texts: Why can an intransitive verb 出る take an object?

texts:
Consider the following sentences:

ボタンを押すとジュースが出ます。
６時に家を出て８時に帰ります。

I don't understand why the verb 出る which is an intransitive (as in the first example) can take an object (as in the second example).


texts:
I found the following sentences containing "形容詞語幹＋い＋ったって" in dictionaries

「大きいったって、それほどじゃないよ」（小学館）
「行きたいったって､先立つものがないとね」（明鏡国語辞典）

and also the definition of "たって" written in 大辞林, "活用語の終止形に付き,｢…といっても｣｢…としても｣の意で,強い逆接を表す｡この場合,｢ったって｣の形になるのが一般である｡"
In the next sentence, I thought ったって can be replaced by としても and therefore sounds natural, however, I was told by a Japanese that it doesn't.

「今気づかれていないったって、毎日真面目に努力すればいつか報われると信じています。」

While this sentence is totally fine to say

「今気づかれていなくたって、毎日真面目に努力すればいつか報われると信じています。」

Therefore, I would like to ask when to use "形容詞語幹＋い＋ったって" and when to use "形容詞語幹＋く＋たって."


texts:
1) Is the plain "ja nai" after a verb grammatically correct?

   aru ja nai?

   wakatta ja nai?

2) Why use ja nai, why not a negative form of a verb :

   aru ja nai? --> nai?

   wakatta ja nai? --> wakaranakatta?

What's the difference?


texts: Why is the particle omitted in this relative clause?

texts:
I am doing this exercise from wasabi-jpn.com. The exercise includes this sentence:
The sweater (I) bought last week was expensive.

Apparently, the correct answer is
先週買ったセーターは高かったです。

I realize that the particle は cannot be used after 先週 because it's a relative clause, but why there is no particle at all?


texts: Japanese equivalent to nonliteral "sounds like"

texts:
I am trying to find phrases that mean the same thing as "sounds like" in English when used in the sense of

It sounds like they are sincere, but they are trying to trick you.
or
That doesn't sound like the service you would usually get at a 5-star hotel.

Obviously this is not talking about the physical sounds being similar, so I wasn't sure if に聞こえる can be used. In the NINJAL corpus I found this sentence 「たいへん恐れおののいているように聞こえた。」, but it is clear that the speaker didn't hear them おののいている but heard something that made them think they were おののいている, so it's still talking about the physical sounds.
The odd thing is, I can see 聞こえる being used for the first of my two example sentences, but not the second.
Any help on possible phrases would be greatly appreciated (no need to focus on 聞こえる but I would like to know when it can be used like this).


texts: Which is the correct phrase to say saving money?

texts:
I like to tell that I am saving money to buy Mac Book . So two sentence come to my mind , which one is more suitable to use ..

僕はMACBOOKを買うためにお金を貯金しています。
僕はMACBOOKを買うためにお金を節約しています。


texts:
I'm trying to breakdown the tagline for the movie 火垂るの墓 in a movie poster: "4歳と14歳で、生きようと思った"

  4歳と14歳で

My first guess was that the で here is the て-form of the copula だ, so it just joins that clause to the next.

But the whole sentence makes more sense if it's the particle で that expresses a cause, as in, "since they were (only) 4 and 14 years old, ...", but it seems like a strange place to put a comma.

  生きようと思った

The structure [volitional + と思う] here, as I understand from the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar (p.569), indicates the speaker's desire, or what the speaker intends to do.

But I'm not sure how to map that explanation to this sentence.

My best guess here is that the tagline means, "Since they were (only) 4 and 14, I thought that they would live", but I feel like I've misunderstood this sentence.

There are a few other threads about ~おうと思う, but I don't think they answered my question.

Thanks for the help.


texts:
I was translating a passage the other day for a health spa and came across the following passage:

  揺らぎやすい女性のための限定メニューができました。
  1ヶ月の周期の中で、私たちの体は大きく変化します。
  生理は、体をととのえる絶好のチャンス。
  より快適に過ごせる体づくりをお手伝いいたします。

I was a little befuddled by 揺らぎやすい because it obviously doesn't mean easily fluctuating women.  I gather from the rest of the passage and some precursory Google searches, it has a meaning similar to 'women with menstruation problems', but I'm not sure if that is the exact meaning or not. Can anyone clarify?

And sorry I was unable to talk to the spa for clarification.  I was working through an agent and it needed to be done quickly.


texts:
The whole sentence reads

  これ以上　シャレてる時間はない

which is from the lyrics of this anime song and, according to this website, means

  There's no more time to be fooling around

I understand the first three lines, and the English translation seems to be literal.

I know that これ means "this". According to JGram, 以上 means "as long as", i.e., as long as you are a student 学生である以上は, etc. However, I'm not sure what これ以上 means and whether the これ is the same one that means "this". I think シャレてる時間はない already means "there's no more time to be fooling around".


texts:
Looking for a translation for "hail" in Japanese, I stumbled upon two possible words with a peculiar distinction being made on the size of the hail balls:

[雹]{ひょう} (esp. hail balls 5mm or greater)
[霰]{あられ} (esp. hail balls under 5 mm)

Is this distinction really being made, or is one of these two words (almost) never used ? Could you maybe provide me with some examples if there are some additional subtleties.


texts: Is the verb in 受話器から変な音がして止まらない future tense?

texts:
受話器から変な音がして止まらない。
Strange noises keep coming from the receiver and won't stop.

"Won't" in this case is closer to "desire, choice,willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal" and isn't really future tense. Is Japanese similar in this case?


texts: Can you use the し particle without dictionary forms?

texts:
日本は集団主義、序列社会である。ものを大事にし、他者への配慮、思いやりを理解すべし
I'm struggling to work out the precise function of the し in ものを大事にし here.
Well - I'm quite sure it is the し particle for linking clauses, but the lack of a dictionary form before it is putting me off.
Surely it should be ものを大事にするし?
I get お大事に is an expression - that means it would just get the し at the end with nothing in between? (I would have thought [NOUN]を大事に would be different seeing as though it is different..


texts:
ベルの成長速度にアイズへの恋慕がこれまでかと影響した「ステイタス」を見せつけられ、ちょっとも面白くなかったゆう昨夜。

Is the と here acting as a quotative particle? So it's 「これまでか」と影響した?

Thanks!


texts: If Vて+いる isn't a gerund, then what is it?

texts:
I always thought that a verb ending in the て form along with the いる suffix was the English equivelent of the "ing" form of a verb.

Thus:

  see = 見{み}る, seeing = 見{み}ている

  do = する, doing = している

However, according to the Wikipedia entry on gerunds, a gerund in Japanese is when you add the particle の.

Say what?

To be honest, I'm not actually that interested in grammatical technicalities, such as what label is applied to what verb form.

What I am very interested in, though, is usage.

So what, precisely, is the difference in meaning and implication between:

  見{み}ている

  見{み}ているの

  見{み}るの

(This question is a spin off from "What is the difference between は and のは?")


texts: まで or までに in 「道が混んでいて、バスが駅に着く＿＿とても時間がかかった」?

texts:
The question above is an exercise in the usage of まで vs までに. I thought that because the action 時間がかかる continued until the bus arrived at the station, the answer should be まで.
However, the answer given in the exercise book is までに. But I don't understand why. (I guess the key is whether a Japanese speaker would conceptualize 時間がかかる as 瞬間的 or 継続的 but I am not sure.)
Could someone please explain why the answer is までに?


texts: How to interpret 身にしみる in this sentence?

texts:
In this paragraph:

  ちなみに私の語学力は日英ほぼ同レベルだけど、会話だけは日本語のほうが得意。つまり日本語力の問題ではない。仲良い友達も日本人が多い。英語という逃げ込む場所があるから違いが身にしみるだけで、もし日本語しかわからなかったら自分は人見知りなんだと思うだろう。

My interpretation of 身にしみる is for something to really penetrate through to your heart. Something you think about deeply or 'touches home' (jisho.org)

My translation of this paragraph is something like:

  Incidentally, my Japanese and English skills are about the same. Only at the conversation level is my Japanese better. Basically, it's not a language problem. I also have a lot of close Japanese friends!

Here's where I trip up. The last sentence has three components that I really can't put together:

Since I escape to English
Just from really feeling that difference
You'd probably think I was a shy person if I spoke just Japanese


texts:
I was doing some exercises and the book that I'm using translated:

  I don't want shoes

to

  靴は欲しくないです

I answered using が particle instead は, since, as far as I know, I should use が before 欲しい. So why did the book use は this time?

I imagined that the reason is to make a contrast/comparison that は provide. Is that why?


texts: Can someone explain the grammar of this sentence?

texts:
In this sentence:

日本中に、世界中にこれからずっと大切にしていきたい仲間ができたことに感謝！

This is my translation (not confident of it's accuracy):
"I am grateful that I was able to make companions that I want to cherish forever from now on, in Japan and the world."
The context is someone returning to Japan from overseas exchange.

I have several questions regarding the gramar of the sentence:

Is the に particle in 日本中に、世界中に used to indicate the person's friends in Japan and in the world?

Does これからずっと mean "from now on I will do continuously" and, in this case does it mean "forever"?

With this part: 大切にしていきたい,
why the していきたい part conjugated as しる + くる. How would it be different if it is just したい without くる to make 大切にしたい?

Is this whole clause これからずっと大切にしていきたい describing the person's 仲間? And can be translated as "From now on I want to cherish my 仲間 forever."

I am most confused with how できたこと is used. I interpreted it as "was able to do" in the translation but I don't understand how it connects with the rest of the sentence in this case.

I would appreciate a more literal translation of the sentence that can help me understand the grammar.


texts: Usage of は over に to mark seasonal changes

texts:
For context, I have the following text speaking about the leaves of a maple tree.
これは花ではありません。
「かえで」　の葉です。
秋は赤いです。夏は緑です。
I understand that the phrase in bold would be translated as something like "as for autumn, they are red" (and omit the leaves), but without context this phrase may not make sense.
If the subject was included, would the phrase look like "葉が秋は赤いです"?
Would it be correct and maintain the same meaning if に was used instead?
Would it be correct to use には instead too?
Edit: The phrases above are from the tadoku stories free books so I assume they are correct as is. I am just wondering whether I understood everything correctly.


texts: "Do completely" suffixes (〜しまう, 〜きる, 〜ぬく) or verbs and their differences

texts:
What is the difference between

(verbて) しまう (in it's "do completely" meaning),
( verbStem) きる,
(verbStem) ぬく (if any)?

In examples for しまう for this meaning it didn't seem to overlap with the "do with regret" or "do inadvertently" meaning.
きる based on dictionary has loads of meanings, so it's difficult to guess.
ぬく is new for me and its common meaning of "remove/extract/omit" seems actually contradictory to this one, so I don't know.
If there are similar verbs/suffixes please feel free to expand the list, thank you!


texts: Help identifying a Kanji character from image

texts:
I've been struggling to identify this Kanji for 30 minutes now. Tried looking up radicals, stroke order, etc. but can't figure it out.

More context:


texts: What does 滅多に modify in these sentences?

texts:
I have a question about the usage of 滅多に. As far as I know, when it's followed by negation it means 'rarely'. For example -

  めったにたばこを吸わない。 I rarely smoke.

However I'm not sure if I'm understanding it correctly in the sentences below, I can't understand what exactly 滅多に modifies, あるものではない/ものじゃない?

  大きな喜びは、そう滅多にあるものではない。

  A great pleasure is not something that happens often.

or

  飛行機事故なんて滅多におきるものじゃない

  Plane crash is pretty rare occasion.


texts: Is there a past tense conjugation form for ば？

texts:
I have been looking at conjunctive forms of verbs and my grammar books shows me a negative and affirmative version of ば　but what about a past tense and a past tense negative?

Would they be じゃなてれば and くなかてれば?


texts: Meaning of verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程

texts:
In a letter by a mangaka at the end of a manga, I encountered the following sentence:

  〝正しいこと〟なんて描くつもりも描ける程、自分を上等とも思っていないけど〝つまらないこと〟だけはしないようにしていきたいなって思います

Is verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程 a fixed expression or do I have to interpret it literally?

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


texts:
I was writing in my Japanese study journal, and I realized that I don't really know a good phrase for "...ironically, ..." Like so:

  Work as of late hasn't been busy. Ironically, even though I prefer to have a busy schedule, I just can't find enough to do.

To me, 嫌味｛いやみ｝and 皮肉｛ひにく｝seem to carry a little bit of a negative context with them.  I can make the sentence work with 逆｛ぎゃく｝に、but that doesn't really capture that I think that the situation has a light-hearted kind of irony.  Am I wrong in thinking that there is another way to express this kind of light-hearted irony?

Here's my translation:

  最近、仕事はそんなに忙しくなかった。実は日々のスケジュールが忙しいなら楽だけど、逆に私のスケジュールはどうせいっぱいにならない。

Am I on the right track?  Is there a better way for me to express that I think this ironic?


texts:
I tried to translate this phrase literally and came up with "(My) ears can't hear". Since the expression means "(I'm) deaf", this makes sense.
However, I can't really get it to work grammatically, seeing as が isn't normally used to denote the subject in sentences with a "potential"-form.
So how can が be grammatically explained in this expression?
Thanks for reading through my question.


texts:
I have the following sentence to translate.

父母や教師達は、もっとよく子どもの教育について、考えていただきたいものだ。

So far I have the following.

Parents and teachers "do something" better with children's education and they want the
children to think.

I am having trouble understanding which つく verb is being used.

And I also am not sure who has the desire in the sentence. I think it's the parents and teachers as they have the subject marker. But then the いただきたい is weird because of the honorifics. Did the subject of the sentence change?


texts:
An example sentence for a new word I learned was:

  徐々にホームシックを克服していってます

What is していってます? Why not just say しています? I understand that its te form of している, but what is the difference between these two?


texts: The meaning of 「気が合わない人といっしょに生活するぐらいなら、このまま独身でいたい。」

texts:
I would like to clarify my understanding of the following sentence.

  気【き】が合【あ】わない人【ひと】といっしょに生活【せいかつ】するぐらいなら、このまま独身【どくしん】でいたい。

I believe it means something along the lines of, "if I am going to be living with someone I don't get along with, I would rather be single."

In addition to the translation, are the following assertions accurate?

いたい is conjugated from いる (to exist) to mean "to want to be".
From the 〜たい suffix, the subject of the sentence can be inferred to be the speaker.
〜と生活する means not just to physically live together (roommates), but more like to spend the rest of one's life with someone.

Also, could the sentence also have been expressed with 〜ほしい? I haven't ever come across the たい form of いる before, so I suppose that confuses me somewhat.


texts:
I was talking to a friend and he said he didn't like AKB48! I'm shocked, because AKB48 is so popular in Japan! How do I say: "I thought everyone liked AKB48"? Maybe something like...

  誰もがAKB48が好きとおもった！

And maybe something extra like "Since they have a café and anime dedicated to them, I thought they would be more popular."


texts: Is this sentence wrong? Must an action verb like 買いました always use を？

texts:
父は姉のセーターがデパートで買いました。

Is this sentence wrong due to the が?　Must an action verb like 買いました always use を？

I don't remember where I read it, but it said that in many cases, using が will not be wrong since it marks a statement. While if the verb require が (such as すき or 欲しい）it will be wrong to use を.


texts: What's the difference between using the potential form of a verb with よう and ため

texts:
For example:
なるように - So that it will become
なれるように - So that it will become
なるために - So that it will become
なれるために - So that it will become

Well, they all mean the same thing


texts:
この"公武法制応動十八箇条"という史料については、尻に"徳川禁令考"の按文が指摘している通り、元和元年制定とは矛盾する記事が見られ、国史大辞典の"公武法制応動十八箇条”の項で石井良助氏が述べておられる通り、朝廷に対する幕府の優越的地位を示すため、後世に仮作されたものと考えられている。しかしながら、近世において、江戸幕府が朝廷に対していがなる認識を有していたかを窺い知ることのできる史料としては有効であろう。なお、宮沢氏前掲論文もこの記事に注目しておられる。

I have google translated this passage into English.  However, I am still a bit confused.  In the translated text, it mentions that 公武法制応動十八箇条 is inconsistent with an article.  It also mentions that 公武法制応動十八箇条 is a temporary work but an effective historical material.  So my question is
公武法制応動十八箇条 is a material that is historically factually true?


texts:
First of all, hi everyone.

In the beginning of an anime episode I often see a message to turn on the lights in the room and not to sit too close to the screen. Leaving some stuff out it looks like this:

テレビアニメを見る時は、近づきすぎないようにして見てくださいね。

Note the bolded parts. I have 2 questions.

I looked up づき in the dictionary, it's like "to be attached, to be included".
Does づき make it a verb? An adverb? Or what is it?
Is it a state "being attached to a TV"? Or is it an action "do not attach yourself to a TV"?

2nd question about ようにして見る.
As I understand ようにする is "to try".
So as て-form + みる.
Doesn't it make it kind of redundant to use both at the same time? Is it common?

Thanks guys.


texts: Does anybody knows coloquial meaning of ネギの妖精?

texts:
I know that literally this is related to green onion/leek, but there is this sentence: あ、ネギの妖精だ。
This is in the end of description, how stupid was someone's actions. I could possibly translate it to something like: "What a moron." telling from context. Thing is, I realy wonder what is exact meaning of ネギの妖精 and more generally, what is this in the first place?
Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit:
Unfortunately, I had this context wrong - this sentence was used when character had noticed that someone else started to removing the onion/leek from her meal, because she was "not in the mood" to eat that kind of vegetable. This was explained later, after this problematic sentence, but I've stopped translating after being stuck on it. Nevertheless, with explained context, the question is still valid.


texts: こうして使い物になるのは俺がいるからじゃないか？ meaning

texts:
From what I know, Koshite is "this is why", tsukiamono is "useless", ni naru no wa is "become" and orega iru kara is "because I'm here". So is it right to read it as "this is why it became useless, because I'm here, isn't it right?"

They talk about a house that had been neglected. Full sentence:

  荒れ放題だった家がこうして使い物になるのは、俺がいるからじゃないか？


texts:
I'm familiar with the construct:

sentence + に違いない
surely/must be/no doubt that sentence

So in the sentence

中身はケーキか焼き菓子のたぐいに間違いない。
The contents must surely be of the cake or baked sweet kind (my translation).

I'm assuming that に間違いない plays the same role.
What is the difference between these constructs? My gut tells me that に間違いない shows more certainty that に違いない, but my gut is very unreliable when it comes to Japanese.


texts: Do you really have to say "かれ" (3rd person pronoun) here?

texts:
The context is that A, B, and C just got home. They are now wandering around a big house looking for a group of kids. The 3 are wondering if the kids have been studying. A has not yet talked with C:

  [line 1]「本当ですか？勉強していますか？」A-さんはたずねた。「証拠は？」
  [line 2] 「C-さんが見ました」B-さんはいった。「勉強しているとかれがいうなら、それが立派な証拠だと思いますが」

Part of line #2 reads:

  ...勉強しているとかれがいうなら...

Because "かれ" is obviously C, do you really have to say "かれ"?
If you do not say "かれ", how does it change the nuance?


texts: What would be the specific name of this type of bowl?

texts:
The closest thing that I can find is Donburi? but that seems more like types of food not bowls.

ADDING:

This is about 15 and a half cm/6in


texts:
I'm a bit unsure about phrasing these sentences in Japanese:

  I didn't know how to eat with chopstick until yesterday.
  I was wondering how people ate before chopsticks was invented.

The challenge is that I don't know how to phrase a sentence with several verbs. (in sentence 1:to know+ to eat, in sentence 2: to wonder+ to eat+ to invent) I have gone through genki 1 and genki 2 but none seem to help.


texts: How can I tell if a は is the particle は and therefore should be pronounced わ?

texts:
On page 82 and 83 of Japanese for Busy People II (third edition), there's the following sentence (written mainly in kana with only a small amount of kanji)

ミルズ：ええ。じつはちょっとねつがあるんです。さっき薬を買ってきて飲んだんですが…。（ハクション）

And a definition of じつは as "actually". jisho.org's definition only has notes of "Expression, Adverb", though when I played the sound for it in an app called "Shirabe jisho", it pronounced the は as a わ, presumably because is the particle は.

Apart from playing the sound for a word, is there any way I could have looked up whether the "は" was a particle "は" or not, either from a dictionary or examining the grammar of the sentence?


texts:
What is the difference between いい and よい？

I notice that usually, いい is most commonly used, but sometimes, I get it wrong and よい is the correct answer. What is the situation to use each and what is the difference?

Thanks for the help.


texts: Is there a logic behind the different endings when counting things in Japanese

texts:
So far I don't see any logic to it. It seems like it's just something you have to memorize, or is there a trick that I'm missing.
Update
To clarify, I'm not so much questioning the existence of the counter words, simply wondering how you determine which ones to use and when. Having followed the advice of reading the wikipedia article I see that they are in fact words with their own meaning and not just simple suffixes. It was much more confusing to think of them as suffixes because it was baffling to imagine why a concise language like japanese would need so many different counting suffixes.


texts: Why does 近年 refer to the past, but 近日 refer to the future?

texts: I'm hoping there's a reason, because I keep forgetting which goes which way.


texts:
あの子は俺たちや秋葉が遊ぶように手を取らせる反面、いざ俺たちが遊びだすと少し離れて俺たちの様子を見守っていてくれた。

As for that kid, us and Akiha as if playing were made join hands, on the other side when we went out to play she distanced herself a little and watched over us playing.

Is ように meaning as if playing or does it mean in order to play?

How can I understand when it's used with the meaning of similar or with the meaning of in order to?


texts:
In this wiktionary page https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/厚
the etymology for the kanji 厚 is not complete: they wrote that it's an ideogrammic compound but they didn't write the component functions. I want to know the etymology for this kanji (and also if someone can complete this page in wiktionary to help learners it would be great).


texts:
So I wrote this sentence:

  エルヤはほんと上手戦士です、彼女は矢印を半分に切れます！

But it got corrected to this sentence:

  エルヤはほんとうに凄腕の戦士で、彼女は矢を真っ二つに切れます！

I'm pretty sure that the first half of my original sentence is correct. So I have two questions about this correction:

Was the first half (before the comma) of my sentence correct? Does the correction make it sound more natural?
In the second half of the sentence, can someone explain how it works?


texts: How to translate this sentence about ebooks and reading habits?

texts:
I came across this long sentence that I am not sure of what it means:

  電子書籍を読むようになってから、かえってリアル本屋に足を向けて本を眺める習慣ができました。まあレアケースなのかもしれませんが。

With the help of safarikai, contextually I (very roughly) interpret it as:

  It is rare to walk to the read bookstore looking for ebooks, in
  compare with real books.

Is this correct? Please correct me.


texts:
"It seems to me that he did not have the intention of following my advice"

Is it possible to say this sentence in Japanese using そうです, and if so, how?
I was aiming to use (よ)うとする constructions, but I encountered the problem that I don't know how to confer the temporal information.

  あの人は私のアドバイスに従おうとし...そうです。
                                しなかった => doesn't work because it would be hears
                                しなさ => lacks past tense

This is how I wanted to approach it, but I got the feeling that it doesn't work that way at all, because inference with そうです was introduced as a construction that is used for things I perceive through my 5 senses.

I think it's relatively easy to say it a bit differently with almost the same meaning, like:

  "あの人は私のアドバイスに従おうとしなかったと思います。"

But I still wonder whether there is a way to express this with a construction that bears the "It seems to me that..." semantics?

On a side note: Does そうだった work at all? To express "It seemed to me that..."?


texts:
When someone says "流れるように", does it automatically mean "流れるように動く"?

Cause I found the hashtag "流れるように" on twitter and I was wondering if this is the case.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/%E6%B5%81%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB?src=hash


texts:
I'm reading a book, and in this scene, the leader of a Yakuza group is plotting to try to gain the spot as the largest and strongest syndicate in the region. His group has kidnapped 2 characters from the target syndicate, and he's talking with those 2 characters. He previously said that he finds other's misfortunes amusing.

The sentence I'm trying to translate:
あいつの蔭で延々と　非道をつくそうとする　思考も面白いがわしはどちらかというと派手好みでな

My attempt: The thought of [doing something unjust?] in a drawn out way in the shadows is also amusing, but if it were one or the other, I would prefer to be showy/extravagant.

I'm not sure what verb つく translates to. Either one of the many many possibilities of つく verbs with verb root + そう like "to appear/seem to (verb)"? But which つく, there's a lot and they have so many potential meanings.


texts:
I have seen that to express a sequence of verbs, you can use the て-form,

食堂に行って、昼ご飯を食べて、昼寝をする。

and the same form is used when thanking with various formalities,

教えてくれてありがとう
教えていただいてありがとうございます
教えていただきありがとうございます

Then would it be correct to simply replace 教えて with some collection of て-form verbs, say,

添削して説明して...ありがとう

Or would that be too unnatural, and something like

色々ありがとう

is preferred?


texts: The difference between しなければ and するのでなければ?

texts: Are they the same or is there another wording that is しないのでなければ? What does the latter mean? Does the するの in the front imply that it's something that has already been done? I'm interpreting it as something like "if it weren't for" from the way it sounds but I'm not really sure about it. The more I think about it, the more it seems like they can have the same meaning.


texts:
What is the reading of 笑 when used as a “lol” or “heh” interjection? Is it わらい or something shorter?
Is the reading the same when written as “w”? What if it’s repeated like 笑笑 or wwww?


texts: Does さっさと here mean "quickly" or like "hurry up"?

texts:
I just read a fighting manga where 2 characters fight after years. For context the 1st character is much older than the second (about 15 year gap). The second character is about 22 years old at this point. That older character said this line.

あんたがこんなにたくましかったなんて.
こんなことならさっさと襲っちゃえば良かったかな....なんて

I understood the 1st line as "How the hell did you get this strong?" or like "To think you'd get this strong." Please correct me If I'm wrong.
The second line is what I have trouble with. My guesswork understanding would be "It would've been good if you had attacked me earlier." But can さっさと function as earlier? I've only so far heard it as "hurry up" and only used it by itself.


texts: What is the most common word in Japanese?


texts: Is there an idiom for something that will never happen?

texts: Inspired by this question on English SE, and the List of idioms of improbability in Wikipedia which does not have an entry for Japanese, I was wondering... Is there an idiom in Japanese for something that will never happen?


texts:
I know there are 音読み and 訓読み.

In case of 国, but has 2 way to pronounce: 国{くに} vs 国{こく}.

When to use which?


texts: Is putting だ before よor ね considered incorrect?

texts:
I was reading a lesson in my textbook about 〜なさそうだ when I noticed that the book never put だ before よ or ね. So it would be 美味{おい}しくなさそうよ or 美味{おい}しくなさそうね.

So I want to confirm, is adding だ before よ or ね is considered incorrect?

My logic is... Since I think I've heard about ねこですよ or ねこだよ, I thought it is okay to say 美味{おい}しくなさそうだよ or 美味{おい}しくなさそうだね.
Could you please enlighten me about this ? Thank you.


texts: Use of も in 一緒に写真を撮ってもいいですか？

texts:
I understand the sentence "Can I take a picture with you?" in Japanese overall, but I am a bit confused as for why one can use the particle も in the sentence? What does it do?

Thanks for the help!
C


texts:
Why is 富 character under 宀 40th radical? why isn't it under 102nd radical 田 ?

Why is 仏 character under 人 9th radical? why isn't it under 28nd radical 厶 ? etc.

what is the logic for assigning  Kanji characters to certain radicals?


texts:
ゴリラは争いを 嫌う温和 な動物で、こちらが危害を加えないかぎり、人を襲うことはまずない。

in this phrase ゴリラは争いを嫌う温和な動物で,   争い is a object   and 嫌う温和 is a modified noun/adjective. How a noun is associated with noun/adjective ?? can anyone explain this sentence structure.Any similar examples also


texts: If you follow any Japanese speakers on Twitter, you'll almost certainly see them use なう at the end of a sentence, to say "I am in this place/doing this thing now". Where does this use come from? Who started it? Is it anything to do with the (e.g. bus) announcements that say "なう"?


texts: What is the difference between 頃 and とき?

texts:
For example in the sentence below:

  と言うより、うんと若い頃は公共の場において、注意される側だったはずです。

  Rather, when I was younger I'd expect to be the one getting cautioned in public.

How does using 頃 change the meaning from using とき in this sentence and more generally? Thanks.


texts: Listening, I mistake R for any of L, R or even D. Is there any exercise to improve my ability to hear this sound correctly?

texts:
I'm learning Japanese at an advanced age, and I'm having difficulty hearing R. Depending on the speaker, I hear one of three different consonants: R, or L but also it can sound like a D. In the first two cases, I know that it must be R, but when I mistake R for D, well, it can change the meaning. For example: I was pronouncing understood wakarimashtia as wakadimashtia because that's what I perceived. I've been replaying the lessons again and again, but I'm just not hearing it.

Is there any set of exercises or listening techniques, anything that helps?
Also, is this a common problem for older students?

Addendum post comments: I see from the related post that my problem is sort of the inverse of the issue therein but nonetheless a function of my own brain literally being stuck in English. And it seems time, practice, and perseverance are my only remedies. Thank you for your time and attention.


texts: Five different verbs meaning "to close" with the same kanji (閉)

texts:
When using Google Translate for the verb "to close", among the many suggestions, there are five different verbs all with the same Kanji:

閉じる (tojiru)
閉ざす (tozasu)
閉める (shimeru)
閉まる (shimaru)
閉てる (tateru)

I can guess that the difference between 閉める and 閉まる is the transitivity: 閉める is transitive while 閉まる is intransitive.

But what are the differences of all five?


texts:
In my understanding, でしょう is used to represent probability, for example,

明日は雨でしょう。It might be raining tomorrow.
あの人は先生じゃないでしょう。That man might not be a  teacher.

Now, consider the following conversation in a station.

鈴木：マリーさんはどこでしょうか。
吉田：あ、あそこです。白い帽子をかぶっていますよ。
鈴木：ああ、わかりました。マリーさん！

What does マリーさんはどこでしょうか。mean? Is there any difference when I change it to

マリーさんはどこですか。or

マリーさんはどこにいますか。


texts:
悪くないか

Scenario 1: a young boy comes home and says (to his sick mother)「母さん悪くないか」。

Scenario 2: two men are moving a tv and one thinks 「なんかバランス悪くないか？！」。

I’m not following the meaning of it


texts: What does the sentence structure ＡでもＢ mean in this song?

texts:
The song in question can be found here. For example:

  いっぽんでもニンジン

While I do know that でも means 'but', I also know that most particles have multiple meanings.

Since 'but' wouldn't make much sense as a translation here, I am confident that でも is used here to mean something else. That's what my question is about.

What does the sentence structure ＡでもＢ mean as it is used in the song?


texts:
My friend and I are new to Japanese, and we are trying to make sentences.

We tried to translate this sentence to Japanese:

  I can't play tennis, but I can play the piano.

And this is our Japanese sentence:

  テニスができない、でもピアノを弾くことができます。
  Tenisu ga dekinai, demo piano o hajikukoto ga dekimasu.

Is this sentence correct?


texts: Are the handwritten 漢字 in this anime 栗 or 菓 or something else?

texts:
I am currently learning Japanese and I started analyzing some anime images containing handwritten 漢字 in order to get used to reading these, in addition to learning new ones.
However I am stuck with 漢字 in this image:

taken from the first episode of Naruto anime. The 漢字 are quite blurry and I can't recognize them all.
Maybe the first one is 栗(chestnut) and the third is 菓(sweets)? And the second might be a repetition of the first? I can't figure it out...


texts: When and to whom should I use the expression ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?

texts:
In what context and relationship wise to who can I safely say ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?

I often defer to using otsukaresama since I'm not sure if I'm talking down to someone by saying gokurousama. Please provide some example contexts where it would be appropriate. Thanks.


texts: What is the meaning of 「いや、知っていて」 in this sentence?

texts:
娘の気持ちも知らずに、いや、知っていて、平気でそんな風に言えるのがヒロシだ。
  The one speaking with indifference like that, without understanding his daughter's feelings, is Hiroshi.

My translation doesn't include the いや、知っていて part. I'm struggling to even guess what this means. Maybe "knowing he's being unpleasant"?

I suspect there are a few words/particles missing here, but I can't fill in the gaps.


texts:
I have recently bumped into the Japanese mathematician 吉田{よしだ}耕筰{こうさく}. I was wondering two things about his surname:

Why is it so often spelt Yosida instead of Yoshida? And taking lead from it, when did し change sound from /si/ to /ɕi/? That is, is it possible that at the time this mathematician was working his name was actually read /Josida/, hence the spelling? Or is it an older scheme of transliteration that stuck for some reason?
Where should I stress Yoshida? /'joɕida/, /jo'ɕida/ or /joɕi'da/? Naturally, the answer to this lies in the Japanese pitch accent, so how is the pitch accent of this particular word?


texts: I'm currently reading 極主夫道 and I'm not sure I understand "十力所". Do you have any ideas? Is it 10 powerful people of the office or something else? Thank you!


texts: Location of adjectives when a verb uses two particles

texts:
私 は 日本語 を 英語 に ちょっとう難し 訳します. だから 辛抱してください.

I recntly enrolled on a japanese site and would like to put on my profile that; it may take me alittle while to translate messages from japanese to english and ask them to please be patient in waiting for a reply.

Saying that it is a alittle bit difficult for me to translate to english.  Therefore please be patient with me.  Seemed like a better way to say it in japanese.  My concern is that it didnt seem appropriate to put the 難し anywhere where does it go?


texts: How to understand やすくて in this sentence?

texts:
How to understand やすくて in this sentence:

制服を買ってみたのは　はじめてですが
見やすくてとても助かっています！
At first time I tried to buy an uniform, but...

安くて is て-form of 安い, right?
I can guess that in English it may be:

At first time I tried to buy an uniform, but it looks cheap...

or something like this.


texts:
Regarding children performing the tea ceremony for their mothers:

  子どもたちは茶わんがきれいに見えるように回して、お母さんの前にお茶を置きました。
  The children rotated the cup so that it looked pretty/clean and placed the tea in front of their mother.

I don't know which part of きれいに見えるように I'm mistranslating but neither of my translations makes much sense. I understand that rotating the cup is part of the ceremony but my translation isn't providing a sensible explanation.


texts: How to say, want something from someone or to use someone (negative meaning)

texts: How would someone say, someone just wants something from me/you/him/her with a negative nuance. For example, "No one speaks to me unless they want something from me." Or, "I thought she liked me, but she was just using me." I believe I can explain this in Japanese, but I guess I am looking for specific words or word phrases that more clearly express this kind of meaning. Thanks in advance.


texts:
I didn't find 身にまとう in Japanese-English dictionary, but I understood from a Japanese dictionary that it can mean "wear" or "acquire knowledge" I'm wondering if this part means what I think it means:

なにしろ‥‥あらゆるナゾを
身にまとっていますからな。

I'd read it as talking about learning about all the mysteries... Am I very far off?


texts: What is the difference between ばかり and だけ

texts: I’ve learned the difference between しか~ない and だけ. But I’m still struggling to understand the difference between ばかり and だけ. (Feel free to explain しか~ない if you want to)


texts: I’ve stumbled upon the phrase 勝ったな and it was translated there as “he will win” but what conjugation is that?


texts: Couldn't "ni" particle be used in this example?

texts:
I'm a total newbie learning japanese as you will see, so please be patient with me. I have this sentence from my textbook:

  Shiken no toki jisho o minai de kudasai!

Because it was a new lesson, I didn't know what were the meanings for shiken or toki, so I've just assumed that toki is an adjective for jisho and after I've looked up the words in the vocabulary section, it suddenly became really strange for me to think about how am I going to translate it.

So, my question is: Couldn't ni particle be used there between toki and jisho:

  Shiken no toki ni jisho o minai de kudasai!

to mark the time in which the action takes place?
I know the sentence is obvious for someone who does know japanese, but I'm only asking this for grammar purposes.

Thank you for your patience!


texts: I need help to understand this sentence: おじいさんはないをやらせてもだめなんだもの

texts:
I'm a totally newbie in learning Japanese and I'm struggling to understand that sentence:

おじいさんはないをやらせてもだめなんだもの。

I know おじいさん is "grandfather" and it seems like はない means "is not present", but if so I don't understand the role of the particle を.
The following part is quite dark to me: maybe だもの could indicate a reason, but I'm not sure about it.
Thank you.


texts: I'm working on a manga called "Nightfall Academy" and I'm trying to translate the title to Japanese. But, since I'm still studying the language, I'm not sure which term is correct. Should it be (日暮れ) Higure or 薄暮 (Hakubo)?


texts: Baggu vs Kaban - Is there any difference

texts: Can someone help clarify.  When should I use "baggu" and when "kaban"? Is there any difference at all?


texts: Can someone explain the difference between の as a pronoun vs. の as a particle?

texts: I'm guessing this is a pretty straightforward question. Examples would be helpful too, thank you!


texts: Sentence structure of (verb + to + infinitive) in japanese

texts:
Assume I want to say something like :

  I called you to go out.

How a sentence with the same structure would be translated? Is there like a certain pattern or rule to it?


texts:
This question is based on the comment thread I've read from ELL.

Based on the clarification under Peter's answer, I was wondering if 'omiyage' can never be used for something bought for one's self?

I searched Google and it provided links where there are indications that there is an 'omiyage culture', and it clearly states that an omiyage is some kind of a 'gift'.

In English, 'giving' a gift / souvenir to one's self to serve as a remembrance is okay (e.g., I bought this souvenir to remind me of my trip to Paris), but is the word 'omiyage' suitable for the same usage/sense?


texts: Why does 子供たち mean children while 友達 can mean 1 friend?

texts:
たち　is a pluralizing suffix. So, 猫たち means cats, 子供たち　means children and 人たち　means people.
Why can 友達　mean 1 friend, even though there is the word 友　meaning a friend?
(I see that 達 in 友達 is not written using kana, unlike たち in, say, 猫たち. But originally the suffix used to be written as 達 even in words like 子供たち, didn't it?)


texts:
Consider the following examples:

A: 来年アメリカへ行くと思っています。
B: 来年アメリカへ行こうと思っています。

When do we have to use ～行くと思っている and ～行こうと思っている ?


texts:
I was wondering if it was possible to use my Chinese name 安曜輪 Ān Yàolún as a basis for a Japanese name?
The only other option is to use katakana to transcribe my western name, which is one of those Christian names that can be translated into many languages (my first name is the name of the Biblical figure, John the Apostle - 使徒ヨハネ Shito Yohane, who wrote the Gospel of John - ヨハネによる福音書 Yohane ni Yoru Fukuinsho, and my last name is the name of the figure Andrew the Apostle - 使徒アンデレ). So using the Japanese Bible's transcription of my western name, you would get アンデレ ヨハネ Andere Yohane, and I think that sounds kind of awful, which is why I'm thinking of using my Chinese name.  Even using the English name sounds awful, アンドレス ジョン Andoresu Jon.  So I'm hoping to use my Chinese name, 安曜輪 Ān Yàolún.
I have heard that 安達 Adachi is a common Japanese last name, which sounds like a decent way of rendering the monosyllabic Chinese last name 安.  However, I'm not sure how to read 曜輪 in Japanese or if it is even a normal, nice-sounding name.  On the internet I can find references to these different readings, but I'm not sure if any of them sound nice or normal.
曜

GO-ON and KAN-ON: よう yō
KUN: ひか hika (like in ひかる hikaru), かがや kagaya (like in ひかる kagayaku)
NANORI: あき aki, あきら akira, かぐや kaguya, てらす terasu, てる teru, ひかり hikari

輪

GO-ON and KAN-ON: りん rin (like in 光輪 kōrin "halo, nimbus" or 二輪車
nirinsha "bike")
KUN: わ wa (like in 腕輪 udewa "bracelet" or 花輪 hanawa
"garland, wreath")
NANORI: なわ nawa, も mo

Is there a natural combination of these names that could sound Japanese and natural, normal-sounding? I'm leaning towards a name with yō, like Yōwa (ようわ) or Yorin (ようりん), but I don't know if they're okay names for men, and which sounds nicer. The name would be:
安達曜輪 - Adachi Yōwa (あだち ようわ)
Is that okay?


texts:
I wonder how the (common) Noun+する　verbs, e.g. 勉強する, are perceived by native speakers, especially children before the start of the formal education.

In the manner similar to English "to do homework" where there are clearly two separate parts - a noun and a verb "to do" ("do" is inflected and additional words can be inserted before "homework", e.g. "I've done my homework")

or

as just a single unit which inflects similarly to the verb する, which will be along the lines of "normalize" in English where it's clear that it is derive from "normal", since this derivation scheme is productive in English, but is clearly an inseparable semantic and syntactic unit. Another  example would be future tense inflection in French, which is historically derived from "avoir" following verb infinitive but have fused completely with the infinitive and is now perceived as part of word.

I know that を can be inserted between the noun and the する part, but I am not sure how common this is and how this fact affects speakers' perception.
I've looked for similar questions but haven't found any
Here is some reference material about restrictions on suru-verbs formations https://www.imabi.net/suruverbs.htm. It says that some nouns require を, some forbid it and some are more lenient

When the particle を is required, する is interpreted literally. This する is  sometimes called a 重動詞 (heavy verb) in contrast to when it is just a grammatical item. Notice that the words that only take をする are specific activities: 強盗, テニス, 野球. Are these nouns then made verbs? No, they're obligatorily marked by を and are thus functioning as direct objects.

So, I would guess I am talking about the "non-heavy" verbs


texts:
In the examplatory phrases of my grammar, there is this sentence.
本当の研究発表のつもりで、みんなの前ではなしてください。

"Please talk in front of everybody as if it was a real presentation of your new research."

I'd just like to know how this で in bold has to be classified. I'd say it is a connector like in な adjectives, but since I don't know how to classify つもり, I wanted to ask here.


texts:
Is it grammatically correct to say something like:

  友達と遊ぶことや食べることが好きです。


texts: Could anyone please help me identify the font used in the image below? (The words read 千羽鶴 - or Senbazuru). Thank you very much!


texts:
I have come across two sentences in a manga that is using くん in a way that I can't seem to find any information on, in both my books and online. I am guessing this may be some sort of slang, odd grammar or a compound of words/grammar that dictionaries don't seem to pick up on.

「おめーはちょくちょくうちの晩飯　食いにくんなー」

and

「てゆーか　なんで連れてくんだ？」

Slight edit: maybe this is some form of 来る？


texts:
A bird was walking around and not flying away when approached.  I said:

  鳥は痛みがあります。

What I said was corrected to:

  鳥は怪我しました。

Why?


texts:
I'm having trouble knowing when to use って or 言った when I want to say someone said something (past tense).

Naturally, since it is past tense, I always want to use 言った. But having watched many j-drama episodes, had voice convos with Japanese people (mostly females) on LINE, and watched Japanese people broadcast their webcams on TwitCast (again, mostly females), I seem to hear って a lot more than 言った when someone is referring to something that was said.

If I had to guess, it seems that って is used to refer to things that are currently being said, being relayed, or was RECENTLY said in the past. Whereas 言った is used for something that was definitely said in the past, and not used for something that was necessarily said recently.

Can anyone share any insight on when to use one or the other, when its okay to use both, or when its just not natural to use one or the other?  Anything gender-specific I should be aware of?

It would help immensely with my listening and speaking skills!

Thank you so much!


texts: Is の absolutely necessary in the following sentence?

texts:
友達が教えてくれたのと同じようにカレーライスを作ったら、とても美味しく出来た。

The sentence appears in my Japanese textbook. To me, it sounds natural to join くれた with と同じ directly, but I don't know if it's also correct:

友達が教えてくれたと同じように…

What is the function of this の here, and is it absolutely necessary?
よろしくお願いします


texts: What rules should be followed when saying "we"?

texts:
I know that, in Japanese, you can say X達【たち】 or Xら (where X is a first person pronoun) to say we.

However, what rules should be followed for choosing that "X". Can I use whatever I would use to refer to myself and then add 達 / ら, or should I use a pronoun that would be acceptable for both myself and the other people included.

Here's a specific example: Could a female say あたし達 to refer to herself and some males, or would あたし達 imply that everyone in the group is female (as it would in Spanish and probably similar languages)?


texts: Meaning of the ~く adverb in this sentence and the validity of interpreting it as ~くて

texts:
The following lines come from a song:

喜劇の涙より誰よりも儚く

奪われるまま汚れるまま ココに…

I first interpreted the usage of 儚く as an adjective here as a short form of 儚くて (and hence, "More fleeting (and ...) than the tears of a comedy and anyone), but then I thought, perhaps 儚く is actually an adverb, and that it is describing something that isn't expressly mentioned? E.g. (Verb omitted) in a manner more fleeting than the tears of a comedy and anyone.
My logic stemming from an explanation here where part of an answer says "we are often taught that the conjunctive ("this and [something else]") form for "-i" adjectives needs to be ～くて, but in reality, folks sometimes use just ～く."
But if that is the case, where ~くて can be written as ~く, how and when do we determine that the word preceding an adjective is meant to be an adjective and not actually an adverb? For example, if I were to simply add another adjective to the line above:

誰よりも儚く小さい

Would one then interpret this as, "More fleetingly unimportant than anyone," (as awkward as that may sound in English), or would it be interpreted as "More fleeting and unimportant than anyone"?
Or am I just missing the big picture, and the two lines are actually connected into a single sentence, where 儚く therefore extends and describes a verb that is omitted after "ココに…"?


texts: どう言い訳したものか. Sentence translation difficulties

texts:
それじゃあとりあえず―――今は、アルクェイドとの事をどう言い訳したものか、なんて真面目に考えなくっちゃいけないか―――

I do not understand why it's どう言い訳したものか.

Shouldn't it be どう言い訳だったものか?


texts: (one piece) バウンドマン means Bounce man or Bound man?

texts:
If you never watch one piece, I need to tell you this first:

Gear Fourth in One piece anime is a technic where luffy's body get bigger like a balloon (luffy is a gum man) and during that form he is not able to stand correctly and always bouncing (I believe he can't stop the bounce).

I already checked using google translated バウンド could be translated as Bound or Bounce.

From wikia:

Luffy's first Gear Fourth form is called Boundman (弾む男 (バウンドマン) Baundoman?, Viz: Bounce Man): Luffy's proportions become warped and his body becomes much larger in size, with his arms, upper torso, and legs coated in Busoshoku Haki.

so which one the better translation for this? or the both does make sense?


texts:
When is -の used for a question and what is the exact meaning

Context:

(nj) = (Native Japanese speaker)

(njs): 学校に行くの?
(me): いいえ、学校は行きません。
(njs): 自分でやるの？
(me): 自分やります。


texts: What is the full expression of hajimemashite / 始めまして?

texts:
I've read that はじめました or 〜まして is a shortened form of an expression originally meaning “I meet you for the first time”.
If that's true, then what is the full expression?


texts: Can something beside 「もの」 be between ない~でもない?

texts:
I'm reading 「さよなら私のクラマー」, and I found this baloon I'm finding hard to understand:

  意図がわからないあんたでもないでしょ

The context: the opponent team just scored two goals, and the blond girl is ready to go all out to even the score, but the captain (the black-haired girl) says to wait till the second half of the game, then she says that sentence.

The English translation has "I know you know why the plan is the way it is", but I don't understand it. I was wondering if it can be the ないものでもない form, with 「あんた」 in between, which would mean something like "It's possible that you understand our intention, isn't it?", which is way less strong than the English translation and doesn't really sounds right to me.

If I were to guess, I would translate it something like "It's not like you to not understand our intention", reading 「あんたでもない」 as "It's not like you" and 「意図がわからない」 as "to not understand our intention".

I found a couple of question about 「でもない」 (here and here), but I don't think this example is answered by those.

Here's the page; the ballon on the upper left, which is hard to read, says: 「ダメって！！駄々っ子注意するみたいに」:


texts:
同級生の男の子を全部束にしてもかなわないほど頻繁にハリーは散髪させられたが、...
  Harry was made to get a haircut so often that even if you made the boys in his class into a complete bundle it would not rival it

The meaning is clear (I think): "Harry was made to get a hair cut more often than the rest of his classmates put together", but there's no way I could have made this sentence myself.

There are two parts that are confusing me:

I can't find 全部束 in the dictionary (bilingual or monolingual). It doesn't have that many hits on Google either. Is this a common word/compound? Some other examples would help, please.
I'm not comfortable with the use of the verb かなう. "To rival" implies some sort of competition. I feel I had to stretch the meaning a bit to get the English translation. Again, I think some similar examples of this usage may help me to feel happier about this verb.


texts: How to choose between a na- and a no-adjective form of a word that takes both?

texts:
I came across the expression あいにくの天気.

According to the dictionary あいにく can be a na-adjective, an adverb, a noun and a no-adjective.

So, why  is の used in the above expression (instead of な)?

In this and other such words that can be both na-adjectives and no-adjectives, how does one choose whether to use the na-form or the no-form?


texts: In a page from the Dead Tube manga, a man is being killed during a live video. Some of the viewers comment the scene simply with "人". What is the meaning of this kanji when used in this way? Could its graphical aspect remind of clapping or praying hands? Here's the page in question (look at the second panel). Thank for your help!


texts: Usage of 内 for inside / within something

texts:
In my vocabulary learning I've recently come across the pattern of 社内、車内、体内　and was wondering... can I apply this pattern of [something]内 to many other things?

For example, if I wanted to say "in the　station" could I say 駅内？

How about "in the team", would it be valid to say "チーム内" or is it just for places you can physically enter?

It's a hard one to Google because of how they just break it down to ない。


texts: Definition of "currently smoking" on a health check questionnaire

texts:
In the section of a questionnaire about smoking, the options are
吸ったことがない
以前吸っていた
現在、吸っている

Then, under this last option, it says:

  ※現在、吸っているとは「合計100本以上、または6ヶ月以上吸っている方」であり、最近１ヶ月間も吸っている方を指します

To me, this sentence looks like it says

  “I currently smoke” is defined as smoking a total of 100 cigarettes or having been smoking for over 6 months, the most recent time of which was within the past month.

But I don't get how this definition could work without defining a minimum number of cigarettes smoked in those "6 months."

In English I think it is too vague to be a working definition. Does this definition work in Japanese?
日本語で定義として成り立っているなら、なぜ成り立つか聞きたいです。
よろしくお願いします。


texts:
WWWJDIC states that 「だらしない」 can be written with kanji as 「だらし無い」, which suggests that the phrase is a negative construction that uses 「無い」, unlike words like 「すくない」 and 「あぶない」. Furthermore, 「だらしが無い」 and 「だらしの無い」 are listed as the other two variants of the phrase, which imply that the phrase is using 「だらし」 as a noun, instead of being derived from the negative of non-existent verb 「だらしる」. However there is no dictionary entry on 「だらし」 other than as "dalasi", the currency of the country of Gambia, and "だらしない" variants.

So, what exactly is 「だらし」? Or was there a verb 「だらしる」 which is now extinct?


texts:
What's the meaning of 乃?
Google Translator gives me no result.


texts: How do I write the equivalent ofトー (tō) in hiragana?

texts:
I am trying to write a character's name, given to me in katakana, in hiragana. The character's name ends in "トー" (tō). I'm brand new to Japanese and learned that ー is the "chōonpu," which signifies a long vowel in katakana. Wikipedia gives a table for the equivalent in hiragana with the "h" sound, and says that "ホー" (hō) is "ほお or ほう." So then, using the "t" sound, I would have "とお or とう", right?
My question is, what is the difference between the two? And which one should I use? The appropriate sound for the name would be like the English word "toe."


texts:
As I understand 都市 [toshi] means [city].
And therefore it could be any city, which is not town.

In Russia town means over 12K population.
100-250K pouplation = big town.
250-500K pupulation = small city.
500K-1M population = city.
> 1M population = large city = megapolis.

There is Japanese word 大都市 [daitoshi] which means large city.

But for some reason there is term 六大都市 = 6 daitoshi and they are
Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kobe and Yokohama.

Is there are any exact rules when city has right to be called 大都市 and when it is just 都市?
For example, how many 大都市 in Japan? Only 6 or more? What about Sapporo, is it daitoshi or just toshi?


texts:
I often hear Japanese using a different method for saying a number like "248" as によんぱ — especially for highways and license plates.

While this one is easy to understand, there are others that I don't quite understand.
Could someone provide a list of the different pronunciations of each number?

"2525" being ニコニコ is probably a good example of what I'm talking about.

  1:い
  2:に
  3:
  4:よん
  5:こ
  6:
  7:
  8:は、ぱ
  9:


texts: Can 全部 be used like 「全部の月は忙しいですか？」

texts:
全部の月は忙しいですか？

What that is supposed to say is: Will you be busy all month?

But I feel that using 全部 in this way might mean all of the months in the year.

So first, when talking about the entirely of a time period can 全部 be used in the way I've shown?

Also, if I wanted to say: Will you be busy for the rest of the month? How would word that?


texts: Causative form + te form + another verb construction

texts:
In this specific case:

  取らせて頂いた

So, what's the meaning of such a construction? I understand what each thing does alone (the causative form, the te form and the verb in past indicative), But what happens when we jumble it all together?

For context, the complete phrase I'm trying to understand is:

  その時々で取らせて頂いた先生方のデータです


texts: How can I use できない and しまう？ I'd like to apologize for not being able to do something

texts:
I'd like to apologize for not being able to do xyz.

Rather than just saying 「すみません、何々ができません。」, could I say something like:

  何々ができなくてしまいます。

Or is しまう always used with a positive te-form verb?


texts: What's the nuance between these two example sentrences from Genki I?

texts:
I'm currently studying Japanese using Genki as one of my resources. At the end of Lesson 8 for the second edition of Genki I, in a section called Expression Notes 9, the textbooks tries to explain that as many irregular verbs are just the combination of a noun and する, many of the nouns can be used as the object of a sentence.
They then go on to give two examples of this, the first set being the two sentences:
私は日本語の勉強をしました。
vs
私は日本語を勉強しました。
But I'm not sure I understand the nuance between these two sentences. If asked to translate the sentiment, I would've come up with the second sentence more easily, I think. Is there a slight difference between these, or is it just another way of expressing the same concept? And if so, does anyone have any more examples or recommendations on additional resources covering this topic? Thanks!


texts:
The following phrase is taken from an NHK News article:

  窓を開けるときには、エアコンを消さないほうが電気代が高くなりません.

I translated this as:

  When the window is open, you'd better not turn off the air conditioner if you don't want a higher electrical bill.

Which... doesn't really make sense to me.

What does negative verb+ほうが mean in this sentence?

I'm just interested in the use of negative verb+ほうが. I've only seen it used with ほうがいい.


texts:
If one speaks Japanese to a, say, stranger in Modern times, is 「でござる」still acceptable?

If somebody says 「でござる」, what would be the people's general reaction?


texts: Which name does the -san go behind surname or given name?

texts: when addressing a Japanese man in business, Which name does the -san go behind his surname or his given name?


texts: ご・おXXXいただく（？） vs ご・おXXXください

texts: I know that ください one is nicely phrased command, like ご注意ください。Is there similar construction with いただく、how is it formed and what does it mean?


texts:
First of all I wish to say: "I forgot about eating steak."
Is it possible to use を in this sense:

  ステーキを食べるのを忘れた。

Is this correct and if so does it translate to what I want to say?


texts:
新しく首相に就任した安倍晋三氏は、その著書『美しい国へ』（文春新書）において次のようなことを書いている。人は、自分が育った郷土に対して素朴な愛着をもつが、それはどこからくるのだろうか。それは、その国の歴史や伝統、文化などに接しているうちにはぐくまれてきたものである。だから「自らが帰属する国がつむいできた歴史や伝統、また文化に誇りをもちたいと思うのは、だれがなんといおうと、本来、ごく自然の感情なのである」。
確かに、人は、自分が育った郷土に対して素朴な愛情をもつ。しかし、それがそのまま自然に国を愛する気持ちになるかというと、必ずしもそうはいえない。特に、現代の若い世代にとって、「国を愛する」ということが、「だれがなんといおうと、ごく自然の感情である」というほど自明である、というとかなり心もとないのではなかろうか。
では、「国を愛する」とはどういうことか。どこからでてくることなのか。実は、その後で、安倍氏自身、その答えを書いている。それは、たとえば、外国に行くとすぐにわかることだ。外国人はただ外国語がうまいというだけでは心を開いてくれない。外国人がわれわれに関心を持つのは、ただ抽象的な個人ではなく、その人間の正体、つまり、彼の帰属する国に、彼が背負っている歴史や伝統や文化に関心を持っているのである。
その通りであって、私というものの正体（Who am  I?）を見せなければ、外国人と真のコミューニケーションはできない。そして「私は誰か（Who?）」を構成する無視し得ない要素が、彼が帰属する「国」なのである。さらにいえば、この場は誰か」「私はどこに帰属するのか」と問われば、「国」という要素は意識にのぼらない。「国を愛する」ということは決して自然で自明とわけではないのであって、いってみれば、一種の倫理的な要素、あるいは決断という要素を含んでいる

This is the whole passage for context , but I'm basically confused about the sentence beginning with さらにいえば.
Essentially, to me it seems the author is trying to say that a person's country is a vital component of the question of who someone is, and a requirement for communication with foreigners.
The part that I don't really get is what he means by "「この場は誰か」「私はどこに帰属するのか」と問われば", because first of all, ｢この場は誰か」makes little sense to me due to its ambiguity ('This place is who?' / 'This place is whose'? / 'From now, who?'), and none of the potential meanings I can see actually fit the idea that "country is not something that you would think of as a component".
Secondly, I'm not sure who is actually asking these questions, or if they are actual questions and not 'constructions' like the above ｢私は誰か？」. Does he mean "you wouldn't think of country as an element in the construction of 'where do I belong'? That to me seems weird, because I would imagine it is an element that people would think of...


texts: How and when do Japanese children learn kanas and kanji?

texts:
I wonder how exactly Japanese children learn to write. It may help a foreigner to know what is important to memorize or not. The only thing I know is that first of all, hiragana are learnt, and then in primary school they learn a set of kanjis each year.

However, more exactly:

at which age are hiragana and katakana learnt?
are hiragana and katakana learnt at the same time? Or first hiragana, and then katakana?
at which age do they start learning kanjis?
how are kanjis learnt? Do they have to memorize five by week?
are all the on'yomi readings of a kanji memorized, or not at all?
when in secondary school, do they still have to learn other kanjis?
... and any other things about how Japanese children learn how to read and write Japanese


texts: Is there a difference between these words for “hero”?

texts:
I've learned that hero could be translated as:

ヒーロー
えいゆう
ゆうしゃ
けっし

Aside from ヒーロー (which seems just to be roumaji version of hero), is there any usage difference among them?


texts: Understanding the grammar behind ～かよ in 知るかよ and マジかよ etc

texts:
I think that 知るかよ！ means "like I would know!"/"hell, if I know!" and that マジかよ！ means something like "[are you/is this] for real?"/"seriously?", but is there an underlying rule behind the ～かよ pattern seen at the end of sentences?

If I was to, for example, say （それを）食べるかよ, what kind of a meaning would it have?

Can ～かよ also be used as an ordinary question? Does it make a rhetorical question?


texts:
Normally, when I see ～ことになる I translate it as "it is / has been decided that ～". However, in these few sentences the usage of ことになる is rather peculiar:

  次期ＯＳ（ウインドウズ）の発売に合わせてパソコンを買い換えたいのですが、いつですか？
  来年後半らしいけど、延びる可能性もあるかもね。だから２年位待つことになるかな。

It's a snippet from BCCWJ, yahoo database. I am unsure if it's a dialogue or monologue (speaker contemplating the possibility of Windows being delayed) or what the exact function of ことになる is in the third sentence.

I translated the whole thing as:

  "I'd like to buy a new computer along with new release of OS (Windows), but when? It seems it'll be released by the half of the next year, but there's a possibility it'll be delayed. I'll wait for about 2 years."


texts:
I can't understand the last sentence in this video: 世にも奇妙な物語 《戦争はなかった》. I think this is what he's saying, starting at 17:41:

  しかし歴史というのはもともと活字と映像の中しか残らない、実に頼りないものです。奇妙な力によってそれが歪められた時、あなたの身にもいつこのような恐怖が降りかからないとも限りません。

Maybe I misheard, but if this is correct, what does the last sentence mean? The いつ is really throwing me off, since it's not いつも or いつか and the sentence isn't a question. If いつ wasn't there, I think it would (basically) mean "this kind of thing could happen to you, too."


texts: Is it かも？ Or some particles? I'm lost with this sentence!

texts:
In 時をかける少女, the mother ask her daughter to bring something to her aunt, and then add this:

  いつになったら結婚するのかも聞いといてね

Which I understand as : "Ask her also when is she gonna marry someone!"

(When-become-when²-marriage-do- and then i'm lost with のかも like, is it の"emphasis female term or language" + "か question mark particle" and then "も also" ? or the word "かも" as "may; might; perhaps; may be; possibly" ?)

Oh and why is 聞いて　with a と here? "Go ask" ? "聞いといて ! " ?

I haven't learned this yet, so sorry.. or can you guys link me a page where i can learn this?

Thanks a lot !


texts: Help with sentence 私が外国を歩くようになったのは・・・

texts:
This clause is from a book that I'm reading called "日本人が知らない世界の歩き方". It's the first clause of the first sentence in the book and coincidentally the first one that I'm having trouble with. In particular, there are two things that I don't understand:

What does the を before 歩く mean? How is it possible for an intransitive verb to have an を particle? If this usage of the particle を is different than its usage as a direct object, can you please explain this alternate usage in depth?
What does it mean for のは to be preceded by a verb in the past tense? I understand that  when の follows a present tense verb, it forms an infinitive or gerund (i.e. 歩くの = to run or running), but I don't understand what this means when it is applied to a verb in the past tense.

*edit: I just learned from the particle-wo tag that the particle can sometimes mean the course of a motion verb. So 外国を歩く means "walk around a foreign country" or "traverse a foreign country"? What English preposition is a good approximation for this particle? And is 歩く meant to literally mean "to walk", or is it a more general type of motion like "to traverse"?


texts: Why is connective form missing from this sentence?

texts:
Example sentence from 研究社 新和英大辞典 第５版:

その詩人の発想はまことに融通無碍｛ゆうずうむげ｝、 操る言葉は自由自在だ　The poet has a truly unlimited command of ideas and manipulates words with complete freedom.

At the moment I can only see it as a compound sentence that could be split into:

その詩人の発想はまことに融通無碍（だ）

and

操る言葉は自由自在だ

融通無碍 is listed as an noun or adjective (形動) by 大辞泉. Therefore, shouldn't it be in connective form 融通無碍で～　or ～であり～?

その詩人の発想はまことに融通無碍で、 操る言葉は自由自在だ。
その詩人の発想はまことに融通無碍であり、 操る言葉は自由自在だ。

Please help me understand the original sentence.


texts: Wordplay - which is quite difficult for me because of the homophones, where is the joke?

texts:
I've recently been reading a novel in which there happens to be some pretty crazy wordplays, which I can't really grasp the meaning of. Maybe one of you has a clue or can give me a suggestion on how to understand these, or where the joke lies from a Japanese perspective...appreciate your help! And merry Christmas to y'all, soon ;)

This is the sentence:

  でも、人生とはクジャクの求愛みたいなものよ？」
  「どういう意味？」
  「いるのよ、ヒントはね」
  「品と羽か。相変わらずかしこい」と私を褒めてくれました。

The character always makes comparisons about life, just like Forrest Gump kinda, and in here she says its like the mating behavior of a peacock, cos it has beautiful feathers I guess and the most beautiful male peacock might get chosen from the female? Is that the connection here? Cause what does 品と羽 imply, like there is a certain "elegance" 品 and "feathers" 羽, which also sounds like "ヒントは" - sorry, maybe some of you can better understand that! Would help me a lot!
Thanks!


texts:
This text is from a light novel:

ラグニールは既に龍王の座を青い龍へと譲り、隠居の身になっていた。
ただ、それによって今はどこにも居場所が無いと嘆いており、カガネ曰く「日曜日のお父さん状態」らしい。どういう意味なのか知りたいんだけど、聞かない方がいいような気がした……俺も将来そうなるのだろうか……

I don't understand what 日曜日のお父さん状態 is supposed to mean.  I understand the words for "Sunday", "father", and "state", but I can't figure out what this phrase is supposed to mean.


texts:
お姉ちゃんが振り向きざまにきっぱりと言い切った
  Big sister turned around and ?? clearly asserted...

From the answer on this question about ざまに, I understand ざまに to mean "while".  But in what way does it differ from ながら? Is it only used in writing? Is it more formal? ... etc? Why would I choose one form over the other?


texts: A tales and stories children book suitable for adult learners?

texts:
I like to read children literature in foreign languages I am learning. I usually do not have troubles picking them in european language, but I would need recommendation for Japanese.

I would like a book

with a small vocabulary (and eventually a glossary)
explaining tales of ancient Japan or little zen stories or a few proverbs.
easy to read aloud (with an audio CD would be perfect)
a series of self-contained short stories instead of a longer one.


texts:
そう言って今度は頭を下げられる俺。

  After saying that, she directs a bow at me.

the other party is making a request so there is no doubt in context who is bowing.

In isolation i find rearanging this relative clause somewhat ambigious.

(彼女に)俺(に/へ？)頭を下げられる
俺に頭を下げられる

Are any of these explicilty incorrent?


texts: Please help me understand these sentences: それで？　いつになれば俺のお嫁さんになってくれる？

texts:
I have just started learning Japanese, so if it's possible, please explain fully and clearly with the knowledge that I am a complete beginner in regards to Japanese grammar and vocabulary.

At this point, all I know is the hiragana, katakana, and various kanji (I know Mandarin). However, Japanese grammar is so different compared to English and Mandarin.

I would greatly appreciate an explanation of the Japanese text:

  それで？ いつになれば俺のお嫁さんになってくれる？

This was a dialogue in a game (I believe), however I don't know the overall context of this text.　The text was a bit blurry, so I'm not sure if it was ば　or ぱ* it is ば.

Please correct my attempt at translation. To my understanding, in English it is something like:

  And so?　When to become my bride...　do for me/let me have?

（And the "I" is a male?） I believe he is talking to a female.

Is it about a man asking a woman to be his bride? Or something similar? I'm very confused.


texts: Hi everyone, I was wondering how you say by____ in Japanese?

texts:
I am doing a presentation for my Japanese class, and I want to say: by (insert name)
For example:
Introduction to Japan
By Emma


texts:
いままでは、どちらかがきげんの悪い時は、どちらかがなだめ、うまくいって来たのだが、どうしたことか、議論になってしまった。
  Until now, when either of them was in a bad mood the other would calm them and skillfully go and come back, but somehow they ended up getting into an argument.

I have no idea how to translate いって来た in this sentence. I'm assuming it doesn't literally mean "go and come back".

Also, have I correctly translated どうしたことか as "somehow", i.e. not the expected result?


texts: Is there some difference between びっくりする and 驚く besides casual/formal?

texts:
Sorry for the "what is the the difference" question, but my usual sources didn't give me a satisfactory answer (「同じです。」...).
From the ways I've seen them used, there seems to be some difference in meaning though.
My understanding is that びっくり implies a sudden surprise like a jumpscare, whereas 驚く is a more "calm" surprise, as in "I am surprised that X is the case".
Am I reading too much into the usage here?
What confuses me though is 「驚いて飛び上がる」 (Though I can see why 「びっくりして飛び上がる」 would sound somewhat redundant).


texts: What’s the difference between “tabun” (たぶん) and “desho” (でしょう)?

texts:
What’s the difference between “tabun” (たぶん) and “desho” (でしょう). Both mean “probably”, but when would you use one over the other? Please explain by referring to the following examples:

Example 1

  たぶん、黒とグレーです。
  Tabun, kuro to guree desu.
  (It is probably black and gray.)

Example 2:

  私たちがうわさをしているのではと彼女が心配するでしょう。
  Watashi tachi ga uwasa o shite iru no dewa to kanojo ga shinpai suru deshou.
  (She will probably worry if we are gossiping about her)

Please note: I am a beginner and so would appreciate a simplified explanation. Thanks!


texts: かな ending in a sentence where the speaker is not uncertain of something

texts:
I've been going through a Japanese script of the popular anime "Fairy Tail" and trying to make sense of the translations in the English subtitles to become familiar with the language.

I came across a part (3:40 into the first episode), where a shopkeeper, trying to sell one of the main characters something, says:

  女の子に人気なのは　このカラーズの魔法かな.

This is translated in the English subtitles as:

  This colour magic is probably the most popular one among girls!

I understand most of this, but I don't understand why he ends it with かな, since from what I've been told this means "I wonder" in most circumstances (unless it's used with a negative verb, in which case it seems that it could mean a few other things) but he's obviously not trying to sound uncertain as to whether what he's saying is true or not, so I don't understand why he would say it this way.

Also, I'm not sure why they added the "probably the most" in the English translation. Is there something that I missed in the Japanese that implies that it's "most" popular as opposed to just popular? thanks for any help.


texts:
Here is a line from a story:

  でもまぁ結局この着物も、隣を歩く美咲が恥ずかしくねぇように、ってことだろ？

I'm quite familiar with the use of the も particle, but I am puzzled by what it's doing in this line. If I break it down:

でもまぁ - correct me if I'm wrong but I was told that this doesn't have any particular meaning, though you could translate it to 'well'

結局 - after all/in the end

この着物 - this kimono

も - also/too/even if

隣を歩く - walk next to

美咲が恥ずかしくねぇ - Misaki won't feel embarrassed

ように - in order to/so that

ってこと - I read that this = 'you/I/it mean(s)'

だろ - you know?/isn't it?

Now putting this all together I got:

  "well, it means that in the end it's this kimono so that Misaki won't feel embarrassed walking next to me isn't it?"

As you can see I haven't incorporated the も particle in the translation at all, I just don't understand how it would fit here? If the も was referring to its 'too/also' definition then wouldn't it come afterように  instead?


texts:
What's the meaning of ぜ at the end of sentence? Is ぜ a particle?

What's the difference between:

  おい、逃{に}げるぜ。

and

  おい、逃{に}げる。

I found a couple of explanations on the web but none I could fully comprehend.


texts:
What is the difference between に and として in the following example:

お土産にチョコレートをもらった。
お土産としてチョコレートをもらった。

When is one more appropriate than the other?


texts: Why is the Hepburn system of romanization generally used over the Nihon-shiki system?

texts: Generally when you see romanization of Japanese it is in the Hepburn system; however, I recently came across the Nihon-shiki system which seems to be preferable. Why is it that the Hepburn system caught on as opposed to the Nihon-shiki system?


texts:
I know Ｖ辞書系 + 振り means "pretending to do V", as in
僕を気付かなかった振りをして、僕をただ通り過ぎた。
However, I've recently come to know the expression 知ったか振り（しったかぶり), but why is that か there? It seems to have exactly the same meaning as 知った振り, so are they interchangeable? Are there any other expressions that are constructed like that?


texts: Expressing 'likeness' and using ku Verbs in the past tense

texts:
I'm trying to say "I drew an original character in the NEWGAME! style"

  俺はオリギナル、カラクターを描いたNEWGAME!みたい

That is the way I formulated my sentence but it seems off; can someone help?


texts: How would you interpret and make a full sentence of 漂{ただよ}う 僕{ぼく}達{たち} in English?

texts:
I was wondering how you would translate this into an English sentence? I know that 漂う means "to drift" and 僕達 means "us", but I'm confused as to how to make a complete English sentence out of this.

Here's the full stanza (because this is from a song):

少しだけ寂しいけど　笑って  (I will feel a little lonely, but let's smile)
「さよなら」の代わりに言おう (and instead of saying "goodbye")
｢またね・また会いましょう」 (let's say "see you / let's meet again")
アオイハル　漂う　僕達     (???)

https://youtu.be/WEF3g7TPz-U?t=1m41s

(アオイハル is the title of the song, I know it means "Green Spring", does it actually add any meaning to the sentence?)

Thanks!


texts: Which と is this in 話し合って、どうすると？

texts:
「話し合って、どうすると？ カルナスの市民を助けるため、この場を明け渡し、みすみす
　ヴァネッサがパンドーラに向かうのを許せとか？」

What と is it in the above?

I think it's the と used to quote, but how does it work in the above?

I guess my question is what do they mean by どうすると?

Does this mean "in what way will you tell me to act?".

Or does it mean something else?


texts: How do I say "I am the best" ? の,は or が and 私 or 俺?

texts:
I'm making a shirt for a (rather egotistical) friend of mine and so am trying to do something with the slogan "I am the best" for fun. I need something with four characters only, and would like to ask the difference between

  私の一番,
  私が一番,
  私は一番,

and which one would be the most appropriate in the context that he is saying it of himself. My grammar is not fantastic. I understand that が would entail a meaning like "I am the number one" versus は which would be "I am a number one" (correct me if I'm wrong). One of my friends has suggested

  俺が一番,
  俺様一番

Can someone explain to me how 俺 and 私 differ then? I'm quite confused. Also, this is for a boy, just in case anyone wonders.


texts:
Looking at the google translator I find:

日付  (Hidzuke): Date

But when I try to write the same letter, it doesn't pop up kanji

Which all characters are used to write it?


texts: What is the difference between Hatsu and Saisho?

texts: Can hatsu be used with activities, like hatsu-no poem?


texts:
わたしは畳の上で正座したが、僧侶の指示で[結跏趺坐]{けっかふざ}に組み直した。[胡座]{あぐら}から両方の足の甲を腿の上に載せるポーズである。瞑想をして、心を落ち着けなさいということらしい。

What does the last part mean? Does it mean "Apparently (by telling me to sit in the lotus position) the monk was telling me to meditate and calm my heart"?


texts: How would you say "for all I know" using 限り/限る in Japanese?

texts: The best I can think of is 僕が知る限り + fact + とは限らない. Does this work, are there better alternatives?


texts:
I'm playing a game that talks about the story of Princess Kaguya in the following way. I think I got the general gist of it, but I found the second sentence in particular to be perplexing. I think the first から is use to say she came from the moon, but I'm not sure what meaning of the second から is.

  確かにかぐや姫は月を見ては泣いていました。。。

Princess Kaguya did indeed cry when looking upon the moon.

  でも、それはかぐやが月から来たからじゃないの。。。

But, she wasn't crying because she came(??) from the moon

  月はツクヨミの象徴で、実はかぐやは前世を懐かしんで泣いてたの。。。

Because the moon is the symbol of Tsukuyomi, Kaguya was in truth yearning for her previous life.

  つまり彼女を迎えに来た月の住の正体はツクヨミ。。。

In other words, the moon resident who came to take her back was Tsukuyomi.


texts: What's the literal and natural translation of たるもの?

texts:
子{こ}たる者{もの}すべからく親{おや}の命{めい}に従{したが}うべし。

  Children should obey their parents

What I got from ALC is that a child isn't fit, unqualified, to be one's child if it disobeys its parents. Or is it just "Those who are children..."?


texts: Can someone explain to me how "としまして" is formed?

texts:
Could someone help me by explaining how this is formed?

The question here refers to an answer to my question (second comment on answer), but I don't understand it:
Could someone help with the gramatical construction of this phrase?

Answer (3-㋒): https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/120514/meaning/m0u/

It looks like someone transformed a masu-form verb to a "masu-te"-form, which I never heared of:

  する、します、しまして
  たべる、たべます、たべまして

If I am not mistaken, the referenced answer also talks about the potential form. How does this relate? Furthermore, is this construction in any way related to はじめまして?


texts:
In a manga, the characters are trying to find out the culprit of some homicides. One of the character is basically saying that if they keep thinking in a logical way, they will never find out who the culprit is. Then he says this:

  だって　この物語には…　最初からまともな理由なんてなかったんだから。

Could 理由 be interpreted as "logic" in the sentence above (and in general)? Translating it as "reason" or "motive" doesn't fit the context in my opinion, because they knew since the beginning that the culprit was a 殺人鬼 and there wasn't a motive for the homicides. My translation attempt:

  It's because this story has never followed any logic.

Later on they will discover that they had made the wrong assumption that another character was killed, while he actually faked his death instead. Here you can see the two pages where it is taken from for more context. Thank you for your help!


texts:
In the phrase かといって or かと言って, meaning having said that, on the other hand, I'm not sure what the か and と are.

My first guess is that these are the generic particles (か+と+いって), but I couldn't find any evidence to suggest that　(or, for that matter, to refute it).

Of course, I could be over thinking this, so it could be a "that's just how it is said" kind of phrase.


texts: What is the meaning of に対して in this sentence ？

texts:
一年生が三年生に対して──それも部のエースに向かって『雪乃さん』などと呼びかけてしまったのだ。無礼だと注意されても仕方がないだろう。

What does に対して refers to here？


texts: Because I cannot find the root verb in any dictionary, what does をしめて回った mean in this sentence?

texts:
This is from a Manga, or so I heard.
中学時代に地元の学校をしめて回ったマキちゃん。
Maki-chan squeezed around a/some local school in the era/period during junior high school.


texts: I am translating this tanka "よるは猶我が身にぞそふくるるまで木ずゑにみつる花の面影" and I have doubts about the phrase "木ずゑにみつる". I've been looking around and have found that "みつる" is an old conjugation of "満つ", which means to wax (the moon), to mature or to be full, but I don't know if it makes sense within this tanka when it comes to translating it.


texts: 不幸な方へと進んでいる - why are there two particles after 方？

texts:
My question comes from this sentence:

  四十年前までは確かにあった幸せを放棄して、不幸な方、不幸な方へと進んでいる気がする。

My attempted translation was:

  The happiness we definitely had up until 40 years ago we discarded; and on a path of unhappiness, we progress further and further, I feel.

However, I don't understand why both particles へ and と follow. I would have expected just へ, so I don't get what the function of と is. Can someone possibly explain this?


texts: Translation question - how to understand a phrase

texts:
I am reading a book which is quite difficult for me.
I attached a page in which a Japanese guy who is living in the USA is coming back from a trip.

I have difficulties to really get the point of the whole conversation on this page. What exactly is the problem?
The Japanese guy thinks showing his passport is enough because he lives in the US, but the immigration officer says he has to go through the immigration check.
Starting from the sentence in the middle of the page 「向こうで出入国手続きをした」 I get lost.
What is 向こう referring to here? The second sentence after this one the Japanese(?) asks why he wasn't told that(what?) before. This mention of Mexico doesn't make much sense to me either.

I would appreciate hints what is going on. I am slightly confused.


texts:
Why is the causative of "neru" "nekaseru".

Following the standard rules, it should be "nesaseru". It isn't listed as a irregular verb either.

What am I missing?


texts:
This morning I took this picture, finding the 一人KY poster amusing:

QUESTION: What is the kanji before 中 ?

In Gjiten I can't find it by combining the radicals of 止 and 残, nor by number of strokes (17?) plus 止 radical.

I guess the poster says "If you don't pay attention to your environment, you are at risk" (which the side text あなた自身があなたを守る says too), but knowing the kanji would confirm or infirm this hypothesis.


texts: What is the etymology of べき? How should I visualize it?

texts:
I like to visualise things to try and understand them as an idea not a rehearsed rule.
I like to think of hazu in terms of it being a notch in a bow for the arrow as I hear the meaning stemmed from there. I won't get into that too much but...

Is there any way to understand べき in a similar manner? I hear it is related to "CAN" because it uses the same kanji "可き".  How should I understand its nuance?


texts: Two stations written with the same kanji but pronounced differently — why?

texts:
The JR Nara line and the Keihan Uji line are almost parallel on their way through southeastern Kyoto and Uji. In most areas, both have a station and the names are clearly related if not identical (e.g. both have Rokujizou and Oubaku; JR has Momoyama while Keihan has Momoyama-Minamiguchi etc.).

However, there is also a rather interesting pair of stations between Oubaku and Rokujizou: both stations are written 木幡 in kanji yet Keihan gives the pronunciation as こわた while JR gives the pronunciation as こはた. This matches what is heard in the announcements on their respective trains.

I assume that the name corresponds to the name of the surrounding part of Uji. Unfortunately, I don’t know which of the two pronunciations would be correct for that suburb. But how is it possible that the same combination of kanji when used as a name for the same place gives two different pronunciations?

A map showing both stations in Uji.


texts: やまをこえ、のを　こえて、。。。-- how to interpert "こえ"?

texts:
I'm a newbie and I'm now trying to parse my first text, the １１ぴきの猫 children book.
There is a sentence: 山をこえ、のを　こえて、どんどん　行くと、はるかむこうに　みずうみが　みえました。
I think the overall meaning is clear, but I'm puzzled by this "山をこえ". I assume that this "こえ" is a stem of こえる (to cross), but why is it used in this form, rather than て-form, like in the following "のを　こえて"?


texts: Difference between Fire : 火【ひ】and 火事【かじ】?

texts:
Both of them mean fire. But what are the difference between the two ?

For the sentence : There is a fire in my room. Can I use both of them ?

And what about for the sentence : Fire is part of the 5 elements.


texts:
Lately, I'm reading Japanese light novels. For the following sentence, I can't get the meaning behind it.

  解放感もなければ、次の職を探さなければという焦りもなかった。何を思えばよいのかが、よくわからなかった。

The character said that after leaving his workplace for the last time. He also has not any job offer where he can continue to work. He wasn't even trying to get a new job.

For me, it makes no sense when I try to translate it using the conditional form.
Can someone help me out, please?


texts: What does the の's mean in this sentence of A to B comparison

texts:
The two の's, what are their functions here?

If I removed any or both of them how would that affect the sentence?

Does では mean so then here, or is「のではどちらが」a canned expression?

一人で旅する(a)のと友達と旅する(b)のではどちらがいいですか？
Which do you prefer? Traveling alone or traveling with your friends?

Link to original tutorial/article


texts:
In a manga I'm reading, a high schooler is talking to his GF about how she chats online through her DS. He says this:

Usually I know what -な is being used based on the situation. But here I can't figure out if he's telling her "Don't get advice about us (禁止 意味), " Get advice about us (命令 意味)" or is using な simply as a ね alternative. These are the three main usages given in my electronic dictionary, and any would fit meaning wise in this situation.

So my question it - is there a conjugation difference that helps identify which it is? Of the examples given in my dictionary, all are in plain form, but 禁止 form seems to only attach to verb infinitives. (行くな、食べるな). 命令 form attaches to what I think is called just present tense? As in, 行きな、好きにしな。

This is just what I observed in the examples though- is this a rule, and if so, what would you consider "相談してたりしてな"? Is "てな" the same equivalent as the 命令 examples?? Or is the guy using the な slang for ね?

Thanks for any help clearing this conclusion up for me.


texts: Need help with the famous 11 second intercom audio from Mega Man Legends 2

texts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dJxBnRth-A&t=1m40s

Need 日本語字幕 subtitles for this short 11 second announcement heard in the background. I've listened to this for over a decade, and could never understand what the intercom voice is saying in japanese.

1:40-1:51

「ウェルナー・フォン・ミュラーさま･･･」

「ウェルナー・フォン・ミュラーさま･･･」

**(ち きゅう/急)**中門ホールまでお越しください。

間のなく、**(りはたり/記者会議)**を開始いたします。

Over Intercom:

Mr. Verner Von Bluecher! Mr. Verner Von Bluecher!

Please report to the Central Hall!

The press conference is about to begin.


texts: What is the difference between ながら, がてら and つつ?


texts:
I've come across both できんでえ and ~てやんでえ today but I'm not sure what they mean or what their origin is. There's some information relating to ~てやんでえ online which seems to point to it being a question ("what did you say?") in casual speech:

「保護と言えば、いつかこんなこと言っていた者もいたよ。『俺ら、前のことが分っちゃったもんで会社に入っている保険屋から断わらちゃったい。
ほんだもんでガン保険に入ることができんでえ。
そんな馬鹿な話あるけえなあ。
ガンが一番恐いのは俺たちなのになあ』って。
全くだよ」

Is that right?
Edit: The conversation is taking place between two men from 焼津市 and it's a real conversation that took place about 30 years ago if that helps at all.


texts:
My Japanese friend used the term 自殺志願者 jokingly in a journal entry, saying she sometimes wondered if she qualified for such a  position. I could not find a specific dictionary definition for this word, but found it translated as:

suicide wanna-be
those who want to kill oneself
would-be suicide
suicide volunteer/ suicide candidate (the latter being the most literal translation)

In common context is this word ironic? Is it a comedic term in and of itself? If it is a common word, is it used mostly in a clinical or in a jocular way?


texts:
Found it here. https://twitter.com/JINhktr/status/1141306368495742977

  酒の飲み方俺が教えとくから勘弁してやって

Is とくから a suffix or for　教え? Is it another word entirely? What does it mean?

I think it means something like  "This is the way I've been taught to drink sake, so forgive me."?

The 教えとくから part just confuses me since I haven't seen とく used like this before.


texts:
Because of this recent question I was wondering whether there are differences when it comes to using ～ば ～ほど when it comes to change-in-state and action verbs in ～ている. Here is an example of what I am talking about:

患者になればなるほど自尊心を失う。
The more you become a patient, the more self worth you lose.(?)

患者になっていればいるほど自尊心を失う。
The longer you are a patient, the the more you lose self worth.(?)

These are just sentences I came up with, and maybe the translations are not accurate. But assuming they are, the first sentence doesn't make much sense. It's not possible to do something "more" when something is instantaneous. なっている refers to a state, not an actual event or action. The moment you become a patient doesn't really have a defined time frame.
On the other hand, I feel like verbs with duration  are difficult to use with ～ていれば ～いるほど. For example:

食べていればいるほどご飯が寒くなる。
The longer you eat, the colder your food gets. (?)

Does this sentence work? If it does, can ～ていれば ～いるほど mean something like "the longer you are performing X, the more Y" when used with action verbs?
So can instantaneous verbs never be used in the ～ば ～ほど construction? Or does it depend on context? Can action verbs/ verbs with a duration be used with ～ていれば ～いるほど?


texts:
女の子の名前で雪花{ゆきか}って変ですか？

I came across this question title on a Japanese site while doing some digging about mixing kun and on readings for names, and I understand the overall meaning but I'm confused on the use of "de" and "tte". Help would be much appreciated!
(To clarify, I'm not asking the question)


texts: How to say "self-isolation" or "quarantine" in japanese

texts:
I want to ask "Do you eat more in self-isolation/quarantine?" and "Do you exercise less in self-isolation/quarantine?".
What is the simplest translation for these sentences and can I use something like「[japanese word for self-isolation/quarantine]の時、もっと食べますか?」for the first sentence?


texts:
Since yesterday I'm struggling with this sentence:

  六義園と言えば、そばに住むようになって三年ほど経ったその頃には、なかに入ってはじめて見ることができる庭園の手入れの行き届いた芝生の明るさよりも、塀際の、伸びるままにまかせている雑木の暗い木立しか、思い浮かべられなくなっていた

I kinda get the first part, at least its general meaning, but I'm at a loss with the last part, 伸びるままにまかせている雑木の暗い木立しか、思い浮かべられなくなっていた.

The first part is saying that after three years living near 六義園 the character doesn't really notice the cheerfulness of the well-cared garden; here I don't really get はじめて見ることができる, which literally should be "Being able to see for the first time", but using the translation it seems to be referring to people seeing it for the first time, so "Unlike peope seeing it the first time, I don't really notice...".

The second part...

塀際 I think means that whatever she is speaking about is on the side of the wall;
雑木の暗い木立しか、思い浮かべられなくなっていた means she is reminded just of the dark grooves of different trees;
伸びるままにまかせている... 伸びる is "To stretch", ままに is "As; Wherever" (or まま + に?), and for まかせている I just found 任せる, which I really don't get what should mean in this sentence. I'm not even sure I parsed it correctly.

I tried some search on Weblio, but I can't find any form like those. I roughly know what it means from the given translation ("the dark tangles along the walls"), but it seems to me there is more going on.

The translation given in the book is: "By that time we'd been in the discrict for three years, and the name 'Rikugien' brought to mind not the tidy, sunlit lawns seen by visitors, but the dark tangles along the walls".

Edit: I removed a part of the question I left by mistake.


texts: What's the difference between ね and でしょう for tag questions?

texts:
Both ね and でしょう can be used to form tag questions to confirm an opinion like so:

  1) 疲れたでしょう。　(more of a guess based on evidence / polite)

  2) 疲れたね。 (more forceful / the speaker is more certain)

  3) 疲れたでしょうね。 (forceful, but polite)

For the purposes of these questions you can imagine that these sentences are spoken to someone who has just done something physically exerting (like moving boxes for 7 hours).

Am I right about these guesses? Can anyone elaborate more?


texts: How to introduce oneself in relation to ones husband?

texts:
I know there are a few ways to essentially say "wife" (妻、家内、女房). Can they be used by a speaker to refer to themselves?
Examples I thought of:

（私はAの）妻／家内／女房です。
妻／家内／女房の○○です。

I have a feeling one can't use 奥さん, かみさん, because of the さん. I've almost never heard 家内 or 女房 used in real life, either.
How does one introduce oneself in relation to ones husband?
Related: How to introduce myself in relation to my wife?


texts: Is there any difference between ～～をする and ～が～

texts:
I came across this sentence (from the Core 1000 material of iknow) while learning vocabulary:

  彼女は青い目をしています。 She has blue eyes.

Doing some searching I found this answer explaining that ～をする can mean 'to have some characteristic'.

Before that, I only knew of the following construction to express such:

  ～は～が～。 彼女は目が青いです。 She has blue eyes.

Is there any difference in meaning/implication between these two different structures? Or can I use them interchangeably in any circumstance?


texts: What's the standard for making plurals of Japanese words in English?

texts:
There's the movie "Seven Samurai", which would sound strange as "Seven Samurais", but in the news you often read about "hundreds of tsunamis". Some people say they know 500 kanjis, but I've always thought 500 kanji sounded more correct. Is there any standard way to pluralize Japanese words that are used in English?

(Not sure if this is a good question for here, seeing as it's more about English.)


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

The sentence in question is taken from line 17-18.
"ところが、1585年11月29日、大地震が起きた。「三百軒以上の家と数百人の人が一人残らず消えた。Ushigashima　の時代が終わった」と歴史の本に書かれている。

My main problem lies with 一人残らず
But first, my attempt at translation:
"However, on november 29th in the year 1585, a great earthquake occured. In a historians book is written: 'More than 300 houses and several hundred people ... disappeared. The era Ushigashima has ended.'."

I just can't make any sense of this 一人残らず. 残らず is the conjunctive negative form of 残る in written/formal language, but I don't know how this "not remaining" makes any sense in this context. "more than 300 people did not remain and disappeared" would be possible, but  at least to me this way of expressing that the survivors left the area sounds very odd.
And then there is 一人. I don't know what it is supposed to tell me.
Before, the text told us about "not more than 300 people", and now we get the additional information that these are all "solitary" or "single" persons?
I don't know, I'm confused by this...^^


texts: how do I use と書くいてありました in different tempus

texts:
I'm struggling to learn how to use と書くいてありました in citing from things I have read and learn to quote it in the japanese way. the way I use 書くいて is apparently in the wrong tempus so is it okay to use either 書くありました or　書きありました?

Thank you in advance!


texts: Transcribing iteration marks: kunojiten , くの字点

texts:
The iteration marks 々, ヽ, ヾ, ゝ, ゞ are slightly smaller than standard kana, and are often seen in print when a contemporary scholar is transcribing text, a printmaker's seal, etc. My question relates to the kunojiten (くの字点, くのじてん), either the 〱 (unvoiced) or 〲 (voiced) repeat marks that resemble the hiragana characters ku (く) and gu (ぐ). Given they are only used in vertical text, stretching to fill the space usually occupied by two kanji characters, what is the best solution if you are TRANSCRIBING them from pre-20th century documents and cartouches, typing them up?

Perhaps this is a little bit of a style question... might one write:

摂州大物の浦よしつねしう〲難風... and risk a reader thinking 〲 is gu ぐ

摂州大物の浦よしつねしう〲[じう]難風... i.e., interpolate in square brackets

摂州大物の浦よしつねしう[じう]難風... interpolate in square brackets with no reference to 〲

or simply transcribe as

摂州大物の浦よしつねしうじう難風... with no reference to there having been a kunojiten present?

My reference from a cartouche:
摂州大物の浦よしつねしう[kunojiten]難風に出合て平家のぼうれい御船を覆さんとする圖

or with accompanying furigana in the cartouche:
摂州[せっしゅう]大物の浦よしつねしう[kunojiten]難[なん]風に出合て平家のぼうれい御船を覆[くつがえ]さんとする圖, Sesshū Daimotsu-no-ura Yoshitsune shiujiu [shūjū] nanpū ni deaite Heike no bōrei mifune wo kutsugae san to suru zu.

Essentially, is there a consistent and/or best practice for transcribing or  transliterating kunojiten in printed text?

Shiujiu (しう〲, thus しうじう), appears to be a more archaic way to write shūjū (しゅうじゅう) or shujū (しゅじゅう), a "master and servant" or "lord and retainer." Shūjū/shujū is sometimes seen in kanji form (主従) but it's usually seen Shiujiu (しう followed by the kunojiten) in 19th century prints. The dictionaries I have access to (at present) don't bring up the spelling Shiujiu... not quite sure when it changed, and the historical relationship/shift of 'iu' to 'ū'.


texts:
In this sentence (from here)

  このビルは２０階建てで、地下は２階まであります。

the building has 20 floors. Are there 2 basements (perhaps in addition to the 20 floors), or is it that floors up to (まで) the second one are underground (which there are not in the photograph, it is rather a building on stilts)?


texts:
This word contains 一 "one" plus 切 "to cut" .. so how would this mean all/entire? ...
I searched before coming here and found something https://kanjiportraits.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/the-kanji-刀切窃初分雰紛契喫潔-刀-sword-knife-to-cut/
 .. they explained that as  " When there is nothing left as if it were a cut off, it meant “all.” "..
So is this explaination right? (I mean the explaintion in the site for why this kanji means "all")
 and if not then what the right explaination for why kanji 切 means "all"


texts: になろうと言った and になると言った

texts: What are the differences between になろうと言った and になると言った ?