guys are cute”? I’m 19, so what word would fit me? 男？


texts: How to interpret intransitives in non-past tense

texts:
I've been reading linguistics books lately and they've gotten me reexamining things I've learned in Japanese textbooks for foreign learners.

Susumu Kuno's book The Structure of the Japanese Language states that you can use "stativity" to figure out how to interpret the non-past tense form of a verb.

Example: 猫がいる (stative) = (There) IS a cat.

Example 2: 店に行く (non-stative) = (I) WILL go to the store.

He states that stative verbs take the が particle under most circumstances. This makes it sound like all intransitive verbs would be stative.

Therefore:
ドアが閉まる (stative?) = The door IS shut. (Not the door will shut)

Am I correct in thinking this?

Textbooks describe intransitive verbs with ている as describing a state that's already resulted and is continuing. Transitive verbs in ている form describe an ongoing action.

Therefore:

ドアを閉めている = I'm shutting the door.

ドアが閉まっている = The door is shut (and staying that way).

**Is this a correct interpretation? How would one say that the door is shutting by itself then (like a progressive action)?


texts:
Context: Riku is a young boxer in Baba's gym. Yanagi, an older boxer, used to be in Baba's gym too in the past, but he moved to another gym because he was not satisfied with Baba's methods. The two, Riku and Yanagi, are now talking about Baba.

  Yanagi: 駒としてしか選手を見れない人だ。キミも抱えてる不満一つや二つじゃ済まないだろ？

  Riku: ゴミの分別をしてもらいたいです…ね。昔から会長はそうだったんですか？

First of all, I am not sure about the meaning of 一つや二つじゃ済まない, but I guess that Yanagi is saying that Riku too is not satisfied. Then, the literal meaning of ゴミの分別 is "garbage sorting", but I can't really imagine how it could fit the context, so I guess it was used with a metaphorical meaning that I was not able to find on dictionaries. Also, I am not sure about the subject of してもらいたい, is it Riku or Baba?

Here you can see the whole page. Thank you for your help!


texts:
A letter from a story, where a character (又八) elopes with a woman (お甲), with both writing a letter each to the man's betrothed (お通, who 又八 abandoned with said woman) (お甲's letter quoted full, for context):

  べつの文、ご覧なされ候わば、多言には及ぶまじと思われ候えど、証のため、私よりも認めまいらせ候。又八どの、此度、御縁の候て、当方の養子にもらいうけ候に就いては、おん前様のこと、懸念のようにみえ候まま、左候ては、ゆく末、双方の不為故、事理おあかし申し候て、おもらい申候。何とぞ、以後は又八どのの事、御わすれくだされたく先は斯ように迄、一筆しめし参らせ申そろ。かしこ。お甲。お通さま

My rough 'understanding' of part I'm struggling with):

…懸念しているようだから、そうして、ゆく末（消息）、双方（あなたと又八）の不為ゆえ（の為にならないから）、（又八には）その理由を彼の手紙に明らかにしてもらって、？？（あなたにはその手紙をうけてもらった？）

Does 不為故 imply 消息を明かさないと損になる? I.e. not giving reason would be bad for both, or have I misunderstood? Is 申す here used in polite sense to describe the actions of man/his betrothed?

Story link


texts: [Tense]: Present tense and continuous tense

texts:
I met a strange usage of tenses (辞書 and ている form) like:

  「あいつは変わらないと言うべきか、変わってないと言うべきか」

I guess that it might be some kind of word play by using different tenses (future and present continuous) like:

  I wonder it could be said that he would't change no matter what or he
  was a stubborn guy since the beginning.

It just a blind guess so I hope someone can explain in more detail about the usage of tenses in this context.


texts: How did 参った come to mean 'defeated' from 参る?

texts: I've heard the phrase 参った and understood it to mean something like 'I/we lost' or 'knocked out'. How did this come from 参る, to visit or go by? I read in a dictionary that it's some phrase said by a the defeated person in a judo or kendo match but I don't fully understand.


texts: How do I say "requirements" in an IT context?

texts:
So I work at a Japanese company as a developer
and I have seen the word "requirements" written as both 要件 and 要求

What is the difference between these 2 words?
Which one would I use in these examples?

User requirements
Minimum system requirements (like on the side of a software box)
Requirements gathering phase


texts:
According to my information, this postcard was sent from Japan to Russia, and probably in 1945.
Needs a translation badly and nobody has seemed to care since then. I suppose that the historical kana usage can take place here.

P.S.: Yes, a translation request, but definitely not the usual case, somewhat intricate, otherwise I would be able to translate it myself. Yet feel free to close it if you think that it just does not fit.


texts: Why is 「この人」 sometimes pronounced like 「このしと」?

texts:
Possible Duplicate:
  Why the “H” is pronounced Sh in some cases.

I notice native speakers frequently sound as if they are reading 「この人」 as 「このしと」. I am aware of instances where sounds are altered to make pronunciation more natural (e.g., 洗濯機 > せんたっき). Is this one of those instances, or is it perhaps dialectical?


texts:
Japanese textbooks teach us to reply どういたしまして。 when people say　ありがとうございます。So generally it means "You're welcome~"

But I read that a lot of people saying that when we say どういたしまして。 it somewhat looks "arrogant". It's like we position ourself higher than the one we help. So the proper common reply should be どうも。 If maybe we're indeed someone in a higher position like a boss helping a janitor, then どういたしまして might be proper.

Is the statement above true?


texts: あれで for surprise - confusing example sentence

texts:
My book explains that あれで can be used to indicate mild surprise, and gives some example sentences. They all make sense to me except this one:

  今日{きょう}の食堂{しょくどう}の定食{ていしょく}、あれでよく改善{かいぜん}したって言{い}えるよね。まるで豚{ぶた}のえさだよ。

In the first sentence, the speaker seems to be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cafeteria meal. But in the second, he says it's like pig food. Is the first sentence sarcastic? Is something else going on there?


texts:
I am thinking of adding more Japanese words or phrases, that have the same pronunciation as には has, to the following sentence.

  庭{にわ}には二{に}羽{わ}鶏{にわとり}がいる。

Could you help me to find such words (if any)?


texts: Differences between listing particles と, や and に

texts:
Consider the following:

A, B and C came:

AとBとCが来た
AやBやCが来た
AにBにCが来た

What do I need to consider when deciding which of the three (と, や, に) to use?

I think a large portion is determined by the type of verb used. I shall generalise into two groups:

Reciprocal type - marry; meet; be similar
Non-reciprocal type - see; walk; be interesting

Ambiguity may result from using listing particles with reciprocal type verbs:

AとBが結婚した (Ambiguous)

A and B got married (to each other)
A and B got married (independent instances)

AやBが結婚した (Not ambiguous)

A and B got married (independent instances among others (example-giving nuance of や))

But for these cases:

AにBが結婚した
AにBが会った

Can they receive listing interpretation similar to AにBにCが来た?
Will に be forced to be dative?

How about when the sentence is rearranged to:

BがAに結婚した
BがAに会った

Can this receive a listing interpretation?
Will に be forced to be dative?


texts: 動詞＋てか a subtle grammatical nuance or an error?

texts:
以下の節に出くわして、気になりましたが：

  アパッチ族のあるものは夜中に何をたくらんでか詰所の近くへ這いよって電話線を切ったり…

日本三文オペラ　２４６頁（開高健著）

学んだ文法によると、質問あるいは疑問を別の句に使うにはまず、その質問の動詞を辞書形に活用しますが、この節はそれを完全に無視しています。

普通に通じるようで特に困ったことはありませんが、どういうことか少し聞かせていただければ、と思いまして。


texts: is 退屈は石になる an expression or it's wrongly translated?

texts: Taikutsu wa ishi ni naru , "boredom becomes a stone". is this an expression or it's wrongly translated? What is it supposed to mean?


texts: Why does "to tweet" something on Twitter becomes つぶやく?

texts:
Related to this question: What is the Japanese word or phrase for "to post on the internet"?

I have noticed that when you post something on twitter they don't say 投稿する toukou suru, but instead say つぶやく　(murmur).

Why did this happen?


texts: Is there a Japanese phrase equivalent to "crisis of faith"

texts:
I am wondering if there is a way to describe this concept in Japanese, or an equivalent phrase.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_of_faith it is a mostly western concept (if you believe wikipedia anyway).

I am asking in relation to the definition in the first paragraph, not in the religious sense.

This phrase relates to “deciding whether to make (or being forced to make) a choice that goes against ones most basic beliefs.

And in the process, either retain that belief, or drop it in favor of another one. It is this situation that causes the internal conflict.

I do not believe it is directly related to simple inability to make a decision, not knowing what to believe, nor the process of self-discovery in general.”


texts:
I speak fluent English, Ukrainian and Russian. And I also have experience learning German and Japanese. As an avid language learner, I've been reflecting on what the languages have in common, their grammar, vocabulary etc. And I have noticed an interesting thing: in Japanese there are so many loanwords related to daily life: ドライブ、キャンプ、シャツ、ゲーム　etc. However, when it comes to scientific terms, the vast majority of them seem to be Japanese words. It's not the same for, say, English or Russian:

  English: ophthalmologist Russian: офтальмолог Japanese: 眼科

  English: cardiology Russian: кардиология Japanese: 循環器科

My guess is that this may be due to lack of Latin influence on the Japanese language. Am I right? Are there any other reasons for not so many loanwords in, for example, medicine?

I don't know much about the history of the Japanese language, and I'd appreciate your opinions on this particular matter.


texts: Is "クリスマスの休みだよ！" an appropriate expression?

texts:
Is

  クリスマスの休みだよ！

an appropriate expression?  For instance, as a Facebook post or what have you?  The main part I'm wondering about is よ.  My understanding is that よ usually implies that you're doing something to the audience that falls somewhere halfway in between informing them of something and instructing them of it.  Here it's really being used mainly for emphasis, but I'm not sure if this is loosely correct.  And if it's not correct, should だ be omitted as well?

My understanding also is that なあ is fairly feminine.


texts: Meaning of あくまで in あくまで私個人の意見です

texts:
What is the meaning of あくまで in the sentence あくまで私個人の意見です ?

ALC: back and edge, consistently
GJiten: to the end; to the bitter end; to the last; stubbornly; persistently; to the utmost

What nuance is added, compared to saying just 私個人の意見です ?

Is it more humble? (it's only my opinion)
Does it express a more persistent opinion?


texts: How is katakana beneficial and or detrimental to Japanese people?

texts:
I am a linguistics teacher in Japan and the overuse of katakana in Japan makes it difficult for Japanese students to easily learn English or other western languages. This is not just some random question but one formed after years of experience in teaching Japanese students and understanding their difficulties with learning a number of subjects. I am in no way suggesting the eradication of katakana but merely taking away their status of foreign representation. I still believe katakana is important for historical study and pop-culture. I intend to write a book on katakana but I should first try to understand my argument from all sides.

1. What are some ways in which katakana is beneficial to Japanese people?

2. What are some ways in which katakana proves detrimental?

Just a simple list would be sufficient, any and all help would be much appreciated.


texts: Is Japanese に related to the Chinese character 仁?

texts:
Is Japanese に (pronounced as "ni") related to the Chinese character 仁 (pronounced as "ren" in Chinese mandarin)?
Does the に have the root from the Chinese character 仁?
They both sound similar and look very similar.


texts:
For context, the girl has found out that her 推しメン(refers to someone's favourite member e.g. of a idol group from what I understand) has been exposed (週刊誌にすっぱ抜かれて). Based on the context below it would seem that they were caught at a love hotel, which If I understand the way the quotes are being used is called フリーバッティング(why would a love hotel be called this).
However, I am looking at the second part of the sentence and am not quite sure I understand what is being said. If I understand correctly it is essentially saying something like: if you are going to play around with women, then at least 'narrow down to a low and inside pitch, and swing'. Is this essentially saying something like "focus on one woman"(i.e. don't play around with multiple women), or am I completely off in my understanding? There is no more context as this was only a short few lines as the character was leaving the classroom.

「何よラブホテル『フリーバッティング』って、どうせ女遊びするなら内角低めの直球に絞って振りなさいよ」
なんか、独特な愚痴をこぼしている


texts: Could you tell me how to translate ギアを収納? The whole sentence is 成田空港から離陸した直後のです。ギアを収納中みたいです。 I cannot think of a translation in English.


texts:
I've been working on listening practice again.  This time, I'm watching the first episode of an anime series called スケッチブック 〜full color's〜.

In the first episode, a certain character asks three questions, and I think all three end with と.  I recorded them and uploaded an MP3, and I attempted to transcribe them:

  あっ、空{そら}！　どこいくとー？
  空、何探しよーと？
  空、どうしたとー？

Here are my questions:

Is と a dialect equivalent of using の to mark a question?
Am I just hearing と wrong?

(I'm sorry if the whole transcription is wrong!  I'm not very good at hearing Japanese yet.)


texts: My dictionary says 今日{きょう} is a special reading. My textbook presents it in the third lesson, so I'm guessing it's a normal pronunciation. So... what's the difference between 今日{こんにち} and 今日{きょう}?


texts:
So here is the sentence:

このスプーンすてきですね

Why didn't we say:

このスプーンはすてきですね

Isn't スプーン the topic of the sentence? Why did we remove it? Why did we leave it in a sentence like:

とうきょうはきれいです


texts: 君は、持っているものに気づかれなかったのか、元から持っていないのか、どっちだ。Meanining passive

texts:
I have a problem with the following sentence:

  君は、持っているものに気づかれなかったのか、元から持っていないのか、どっちだ。

The sentence was translated as: "Did they not notice what you had, or wasn't it yours from the beginning, which is it?"

Based on the passive 気づかれなかった shouldn't it be more like: "Weren't you noticed by what you had...", but that would imply the person was noticed by the things he had with him which doesn't really make sense.

Basically, I want to know how 君は、持っているものに気づかれなかった works. Can it also mean that he was noticed by others through the things he had with him? Or is the translation correct that the things were not noticed, even though 気づかれなかった is passive (and it's most likely not the polite passive) ?


texts:
The following sentence is from a formal conversation. The student is talking to a teacher.

実は日本語のクラスでプロジェクトワークをしていまして、私は日本の歴史の教科書をトピックに選びました。

Can someone explain to me the exact meaning of "教科書をトピックに選びました"? Literally translated it appears that he "chose a textbook", but that seems like a strange thing to say, since students don't normally choose their own textbooks (no other context about the project work is given). As an adverb, I'm not sure what トピックに could mean.

Alternately, could it be an equivalent of 教科書をトピックにする, i.e. "make the textbook into the topic" of the project? Is it common to replace にする with other verbs such as に選ぶ, if this is the case?


texts: Differences between -kudasaimasuka/kudasaimasenka and -itadakemasenka/itadakitainodesuga

texts:
My textbook just put some examples without explanations, so i wonder if these sentences have the same meanings or there are differences.

お名前をお書きくださいますか and お名前をお書きくださいませんか。
その論文の題をお教えいただけませんか and その論文の題をお教えいただきたいのですが。

Thank you!


texts: Specific examples of tonal Chinese words rendered into Japanese

texts: It is often said that Japanese contains a large number of homonyms because there was no way to render tonal Chinese words into Japanese. This makes complete sense. But I am looking for specific examples of Sino-Japanese words which are homonyms but where their original Chinese counterparts are not homonyms, i.e. the Chinese words have tonal differences, but the Japanese words do not.


texts: I can't quite parse this sentence about not remembering something

texts:
そうか
そういや
[ペッパー]{おまえ}は
昔のユトを
なにひとつ
思い出せねえん
だったっけ。

So the first part, そうかそういや is preamble, "Is that so? come to think of it..."
ペッパー is the name of the protagonist who's being addressed.
But then I have trouble.
昔のユト: the Ute people from the old days? ユト, so far as I can see, is only used to refer to the Native American Ute tribe, which fits the context because this is a Western.
So I'm assuming they are the object of the next phrase:
ないひとつ思い出せねえんだったっけ
But I can't parse this. 思い出せねえんだったっけ is obviously 思い出せる, to recall, but I can't understand this conjugation. The だったっけ ending is past tense copula plus the -ke particle to indicate the speaker is trying to remember something?
It's also confusing because so far I haven't seen any reason to think they are talking about the Ute tribe. The conversation thus far ran something like:

"So, Pepper, I got a message from the State Police. Some guy saw a
$10,000 bounty up near Diamond Hill. It's Wild Job, a survivor from
the Cassidy Gang."
"The Cassidy gang...?"
「そうだ
ぺッパー
郡警察から連絡でな
ダイヤモンド・ヒルのあたりで１万ドルの首を見た奴がいる。
ワイルド・ジョブって奴だよ
キャシディ一味の生き残りだ。」
「キャシディ一味...?」

And no mention of "Ute"...
Here's a picture, so you can see the katakana for yourselves:

Having skimmed ahead, I'm now actually pretty sure it's actually a person's name, though what "Yuto" is supposed to be in a Western setting I've no idea...


texts: appending くれる to verbs for unwanted things that someone else did

texts:
Appending くれる to the て form of a (normal) verb means that someone else did the work. For example:

食べてくれた - (someone) ate it (and I am happy he ate it)

The sentence above has a nuance that the person who ate, did a favour to me, and that favour was that he ate the food (whatever the reason, he did me a favour).

The question is, what if I didn't want that someone to eat the food, but that someone still ate the food (and I am pissed about it). In this case, will it be possible to use the same sentence structure? I.e:

食べてくれた - (someone) ate it (and I am super pissed that he ate it)

If it is possible to use くれる even in the second example above, a second question arises and that is, how would I know if the action done was in favour of or was in spite of me. For example, if someone was to tell me 食べてくれたな, how would I know if he is pissed that I ate it, or he is happy that I ate it?


texts: How to translate "a detail-oriented person"?

texts: If you go to a job interview and say, "I am a detail-oriented person", it doesn't come off as a negative trait. But I feel when someone says 私は細かい事を気にする人です, it has some negative connotation to it.  Is there a way to say "a detail-oriented person" in Japanese that doesn't come off as a negative trait?


texts: "一般の人" or "一般の な人 " ,which the right one?

texts: It's confuse me the usage of の and な adverb.


texts:
What’s the difference between “用” (you) and “使って” (tsukatte)?
Both mean “to use”, but when would you use one over the other? Are they interchangeable?

Please explain by making reference to the below examples.

  reitou-you Binīru fukuro

  plastic bag used for freezing

  Facebook ya SNS wa tsukatte imasu ka?

  Do you use Facebook or social media?

Please note: I am a beginner, so would appreciate answers that aren't too complex.


texts: Nuance questions about the literal translation of a sentence

texts:
This might be a lot to ask for one post, I apologize if it is.

So I'm translating a sentence. I want to make sure I fully understand the nuance and that I don't make any assumptions. I'm not trying to translate it into "perfect" or "eloquent" English, just to where I can fully grasp the grammar.

Here's the sentence in question:

  もうそんな寒さかと島村は外を眺めると、鉄道の官舎らしいバラックが山裾に寒々と散らばっているだけで、
  雪の色はそこまで行かぬうちに闇に呑まれていた。

And what I've translated it to:

  When "was it already that cold?"-thinking Shimamura gazed outside, (she
  saw) railroad residence-looking barracks just bleakly scattered at
  the base of the mountain(s), and before the snowy hues could fall
  there, (they were) swallowed in darkness.

First: I'm using a thought as an attribute, is this the wrong way to picture it? There is most likely a verb omitted after the と, likely 思う, and it's obvious by the context that Shimamura is thinking something. In English this would be translated to "Shimamura, thinking X," as putting an attribute in front of a name or a specific animate noun is degrading.

But take the sentence: あのネズミを食べたネコはあそこにいる。

  The cat that ate the mouse is over there. The that mouse-eating cat. . .

Now if we alter the sentence: ネズミと思っているネコはあそこにいる。

  The cat thinking "mouse" is over there. The "mouse"-thinking cat. . .

From how I see it, the attribute in front is more accurate for literal translation, because its more consistent when the noun becomes plural or inanimate as opposed to how English restructures the sentence (the mice-eating cats, the "mouse"-thinking cats). So I ask:

Is this accurate in terms of literal translation?
How is it thought of to native speakers? Is it degrading as it is in English?
If I'm wrong, how would a thought as an attribute be structured?

Second: For だけ, does this have similar nuance as in English? As in emphasis? Or is it more strict, closer to saying 'at best'?

And Lastly: For the transition into the last clause, the word and feels a little incorrect, and words I might use were I writing a similar sentence in English like but or where add nuance I don't think was intended.

So I'm thinking I should simply imagine the connection as being much more abstract, saying simply "This clause, and the following clause are intertwined," rather than implying a subset of transition words in English; which means this is somewhere translation might get muddied.

Am I wrong to assume this?

That's pretty much all the things I'm unsure about off the top of my head. If there's anything else I might be wrong on please bring it up.

I'd also love to hear any perspectives. I'd appreciate any response, thanks!

Edit: Made the first question a bit more clear and added detail to better explain what I'm asking.


texts: How would I say "Courageous warriors called Samurai?"

texts:
How would I go about saying "Courageous warriors called Samurai?
Would さむらいと言うゆうきなせんし make sense?


texts: What does で do at the end of the first sentence?

texts:
装備一式が未だギルドの支給品である自分には、笑ってしまうくらい不釣り合いな代物だとわかっているけど、一度は使ってみたいとそう思ってしまうわけで。...欲しいなぁ。

I'm not sure how to interpret the で at the end of this sentence. Is there something being omitted here?

Thanks!