texts:
I am triing to understand how the following sentence

全然そうはいかなかった

Could translate into

But this was entirely impractical

It's part of Metamorphosis (Kafka). The narrator wakes up transformed into a bug and is thinking

Why don't I keep sleeping for a little while longer and forget all this foolishness.

I understand the whole meaning of the sentence but i have 2 questions :

全然そう being marked as the theme of the sentence is bothering me since it's an adverb + a na-adjective and not a noun or a sentence. Can we consider it as a sentence all by itself ? Is this usual and i'm just overthinking it ? Secondly is this a contrastive は ? (would make sense with the previous sentence)

The sentence seems to translate like "but thinks didn't go like that" whereas the translation sounds more hypothetical to me. Is there some kind of conditional implied in the japanese sentence ? Wouldn't a と conditionnal be appropriate ? (like to emphasize the result of an hypothetical thinking)

Thanks for helping me clarify all this ;)


texts:
In a bid rigging (談合入札) how do you call the suppliers:

the one to win the contract
others who are intended just to take part and to lose (I recall some expression with 馬)

As we are talking about illegal activity, I expect these expressions to be slangy.


texts:
I want to express "*professional English writing style". The writing styles I mean are the ones used in white papers, The Economist, etc. Can I say:

  プロような英書きかた{えがきかた}。

Using the precedent of
"英語の文法" ---> "英文"

Can I do this:
"英語の書き方" ---> "英[書]{が}き方{かた}"

Might it sound clever and learned if said by a non-native, but perhaps is not something that a native would actually say.


texts: How to say "Thanks to everyone who made it possible" in Japanese

texts:
So I'm trying to figure this out but I'm not finding much online. So, I want to thank the people who was involved into me being able to achieve something.
I know the ~てくれて/いただいてありがとう... form, but what should I put before that. the "made it possible" part.
Another possibility could be "Thanks to everyone who helped/accompanied me on this journey", that's the idea at least.
It occured to me something like 「このたびにてつだっていただいたのみなさん、ありがとうございました」is that ok?


texts: I'm trying to write "this is not a praise/compliment." I consulted my friend about it and he said I wrote "I'm  not praising you!" Like I'm being defensive... what do you think?


texts: Is the convention to use a single quote to divide the "on/kun" readings in"重箱読み{じゅうばこよみ}?

texts:
When I have written "音読み{おんよみ}" and "訓読み{くんよみ}" in romaji as: "onyomi" and "kunyomi" I have been almost always corrected. "Onyomi" is changed to "on'yomi", and "kunyomi" is changed to "kun'yomi".

(1) Are these corrections made because "音読み" and "訓読み" are 重箱読み{じゅうばこよみ}?

(2) Is inserting a single quote between the "on" and "kun" readings in a "重箱読み" a standard convention (and not just the editor's preference)? A url link to information regarding this convention would be appreciated. I'm interested in any/all conventions for writing in romaji.

(3) If I am indeed being corrected because they are 重箱読み、 then by extension all 重箱読み, when written in romaji, should have a single quote between the "on" and "kun" readings, right?


texts:
そうね、じゃ、これかこれね。このポケットは大きいから、たくさん入るわね。

Does これかこれね mean is it this or is it the other?
From my understanding the whole sentence meant something like - Because it has big pocket so I can put a lot of things inside. Correct me if I am wrong and thank you in advance


texts: What distinguishes 恩, 義務, 義理 and 人情 from each other?

texts: I have an idea about the basics, but I'm fuzzy on the details, and it's been awhile since I've studied the subject in depth. Anyone have some answers?


texts: Mysterious も in この郊外も地下鉄が来て不便ではなくなった

texts:
When casually browsing through A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, one of the example sentences for 〜なくなる has left me puzzled.

  この郊外{こうがい}も地下鉄{ちかてつ}が来{き}て不便{ふべん}ではなくなった。

  This suburban area is no longer inconvenient because there's a subway now.

My understanding of this sentence is as follows:

この郊外 (this suburban area)
も (?)
地下鉄が来て (because the subway comes [cause])
不便ではなくなった (stopped being inconvenient any more)

Is the meaning of も the one of a "non-assertive subject"? Seems somewhat odd to me, but then, I'm a beginner.


texts: Is はじめまして only suitable for the first contact?

texts:
When I'm contacting a colleague for the first time and we're communicating online, I can use はじめまして as part of my greeting.  Likewise, if I'm meeting someone for the first time and it is an in-person meeting, I can say はじめまして during my introduction.

However, if I talk with someone online and then we meet in person for the first time, is はじめまして still appropriate?  Or is there some other typical greeting for this situation?


texts: Grammar in「ぶいぶい言わせる」

texts:
My question is why is the causative form 言わせる used in this phrase.

I've done some checking, but I haven't found a good answer yet so I thought'd I'd ask here. As a set phrase I know the meaning since it is used in a quite specific context. But I don't get why 言わせる is in there. It doesn't seem to make sense. Is it a 'forcing someone to say'　言わせる, or is it a 'letting me say'　言わせる? Or does it have nothing to do withing saying at all?


texts: 'いつ空いていますか' vs 'いつ空きますか'

texts:
What's the difference between the two?

According to some machine translation, it is:

いつ空いていますか
When are you free

いつ空きますか
When will you be free

Is that as accurate?


texts: Meaning of かって and general sense of this sentence

texts:
Though the  speaker is supposed to support her boyfriend who is fighting, she looks like she supports his opponent. Another character then says to her :

おまえ　なにいってんだよ　ボーイフレンドだろ...！
Just what are you saying? That's your boyfriend isn't it?

She responds :

いいじゃない　べつにあこがれるぐらいかってでしょ！
Yeah, yeah, give me a break. [?]

I'm a bit lost there, I'm used to see べつに in negative sentences, and I don't see what かって means here... I suspect the end of the sentence is omitted but I can't figure out what the omitted part would be...


texts: Re:Difference of ている (in Perfect Aspect) and た (Past), based upon Research Paper of Hokkaido University

texts:
first of all I am thinking that, I would be banned from JSE, for asking too many ques on ている. So, most probably, this is my last query w.r.t. ている, and I hope this could solve my entire concept. This, question pertains and revolves around, the Research Paper,  ナルトさん introduced me with, in the my last question pertaining to ている.

Summary of the Paper - This paper is really great for clearing the usage of Present Perfect and Past

I went through the paper, the crux was that, Adverbs or Time, even if it is mentioned, will not be able to fully satisfy whether, Past tense has to be used or Present Perfect, as, even if time (of past is given) yet, ている could be used, if the question or statement was related or connected with present. (See pg. 11-13 of the Paper), and only the when there is appropriate setting of past, た could have been used (pg. 6-8 of the Paper). That is why, questions, even when they contained, "yesterday or　昨日" had mixed answers, of ていません and た, even if they were answered by only University Teachers/Prof. and Students of Language (pg. 3-5). The point that was highlighted was that, only when the setting of past (i.e. the context/theme of conversation) was clear, then in those cases, the answer saw increase in the number of Past tense i.e. た, whereas, in case where the setting of past (theme/context of conversation), was not established/clear, people associated it more with present and used ている. It can be observed that, in those questions where the Setting of Past (Theme/Context) is established, た has been given preference, and sometimes, in 3/4th majority.
This point was taken up for consideration (pg. 6-8) in paper, and it was laid down that, using of past in the following question, though is grammatical was not natural. Whereas, the paper stated that, present perfect form, was more natural. The reasoning, was that, if the Setting of Past (Theme/Context) is not established in both the speaker and listeners mind, Japanese tend to associate it with more of it with present, even when adverbs of past such as, yesterday/last year etc. are used.

So, my only question is:

Can, even in case the Setting of Past (Theme/Context) of the sentence is established, if the speaker wants to link it with present ている (present perfect) be used, instead of Past Form? Could you please give examples while explaining?
教えてください


texts:
So I have been watching this Japanese TV Series called Mare and I've been wondering most of the time on their sentence structures. It's something like this:

しょうがないですね？ とるーさんは。

Can someone explain the structure above? ^~^


texts: Using　あまりに（も）　in a sentence with 過ぎる, is it redundant?

texts:
Using　あまりに（も）　in a sentence with 過ぎる, is it redundant because they both mean too much/excessive?

In the following example stolen from Lukman (thank you), does the sentence change if you drop the あまりに
Ex: 料理にあまりに時間がかかりすぎる。 Cooking takes up too much time.


texts: How to read this text without any particles?

texts:
I have a Japanese promotional postcard that has this text
料金受取人払郵便
and a box with this text in it
牛込局承認 6479
Does this say that the person receiving the postcard will pay postage followed by a permit number? That means I can mail without a stamp, right?


texts:
I am wondering if there is a way to use からと言って with negative statements. I could not find any examples so I thought maybe it is not the way to use it or maybe there are other ways to translate this.
My example would be something along the lines of:
Just because I don't mind does not mean it is not important.
私は問わないからと言って、小さい事柄わけではありません
Is something like that considered "proper" Japanese or are there better ways of expressing it?
My Japanese is mostly selftaught and English is not my native language but I hope the question is understandable.


texts: How would one would translate "Bearded man"?

texts:
I was wondering how I could one translate "the bearded man", in the same fashion as the Straw Hat Luffy (in one Piece) "Mugiwara" ? I understood mugiwara means "Straw" but people seem okay calling him by just this word, and not "the straw hat man".
Thank you very much!


texts: Meaning of 扱う in a context of 'deal with someone'

texts:
I know that 扱う means "to handle,to deal with".
But I cannot understand it in the following context

story: a new recruit arrives to the police department and is embarked on a case as soon as she arrives.

  悪いが人手不足は深刻でね 新米扱いはしていられない

The best I arrive if I try to translate is "Sorry, but we are very short on manpower. I cannot afford to handle new recruits"

I found the following translation but it seems the meaning is slightly different,

  Sorry, but we are very short on manpower. So you'll have to hit the
  ground running.

where the accent is put on the new recruit being operational as soon as possible.

Am I wrong ?


texts: How would one refer to someone else's lover in 尊敬語?

texts: I've searched the internet, but can't really find anything. My first thoughts were お恋人 and お付き合いの方, but the first doesn't seem very common, and the latter seems to have a different meaning.


texts:
We can say something like this, using a passive verb at the end of a sentence:

英語は世界中で話されている

But when we put verb before a noun to modify it, which of the following could you use, or would be correct?

子供に与えられる玩具

or

子供に与える玩具


texts: Non-romantic way to say you "like" someone?

texts:
When talking about someone else, does 好き always mean that you have feelings for them? Or do people use it in a "you're cool dude, I like you" sense too?

If 好き is always romantic when talking about another person, is there another way to tell someone you like them, in the sense of you admiring/enjoying what kind of person they are?


texts: I know it seems like いいな means "that's good" but in anime like Akagi and Kaiji, the narrator says いな and the subtitles translate it as "that's wrong". Is いな some kind of old phrase for "that's wrong"? What does it mean?


texts: When to use the counter word mei 名 over nin 人?

texts:
Beginner here. When would you use the counter word 名 over 人?

I read online that 名 is used for formal situations, and literally every website gave counting customers as the example (as in, asking how many people are in your party at a restaurant). Is 名 used to count people in all formal situations, or does its use not extend beyond customers?

(I'm asking Korean has the equivalent counter word 분, except it is used for any formal situation, like in counting teachers, bosses, grandparents, etc.)


texts: Is またね OK even if I don't literally expect to see them again?

texts: After a casual conversation with strangers, is it ok to use またね, even though I don't literally expect to see them again? バイバイ and さよなら feel too Englishy to me, and I assume "see you" is still English, not Japanese. However, I am happy to repeat バイバイ and "see you" if said by the other, usually Japanese, person.


texts:
Can't find rules on how commas work with relative clauses.

Paragraph [click for full text]

  すると石の下から斜｛はす｝に自分の方へ向いて青い茎｛くき｝が伸びて来た。見る間に長くなってちょうど自分の胸のあたりまで来て留まった。と思うと、すらりと揺｛ゆら｝ぐ茎｛くき｝の頂｛いただき｝に、心持首を傾｛かたぶ｝けていた細長い一輪の蕾｛つぼみ｝が、ふっくらと弁｛はなびら｝を開いた。

Problematic part:

すらりと揺｛ゆら｝ぐ茎｛くき｝の頂｛いただき｝に、心持首を傾｛かたぶ｝けていた細長い一輪の蕾｛つぼみ｝が、ふっくらと弁｛はなびら｝を開いた。

My understanding of how grammar works here:

X頂にY蕾がA

X and Y are both relative clauses that describe (respectively) the tip and the bud. に marks location (the stem's tip), が the active agent (the bud), Y the active agent's action (lit. "luxuriantly opening petals") that happens in the place marked by に、 (the stem's tip).

Is this the right way to think about it?


texts:
I came over this sentence during my study.

ちらっと見ると、彼女も寒さで震えている

I understand the latter half of the sentence, in the sense that "the girl was shivering from the cold".
However, I have no idea what does the two と play at the first half of the sentence. My closest guess is that the と from "見ると" is a conditional. But in this case, the conditional does not make sense as "when he glanced at the girl? , she was shivering from the cold. What confused me is that he does not necessarily have to look at the girl to have her shiver from the cold.

Edit: ちらっと , is the と here part of an entire word? or is it acting as a particle

I hope someone could clear up my confusion!


texts: Is "暴走する" accurately translated as "Out of control" or a synonym of such, in this context?

texts:
I'm trying to figure out the epithet here, the English version has "Finance-controlled Golem", which is a sensible epithet in context, but I'm quite sure that it's not a proper translation... I know that "古代兵器" is Ancient Weapon... So how would I translate "暴走する"?:

Wiktionary has Drive Recklessly, but I don't think "Recklessly Operated Ancient Weapon" is an correct epithet for Arma, given that she's actually being remotely controlled into being an effective, violent attacker...


texts: What effect does adding 「取り~」 before a verb have?

texts:
I've encountered many verbs with 「取り~」 inserted.  Up till now I've treated 「取り+verb」 as separate vocabulary, but quite often, the definitions are not much different than the base verb alone.  In certain uses, 「取り+verb」 seems more common and thus may be more natural to native speakers.  I'd like to clarify how I should interpret these.
On dictionary.goo.ne.jp, this definition for 「取り」 is 「動詞などに付いて、語調を整え、改まった感じにするのに用いる。」which says that it just adds a formal feeling to a verb and doesn't change the meaning.  But that doesn't seem like a complete explanation.
Some examples I've encountered:
仕切る → 取り仕切る
調べる → 取り調べる
揃える → 取り揃える
立てる → 取り立てる
付く・付ける → 取り付く・取り付ける
残す → 取り残す
戻す → 取り戻す
寄せる → 取り寄せる


texts: How to say "to know how to do something"

texts:
Is there a generic formula to express "to know how to do something"?

I know how to ask a question in the second person "How do you do something?", e.g.

  How do you write "Yasuda" in kanji? 「やすだ」は漢字でどう書きますか。

I also know how to ask

  Can he write "Yasuda" in kanji? 彼は「やすだ」を漢字で書けますか。

but I am struggling to put it in the third person:

  Does he know how to write "Yasuda" in kanji?


texts:
I've learned that ru verbs should drop る and replace it with た.

But 入る becomes 入った and I'm not sure why.

The same goes for

食べる → 食べた
しゃべる → しゃべた

Are these irregulars or am I misunderstanding something?


texts:
I was translating a song (full lyrics: http://vocaloidlyrics.wikia.com/wiki/反芻の印象_(Hansuu_no_Inshou) )
and found this phrase which I am very confused about:
「お切らせ願います。」
"Please make (let) it cut" is what it literally means, I think. In the song, they're on a train, and the conductor/some official said this; the only thing I think that this could mean is something like "Tickets please!" as in, to hold out their tickets so that they can be punched (cut). I feel like this is reaching too far, though.

Can someone tell me what this expression means in this context?
Thank you!


texts:
I'm still learning Japanese so many of these kanji I can't even make out.
This is the back of my great uncles grave in Hawaii and I'd appreciate if I can get the kana and English translations.


texts: What's the difference between 検索 and 探索?

texts: There's a difference of one kanji between the two words, and the meaning is close enough that I'd almost say these are interchangeable words. However, I'm still curious to know what difference, if any, exists between these two terms.


texts: What does コミュニケーションがとれる mean?

texts:
I tried looking up what 「コミュニケーションがとれる」 means, but from the examples that I've seen, all I can understand is that it just means "to communicate". Is there something more to this phrase that I'm not seeing?

These are the examples that I was referring to. Why isn't this just 「コミュニケーションができる」? What exactly is 「とる」 in this case?


texts: Why does どれだけ seem to mean the opposite of どれ + だけ?

texts:
The other day I read the word どれだけ which means how long; how much; to what extent. I've read several example sentences, and I that's all well and good, but I cannot shake the feeling that it's really counter-intuitive to me.

If どれ　means which; whichever; any and だけ means only; just, I would guess combining them would give some sort of exclusive amount, for example in "Only this many people may enter" or something along those lines.

I may be reading too much into this (or it's gone way over my head), but it still seems strange to me. Are there other question words that have だけ in them? I did a cursory trail-and-error search, and couldn't find any.


texts:
I'm looking to test some Morphological Analysis tools, which split sentences into tokens and provide part of speech and pronunciation information (specifically, providing kana when given kanji).

I'm after some sentences which automated tools would have trouble with. Examples of what I'm after are sentences which are difficult to determine the word boundaries, pronunciation or part of speech. Preferably, examples would be a more correct interpretation, and be something that could be seen in actual use.

The best I have found so far is "私はあくまで執事ですから". In a similar vain, is "にわにはにわとりがいる (庭には二羽鶏が居る)" which only applies to spoken use. An english example might be something like "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo", which is difficult to determine the part of speech each word is.


texts: What is the difference in usage between 港 and 港湾?

texts: According to my dictionary, 港湾{こうわん} and 港{みなと} both means harbour. What is the difference between the usage of these two words ?


texts: What is the purpose of the suffix "さ" on adjectives?

texts:
What is the purpose of the suffix "さ" on adjectives like 美しさ and 多さ?

The former is the title of an essay by Banana Yoshimoto, so I don't have much context for it.  The book editors translated it as "On beauty" which didn't help me understand what this さ business was all about.

In the case of the latter, she writes:

  "品揃えの多さについつい買い込んでしまい、大荷物を抱えて併設の花屋に行った。"

Which I understand as:

  "There were many goods there that, against my better judgement, I had purchased. Carrying the bags I went to the attached flower shop."


texts: transitive and intransitive verbs using を/が particle

texts:
Was studying Anki when i came across やっと難しい問題が解けった

Instead of using the が particle, would it also be plausible to use the を particle here? I know that transitive sentences normally uses を and intransitive uses が, but how "wrong" (in terms of trying to express my thoughts to others) is it to use を in this case. Would the other party, not be able to decipher what I am trying to say? I know that using the verb　解かす with the を particle would probably be more correct, but I am just curious on whether it is still decipherable to others


texts: Why does 「大雨」mean 「大量に降る雨」?

texts:
I've been thinking about the word 「大雨」and can't seem to ignore the kanji「大」in it. Why does 「大雨」mean 「大量に降る雨」 (a great quantity of rain)? Wouldn't something like 「多雨」be more appropriate?

When I was first studying Japanese, and I saw the word 「大雨」my first impression was that it meant "the rain drops were large". Is there any reason why 「大」 in 「大雨」 was chosen to represent that "there is a lot of rain"?


texts:
ドライブレコーダーにはカメラが付いていて、車の中から外の映像を撮ったり音を記録したりすることができます。
  There's a camera attached to this drive-recorder and, from inside the car, it can do things like record pictures of the outside and record the sound.

I'm wondering why 音 needs its own verb here. Can I just say 外の映像と音を撮ったり? Can't 撮る be used for recording sound (I thought it could)?

記録する is a new word for me. Can I use this verb for recording pictures i.e. 映像を記録する? Would it have the same meaning as 映像を撮る?

Finally, I'm not totally comfortable with 映像. Is 映像を撮る ambiguous in that it could mean either to take a still photo, or to take a video (ignoring the context here where it presumably means take a video)?


texts: If I look in Google Ngrams, I see that the transliteration "honbu", meaning HQ, basically didn't exist until 1964.  But it didn't surpass "hombu" until 1976.  I believe Modified Hepburn was introduced in the 1950s, but I am wondering when the Library of Congress adopted it as an ALA standard--in maybe the early 1970s?  I can't find any dates for this information, though I have looked on the LOC website.


texts:
Announcement in the train:

この電車は京浜東北線各駅停車(or 電車 not sure)、大宮行きです。

And Sometimes ふつう(普通) is used instead of かくえき(各駅).
What is the difference in meaning and usage and when one should be preferred over other?


texts:
I feel like this is a basic question, one whose meaning I don't think I fully understand. I'm watching a サンドウィッチマン コント on YouTube where 伊達さん is asked

"How many women have you been out with before?"

To which he pauses to think for a few seconds before replying with

  んー3人ぐらいですかね

My question is what is the nuance of ですかね over です here? Am I right to take it that by using ですかね, there is just a touch of uncertainty in his response? I.e he isn't 100% that it was just 3 people?

The original conversation:

  富澤: 今まで何人ぐらいの女性とお付き合いされたことありますか。

  伊達: 今までですか。

  富澤: はい。

  伊達: んー3人ぐらいですかね。

YouTube video for reference:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHh-_QmGESk&t=164s


texts: Clarification of objects using questions

texts:
When I want to ask whether or not something I have is what I think it is, I can't figure out exactly what to say.

これは梅じゃないの? (Rising intonation)
Is this not a plum?
これは梅じゃないね。(Falling intonation)
This isn't a plum, right?

How could I say something like

"This isn't a plum?!" (With a sense of surprise)
"Isn't this a plum?"

For a different example, here is the following from よつばと.
Which is translated officially to this.
In my mind, the translation is "Aren't I dead?" I guess I don't know if I'm being semantic or not, sorry.


texts: Usage of とwhere it seems てshould be used

texts:
I recently started playing Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! in Japanese, and I have seen this grammar come up a few times. Most recently in the following dialog.

  この　ポケモンジムは　閉まっとる

To me it seems as if the て was replaced with と, as in 「閉まってる」.

When I first came across this I tried looking up this structure, but to no avail. I couldn't seem to find anything on this type of grammar. Then I thought I may have just caught a typo and moved on. But after seeing the same structure pop up a few times I realized it must be something I haven't seen before.

I still cannot seem to find anything on this structure (maybe my googling skills just aren't up to snuff). Is this some verb form that I have yet to learn? Is it the と particle in an unfamiliar position? Or possibly some kind of dialect they're using?


texts: There is a difference between Vてこそ, Vばこそ and からこそ？

texts: I think that all of these three forms indicate both a reason, as well the emotional aspect of this reason. Could somebody tell me if I got their meanings right and whether they are interchangeable or not? Thank you in advance!


texts: What does this mean? '誰もがここで生まれたので、学校は大変でした.'

texts: I have been trying to translate 'school was hard because everyone was born here (australia)' and am not sure if this is the right grammar or not.


texts:
As the title says, I'm asking in what situations I'm supposed to use those 2. I know what they mean, more or less. Is it just a matter of one being "superior" or "inferior" to you?

e.g., I'll be in Japan next month; long story short: I'll be having an interview with a teacher (from which I'm supposed to be "seen" as someone of 中級 level of knowledge、although I rarely, if ever, speak Japanese so I'll probably have issues there), so, in this case, am I supposed to use only and just only 尊敬語 and would I make a bad impression if I just talked to her/him with 丁寧語?


texts:
I want to say "During my gap year, I want to learn about severals countries, including Japan."
ギャップイヤーの間にたくさんの国について学びたいです。(including Japan)


texts: What's the meaning of "からねぇ" used in the end of a sentence?

texts:
I frequently saw or heard the word "から" in some Japanese TV shows, I know the word basically means "since" or "from", but it seems can't always be translated like that.
Here's a sentence from the caption of a Japanese TV show:
"ここは もう 何年も 使ってない部屋らしいからねぇ。"
The English translation is "It seems that this room hasn't been used for years."
The meaning "since" or "from" all don't match the translation, so what exactly does "からねぇ" mean in this sentence?


texts: 試験期間は今日を含めて約2週間後の月末 meaning

texts:
試験期間は今日を含めて約2週間後の月末。

期間: period; term; interval.

含めて  ---> 含める: 1. to include (in a group or scope), 2. to instruct; to make one understand, 3. to include (a nuance); to put in (an implication), 4. to put in (someone's) mouth, 5. to permeate with flavor.

In my interpretation, that sentence means that the exams/tests will be held in about 2 weeks later (in 2 more weeks), at the end of the month. There's 2 parts that I don't quite understand, 期間 and 含めて in that sentence. The exams/tests will be held an completed in a day, so I wonder what the meaning of 期間 in that sentence. 今日を含めて literally translated as 'including today', is it 'start from today' or 'after today' the 2 weeks period will be counted from?

Thank you in advance for your kind guidance.


texts:
A habit that I have is replacing certain words with how I'd say them in English. For instance I'd write something like this: 私はイングランド人。 私はイーストアングリアに住んでいます, but say something like this: 私はEngland人。 私はEast Angliaに住んでいます。

Is this a necessarily bad habit I should break from, or does it not matter that much?


texts: Difference between 仮、一時的、臨時 when expressing "temporary"

texts:
All of these words express "temporary" but I can't understand the difference and in which contexts each are used.

For example:

  仮の包帯 A temporary bandage

  一時的な住宅 A temporary residence

  臨時列車 A temporary train

Are they all interchangeable in these sentences? What is the difference?


texts:
I haven't found an explanation for this expression in my dictionary, but from a few bits of info I found online I think it has something to do with "bragging"? Does it have to do with the way someone speaks only or can it describe actions too? Like "Acting extravagantly".

Here's a sentence I've encountered with said expression

  思ったより大きく出たねぇ……。

Context: Big-shot guy wants a reporter to document his latest achievement of ascending the ranks of government in various forms of propaganda. He's now one of the most powerful men in the universe the story is set in. The reporter and his workmate don't like Mr Big-shot because he's a pretty scummy and corrupt guy. It's pretty outrageous of the guy to request the reporter to do this specially for him. The reporter's workmate asks if he'll undertake such a task, the reporter agrees to do so and gives a short speech about how he takes his job seriously, the workmate says " 思ったより大きく出たねぇ……。" it depends on the meaning of the sentence but I believe the workmate is talking about Mr. Big-shot.

If so perhaps the speaker is saying "bragged more than I thought" or "acted more extravagantly than I thought".


texts: What does いい です mean in お飲み物は何がいいですか?

texts:
Phrase:

お [飲]{の}み[物]{もの}　は　[何]{なに}　が　いい　です　か
O nomimono wa nani ga ii desu ka?
What would you like to drink?

What I would like to know is what いい です (ii des) does for the sentence here? I've read that いい can translate to "good", but I don't see how that fits here.
I'm very new to Japanese and my immediate reaction is to think this might translate to "What beverage is good?"


texts: What is the role of 「より」 and 「かつ」 in this sentence

texts:
Below is a paragraph from a Japanese light novel. (Classroom of the Elite - Volume I)

  そして、その教えは少なくとも２０１５年を迎えた現代においても何一つ事実として変わっていない。もっとも、事態はより複雑かつ[深刻化]{しんこくか}しているが。

What exactly 「より」and 「かつ」do in the second sentence?

Also, what kind of meaning does 「が」 at the very end add to the sentence/pragraph?


texts: The difference between ～ようだ, ～ように見える, ～ように思える and ～みたい

texts:
In a Japanese English grammar textbook, "seems" is translated as ～のように見える, for example:

  He seemed to have been ill.
  病気であったように見えた。

I've also seen "seems" written as ～（の）ように思える in various example sentences on Space ALC:

  何の効果もないように思える。
  It doesn't seem to have an effect.

What's the difference in meaning and usage between ～（の）ようだ, ～（の）ように見える, ～（の）ように思える and ～みたい?


texts:
I am in the process of publishing a book on verse, more particularly, "American Haiku and Senryu -- 1008 Pauses Along the Path" and I need to ascertain whether or not the title is appropriate, i.e. is the inclusion of the word Senryu necessary?

Does Haiku cover the following?   (The first chapter contains traditional Haiku verse; the remainder of 5-7-5 form deals with non-nature, politics, man and woman and various observations.)  Again, I wish to acknowledge the correct way to entitle the content.


texts: Using な particle after common nouns (non na-adjectives)

texts:
Is な particle allowed to be used after common nouns (i.e non na-adjectives) for whatever reasons, e.g. cuteness, trendy, humor etc?

Dictionary@goo website seems to use (normal noun)+な in a couple of the column names:

JAPANなニュース
ニュースな英語

Is this kind of ungrammatical usage of な particle allowed in publication?


texts: I very often see なんてね or some similar phrase being translated to "Just kidding"? but why does it mean this and how does the grammar behind it work?


texts: がってんなら - what kind of contraction am I dealing with in this sentence?

texts:
I'm trying to understand how to parse the がってんなら in this sentence (it's from Tales of Vesperia, in case anyone's curious):

帝国がってんなら、
この旅の間にも
何度か見てきたろ？

This is how it's translated in the English version of the game:

Haven't you already seen what
the empire's capable of several
times on this trip already?

The second part of the sentence is easy enough, but I just can't wrap my head around the first part. Is it short for 帝国があっているなら or something? And what would that translate to literally? Is there some bit that's omitted that I should be able to infer from context?

Thank you :)


texts: What's the difference in comparative use between ～ + の様に / みたい / が如く, etc.?

texts: This question has been on my mind since I've watched SEGA's announcement the other day about Yakuza's second installment getting a remake. The original title of the game is [龍]{りゅう}が[如]{ごと}く, meaning "like a dragon." I've been wondering, how would the sense of the phrase change if in the place of ～が[如]{ごと}く I'd insert の[様]{よう}に, making it [龍]{りゅう}の[様]{よう}に? Now that I think about it, would it mean "having the appearance of a dragon"? Also, how would the sense of the phrase be different with other ways to express similarity?


texts: Meaning of うららか in うららかな午後に

texts:
Does うららか mean "beautiful" (as in "beautiful weather") in the sentence below?

  うららかな午後に、新木場で起きた事故で電車ビタ止まり。

Written by a Japanese colleague on our discussion server.

Google Image Search does not show nice weather in particular when searching for うららか or うららかな午後.


texts: Don't get the meaning of the sentence "意味ありげな笑いを浮かべた"

texts:
I am not sure about the meaning of this sentence.

意味ありげな笑いを浮かべた

"(He) showed a meaningful laughter" ?

Is that correct?


texts:
こんにちは!

I'm having some trouble understanding why は is used in the following response, instead of が.  If someone could please  help, I'd really appreciate it.

おさけ　を　のんだ　こと　が　あります　か / O sake o nonda koto ga arimasu ka?
Have you ever tried sake?

いいえ, おさけ　を　のんだ　こと　は　あり ません / iie, o sake o nonda koto wa arimasen
No, I've never drunk sake.

Several people have pointed out that two previously similar questions answer my question, but to me they don't.  I'm still confused as to why が cannot be used in the second sentence.  Here, は is not used as contrastive, but neutral so I now understand why it is used based on Naruto's response.  But I still don't understand why using が would be incorrect.

I have only learned hiragana and katakana so far, as I'm a newbie, so if responses could take that into account, I'd really appreciate it.

ありがとうございます!


texts: Why is volitional verb used before 〜ように (in order to)?

texts:
「今日の登校中、<ラタトスク>の機関員が十香の嫉妬を煽るようにいろいろと工作をするわ。士道はそれを受けつつ、上手く対応してちょうだい」

Hi. The context is that 琴里, the speaker and command of the 機関員, is talking to 士道. 琴里 will ask the 機関員 to fan 十香’s jealousy and hope 士道 would cope with that.

My question is, we are taught that when 〜ように indicate purpose, volitional verbs can’t be used before 〜ように. But in this case, 煽る is a volitional verb so it breaks the rule. Is this a technical mistake on the writer’s part or is what I have been taught inaccurate?
Thank you.


texts:
はやいもんがち！

From context, I'm guessing 「もん」 is explanatory 「も」+ emphasis particle「の」, and 「がち」 might be related to winner (because the next line is "Ready.. go!" like a race).  Is it 連濁 + 勝ち【かち】?  Though the 勝ち【がち】 I'm familiar with means "prone to".


texts: How to say 'Just to add to that' in a meeting

texts:
In a meeting, when someone has made a point and you want to add an additional comment to what was said, is there a way to say 'just to add to that...' or 'in addition to that...'?

Would it be something like それに言い添えて...?


texts:
Passage in question:

  よっぽど　おなかが　すいて　いたんだなあ。

As I understand, the translation is something along the lines of "You must have been very hungry." My problem lies within the bold text: how exactly each element of this passage is constructed? Dictionaries and rikaikun didn't quite help and I also don't know whether there are any kanji in the passage (although I doubt it) since I encountered it in a children's cartoon with kana-only subtitles.


texts:
I have recently encountered this construction:

  雪{ゆき}が降{ふ}りに降{ふ}っていました

Someone translated it as "The snow was falling in waves."

After some research, I discovered similar constructions with repeated verbs, such as:

  荒{あ}れに荒{あ}れる

like in this example from weblio:

  あらしは荒{あ}れに荒{あ}れてようやくやんだ。At last the storm raved itself out.

or this:

  走{はし}りに走{はし}る

I was wondering if it was some grammar pattern I didn't run into before and what exactly it means? Are there more similar constructions with repeated verbs? How common are they?

Is it at all similar to the construction

  Verb-stem + に行く = to go to do...

I mean in the grammatical function of the parts - that is, the first verb is the purpose/target of the second verb?

My first instinct was to translate 雪{ゆき}が降{ふ}りに降{ふ}っていました as "The snow was falling and falling" and 走{はし}りに走{はし}る as "to run and run" but it feels incomplete somehow...


texts: Understanding hiragana-only texts in videogames

texts:
I've been reading since a long time ago that reading hiragana only texts is quite difficult or frustrating because you don't know where a word begins or ends, I understand that and the importance of kanji to read more easily.

So I was wondering, how do Japanese people play hiragana only games like pokémon or those of the famicom (NES) that use only kana. I know this games are oriented to children because they don't know kanji, but how do the adults understand these games?

On average, do Japanese speakers find it more difficult to read texts without kanji? Are there any methods to improve the legibility of hiragana-only texts?


texts: What is the meaning of the expression まるくなる?

texts:
I heard it as "まるくなれますか" and I thought "Can we become round?", but then I started laughing. What does it really mean?

[Edit]

Sure, the full sentence was, something like this I think:

Ja, watashi mo Michan san to... maruku naremasu ka?

I think it's some sort of confession of love, but I'd like to know how a Japanese person would interpret that.


texts: Are "と" and "から" equal when they mean "from"?

texts:
When "と" and "から" can both be translated as the English preposition "from", do they have the exact same meaning/nuance and are they interchangeable?

For example, in the sentence 「 確【たし】かに中沢{なかざわ}部【ぶ】長【ちょう】と 離【はな】れることは残【ざん】念【ねん】だ。」, can the "と" be replaced with "から"?

Likewise, in this sentence 「やめる前【まえ】に直【ちょく】接【せつ】彼女【かのじょ】から聞【き】きました。」, is "から" replaceable with "と"?


texts: Why say "〜、皆には出来る。" instead of " 〜、皆は出来る。" in this context?

texts:
The sentence in a translation:

  将来を見据えながら点と点を結ぶということなど、皆にはできません。
  While looking at the future, one cannot see how to connect the dots.

My assumption is that the following is the "base" sentence. Then, to add meaning, a に is placed before the は. Maybe it adds emphasis (or something)?

  将来を見据えながら点と点を結ぶということなど、皆はできません。

I don't think I've ever seen a は and then have a に placed behind it to add meaning.

However, if the "base" sentence should be thought of as:

  将来を見据えながら点と点を結ぶということなど、皆にできません。

Then I am ok with regard to particles. Placing a は after a に seems pretty common.


texts:
Is the って in the following sentence equivalent to 「と」 as in AはBと変わる／違う?

昔から好きな曲って変わらないみたい。
My favourite songs have not changed for many years.

Does this mean it is equivalent to the と used for quotations.


texts: What does 中 suggest when it's used with another word? (e.g. 世界中 and 絶望中)

texts: I've heard it thrown about in different contexts, but I never quite under neither what it does or what dictates when the sound changes to じゅう in a context, as in 世界中. Anyone have any ideas?


texts:
I wanted to mention to a female staff member in a shop that I visit every day that I had seen their photograph in the Shibuya shop. I was going to say:

渋谷店であなたの写真を見た。

..but あなた seemed too intimate. If I knew their name, I could have said, for example:

渋谷店で田中さんの写真を見た。

..also きみ seemed too casual.

渋谷店で君の写真を見た。

What is the most natural way to refer to someone when you don't know their name and don't have a close relationship with them?


texts:
In a newspaper article about i stumbled on this phrase:

  参院は、まがりなりにも「良識の府」「再考の府」と言われてきた。

The context is that a bill has been passed from the Lower House of the Diet (衆院) to the Upper House of the Diet (参院). Passing the 衆院 is the bigger hurdle, so the 参院-matters are deemed less important.

In an japanese-german online dictionary i found the same translation for 参院 and 良識の府, meaning Upper House.
Since 良識 also means "good sense", is 良識の府 the "government of good sense", so some kind of wordplay?


texts: So these lyrics are from a song and the official translation I found was "Today's homework is about my basic self". I have a couple of problems with this namely that 無個性 is made up of 無 meaning nothing, and 個性 meaning individuality. So what I get from that is 無個性 should be translated as "Lack of personality". こと means "mater of" saying this is a matter of 僕の (my) personality or as I remake it "Matter of the lack of being myself". Using this, if I am correct shouldn't the translation be along the lines of "Today's homework is about the lack of being myself/ my individuality"? So to sum up is 1.) My translation correct and 2.) Did I make any mistakes in the above comments? 3.) What exactly does 「な」 mean as it is used in 本日の宿題は　無個性な僕のこと」


texts:
I'd like to know how you say Remember that you're still alive...

I found this あなたはまだ生きていることを忘れないでください with the meaning of Don't forget that you're still alive. It's not strictly necessary the literal translation, but I need the sense not to change.

I need it for a tattoo and I'd like it to be a single phrase but divided in 2 columns, possibly the first longer than the second... I don't know if I explained my self, I mean that I don't want a simple Remember / You're still alive, but Remember that you're still alive.

I undestand my request is a little too precise (and maybe impossibile), but, you know, trying doesn't have any costs.

Thank you very much in advise


texts: 黙然 has two different readings which are もくねん and もくぜん. I am fairly confident in saying that もくぜん is the more common of the two and that もくねん is some sort of outdated reading. Is this interpretation correct?


texts: それにしても日本人と変わりませんね - this sentence seems to make no sense

texts:
I have been doing exercises from Nihongo so-matome n3 grammar book, when I stumbled upon this question, and the answer seems to make no sense to me (Nihongo so-matome n3 grammar pg. 59, ex. 14)

日本語が上手なのは10年もいるからなんですね。（＿）日本人と変わりませんね
１）そのたびに　２）それにしては　３）だとしたら　４）それにしても

the correct answer is supposedly 4) but it seems to make no sense, so I must be misunderstanding something. Doesn't it mean "He has been speaking japanese fluently for the past 10 years. Even so he is no different from a Japanese [in his language ability]"?


texts:
This question came up on chat.

In this phrase:

  TOEIC、頑張ってください

Can the comma be replaced by を?  If not, is there a better particle?

頑張る is listed as a 自動詞 in both of my dictionaries (岩波 and 集英社).  There are plenty of Google results for を頑張る though, including in phrases like TOEICを頑張る.  I've also found some related discussion, though it didn't answer the question.

Possibly related: Are there verbs that are neither intransitive nor transitive?


texts: We are now living in the era of smartphone in which uneducated lazy people look busy and important, how to say it in Japanese?

texts:
I want to say the following:

  We are now living in the era of smartphone in which uneducated lazy people look (as if they are) busy and important.

And my attempt is as follows:

  無教育な怠け者がまるで忙しくて重要ように見えるというスマートホンの時代に、我々は今住んでいる。

Questions

Among 重要, 大切, 大事 which is the most relevant to mean "important people"?
Has という been used correctly here?
In my Japanese translation above, it seems there are 2 adverb of time which is 時代 and 今. However, the English translation, 今 is modified by 時代. Therefore,
how to make ~時代 the modifier of 今? How about the following?

  無教育な怠け者がまるで忙しくて重要ように見えるというスマートホンの時代である今、我々は住んでいる。


texts: Meaning of 調整役 in the following sentence

texts:
Context: in the manga Rikudo, Riku is going to fight against the number 2 of the OPBF (Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation), a Filipino boxer named Alan Sedenho. Alan has been offered by the federation a match for the vacant OPBF title, but has to wait for a strong opponent to appear.

  Riku's trainer: アランは空位のOPBF王座を賭けたタイトル戦のオファーを連盟から受けていて客を呼べる相手が現れる次第で〝おあずけ〟をくらってる無敗の帝王と言った選手だ。

  Riku's friend: そ…　それっておい…　OPBFタイトルの調整役としてふっかけられた話なのかよ！？

  Riku's trainer: コイツが〝誰のためへの〟調整になるのかは水面下では既に決まってるがな

My translation attempt:

  Riku's trainer: Alan is an undefeated boxer that was offered from the federation a match for the vacant OPBF title, but has to wait
  until an opponent that can attract a big audience will appear.

  Riku's friend: Hey, so this means that... he is being forced to be a coordinator for the OPBF title?

  Riku's trainer: I think it has already been decided behind closed doors for whom he will act as a coordinator.

What does 調整役 mean in this context? Considering that Riku is supposedly weaker than Alan, considering the fact that if Alan beats Riku his next match will probably be the title match and considering the trainer's answer, does it mean that Riku is being used as a かませ犬 so that Alan can then find a stronger opponent for the title match after beating him? Also, an extra question: what is the がな at the end of the trainer's answer? Uncertainty or hope?

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

EDIT: here you can find the next pages for more context--> 17, 18-19, 20. The man with the glasses is Akito Hyodo, former world champion and now a powerful boxing promoter. He has a son, Kaede Hyodo, who is a rising star in the boxing world (at the moment he is the Japanese national champion) and has recently abandoned his father's gym because of their bad relationship. Akito hates his son and is trying to stop his career progression.


texts: Would 売り手 be the right word for a store clerk? What about cashier?

texts:
売り手 means seller or vendor. Could it also be used in reference to the cashier, or perhaps a store clerk? Or would that not be correct because (Example: they are just in charge of collecting the money for the book that is being sold at the store?)

  あの売り手にだまされました。 I was cheated by that vendor.

  その家の売り手は、近所の人が本当にひどいやつなので、家を手放すことにしたんだと私に話した。

  The guy selling that house told me he’s selling it because his
  neighbor is a real jerk.


texts: JLPT N1 listening question: Confused about sequence of events

texts:
There is a JLPT N1 listening practice question from a third-party website, and I believe its answer is incorrect, but want to make sure. The script is copied below.

  農園で男の人が農業体験の参加者に話しています。参加者はこの後すぐ何をしますか。

  男：おはようございます。今日の一日農業体験のスケジュールについてご説明します。ええ、皆さんに事前に配布しました案内では、午前中に畑で野菜の収穫、午後から牛の世話となっていました。それがですね、準備の都合で、午前と午後の作業を入れ替えて実質いたします。ええ、午前の作業が終わったら、この土地の名産や採りたての新鮮な野菜を使った料理を、地元農家の若手グループと一緒に作りたいと思います。昼食時には、彼らの最近の取り組みについて話を聞いていただければと思います。今日一日、よろしくお願いします。

  参加者はこの後すぐ何をしますか。

  1．野菜を収穫する
  2．牛の世話をする
  3．食事の準備をする
  4．若手グループの話を聞く

  正しい答えは2 です。

(source: https://japanesetest4you.com/japanese-language-proficiency-test-jlpt-n1-listening-exercise-1/#more-244)

I don't understand how the answer is not 1.  If the 参加者 must immediately (この後すぐ) do 牛の世話をする, that would imply it is the afternoon (as described: 午後から牛の世話となっていました). However, the speaker begins with おはようございます, and speaks of a future task after the morning tasks are completed (午前の作業が終わったら...), implying that the morning tasks (野菜を収穫する) are not completed yet. Which would mean those are the first order of business for the 参加者.

Am I correct in my understanding and choice 1 is correct, or am I completely missing some crucial details here?


texts: 何だこの中二心に響くサウンドは Does この refer to サウンド? How does に and an intransitive verb work?

texts:
Is この refering to サウンド or 中二心?
How does に and an intransitive verb work together?
My translation attempt is: What is this sound that resonates with my chuuni heart?


texts: For ら り る れ ろ, is the tongue blade ever in use?

texts: I’m new to learning Japanese, and I am currently practicing on how to properly pronounce ら り る れ ろ. I have been told that you use your tongue tip to flick the roof of your mouth. I am able to produce the sound and people have told me it sounds good, but I feel like I am not using the tip of my tongue as told. I feel like I am using the blade of my tongue instead. To be really really honest, I feel like I am using the tip AND the blade of my tongue if that makes sense. I just want to ask if this is normal or if I should work on fixing this and start only using the tip of my tongue and not the blade at all. Thank you! :)


texts:
だったらさ！

だった is the completed tense of だ, ら is a rough indicator, and さ is an assertion. The completed existential verb with the rough indicator would seem to say something like "Things having been like so, indicates...", or "If that's the case, then..."

Would the assertion change it to something like "It is indicated that things are like so!" or "It is the case!"?


texts: Is V-て + は used to connect the two clauses of the following sentence with a conditional relationship, a causal relationship or a different one?

texts:
I came across the following sentence in my textbook when studying the grammar point Verb -て + ばかり + いる.

「そんなに働いてばかりいては病気になりますよ。」

The role of ばかり is clear, I just included it to give context and keep the sentence as it appears in the book. I would like to figure out if this sentence is a condition (A), a causality (B) or something else (C).

A: Conditional hypothesis

I understand (i.e. I guess it means) the original sentence above as "If you keep working like that, you will get sick" but if I had to formulate the sentence in my own words, I would say either of the following sentences:

「そんなに働いてばかりいたら病気になりますよ。」
「そんなに働いてばかりいると病気になりますよ。」

B: Causal hypothesis

Another possibility I have thought of is that this Verb -て is conveying a causal relationship between the clauses:

「そんなに働いてばかりいて、病気になりました。」

meaning "You keep working like that so you get sick". However, it is clunky because I have only seen that grammar used in past tenses and I am not sure whether it could be used with present or future tense clauses such as 「病気になります」.

C: I don't have a clue hypothesis

Did I miss something important? Maybe the sentence has a different meaning whatsoever?

Thank you very much!


texts: I can't identify this kanji ( kanji 当ても)

texts: I've decided to read manga in japanese again, I left it for a couple of years so now I'm out of practice and in need of help. It must be a really simple one but still I want to understand without feeling ashamed for ask.


texts:
ヒューマンと同程度の体格を誇るキラーアントを除けば、パープル・モスとニードルラビットは小型種のモンスターなので、やろうと思えば確かにそこまで手間はかからない。

I'm unsure how to interpret that は in that part of the sentence. I'm assuming it's a contrastive は but I'm not sure what it's contrasting.

Thank you!


texts:
その点に不服があるのなら、学校側が納得するようにこの1年間で示してみせろ。

示す: 1. to (take out and) show; to demonstrate; to tell; to exemplify; to make apparent, 2. to point out (finger, clock hand, needle, etc.), 3. to indicate; to show; to represent; to signify; to display.

見せる/みせろ: 1. show, 2. display.

I can't find any references related to 示してみせろ, except in a song by a Japanese band Lustknot. "Decayed My Skin". One of the fans translate 示してみせろ as "show a sign", but it's not quite fit the sentence I found in light novel.

I'm confused with the 2 words with an almost similar meaning put together into a word. I have a feeling that it simply means "to show", but it's like an emphasize, and perhaps "to show (with enthusiasm feeling)".

Thank you for your kind guidance.


texts: Is there an equivalent of "Me neither" as a standalone sentence in Japanese? I know you can say the whole sentence (e.g. "I also can't understand"), but what about "Me neither" on its own?


texts: Is using the particle の at the end of a sentence considered feminine?

texts: I need some additional information on gender differences when speaking Japanese.


texts: Can I use といいですね in this situation? "I hope you haven't fallen ill again"

texts:
退院して以来、健康問題がなかったといいですね。

I hope you haven't had any problems since you got out of hospital.


texts:
What I've studied is that in Japanese, you don't use past tenses in conditional sentences to express a lower probability (like if I were instead of if I am). I know there's a conditional formed with た form (たら), but it doesn't have anything to do with probability.
From that, I guessed that if I saw a た form followed by なら, it wouldn't mean less probability but actual past tense. For example:

もしも僕がミュージシャンだったなら

should mean if I've been a musician, rather than if I were a musician. But I've heard a lot of these sentences where the actual meaning seems to be the second one.
So in what cases is it correct to use the た form before なら and what exact nuance does it give to the conditional sentence?
(EDIT) Some example sentences:

もしも僕が名医だったなら、親父の病気は僕が治す。

もしも僕が王様だったなら、嫌いなやつは全員消えてもらう。

もしも僕がミュージシャンだったなら、言葉にならない言葉を紡ぐ。


texts: What's the difference between 大きいケーキ and 大きなケーキ?

texts:
I'm studying for Japanese exam of the second year and teacher corrected this sentence-mistake:

  音楽　を　聞いた　あとで、大きい　ケーキ　を　たべました。

was corrected to

  音楽　を　聞いた　あとで、大きな　ケーキ　を　たべました。

What is the difference?


texts:
Every time I'm feeling confident about the correct usage of に, を, and で, I get thrown for a loop.  Could someone please explain to me the use of に in this sentence:

I will study a lot and pass the test

  watashi wa takusan benkyō shite tesuto ni gōkaku shimasu
  私 は たくさん勉強 して テスト に 合格 します

I chose を instead of に and it was marked incorrect on my test.  I'm not really sure why.  I'm assuming that に is correct because I should have interpreted the sentence as "I will study a lot to pass the test"?

Thank you very much in advance for any clarification.


texts: What verb form is the phrase '見上げたんだ' using?

texts:
From the song 'Nirvana' by Tia.
I am currently working on translating this song as an exercise and I noticed that this phrase is different from the verb forms I already know.

見上げたんだ

The meaning is supposed to be 'I looked up' - but wouldn't you just say '見上げた'?
What does this 'nda' mean? If it's casual speech for です in this case, why add だ to an already complete sentence?

Thanks very much!


texts:
From what I understand 好きな人 refers to "the person I like".
How do I express "the person who likes me"?

Preferably the most naturally casual way.

I want to use it in casual sentences like the following:

  今、好きな人がいないよ。笑

Thank you in advance.


texts: How did 象【しょう】 ( ≈かたち、 すがた、ようす) and 象【ぞう】 (どうぶつ) get to be written with the same kanji?

texts:
How did each term come to be represented by the same kanji 「象」?

I assume there's no connection between both meanings beyond sharing the same kanji because they look so different to me, but I'm not sure. Maybe their meanings are somehow connected in a way I can't figure out?

よろしくお願いします！


texts:
I've seen and heard so much the particle さ but I don't get the hang of it. Does it mean anything or make some kind of emphasis?
Can you use it anywhere in the sentence? Because I've seen it in any position ramdomly (at the beginning, at the end, after the particle は, after a verb, etc.) so I don't know how it works and if it has a different nuance according to its position in the sentence.

Could someone explain it to me?

Thank you so much in advance for your help!


texts: Is there a term that covers both wasei eigo and gairaigo?

texts: Is there a term that covers both wasei eigo ("Japanese-made English") and gairaigo (words from foreign languages)? Can you call them カタカナ語?


texts:
A daughter is telling her dad about an incident that happened at school. He replies:

  「へー、そりゃえれぇことになっちまったな」

I think this is the same as:

  「へー、それはえらいことになってしまったな」

I don't understand the meaning of えれぇ in this sentence. I'm translating it as

  This has ended up becoming a famous event.

but she is telling him on the same evening as the incident happened so 'famous' doesn't seem likely. Is there a more obvious translation that fits the context?


texts: Do these two sentences mean the same thing?

texts:
Do the following two sentences mean the same thing?

  部下は課長に残業を頼まれました。

  課長は部下に残業を頼ませました。


texts:
I found the following sentence in Minna No Nihongo:

すみませんが、出張は来週になったと伝えていただけませんか
Sumimasenga, Shucho wa raishu ni natta to tsutaete itadakemasenka?
'Please, Could you tell him that the business trip will be on next week.'

Shouldn't it be 'shucho wa raishu ni naru' instead of 'natta' since shucho will take place in next week?


texts: How do i say "for every x, show that P(x) is true"?

texts:
i've been learning japanese for 2 and a half years now. for a few weeks/months now, i'm taking notes in japanese.

Listening to the teacher in french and taking notes in japanese my be challenging at times, but it's increadibly stimulating and rewarding, given that it was totally impossible not that long ago.

Yet i cannot find a translation for the statement :
"for all x, show that P(x) is true", something like that.

It's especially the "show that" that i'm not sure how to properly translate.
”全てのxについて、xはP(x)である”…「を証拠立てる」・「を証明する」… or anything else

Thank you


texts:
So, i have met this phrase

  私があの子を救ってあげなければ、誰が救うと言うのですか？

Now, with a quick glance, my brain translated it as something like "if i haven't saved her, who would have done that?".

However giving it another look, i can see that it probably means something closer to "if i don't save her, who would do that?" because that kind of conditional (救ってあげなければ) can't be used for past actions, so it's something that the speaker has yet to do i guess.
(correct me if im wrong, but i think the only way to make a past conditional is by using ーたら, right?)

But there's something else that's been bothering me in this phrase: the ending.
What does と言うの means here exactly?
Some people explained it to me by using a raw translation (ex: can you name a person that would save her, except me?" but i still can't comprehend it fully.


texts:
Probably a silly question.  I assume that it is just a stylistic way of writing some katakana or hiragana that I know.  The image is from ヘタリア but I’ve seen it in a few places.  The full sentence is basically “let the global conference begin.”

  始める_!


texts: Help with this sentence fragment containing "思想統制"

texts:
I came across this example sentence for the grammar point ~にあって, which indicates that something is under a particular circumstance.

  彼女は戦争中、思想統制下にあってなお、自由な精神を持ち続けた。

I understand the first and the last bits, but I cannot figure out the middle fragment 思想統制下にあってなお

思{し}想{そう}統{とう}制{せい} means "thought censorship" according to my dictionary, but other than that I'm not sure what that exactly means. All I can think of is the Thought Police from Orwell's 1984...and I don't think that's it. (I hope so anyway.) I imagine that the 下 is read か, and I gather it means "under thought censorship", but that doesn't really help me understand the meaning. Is this something that is done particularly during wartime? Does this refer to a specific practice or policy, and if so is it enforced, either by the government or some other group, or an individual?  Is this more like political censorship?

If this is an internal circumstance (as in in one's mind), how can one have this censorship and retain a 自由な精神, or a "free mind"?

My last (and least pressing) question has to do with the use of なお with にあって...am I right in thinking that it means something more like "even under the circumstances (of thought censorship)..."

All in all, this example sentence raised more questions then it answered...


texts: Parsing 思うことだって、できるはずだ

texts:
The sentence I want to parse is from page 6, chapter 1 of がばいばあちゃん. It reads:

  そんな人生から開放される新たなチャンスだと思うことだって、できるはずだ。

I get the general sense of the sentence. It's saying you can liberate yourself from that kind of life. The って replaces という. The last part, I guess, could be glossed as, 'That kind of thing [i.e. liberating yourself] has got to be possible'. But I'm not sure how the 思うことだって... works exactly. My guess is it comes from 思うことできる (It's possible to think) and the って highlights 思うこと, so maybe you could translate it as,

  Such a thing as thinking there is a new chance to liberate yourself from such a life - it's got to be possible!

However, if that were the correct reading, I'm not sure what the だ in the だって is doing exactly. If anyone could help me out, it would be much appreciated.


texts:
So according to this website https://eigobu.jp/magazine/hodasareru some 類語 of 「絆される」 are "押し切られる; 呑まれる; 丸め込まれる; 力負けする; 手折られる."
Of course, Jisho just tells me that this word means "to be moved by kindness" but these 類語 make me think it can be translated as "to be outmatched [by]" or "to be overwhelmed [by]" or "to be outwitted [by]" in some cases.
I'm translating a song about a guy trying to capture a villain, and in this context, I think the 類語 definitions work better. Also, the villain is the 妄想 in the story; he's the speakers evil alter ego that he doesn't fully realize exists yet. As such, he indirectly refers to the villain as the 妄想; it is personified (I think)。
妄想に絆されていく

I really don't think this means "moved by kindness" here as the two continue trying to kill each other in the song. Can I use the word "outmatched" or "outwitted"? (I think I prefer outwitted since it has a connotation of losing to someone in a mental game, which might be similar to 絆される in my opinion.)


texts:
Full text: 退職給付引当金 ……従業員の退職給付に備えるため、当連結会計年度末にお ける退職給付債務の見込額に基づき計上しております。
My issue: 計上, Is it appropriation or recorded?
My understanding: Retirement benefit allowance... In order to prepare for employees' retirement benefits, the estimated amount of retirement benefits obligations is appropriated at the end of the current consolidated fiscal year.


texts: Can「箱の中を手で探った」be shortened to 「箱を探った」?

texts:
By using default meanings, couldn't the title be shortened to:

  箱を探った。

Isn't の中 so obvious, it is assumed to be the location you searched? If I were to search under the box, then I would write の下?
Isn't 手で so obvious, it is assumed to be with what you searched? If I were to search with my foot, then I would write 足で?
In formal written Japanese, shouldn't you try to shorten your sentences as much as possible?
Is the following correct usage of `暗黙了解':

  この例では、の中も手でも暗黙了解です。

I am only talking about formal writing. Unnecessary words are naturally used in every language in conversation.


texts: Topic marker in これは大きい本を食べる犬です

texts:
In the sentence  これは大きい本を食べる犬です, I understand that 大きい本を食べる is a clause that describes 犬 as "a dog that eats large books"; and を only makes sense within that clause.

However, I'm confused about whether これは refers to the dog (これは...犬です) or the books (これは大きい本...).

Is there any grammatical standard I could follow or must it just be taken within context?


texts: As i have learned, the に particle is marking the target of the verb. And it make sense for most cases i have seen except for time. How exactly can time be the target of any verb? wouldn't it make more sense if it would be marked by で which gives us context on the action?


texts: シャンクス見参! why there is no が in that sentence?

texts:
I was watching one piece and came across with the title シャンクス見参! without が. I want to google it by myself the answer but I am not sure the proper keyword so I ask about it here. would you tell me why there is no が in the title? if you have link reference about, I'd love to read it.

And what's the meaning of it? the subtitle translate it as shanks appears. is that correct? but I tried google translate and it gave me worse translation Shanks kenzan.


texts: What is the meaning of カックン in the following sentence?

texts:
Context: before a boxing match begins, a boxer named Kamishiro says this referring to his opponent:

  勘だけど　あのカックン野郎…　刺せるヤツだ

What is the meaning of カックン? The opponent was a thug in the past and he his obsessed with precisely cut hair, but none of these details seems to be relevant. The only similar expression I could find is 膝カックン, but I don't think it could fit the context.

Here you can see the page before and the page with the sentence in question. Thank you for your help!


texts:
What does this sentence from my grammar textbook mean?

わたしは今日ほど楽しい試験をこれまでしたことはない。

I guess it means "I haven't had a test as fun as today's so far."


texts:
I was watching an episode of ファニエスト外語学院 on judo.
At 6:26, the judoka remarked how his opponent ボビー could win him just by his horrid face, saying 「顔で一本取られた」って感じです.
I am interested in understanding why the 助数詞 本 was used in the expression, especially when it is used for small, long things. I looked up 一本取る in ディジタル大辞泉 , which gives the definition  柔道・剣道などで、完全に技が一つ決まること。 So I believe 一本 here houses the meaning 'in one go/shot/try', though I am not completely sure.


texts: ～くする or ～にする versus ～くなる or ～になる

texts:
According my teacher,

～くする or ～にする is used for direct action, but
～くなる or ～になる is used for indirect action

For me, the meaning of direct and indirect is a bit ambiguous. Consider there is a tool than can cut something. The tool can be either powered by a motor or powered by human energy. Is the decision whether directly or indirectly based on the source of energy to do the action?

I mean the sentence A below will be true if the tool is powered by a motor, for example. Otherwise it will be false if powered by a human.

  A: このツールを使うと、ズボンが短くなります。

With almost the same logic, the sentence B below will be true if the tool is powered by a human. Otherwise it will be false if powered by a motor.

  B: このツールを使うと、ズボンを短くします。

What do you think? More precisely, when do we have to use する and なる?
Any comment is appreciated.


texts:
I have been searching all internet and haven't found an "acceptable" answer for it yet. I hope you guys can help me!

I was reading a text in the website KawaJapa about 分かる and the sentence 日本語が分かる. As a matter of fact, わかる is 自動詞 and means something like "understandable" and not "to understand" which is transitive, so "Japanese is understandable/comprehensible to me (私には)".

Following this line of thought, 見える would be the same: 富士山が見える, "Fuji-san is visible". However, I was watching one lesson in Youtube from the channel Nihongonomori about the uses of ために・ように and he gave two sentences that confused me:

  生徒が分かるように、ゆっくり話します。
  彼が見えるように、手を振る。

I understand the meaning of both sentences, but if I analyze it based on what was taught in Kawa Japa's website, then it doesn't make sense to me because both sentences would sound like:

  "The students are understandable" and "he is visible"

When I know the sentences actually mean:

  "so the students will understand..." and
  "so he sees (me)..."

Shouldn't the sentences be, for example:

  （テキストが）生徒に分かるように、ゆっくり話します。
  （私が）彼に見えるように、手を振る。

So which sentence is more appropriate?
Nihongonomori's

  生徒が分かるように、ゆっくり話します。
  彼が見えるように、手を振る。

or mine:

  （テキストが）生徒に分かるように、ゆっくり話します。
  （私が）彼に見えるように、手を振る。

I hope I could express my doubt in a clear way. Sorry for the big text.

みんな、教えてください。


texts: How to write about something in the future where something will have happened

texts:
How could I write about something in the future where something will have happened? That is, I'm writing from the perspective of the current time, about a perspective in the future where something has happened between the two perspectives.

My specific case right now is to get the equivalent of "If you are reading this, I will already be dead" in Japanese.
Currently I'm thinking of 「これを読んでいるなら、私はもう死んでいました」, but that seems to translate more to "If you are reading this, I am already dead", that is, the perspective for it is in the future, but I want to write in the present.

"If you are reading this, I will already be dead" ⟵ this
"If you are reading this, I am already dead" ⟵ not this

Since this is a bit hard to understand, here's a drawing to explain what I want to do:

Time ───────────────┬────────────────────┬────────────────┬─────────────>
        Now (Writing the letter)       I die        Letter is read
                    └────────────────┐   └────────────────│────────────────┐
                       Writing from here, talking about this, referencing this event

@YangMuye suggested turning it into a question: 「あなたがこれを読んでいるなら、私はもう死んでいるでしょう。」Would this be the best way to do it?

While also helping me with my specific case, please also give a general answer to the question in case people need to apply it to other sentences such as, "In the future, androids will have been created", or "At the heat death of the universe, all black holes will have evaporated" (Yes, I'm bad at examples)


texts: Translation of 「項目」in the company president's speech

texts:
What could be the appropriate translation of the word 「項目」in the next sentence?

  私｛わたし｝から皆様｛みなさま｝に再度｛さいど｝お願い｛おねがい｝したいことは、次｛つぎ｝８つの項目｛こうもく｝についてです。
  ① <...>
  ② <...>
  …
  ⑧ <...>

I translated it on my own as:

  I would like to ask you again to follow the directions mentioned in
  the next 8 points:
  ① <...>
  ② <...>
  …
  ⑧ <...>

But as for me, neither "points", "items" nor "categories" are suitable in the English version...


texts:
We know that Vteあげる can be used when we talk about the giver doing a; generous act, favour or being helpful. Further, we know that Vteあげる can be used when the two people are of the almost same social background.

E.g 私は山田さんに本を買ってあげた (This means I brought a book for Yamada San (It
can be out of a fovour or help)

So, my first question is can we use Vte差し上げる if we are giving to someone who has a higher social status

E.g. 私は先生に本を買って差し上げた(This means I brought a book for the Teacher (It can be out of help or kindness, like giving it as a present)

So my 2nd question is, if we use Vte差し上げる won't it be a bit rude as he is of a higher status and we are showing we did some grateful act to him.

Further, can Vteあげる and Vte差し上げる be used, in those cases where one does an act for another, however, he is not doing this as a favour or help but doing it for someone else.


texts: What is the regular kana text of the image?

texts:
What is the regular kana text of the image ?
the context:https://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=manga&illust_id=66035643


texts: Why "ついてきてください" and not "付いてきてください"

texts:
I found some similar questions regarding Japanese switching out relatively "easy" kanji for hiragana, but I still can't seem to understand why it's done.

I saw this sentence from a movie:

  参加される方は 私についてきてください

It was confusing to me because I had to recall ついて on it's own, but if it was written as 付いて, I would have understood because of the hint that kanji can provide.

Needless to say I am a beginner, but I would like to learn why these changes are done.


texts:
"「タクシーに乗る」は英語で、I ride a taxiで正解！？"

I saw this question being posted on the web by someone and my issue is about the meaning of the sentence itself specifically the phrase "I ride a taxiで正解！？".

Does the で in this case refer to the usage that indicates "by means of~"? Also,is it okay to use が instead ?


texts:
何の躊躇いもなく晒された令音の裸体は、同性である琴里をして息を呑んでしまうほどに美しかった。

What is the usage of the bold part (i.e. name of a person＋をする)? Does it mean 琴里として?


texts: Is this usage of も and sentence correct?

texts: So I am learning uses of the particle も, and one of my methods is to make example sentences to solidify its use. I was wondering if the sentence 少しもその映画を見られなかった correctly means “I couldn’t even see a little bit of that movie.”


texts: What is the function of たろ in this sentence?

texts:
I found this sentence while I was practicing in Wanikani platform.

「ドタマかち割って脳みそストローでチューチュー吸うたろか！」とお化けは怒って言った。

Translation according to Wanikani: "Do you want me to crack your skull open and suck out your brains with a straw?" the ghost said angrily.

There is a たろ in there and I have not yet been able to decipher its meaning. Would you be so kind as to give me a clue? I'd really appreciate it if you did so.


texts:
What does the phrase 「あえて言{い}えば」 mean? What are a few example sentences?

Is the following usage correct:
「好きな日本料理{にほんりょうり}はあんまりないが、あえて言えば 納豆{なっとう}ですね。」

"I don't really like Japanese food, but if I had to mention something I would say natto."


texts:
In this question, we are presently trying to better understand the function of the は that happens here:

  当時{とうじ}母{はは}がどんな気持{きも}ちだったのか、子{こ}どもの私{わたし}には知{し}るべくもないことだった。

meaningwhise, we are all agreed that the sentence means:

  As a child I had no way of knowing how my mother felt at that time.

(I'm just going with ssb's translation).

My question here is: can the は after 子供の私に be removed or does that make the sentence ungrammatical? / Is this は just a topic marker? a topic marker and a contrastive marker? or something further?


texts: Is there omission after the とparticle in the text?

texts:
What's the meaning of "変えようと" in this sentence:

  根本的なところから変えようとしっかり睡眠をとったり、食生活を見直したりといろいろ取り組んでいますが、その中で皆さんにおすすめしたいのは「音読」です。

Is the と particle implying something like when "思う" is omited in "と思う"?


texts: So my question is very simple. I know that Akagami means red hair but isn't hair in japanese named "kami"? I want to understand why it is akagami instead of akakami. Hope this question doesn't sound stupid.


texts: What is the origin of the term _akachinki_, borrowed into Korean as _akkajinki_? (Meaning "Mercurochrome" or "Merbromin")

texts:
There is a topical antiseptic called Mercurochrome or Merbromin.  According to the Korean Wikipedia article, an alternative name for this in Korean is [아]【a】[까]【kka】[징]【jin】[끼]【kki】 (possibly also romanized as akkajinki), which was borrowed from Japanese 赤【あか】チンキ.

What is the origin of this Japanese term akachinki?


texts:
Note that this is not a duplicate of this. I am taking about the ものだ and ことだ that expresses exclamation and strong feelings.
My textbook says that 〜ことだ means:

本当に〜だ（驚き・感動・皮肉などを表す）

and 〜ものだ means:

〜ということを非常に強く感じる・感心する・あきれる

〜という過去の習慣が懐かしい

and 〜ものがある means:

〜という感じがある

After reading that, I was very confused because all three of them seem to mean roughly the same thing. For example, this JLPT question:

迷惑をかけてしまった人たちのことを考えると、今でも心苦しい（　）。
a ものだ　b ことだ　c ものがある

If we substitute the meanings, we get:

a 迷惑をかけてしまった人たちのことを考えると、今でも心苦しいということを非常に強く感じる
b 迷惑をかけてしまった人たちのことを考えると、今でも本当に心苦しい
c 迷惑をかけてしまった人たちのことを考えると、今でも心苦しいという感じがある

All three sentences seem to mean the same thing! Yet the "correct" answer is "c". Why? What are the differences between these three grammar?


texts: When is it okay to use あります with a living subject?

texts:
When learning Japanese everyone's taught いる is for a living thing and ある is for non-living things. However, I recently saw the following sentence ...

  あと、サッカー選手でもあります。

... which ends in ある / あります for a living subject, assuming were not talking about a dead soccer player!

Now the following make uses of ある sense to me:

  〜である
  〜がある
  〜にある

But in my mind these adhere to the living/dead rule learned in those first Nihongo classes all those years ago.

So where does もあります fit in? How should I think of this in English (equivalent phrase)?


texts:
These words bug the heck out of me due to their multiple readings, and I haven't found anything that addresses this problem. Thus, I am going to attempt to compile a list of the ones I'm having trouble with. Please point out any error should you see one, as I guarantee there shall be many. The following definitions are secretly stolen from the dictionary I am using (ルミナス, 研究社). Here the focus is on how they should be read as a single word alone.

縁: へり・ふち・ゆかり・よすが

へり

  物の端{はし} edge；布{ぬの}や着物の hem；コップや茶碗{ちゃわん}など円形の物の brim；畳{たたみ}などの border

ふち

  へり edge； 一般に物の周辺 fringe；崖{がけ}などの brink；眼鏡･帽子の rim；コップなどの brim;
  額縁{がくぶち} frame
  例：池の*縁{ふち}(or *縁{へり})；　縁なし・金縁{きんぶち} の眼鏡
  *See below. Could be that only one reading is correct.

And now a quotation from our buddy, goo辞書:

  「机のふち（へり）に手をつく」「茶碗のふち（へり）」「崖のふち（へり）」のように、物のまわりやまぎわの部分の意では、相通じて用いられる。◇「ふち」には「目のふちを赤くする」とか、「眼鏡のふち」「額 (がく) ぶち」のような、回りの枠をいう使い方もあり、この場合は「へり」は用いない。◇「へり」は、「船べり」「川べり」のように平らなものの周辺部をいうことが多く、さらに周辺部につける飾り物などの意まで広がる。「リボンでへりをつける」「畳のへりがすり切れる」

Rough translation:
For the edge or brim of things like desks, rice bowl, teacup, cliffs, etc., both readings (へり & ふち) are interchangeable. However, for things that has a rim, frame, and so on, use ふち (or ぶち as a suffix). As for へり (or べり as a suffix), you want to use it for the border of flat stuff, or adornments added to the border of... stuff.
ゆかり
The definition seems to overlap with 縁{えん}, a reading I won't bring up.

  繋{つな}がり connection；血縁関係 relation
  例：
  a.) 彼女は私には縁（？）も*ゆかりもない。 She has no relation to me.
  b.) ここは『蝶々夫人』*ゆかりの地である。 This place is noted  in
  connection with Madame Butterfly.
  ？I do not know how in the world to read this one.

よすが

  思い出させる物･事 reminder；助け help；手段 means
  例：
  a.) 亡き友が*よすがにと残した詩集 a collection of poems my dead friend left as a reminder of them
  b.) 身を寄せる*よすがもない。 I have nowhere to go for help.

端: たん・は・はし・はな

たん (standalone)
No definition is given, but this reading seems to go with を発する only.

  例：
  a.) その革命は何に*端を発したのか。 What triggered the revolution?
  b.) 夫婦げんかはつまらない事に*端を発することが多い。 A quarrel between a couple often originates in trifles.

は

  edge
  例：山の*端 a mountain ridge

はし
Again, seems to overlap with は to me.

  末端 end；隅 corner；縁 edge
  例：
  a.) 彼は一番前の列の*端に座った。 He sat at the end of the front row.
  b.) 机の*端にはインクのしみがついていた。 There was an ink stain on the corner of the desk.

はな

  始まり the beginning；出発点 the start；最初 the first
  例：そんなことは*はなから知っていた。 I knew it from the beginning.

*These two have their own entries: はした金{がね} small sum (of money)；端数{はすう} fraction

Bonus confusion:

  「側」―When read as がわ, it means "side," and the reading かわ is becoming less common even when you see 側 alone. When read as そば, it means "a place close to something/somewhere." For 側{がわ}, kanji is usually written, whereas そば is written in kana.

Questions:
Is this list up to date with modern conventions? Are some of these readings replaced by another nowadays? Which readings are usually written in kana, and which in kanji?

TIL: 畳の縁{へり}を踏んではいけません。


texts: Meaning of もったいないお化けがでる

texts:
I came across

もったいないお化けがでる

What does that mean?


texts: How would you say "Something isn't X, but isn't Y as well."

texts:
I'm currently practicing to use japanese adjectives by writing down sentences with antonym pairs, and I came up with the following sentence.

"My room isn't dirty, but it isn't clean as well."

Unfortunately I find it difficult to find an appropiate grammatical structure which can be used to translate this sentence. I have been looking around the internet for a bit, but I can't seem to find a satisfactory answer. The closest I got to an answer was this post, but it isn't really usable in this context. Can somebody help me to find an suitable grammatical pattern for this particular sentence?


texts: Making sense of inflections and conjugated forms

texts:
Is it correct to think that the six conjugated forms listed here encompass a range of ideas rather than having a inflection form directly linked to them?

For instance 未然形　is not only the negative/potential/causative that inflects to a-sound like 食べる->食べられる　言う->言わない but also those that inflect to o-sound and attach to the う auxiliary (or add よう, depending on whether it's a gr.1 or gr.2 verb) with probability and intention (食べよう, 言おう).

How should one generally go about distinguishing between these "forms", is it based on general context rather than anything else (e.g. mizenkei for things that haven't materialized yet)?


texts: Is the "？" character an official character in Japanese syntax?

texts:
In English, "?" can end a sentence.
In Japanese, can "？" ever end a sentence?

With regard to the UNICODE standard character blocks:
"。" --->  CJK_SYMBOLS_AND_PUNCTUATION // as expected
"？" ---> HALFWIDTH_AND_FULLWIDTH_FORMS

Is the "？" character an official part of Japanese syntax?
What is "？" called in Japanese?
What is "?" called in Japanese?
What is "？" called in English?


texts:
I could not figure out the meaning of it. What does 使わずに mean?

  うちに使わずに眠っているピアノが一台ある。


texts: Is wrapping punctuation to a new line ok?

texts:
I am adding support for Japanese to a PDF generation tool and I noticed that punctuation is sometimes wrapped to a new line.

I don't know enough about the Japanese language to know if this is okay or not. There are some cases where the only character on the new line is punctuation which looks very out of place.


texts: Are many hiragana and katakana found in kanji?

texts: I've noticed a few kanji that appear identical to a kana. 二 is the only example I can remember, where it represents both the kanji ni and the katakana ni, although I'm sure I've seen others. Are there many examples of this? Are they coincidental?


texts:
In the story I'm reading, a girl is given a gift from her boyfriend, after which she says,

「それをもらったの…私だけなのが幸せなのです…」

I'm at a complete loss as to how to parse this.「私だけなの」is happy? "Only I am happy"? Somehow I find that interpretation unlikely, as the boyfriend isn't popular and the girl isn't the jealous type.
Could someone shed some light on this?


texts: Positioning of quantities (using counters)

texts:
Example 1

ビール一杯を飲む
一杯のビールを飲む
ビールを一杯飲む

Example 2

ネジ2本を取り付ける
2本のネジを取り付ける
ネジを2本取り付ける

Is there any difference between the above examples with the positioning of the quantity?


texts: この薬によっては副作用が出ることがあります。 Clarification on によっては

texts:
I was reading Kanzen Master Bunpou 2kyuu and I got to this sentence:

  この薬によっては副作用が出ることがあります。

I read the explanation and it's:

ある～の場合には＜（～によっては）が使われる＞

I looked up How does は apply itself to によっては?

But I still do not understand how the meaning changes.

I think it means:

  Depending on this medicine side effects could manifest

I don't understand what is the point of adding は.
How does the sentence change?

I downloaded another version of the same book from a different source and the sentence is different.

  この薬はによっては副作用が出ることがあります。

Is this version better?


texts: How can I say "counted in (specific unit)"?

texts: Specifically, I am trying to say something like "a semester's length is counted in months" in order to imply how short it is as compared to, say, your whole life. When I tried to look this up in my online dictionary, I could not find anything. There was an entry for "count in" but it was definitely a separate meaning ("count me in!")


texts: 曜日 and 曜 don't mean the same but xx曜日 and xx曜 are synonyms?

texts:
I'm learning days of the week and things like that.

I've read that 曜日 means "day of the week" which includes Saturday and Sunday, when 曜 means "weekday" which is from Monday to Friday because related to work days in many countries.

But I've read that days of the week can be written with both forms, for example 日曜日 and 日曜 for Sunday (What is the difference between 日曜日【にちようび】and 日曜【にちよう】?).

It seems that in Chinese, 曜 means "day of the week", and 曜日 is an obsolete word meaning "shining, bright" (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%9B%9C%E6%97%A5#Chinese), and writing days like 日曜日 is obsolete, archaic.

Can you confirm that 曜日 and 曜 are used as "day of the week" and "weekday" respectively, but makes no difference when prefixed with another kanji to say the name of a day?

Plus if you have more information about this topic, I'd be glad to read you.


texts: How are made up words for anime/manga formed (reading and kanji)?

texts:
EDIT: Eiríkr Útlendi has answered my question mostly in regards to readings. What remains is how kanji are chosen for their meanings and why certain words are selected over others e.g. 実 versus 果実. Also there are exceptions to the rule e.g. 天竜人{てんりゅうびと}. How do those factor in?

I've been watching the Anime "One Piece". There are quite a few compound words that obviously seem made up for the universe, and when I look them up the constituent kanji either don't follow the readings they would as original words [example 1] or they use a listed reading that doesn't occur in any words I can find in my dictionaries [again example 1] (I use ejje and Jisho). Otherwise, there are words that use readings that appear more archaic or irregular to me [example 2 and 4]. Then there are words that use the kanji and readings of the original word (in example 3, "emperor"), but only part of it (in this example, only one of the kanji of 皇帝 and thus only the reading from one kanji). Maybe my vocabulary is too poor and I'm making mistakes because of that, but here are the examples:

Example 1: 三{さん}刀{とう}流{りゅう} Translated as "three sword style" - This makes sense, except why is とう and not かたな used?
Example 2: 海{かい}楼{ろう}石{せき} Translated as "Sea Watchtower Stone" - 2nd makes sense, but I don't understand why かい is used for the 1st and not うみ and せき (I can't find any words with this reading) instead of いし for the 3rd.
Example 3: 四{よん}皇{こう} Translated as "4 emperors" - Why just こう and not よんこうてい
Example 4: 七{しち}武{ぶ}海{かい} Translated as "7 Warlords of the Sea" - Here かい again. Also why use the irregular reading しち?

Example 5: ゴムゴムの実 Translated as "Rubber Rubber Fruit" - Why not 果物 or 果実?

Is there a logic to these? Are they just made up to sound cool? If so, how will I know when reading a new manga what these made up words mean? Someone can definitely tell me that I'm overthinking this, haha.

Thanks for your input.


texts:
I found this phrase in an anime:
みいこ姉は伊御(いよ)の数少ない弱点の一つだったりする
I didn't understand this だ っ た り す る. Could someone explain to me?
ありがとうございます


texts: What is the difference between 手招く and 招く?

texts: Google defines both of them as "beckon" and Jisho.org seems to define 手招く as "to beckon" and 招く as a whole lot of things like "invite" etc. Does the "手" simply indicate a "hand invite" of sorts i.e. to beckon exclusively, whereas 招く can have several different interpretations?


texts: Translation help please – Meaning of 「〜というが」

texts:
I am working on a translation and came across this phrase:

  「お客様は神様」というが、客からのクレームをニーズとし、それにチャレンジしていく企業家精神は、どの時代にあっても必要である。

I am having trouble following the structure of this sentence – I follow that 起業家精神 is the subject of the predicate どの時代にあっても必要である, but I really don't follow the first clause 「お客様は神様」というが. Is this a nominalization (i.e. would it be correct to say this as 「お客様は神様」というのが)?  Another idea that crossed my mind was that this might be a way to show a quotation/abstract idea (maybe something like "The idea that 'the customer is god'"…).

I am at loss here and I would really appreciate any advice or insight that would point me in the right direction.


texts: Are there any similar words or phrases for「分かりました」

texts:
The only one I can come up with is 「そうなんですか！」 but even then the meaning and feeling is slightly different than "I understand/I got it".

Context:
So if my Japanese teacher teaches me something useful, I'd say something like "Ah! I get it now.", but I think using 「分かりました」 all the time makes me sound like a soldier.


texts: How to say, "Where is the best izakaya close by to here?"

texts:
I am interested in learning how to say, colloquially, "Where is the best Izakaya around here?"  Or "Where is the best Izakaya close to here?"

How far off am I with this translation below:

  ここのいちばんの居酒屋はどこですか。


texts:
日本での並び方は、先に来た人から順番に一列に並び、空いたカウンターに、列の一番前の人が向かいます。見た目にも秩序だっており、列が一列しかないので、割り込みも容易ではありません。このような並び方を、フォーク並びといいます。

This だっており confuses me a lot, because I cannot figure out its meaning and usage after consulting the dictionary and searching online sentences.

Is this だっており composed of だ(断定助動詞)＋って(quotative particle)＋おり(alternative of いる)?
Or だって+ おり(alternative of いる)? In either way the meaning doesn't make sense to me.

meaning of だって listed in the disctionary

(1)ある特別と思われる場合をあげて,それも他と同様であるということを表す｡

｢さる―木から落ちるさ｣

(2)いくつかの物事を代表として例示し,他もそれと同様であるということを表す｡

｢君―,ぼく―,みんな仲間だ｣

(3)不定称の指示語に付き,肯定／否定の語と呼応して,全面的な肯定／否定を表す｡

｢だれ―,行ける所だ｣｢だれ―死にたくない｣


texts: I found that title in the Monster Hunter game and it was translated as "A Meeting with Blazing Miasma", but what does せし mean there? It kind of sounds that it might be a case of classical Japanese grammar there, I think. I didn't find anything that could help me, so, can someone tell what it means? I think it must give some sort of nuance.


texts:
Reading 幽霊塔 by 江戸川乱歩, I have come across a rather long sentence:

  第一、栄子は女学校は辛うじて卒業したけれど、私の眼からは、低能児同様の無教養に見えるし、素姓の知れぬ乳母の連れ子だけあって、ひどく下品な上に、意地悪なことは人一倍だ。

Here is my interpretation:

  First of all, even though Eiko barely managed to pass high school, from my perspective she seemed like an unrefined feeble minded child who was just the daughter of some ill-bred divorced wet nurse, and to the upper that is extremely vulgar, was malicious more so than others.

I'm not sure how 上 is functioning in the phrase ひどく下品な上に. Is it correct to interpret it as meaning "upper"? I would like to read some other perspectives on this phrase and how it fits into the sentence.


texts: 結ぶ means to connect, tie, or bind things together, either physically or metaphorically.  And then it has the seemingly random phrase [実]{み}を結ぶ meaning "to bear fruit".  How does this meaning derive from the "tie/bind" meaning of 結ぶ and the 結 character in general?


texts: 「なお」は「ですから」という意味を含みますか？

texts:
文章（書き言葉に使う）で自分の考えを陳述する場合に、

例：

Aがよくないですから、Bにすると思います。
Aがよくないです、なお、Bにすると思います。

この二つは同じ意味でしょうか？なおは因果関係が表現できますか？


texts: Why is the verb 選ばれる left in its stem form in the middle of this sentence?

texts:
しかし、アメリカではふつう、スポーツチームは腕｛うで｝で選｛えら｝ばれ,学業｛がくぎょう｝のコースは学力｛がくりょく｝によって選｛えら｝ばれます。
However, in America, sports teams are generally chosen by skill, and academic courses by ability.


texts: When is the katakana form of wo (ヲ) used?

texts:
I'm pretty new to Japanese, and I've been trying to learn hiragana and katakana. I know that in hiragana, wo (を) is used only for as an object particle, and it is always pronounced like o (お).

This made me wonder what the katakana form (ヲ) would be used for, since o (オ) would be used for anything with an "o" sound. Even if a direct object is written in katakana, the o that follows would still be in hiragana, correct?


texts: 昨夜は風が強かった〇〇、庭の木の葉が全部落ちている。What should be included in 〇〇?

texts:
While practicing for the upcoming JLPT exam, I came across this question

  昨夜は風が強かった〇〇、庭の木の葉が全部落ちている。

  A. はずで　　B. たびに　　C. によって　　D. とみえて

For B. たびに, I understand that it should be used for something that happens regularly, so it is unlikely to be this choice because of 昨夜.

For C. によって, though it can imply the cause/reason, I understand that it should be used after a noun, so it is unlikely to be this choice as well.

Now as for D. とみえて, I found a similar example as below making me to decide to go with this choice.

  雨が降ったとみえて、道が濡れています。

However, after showing this question to my Japanese friend, she suggested that among all these choices, she would pick A. はずで.

Now I started to get confuse of what should be an appropriate answer here. Is it possible for someone to kindly elaborate on why one should be used here instead of another?


texts:
There is 格 , then THAT character that i can't recognise, and then 内 .
Does someone have any idea of what that kanji is?


texts:
I came across the bolded segment in the following sentence and translated it as "once more".

  だが私としては、彼には今一度実りある人生を歩むチャンスを与えてやりたい。

Both Jishio.org, and tanoshiijapanese.com say that 今一度 is a noun, while I think that the phrase "once more" is not a noun in English.

How is 今一度 a noun in Japanese? Is the English translation also a noun, according to the dictionaries cited above?


texts: The root of the word soboro which means streusel

texts: What is the root of the word soboro bread ?


texts: What is the difference between ちゃいろ and ちゃいろい

texts: I saw both used for brown but looking at Google Translate it doesn't help me to understand what the difference is between the two. Can someone help me.


texts: using の after　について・に対して

texts:
Recently I've made two similar mistakes. 1 and 2 show my original sentences while 3 and 4 are the sentences with my 先生's revisions added. I don't really understand why the の needs to be added after a noun (I haven't been able to find similar examples online). Can someone explain?
Original:

特に、児童福祉と関連の活動をしたり、多発性硬化症について研究ためにも寄付もします。
彼に対して第一印象はどうでしたか？

Revised:

特に、児童福祉と関連の活動をしたり、多発性硬化症についての研究ためにも寄付もします。

彼に対しての第一印象はどうでしたか？


texts:
Often in a business setting I hear Japanese speakers using この旨 where この事 seemingly fits as well.

Like 「この旨をご連絡させて頂きます」 or 「〇〇の旨かしこまりました」

Is it just a matter of corporate speak or is there a difference in meaning?

Also, would it sound strange if used outside of formal situations?


texts: Can someone help me translate "she's my person"?

texts:
I'm not quite sure if this is right.

彼女は私の人です
Kanojo wa watashi no hitodesu

I'm a little confused on the word for "she" as it can also translate to "girlfriend." I've read that it can depend on the context, as well as preference. I'm a little confused. Could someone explain and check?


texts: How to say "hard working person" in japanese

texts: I am preparing Japanese resume and i want to mention my skills in 特技。Is “勤勉”　a correct word to say that i am  hard working???


texts: Explanatory form のです used in two consecutive sentences

texts:
I am learning the explanatory form のです. My book gives the example:

ケーキはもうないのです。犬がぜんぶ食べたのです。
There is no more cake. That's because the dog ate everything.

I don’t understand why they use the explanatory form in both sentences, I would think it is used only in the last one. All the other examples I have found work that way.
Can anyone confirm that this example is good, and explain why? Thank you!


texts:
What does the hyphen in this dictionary entry mean?

  どりょく‐か
  努力家

In official Japanese-language typesetting, which Unicode character should it be? I suspect it is not the minus sign character on most English-language keyboard.


texts:
I need help with a very easy sentence that for some reason I just can't seem to get right. I hate when this happens.

I'll be visiting Osaka next week and I can't think of a natural sounding way to tell a friend "By the way, I'll be in Osaka next week for a few days so let's go grab a drink or something."

ところで、来週は数日間大阪へ行くことになったから、よかったら飲みでもに行こうか？

I know this would get the meaning across but I need to know what's the most normal/natural sounding way to say it. I've known this person for quite some time now so feel free to use conversational Japanese.


texts:
I had some doubts of the usage of とする in this sentence "計画や希望などを現実のものとすること。" Does it mean "to assume something" in this specific case?
Moreover is the の after 実現 a nominalizer, assuming that in highly formal contexts する　can be omitted?
Thank you in advance!


texts: Use of 自分 in terms of dialect, formality, and gender

texts: I was wondering in terms of Tokyo dialect, if there is a difference in gender and formality in the use of 自分 as a reflexive pronoun 'I'?


texts:
A sentence from JapanesePod 101:

北米とヨーロッパでは通常スカートは女性がはくものと思われているが、世界的には多くの男性がスカートをはく。
In North America and Europe a skirt is thought of as something a woman wears, but in many countries men wear skirts.

I don't see why it's 世界的には rather than 世界的では, especially when では is used in the first clause. で seems to fit both clauses (location of action).


texts: On another forum I encountered the sentence 私の国では色々な店にあります。I understood it as “In my country [it] is in various stores.” But I am wondering about the use of the particle で. In common grammatical explanations, one of the main uses of で is to mark the location of action, such as 私は学校で勉強します。However, since あります does not seem to be an action verb (or is it?), how is で used in the above sentence?


texts: わからなくなってしまう Iｍ confused

texts:
発音は全部「んー」ですね。でも、書くときにわからなくなってしまうので「うん」、「ううん」、「うーん」と書きます。

What does わからなくなってしまう mean?


texts:
So I'm trying to make a sentence which goes, "My effort is still not enough", and I came up with

"私の努力(__)まだ足りない。"

I was thinking about using wa, however since "足りない" is intransitive, I wondered if I should use ga instead?


texts:
As far as I know (I thought I knew), こ- is related to things that are close to the person who speaks, and そ- is related to the person who is spoken to. Is that right ?

However, in a exercise book, I had to answer this:

__犬はバカです。(close from the interlocutor)

I answered "その", but the book answer says "この", and I don't get why.


texts:
目の前にたかだパフェが置かれただけなのにキャッキヤツとはしゃいでいる。彼女に言わせれば「何がたかがよ!」という感じなのだろうが。

The part that confused me is: 目の前にたかだパフェ...
I took it as 目の前　似た　佳だ パフェ (An excellent parfait like the one before her now).
However, the part of using だ linking a な-ADJ and a NOUN struck me a little bit odd. Am I wrong and what is the correct way to translate this sentence?
Thank you


texts:
I have been struggling to find a meaning for なめるな. The word seems to have the effect of asking people to shut up, but this is just a guess.

It appears in a news story about someone's twitter comment, from last year.

The last few bits of the comment are:

いつもいつも私の仲間に迷惑なツイートをしてくる人に言います。私の何を知っている。なめるな


texts: Still learning Japanese and I need help with this phrase "誰が止めるというの　心が叫んだ声を"

texts:
I've tried to break down each word and particle to decipher the meaning myself since I think that'd be the best way to fully grasp it. Of course it'd still be great to get a second more professional opinion on the subject.

So far I've got it down to "I stop because the voice of my heart is crying."

I know that 誰 usually means who but is more commonly used to refer to a person rather than a direct translation to who, though I couldn't find something to back up that it could refer to ones self.

Right after that it says “が止める” which I figure should stay right after "I" rather than going at the end of the sentence referring to how he could stop the heart from crying.

“というの” I did research on this one since it did confuse me quite a tad, I found that it's most commonly used as "someone says A" or "I heard that A". The translations I've found the most are "means", "that is to say", or "because"; since he is referring to himself I figure the の gives it a somewhat possessive tone, though if it doesn't I still believe it would be "because" in the end due to the 誰 at the beginning.

“叫んだ” I've found could be a colloquial inflection of “さけんぶ” where as the だ replaces ぶ, it's still a particle meaning "is".

Now “声を” being at the end kind of confuses me a little, as the を is indeed referring to the subject at hand, why is at the end and not before sakenda, or even before kokoro? Does the placement have a specific effect or is that just more grammatically correct?

I know this is a lot to go through for just a simple sentence, but I truly want to learn at least this much so in the future I'm better equipped for sentences like this. Be as thorough as you can if possible, also let me know of any questions you may have, sometimes I don't explain stuff in the best possible manner.

Thank you for your time.


texts:
感謝の気持ちは品物の量じゃない。　気持ちなんだから、気持ちがこもっていればいい。
  A feeling of gratitude isn't about the amount of stuff. Because it's a feeling it should be filled with feeling.

Obviously my translation of the second sentence is meaningless. How should I translate 気持ち here?

Also I don't understand how こもる works. Apparently it means 'to be filled with' so I would expect 気持ちがこもる to mean 'feeling is filled with ...' rather than 'filled with feeling'. Why is が used rather than で to denote what something is filled with?

For example, in answer to the question "Who is filled with happiness?" how would I say "Tanaka is filled with happiness". I would have said 田中さんが幸せでこもる, but I'm guessing that's completely wrong.


texts: What purpose does the particle に serve in this sentence?

texts:
人に出来ることには限りがある

What is the point of the second に? Would the sentence have a different meaning or be grammatically incorrect if it was just 人に出来ることは限りがある?
Any help in understanding this would be very helpful because I feel like I often see this construction.