texts:
選べなかったら俺ん家来れば？

Translation:
If you don't like your choices, why not live at my place?
What I'm particularly confused about is the verb being in え-form. As far as I know, one usage of it is to give commands (imperative), but if that's the case I don't get why it's used here.


texts: My dictionary lists both いっさくねん and おととし as readings of 一昨年. Which of these are commonly used? Is there any difference between these two readings?


texts: How accurately can のこと be translated as 'with regards to' in the following sentence?

texts:
While stumbling over my serval-month-old translation notes out of boredom,
 I found that I had made note of のこと to mean 'with regards to (noun)" for the following Japanese sentence.

  それでも彼には、自分のことだけはわからない。

I think I understood that this instance of こと was being used to create a noun phrase indicating something that the speaker does not feel close to, and was attempting to show this 'distance' with "with regards to himself".

1) In light of this, is my understanding of こと accurate; or am I misunderstanding its usage in the above sentence?

2) And in the case my understanding is accurate, do the following two translations accurately showcase this 'こと-distancing' of the speaker and subject?

  "Even so for him, with what regards to himself he doesn’t comprehend in the slightest."

  "Even so for him, when regarding himself he doesn’t comprehend in the slightest."

Edit: Still for him, he is unaware of himself in the slightest.


texts: The topic is the restaurant, or the conversation is at the restaurant?

texts:
I have this sentence in my JLPT textbook:

  話{はなし}の種{たね}に、新{あたら}しくできたレストランに食{た}べに行{い}ってみた。

I think I understand the part after the comma, which I believe is saying, "... tried to go eat at the new restaraunt."

But I have a hard time connecting it with the part before the comma, 話{はなし}の種{たね}に. 話{はなし}の種{たね} is, as far as I understand it, a "topic of conversation."

Does it mean something like, "We went to go eat at the new restaraunt to have a conversation"? Or maybe, "we talked about going to eat at the new restaurant"?

What does this sentence mean, and how does it come together?


texts: Does the も particle always act on the word just before it?

texts:
イギリスでは土曜日はもとより金曜の午後まで休みにしている会社もある。
Translation is:

In the UK, some companies are closed on Saturdays as well as Friday afternoons.

In the English version, 'as well as' acts on 'Friday afternoon' i.e 'as well as starting from friday after noon,the companies close'.

In the Japanese version:
the word-by-word translation of the sentence looks to me like:
In England, not just Saturday, but there there are also companies where until Friday afternoon a rest is made.

From what i understood from the sentence, the も must relate between 'Saturday' and 'Until Friday afternoon' NOT '土曜日' and '金曜の午後まで休みにしている会社'.


texts: Spoken Japanese, words ending with わ used as the topic

texts: So consider a noun in Japanese such as 毛皮 that ends in a わ mora. If you were to construct a sentence with such a word as the topic it would have some structure like 毛皮は which when spoken out loud, would have the わ sounds repeated twice in a row. Grammatically, I assume the topic marker は should be included in such as sentence and in formal written language would probably be included, but when speaking, would native speakers drop the topic marking particle in this case in order to sound more natural?


texts: Meaning of 形の上では前後だけど、気持ちとしては

texts:
最後の戦い。
    マリウスが倒れ、アンジョルラスが駆け寄る。嘆く彼の手をグランテールが握りしめ、アンジョルラスはその肩を抱き寄せ、それからバリケードを駆け上がっていく。アンジョルラスが先で、グランテールがあとからついていく形。形の上では前後だけど、気持ちとしては、グランテールもアンジョルラスと一緒に駆け上っていたと思う。

This is from a recap of a scene in the musical of Les Miserables. From a video of the scene I saw, there's a giant barricade on stage where the characters are on top and firing at the enemies. Marius gets shot and falls from the barricade, Enjolras rushes to him but then goes back up the barricade. After he gets shot, Grantaire goes up the barricade to die and gets shot too.
The problem is that in this part of the recap: グランテールもアンジョルラスと一緒に駆け上っていたと思う the author of the blog is saying something about Grantaire running up the barricade together (at the same time) with Enjolras, which is not the case (he went after).

My interpretation of this sentence is that 形 is describing the way how things are happening objectively(like in:"the way things went about is A did this and B this" to describe something you saw on TV for example) and 形の上では would be 'From the perspective of the situation', but I can't figure out 前後 in this context.
For 気持ちとしては I found this definition:

  “自分の本心を話すときに前置きとして使う表現。多くの場合、願望の表現である”

So, does that last part means: "would've been great if Grantaire would've run up the barricade with Enjolras"?


texts:
From google:

0円マン状態でコンビニでコーヒーを買ったら店員に壮大にふかれる

What does the マン mean here? Does it modify 円 or 状態? I'm guessing the latter since it obviously it doesn't represent 万, but I have no idea what it adds to the sentence.


texts: (Slang) Way's to say: What's Up/How's It Going

texts:
I know:

最近どうですか？
最近どう？

to ask, what's up?/how's it going?.

what other ways are they to say what's up? or how's it going?

Slang-y ways would be nice to know too.


texts:
Is this true?

  連絡{れんらく}を入{い}れる = 連絡する

In what situations is it used, and how is it used?


texts: Verbal forms allowed to determine a noun

texts:
I'm not confident that the English grammatical words I'm using are okay; feel free to correct me.

Let's start with the phrase 読{よ}む本{ほん} meaning, among other acceptable translations "the book I do read". The auxiliary do I used to translate is nothing but a convenient way to mark the tense (present) and the aspect (not progressive).

That's what I call "a noun determined by a verb" structure since 本{ほん} is determined by 読{よ}む.

My question deals with the other forms of 読{よ}む which may be used to determine 本{ほん}:

読{よ}む本{ほん}  : the book I do read
読{よ}まない本{ほん} : the book I don't read
読{よ}んで本{ほん} : the book I'm reading
読{よ}まないで本{ほん} : the book I'm not reading
読{よ}んだ本{ほん} : the book I did read
読{よ}まなかった本{ほん} : the book I didn't read
... ?

My questions :

Are the above forms grammatically correct?
Leaving aside passive and causative, did I forget some forms? I'm particularly curious to know if imperative/volitional forms may have some sense here.

Any help would be appreciated!


texts: Difference between 劇場{げきじょう} and 演劇{えんげき}

texts:
I'm trying to find the words to differentiate theatre (the physical place) from play (as in stage play). I keep finding the words 劇場{げきじょう} and 演劇{えんげき} in the dictionary but can't figure out which is which.
To make matters even more confusing Google Translate even suggested 劇場{げきじょう}の演劇{えんげき}


texts:
I came across the structure [V simple-past]とはいえ、、、、　and I can't figure out exactly what it means.

I found this いえ is 言え, and it means the same as とは言うものの... which I don't really understand perfectly either, to be honest. As far as I can tell it seems to mean "With that being said, X."

Am I close to the mark, or far off?


texts: How do you translate this phrase 「ボルシアは秋にイブラこと」? (see sentence for context)

texts:
The full sentence is 「ボルシアは秋にイブラことイサクという選手をエクアドルで獲得したそうである。」

The general parsing I have right now is 「ボルシアは」「秋にイブラこと」「イサクという選手をエクアドルで獲得したそうである。」

The topic is ボルシア (a German football team)
秋にイブラこと - something pertaining to Ibra in the fall (this is tripping me up)
It seems that a player named Isak was acquired in Ecuador.

The only way I can get a translation to make sense in my head is to ignore (2) and go with "It seems that Borussia acquired a player called Isak", but obviously without (2) I'll be missing necessary content. Any insight into what I'm missing here?


texts:
A: 君だけこれを知らなかった。
A': You are the only person who did not know this.

As しか must be followed by a negative predicate then I have to write as

B: 君しかこれを知らなくなかった。

Confirmation question
Is 君しかこれを知らなくなかった the same as 君だけこれを知らなかった?
Edit
Based on the given comment below, I have to mention that if I just use one negation as follows,

君しかこれを知らなかった。

then the meaning is

You are the only person who knew this.

which is totally different from the meaning I want to say.


texts: Why does 屋根 means roof and 天井 means ceiling? Shouldn't it be the contrary?

texts:
I was learning these words with my kanji list, and I thought that I made a mistake and switched their meanings, but after checking the dictionary again I realized that actually their definition are correct.

But what confuses me is that 屋根, that uses the kanji 屋, also used in 部屋 ("room"), leads me to think in the top cover of a room (ceiling). And 天井, that uses 天 ("heaven/sky"), leads me to think in the top cover of the house which faces the sky/heaven (roof). But in reality, their meanings are the exact opposite.

Is my logic flawed?


texts:
Context: the speaker was in a bad situation but got out of it, and has the expectation that the other party is going to scold him for his carelessness.

  あれだけ注意したのに、まんまと二次遭難してバカだと思ってるんだろ？　ほんと、その通りだよ

What is the meaning of 二次遭難{にじそうなん} here? Dictionary defines 「二次」 as "secondary" and 「遭難」 as "accident" or "being stranded". Being stranded would somehow describe the nature of the situation, but I don't get the "secondary" part.

If the word has uses in other contexts, I would like to know about them, too.


texts: what's the difference between 返事 and 答え？

texts: both have the similar English of "answer," but when do you use one over the other?


texts: This appears to be some kind of adult slang term, or maybe it's internet slang, whatever the case may be I can't find a definition in any dictionary. Is it an onomatopoeia?


texts:
The J>E dictionaries I've consulted translate 迷信 as "superstition", but cross-checking in Daijirin the definition doesn't seem to explicitly reference the supernatural, instead referring to the lack of a scientific basis for the belief.

Can you use 迷信 to refer to a myth in the sense of a widely held misconception (like, "a duck's quack doesn't echo"), or is it limited to things like "black cats are bad luck"?

If you can't use 迷信 for the first kind of myth, what word would you use instead?


texts: translation question AND what does にただけで mean?

texts:
I'm playing a visual novel that gives LECTURES on how different types of guns work and other real life how-to-use-weapon facts; when I come across the following after my character has test-fired a S&W for the first time.

Teacher assassin: たとえ急所を外しても、太めの血管に当てにただけで相手は即死よ

Teacher assassin: 衝撃で血が逆流して, 心臓が破裂するから

The English Subtitles say that the above translates to

"Even if the bullet misses a crucial area, the enemy will die instantaneously. The shock forces the blood backwards and the heart bursts."

However, after posting a question as far as fact-checking the translated statement on Quora, I've gotten a lot of flack from military experts and nurses, who say that the above is not possible. So now I'm wondering, did the original translator mistranslate, OR is it a case of the game-makers Not verifying the truthfulness of those two lines of dialogue before giving Ein-sensei her dialogue?

And what does にただけで mean in the above sentence?


texts:
I've been reading よつばと！ and I'm on a chapter where Fuuka has a crush on a guy. She says this:

  手ぇつないで歩いてたの

I assume the small e is just for emphasis/extension and it doesn't seem to serve a grammatical function (though I'd like to know that for sure), but that's not what poses a problem for me. I have no idea what つないで means. I can't find a definition for it, nor can I for つなぐ, つる, or つある, all of which it is possible inflections of. Can somebody define this for me?


texts: How to conjugate multiple adjectives using て-form with conflicting tenses?

texts:
I know how to say something when both adjectives are the same tense, such as:

  あの　人　は　かわいくて　ちいさい　です。 That person is cute and small.

However, how would you say something like, "That person is cute and not small"? Would it be:

  あの　人　は　かわいくて　ちいさくない　です。

Is this even possible, or would you have to split the sentence up so that the tenses match?

Please write answers in hiragana or romaji, please! I am still an elementary Japanese learner.


texts:
How to express "such that" at the beginning of a  sentence. For example:

I will clean the floor real good. Such that you will not see even a stain on it.

In japanese:

地をきれいにするさ。(Such that) これぽっちの染色も見えないように

Is there a similar term in japanese? Or does the ように already sort of imply "such that"?


texts: Are people named after prefectures, or are prefectures named after people?

texts:
In Japanese, some names exist in both people and prefectures or cities. For example, Fukushima Industries Corporation is not named after the prefecture of Fukushima (福島県) or the city, but after Nobuo Fukushima (福島　裕).

Which comes first? Is it that there's the name of a city or prefecture, and people who live there get their name from it, or was the city or prefecture named after someone famous? Or both?


texts:
For the sentence "The container quality has to be good. Only then would the contents inside be good."
My teacher suggested "入れ物の品質がよくなければ、中身もよくない"
But I'm not sure this conveys the necessary condition of the container quality being good for the stuff inside it to be good as well. I was also considering 中身の良さのために、入れ物の品質の良さが必要です works but it sounds a bit clunky to me.


texts: One word responses that mean 'awesome' / 'excellent'

texts: What other responses are there to positive statements that conveys meanings of 'excellent' and/or 'awesome' in one word. If there aren't any other one word responses, I can accept if they are slightly longer.


texts:
The sentence is:

芸術は思いをかたちにするもの

What does this mean? Does it mean "Art is about giving form to thoughts/feeling", "Art is the thing that gives thoughts/feeling form.
I am unsure of what もの means in this context.


texts: How to choose the right kanji from several choices?

texts:
I do know that there are many questions like that all over the web and some on japanese.stackexchange as well. Nevertheless, as far as I can remember I could not find any that explained how to choose the right kanji when there are multiple choices (I mean: 飛ぶ "fly" vs. 跳ぶ "leap"; 分かる (the generic one) vs. 判る "distinguish" vs. 解る "understand", and countless others like 暖かい・温かい, 下ろす・降ろす, etc.).

The only place where I have found some explanation is in the MS IME for Japanese. But it is not very convenient because I am not always on Windows and when I do handwriting I do not have that aid.

So I am asking whether you know a book, a paper or whatever else that will describe the differences between those words.


texts:
In this sentence:

どんな 顔するだろうな

Does the speaker say " i wonder what kind of face he would make" or " how do you think he'll react?"

Which translation is more accurate ?Is he saying this in wonderment or he's looking forward to it, asking someone?


texts: The etymology and meaning of Oss, Osu, Ossu

texts:
I am training at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy, and their use of the word "Oss" is ubiquitous.

I have asked and also answered the question What is the etymology and meaning of Oss? in the Martial Arts StackExchange forum. However, I wanted to see if I could further clarify my answer by understanding the Japanese to a greater degree.  I would be grateful for any further references.

What is the etymology and meaning of "oss"?


texts:
The sentence is 出口が無けりゃ作るまでよ.

I'm pretty sure it means something along the lines of "If there is not a door, just make one"
It confuses me because 出口が無けりゃ should mean "If there is not a door" and 作るまでよ should mean "until you make it".

Please tell me your translation and explain how まで is used in this situation.


texts: おまえのろいなー亀になっちゃうぞ DB Chapter 2

texts:
This is Goku talking to Bulma who's taking too long to get ready.
Translated as: "If you were any slower, you'd turn into a turtle".

おまえ = you

のろ = slow

いなー = いない = ??

亀 = turtle

になっちゃう = turned into (completed action)

ぞ = emphasis

Is いない for "iru negated" or 以内 = less than?


texts: How would one express an opinion from the perspective of an inclusive group?

texts:
Often times, it is common for a speaker to make an assertion or opinion based upon a (ethnic or social) group to which they belong. In English it is common to use prefixes like "we" or "us" to indicate this. For example:

  We Americans love hamburgers.
  We Trekkies believe that Klingon is a better alternative to English.

Is there an equivalent to this in Japanese?

Using the first example as a baseline, a possible translation could be to use の as a modifier, and could be rendered as:

  [私達]{わたしたち}のアメリカ[人]{じん}はハンバーガーが[大好]{だいす}きだよ！

But I have no idea how this would be interpreted by native speakers.

Also, since idea of making statements based upon an inclusive group may be seen differently depending on the culture, if someone could tie in some tidbits as to how common it is to use expressions like this, how they reflect upon social status, or any other important things to note, that'd be great.


texts: Is there a connection between the Chinese 鱼(fish, or yu) and ゆ(yu) looking like a fish?

texts: I noticed this coincidence and I couldn't help wondering since other parts are based off of Chinese(kanji)


texts:
Reading manga, I came across this speech bubble:

I noticed the dakuten in ず is on the wrong side of the horizontal line, does this have some special meaning or is it just some sort of printing error? I went back to check earlier chapters and none of the other ず seem to be written this way.


texts: Meaning of 見て取れぬでもない and 揃って

texts:
I'm trying to understand the grammar behind this sentences:

  親子関係に見て取れぬでもないその二人は、トーマス井口が店の中に入ってきた途端に揃ってガッと目を剥き、信来の客の容貌をしげしげと観察し出した

I think I got the gist of it: The two people inside the store looked like they were parent and son, and as soon as Thomas Iguchi walked in they looked fixedly at him, observing him.

There are, though, two places I'm guessing:

1) 見て取れぬでもない: I found that 見て取る means "to perceive; to grasp (the situation)"; 見て取れぬ sounds negative, so with the following negation I guess it's again affirmative, でも maybe is the "things like" でも, and れ comes from a potential form, so "they could be perceived as parent and child"? I think I can guess the general meaning, but I have no clue why such a declination.

2) 揃って: as far as I know it means "To be completed; To be satisfied (of conditions); To be equal; To assemble" and similar things; but I can't really make sense of it in 入ってきた途端に揃って: 入る ("to enter") + 切る (I guess it gives a nuance of Thomas having fully entered in the store) + 途端 ("as soon as") + に揃って (no idea). Does it means something like, after entering Thomas is gathered in the store with those two people?

Edit: On a second thought, れ in 見て取れ should be a potential form, it doesn't fit the passive declination.

Edit: While looking into this I found that 揃って is a form per se, meaning "all together"; could it mean they are in the store together? Or the two people looked together at Thomas? I'm kinda at a loss.


texts: Differences between する, 及ぼす, 与える with 影響?

texts:
All three of these seem to translate to influence/affect. Are there any differences in meaning? Or are they interchangeable? I can't figure anything out by looking at example sentences (although I have a feeling one of them has a negative connotation).

One of these example sentences I found (from jisho.org) is:

  彼の父親は彼によい影響を与えた
  His father had a good influence on him

Is there a reason 与える is used here? Or could the others have been used here as well (assuming any necessary shifts in grammar are made)?


texts: What is this strange kanji that looks a bit like 侍, but isn't?

texts:
Staying at a ryokan recently, I received some postcards with the following little poem:

What are the characters that I have highlighted in red? They look a bit like [侍]{さむらい}, but based on the context clearly aren't.


texts:
It is very hard to parse the following sentence as I don't know about との grammar. What does との mean and how to parse the following sentence?

  自治会から、留学生数人との交流会があるとの連絡を受け、行ってみた。


texts:
「……それで。扉の外でお話を聞くに、何だか琴里さんがトチ狂っていやがったようなので一撃お見舞いしてやったわけですが……オーケイでした？」
Hi. The speaker heard 琴里 talking in an insane way so the speaker snapped 琴里 out of it with a single stroke.
Hi. What is the function of the に in bold? Is something omitted after the に like つけ?
Thank you.


texts:
Context before lines: やまだ (a delinquent) explains to his friends the unfortunate events that lead to him being hated throughout the school, and then they respond as so:

Ａ：　　なんて悲劇よ　やまだのくせに
Ｂ：　　さすがにこれは同情するなあ
やまだ：「くせに」とか「さすがに」は余計だろう

What does さすがに actually do here? I've looked up the definition and usage but it still isn't really that clear to me. Could it be do with how him being hated is largely not his fault, but rather his old friend that made him take the blame, and whilst the person who said this wouldn't be sympathetic if it was his fault, but since it isn't then he is. Or what else could it mean?


texts: Reading a NHK NEWS article, I stumbled over three different expressions for minister of defence. Is there a difference between 防衛相, 防衛大臣 and 国防相?


texts:
For full context:
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10011277371000/k10011277371000.html

The sentence in question:
そして「これが戦争の結果だ」というローマ法王のメッセージが書いてあります。

My attempt at translation:
"Furthermore, the roman popes message is written 'these are fruits of war'."

I've seen this many times in the meantime, but I still can't really explain why 書いてあります is written here. I think the subject of this predicative is not defined, and this is okay, I just wonder why no passive voice is used because this would at least follow the grammar I know xD


texts:
しかし、士道は荒れそうになっていた呼吸をどうにか整えると、どこにいるとも知れない狂三に言葉を投げた。

Hi. Can we change the bold part into そうになった? If we can, what would be the difference between そうになっていた and そうになった?
Thank you.


texts: I want to start learning Japanese but i'm lost i don't know from where to begin, is there anybody knows a good strategy to use?


texts: How can I say of a person that he or she has an open or closed personality? Is there a standard adjective for that?


texts: what does とつて in the context of エサとつてくる mean?

texts:
I want to break the sentence エサとつてくる into different parts. It is translated as "I'm going to get some food"

エサ means bait or food(relating to animals).
くる means come or will come.

but I'm struggeling with the とつて part. Bing and babelfish translate it with "and shall be" but this doesn't seem to make sense to me.


texts: What does ぶった mean in this context? I can't find the word in any dictionary.


texts: How do you correctly write a name in English and Japanese?

texts: I see this a lot, often with Japanese band names. So, if I were to write my name in both English and Katakana next to each other (for example, in a music video title) would it be written as “Kyle Logan Stuart カイル・ローガン・スチュアアト,” or “Kyle Logan Stuart / カイル・ローガン・スチュアアト?” Simply, I’m asking if the forward slash is necessary to separate the English name and the Katakana name.


texts: Help to confirm word I heard on television show "Sekkai!"

texts:
I heard this word often and I'm pretty sure it means "correct! / right! / great!" but I cannot seem to find the word in dictionary and I don't even know how it is written. I try to find せっかい but have no match.

Could you help to confirm what word am I hearing?


texts:
The following sentence is from a book. The context is the main characters just finished fighting some monsters. One character looks distracted, and when one of the others asks her if there's something wrong, she says:

  いえね、さっきの化け物が単独。もしくは、ハグレなら問題はないのだけれど。

Since there is no kanji with ハグレ, I'm having problems trying to figure out what they're talking about. Does anyone have an idea based on context? I guessed maybe the word 逸れる, but I'm not sure it makes sense here. Thanks.


texts: て-form vs ます stem + て-form -- 遊んで vs 遊べて

texts:
What would be the difference in the meaning/grammar of 遊んで and 遊べて? Someone wrote me a text saying 一緒に遊べて楽しかったよ. I understand the meaning, but now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever come across the grammar of 遊べて before. I tried asking someone, and they provided me with the following examples:

遊んでほしい
遊んでください
遊んでばかりいないで勉強しなさい

遊べて嬉しいです
最近遊べてなかった

The use is clearly different, but I want to narrow down what the exact meaning of 遊べて is so that I may use it properly in the future.


texts: I know that なめんじゃねよ means don’t fuck with me but does 舐めんじゃねぇぞ have the same meaning or not ? if not what is the real meaning of the sentence 舐めんじゃねぇぞ?


texts: What's the difference between 「〜とつきあう」 and 「〜につきあう」?

texts:
I understand that つきあう means "to hang out with, to date, to keep company…". I've seen it used both with と and with に, but I haven't been able to figure out when to use which. So for example, what's the difference in meaning between

彼とつきあう and
彼につきあう？


texts: How do I count pieces of Halloween candy of different shapes?

texts: I know that a bag of candy is counted as fukuro. Are the pieces counted differently based on the shape, long, thick, square, round, triangular, or is everything ko?


texts:
A recent post about translation reminded me of the following saying:

Before enlightenment, chop wood carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood carry water.

It is said to be coming from zen buddhism, which is commonly referred to as a Japanese school of buddhism. I was wondering if this saying is actually commonly used in Zen (in Japan), and especially what the writing would be.

Although it seems interesting, I am by no means a practitioner of buddhism. I came across this saying a lot when searching the internet, but never with a source of translation. Zen originated in China and buddhism uses a lot of sanskrit texts, so perhaps the saying is not of Japanese origin in the first place, but it never hurts to ask, right?


texts:
I have this little text here where I am not entirely sure how to understand the second sentence.

ほかの会社から特許の使用料をもらう利益と技術がほかの会社に流れて結局は自分の会社の技術力が低くなる危険性とを比べ、会社が後者を選択するようになったのです。

Does it mean that the companies rather see their ideas used by other companies when it means to avoid patent battle in the court?
I am also unsure if the correct answer is one or two as they seem quite similar in meaning.
Can someone help me with this text?

「ブラックボックス」
　最近、技術の「ブラックボックス」化と言って自分の会社が開発した技術を特許出願せず、秘密にする会社が出てきました。ほかの会社から特許の使用料をもらう利益と技術がほかの会社に流れて結局は自分の会社の技術力が低くなる危険性とを比べ、会社が後者を選択するようになったのです。
　２０００年ごろから日本の電子業界ではこうする会社がかなり増加してきました。会社は特許を出せば使用料でお金を得ることができますが、もし特許の裁判が起きた場合にはたくさんのお金と長い時間がかかります。それを嫌ったのです。
問題１　なぜ「ブラックボックス」化が広まりましたか。
１　特許を受け取り使用料より裁判費用のほうが高いからです。
２　裁判をしなければならなくなるからです。
３　技術が漏{も}れたり裁判の煩{わずら}わしさの恐れが生まれるからです。
４　せっかく得た技術が全部盗まれてしまうからです。


texts:
What is the role of と in this article title?

花粉 この春東京都内で飛ぶ量は去年とほぼ同じ


texts: Meaning of 光る事は光るが切れそうもない and 何だ指ぐらいこの通りだと

texts:
夏目漱石の坊っちゃん:

  親類のものから西洋製のナイフを貰【もら】って奇麗【きれい】な刃【は】を日に翳【かざ】して、友達【ともだち】に見せていたら、一人が光る事は光るが切れそうもないと云った。切れぬ事があるか、何でも切ってみせると受け合った。そんなら君の指を切ってみろと注文したから、何だ指ぐらいこの通りだと右の手の親指の甲【こう】をはすに切り込【こ】んだ。幸【さいわい】ナイフが小さいのと、親指の骨が堅【かた】かったので、今だに親指は手に付いている。しかし創痕【きずあと】は死ぬまで消えぬ。

In particular, I am having trouble comprehending the text in bold. I have  included the context of the sentence in hopes of making it more clear.

  ひかる こと は ひかる が きれそう も ない。

From what I understand, it is something along the lines of "the shining thing (the knife) shines, but it doesn't seem to be able to cut". However, what is the purpose of the も particle in this case?

  なんだゆびぐらいこのとおりだと

As for this clause, I can't seem to make much sense out of it.


texts:
What are the meanings of ガス in Japanese?

I'm asking because in English it can be used for either "a substance in a form like air that is neither solid nor liquid" or, for gasoline, the liquid fuel. In Spanish we dont use "gas" for gasoline, we call it several other names depending the country ("nafta", "bencina", etc.). Also, the main use of the word "gas" here in my country is to refer to the specific gas for cooking, butane.


texts: 昼飯食ったら また行こうぜ - What grammar is the kuttara in this sentence?

texts:
I am wondering what 昼飯食ったら grammar is used in this sentence?

I am wondering if it is the past conditional as described by Tae Kim here:

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/conditionals

But it doesn't quite fit into what Google translate gives me.

I get this from Google Translate:

"After having lunch".

So is this really the 'past conditional' as described by Tae Kim?


texts: How do I say in Japanese "I'm doing much better/healing well"?

texts: How would I reply in Japanese to the question how I'm doing (I had surgery last month)? よく治っています is the best I've been able to come up with, but is there some phrase for this or something?


texts:
I need some help with translating the following sentence, to make sure that I understand all the nuisances with it and am translating accordingly.

それなら何もとまどう必要なんてない。
If so there’s no need to worry about nothing/anything.

The 何も part can either mean 'nothing' or 'anything' depending on the negation according to Jisho.org. The sentence ends with なんて which means 'to make light of something' according to this. Does the ない form ending means that 何も is translatable as 'nothing', or am I missing something?


texts: Is the の[か] in my sentence a 準体言助詞 の[か]?

texts:
こんな訓練が何の役に立つのか不思議だったが、アインが言うにはバランス感覚は射撃の要になるらしい。

I hypothesize that the のか in question is a nominalizing の followed by a questioning か, as its preceded by the verb/expression 役に立つ. This verb-preceding-の-nominalization is explained and exemplified in this answer I found while researching data to verify my hypothesis. However, my knowledge of のか is still lacking as far as I'm aware, so I'd like a second opinion to verify or disprove my hypothesis as to what the above sentence's のか is.

(If the wording of this question is vastly different from my previous ones, its because I am finally taking a grammar course where I'm learning how to approach words and questions about them as a linguist or as a language student would.)


texts: "Maybe we can meet up for dinner or something" in Japanese

texts:
I am visiting Japan soon and want to let my host family know that I will be in the area and suggest meeting up while I'm there.
Here's what I came up with:

  たぶん一緒に晩ご飯を食べに合うとかしよう？

I'm not sure if this sounds natural or even grammatically correct. Please advise, thank you!


texts: Do Japanese (pop) songs usually preserve pitch accent (so that the words have to be chosen in accordance with the melody, just the words in English songs have to match the meter) or does it get completely overwritten by the melody? Or do both pitches interact in some way?


texts:
私は犬が殺す // Watashi wa inu ga korosu
Means I am killed by a dog

私は犬を殺す // Watashi wa inu o korosu
Means I killed a dog

Right? I want an in-depth answer for this if I was wrong.


texts:
I'm trying to figure out what does the おくび　mean in the following sentence:

私の汚れたところを、おくびにも出さず、綺麗にしてくれる人

For context, a character is thanking another person for helping them out after they've puked.

Jisho is telling me that おくび　means belch or burp, but I'm still not too sure how I can interpret this.


texts:
I know that ように can be used like 'as' or 'like' and can also be used like 'ために'. But I was watching this TV show where they show 絵馬 and I noticed that almost all the wishes  end with ように, which I couldn't understand at first. A web search turned up this which says:

  if it's at the end of a sentence (or just after a verb, but that's usually at the end), it can mean you want something to happen, or like... "may x happen" or "let x happen"

My question is, could you use this in every day conversation? Like for example, if I hope our team wins, could I say: 勝ちますように? My extremely limited experience says it sounds weird, but is it? I remember hearing ように used like this before (いい物見つかりますように) but that was in a game (and spoken by a little child) so I'm not sure if that counts.


texts: だ versus な in causal subordinate clauses

texts:
Why do causal subordinate clauses ending in -から take だ as a means to connect nouns and な adjectives (e.g. 日本人だから), whereas causal subordinate clauses ending in -ので take な (e.g. 日本人なので)?

I read that だ derives from て+ある, whereas な derives from に+ある, but why would one causal conjunction require で, whereas another one requires に?

Just trying to make sense of it all…

Thank you!


texts:
I'm reading the following Doraemon page and I've got a few questions

I'll name all panels beginning from the top right, going left

In the 8th  panel: でも、これからはドラエモンがついてるから安心しな、おじいさん。

Those 2 から are both for giving the reason for something (because)?  It's a bit confusing.

In the 5th panel I don't quite get  なんだもの at the end of なにをやらせてもだめなんだもの.  Is it maybe a way of emphasizing the なにをやらせてもだめ statement?

In the 7th panel I don't get ろくなめにあわないんだ.  A deconstruction or clarification of what is what in the sentence would be much appreciated.  The rest I get, more or less.

Then, in the last panels, I don't quite understand the て after おじいさん and what he refers to by だれのこと.  Is he asking who the robot means by おじいさん?


texts: Is my interpretation of this phrase correct?

texts:
I'm not sure wether this question qualifies for being of enough "academic merit" to ask for a translation, but I'll give it a try:

This small sentence occurs in this dialogue, just to give you the context in case you should be interested in it:
https://www.docdroid.net/XKwQVeB/img-20170404-0003-new.pdf.html

=> ええ、道の横を川が流れているんです。
So, as I understand it, the sentence says that the river flows across the horizontal (axis?) of the street. Is that correct? I'm really confused by this way of expressing that A crosses B. Since it feels very complicated and unnatural to me, I'm afraid that I don't understand it correctly, even more so because in context of the dialogue, they don't really pick up that information further down.

This also poses a problem for me because を appears in a function I didn't really encounter so far.
When used in context of directions, I found it as a marker for going along something "道を行く" or inside of something "公園を散歩する", sometimes also in the function of crossing something like 交差点を渡る。
But this feels like a mix because its like going along the horizontal of the street... Oo

It simply feels weird xD


texts:
I know that 私たち means "we", but in what sense? Does it simply mean the last two people talked about? Or does it always mean the speaker and the listener? So say I'm talking to Shota about Sawako, and I say

  さわこはしんせつですから私たちはともだちです。

Is it clear that I'm talking about Sawako and me when I use 私たち from the context, or does the word necessarily imply I'm talking about Shota and me?

Please reply in kana or kanji with furigana (私 is fine.)


texts:
How would one politely assure another that there is no need to apologize? For formal use I think it might be 謝られる必要はありません; does this sound good?

For more casual use, could you say いえ like when you respond to thanks?


texts:
Context: a boxer is fighting against a defensive opponent that aims to win on points rather than KOs. The trainer of the boxer says:

  守りも決定打を放つためのもの…　ぶっ倒す欲のねェボクサーなど存在しねェし相手のデコ助も例外じゃねェ。　デコ助から狙うべきカウンター…ガキはもう見抜いてる。

I thought that デコ could be an abbreviation for decoy, but I am not sure. 助 is help, but I have no idea how to interpret it together with デコ. Also, I'de be grateful if you could explain if that から means from or after. My attempt:

  Even defense could be used to blow a decisive punch... A boxer that
  doesn't want to knock down doesn't exist, and the opponent's __ is not
  an exception. The boy has already understood that he has to blow a
  counterpunch from/after the __.

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


texts: What's the natural way to say "I have X"

texts:
I'm wondering what's the natural way to say "I have X" in Japanese where X is an inanimate object? Can I say「僕は、Xを持っている。」or「僕には、Xがある。」?
Also, is it weird to use には in the second sentence? Is it true that には, if placed after person, emphasizes a person’s attributes, not what a person physically has?


texts:
Everywhere I look, they both just seem to be defined as "special" or "particularly/especially" (in the adverbial case).

I'm trying to form a distinction in my head.

Here's an example from my dictionary for 特別:

  今日は 特別に あつらえた服を着ます (Today I'll wear specially-ordered clothes)

Why can't it be

  今日は 特に あつらえた服を着ます

Or another case (from JED):

  今朝は 特に 寒い (today it's especially cold)

Maybe someone can provide examples for me where they can't be interchanged - or examples that emphasize the difference.
I would be greatly appreciative.


texts:
I have not learnt much yet but I am interested in knowing it quickly. My questions are:

Do 見える (to see, to be seen, to be visible, to appear) and  見せる (to show, to display) come from 見る (to look, to see, to watch, to take a look)?
If yes, what kind of conjugation are used?

The term "conjugation" I mean here is like another conjugation, for example,

食べる - 食べない
書く - 書かない
etc


texts:
-どうしましたか。
-せきが出ます。

Apparently, this is a dialogue between a doctor and a patient. The doctor says, "What is the problem?" and the patient answers, "I have a cough."
How could we naturally say "what is your problem?" talking to a person who is acting strange? (What's your problem? - used for asking someone in a threatening way why they are behaving in a way that you do not like or approve of (Macmillan Dictionary)). For example:

I have thrown away all the old photographs. - What's your problem? Those were my photos too!


texts: What's the difference between ～きれる and ～あげる?

texts:
What is the difference between these two?

N3 grammar masu form ＋　切れる
N3 grammar masu form ＋　上げる


texts: What is the difference between なぜなら、だから、and なので？

texts: I'm trying to get clarification on how to use these three pieces of grammar and whether or not they all hold some kind of "Because" meaning.


texts: What does particle を mid sentence without a verb mean?

texts:
I'm reading a magazine article and I've come across a sentence that I'm not too sure about.

そんな濃密な5年間を、記事担当のコラムを交えつつ振り返る。

I think the sentence means something like "These rich 5 years will be covered in the article" (very rough inaccurate translation). But I don't really understand this question grammatically. Why does the first clause not end with a verb but just particle を?
I'm also not too sure about the second part, "the column in charge will look back on [these rich 5 years]" is probably my best guess. But I'm really confused about the 交えつつ振り返る, "with mixing looking back"


texts: Help with 人物{じんぶつ}像{ぞう}の特定{とくてい}. What does it mean?

texts:
I have problems understanding this sentence:

  ここでは一メートル以内にいようと人物像の特定、声の確認はあやふやになる。なにしろ童話の中の出来事だ

Particularly:

  人物像の特定

My guess is that it is one specific point of a person. Would it be in this case 声?

A bit of context:

  一時的にしろ、公園は有珠{ありす}の“森”になっている。ここでは一メートル以内にいようと人物像の特定、声の確認はあやふやになる。なにしろ童話の中の出来事だ

Translation attempt:
Though temporary this park became Alice's "forest". Even when being within one meters reach the specifics of a persons figure and voice become hazy.


texts:
This dialogue when a shop is offering bonus items.

料金分はきっちり
仕事させて貰いますから

By context of the dialogues, I feel that the first line should mean something like "The fee stays the same." But can きっちりbe used in this manner?


texts:
今、新しい仕事を探しているみたいですよ。奥さんとも離婚するそうですよ。

I'd say 離婚しているそうですよ. Why is the form する　used here?

If he has already got divorced, perhaps, it's better to say 離婚したそうですよ. Does this make sense?


texts:
How to translate this ストレスの多い人ほどよく夢を見る ?
Could someone give me full translation of this whole question ?

I currently understand that ほど in this context is used to show an extent but I can't translate and understand it anyway.

I've seen this kind of usage. For example, やらなければならない仕事が山ほどある(I have works too much and it feels like a mountain), I think I can understand this because there's が indicating what feels like a mountain(works).

But in the sentence I gave, there's no subject mentioned (I think it's omitted but I don't know what's it) "ストレスの多い人はストレスの多い人ほど良く夢を見る" is what I think to be the full sentence but it sounds really weird. Another assumption is "ストレスの多い人になるほど良く夢を見る"

I don't know if the following picture is relevant or not. But it's reading comprehension that this question according to.

The context starts where the red arrow pointing. I just give full article to give all information I have.


texts:
It foiled 3 different online handwriting input websites. I tried looking it up via radicals to no avail. The rest of the characters in this font were quite easy to get.

As per request, the context.

I had decided on "ざ"


texts:
All the questions I've seen are either using verb-には in place of verb-ために or verb-に followed by a motion verb. This seems to be neither.

Maruko's friend has just pulled a sweet out of his pocket. The narrator says:

  ピカピカ光るお洒落な包み紙から想像するに、缶に入っている物にちがいない。
  From the shiny, stylish wrapping paper ??? it was certainly a thing in a can.

It might help to know that, earlier in the story, Maruko was obssessing over canned goods from hotels. In any case I can't figure out the meaning of this sentence. How do I understand 想像するに in this sentence?


texts:
だから僕は、たまに彼を昔の僕と重ねていた。

  重ねて:
  1. 同じ行為・事態をもう一度繰り返すさま。再び。文章語で、多く手紙や公式の発言に用いる。 「 －要望する」
  2. この次。今後。 「 －は泥鰌（どじよう）にてもあれ、鮠（はえ）にても候へ必ず持つて伺候致さうずる／狂言・鱸庖丁」
  (Source)

The context is the narrator finds his classmate quite similar to his former self. So point 1 fits the above sentence.

Could I translate it as follows:

  That's why I sometimes saw my former self again in him.

Thank you for the guidance.


texts:
What is the meaning of "マスオさんする" in the following self-introduction extract?

  家は表参道と近所ですが、特段お金持ちなわけではありません、妻の実家でマスオさんしてます。

My translation attempt:

  I live near Omotesando, but I am not rich: I "do M. Masuo" at my wife's parents' place.


texts:
I'm dissecting some Japanese lyrics to improve my Japanese, but I had a hard time finding out how も is used in here,

  何ページもついやして
  綴られた僕らの気分

I've looked it up in serveral websites and found one that said も is used with 何 to say "many of something" (Ex: 何ページも = many/several pages).

Could anyone confirm this or add more practical or common uses of the も particle?


texts:
Going by the information from kanji.jitenon, I have a question regarding the radicals 飠 and . I've noticed that some Kanji seem to be used with either of these while others are displayed exclusively with the latter of the two.
Let's take for example 飴. In digital texts 飴 seems to default to the radical , but if you check out the Kanji written in 教科書体 on the website (on the left hand side below the Kanji displayed in big, you can switch the font with the buttons), 飠 is used. The same goes for 蝕 and 餡. On the other hand, there are Kanji that seem to be written only with , e.g. in 餌 or 饗 (in both 明朝体 and 教科書体).
I'm not sure what the system here is. Are all instances of  interchangeable with 飠 or are there certain Kanji that use exclusively the former? What is the history behind these two?


texts: Pitch accent variations within giongo words like ふわふわ

texts:
According to the NHK Accent dictionary, the pitch accent for ふわふわ can be:

(a) ふわふわ {HLLL} or  (b) ふわふわ {LHHH}

It is (a) when する is attached and it is (b) when used as a simple adjective.

First, are the following examples correct?

ふわふわ{HLLL}したケーキ

ふわふわ{LHHH}のケーキ

Secondly, do other giongo words also follow this pattern? Or is it a case by case basis?


texts:
Let me disassemble this construction bit by bit to see if I get it right, ok?

So, の is the explanatory particle. The らしくな part comes from らしい. So らしくない is its negation. Now, I imagine that てきた is the motion 'suffix', right? So it would mean that something is 'coming to seem like' something else. This is actually how google translates it. My question is, why is らしい in the negative? Wouldn't it mean that something 'is not coming to seem like' something else? Plus... the てきた 'suffix' (I'm calling it a suffix for lack of knowledge of a better word, sorry) comes from the て-form + くる.  らしい, however, is not a verb, so where does the て-form come from?

Thank you very much.


texts: Where do adjectives fit in the sentence structure?

texts:
So I watched this video, and found it very helpful.

I researched a bit more and cleared up why they were saying で was to be used as a particle after a place, instead of に like I'd thought, which was because both can be used, but they are used in different contexts.

Throughout this little research I did, I had a hard time understanding where adjectives were supposed to fit still.

Was there something really obvious I missed, and could you help explain to me where adjectives should go?

I've never learned another language before so I'm trying multiple approaches. I apologize if this is a ridiculous question but if I could get some help I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

(Video: Uki Uki Japanese Lesson 17 - Basic Sentence Structure)

Edit: I've also just taken a look at this article, and seen that they always go before the noun, and also that the Japanese sentences are flexible, but is there any basic rule of thumb where you should have your adjectives in front of any of the other sentence components?


texts: Is it ok to say 問題ない instead of 問題じゃない? Why?

texts:
問題ない vs 問題じゃない

From what I understand the negative form of a noun is created with じゃない and not ない however my textbook uses 問題ない in an example (translated as "no problem").

Looking elsewhere on the Internet it looks like 問題ない seems to be acceptable usage but I do not understand why within the rules of the language.


texts: What does this mean? Second sentence confuses me

texts:
The sentences are : 本当に頭を使わない男だな もうチンコだけになってしまえばいいのに

First sentence seems to say "I'm a man who really doesn't use my head." But the second sentence is where I get confused. It contains some grammar I'm less familiar with, and with my low level japanese skills it looks like something along the lines of "i'd be fine if i just become a penis" but I'm pretty sure that isn't right lol. Any help with the anatomy and meaning of this sentence is appreciated.

(Edited after realizing this was two sentences, thanks Eiríkr Útlendi)


texts: Is the following と an example of 'with' or 'compared to'?

texts:
what's the meaning of と in [私はお金持ちになったとしても、今と変わらない生活をするでしょう。]?
that と doesn't seem to be a 'connotation' particle. It rather seems like a 'comparison' particle.
English translation:[Even if I were to become rich, I doubt my life would change much from what it is like now.]
Japanese version:[私はお金持ちになったとしても、今と変わらない生活をするでしょう。].


texts:
I got bumped in the term それとなく in these two sentences

1. だから今はそれとなく散々淡々と暮らしていて
2. 思い出して魚の眼 Oh Oh! それとなくキルミーして！Oh Oh!

Jisho said indirectly; obliquely, but feels like it is not fit well to the translation. There is any nuance or other meaning to this?

disclaimer, these two lines are from the song ガランド. So probably they are not 100% understandable or grammatical correct. But any example that will help me understand this term better will be great :-)

Thanks, Or


texts: ところ vs どころ: Interchangeable or different meanings altogether?

texts:
I have two questions.

A) Why do they use どころ instead of ところ in this sentence? Is it possible to use ところ without changing the meaning?

  写真では建物と池の風景だけで静かな雰囲気を味わうことができますが、実際に行くと、観光客が大勢いて、金閣寺の美しさを楽しむどころではありません。

B) Is it correct to say the following?

  金閣寺の美しさを楽しむ(なんて)とんでもない。


texts: What's the difference between 愚痴 and 文句 (and 悪口）

texts:
I was doing my routine Anki review when I saw 愚痴 listed under common words containing 愚. This got me asking: what is the difference between 愚痴　and 文句？ I browsed the internet and found these two links:

「文句」「愚痴」「悪口」の違いを教えて下さい explains--with a disclaimer that it was their personal opinion--that 文句 is used when one is complaining about something unspecified. (Yet, I don't see why 「このタレント嫌いなんだよ」 counts as unspecified when it could have been obvious who's being referred to if the one complaining and the one listening to the complaint are both watching TV at that time.) On the other hand both 愚痴　and 悪口　are directed towards someone in particular, with the difference being that the content of 愚痴 has some basis and is something that those who hear it can easily agree with, while 悪口 is something that has no basis and is something that borders somewhere between complaint and defamation.

What's the difference between complaints 不満 不平 文句? differentiates various expressions of complaint or dissatisfaction, including 文句 which is one of the words in question. The accepted answer mentions that 文句　is a general term that covers a wide range of meaning, from complaint to disapproval.

Both of these references have been helpful, but are there other differences that these questions weren't able to cover?


texts: The different usage between "致します" and "申し上げます" interms of 補助動詞

texts:
As titled, I have difficulty telling when to use "致します" or "申し上げます" as opposed to the other one. For example,

ご連絡くださいますようお願い致します/お願い申し上げます。

ご愛顧を賜わりますようお願い致します/お願い申し上げます。

here is another one

お待たせを申し上げまして、大変に失礼をいたしました.

お待たせをいたしまして、大変に失礼を申し上げました。


texts: What is the difference between 一層, 一段と and より一層?

texts:
I know that they all mean "more, much more" but is there any difference between them?

also do they have the same usage as もっと?


texts:
Here's the actual sentence:

  私の部屋は、家ちんも安いし、駅にも近くて便利です。

How do you read '家ちん' and what does it mean? It's most likely that ちん is usually written in kanji since I got the sentence from a Japanese textbook for beginners.


texts:
Is it possible to attach になる to a verb. For example:

I got tired after table tennis ー　卓球やってから疲れ（て）になった

I am not sure how to link 疲れる to になる. Is this not possible in Japanese?


texts:
I understand that in these expressions the に isn't a particle (I think it indicates the adverbial form of a na-adjective) but I'm not sure what で is:

  必死に走る
  run like crazy
  必死で走る
  run like hell

According to this answer it's ungrammatical to use で to make na-adjective adverbial. Still, the English translation is almost the same but the one with で is stronger.


texts: Does '頑張って' affect '仕事' using 'を' in 留学を決心した上は、**仕事を頑張って**留学の代金を貯金すべきだ。?

texts:
留学を決心した上は、仕事を頑張って留学の代金を貯金すべきだ。

頑張って is Intransitive verb so why would it be related to 仕事? I thought it had to be 仕事に not 仕事を.
If the verb of 仕事を is not 頑張って , then where is its verb in the sentence (i don't think it's すべき nor だ)?


texts:
I'm wondering about this specific piece of grammar. I think you use "wakaru", but what do you use it with?
Do you use a particle, like "to" or maybe some other construction?

For example, if you wanted to say: "She understood that time was running out.", what would you say/write?

-- Thank you! ^^
(It says to not post this as a comment and somehow the comment button doesn't even work for me... oh well.)


texts:
I'm recently revising my Japanese for the upcoming JLPT this July (I'm taking N4), and I came up with difficulties in using these 2 items.

For example:

  気分が良くなりました。やっとねつが  (下がりました...)。

(I have to choose そうです ・ ようです to fill in the blank)

Can there be a simple way to distinguish between them?
Thank you in advance !


texts:
This is part of an analysis of episode 6 of Death Note (from this page: http://samuraimoon.blog67.fc2.com/blog-entry-204.html#comment_list)

  結論。夜神月はやっぱり幼稚で負けず嫌い。ネタバレですが月は部屋中に監視カメラを設置されてもボロを出さないほどの演技力の持ち主なんだから、レイ・ペンバーに尾行されていることを知ってもアクションを起こさなかったらLにも手の打ちようはなかったはずなのに。つーか月はLの安い挑発に乗せられて大失敗した経験をまるで活かせていない。夜神月の成長性は限りなくゼロに近いと言えます。

The author is criticizing Light for being a megalomaniac and making really stupid moves (「間抜けすぎるぜ」と間抜けすぎる行動を取り... (if it means that)).

In this paragraph he mentions Light's incredible ability of not reveling his faults/secrets (that he is Kira) even in situations like when he got surveillance cameras in his room   as a reason for what comes next, but I can't make sense of  that part.

At first I was trying to interpret that paragraph  as:

  Because Light has such great acting abilities   if he wouldn't have taken any action (kill Raye and the FBI agents) even knowing that he was being followed by Raye, L should have no means to do anything against him  (のに=showing regret)
  (implying that because of he's convincing acting Raye would conclude that he is not Kira (which ended up happening) and L wouldn't be able to further his investigations and end up suspect of Light (which also happend in the end))

But then I found this sentence:

  見たこともない浮気相手に手の打ちようがない。
  There's nothing to do against a cheater's lover that hasn't been seen

So now I think that  Lにも手の打ちようはなかった instead of meaning that L should also be  powerless (against Kira. L doing the action),  means  that Light should also be powerless against L (に indicating the target is L). But trying to make sense of that paragraph now is difficult. It would be something like:

  Because Light has such great acting abilities   if he wouldn't have taken any action (kill Raye and the FBI agents) even knowing that he was being followed by Raye, he(Light) should have no means to do anything against L  (のに=showing regret)

This would make sense if the author of the blog is stating that Light just wants to confront L on whatever grounds as a way to show that he is superior. So he doesn't care about going under the radar but beating L. (Maybe that's what the author is refering to when he says 「間抜けすぎるぜ」と間抜けすぎる行動を取り). But mentioning that he's a great actor wouldn't be neccesary in this paragraph then.


texts: What is the difference between 成熟 and 熟成?

texts:
I discovered that the word 成熟{せいじゅく} (maturity for people, fruit, etc.) has a little brother which is composed of the exact same kanjis with the same prononciation, but in reverse order: 熟成{じゅくせい}. I looked up both words. Though 熟成 seems rather rare and definitely rarer than 成熟, they seem to have more or less the same meaning.

I find this case rather strange and would like to know the difference between the two words, if there is a difference at all.


texts:
This is from the anime Noir, Episode 1 starting at 23:13 at the school:

  [The two characters A and B are leaving the country.]
  A: 出国{しゅっこく}の手配{てはい}は済{す}ませた。
  　'I've made the arrangements to leave the country.'
  B: ありがとう。

My question is about the conjugation of 済ませた. I would have expected to hear: 済まして(い)た. I can't figure out what kind of conjugation that is. It looks like the potential form with iru, but I've never seen a past potential form. Plus, 'can finished' or 'can have finished' is much different than 'have finished'. So again, what kind of conjugation is 済ませた? How is it formed?


texts:
I have heard both terms, 年休{ねんきゅう} and 有休{ゆうきゅう} (or occasionally 有給), used to describe paid vacation time, or 年次有給休暇{ねんじゆうきゅうきゅうか}. In my situation it's always been 年休, but I know people just a town over who have insisted that the term is 有休. I have said 年休 to people and they have looked at me confusedly and said 「有休のこと？」

Is there any actual difference between these terms, and is there any pattern to when one is used over the other? Should I default to 有休?


texts: 「５しゅうかん　日本語　を　べんきょうしました」or 「日本語　を　５しゅうかん　べんきょうしました」

texts:
わたしは　くにで　５しゅうかん　日本語　を　べんきょうしました。

  わたしは　くにで　日本語　を　５しゅうかん　べんきょうしました。

I have seen sentence in this two orders. Which is more appropriate?


texts:
そんなスゴイ御方は、ヒューマンのお店でアルバイトをしてしまっているわけだけど。勿論、お金を稼いで明日を生き抜くためだ。

What meaning does わけ give to that sentence? Is it indicating a reason?

Thanks!


texts:
It seems to me that より has virtually no meaning when used as shown below.

Consider these:

Please come before five O'clock:

五時前に来てください
五時より前に来てください

Please come after five O'clock:

五時後に来てください (*ungrammatical as observed by sawa)
五時より後に来てください

(Question) What does より add to the sentence? What additional nuance is there? And why is omission of より acceptable for 五時前 but not 五時後?


texts: I found an article here, and it's title starts with the phrase 目がくっきり. How to translate it?


texts:
I was chatting with a Japanese friend about something I was planning to say to something and they said:

ほうほう、ということは今まで言えてなかったのね？

Why is imperative form used here?

I understand they are saying, "So that means that until know you hadn't said that".

Would the sentence be different if it was

ほうほう、ということは今まで言わなかったのね？

I asked them but it was difficult for me to understand why.


texts:
what is the difference between these two terms.The actual use of them ?
for eg. are トランジスタを使用して and トランジスタを使って same ?


texts: What is the difference between だろう and でしょう?

texts:
Basically, the title says it all.

I've encountered quite a handful of sentences with these words, of which meanings seems to be the same. I'm just wondering in what ways they differ and how people use them...


texts: What's the difference between てかなわない and てたまらない？？

texts: To my understanding てたまらない and てかなわない both mean "can't stand/unable to". However, I believe that てかなわない can't be used with adjectives of feeling, while てたまらない can. My question is how can I distinguish between them? It also seems really similar to 堪えない/耐えない so I got a little confused.


texts: what's the different of usages of [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ]?

texts: I know the meaning of [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ] but I don't really know about the different usages of the interjection [そう, ああ, うん, いいよ], what are the nuances between those words?


texts: What is the most commonly used way to apologize in Japanese?

texts: Also, would you say something different whether that person is someone you know or not?


texts: Nuance for 沼沢、泥沼、沼地、沼、沼田

texts:
What is the main difference between these 5 vocab words? I understand they all equate to something like a marsh or swamp, but do they hold any specific differences like marsh/swamp/bog do in English? (Admittedly I had to look up the differences, but they do exist.)
I know [沼田]{ぬまた} refers to a rice field of some kind, but how does it differ from any other rice field?


texts: How to express "Stone Master" as a compliment

texts:
I dabble in Shodo and I am designing a calligraphy to give as a gif to a martial arts master.

He is French, and his name is Pierre (Pierre, just like all other derivatives of Latin "Petrus", like Peter, Pietro, Pedro, Piotr... all come from a root word meaning Stone... in fact in French Pierre translates to Peter as a personal name, and to "stone" when used as a word for a thing).

So I wanted to write a Kanji combination to express the concept of Stone Master, and I come up with:

    石
    主

My question: what would the effect on someone who is fluent in Japanese?

I understand this is not a common word, but I just want to be sure that it is not demeaning/funny/inappropriate (I expect him to hang it in his dojo where it will be also seen by some Japanese person in the future).

I also appreciate any suggestion about something that is - in your opinion - better/more appropriate/more "honorific" for the same concept, as long as, if possible, it is written in Kanji only, which works better for me when doing Shodo.

Further remarks:

According to this (but take in account that I had to use Google Translator because I do not know Chinese at all) "石主" in Chinese it is some sort of mythical figure.

Final (?) note

Thanks everybody, in the end I went for a different idea altogether


texts: What does しやがって imply? shiyagatte doesn't seem to show up directly in dictionaries

texts:
I've run across the expression/word a few times in manga, and generally the context indicates that it's a conjugation of する with the ～がる indication of "3rd party appearance of internal state" (as in 怖い -> 怖がる). Is this generally correct? If so, where the や comes from? or is this just yet another 'special' conjugation?

An example fragment I have here is:

  いつも, すました顔しやがって...

(Context is a few moments before a love declaration... meaning is obvious enough)

Another example comes from pg 12 of the first QED manga, where an enraged player who has just lost a video game competition yells:

  こっちの動き全部読んでますってな動きしやがってよ！！


texts: The ''is it included in the kanji or not'' phenomenon?

texts:
Some expressions can be written part kanji part hiragana.
Sometimes I'm not sure how many hiragana actually condense into the kanji.
Example:
おとうさん
Is it お父さん or お父うさん ?
ちいさい
Is it 小さい or 小いさい ?
I hope you can see what I am referring to.
Sometimes I am not sure how many hiragana condense into the kanji.
Now I know the answer to the above examples and I can easily find the correct kanji versions in a dictionary.
I'm just curious whether Japanese people ever have this issue or not. Sometimes writing 大おきい instead of 大きい etc.


texts: Unable to understand grammar/meaning here

texts:
Having trouble with the bolded part:

  沈む太陽が海に溶け、全てを赤く染めあげる一瞬の――儚いけれど鮮烈な一時は、しかしそこで止まっていた。水平線に半ばまで埋もれながら、決して落ちない太陽。寄せては引き、引いては返すも、どこか現実味を欠いた潮騒……

What (I think) I understand so far:

  A fleeting but vivid moment when the sinking sun dissolves in the sea, tinting everything red. However, it stops there. This sun, half-buried under the horizon, will certainly not set. ??? Sea roar that is out of touch with reality...

How to translate the bolded part? Is it talking about the tide, so that

  寄せては引き、引いては返すも

Are ほ、も the s.c. 係助詞　and simplifying it into 寄せて引き、引いて返す、どこか現実味を欠いた潮騒 it's basically a long clause ((寄せて引き、引いて返す)、(どこか現実味を欠いた)) of 潮騒?

  sea roar that pulls back, then comes in, then pulls back again [...])? (again, my English vocabulary is poor so that's probably not the right word for describing tidal movement...)

I have only recently read about the s.c. 係助詞 (I don't know if that's the correct notion to use here, even)　and a lot of vocabulary here is unfamiliar to me so I'm looking for help as to whether I understood it correctly.

(btw please correct me if I failed at other parts of translation)


texts: How do you write "do you live with your parents?" in hiragana?

texts:
Recently, I've been studying about family terms and how to ask where they live, how many siblings, or what do they do. There is a question in one of my worksheets that involves writing it in hiragana.

The question is: “Ask if Mika lives with her parents”

I know the ending would be 「にすんでいるんです。」

I know the verb for to live is 「すむ」　and in て＋いる form it's 「すんでいるんです」 with に as the particle because it has something to do with a place.

So, I wrote

  みかーさん、ごりょうしんもいっしょにすんでいるんですか。

I know the last part translates to “...is living together”, but that sentence is more like “Mika, does your parents also live together?” Not “Mika, do you live with your parents?” I've tried looking into my textbooks, but none of them have an example sentence.

I'm just confused about how to completely write the sentence.


texts:
I have searched through a few dictionaries and through google but i can't seem to find an answer. from the fact that it's not found in any standard dictionary indicates it's an abbreviation but because of that i don't know the original word. so can't find it.

one sentence example:

  「その辺は問題ないわ。私達神々の親切サポートによって、異世界に行く際にあなたの脳に負荷を掛けて、一瞬で習得できるわ。もちろん文字だって読めるよ？副作用として、運が悪いとパーになるかもだけれど。・・・だから、後は凄い能力か装備を選ぶだけね」

Example 2:

  もしかしたらパーになるかもという恐怖はあるが、自慢ではないが運の強さに関してだけは、子供の頃から自信がある。


texts: Is there any difference in usage between 参加 and 加盟?

texts: 参加{さんか} and 加盟{かめい} are both translated as participation. Are these two words completely interchangeable or is there some nuance in their usage?


texts: Pronouncing sumimasen (すみません), implications of extending the -se(せ) and eliding the n(ん)

texts:
When pronouncing "sumimasen" (すみません), sometimes native speakers will elide the "-n"(ん) and elongate it, sort of like "sumimaseee~". This is the same and not a conjugation I would assume?

Might anyone know please if there implications or nuances in this? Is it just like in English one might say "sorryyyy" (a bit more informal and slightly stressing the recalcitrance, deferring to body language)? Is it just an accent/dialect in certain cities? Is it more effeminate? Does this pronunciation make it less formal or polite? ... or is it just typical variation you might see between how different individual people may say things?

Thank you.


texts: Understanding に correctly in these two sentences

texts:
戯れに触れれば融け行き、悪戯に払えば散りゆく。 かといって、お為ごかしに見過ごせばいずれは消えていく。

For context we're talking about snow here.

From what I know, に when used with a verb stem indicates a purpose. So 「戯れに触れれば融け行き、」 would translate to "If we touch it to play it's going to melt".

「悪戯に」 is giving me more trouble. I think the に is turning it into an adverb so the second part of that sentence would loosely translate to "If we casually dust it off it's going to dissolve."

I don't understand the function of the に in the third sentence. It looks like it means "On the other hand, if we overlook it under the pretense of being kind it's eventually going to disappear." but what is the usage of に here?

I'm pretty sure I'm making mistakes so any clarification is appreciated. Thank you.


texts: Which use of the て形 is used in this picture?

texts: The only thing I remember is that the て form may mean "and" but and in this context have no sense.


texts: What's the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?

texts:
Could someone explain the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?

I've looked up both words, but I'm still not clear on what the distinction is, or how much overlap there is between the two.  My mental concept right now is that 形 represents the "outline" or "shape" of something, and 姿 represents the features within the shape.  I'm afraid this might be terribly wrong!

(I'm also curious about 姿形, but I'm not sure I should include it in this question.)

Can anyone help?


texts: Xの担当 - something X is in charge of OR something in charge of X?

texts:
Can Xの担当 have both of these meanings?

If so, then without context to disambiguate the two meanings, is one of the two more commonly used?

For example, how would you translate the sentence Xの担当を決めたら？To me, it could be either "How about you decide who is in charge of X?" or "How about you decide what X is in charge of?" If both are grammatically valid translations, then is one of these more commonly used than the other, or do you have to completely rely on context to decide which one?

Also, this is a vague followup, but does the answer to this question also generally apply to the construction (noun)の(verb)? Does NのV mean "something that N does V to" (N is subject) and "something that does V to N" (N is object)?


texts:
Are there any differences between using おしまい {oshimai} and おわり {owari} to mean "the end" (both with neutral and negative connotations)? Are they always interchangeable?
E.g:

テスト失敗したらおわりだぜ。
テスト失敗したらおしまいだぜ。


texts: I find it suspicious they look similar and both function to give explanations. Is it just coincidence or is ので kind of like the て form/mid-sentence form of のだ?


texts: "Masu" verb form vs "Imperfective" verb form

texts:
I'm trying to put together a chart for myself, to learn the rules for verb conjugation. However, I'm confused at the "Imperfective" and "Perfective" verb conjugations - aren't they just informal versions of the "Masu" verb forms?
To my understanding, the "masu" verb forms are polite ways to say something is either happening or will happen - just like the "Imperfective" verbs(Which appear to just be the dictionary forms?)

For example, "Tabemasu" vs "Taberu" - both mean that something is either being eaten or will be eaten.

Likewise, the "mashita" verb forms indicate that something has already happened - just like the "perfective" verb forms.

For example, "Tabemashita" vs "Tabeta" - both mean something has been eaten?


texts:
I'm steadily learning the language, but sometimes I find these little things I can't really grasp. Today doing some reading for fun I found this particular sentence:

  彼奴め調子にのってやがりますから、我らでこらしめてやりましょう

The part about “彼奴め” and the “のってやがりますから” is the one giving me the most trouble. I can get a basic grasp of what it's trying to convey, but I want to be able to learn how to utilize that construction correctly in the future should I need to.

Could someone please share some insight on it? The context is referring to a group plotting against someone.


texts:
Im using this thread for a while as a base for choosing 'o' or 'Ga' particles, and most of the time I hit correctly if there is a need for 'Ga' or 'Wa' particle.

However, I couldn't understand what is the difference between those sentences that makes the use of 'Wa' over 'O':

- doru o motte imasu.
- doru wa takusan motte imasu.

Since the using of the particles depends not only on the verb, but on the form of the verb, which are the same on both sentences - Can I assume that using 'Sukoshi' or 'Takusan' are preceded by 'Wa' particle?

Thanks for your help and for your time :)


texts: What's the difference between 「いけない」 and 「いかない」?

texts:
I've just learned that ～わけにはいけない as in 断{ことわ}るわけにはいけない ("I can't refuse") apparently isn't valid but ～わけにはいかない is, even though I've been using the former frequently.

But what is the difference between いかない and いけない and when should they each be used? Also, is (te form)はいかない valid? I'm guessing ～してはいかない isn't valid but ～してはいけない is.

Is うまくいけない or 納得いけない valid? In English I think "this can't go well" or "I can't tolerate that" sounds like it would work, but I'm not sure it would in Japanese.


texts:
How to say "workaround/quick-and-dirty hack" in Japanese in the context of computer programming?

ALC says 次善策 for "workaround" but of course it does not convey the sense of dirtiness/fragility/speed I am looking for.

Context: quick email about a software feature, to my superior, with whom I am on very friendly terms but still use -ます form for instance.


texts:
くまはたいそう感慨深げに「縁」というような種類の言葉を駆使していろいろと述べた。

I understand the use of (noun A)のような(noun B) to say noun B like noun A ,
and I understand という in the sense of 'that' e.g. 彼が無事だという知らせ, or 'called' as in 本田という人. Or even as just the quote particle followed by the verb 'to say'. But none of these interpretations seems to make sense to me.

If I want to say 'words of the 「縁」 kind', why is it not just ...縁のような種類の言葉...? With という inserted it seems to me to read 'words like saying 縁'. Which clearly makes non sense. Which of the interpretations of という is used above and why is it needed? Thanks.


texts: How to explain a dialog naturally to a friend

texts:
I'm wondering what's the proper way to explain a dialog between two people, to a friend. For example saying :

  So friend A came up and told us "Hello", so I replied "hello" back and he asked how I was

I often want to say things like that to explain something but always end up using basic words without knowing if it's natural or not, for example :

  ある友達がおはよーって言って来て、でおはようって答えて、元気か聞いてくれた。

It sounds really wordy and all these て forms don't sound good to me but I don't know what I should be using. Also I don't know if I should be using 答える、返事 or another one. And can I use くれる here? Thanks


texts:
The sentence:

私に verb (for example: 行ってほしくない) +　ほしくない

This means "(someone) don't want me to go"

Can anyone give me a bit of an insight why the に particle is used here. How I think of the に particle is as follows. When using the に particle, the next verb  (after the に)　acts towards whatever preceeds the に particle, in this case, it acts on 私 which very literally translates to "don't want/wish to come to me".

I can't seen to understand why the に particle can be used in this manner. Any help will be appreciated.

Addendum:
A bit of an unreasonable question, but I thought I'd ask anyways. Can anyone recommend me some material/ video that explains all the usages of に particle. I found https://www.wasabi-jpn.com/japanese-grammar/japanese-particle-ni-clear-up-all-doubts-you-may-have/ but I don't see any explanation of に particle used in the fashion of the sentences above.


texts: Meaning of refrain in 青空 by "The Blue Hearts"

texts:
The refrain of the Blue Hearts song 青空 starts like this:

生まれた所や皮膚や目の色でいったいこの僕の何がわかるというのだろう

While the first part is rather clear, I don't understand the second part. What's the meaning of いったいこの僕？

Thanks!


texts: What's the difference between particle へ and を?

texts:
Whats the difference between these particles and these two sentences?

国へ帰ります
国を帰ります

Don't they both mean "I return to the country"?
or

A. おかあさんはみせへいく。

B. おかあさんはみせをいく。

Are those both correct ways to say "Mom goes to the shop."?


texts: What is the literal meaning of どういたしまして?

texts:
どういたしまして 【どう致しまして · 如何致しまして】

  you are welcome;  don't mention it;  not at all;  my pleasure;  —Usually written using kana alone.

  「手伝ってくれてありがとう」「どういたしまして」 "Thank you for your help." "It's my pleasure."

  「ありがとうご座います」「どう致しまして」 "Thank you." "You are welcome".

  (致す
  ita.su = doth;  do;  send;  forward;  cause;  exert;  incur;  engage)

  如何 (どう) dou
  (adverb):
  how;  in what way;  how about;  —Usually written using kana alone.

How do the two words come together to mean, "you're welcome."?

Is it an abbreviation of an older phrase?


texts:
What is the grammar of ご機嫌【きげん】よう? It is made of three or, we might say, two parts:

ご

機嫌【きげん】

Good spiritswith honorific

よう

What is よう? Is it 様【よう】 in the sense of "form, style"? Per jisho.org this word is often a "Noun - used as a suffix".

Would ご機嫌【きげん】よう then be a noun?


texts: The difference between (な形容詞)さ and (な形容詞)性?

texts:
I'm in the middle of writing a paper in Japanese, and I can't quite figure out which is right.  If I want to nominalize a な形容詞, should I affix さ or 性 at the end?  I've been checking on search engines, and it seems that both are possible.  Is there a difference in meaning?

I am trying to write "The ease and frequency of so-called mass incidents..."

Thus, should it be "いわゆる「群体性事件」発生の容易性と頻繁性..."

Or rather "いわゆる「群体性事件」発生の容易さと頻繁さ..."　?

Again, is there a difference in meaning?  Are they both correct?

Thank you


texts: How would you say "doing something in preparation for something else"?

texts:
I was trying to make a Japanese sentence using て form to make a sentence that "Describes the manner in which the second verb is performed". While making my sentence I ran into a snag. Here what I was trying to say

  I will study for the test by reading my textbook

and here is what I have written for the sentence so far:

  [教科書]{きょうかしょ}を 読{よ}んで、 テスト ？ [勉強]{べんきょう}します

the ? is for the fact that I'm not sure what particle I would put in to show, for lack of a better word, "for". I know for in the Japanese language has many different definitions but I'm just wondering about this specific scenario. I'm pretty sure it's between を, に, or maybe even て form, but I'm unsure which exactly it might be. Any help with this as always is appreciated and if you see anything else wrong with the sentence let me know. (looking at you よんで/よんでいる)


texts: This form is usually translated as "regardless"; however its meaning seems to be pretty similar to をよそに and to をものともせず. Is their usage different?


texts: Don't understand meaning of verb stem + ちぎれない

texts:
I'm playing a game and looking at an item description. But for the life of me I cannot find out what grammar concept is behind the bold portion of the description.

I know the verb being used is 噛む (to chew). But I don't know how we got to 噛みちぎれない.
It seems like its the verb stem 噛み plus negative ちぎれる. But I can't find anything on the verb stem + another verb

The item description is

  噛みちぎれないほど　硬～いフランスパン。でも　困った事にとても美味しいのである。
  Something about not chewing hard French bread. But its very delicious for the annoyance.


texts: Can I say がございませんですが？ Does it make sense?

texts:
With context:
「アレルギーがございませんですが、何をいただけばいいでございますか。」
Does this make sense? I'm trying to write in humble form and trying to connect the two sentences by using ”が” as "but", however I'm not sure how to use it with でございます。


texts: I was talking with my japanese penpal and he wrote to me 精一杯頑張ってきますよ! after I wrote him おはようございます！お仕事頑張ってきてね！ because he told me he was going to work. I don't know if there's an answer or not. In English of course I would not  respond as there's no answer to "I'll do my best". But as we are talking in Japanese and not English, I would like to know if there's a way to respond or not.


texts: What differences, if any, are there between 婦 and 女?

texts:
I came across 婦 from this English-language Wikipedia article.

Jisho.org says that 婦 (which contains 女 in it) can mean married woman, but it can mean woman or lady, and it then lists words such as 婦警 for policewoman and 婦長 for head nurse, ie roles where I assume her marital status isn't relevant.

What differences, if any, exist between 婦 and 女, outside of the context of someone being married?


texts: Multiple verbs in one sentence using ことがある

texts:
I'm studying for an upcoming exam, and in our study guide for the essay section there is a prompt to write about "I have the experience of ....ing, .....ing, and so forth." We're supposed to use ことがある, but I'm unsure how to list multiple verbs using this form. We're also learning たり and や as well. (This is for Lesson 11 from Genki I)

The "...ing" makes me think it is something like 旅{りょ}行{こう}するの、泳{およ}ぐの、散{さん}歩{ぽ}することがあります。

Is this close at all?


texts:
This is specifically about verbs not onomatopoeia.

I understand that you can say 「（動物）は（音）という」, e.g. 「犬がワンという」。But beyond that I've come to two words 吠える and 鳴く, which both seam to be generalised animal noised. I want help understanding these and to know if there are any more and what do they mean.

I've sorta come to understand 吠える is more of a loud shouting noise while 鳴く is more of a soft noise.

So am i right for the following:

Dog barks. (吠える [or 鳴く?])

Cat purrs. (鳴く)

Bird tweets. (鳴く)

Lion roars (吠える)

Wolf Howls (吠える)

Elephant toots (鳴く?)

Horse neighs (鳴く?)

Also I've also come across some other verbs:
さえずる (chirp) and さわぐ (make noise).

is さえずる purely for birds?

and i take it さわぐ has a negative connotation like mentioned in the other question i looked at?

What other verbs can be used to explain animal noises?

Related:
Does 「鳴く」 give any nuances about the sound being made?


texts: ひとりでも and 多く usage and translation advice

texts:
This line happens just before my previous question.

It is preceded by the following text:

  そやから私は管理局に入れてもらって、
  この夜天の力で働こうと思ってる。

  自分の命を使って、人を救うための仕事をする。
  そう決めてる。

Which roughly meany IMO:

  That’s why I’m planning on entering the Administration Bureau
  to work this power of the Night Sky.

  To spend my life working there for the sake of saving people.
  Such is my decision.

And those two are probably pretty much correct. Might need some brushing up to flow better, but the following one is a bit trickier.

  理不尽な出来事に悲しむ人を、
  ひとりでも多く助けていくために。

Problem here is twofold. Grammatical/meaning and overall context wise.

The first part of it is easy enough. It's "Sad people in preposterous situations" (probably could replace preposterous with unbelievable. But in the next part segmentation is probably:

  ひとりでも - 多く - 助けていく - ために。

I assume ひとりで is personally and も is there to modify the personally into kinda even personally. Like she would like for people to be saved by her personally if possible.

In the next bit there is 多く used as an adverb? For the love of God I can't find many examples of it being used as such. Most seem to use it as "adjective" 多くの. So what is it's function here? To say that she wants to do much of such saving?

So the sentence would read as

  For the sake of saving many sad people in unimaginable circumstances, (even) by my own hands.

Although I guess I can also see the segmentation like this:

  ひとり - でも - 多く - 助けていく - ために。

Which would mean something more along the lines of:

  In order to save even just one sad person in... (etc.) although I want to save many.

Although that reading doesn't really fit the usual pattern of such sentences.

Soo, how IS ひとりでも多く助けていくために。supposed to be understood. Especially given that she has already said she will dedicate her life to saving people.

Thanks in advance.


texts:
In English, when we have three or more items, only the last "and" is kept, and the rest are omitted.

  I like fish, curry, sausage, and honey.

What is the standard way to list multiple items in Japanese?


texts: What is the difference between 護る and 守る?

texts: Is there any difference in meaning between 護{まも}る and 守{まも}る? When there are multiple kanji for a particular reading (like 暑{あつ}い/熱{あつ}い or 初{はじ}め/始{はじ}め), they are frequently used in different situations (hot weather/hot to touch or first time/start). According to the dictionaries (jisho.org and a pocket dictionary) 守{まも}る is more common, but the story I'm reading now is using 護{まも}る. So I was wondering if there would be any particular reason for using 護 over 守.


texts: Position of なんか in a sentence when emphasizing a negative feeling

texts:
The position of 「なんか」 in a sentence to emphasize a feeling got me mixed up. I've seen this placed in two different ways, however I don't know if there is any difference. Here there are two examples:

  あなたなんか失いたくない。(I DON’T want to lose you.)

  カラオケなんか行きたくない。(I DON’T wanna go to a karaoke.)

And here 「なんか」is placed at the end.

  あなたを失いたくなんかない。(I DON’T want to lose you.)

  カラオケに行きたくなんかない。(I DON’T wanna go to a karaoke.)

Is there any difference in nuance?
And, is it possible to use なんか at the end of a sentence with another verb with another tense/form other than たくない ? All the sentences I read that had なんか at the end meant "to not want to do sth".


texts: When shouldn't I use 「〜さん」when referring to a third person?

texts:
In In actual Japanese society, how often are second-person pronouns used?, the accepted answer says:

  You can either refer to a person by the name like 山田, which is not
  (particularly) polite, or put a polite affix or a title after it like
  山田さん or 山田先生, but which to use depends not only on the relation
  between you and the person referred to, but also on who you are
  talking to. Japanese adopts a system called relative honorification
  (as opposed to absolute honorification used, for example, in
  Korean). If 山田 is your boss with the title 部長 within a company,
  and you are talking with someone within the company, you have to be
  polite enough to refer to him/her as (山田)部長 (even attaching the
  polite affix like 山田さん is not polite enough, and is rude). But when
  you are talking with some outsider, then you have to say 山田, and
  saying 山田さん would be impolite to the outsider (and the expression
  山田 does not become impolite to 山田).

Further, in a comment:

  It is polite to the outsider for you to do so. It is particularly not
  impolite to 山田 for you to do so. If you still don't get it, then that
  is how complex the Japanese honorification system is.

The answers in When should one add さん at the end of a name? don't touch on this problem.

What is it about 「〜さん」 for a third person that makes it rude (or not) to the second person? Using this example, does it place 山田 above the outsider?


texts: What does the nakaguro (・) between these two words mean?

texts:
The first sentence on the Mac OS X article on the Japanese version of Wikipedia reads:

  Mac OS X（マック オーエス テン）は、アップルが[開発]{かいはつ}・[販売]{はんばい}する、Macintoshコンピュータ[用]{よう}の[現行]{げんこう}オペレーティングシステム (OS) である。

Now, in between the words 開発 and 販売 there happens to be a nakaguro. In this context what does it mean? Is it simply a short-hand listing for する verbs? (similar to an & sign?) or perhaps something used to build some special type of compound verbs? Also, how would that be read (e.g. pronounced)? Considering that this is an encyclopedia article, is this convention formal or informal?


texts:
For saying who are you? I understand you can say

Kimi wa dare nanda? or Anata wa dare? and similars.

Then what does Silver Fang say here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M6C35Hxu1Q&t=2m22s

What I hear is "Dare ja ne .. kimi wa"
I guess I'm misshearing a lot because as far as I know "ja ne" it's a way to say good bye so it doesnt make sense to be there? What is he saying exactly?


texts:
For full context, see here:
https://www.docdroid.net/67MgwSw/img-20170910-0001-new.pdf

the following excerpt is from the very last line:
じゃ、帰りに旅行会社に寄って、調べてみます。

=> "Well, coming home I will try to research travel agency coming close/being close."

"Coming close" refers to the criteria mentioned by the partner in dialogue before (see link). However, I'm still not really wether I interpreted the context correctly. Furthermore, what irritates me is that in my interpretation, 旅行会社 is the direct object of 調べてみます. There is no を or any other particle though...


texts: I am trying to identify, date and publisher details of an old (probably c1904) postcard. Can anybody help translate the writing on front (top and bottom of card) and also the writing on back. Thanks, David.


texts: What does どれも mean in this particular context?

texts:
I'm reading a novel and I'm wondering what どれも means in this context --

  椿台には、そこに住まう民が生前崇めていた神仏を祀った神殿がいくつも建てられているが、どれも現世での信仰を持ちこんだものであった。

For context; 椿台 is a place in the afterlife in this story, 現世 is the transient world referring to Earth/life on Earth.

どれも, according to my dictionary can mean any/every/both/either/all or it can even mean none.

So what I don't understand is, is it saying: (and this is based on my best guess at a translation, I have a feeling I may have gotten some things wrong)

  The people that live here have built many temples dedicated to worshipping gods and Buddahs in their lifetime but none have brought over beliefs from the transient world.

Or is it saying:

  The people that live here have built many temples dedicated to worshipping gods and Buddahs in their lifetime but still have brought over every belief from the transient world.

Or something else completely?

I would really love to know what the author has written here so your help is much appreciated, thank you!


texts:
I don't know if this question is appropriate for this site or not, but I am going to ask this question hoping for clarification.

When I hear について It feels like the declaration or introduction of something and somehow I expect a comment (wathever it is I can understand the sentence immediately.) but when I hear は I immediately think about it as a subject marker.

For example

  りんごについて、食べた。
  りんごは食べた。

I perceive them differently.

  りんごについて、食べた。
  I declare it's about apples. I comment "Ate".
  Or
  I declare that it is regarding the apple. I comment "Ate".

  りんごは食べた。
  I see this as apples ate.
  But I know that it is not correct.
  I know that it should sound something like what I hear with について.

So my question is:
Is について a topic marker too?
If in my mind I uset について instead of は, but while talking I would say は, would make my sentence weird to someone hearing.

Example:

  剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光は、情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。

When reading it like this I get lost when I see は because while subsconsciouly I think about it as the subject marker I consciously know that it is not and I am not sure how to perceive it.

  剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光について、情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。

This feels easier for me.
I literally hear it like this:
It's about "The flash of light which expanded to the dimension of a sword". I comment "Without any mercy it is being thrust at Kamijo's neck".
Or
"The flash of light which expanded to the dimension of a sword" I declare it regards this, The comment is "Without any mercy it is being thrust at Kamijo's neck".

The feeling I get with について is:
剣ほどの大きさにまで膨らんだ青白い閃光 is just an introduction and a declaration and it needs a comment, what really matters is what I say about that "情け容赦なく上条(かみじょう)の首へと叩き込まれる。"

1)Would it sound weird as a sentence to a native speaker if instead of は there was について in a case like this?
2)To you natiev speakers, does は sound kind of like について sounds to me?


texts: Question on an apparent solipsistic usage of the "quotative って"

texts:
A: Be careful not to make a mistake.
B: I know that without being told.
A: 間違えないように気を付けてね。
B: 言われなくても分かってるって。

In the final って in B's answer, I am supposing that this is the "quotative って," used as a way to emphasize B's own voice. Is he metaphorically quoting himself?
Perhaps the implication is:

"Yeah, like I said, I know that without being told."

Is this line of thinking correct? Would someone explain this use of って?
Is there a Japanese term for this って?
*Apologies in advance for my colorful usage of the word solipsistic. If you think of a better title feel free to change it.


texts: How do I know which sentence is more polite?

texts:
To say the phrase, "Teacher has arrived."

  A 先生が来られました

and

  B 先生がお越しになりました

It should have an order or a rule to compare A and B.


texts:
I am reading 外科室. At some point, there is this sentence:

  さてはいかなる医学士も、[驚破]{すわ}という場合に望みては、さすがに懸念のなからんやと、予は同情を表したりき。

[驚破]{すわ}という場合 is a reference to an earlier passage,

  手術台なる伯爵夫人は、純潔なる白衣を絡いて、死骸のごとく横たわれる、顔の色あくまで白く、鼻高く、頤細りて手足は綾羅にだも堪えざるべし。脣の色少しく褪せたるに、玉のごとき前歯かすかに見え、眼は固く閉ざしたるが、眉は思いなしか顰みて見られつ。わずかに束ねたる頭髪は、ふさふさと枕に乱れて、台の上にこぼれたり。

Clearly it is about the surprise of the doctor who will have to deal with such a patient. However, I can't see how to translate 驚破という場合に望みては with something different than when dealing with such a case, hiding the difficulty in such.


texts: What is the difference between "に"  and "には"?

texts:
The title should be pretty self-explanatory. What meanings does each convey? And in what kinds of circumstances would one be used instead of the other?
For example, what are the differences between these two sentences?

図書館に本がある。
図書館には本がある。


texts:
Hi I found a sentence earlier with 嫉妬し蹴落とそうとする and I do not know why し is put there. Anyway, I thought it was the reasoning marker but it does not sound like it from the audio and I don't know what 蹴落とそうとする means. I got a rough translation meaning 'to kick' but I might be wrong. This sentence was from oregairu season 1 ep. 1 when someone was basically criticizing the mc.

弱くて醜くて すぐに嫉妬し蹴落とそうとする


texts: Complex subjects like “The [noun] that I can't [verb] is [verb]”

texts:
I am learning Japanese and I was wondering how to say something like this:

  The [noun] that I can't [verb] is [verb].

For example,

  The cat that I can't understand is talking.


texts:
I came across the vocabulary 「どうか（ください）」. Could you please give an example of it's use?

Thank you in advance!


texts:
I have encountered many grammatical structures used when describing things made of many parts, each one corresponding to a single grammatical structure in English:
[numeral] [thing counted] [thing described]

3階建て 3 storey building
3ページの本 3 page book
3本足の椅子 3 legged chair
3人の女性会社 3 woman company
3匹の犬の囲い 3 dog enclosure

I would like to know if there are rules to know which pattern to use.


texts:
Recently I stumbled upon this passage:

[...] 最高執行責任者は変化の兆しを語る.

The dictionary reports four readings for 執行: しぎょう、しっこう、しゅうぎょう、 and しゅぎょう。

Moving on with the reading I also found the word 執行役員 that apparently is read しっこうやくいん. This makes me think that even in the above case しっこう could be the right choice.

Actually (instant edit) I just now found that 最高執行責任者 can be translated with COO and it is indeed read as さいこうしっこうせきにんしゃ.
Somehow I answered my question by myself then, and しっこう seems a common reading.

Rather than deleting my post though, I got curious and I would like to know if someone could provide words where actually one of the other readings is used..otherwise why are they so many?

Also, let me to use this example in order to ask a more general question. I guess we all agree that the 読み方 of some kanji sometimes follows no special rules and you just "have to know it". However, is this really always the case? Are there any tricks that at least might increase the chances of guessing the correct/most appropriate reading? Thanks.


texts: I have recently heard that the phrase のみ means "only". Does it come from another compound, like の実 or something? I don't think that's necessarily where it came from, but I would be surprised if that の was not the genitive particle. (Or conjunctive? I'm not sure what the right term is.)


texts: Why is 会わせてあげる being used in the sentence:あなたにはお姉さんがいるの。すてきな人で有名人よ。東京へ連れて行って会わせてあげる 。

texts:
I have been practicing in the website japanesetests4you.com and I don't know why 会わせてあげるis being used. I understand that the speaker is saying: You have a sister（あなたにはお姉さんがいるの）. She is an amazing  person and a celebrity（素敵な人で有名人よ）. But what I don't understand is the last bit: 東京へ連れて行って会わせてあげる. Can somebody explain me if it is using the causative form of the verb 会う and why?
手伝ってください．文の意味が分かりません。


texts: Is 波状雲 a well-known word, and how related are 波状雲 and 波状?

texts:
First of all, I hope this question is acceptable. It is KINDA subjective and KINDA cultural, I guess, but it does still refer to language, I think.
This question was difficult for me to word, so I will expand a bit: I'm tasked with helping with a writing project for a friend. I can only really do cultural research, as I don't speak Japanese beyond understanding some very rudamentary words and phrases.
For the project, the idea is to come up with a nickname for a character with a cloud motif. We wanted to avoid using 雲 so as to not be too on the nose (think those anime characters that use kanjis like 闇 or 死 in their name), and also because we don't like spiders. So what I thought was that we could use 波状? はじょう is short and sounds pleasant, but basically I'm unsure if it's a good suggestion.
Is the word 波状雲, or maybe rather the type of cloud well-known enough in average Japanese vocabulary for a reader to understand the relation between 波状 and the cloud-motif?
Thank you very much for any help, and I again apologize if this question falls outside of what's allowed.


texts: Should I avoid using the word 「来日」 when referring to myself?

texts:
I heard from my Japanese friends that I should avoid using the word 「来日」 when I'm outside of Japan.

Is it true, and, if it is, has this something to do with the kanji 「来」?


texts: I'm very familiar with ほら, used for urging someone to look at something. But sometimes I hear ほれ in about the same contexts. Are they the same?


texts: んです - んだ - Struggling with the practical use / difference with masu form

texts:
Mina-san konnichiwa.
I am struggling with the ndesu - nda form. I understand that in most instances this is used to ask or give more context / an explanation. In practical use I don't understand the difference between questions with or without this form.
For example: nani wo shite imasu ka? What are you doing VERSUS nani wo shite iru ndesu ka? What are you doing / What is it that you are doing?
Isn't it obvious that in the first question I also ask an explanation / reason / context? What is the difference? I have the same question for the answer part.
Watashi wa terebi wo mitte imase - I am watching TV VERSUS watashi wa terebi wo miru ndesu. I am watching TV / It is that i'm watching TV.
I really don't see the difference in meaning; I am sorry for this. Hopefuly someone can help me.
どうも ありがとう ございます


texts:
Two instances where I noticed an "inanimate" object being the agent that I can't quite make sense of - I hope both sentences are related to the question:
goo dictionary entry for 侍る

［動ラ五（四）］《「はべ（侍）り」が「侍 (じ) す」の意に意識されて意味の変化したもの》身分の高い人のそばに付き従っている。かしこまってその席などにいる。「芸妓を―・らせる」

I'm not a 100% sure how I would put the bracketed part into good English but I believe it's essentially saying that the meaning of「侍 (じ) す」influenced the meaning of 侍る, i.e. people consciously had the meaning of じす in their head when thinking of 侍る?
What I don't understand is why it's 意に意識される instead of something like じすの意を意識して. Why is the word the agent of the passive form here?
Which made me think of this sentence I've seen before but couldn't quite figure out either (the description of a rather small sword in a game):

とある戦士が百獣の王をモチーフに作らせた剣。その様相はまるで人々からの視線に気づかないかのように狭く短い。

It's as if its shape is deliberately short and narrow so as to go unnoticed by people. is what I can come up with on the spot. Why not 気づかれない? Why is the sword's shape "not noticing the people"? How does that make sense? Could that just simply be a typo or is this a legit way of expressing that idea?


texts: What does (volitional form) + ったって+(potential form of same verb) mean?

texts:
I came across this and don't quite understand is meaning. One character orders another to forget something, who nods agreement but thinks to themselves:

  忘れようったって忘れられない

What does 忘れようったって mean here? Something like "even if I want to forget"?


texts: Sprachgefühl corresponding word in Japanese

texts:
I am looking for a one-word, or maybe a two-word comparable word Sprachgefühl/Sprachgefuhl in Japanese.

According to this:

  Sprachgefühl
  言葉が持つ本来の語法に対する直感的な感覚.
  Meaning: an intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language

From what I researched I found: 語感, 語感覚
Can I use 語感{ごかん} or 語感覚{ごかんかく} ? ~ Are these Kanji conveying the natural feeling of Japanese properly?
Or is it better with a longer explanation: 言語に感じ

Anyway, can I just use Katakana to convey this word?
スプラゲーフー

Thanks in advance!

  Sprachgefühl
  noun, German.
  1.a sensitivity to language, especially for what is grammatically or idiomatically acceptable in a given language.

Source.


texts: Meaning of 「これはこれで」, and the difference between it and 「それはそれとして」

texts:
I came across the following lines.

  ・・・俺としては、下駄箱の中に手紙が入っているみたいなほうが好みだった。でもこれはこれで、少なくとも相手が積極的だってことはわかる。

I am wondering about the meaning of 「これはこれで」 here. As one might expect, it does not have any entries in the dictionaries that I use. However, it seems to me to mean something along the lines of "that aside".

If this is the case, what would be the difference between 「これはこれで」 and the 「それはそれとして」 below?

  ・・・まあ、それはそれとして、正解の答えがわかっても、どうすればあの「sprachgefühl」が身につけられるかという問題が残っています。

They both appear to have similar meanings.

Or would the sentence perhaps be better interpreted as such?

  [これは] [これで少なくとも {相手が積極的だ} ってことはわかる]。


texts: How are alveolar stops in Japanese articulated?

texts: I notice that I tend to pronounce the /t/ in Japanese laminally (at least I believe this is the appropriate term), especially when it follows /ɕ/ as in "した". Whatever it is, it certainly feels different from the /t/ in English, and I am wondering what the proper way to articulate /t/ and /d/ is.


texts: What does the verb after なくちゃ or なくては mean?

texts:
If なくちゃ is followed by another verb, is it read as "you must do X or else Y will happen" or "you must do X and then Y will happen"?

Example:
In this sentence (from よだかの星):
おまえは、曇ってうすぐらい日か、夜でなくちゃ、出て来ない。

Is it:  "As for you, it must be a dim cloudy day or night... or else you won't come out."
Or: "As for you, it must be a dim cloudy day or night so that you won't come out."


texts: Is there any difference between the two? Are they interchangeable? Both mean "although/even though."