texts: How do you say "what do you care?" in japanese?

texts: How do you say "what do you care?" in japanese, as if you were telling someone not to interfere in someone else's business in a harsh way to tell him so?


texts:
「AとしてのB」 might translate as "B as A"?
「BとしてのA」 might translate as "A as B"?

Is there a meaningful difference between the two.

I was just thinking about how to explain how to write documents in English, and this is the sentence that I was writing:
「分詞としての形容詞や副詞をよく使えば、活発的な文章になります。」
but then it occurred to me that I perhaps should write:
「形容詞や副詞としての分詞をよく使えば、....」

Is this "six of one and half a dozen of the other"? maybe a difference in nuance?

original sentence:
"The usage of participles as adjectives and adverbs creates more active sentences."


texts:
『……いや。というか敵。何であろうと敵。　悪いけど情状酌量以前に敵……！

I know what 情状酌量 is but how the 以前 changes it in this sentence?
My personal translation therefore poor is something like: "Sorry but hostility/make a enemy in 情状酌量以前"
For more context:

……その人物に責任はないにせよ、彼女にだって、学校側の仕事を押しつけられる責任も義理もないのである。　せめて、なんというか。もうちょっと空気を読んで平日にやってきてくれたのなら、と愚痴の一つも言いたくなる。


texts:
In this sentence 何か気に入られてる、みたいなんだけど

Kiniira means to be fond of or being appreciative?

My translation is " why does it seem like he's being appriciated?"

But maybe the word fond of is more likely? I can't think of a grammatically correct way to construct a sentence with"fond"

Edit: the sentence is is being said by an observer that wonders about the relationship between two people.


texts:
I've been faced with the following sentence:

  いきなりあんな事聞かれて平常心でいられるかよ！

What I'm wondering about it is the "聞かれて" part.
I know that Kikareru would be the passive form of Kiku - to listen.
So, what is this ~te ending doing there?


texts: Cannot recognise the kanji in a cartouche 保里尾[ ][ ][ ]晴

texts:
In the context of a C19th work titled Takamatsu no shiro mizuzeme no zu, "Picture of the Flooding of Takamatsu Castle" (髙松城水責之圖 with furigana たかまつのしろみづぜめのづ), there is a name cartouche, but I am uncertain about three of the characters.

保里尾[ ][ ][ ]晴

Hori ....?

Can anyone assist?

Frederick Harris, Ukiyo-e: The Art of the Japanese Print, suggests the character is one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's generals, Ukita Hideie (宇喜多秀家, 1573–1655), however, I don't understand the kanji if this is the case. Historical references indicate that Hideyoshi besieged Takamatsu-jō in 1582, yet Hideie did not become the head of the Ukita clan until 1582 and since he was still young, it was his uncle, Ukita Tadaie (Titles: Dewa no kami / other names: Sakazaki Tadaie), who acted as leader of the army during the siege. This leaves me no wiser, either.


texts:
I have seen that in some type of questions you can ask it with "da" instead of "ka", but what about afirmations?
I study japanese and if you want to say whatever presentation, for example "my name is Gin", it would be "Watashi wa Gin desu", or just simply "Gin desu".
But, can you say, as the short form "Gin da"? I have seen in many animes they talk like this, or asking if he is Gin: "Gin da?" (Like "Gin ka")

So, is it correct to use an afirmation with da?


texts: What does 直打ち mean? also whats the reading?

texts:
Can someone help me understand this 直打ち, as used in the following sentence:

URLを直打ちしてアクセスされた可能性があります。

(this is an error message in a log file)

My dictionaries have no idea what this word means.
As far as I can tell this means something like:

"There's a possibility that there was a directly accessed URL"

So 直打ち means "direct access",
直 as in 直接 (directly)
and
打 as in 打つ (hit)

Also regarding the reading, i asked a couple of Japanese people and got told both:
じかうち and ちょくうち

any ideas which is correct in this context?


texts:
The word comes from the below sentence which is said by a frightened boxer who was going to box with his very strong opponent.

  なんとか打たれずしてすんなり負ける方法はないものかねえ!


texts: How to interprete this conditional phrase

texts:
The following sentence:

  新しい発明をした場合、特許を取っておかないと、すぐにその アイデア を使われてしまう。

The problem stems from the fact that I can't handle some elements in this sentence and therefore also have issues determining the exact meaning of the conditional phrase.
First, my attempt at translation:

  "When you've made a new invention, if you don't patent it, this idea will be used immediately."

First, in the conditional clause, おかない is an issue for me. I've learnt that て-form + おきます expresses:

  1) A necessary action is performed until a certain point in time
  旅行の前に、切符を買っておきます。
  2) A necessary action is performed so you can use X the next time.
  鋏を使ったら、もとのところに戻しておいてください。
  3) You let something remain in its current state:
  明日会議がありますから、いすはこのままにしておいてください。

I think that in this case, it should be in the function of 1).
However, I always feel a bit unsure about this, so I wanted to confirmation

Second, しまう.
て-form しまいました was introduced as indicating regret.

  試験は失敗してしまいました。

However, if I remember correctly it can also express that something was finished.
Still, I just don't really know what it adds to this sentence, especially since it isn't in past tense, which makes it harder for me to coax the "finished" meaning into it.

Third, the overall mood of the sentence.
The sentence as it stands strongly suggests an unreal meaning in my opinion.
In English, this would be expressed the conjunctive mood. However, I learned some constructions for unreal expressions, but these aren't here.

  "If you make a new invention, if you don't patent it, the idea would/could immediately be used."

I guess it's mostly because I don't feel very sure about my interpretation of the elements I mentioned before, that I feel like something is lacking.
That's why I asked about it all here ^^


texts: How do you indicate a literal translation

texts:
I know that when I read sites like Wikipedia and there are foreign words they will often give the name with the original alphabet and spelling as well as a phonetic and a literal translation.  So for instance the entry for Tokyo has (東京 Tōkyō, "Eastern Capital") next to the first use of Tokyo.

I had this thought because I was debating on how to translate the name of a place near where I live.  It's called Little Italy (think China town but Italian).  I was going to translate it phonetically as リトルイタリア but I think that loses some of the meaning so I was going to add 小さいイタリア with the specification that it was a literal translation.

So my question is how do I indicate that something is a literal translation not a phonetic translation?


texts:
I think this may simply be a difference between written and spoken Japanese. But I've noticed that 木の皮 kinokawa is used regularly to mean "tree bark," while 樹皮 jyuhi appears to be more accurate but limited to signs or books or other written materials. Is 樹皮 used in daily conversation ever?

This question arises from trying to translate "birch bark canoe" (built by Northeast Native American tribes) and coming up with バーチ樹皮カヌー or something similar.


texts:
I have noticed them in speech in several expressions:

ざまあみろ
手エ、出して
気イ抜くなよ

They are clearly an informal (if i have got it right) variant of を. But how common is this phenomenon? What restrictions apply to the preceding noun, if any? And does this occur with は，が… as well?


texts:
As far as I can tell, both of these sentences:

風はやって来ない。
風は来ない。

mean:

The wind does not come.

What does the やって (which I assume is やる in て-form) add to the meaning of the first phrase?


texts: Is 「お尻には落ちた」 the correct way to say "I fell on my ass"?


texts: In terms of “this school”, what is the difference between この学校, 本校, and 当校?

texts:
So, when I typed “this school” in the Weblio search, it brought up these three terms: この学校, 本校, and 当校.

I know that この means “this”.
学校 definitely means “school”.
校 means “school”, but it seems to need a modifier most of the time.
本 means “this”, “the same”, “present”, “in question”, “head”, “main”, “real”, and “regular”.
当 means “this”, “the present”, and “the current”.

Let me try an example. I went to a school for a year before I dropped out. If I refer to it as “this school” after I dropped out, which term should I choose?

If I knew the difference, it would probably make it easier to pick one!


texts: What is the significance of the "の" in the sentence "誰が盗んだのか、誰か知りませんか。"

texts:
In another forum, someone said the difference between

  誰が盗んだのか、誰か知りませんか。

and

  誰が盗んだか、誰か知りませんか。

is that the former has more emphasis on the verb 盗む. Another person said that that's not the case. And that they are the same, but he couldn't explain why.

I was wondering what the significance of the の is in the sentence 誰が盗んだのか、誰か知りませんか。? Is the の particle in that sentence also the same as the particle の for explanation?


texts:
For example here https://twitter.com/vladiii_ap_bot/status/321001378766000128. EPWING dictionary and Google search didn't help.

  追従も度が過ぎると度量が知れるぞ、ダーニック。余を領王と呼ぶお前は、我が主人でもある。余はサーヴァント、そのことを否定はせん


texts: I know that そんな means "like that", but as I read more and more mangas, I get the feeling that it used as an expression of disbelief. Can someone elaborate and do similar words like こんな or どんな have similar use in this case?


texts:
たとえば、おすしを食べてもいいですか？ is for "May I eat sushi?".　However I know that ちょっと、食べなくてもいいです。Is not the right phrase because that means: "Well, you don't have to eat (that)." So what is the response for "[Sorry,] you may not eat sushi."?

Afterthoughts (after reading istraci, chocolate, and the two "users" responses).

Could you use this in response? おすしを食べることができません。

Also, one is this grammatically correct and two, is this saying what I think it means (you may not eat sushi)? おすしを食べてもよくないです。


texts: They both mean "ship/boat".  Are they completely interchangeable?  Do they signify boats of different sizes or uses (people, cargo, etc.)?  Is only 船 used in compounds to describe metaphorical "boats" of abstract usage, like [風船]{ふう・せん}?


texts: "To be satisfied/content/fulfilled": Differences between 満ち足りる、心ゆく、気が済む、満足がいく?

texts:
In English, I think "to be satisfied/content" can have a couple different meanings:

To feel that what was given/has happened is satisfactorily enough in the short term sense (e.g. had enough to eat, feeling happy after a successful negotiation)
To feel peacefully happy (e.g. contentedly sitting quietly at home with family)
To be emotionally/spiritually fulfilled in a larger sense (e.g. happy with one's career and place in life, happy with how a longer series of events played out)

No idea if Japanese draws distinctions between these feelings, but I've come across a few words in English-Japanese dictionaries:

満ち足りる（みちたりる）- I think this might correspond to definition 1 above, since 足りる means "to be enough" in a quantifiable sense
心ゆく（こころゆく）- Could correspond to definition 2 or 3
気が済む（きがすむ）- I think it could mean definition 2 since 気 usually refers to short-term feelings
満足行く（まんぞくいく）- Possibly definition 1 as it seems more fleeting because of 行く.

That being said, what are the nuances of each word? And which ones are more commonly used or sound most natural?


texts:
せっかくの休みに、あなほり　なんかやらされて。。。

In a ドラえもん comic, someone said this and took a break from digging a hole in the ground.

I understand the sentence generally (probably), but not enough grammatically, and not enough to say something like that.

First, I guess やらされる means "I am being made to (do this digging)." Since it ends with て、I think the 。。。could have replaced something like "and I'm tired."

Because of that, he decides to rest. I used google a little bit, and saw a little of 休みになる、休みに入る。This only adds to my confusion. (Articles I saw seemed to talk about doing stuff while on rest.)

Am I going about this wrong? What would follow this に？ Or, why not use the verb 休む？

よろしくおねがいします


texts: Using verb + "n desu", "n da" in questions and in statements and with no confirmation

texts:
Are the following phrases exactly the same in terms of meaning? And are they all correct in terms of grammar? Can I use them interchangably?

  tokyo e iku
  tokyo e iku n
  tokyo e iku no da
  tokyo e iku no desu
  tokyo e iku nda
  tokyo e iku ndesu

I know that, for example,

  tokyo e iku ndesu ne?

can be used to mean "you're going to Tokyo, right?" -- just to confirm what you already know.

But I've heard "n desu" used in normal questions, where no confirmation is seeking by one asking a question.

  nani o suru n desu ka?

Why is that?


texts: Can you use そうだ (appear, seem) with kango adjectival nouns?

texts:
Of course it is common to attach そうだ to na-adjectives or i-adjectives （高そうな車, 元気そうな人 etc), but it doesn't seem to be the case for kango words which can operate as either nouns or adjectives.

For example, it sounds natural (to me) to say 良さそうな車 but it sounds unnatural (to me) to say 良質そうな車. I was thinking about describing an oncoming typhoon as 強烈そうな台風 but again it sounds a little strange to me. Is is simply that it is less common to attach そう to kango adjectival nouns, or is it actually unnatural to do so?


texts: 数 as used in math - pronounced かず or すう?

texts:
Eg in definition of 根：ある数を何乗かした数に対するもとの数。

Is it pronounced かず or すう?


texts: Why is に used in 若者が元気に溢れている?

texts:
Why is に used in a sentence like this?

  若者が元気に溢れている

I thought it was:

  若者に元気が溢れている

I know に is used as an indirect object marker.
Could someone tell me the difference between direct and indirect object?

I already understand this usage of the particle:

It is used to show destination of an action

  本を彼に上げた

To show an action in a place with semi-permanent or permanent consequences

  山に雪が積もった

To show existence in a place

  部屋にいる

To show a specific time when something happens

  来た時に林檎を食べた

To show the agent in passive or verbs of receiving

  ペンを彼に貰った
  林檎が彼に食べられた


texts: Difference between using が and の in these sentences

texts:
I have two examples here where the particle の is used where I would've used が so I was hoping someone could explain if there's a difference in these instances, or if either is acceptable.

主人のいない侍

顔のない男

Is there a reason の is used in place of が/is the meaning the same if one is used over the other?


texts:
I am well aware that が and の are interchangeable in cases like this where there is a "subordinate clause" (forgive my imprecise language). However, as I was working through my N1 grammar reviews, I noticed that が is used in situations (other than the "subordinate clause" pattern) where の could have worked just as fine.

For example,

  経済的にあまり恵まれていない地位がゆえに十分な教育を受けられない人がいる。

I think I read somewhere that there is a shift somewhere in history that caused の to take on some of が's functions, but I am not quite sure. Can anyone shed light or share reference on how this happened?


texts:
I'm looking for a bit of help understanding what とした means in this sentence describing the UN flag:

  この旗は、真ん中に北極を中心とした世界地図が[描]{か}いてあります。

While I can get the gist of the meaning, can someone help explain exactly what とした means here? I googled around a bit, but wasn't really able to figure it out. Especially, it would be great to get an understanding of this grammatical construction so I can use it / recognize it again.

Thanks in advance!


texts: How to interpret 緩やかな風で森がざわめく音だけが、闇を飾るように聞こえてくる。

texts:
I was reading a light novel and saw this sentence describing how it feels like in a forest.

  緩やかな風で森がざわめく音だけが、闇を飾るように聞こえてくる。

I understand every word in it, but I am confused as to what sounds can be heard.

To me, it is not clear what だけ modifies, does this mean:

聞こえる音はただ一つ、緩やかな風で森がざわめく音だ or;
他の音も聞こえるが、闇を飾るようにではなく、他のように聞こえる。つまり、緩やかな風で森がざわめく音だけが闇を飾る。他の音は闇を飾らない

Which interpretation is correct? Or are both correct?


texts: Confusing use of くらい and の in this dictionary definition

texts:
A dictionary (三省堂の『例解小学国語辞典第5版』) definition of 棒:

  持てるくらいの長さの、細長い木や竹や金属
  ???? long and thin wood, bamboo or metal.

I'm stumped on the first part of this definition. I have 持てるくらいの長さ = "Length to the extent that it can possess". Possess what?

And what is the following の? My guess is that it marks possession, i.e. each of wood, bamboo and metal have the property which is 持てるくらいの長さ. When I try and put all this together I can't get anything that makes sense.

If I had to guess the meaning I'd have said it means "Wood that possesses length" but I'd have written that as 長さを持っている木. Besides which, that's a terrible definition. The key characteristic is that it is longer than it is wide, but I can't see any way that it could mean that.


texts: Clarification of a sentence from a video game, 「~為」

texts:
As far as I understand, it generally says that the Area server did not respond in a certain amount of time.

Can anyone give me some insight as to how accurate my understanding of this message from the game is?


texts: Is 気象庁 used only for JMA or any general meteorological observatory?

texts: Everywhere I tried searching 気象庁 on the internet, I found that it is only associated with JMA. But my 先生 firmly argues that 気象庁 does not only mean JMA but general meteorological observatory/agency. I found 気象台 for general observatory but my sensei is adamant so I wanted to hear it from natives. Thanks a lot in advance!


texts: How are particles perceived at an expert level?

texts:
こんにちは！

I was wondering how exactly particles are mentally translated on an expert/native level. When one hears the particle do they quickly associate it with the preceding term, or by that time has it become natural to a point to immediately understand what one is saying? I'd also like to know if there are there any tips for translating sentences without getting overwhelmed by things like particles.

よろしくおねがいします！


texts: How to say that something is like something with ような

texts:
Here is a sentence that I have constructed from my knowledge, but from what I have seen, I am not sure if it is at all correct.

  [世界]{せ・かい}の[子供]{こ・ども}は[桜]{さくら}の[豊富]{ほう・ふ}な[花]{はな}のようなものだ。　→　The world's children are like the plentiful flowers of the sakura tree.

I ponder on whether it would be natural to change もの into Kanji.「物」

And also, would this sentence sound natural for a simile in Japanese? If something else sounds more natural or better, please tell me.

If anyone has any answer to this (or can point out what mistake I made), I would greatly appreciate it.


texts: Nominalized verb and connection to noun after が particle

texts:
I'm attempting to read a book and I don't understand the grammar 100% here.

ジャックはもうすぐ九歳。本を読んだり、自然を観察したりするのが大好きな男の子だ。

Overall, I believe it means:

Jack will soon be 9 years old. A lovable boy that reads and watches nature.

But, I don't understand why the second sentence does not end like:

本を読んだり、自然を観察したりする大好きな男の子だ。(No が particle at all
A lovable boy who reads and watches nature.
OR
大好きな男の子が本を読んだり、自然を観察したりする。(が particle moved to the front)
A lovable boy that reads and watches nature.

How does the grammar work on the second sentence here? I know that 本を読んだり、自然を観察したりする is being nominalized and then it becomes a noun, which makes it usable by が. But I do not understand how its connection with 大好きな男の子 works.


texts: Is there a strict usage difference between 耐性 and 耐容 in medical contexts?

texts:
According to WWWJDIC and ALC, 耐性 is used for drug tolerance (e.g., 耐性現象), but 耐容 is used for radiation (e.g. 耐容線量). Based on that, my guess is that 耐性 can be used to express neutral effects like decrease in drug effectiveness, while 耐容 expresses limitations on harm.

Is this a strict distinction? Does the distinction exist at all?


texts:
I read Chinese decently, so my friend asked me if I knew what their coin was for.

From Chinese, I could read the kanji 金品 (Gold Commodity) and 交换 (Exchange), but not the Japanese. Can someone help me read what the purpose of this coin is for? And then maybe I can make sense of the horse.

Thanks!


texts: Usage of ところ to represent time with に and で

texts:
I am trying to understand the grammar of using ところ with に and で when using ところ to represent the time that actions have happened.

These are (ungrammatical) sentences I made up:

  1) 私の犬は猫を見ていたところに急に走り出して追いかけた。

  2) 昨日商店街で友達と遊んでいたところで友達の財布がスリに盗まれた。

I don't understand why these sound unnatural.

Compare these sentences with 1)

  道に迷って困っていたところにちょうどおまわりさんが通りかかった。

  私達が話し合っているところに彼が帰ってきた。

  沸騰したところに鶏肉を入れます

What is the difference between these sentences and my sentence that makes my one wrong?

Compare this sentence with 2) above, which uses a similar structure

  駅の近くでケーキを買ったところで彼女に偶然会った。

Why does 買ったところで sound alright but 遊んでいた/遊んだところで sound strange with this grammar?


texts:
初めは番組を編成する際の穴埋めとして放映されていたのだが、番組の数が増え,年月を経るうちに、子どもたちにとって生まれたときから存在しているアニメは、今やなくてはならない娯楽となっている.

My attempt to translate that would be something like

  In the beginning, when broadcasts were created by filling the gap
  (???) were televised but, as they grew in numbers and time past,
  the anime that existed since when we were born as kids, they became a
  must amusement.

which is incomprehensible for me. The key seems to be the clauses in the title but I figured out midways that the translation of the last part with kids being raised with animes e.t.c. doesn't really make sense too.


texts:
みなさんこんにちは! :D

I've recently been learning about Japanese relativistic-clauses(it all makes sense now!!!).

Just curious about something, if と can be used like 'and' or 'with', does the same apply to this brand of clauses?

When translating 'The man who bought milk and didn't buy gas went to bed.', could you use と to bind the two clauses together before adding something like 人 and the final clause?


texts: What's wrong with using 内に in this sentence?

texts:
My textbook claims that this is an incorrect usage of uchi ni:

  彼が会社に行っている内に、贈り物が届きました
  While he is commuting to the office, a present arrived.

Why is this wrong? It looks fine to me.


texts:
ぱっと出て、薬草を摘み、すぐに戻ってくればいい。

Is 摘み read here as つみ or つまみ?


texts: How can you divide verbs into conjugation groups easily?

texts:
I have been learning the verb list for the N4 exam but I do not know how to tell the group of a verb. Until now I have memorized them by heart. Nevertheless I still have trouble telling the group of a verb because I can't memorize them all. I wondered whether there is a systematic method of knowing the group of a verb. Could you help me with that?

According to my textbook:

いきます belongs to group I
ねます  belongs to group II
きます belongs to group III


texts: I have heard the word spoken on occasion, but I am not sure if it can be used in both situations. Thank you.


texts:
I came across with this problem:

彼女はその場を離れようとしなかった。
母親に手を引かれるようにしても、
何故かパイプ椅子から立ち上がろうとしなかった。?

what would be the meaning of "ようにする"? My dictionary says: "ようにする. try to, make sure to" so with that definition it would say that "Even though she was trying to be pulled by her mother, for some reason she didn't make an effort to get up from the chair." but she doesn't want to leave in the first place.

Or maybe she was trying or making an effort for 2 things at the same time? I mean, she knows that she has to leave that place, for that reason she extended her hand (trying to be pulled), but although that she doesn't want to leave, and tries to not get up from that chair? Or I'm just going crazy?
I don't understand why the second sentence is in passive voice and the other two are in active voice. Someone told me that the second one is speaking about the mother's attempt, but no why is that.


texts: What is the term for the large ball shaped lights that are used to illuminate roads during construction?

texts: I see the large lights used for illumination at night, but they are shaped kind of like a round ball and powered with generators. Thank you.


texts: Word order/splitting the phrase 都合がつかず (possible mistake)

texts:
Today I received an email from a business partner. It read:

  〜、〇〇日（〇）午後が都合がメンバーのつかず、〇〇日が〜

Is the word order in this phrase valid? Is it an editing mistake that resulted in a phrase different than: メンバーの都合がつかず?

Or is there some other explanation? Could it have been this way written intentionally?


texts:
I saw on a board the other day someone referring to insecticide as "薬", which doesn't really fit with the English conception of "medicine". I looked up "薬" in Kenkyuusha, and sure enough, "chemical" was listed as a meaning (along with "enamel", which is just weird if you ask me, but anyway . . .).
My question is, how broadly does the "chemical" sense apply in normal usage? For example, would an adhesive,a cleanser, or a solvent be classed as "薬"? Additionally, are there other senses which might surprise an English speaker?


texts: What is the difference between ～してる and ～している?

texts: When do you omit the い? Is it ungrammatical to use してる?


texts: Asking "What are you cooking?" in Japanese

texts:
Is my translation of "What are you cooking?" in Japanese below correct?

  何を炊いている？

Any inputs or feedback will be greatly appreciated.


texts:
A friend wrote me: 余計 ありがと、 きにするようにして
I know first part is "Thank you so so much"
second part I understand the parts, but I can't put it together into a decent meaning.
きにする is to worry or care about something.
ようにする is to try to do something.
I guess して is here not meant as an imperative, but because this part should be before the "Thank you" part (sentence order is wrong, due to last part being added), but even then can't really figure it out.
Something like "Thank you, that you try to care for me"?


texts:
My friend told me I sound too polite when I say あなた, but my book only uses that for second person pronoun.
Are there multiple ways to say it and if so, which one is best to use with friends?


texts: What's a formal way of saying "seems like"?

texts:
I'm writing a formal essay and I need to use what's equivalent of 〜そうです for "seems like"

Please help
Thanks!


texts: Again, I was seeing the kanji for the word slow, 遅 and for remembering it I was trying to decompose it. This part  looks like a kanji but I can't find anywhere its meaning if it's really a kanji. Is it just a piece of kanji with no meaning or is it a kanji? If so, what does it mean?


texts:
While browsing Jishio.org, I come across this definition of こと. I tried googling "gentle interrogative Japanese", and found not much that explains what differentiates a "gentle interrogative" from another interrogative.

I then tried searching several times on Japanese.stackexchange.com, but nothing came up that aids my understanding of what a "gentle interrogative" is, what it means, and what makes it 'gentle' in comparison to other Japanese interrogatives.

Edit: Well then, I have no clue how to interpret the こと in the following sentence, other than as for 'difference'.

違(ちが)うのは、　辺りに人の気配がないことくらいだ。


texts: 全然 {ぜんぜん} with positive adjective / na-adjective

texts:
In Japanese classes, I was taught that 全然 can only be used with negative-meaning words/phrases/clauses, for example:

  全然出来ません
  全然だめです

However, I've observed that, especially in spoken Japanese, some positive na-adjectives are allowed to follow 全然 adverb, for example:

  全然平気です
  全然大丈夫です

Or even:

  全然OKです

Are there any reasons why these na-adjectives do not have to follow the 全然+negative rule? Given any other na-adjective with positive meaning, how to decide whether or not I can use it with the 全然 adverb? (e.g. 全然きれい)

p/s: I am fully aware that we have to look at the full sentence to determine whether the word/phrase/clause that follows 全然 is positive or negative, for example: {大丈夫じゃない} has negative meaning so {全然大丈夫じゃない} is OK. But I hear {全然大丈夫です} a lot in anime/drama, hence this question.


texts: Is there a term for vaping? The use of flavored type devices for vaping. I found the word denki tabako for the device. I was wondering what the verb would be. Thank you.


texts: Why does 熊 have 能 in it? What do the four dots mean, and what is that stroke called? When I say why does it have it in it, does anyone have either a linguistic interpretation, or am interpretive definition?


texts: To Underestimate: Nameru vs Anadoru 舐める vs 侮る

texts: Other than one being to lick, any difference between the 2 for underestimating?


texts: How to use へ (-e), に (-ni), まで (made) and の方 (no-hō) with destination and direction?

texts:
It is common to ask the difference between just "へ" (-e) and "に" (-ni) but it seems to get even more complicated when you also mix in "まで" (made) and even "の方" (no-hō).

When Japanese people ask me where I'm going they always ask "どこまで" (doko made)?" rather than "どこへ" (doko e) or "どこに" (doko ni) that I expected.

I know "まで" (made) can mean "until" but when I ask the difference with "に" (ni) and "へ" (e) I'm told "へ" (e) means "to" and "に" (ni) means "in the direction of" but if this is the case then how do they differ from "の方" (no-ho) which I already learned previously meant "in the direction of"?


texts: が Particle (Neutral-Descriptive) with Non-living things

texts:
I heard that when a non-living object does an action (verbs), it always uses the「が」particle, and when I searched for examples, it seems correct, since「は」always seems to be used as contrastive. However, after I learned about the Exhaustive and Neutral「が」, I don't know why the Neutral one is used here if it's not the Exhaustive:
車が壊れた。
タイヤがパンクした。
I also learned that intransitive verbs always use「が」(Or contrastive は) as well, so, how is it related to neutral「が」?


texts:
A nightmare is あくむ, which in kanji seems straightforward: 悪夢 (bad dream); however, "to have a nightmare" is うなされる, which has its own special kanji, 魘, which apparently is a verb since it's followed by sareru.
Is there overlap between these two expressions for "nightmare", 悪夢 and 魘? Can 悪夢 be turned into a verb to have the same meaning as うなされる, or is this unnatural?


texts: 必要だ　必要とする　必要がある　要る - difference

texts:
They all seem to mean 'need'. Do some sound stronger than the others? Are all of the following sentences grammatical, and if not which ones are?

お金が要る。

お金が必要だ。

お金を必要としている。

お金の必要がある。


texts: What does this mean to you if you were to see an application named "Japanese 語"?

texts:
My friend is creating a word card application to help people memorize Japanese words / Kanji.  The subject of what to call the application came up and he asked me for some suggestions. One of the requirements is that it's a very simple name with the word Japanese in English and then something else.

I suggested "Japanese 語" be the name of the application and I would like to get some input from the people here.

I already looked up the meaning of 語 but what I would like to know is does it look totally confusing or make some sense with the English word "Japanese" before it.


texts:
Just wondering about the correct particles in this sentence...

毎朝、何時にうちにでまか。

Any help would be greatly appreciated :)


texts: Breaking down the clauses in "好きになってもらいたいならまず人を好きになる"

texts:
I want to confirm if I'm parsing this sentence correctly. It's probably the difficulty of not having commas to break it up.

好きになってもらいたいならまず人を好きになる

Loosely, I'm translating this as

"If you want someone to like you, you should first like them."

I.e.

好きになってもらいたいなら - If wanting to receive someone's liking
まず人を好きになる - First like people.

Also it's not clear if 好き in this context is more of a generally being liked by people vs a liked by a single person?

"If you want people to like you, like others first"

Thanks!


texts: What is the meaning of the phrase 「歯のたつ相手」?

texts:
It is a situation that a boy who wanted to retaliate to another one but was prevented by an officer.

The first boy: はなせっ　あのやろうとケリをつけるんだ　こないだの借りをたたきかえしてやるんだっ

The officer (said to the first boy): この問題児めおまえに歯のたつ相手か！

In my opinion, the officer would ask something about how the first boy retaliate to the another one by using his teeth. However, I don't see any transitive verb to use with 'his teeth'. Is it possible that the phrase contains figurative meaning?


texts: 取らせたら: doubts about the Japanese causative form

texts:
I am reading よつばと！ On page 180 of volume 1, the character Janbo is telling Yotsuba-chan that he is a "pro" when it comes to catching cicadas. In the balloon it says:

  いいか よつば 俺はセミを取らせたらプロ級だぜ。 略してセミプロだ。

I understand the meaning of the sentence overall. What I don't understand exactly is the actual "grammar-like" usage of the causative 取らせる.

I tried to think grammatically

取らせる:
俺は取る。俺はセミを取る。
俺はセミを(よつばに)取らせる。
I'll allow (teach?) you to get cicadas.

・・・取らせたらプロだぞ。
If I "teach" you to catch cicadas, you'll be a "pro".

I wonder if that thought of mine is correct.

みなさん、教えてください。


texts: Using the Nelson index# as a means to order kanji? What do natives use?

texts:
What is the universal standard used by Japanese natives to assign ordering to a group of kanji that might be as simple as:
[決、元、川、湖]

As a non-native, my thinking is that I can use the index# of the Nelson Character Dictionary:

Every kanji has a kangxi radical or is the radical itself.
Kangxi radicals have an already decided ordering.
Within a group of kanji with the same kangxi radical, the tie-break is stroke count.
I don't know the final tie-breaker.

Nelson index# seems like a really good way to create an ordering, right?

But, there is zero chance that Nelson influences Japanese at all. It is just a view of the Japanese language intended for non-Japanese to use. So, for official Japanese bookkeeping, what is the universal standard for ordering kanji?

Basically, as the 3rd largest economy in the world, Japan cannot have chaotic record keeping. There must be a universally recognized way to order kanji. I'd like to know what it is. Maybe it is as simple as a look-up table.


texts: て form at end of phrase but not being used for requests

texts:
Sometimes I come upon phrases like this:

俺旅芸人の一座にいたんだけどそれがあの盗賊どもに襲われちゃってさー

Where the て form is used at the end but not for a request. It doesn't seem to be one of those cases where the order of the words is simply "inverted" either, so what's the nuance behind the て form in this case?


texts: Is it normal to put さん after an internet handle?

texts:
Is it ok to put さん after an internet handle, such as a twitter name or a username?

My suspicion is that you'd avoid adding さん if it'd confuse the software, and that addressing someone by their internet handle at all would be too casual in formal situations, but that otherwise you'd add さん or whatever honorific was appropriate.


texts: Why is こと used in 「私に何かできること」？

texts: How does it turn this into a noun clause? All I get from it is “I can do something” but I don’t see where こと fits in.


texts:
前田は僕に辞書をあげた。
前田は僕に辞書をくれた。
前田は僕に辞書をやりました。
Maeda gave me a dictionary.

These sentences have the same meaning. The first sentence used "ageta" as a verb, the second used "kureta", and the third used "yarimashita". What is the difference between these sentences? Are all of these sentences correct?


texts: What's the difference between ～れれば and ～れば?

texts:
別に僕は周りを無視して本に没頭したいわけでもないので、見ろと言われれば見る

Would it mean the same thing if 言われれば was replaced with 言われば? What's the difference if any between ~れれば and ~れば?

I'm also not certain of the meaning of the sentence- is the second part trying to say "If told to look, I'll look"? (If so 言われば would be fitting as well wouldn't it?)


texts: 言おう used here, I dont understand the grammar

texts:
I said good morning to my friend and they replied with:

  今言おうとしてたよ

I understood this as,

  I was just about to say the same thing

However, I asked them if they could explain the sentence just in case. They said 言おう is not like 言いましょう so I've become confused. What does it mean in this sentence?


texts:
大豆は他の作物が育ちにくい、やせた土地で栽培できるので、昔から日本各地で栽培されてきた。

Please help me understand the meaning of the sentence.

To me it looks like 大豆は他の作物が育ちにくい is a separate sentence, not connected with the rest. But it should be. If it is connected, why isn't にくい connected like an I-adjective （にくくて）？

Could you please translate the whole given sentence.

Thank you!


texts: 「だが」は単なる「が」に言い換えることができますか

texts:
このリンクにある「ちょっと〇〇するだけのつもりが、つい〇〇してしまった」の「つもりが」は実際は「つもりだが」の意味になっていると思えるんですけど、これは例外なのですか。それともどんな名詞の後ろにでも「だが」ではなく単に「が」が来られるということですか。

よろしくお願いします。


texts: Meaning of 然 in conjunctions and other grammatical words

texts:
Here are a few grammatical words that use 然 according to jisho.org:

  然し（しかし）

  however; but

  然して（そして）

  and; and then; thus; and now; and finally

  然うして（そうして）

  and; like that

  然も（しかも）

  (1) moreover; furthermore
  (2) nevertheless; and yet

  然も（さも）

  (1) really; extremely
  (2) in that way (Archaism)

  然う（そう）

  (1) in that way; thus; such
  (2) so (agreement)
  (3) so? (doubt)

  然るべき（しかるべき）

  proper; appropriate; due; suitable

According to jisho.org, the meanings of 然 are:

  sort of thing, so, if so, in that case, well

The relationship between all these different words and 然 is vague and hard to understand. Can you offer a logical analysis of why/how 然 is used in such expressions?


texts:
So I was listening to this song and practing a bit while doing so. When trying to translate this line the results I got so far were:

そう信じてこれから生きていけたらどれだけ素敵なんだろう
So believe me/it, from now on ... how wonderful it is, right?

My problem here is with:

生きていけたら it feels like it is the te form of 生きる + the pothential form and conditional form of some verb which I don't know.

Could it be something like 行けたら? But since it is along with the te form of another verb it is in hiragana instead of kanji.
Thanks in Advance, if any other points in my sentence or logic are wrong, please help me.


texts:
I was watching a few episodes of the anime for 魔法遣いに大切なこと and I couldn't help but notice that the main character, a girl from 岩手県 in this story, pronounced some words containing し as though they contained す instead, such as 私｛わたし｝ being pronounced 私｛わたす｝, or した being pronounced as すた, for example. I don't recall this coming from a specific dialect, but I could be proven wrong. This might not even be a dialect, but I guess my question is three part:

Am I hearing her right? Is she really pronouncing し closer to す?
Is there an area of Japan where this kind of pronunciation is common?
Does this derive from a dialect/Can this be considered a dialect?


texts: What does ドロドロしてた mean in 生徒会はこんなにドロドロしてた

texts:
To provide some context, if not apparent, they are looking to take part in the school election and have just been shown all the other groups that they are competing with.

From what I can see there are a lot of uses for ドロドロ and I'm not quite sure how to understand it in this context.

  雲母「このシートを見てみろ。我々の他に参戦している敵団体だ」

  灯「えっと……うわ、多い……」

  灯「放送委員会、神撫学園吹奏楽団、学園紳士淑女同盟、大世紀魔術研究部……委員会や部活だけじゃないんだー」

  雲母「それに加えて、前生徒会長。再選を狙い出馬しているらしい」

  歩武「うえぇ……俺達が無関心でいる間に、生徒会はこんなにドロドロしてたのか」


texts: Can the て-form be used as a た-form substitute?

texts:
I've been reading manga by myself for some time, and I've been noticing sentences where the て-form takes the role of a past tense marker (that is, the role of the た-form). At first I was letting it slide, but it keeps appearing in more and more cases and it's bugging me.

To put you an example, this is the most recent case I've stumbled upon (it's a girl talking about her experiences after visiting a game center):

  パンチングゲームしてたら、プロボクサーがパンチの打{う}ち方{かた}を教{おし}えてくれて！それで打{う}ったらすごい気{き}持{も}ちよくて！

I'm far from being an expert, but given the usage of the 〜たら conditional and the fact that she is talking about past experiences... wouldn't be more correct to use the た-form and say:

  パンチングゲームしてたら、プロボクサーがパンチの打{う}ち方{かた}を教{おし}えてくれた！それで打{う}ったらすごい気{き}持{も}ちよかった！

One possibility I thought of, is that she's using the て-form as a conjunctive form that would eventually lead to a final verb that would genuinely be in the た-form. Like, for example:

  …を教{おし}えてくれて、それで彼{かれ}の顔{かお}を打{う}った！

But she stops talking (a friend replies to her), she doesn't say more things about her visit to the game center, that final verb  in the た-form doesn't appear. And it doesn't appear either in the other cases I've come across.

So... I don't know anymore, I hope you could help me!


texts:
I just came across this sentence:

  日本語を上手に話すのは難しい。

While I do understand the meaning overall, I am confused as for why it's 話すのは instead of 話すは.
If anybody could explain what のは means, that'd be really helpful!


texts: How to use ～に同意する to agree or disagree with a person?

texts:
A couple of times I've tried to say "I agree with..." or "he agrees with..." but I don't know whether I'm using 同意{どうい}する correctly.

In what ways should に同意{どうい}している be used? Also, which particles should be used? Can only に be used before 同意{どうい}する or are there circumstances where other particles are used as well, such as と and を?

In many examples I've found using 同意{どうい}する, I've seen （だ）ということに or just （な）ことに (the だ/な after na adjectives/nouns and without だ/な after i adjectives/verbs it seems.) Is there a specific reason for using one over the other, e.g. is the longer （だ）ということに more polite, and what do these mean?

Some example sentences:

I agree with his opinion:

  彼{かれ}の意見{いけん}に同意{どうい}します。

I agree with him that oranges are tasty:

  オレンジはおいしいということ彼{かれ}に同意{どうい}します。

He agrees that apples are tasty:

  彼{かれ}はりんごがおいしいことに同意{どうい}します。

Many people agree that brussel sprouts don't taste nice:

  芽{め}キャベツはおいしくないということに同意{どうい}する人{ひと}が多{おお}い。

See also: What are the different ways of saying to agree or disagree with a person? for other ways of agreeing/disagreeing with someone.


texts: Why are "loanwords" written in katakana?

texts: I am interested in learning why katakana was chosen to represent foreign words.


texts: Handwritten kana that looks like ヤダ, but I can't find ヤダ in a dictionary

texts:
studying Japanese for some months now I, began translating some Japanese sentences written on pictures or drawings.
Unfortunately I came across a drawing with handwritten kana that I cannot clearly identify.

It's quite simple to read the both right kana, being ふぁ, I suppose they are pronounced as [Fa] and shall be a sound of relief, like "Ah" or "Phew".

But the two left kana are quite hard to identify for me, as I'm used to computer-written signs. So I'm not even sure whether this is Katakana or Hirakana...
The first kana could either be ヤ or や (although therefore the small dot at the top would be missing). But neither Jisho.org nor Google Translator gave any useful hints what the lower left kana is supposed to be... It might be ダ so the resulting term would be ヤダ [Yada]. But is that reasonable? No Japanese dictionary knew this term. Of course it's highly probably that this is just another term to describe a sound made by the speaker. But [Yada]? I can't imagine a reasonable equivalent nor an emotion, which the sound [Yada] could transmit.
Thanks a lot for your help!


texts: Can someone explain dialogue expressions? Momotarou

texts:
Trying to read and translate Momotarou and I don't quite understand these expressions.
So far I have

「うまい もも こっちゃ こい。

"Delicious peach ... come.

Reference translation: Sweet peach come here.

こっちゃ apparently means as for that thing/matter/fact. So I can kind of understand it just referring to the peach and not having an effect on an English translation. Correct?

にがい もも あっちゃ いけ。」

Bitter peach ... go."

Reference translation: Bitter peach go away.

あっちゃ is supposedly an expression

stone the crows; blow me down; oops; uh oh; expression of annoyed surprise or shock

But the translated dialogue has no reflection of this. Is it as simple as they just missed an exclamation mark? I might be horribly wrong, but it feels like Japanese dialogue has actual words for one's current emotion whereas English doesn't and it is based solely on the descriptive text before or after the dialogue. Is this something that is actually used in real life speech or only when dialogue is written?
Reference story: http://life.ou.edu/stories/momotarou.html


texts: Feminine equivalent term for aruji [主]{あるじ}?

texts: Is there a feminine equivalent to aruji? If a servant was addressing a noblewoman, what term would they use? I am looking for the more archaic term, not one that would used in current ordinary speech. (I understand that 'aruji' is fairly archaic.)


texts:
I have a couple of situations I was hoping someone could help me understand if が or は is more appropriate in the following situations.
Scenario A: Describing what a person is doing.

You are by yourself and you see a complete stranger buying food and for whatever reason you feel like muttering "That person is buying food over there".
You are with a friend who also sees the stranger and also doesn't know who the stranger is and you want to let your friend know and say to them "That person is buying food over there."
You see celebrity Ariana Grande who you know about because you listen to their music (but don't know them personally) and they are buying food and you want to mutter to yourself "Ariana Grande is buying food over there".
You see celebrity Ariana Grande buying food. You're with your friend who you believe is also familiar with Ariana Grande and you want to let your friend know and say to them "Ariana Grande is buying food over there".
You see celebrity Ariana Grande buying food. You're with your friend and you believe they wouldn't know who Ariana Grande is because they don't listen to pop music and you want to let your friend know and say to them "Ariana Grande is buying food over there."
You are with your friend and you see another person who is actually John and is friends to you both so you both know who John is. John is buying food. You want to let your friend know and say to them "John is buying food over there."

Scenario B: Describing a person's features

You are by yourself and see a complete stranger with red hair and for whatever reason you feel like muttering "That person has red hair."
You are with a friend and you see a complete stranger with red hair and you want to let your friend know who also doesn't know the stranger and you want to say to them "That person has red hair."
You see celebrity Ariana Grande with red hair who you know of and want to mutter "Ariana Grande has red hair."
You see celebrity Ariana Grande with red hair. You're with your friend who you believe is also familiar with Ariana Grande and you want to let them know and say to them "Ariana Grande has red hair."
You see celebrity Ariana Grande with  red hair. You're with your friend who doesn't know who Ariana Grande is and you want to let them know and say to them "Ariana Grande has red hair."
You are with your friend and you see another person who is actually a friend called John and he is actually friends to you both so you both know who John is. John has red hair. You want to let your friend know and say to them "John has red hair."


texts: Phrases to describe looking something up somewhere other than a dictionary

texts:
Looking something up in a dictionary is

辞書{じしょ}を引{ひ}く

But what about looking something up in ALC?　Which particle is correct? Would we say

  ALCで確認{かくにん}しました

or

  ALCを確認{かくにん}しました

or something else?


texts:
I'm studying なら conditional form now and cannot understand the following:
In a "Dictionary of basic japanese grammar" there is a note that s1ならs2 (s=sentence) could not be used when: 1) s1 never fails to occur; 2)one can never tell whether s1 condition is true or false and 3) when the speaker already knows that s1 is true.

The question is connected to the 2nd rule. There is an example　(of what is deemed wrong and ungrammatical according to 2nd rule): あした雨が降るなら試合はないでしょう。
It is said that one could never tell whether tommorow will be rain or not.
However, on Internet I have found a next example which is considered grammatical, as I've understood: 明日雨なら、うちでテレビを見ます。

Both of them are connected to the uncertain future event, and it is impossible for the speaker to determine will the rain happen or not... Then what is the difference? Is it the use of Verb before なら which makes the first construction wrong?

Please help :)


texts:
So, the sentence I wanna build here is (talking about reading japanese books):

  Every/Each line you read, there are lots of new kanjis and words.

The only pattern I remember that is a bit similar to that is すれば…するほど, but I think that would end up changing the meaning to "The more lines you read, the more...".

So, with the research I did, the best I could come up with is:

  それぞれ一条を読むと、新しい漢字や言葉がたくさんある。

google actually recommends me to use 「すべての」 but I guess that's totally wrong.


texts: What's the difference between 歩んでいった and 歩んできた?

texts:
私はまっすぐな人生を歩んできた。

  私はまっすぐな人生を歩んでいった。

Could someone explain to me the difference between the two? Thanks a lot!

Edit:
I still find ていった confusing even after reading the other post.

So まっすぐな人生を歩んで行った would have the meaning walking a straight forward life until some time before the present?

So if I wanted to say: Tom used to walk a straight forward life (He doesn't nowadays). I would say:

  トムはまっすぐな人生を歩んで行った。

I asked native speakers about the sentence I made and they said ていった would not be used when referring to yourself. If you were referring to yourself, you would use てきた.

  僕はまっすぐな人生を歩んでいった。とは、言いませんよ。

  彼はまっすぐな人生を歩んでいった。なら言えます。主語（Subject)が自分のときは「てきた」を使います。

This would be correct instead:

  彼はまっすぐな人生を歩んで行った

Why is that?


texts: 鶏肉【とりにく】? 鶏肉【けいにく】? 鶏肉【ちょうにく】? チキン? for chicken meat

texts:
Others have asked about "chicken meat" in general, but I do not see any answer to this question: what is the usage difference between:

鶏肉【とりにく】,
鶏肉【けいにく】,
鶏肉【ちょうにく】,
and
チキン?

Thanks.


texts: How 聞いてた differs from 聞いた in this context?

texts:
I think ていた/ている is often used in the following context.

  A：Bla Bla Bla
  A：話、聞いてた？
  B：ごめん。聞いてなかった。ちょっと、ボーッとしてた

Another context

  A said something to B before he left, but B didn't hear it.
  B: Aさん、何か言った？Cは聞いてた。Aさんはなんて言っていたのかな？
  C: ええ、今の聞いていなかったの？

I think てた/てる might refer to a particular period or time, but I wonder if た is possible in the same context.

Will 聞いた and ボーッとした ever be used here?


texts:
For example in the sentence:

書くだけでいいですか.


texts:
こんな状況で、俺は勉学に励んでなんかいられるのか？学費も特例で後払いを認めてもらったが、極悪組をどうにかしないことには、支払いもままならないだろう。

[speaker owes a lot of money to the bad guys, is being harassed]

  In this situation, (how can i ?) try to study? I've been granted special approval to defer my school fees, but if i don't do something
  about the bad guys, there's no way i can pay it.

I take てなんか as described in なんか after て- form of a verb ,

俺は勉学に励んでなんかいられるのか ＝　can it be that i (do such a thing like) focus on my studies?

Very awkward to read going directly from なんか into いられる and nominmalizing it. Is there a non-contracted form of this phrase?

Thank you.


texts:
In these lyrics, I came across the following verses:

夜明けの光り 眩しい仲間
宇宙の神話 今日もはじまる
未来をめざして

Does the particle も indicate emphasis of 今日 in this case?
My best guess is that the second line should be translated as "It is now that the mythology of the universe begins" (in the sense that the it starts right now, not in another situation).
Translating the sentence as "The mythology of the universe also starts today" sounds unfamiliar.


texts: と (to) vs に (ni) in a phrase like "I am speaking with/to"

texts:
I've heard the following two sentences and I'd like to understand the differences between the two, if any, and when it is appropriate to use one vs the other:

おいしゃさんとはなしています
おいしゃさんにはなしています

It is my understanding that these both translate to "I am speaking to the doctor", but what is the difference between と and に here?


texts:
What's the difference between

  きのう、いちじかんほんをよみました。

and

  きのう、いちじかんほんをよんでいました。

?

What would be the equivalent English translations for the two sentences?


texts: So I understand 人外 is an anagram of 外人, but does 外人人外 mean evil foreigner?

texts: Title says all. This is purely 100% out of curiosity and by no means meant to offend anyone. Problem is, I very rarely see 人外 used anywhere.


texts: What sort of meaning does the word "達磨" take on when it's used in a descriptive sense?

texts:
The only 達磨 I'm familiar with is daruma dolls, however I've seen/heard this used in a descriptive sense in anime and novels.

I can recall seeing a character using it in a novel for example, I don't remember the exact Japanese but she was scolding her colleague in a restaurant saying "hurry up and finish the dishes you hairy daruma!" (Her colleague has wild hair and a funny looking goatee.) Or in another book where the author wrote "筋肉達磨になった男" in reference to a man who had become stupidly muscular.

So what sort of meaning is it supposed to take on in contexts like that? Is there some metaphorical meaning?


texts:
I'm unsure about the meaning of ようす in some dictionary definitions. Most of the time I translate it in my mind to "State of being + adjective" but sometimes it doesn't seem to fit, like in the definitions I have for these two kanji:

峨 : 山の高くけわしいようす。
嵯 : 山が高くけわしいようす。

So, is it along the lines of "The fact, for a mountain, of being tall and steep" or rather "Looking high and steep like a mountain"?


texts: Translate "Scratch that" in the meaning "disregard previous statement" to Japanese

texts:
For example, when ordering something, if you ask for one, but then think again and want to order two, you would say "One, scratch that, two."
The closest I found is いや, but that appears to be casual/rude.


texts:
彼女が大変興奮していたのに気づかなかったのか。
And what if I say
彼女が大変興奮して気づかなかったのか。?


texts: looking for a haiku maybe written by Sasaki Sadako

texts:
I'm looking for the Japanese text of the following haiku, maybe written by Sasaki Sadako :

Statute of A-bomb child
she seems as if walking
after a butterfly

I found the English text here. The author may be Sasaki Sadako (see the mention "Sadoka Sasaki - a thousand of cranes") or Yasuhiko Shigemoto (but I don't see this haiku in the texts written by this author and available online).
I guess "Statute of A-bomb child" is the translation of "原爆の子の像" (seven morae).


texts: How does という work in the following sentence?

texts:
I've read online that という is translated as : called, that, like.
But how does this sentence translate:
コンサート・ピアニストになりたいという夢は終わった、という気分でした。
There are two instances of という here and the first instance I don't really understand why that's there. The second usage at the end translate to "felt like."
How would the first part of the sentence translate with という. I don't understand where the "like, that, called" comes into the translation.
I guess I'm asking what is the function of という in the sentence :
コンサート・ピアニストになりたいという夢は終わった
Is という in this case perhaps categorizing the idea of wanting to become a pianist as a dream?


texts:
Hi? What's the difference in terms of usage of wa and wo in some sentences like this one
"are wo kudasai" and "are wa nandesuka?". But I'm sure it's not because of wether it is a statment or a question. Can someone help me about this?


texts: Question regarding Zutto and Datta in the same clause

texts:
I'm still just learning Japanese,so forgive me if this is a silly question. I'm confused... How can something be "zutto" and "datta" at the same time?

(A) ずっと好きだった (zutto suki datta)
Which I translated as "had always liked." (making the "suki" past tense)

But I saw someone else translate:

(B) "ずっとあなたが好きだった" (zutto anata ga suki datta)
as "I’ve always loved you."

Which is correct? Is the "like/suki" continuous or just past tense?


texts:
Both are counters for occurrences. Would they be interchangeable in the following sentence?

パリ行きの電車は一日に二回出発します。


texts: Is or was ピカドン used for lightning and thunder?

texts: I've read that ピカドン (onomatopoeia for a flash and for a loud bang) is used for atomic bombs, but is it, or was it prior to Hiroshima, used to describe the flash of lightning and the sound of thunder?


texts:
So a random stroll through Wikipedia reveals that Tanuki or "raccoon dogs" have a fascinating place in Japanese folklore. It seems Nintendo often includes tanuki or tanuki aspects in its games. In particular, Tom Nook and his adoptive children in the Animal Crossing games are tanuki!

In Japanese (at least, anglicized), Tom Nook's name is "Tanukichi". I originally assumed that "ichi" must be a diminutive suffix indicating cuteness, however the closest thing I could find spelling wise is "chichi" which seems to be an informal term for father like "dad". However it's entirely possible that the anglicized spelling similarity is totally coincidental.

Is there any obvious etymology of "Tanukichi" in the original Japanese?


texts:
When people's names are listed with both sides aligned (either in horizontal or vertical writing), for example, in the ending scroll of a movie, there is a seemingly complicated rule (to me).
When the length of the name (family plus given) is not three characters, the positioning is such that the characters are distributed evenly, without particular segmentation between the family and the given name parts:

X* = family name, Y* = given name
X　　　　　　　　　　Y
X　　　Y　　　Y　　　Y
X　　　X　　　Y　　　Y
X　　　X　　　X　　　Y
X　　Y　　Y　　Y　　Y
X　　X　　Y　　Y　　Y
X　　X　　X　　Y　　Y
X　　X　　X　　X　　Y

However, when the length is three, it seems as if a space character is inserted between the family and the given parts and the positioning is done counting in the space character, like this:

X　　　　　　　Y　　　Y
X　　　X　　　　　　　Y

Considering the rules for the other cases, I would rather expect:

X　　　　　Y　　　　　Y
X　　　　　X　　　　　Y

Why is it like as is? Is there a rule behind that makes the length-3 cases non-exceptional, or is there a reason why length-3 is exceptional, or, is it just due to inconsistency/stupidity of whomever started it?
Edit
Or to see it from the other side, it is natural that a space be inserted in between the family and the given names (as Dave points out in the comment). Then, why are the cases other than length-3 (except the length-2 case, which can be interpreted in either way) not having a space? I would rather expect:

X　　 　　Y　　Y　　Y
X　　X　　 　　Y　　Y
X　　X　　X　　 　　Y

and so on.
Edit
These are links to some pictures that describe the situation (with some variations):

picture
picture
picture
picture
picture


texts: Double AのようにBのように , does it mean the following

texts:
I have previously (fuller text is there) asked about this line, but not about this part.

The part I'm interested in is:

  母のように娘のように大切にしていた相手

I think this basically means:

  "Person/other side, A cared greatly about, like a mother would, like a daughter would"

Basically the part where is says that someone cared about someone else like they were the daughter and the mother is a bit strange. So I'm wondering if this might not just be a wierd way to say "cared for the other person as a mother does for a daughter", but that doesn't fit I think.

Also context wise there are two people A and B, they aren'nt actually related but their relationship was weird. Here I think they are describing things form A's PoV because this text box is placed over A and fits with what happened before, of A having no choice but to let B go. A cared about the B a lot, and tends to reffer to B and some else as her children. But at the same time A was younger than B and B felt responsible for A and in the end sacrificed herself so A can live on. So them at times flipping who the mother is could fit.

I'm just not sure if there is a simpler interpretation before I force in mine.


texts:
Normally, I don't have much trouble finding written kanji. However, this one has me stumped:

The closest character I can find is 逃.


texts: What's the difference between 省略 and 略称？

texts: I've come across these words many times over the years, but I realized that I don't have a proper conceptualization of the concrete difference between them. Can I ask for some sample sentences which highlight the nuances in these words?


texts: What sort of tone/nuance does せいぜい have? Can it be sarcastic or condescending?

texts:
I understand that せいぜい has implies 'at most' or 'at best' such as:

  田中：今日、８時に横浜駅ね。仕事遅くならない？
  加村：大丈夫だよ。いつも通りに終わるから、せいぜい７時半までしか残業しないから。

However, in my notes I have my sensei saying that:

  *相手の能力などを低く考えている言い方：

  『だめだろうけど、せいぜい頑張って。』

I am a little confused by this second usage, is it implying a sense of sarcasm or hopelessness towards the person being spoken? Along the lines of 'the best you can do is try'?

If so, could you provide any other examples which illustrate this second meaning?

Thank you!


texts: Do you always need the passive voice when saying what happened to you?

texts:
For example if I wanted to say “He told me what I needed to know.”
would I say

  彼に知らなきゃことを教えられた？

Or would it be something different?

And do I always need to use it if I’m telling someone what happened to me?

She told me. 言われた。

He saw me yesterday. 昨日見られた。

Are those the most natural?

Edit: I’m looking for examples in informal speech, thanks!


texts: What is the speaker afraid of in this sentence?

texts:
えっと。。美琴ひどい人だなって思われるかもしれないけど、下手にかかわらない方がいいんじゃないかと、思ったり。。。

The context is that 美琴 is advising the listener not to approach another person (望) who is an acquintance with a bit of a bad attitude. 望 had gotten into an argument with another person. 望 was in the wrong but won't admit it. The listener does not know 望 well, but jokingly offers to teach her some manners. Then 美琴 says the above line.

At first I thought 美琴 was afraid that the listener would take offense to being called 下手. But now, based on the context, I'm thinking she's afraid that the listener will think "she's implying that 望 is a jerk and shouldn't be approached, how rude".

Can you tell which it is just based on the above sentence? How?


texts:
Are these translations correct?

"As per the survey conducted on the students..."

  [学生]{がくせい}たちに[対]{たい}する[調査]{ちょうさ}によると……

(students are the topic of the research)
"As per the survey conducted among the students..."

  [学生]{がくせい}たちにおける[調査]{ちょうさ}によると……

(students are the target population for the research; the topic could be anything)

What would be the recommended way to state the following?

"As per the survey conducted on alcohol among the students..."

(alcohol is the topic while students is the target population)


texts: Is 小判{こばん} understood as a slang term for coins or money in general?

texts:
I watched this video in which the story is supposed to be a folk tale but everybody speaks an exaggerated ギャル語 slang. The video has subtitles that explain all the ギャル語 words.

The word 「[ＫＢＮ]{ケービーエヌ}」 was used frequently. In the subtitles it was "translated" to 「小判」, an Edo period gold coin. I understand that in the video the coins are probably supposed to be koban, but because this video was about the ギャル語 slang, it made me wonder if the word is still used for money in general.


texts: Does the word レストラン make saying 中国レストラン strange?

texts: I see that the WWWJDIC emphasizes western style restaurants for the word レストラン. So would there be a better word to use in 中国レストラン?


texts:
I think that the both of them mean before, but I have seen that they are sometimes use in parent-child metaphors, but I always get confused with these.
Some examples of ○○先、○○元 words would be appreciated.

どうぞよろしくお願いします。


texts: What is the closest equivalent expression to "don't get your panties in a bunch"?

texts:
"To get one's panties in a bunch", from Wikitionary:

  To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter. [Usually used towards women.]

What is the closest Japanese equivalent expression to this? (Hopefully, there's a bit more than just a simple 落ち着いて).


texts: Phrase/word for "human to god" love / idolatry?

texts: A Korean friend used a word that I believe was a Japanese loan word, that he said meant a "human to god" kind of love - an 'inferior' being loving or idolizing a 'superior' one. It wasn't a phrase but just one word... Does this sound familiar or should I ask around on a Korean site?


texts: Does anyone know what this onomatopoeia means?

texts:
So, I watch a lot of anime but one scene in an anime called "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" uses onomatopoeia very often, I'm trying to find out the meaning of this one in particular

(I don't know much about the Japanese language.)
I tried looking it up on multiple different platforms but no luck. I'm trying to find out so I can understand the meaning in an upcoming project of mine. I can't even tell if this is kanji!


texts: What does 端に触れただけだというのに mean?

texts:
あいつの力は端に触れただけだというのに容赦なく心臓を磨り潰されるような.

I'm trying to translate this sentence but I don't quite understand what 端に触れた would mean.
端 means end; tip; point; edge; margin and 触れる means to touch; to feel; experience; so given the meanings I understood at first that the speaker says "Even if I felt his power just from an end, it's like my heart is being crushed mercilessly."
The reason why I thought it like that is because the speaker is far away from this powerful being (あいつ) and I assumed that the powerful guy gives off energy even from a distance, the speaker feeling it and affecting him. That's why I was thinking that 端に would mean that the speaker says that "even from my end, where I am now, even from here I can feel his tremendous power".
That's how I thought about it. What do you think?


texts: What does the prefix ご in this sentence mean?

texts:
I'm aware that

ご家族は何人ですか

means how many people are in your family?
But the ご how is used? What does mean?

It would be the same as

あなたの家族は何人ですか/家族は何人ですか?


texts:
While reading I came across a strange usage which none of my dictionaries could decipher.

  腰を仲ばし、両手を大きく振りながら、てくてく歩く。

While googling I found the sentence 手を前方に進め上体を倒しながら仲ばします accompanied by a picture of someone doing stretching exercises.

From what I know ば is a particle used for conditions but I don't know how 仲 comes into the picture.


texts: 橘花: きっか or きつか? When つ in compound words turns into っ?

texts:
I can't find any grammar rules about transformation of つ in っ in compound words.
For example 橘花 (WW2 japanese jet). 橘 is きつ and 花 is か. Pronunciation is not きつか but きっか (some people say きつか is ok too, but きっか is actually right).
Or words with kanji 絶 (ぜつ): 絶望 (ぜつぼう), 絶滅 (ぜつめつ), but 絶息 (ぜっそく), 絶交 (ぜっこう).
Can anyone explain please?


texts:
これは教科書に書いてある文です。

  明治時代に入ると、徐々に洋服化が進み、一般にも普及した。 現在では、男性も女性も世界の一流デザイナーのプレタポルテを身に着けることが特別でないほど、すっかり洋服が定着している。 その需要の高さから、ファッションショーの舞台もパリ、ニューヨークから東京へ移りつつあると言われるほどである。

  ...

  現在では、男性も女性も世界の一流デザイナーのプレタポルテを身に着けることが特別でないほど、すっかり洋服が定着している。

しかし、その「でないほど」の意味がわかりません。

Googleを利用して「でないほど」を検索したら、結果がたくさん出て来たけど、大半の結果は動詞「でる」の否定形「でない」に関係するので、この質問の「名詞+でないほど、・・・」に説明できません。

StackExchangeにも「でないほど」に関する質問がありますけど、

Meaning of 持てない in 充電中は持てないほど暑くなるんだけど

これは「動詞てないほど」の結果で、Googleの結果と同じのようです。


texts:
軽口とお喋りが過ぎて伯母さんには嫌われてたっけ。

What is the meaning of と？They were describing someone. The only thing I could guess would be "When", but I'm not sure since the phrase would be kind of strange.

EDIT : I'm sorry, as murakamifund300 stated, the real problem wasn't the meaning of と - which just means "and" - but the two nouns before and after were - which are not identical as I thought at first.


texts:
I am reading Alita Battle Angel, and I came across a sentence that I do understand, but for some reason is conjugated to the negative.  Please could someone break the sentence down for me?

    (After becoming just your head, you have become rather talkative)

    取｛と｝り憑{つ｝く体によって知能レベルがどうも　左右{さゆう}されていかん…

    (My intelligence is influenced by the body I possess...)

My understanding is that どうも gives the meaning of 'somewhat, fairly, quite', but I do not know why いかない is not in the plain form. Also, what does it do when the passive form of the main verb is used?


texts: Are numbers part of romaji? (i.e. 1, 2, 3 vs 一二三)

texts:
Romaji is when you use the Roman alphabet to write out Japanese. I.e. you use "abc" instead of "あいうえお". Taking that one step further, what do you call it when you use "123" instead of "一二三"? My first thought was to call it "Roman numerals", but those are "I, II, III"...so would they be "Romaji numbers"? I realize usually we would just call them "numbers" in English (and in Japanese "数字"), but there is there a way to call them when there is a need to differentiate them?

The reason why I'm asking is because I was reading a book, and someone's age was written out in kanji numbers, and it got me thinking.


texts:
The phrase in question is: 広瀬さんが指導碁をお願いしにみえてるんだけど

In context, I think it means something like "Hirose-san came to ask for a teaching game, but..." but I still have not been able to break down my understanding of this phrase to my own satisfaction.

It is the form しにみえてる that I am stuck on. As I understand it, にみえる usually means that something appears a certain way (appears to be asking for a teaching game?), but in that case then I would expect the form て見える or ように見える when attached to a verb, I have not been able to find this form of 連用形 + に見える。

I also understand that v1連用形 + に + v2 means to do v2 for the purpose of v1, for example 見に行く means to go see something. But it seems this only applies to movement verbs like 行く and 見える is not such a verb.

I also thought of てみる (trying to ask for a teaching game?) but I don't think that makes sense here either and anyway there is no て form.

Thanks again for all your help.


texts: Difference in nuance regarding AはＢがＣ and ＡのＢはＣ

texts:
For instance,

  Ａの髪は黒い (1)

vs

  Ａは髪が黒い (2)

(and possibly also)

  Ａの髪が黒い (3)

My understanding is that they all mean the same thing, except that (1) and (3) differ by which part of the sentence is emphasized (after the particle for (1), while before for (3)). But I'm not too certain about the implication for (2) in this case.


texts: I'm trying to figure out the difference between the two. I think てくれる can be used when talking about others but then why not just use てあげる for others and てもらう for yourself


texts: How did 家, 手, and 士 come to be included in the names of professions?

texts:
When I look at the words for professions, there are usually kanji such as 員、者、長、師、屋 and such, that end the name. These appear to make sense to me; however, what about ones such as 家、手、and 士?

For example, why does 歌手 mean "singer"? Does this have anything to do with 手 or "hands"? The same could be said for 作家 similarly.

How did these kanji as suffixes come about to represent any given profession? Why not any others?


texts: What's the 日本語 equivalent of "~ism"? (ex. Capitalism, Catholicism, Marxism, etc.)

texts: What's the Japanese equivalent of the English conjugation "~ism"? Like in things like Capitalism, Socialism, Islamism, Catholicism, Liberalism, Atheism, etc.?


texts:
Nowadays, Japanese people usually keep their names as is, except using the Latin alphabet, and having their given name before their surname, when they're in English-speaking countries.

By contrast, many immigrants into English-speaking countries, even those from countries with European languages, had their names Anglicised, and it still goes on today, at least with native speakers of Chinese.

Did Japanese people, or their descendants, use to anglicise their names, especially before, during or soon after WWII?


texts:
I know ところ means place, but I can't get it here. Does ところ have another meaning?

ある学生に会うところです。


texts: Is there any difference between そこで and それで?

texts: I know that they can both mean "so, therefore, because of that" etc., so what is the difference when I use them with that meaning?


texts: Why is 田 read as だ instead of た/でん in 山田?

texts:
When looking up 田 on Jisho.org/田, it states it's readings as た and でん, but when the kanji is used in the family name Yamada (山田), the reading obviously changes to 'da'/だ.

Is this something you just 'have to know'? Or why isn't the fellow called Yamata?


texts:
When the meaning is 'to take' why would I choose to use 受け取る rather than just 取る? Are they equivalent or do they carry different nuances? Here's an example:

  「もしよろしければ、オレンジの皮をいただけますか」と言い、受け取ると、わたしに背を向けて、いそいで皮を食べた。

  "If it's okay, can I have your orange peel please?" he said, and when he had taken it, he turned his back to me and hurriedly ate it.


texts: What is 何のこともかんのことも?

texts:
What is the meaning of 何のこともかんのことも?

What does かん stand for here?

In context:

The first person says: 「旦那様、それは何のことでやんすか。人ぎきの悪いことだ」,
to which the second person answers, beginning with 何のこともかんのことも and continuing by explaining what the matter was.


texts:
I saw this phrase discussed on esaura.cc

  話が噛み合わない
  'There's a gap in their conversation.'
  'They can't meet on common ground.'
  'They have been at odds with each other.'
  'They have not been on the same page.'

Is this the same 噛み as in [噛]{か}み[付]{つ}く 'to bite (at), to snap at, to snarl at' or 噛{か}む 'to bite, to chew, to gnaw'? If so, or if not so, would anyone care to explain or expand on the metaphoric implications of the original sentence (on the assumption that it uses a metaphor)?

Here is the original page: http://esaura.cc/questions/598


texts: Is お茶を飲みます just "I will drink tea" or does it have other meanings?

texts: In an article I found it said  the  meaning of it  is "I will drink tea." But in another article it showed the meaning to be  "(Someone is) drinking tea." So can it  be used to say "He/she is drinking tea" and "He/she will drink tea"?


texts: '私は学生です' & '夜に部屋では電気をつけない' : 'は'　'では'

texts:
I'm so confused about the sentence structure'...では...'
we say '私は学生です' 'は' here can mean 'be'
but Japanese people would say '夜に部屋では電気をつけない' and 'その店では洋書が売られている'
So the first sentence mean '(I) don't switch on the light in (my) room at night' The particle 'で'serves as a preposition which has meaning similar to 'in'.  But what's the point in adding 'は' here?

Is it okay to elimiate 'は' from the sentence? Any changes in meaning when は　or で is included or exclused in the sentence??


texts:
This is a line of dialogue Shingeki no kyojin S2 05:

  自分の体調も把握できねぇやつが、 評価欲しさに来ちゃいけねぇ訓練を受けちまった。

what means "評価欲しさに来る? In general, when 評価欲しさ is used?


texts: Relationship between Respect and Politeness in Japanese

texts:
As I begin to learn sonkeigo and kenjougo, I have come across several websites stating that levels of politeness and levels of respect are independent and not to be confused. I understand the concept of politeness without respect, but it seems to me that respect naturally contains the concept of politeness. (One would not be sloppy casual toward a respected person.) Furthering my confusion, an apparently reliable website gives the following example: “私はただいま自宅におります。… Addressee honorific. Your being at home does not affect anyone. Using おります is just politeness to the addressee.” That example’s explanation uses both “honorific” and “politeness” with respect to the same one word. Similarly, I’ve seen teineigo described as both the second politeness level and the first respect level.

My question is: would it be more accurate to say that sometimes expressions of politeness are independent of respect, but at other times a word indicates both? (I understand that keigo allows for various degrees of expressing both politeness and respect.)


texts: What is the implication when a girl refers to herself using "うち"? Is it meant to be more or less feminine? Neutral? Tomboyish?

texts: I realize it is a kind of Kansai-ben but how does it compare to　the other forms of "I" in terms of how they want to represent themselves?


texts: Can I use both 気温 and 温度 when asking for the weather temperature?

texts: Can I use 気温 and 温度 when asking for the weather temperature? Both terms indicate temperature. Which one is more commonly used?


texts:
I have been watching some anime recently and I often hear people say にげよ (逃げよ in kanji maybe?) and it is usually translated as "(Let's) escape!".

I want to know why it is translated this way. According to my knowledge, 逃げ is the 連用形 of 逃げる, to escape. And よ is a sentence ending particle that adds little meaning to the sentence. IMO, "(Let's) escape!" should be something like 逃げろ. Does this mean that 連用形 can sometimes replace the imperative form? I have never heard anyone say 書き！ or 食べ！ to give commands.

Or did my ears not work properly and mistook the ろ as a よ?


texts: Meaning of しっかり頑張ってこい

texts:
I would like to know what しっかり頑張ってこい means and if it has any difference (any extra nuance) with がんばって.

Also:

Why is こい (command form of くる) used?

In which situation do you use this expression?


texts:
A few minutes ago on TV I heard the phrase 「すこしじつ」. The broadcast is about cuisine 「料理」. Maybe I misheard it, because I can not translate it in vocabularies..
I think it begins with 「少{すこ}し」, then..?


texts: Do the Japanese read Classical Chinese poems in Japanese or in on-readings?

texts:
The pros and cons of both approaches are obvious.

1) If you read by conversion into Japanese through kanbun, you get the sense. Meanwhile, you lose the rhythm, and sometimes it is not obvious what the Japanese rendering is.

2) If you read by string of on-readings, there is rhythm, and it rhymes! But any hope that it is understandable to the bystanders is excluded.

How do Japanese normally do?


texts:
I'm having trouble with the following line from Death note (anime):

  Light: これはお互いが、「深まった」と了承しあう為の儀式だ！

(context is that 2 characters are playing tennis to try to psychologically out do the other)

The translation I have, reads:

  This is just a ritual to acknowledge that we've become friends.

I don't understand where the "just" comes from.

I had it more literally like this: "As for this, it is a mutual acknowledgement ritual of our meeting to deepen our friendship". I don't understand what the first part is doing in relation to the last part and why we have し and 為 both indicating the reason for something. How the が fights in is also puzzling.

If someone could dissect and explain the grammar operation here that would help.


texts:
I have been studying pitch accent for a few months now, primarily from the NHK Accent Dictionary. My Japanese is not terribly strong, so it took me a while to muddle through the explanations and figure out all the appendices - counters, compound nouns, auxiliaries, etc. - but I got there in the end. However, there is one thing that is just completely stumping me: honorifics, as in 〜さん, ～さま, 〜ちゃん,　〜君, etc.

I searched the internet multiple times, unsuccessfully. I have searched through every location in the book and I can't find anything.  The only other thing that I can't see detailed in the book is case particles, but I understand how they work. I ended up putting several names+honorific into the Suzuki-kun Prosody Tutor and observing that they seem to work as particles. After discovering that, I did manage to find this:

'For instance, the very important endings ～さん, ～ちゃん, and ～さま behave like most particles. The pitch does not change. If the name is 頭高型, it still is with them. With 君, there is typically no change, but if the name is 平板型, the resulting phrase may become 尾高型. Lastly, titles tend to be accented, but they don't have to be when the surname is accented.' (https://www.imabi.net/pitch.htm)

However, there's no source and no corroboration from anywhere else. Can anybody confirm this or possibly point me in the direction of official sources?


texts: What do the words 「ばかこくでねえ」 and 「へえるはずさ」 mean?

texts:
I have found it in a manga. It is a dialogue discussing to the third person going into a Pachinko shop.

Here is the full sentence.

  ばかこくでねえ へえるはずさ あとで パチンコ屋【や】の店【てん】員【いん】がしらべたらよ。

What do the words ばかこくでねえ and へえるはずさ mean?


texts: What is the term for "grounded" in the sense of a punishment?

texts:
Children are often punished by their parents by not allowing them to go out.

In English, we call this action grounding and the child is grounded.

Is this a similar punishment in Japan? And what is it called?


texts:
I was taught to use 未来 and 将来 to reference the future but after actually interacting with native speakers I've noticed that these words are not often used.

I'd like to know how to express the following future time phrases as I don't believe that they would use either 未来 or 将来. I'll give my best guess as to how I think that the sentence might be expressed.

I'll see you in a bit.（もうちょっとで会う）

In the future, I'd like you to email me instead of call me. (今後、電話じゃなくてメールをしてください)

No one knows what the future holds for us.(この先に何があるかが誰でもわかりません)

This was merely a proof of concept and future projects will be at a much larger scale. (これはただの概念実証(?)なので次のプロジェクトは遥かに大きな規模になります）

In addition are there any other useful/common time phrases for talking about the future?


texts: How to ask what days of the week someone does something

texts:
How would I ask some "What days of the week do you go to school?"
Would "なんようび、がっこうへいきますか" be a correct translation?


texts:
For full context:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20180306/k10011353421000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001

The sentence in question:
新燃岳で爆発的な噴火が起きたのは、７年前の平成２３年以来で、気象庁は、噴火警戒レベル３を継続し、大きな噴石や火砕流に警戒するよう呼びかけています。

I would translate the part surrounding よう as "...they called out that one shall pay attention to great cinders and pyroclastic flow."
But I never saw よう used in this way.


texts:
I have come across the following sentence :

  そのダンボールゴミに出す分ですか？

I understand it means something like "Are you throwing out this cardbox?". But what does 分 mean in this context and why is it at that position in the sentence?


texts:
The sentence:

これまでの私とは違うんです

translates to

I am not the same as before

according to the anki deck I am currently using. I can't see why it means this (maybe because I don't understand what the とは particle means in this case) no matter how i look at it. Any help would be appreciated


texts:
When I read a light novel, sometimes I see some weird verb that does not have る like it's supposed to. For example, I see 越え instead of 越える, or 抱え instead of 抱える.

From the first page of 生徒会探偵キリカ:

  クラブの数は三百を越え、体育会系も文化系も全国大会常連クラスの部をいくつも抱え。


texts:
Basically I'm going through the が　ある / が　いる grammar - is it okay to say (person) に (object) が　ある/いる?, e.g. Michiko-san に　お金　が　あります (Michio san has money)

I guess I'm using it like you might say (Location) に (object) が ある e.g. "there is a lamp in that house" - does (person) need a different particle in the example I gave above?


texts: Doubt about this situation with the particle は

texts: On genki 1, on the page 107 there are the following phrases: あしたは日本語のクラスがありません。 あした東京でお祭りがあります。 Why the は particle is used on the first one and not in the second?


texts: In what situations would 居る (いる) be read as おる?

texts:
I was recently present in a chat room where someone asked:

  日本人おるか

I translated this as:

  Are there Japanese people (here)?

But in that case, I'd expect it to be:

  日本人いるか

I looked up おる in an online dictionary and found that it had the same meaning as いる:

  居る{いる} : 1. to be (animate); to be; to exist.

(Also has the reading おる listed)

This brings me to my question; Why was the おる reading of 居る used, instead of いる? Or did I get the translation wrong?


texts:
I've previously asked two separate questions regarding あっての, (and there's a third on here from Pacerier) and I thought I had it figured out, but then I found this sentence (from a JLPT practice book--my bold) that just throws me for a loop:

山での遭難記事を読むたびに命あっての登山なのにと悲しく思う。

Here's how I understand あっての, "B couldn't exist without A". For example: あなたあっての私なんです ==> I wouldn't be here without you

Here's how I understand this sentence: Every time I read an article about a disaster on the mountain, I think sadly "even though mountain climbing wouldn't exist without life!".

This just doesn't make any sense to me, and I'm sure I have the meaning wrong. Can someone explain what I've missed?

I've gone over this so many times, but I think there's is a cog stuck in my brain when it comes to あっての.


texts: As I understand, 〜ます should only be used in the ending verb while others inside the sentence should be in basic form. How come, then, that the polite past negative tense is made using 〜ませんでした, which contains polite conjugation in the beginning 〜ません as well as in subsequent でした, which I learned is polite form of です (I presume it is a contraction of でありました similarly to です itself)?


texts: What is the meaning of putting a word in parentheses at the end of a statement [Internet Speech]?

texts:
I'm sorry, I can't think of a better way to title this question, but I took a screenshot of the short Twitter exchange showing what I mean:

In case anything goes wrong with the image, here it is in text:

Person 1: 一般って何なんでしょうね……（哲学）

Person 2: 疑問になる時点で一般的ではないのかもしれないですね…（真理）

I've seen this many times in written form on Twitter and other forums, and I finally thought to ask about it. I think I have a vague idea of it being sort of a way to put a statement into a particular frame or context? Like Person 1 is trying to be a bit funny by suggesting that this is a philosophical musing, and Person 2 is playing along by framing their response as "Truth".

Am I somewhat close? It feels a bit like a "meme" to me, and I'm not sure quite how I should interpret it.


texts: Can 行くな change to 行くぬ with the same meaning "Don't go"?


texts:
I've been thinking of the ても pattern as "even though" or "even if". But this sentence from steins;gate uses it in a way that surprised me...

  ちょっと待ってくれ。そんなに急かされて【せかされて】も、転んでしまうよ

Is this being used in the common way (if so, I may have been thinking of it wrong)? Or is this a different way of using it, with a different meaning?

EDIT: If I took my normal approach here, I'd end up with something like, "even if you rush me, I will fall", which, I think people will agree, doesn't really make sense in english (it implies that the person speaking will fall whether or not they're rushed, and that the person rushing him is doing so with the intention of preventing him from falling). Maybe the interpretation should be something like, "even if you rush me, (I won't get there any faster, and) I (may even) fall."


texts: 伝聞を表さない、文末に来る「という」の働き

texts:
最近あるホラーゲームの実況を見ている時、一人の実況者がある段階をクリアした後、笑ってこう言っていました。

  しかも、結構やっぱ、懐中電灯なくても全然暗くないっていう

前にも、一緒にプレイしている相手が何回か「懐中電灯がなくても暗くない」と意外そうに言っていたので、そちらに関連があると思いますが、この「という」の働きはわからないのです。「ということ」「らしい」「と言われる」を意味する文末の「という」は知っているのですが、ここには当てはまるとは思いにくいです。なぜなら、誰かを引用しているとしても、その人は一緒にいる相手なので、少しおかしいのですよね。でしたらどういう働きをしているのですか。

宜しくお願いします。


texts: Noun+に and intransitive verbs clarification

texts:
「私に甘えっぱなしだなんて、そんなこと気にしないで良いんだからね……？」- act spoiled "to"/depend on  me

  だからあんたも、何かの間違いで私に惚れたりしないでよ？　どうせ面倒なことにしかならなそうだし - fall in love "towards" me?

  はい、魔力とは人の持つ欲望に根ざすもの - probably location に, Included this to make sure

  でも、こうして１分１秒迷っている間に、地上は滅びに近づいています。probably movement/destination に, but not physically moving. Included this to make sure

  勝負？　私に勝てると思ってるの？」- a match? you think you can beat me? (gain victory to?/from? me)

  というかお前に出来て私に出来ないはずないし……」-if you could do it, there's no way i couldn't;  see below

I noticed that the dictionary of japanese grammar says An intransitive verb can never take に....

When I read this rule when i just started learning i didn't think much of it, but now that I've read a fair bit of stuff this rule just doesn't add up.

I dug a few sentences just for examples, but i actually can't find any examples of a transitive only verb directly following 私に in this script, but there are countless examples the where an intransitive verb is.

Particularly with the last sentence, I were to write, "if you could do it, there's no way i couldn't", in Japanese, i probably wouldn't have thought to use に.

Are there any formal explanations ? Thank you

edit:


texts: Word for "appropriate" as in dress code etc

texts:
I'm wondering how to ask a superior what the appropriate dress code is, for example: "what is the appropriate attire to wear on my first day? (of work etc)."

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!


texts: Words for observatory tower such as Tokyo Sky Tree, Umeda Sky Building, etc

texts:
What is the word used in Japanese for [Observatory Tower] such as Sky Tree, Umeda Sky Building, or any similar high tower? (not limited to broadcasting tower, but rather place where people can observe scenery from tall building).

Can we use 高い建物? But I think it's too childish to just say "High building" for [Observatory Tower].


texts: Pitch Accent of ありがとうございます According to Forvo

texts:
One of the first things you learn in Japanese is that the proper pitch accent of ありがとう has the step-down after り (in standard dialect). But if you listen to the pronunciations on Forvo (and more generally, but Forvo will do), the pitch of が tends to be at the same level as り、if not slightly higher, followed by a drop (which is sometimes not so steep compared to the drop on the long vowel). This is confirmed by analyzing the numerous recordings in Praat. In none of them, regardless of region, does り actually seem to take the accent.
Please note that this is not just my ears saying the pitch is different from what it "should" be - I'm attaching a few of the Praat spectrums for ありがとうございます to show what I mean. In all cases, the highest pitch occurs with が. Even if you look at ありがとう by itself the same pattern emerges. Note that some speakers will also use the pitch pattern 低高高高低 as well, but never 低高低低低 as it is "supposed" to be. So my question is, why is the "correct" pitch accent rarely used, or am I just missing something? It seems more likely to me that rather than every accent dictionary in existence being incorrect, I am mistaken in one thing or another, and I would be happy to find out what that is.


texts:
In this part of this Wikipedia article, it states

  In other areas such as Hyogo and Mie, いる /iru/ is hardly used and おる /oru/ does not have the negative usage.

What I want to know is, does this statement mean that おる is used in nearly all of the instances いる would be used in Standard Japanese? Does おる also replace the duties of ある? How does おる work in Hyogo and Mie?


texts: Why is this 理由 【りゆう】 given the furigana わけ?

texts:
It might be hard to read because of the image resolution, but on the cover of this book, on the bottom left side, it says:

  へんな日本語にも理由がある。

Which means something like:

  "Even strange Japanese has a reason."

The thing is, 理由 has furigana above it that says it should be read わけ.

わけ is not a reading for 理由. 理由 is only read りゆう, and it means "reason".

Now, I already know that sometimes furigana is used to differentiate between what is said and what is meant. For example, recently in a manga I saw the kanji 妻 with the furigana ワイフ　above it. I believe this is done when the author is telling us that the character said "wife", but the kanji 妻 is provided so if the reader doesn't know what the katakana-ized English word means, they have the kanji to help.

So, in a way, when the furigana and the kanji differ, it's so that the kanji provides meaning to the furigana, as opposed to furigana's usual job of providing readability to the kanji.

Okay, fine... but, why わけ for 理由? Doesn't わけ also mean "meaning", "cause", and even "conclusion based on reasoning"?

The difference seems so subtle to me that I can't see the point of it. Yet, given that the book is all about Japanese usage, I imagine the author is quite particular about words, so surely there's a purpose.

What is that purpose?

(Side note: I intend to buy the book, so maybe an explanation is within its covers. But I hope this still merits some discussion.)


texts:
私は自分では淋しくも何ともないから、彼女と私とでは、一般的にいう「不幸」という点で、どっこいどっこいのような気がするのだが、彼女は自分のほうが私よりも「ちょっと幸せ」だと感じているのだろう、結婚には失敗したけれど、子供が三人いる。これが彼女が私よりも幸せだと思う最大の理由だと推理したのである。

What is the meaning of のだろう here and how does it connect to the rest of the sentence?


texts: How to know all _kanji_ with certain radical?

texts:
Is there any official resource listing all Japanese kanji with a given radical? For example I want to know all kanji with the radical 亻.

When I looked I found many sites, but each site has a different number of kanji. I can study from the site with the largest number but what if there are more kanji with this radical ? So I need an official resource.

And there is another big problem. For example, some sites say that the kanji 倍 contains 亻+ 立 + 口, and other sites say it contains this radical 亠. So an official resource can be helpful.


texts: Trouble understanding different meanings of べつに

texts:
I know べつに can mean "nothing", (not) particularly, not a big deal, I don't care etc. But I have some trouble understanding what it means in long sentences like these. I only have an idea, but I'm so not sure so I would like some confirmation. I'm adding some context where necessary.
first sentence
Person 1:

合宿に限らずもうちょっと抑えなきゃって思ったの. 一護に嫌われたくないから.
一護: べつにそんなの...

I can only understand that 一護 is denying what's been said but I don't know what
べつに is doing there.
second sentence:
context: two friends are working on a project, one of them sees the other really focused and working hard and says that he must be really enjoying the task. His reply is

え? いいえ. べつに,普通だよ.

I think here it means "it's nothing/not a big deal"?
third sentence:

別に嫌なわけじゃないですし.

does it mean "I don't particularly hate it"?
fourth sentence
矛盾...

しててもいいんじゃないですかべつに

I'm kind of lost here. I think it means "nothing" but I'm not completely sure.
I would appreciate if someone can correct my interpretation of the word in each
context.


texts: Is に forming an adverb in the following sentence? Or is it just a preposition?

texts:
Context: a person is describing the punches of a boxer.

  顔面ノーガードにスウェーから変則的な角度とリズムで放たれる拳。

Is に making an adverb of 顔面ノーガード? Or does it indicates that the boxer is throwing a punch to an opponent that is not protecting his face? My translation attempt:

  After swaying without protecting his face, he throws punches with an
  unusual angle and rhythm.

In general, can に form adverbs when attached to a noun in this way? I know that it can do this with na-adjectives (as in 静かに), but I am not sure about nouns. Thank you for your help!


texts:
I'm just starting learning Japanese, and I have a question about どこ.
Can I use it in the situation, when someone shows me around, takes me to an interesting place, and I want to ask what is this place?

ここはどこですか
ここは何ですか

How do I ask 'what is this place'?


texts:
Context: Bottom right panel.

  はーいちんちんかいかい

I think it's a made up word because I could not find it's meaning when I searched for it online. It seems like an onomatopoeia.

The only thing that comes close is an article about a Japanese basketball player who entered the NBA


texts:
I've just starting learning Japanese last week.
And I'm playing a video game in Japanese. One of the characters said: "礼を言う" (rewoiu) just by itself. The English translation was "Thank you."
But I didn't recognize this as any version of "thank you" I had heard before.
The translation I get when searching is: "Say thanks". But this is basically just a non-past verb. Can you use non-past verbs by themselves usually?
Anyways, can someone help enlighten me on this? Does "say thanks" in japanese also mean "thank you"? If so, when is it appropriate to use this over other common forms of thank you; what's the difference between this and "arigatou"?


texts:
Can somebody give me the right pitch accent for the following verbal forms?
As they are verbs, they should all be either accentless or accented on the penultimate syllable (although I am not sure how it works with the forms that end in -えいる, perhaps antepenultimate, i.e. on the え???)

書ける (can write, i.e. potential)
書かれる (is written, i.e. passive)
書かせる (cause to write, i.e. causative)
書いている (is writing, i.e. continuous)
買える (can buy, i.e. potential)
買われる (is bought, i.e. passive)
買わせる (cause to buy, i.e. causative)
買っている (is buying, i.e. continuous)
食べられる (can eat, i.e. potential)
食べられる (is eaten, i.e. passive)
食べさせる (cause to eat, i.e. causative)
食べている (is eating, i.e. continuous)
浴びられる (can bathe, i.e. potential)
浴びられる (is bathed, i.e. passive)
浴びさせる (cause to bathe, i.e. causative)
浴びている (is bathing, i.e. continuous)

Sorry for the long list, but I am trying to "crack the code" for the different types of verbs (accented type I, accentless type I, accented type II, accentless type II), for each of the forms I am not sure of…

Thanks!

Yair


texts:
I'm unsure of how to use this word 「キレる」. When I looked up the definition, it says something along the lines of "to get angry" or "to lose one's temper".

Where does this word come from? I'm somewhat confused at the combination of katakana 「キレ」 + hiragana 「る」. Does the origin of the word explain this?


texts:
In the song Cry by Garnidelia there're two lines that go:

ひとり　どこへ
歩｛ある｝けというの

The second line is what I don't get. I've tried looking up というの but didn't see anything about it at the end of a sentence, and I don't understand why 歩｛ある｝け gets translated as walkING. There's an English translation of the song that translates these two lines as "Where am I heading, walking alone?"
I guess my specific questions are:
What's this ーえ form of 歩く supposed to mean in this context?
How does the verb relate to というの and what does というの even mean lol?
If that English translation is fine, then would changing the line to 歩いているの lose any nuance or meaning?
Thank you!


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

texts:
In my opinion, it would not function as interrogation or alternative explanation.

Here is the sentence.

  電源ボタンを押すと表示される電源メニューで「電源を切る」をタッチするか、電源ボタンを電源ランプが消えるまで押し続けると、電源がOFFになります。


texts:
I've heard that を is sometimes used instead of が nowadays. Although it is strictly incorrect it is becoming more common. Is this true ?

For example:

お茶を好きです

車を欲しいです


texts: How do the two が in もう止まらない　あなたがあなたのことが恋しい work?

texts:
The following lyrics are from a song called "YOU":

  "もう止まらない　あなたがあなたのことが恋しい"
  Mou tomaranai　 anata ga anata no koto ga koishii

I know that "mou tomaranai" = "no longer stops" and "anata no koto ga koishii" = "miss/long for you" but that "ga" in the middle throws me off. It looks like it's saying "You miss the you that won't stop anymore", but that doesn't make sense to me given the rest of the context.

Any ideas?


texts: Can anyone explain to me why 準備が出来ている means "It's ready?" I don't think I know exactly what 出来ます means, as we initially learned it as "able to"- but I've seen other uses like in saying "I have/got a girlfriend," or "There is a library." (At least, I think the latter, like 図書館が出来た." In any event, I know 準備 is preparation, so the real question is what does 出来ている mean, and why does it mean that?


texts: What is the difference between "みだらな格好" and "あられもない格好?"

texts:
I'm trying to figure out the difference in nuance between みだらな格好 and あられもない格好.

My dictionary tells me "みだらな" means "lewd"/"obscene"/"indecent", and あられもない means "unladylike", "immodest", these definitions seem to imply  みだらな格好 and あられもない格好 are practically the same however, would I be correct in assuming みだらな格好  is more stronger and gives a negative impression/ is offensive, whereas あられもない格好 can be neutral and maybe even positive?

Also would 格好 only refer to looks or can it also apply to behaviour and mannerisms?


texts: Problems with the syntax of this sentence

texts:
Just for context I'll attach the preceding sentence as well:
相撲の世界は寂しい。この世界にあとから入った者は先輩の世話をさせられる。

Does この世界に modify あとから入ったもの　or is この世界に a local adverb, saying: "In this world,...
I'm having problems with あとから. So far, my textbook only taught me about あと as a suffix, basically meaning "after". However, I've never seen あと attached to to a particle, so I'd rather see it connected to から as a prefix, making "あとから", which would somehow indicate a timespan starting after a certain point in time.
先輩の世話をさせられる. I guess the subject of this causative passive are the 者 who are coerced to help their sempais?^^