texts:
いい加減 has been used in the game Chrono Trigger but in every dictionary that I looked up for this vocabulary, I just found words as translation but in the game it's not translated as any of those words.

The English translations for "さ、いいかげん起きなさい" are:

  "Come on, now! Out of bed with you!",

and in the retranslated version,

  "Come on, get up already!"

Does iikagen mean "come on"? Why is it translated like that? Dictionaries don't put iikagen as "come on".


texts:
遠坂にそんな高価な品を貢がせる悪しき男はあたしが天に代わって誅罰を下してくれるわー！キエー！」

【貢がせる女、貢ぐ男】
 1. 思わせぶりな態度で男に貢がせようとする女のこと。
 2. セックスのために売春婦に金を払う男、または付き合うために女に貢ぐ男。

The evil man who is tricking Tohsaka with precious goods.
Is this correct?


texts:
I'm trying to translate the 殺気 in the second sentence below to a English equivalent that denotes a emotionless attacker attacking from behind the narrator, but the only words that I am finding online are "bloodlust" (can't use as it denotes emotion);
"thirst for blood" (again, can't use as it denotes a active desire to kill),
and "deadly intent", which my peers have marked confusion with upon reviewing my English only translation.

僕は飛び起き、女の子に背を向けて逃げ道を探す。
I leap away, my back facing the girl as I search for a way out.
ろくに辺りを見回す暇(ひま)もなく、背後から殺気が押し寄せてくる。
Without time to look around, from behind a lethal intent descends upon me.

What would be a better way to word the second sentence so that my translation conveys the meaning behind the original sentence(thereby staying faithful to the source material), and what English phrases/words would work for 殺気?


texts: What is the difference between 恥ずかしい and 気恥ずかしい?

texts:
the goo definition  of 気恥ずかしい:

  なんとなく恥ずかしい。きまりが悪い。

I don't really understand the difference.


texts:
super popular dude XXX disapears, start of an epilogue

  数週間後。

  大学構内からXXXの姿が消え、彼に好意を寄せていた女性たちが騒動となったのは一週間ほど前のことである。

  いまでは長期の休学だとか外国の大学へ編入しただとか、ありそうも無いような噂が飛び交ってこそいるものの、失踪直後ほどは騒がれなくなった。

  偶像というものは皆の目にとまっているからこそ崇拝できるのであり、目前からなくなってしまえば意外とその効力が無くなるのも早い。

  ‥‥そういうものだ。

A testament to Xxx's lasting impact would be the worshiping of XXX from all the attention  this has gotten; and that if he disappeared before our eyes,  it would be premature to say that it would be surprisingly become ineffective.

totally lost when it comes to the 3rd sentence here, i don't think it is refering to any specific thing prior to the epilogue, but i may be mistaken.

Thank for clarifying


texts: I was trying to understand the difference among those two forms, but I am not sure about it. Could somebody provide me some example and explain it to me?


texts:
The speaker just stated that her father is too sure of himself.

いくらママが死んじゃって　いないからってさ！ (there is a space in the manga as well)
チャンピオンなのを利用していろんな女の人と遊びまくってんのよ！
He uses his title to have fun with every girl that moves!

Ok, first, I don't get the meaning of いくら here... is it a casual way of using the いくら...~ても/でも form (I.E. dropping the も)?
It still wouldn't make sense to me : "No matter how much mom died.."?? or is it just to stress the concession : "Ok, EVEN though mom is dead..."?

I don't understand who's the subject of いない either, is it the dead mom? Is it a way of saying he hasn't found another wife yet (新妻がいない...)?

As at that point I basicaly only understood that her mom is dead, I don't know who's the subject of って and if it's short for 言う or 思う...
Thanks for your time.


texts: What is the difference between 逃{のが}れた and 免{まぬが}れた?

texts:
What is the difference between 逃れた and 免れた? They both mean "avoided, escaped". When should I use each of them? I found the sentence in JLPT1 book, where you have to pick the right answer:

  橋{はし}本{もと} 選{せん}手{しゅ}の活{かつ}躍{やく}で、なんとかピンチを逃れた。


texts: How would one say "Grandma died, I really miss her"?

texts:
Does 懐かしむ suffice? Can it convey the sadness of losing someone close to you? If not, how would one express such a thing?

I'm having trouble dealing with this, as there are plenty of uses "miss" in English that carry wildly different levels of emotion, and I'm not sure if this variability carries over to Japanese.


texts: Need help parsing combined forms of a verb

texts:
I came across this verb:

  捕【と】らえられていた

It could have been pretty much any verb really. I tried to parse the different forms the verb has been assigned. Here's my process:

捕【と】らえる - (Transitive verb) To catch

捕【と】らえられる - (Passive form) - To get caught

捕【と】らえられていた　- (Passive, past-progressive form) - Had been getting caught

Question: I want to know if my understanding of these forms (combined) is correct or not.

In other words, 捕【と】らえられていた = Had been getting caught?


texts: I'm just studying Japanese, and i know that 泊まる is like you Staying a night like hotel / some place that temporary , but i just found 留まる is also meaning stay/staying too in Basic Kanji book , but i don't know what does this word specifically mean to and when to use both of this word.


texts: Is the conditional form of a verb treated like a regular verb or a noun/na-adjective?

texts:
First of all thanks to everyone helping me out here, i'm already feeling some progress on the learning process, of course there’s a lot of room to improve, but sure it is nice to feel some progress every now and then ^^.

Now to my question, I was going to make a sentence to ask a friend of mine about a grammar point “The difference between using  なんです or just です at the end of a sentence” so I came up with this sentence(which brought me another grammar doubt about the conditional form):

“If someone ask me ‘Felipe, where are you going?’ so, I said ‘I am going to work’  or ‘I am going to work’(don’t know how to express なんです in English). What’s the difference between these sentences?”

誰かが僕に「フェリペがどこに行っていますの?」と問えばなので、僕は「仕事です」というか、「仕事なんです」というか。これらの文の違いはなんかですか？

My question is on the first part, If the first part was ending with 「問います」I know for sure that I would use 「ので」instead of 「なので]

but if I had endend with 「問いたい」I’d need to end it with 「なので」because it understood as an i-adjective.

What about the 「問えば」 ending, do I treat it as a verb or a noun/na-adjective? Therefore should I use 「なので」or 「ので」?

I’m sorry for the really long question, I hope I was clear enough, if you could help me in any mistakes on the sentence overall, I’d be grateful!

Thanks a Lot!


texts: Is there any difference in meaning between using [苛々 ]{いらいら}  or  [刺々 ]{いらいら} to indicate annoyance?


texts: Difference between 伯母 and 叔母 and how to translate them into English

texts:
I saw an ask on this but it was too confusing for me to understand ^^;;

While I did do some research on the terms, I want to ask, is there no parental relations attached to them at all? Like maybe 伯母 refers to an aunt from the father's side 叔母 an aunt from the mother's side?
Could this term also be used for a middle-aged neighbor?

I'm having troubles translating it into English into a sentence.
The context I got this from would be "伯母が様子を見に来ては世話をしてくれていた"


texts: I am trying to translate the song "tsukihana," but I am confused by this line: 罪を灯しひなぎくの 夢に寄り添う爪の痕

texts:
As the title says, I am translating tsukihana, but I can't come up with a nice way to translate the above line. If anyone has any ideas, that would be helpful. A Japanese friend said it was like a metaphor, but couldn't provide me with an explanation.

Here are the full song lyrics for context:
http://www.kasi-time.com/item-40184.html

  闇と玩(あそ)ぶ星たちへ
  愛を唄い焼き尽くして

  罰を灯しひなぎくの
  夢に寄り添う爪の痕

  唇から 唇へと伝い
  その温もりは何処へ?
  たどり着く宛は無いのに

  貴方でなくちゃ満たせない
  私じゃなきゃ許せなかった
  だから私はこの脚で
  立ち上がれてぞっとしたんだ

  飼い殺しなら救われる
  でも見事に鍵は外れて
  私はまるで
  鳥籠を欲している狂った小鳥

  嘘を抱いた華

Here is what I have so far:

  To the stars that flirt with darkness

  I sing of love and burn to nothing

  Daisies light up their punishments

  Nails cuddle up, marking your dreams

  My lips follow yours

  Where has that warmth gone

  Even though it has nowhere to go?

  Only you can satisfy my heart

  Only I could have allowed you to

  So with these legs

  I stood up shaking

  If you keep me as a pet until I die, I'll be saved

  Yet, when the lock opened,

  It's like I’m a small crazy bird

  That longs for its own cage

  The flower that holds lies


texts: Why is で used in this sentence 両方セットで差し上げます?

texts: So I'm reading a manga and this girl is giving a guy two pieces of paper. She says "正直者ですね。両方セットで差し上げます。” I would think that a を particle would be used here since the set of papers is an object. "I give the set of papers (to you)." What do I give? The set of papers. I'm looking here, https://core6000.neocities.org/dojg/ , at the 4 main uses of で and none of them seem to explain the particle's usage here. Can anyone explain what で is doing here.


texts: Does ending a question in the negative imply a presupposition as it does in English?

texts: I was reading something and one of the character asks another character 「大丈夫？怪我がないか？」. The first sentence obviously means "Are you alright?" but should I parse the second sentence as "You're not hurt, are you?" or "Are you hurt?" In English, when we include a negative in a question, it often implies some preconception that we seek confirmation of, but is that true of Japanese as well? If I wanted to ask, "Don't you know what this is?" (which implies that I expect my listener to know what that thing is), would I say something like 「これは何かわかっていない？」, and would that be different from 「これは何かわかっている？」


texts: The direction of くれる and あげる: Is 「彼はこじきに一番よい上着をくれてやった。」 a wrong usage?

texts:
I've always understood the direction of くれる as such:

  Outsider ⇒くれる⇒ Me / In-group

and あげる as:

  Me / In-group ⇒あげる⇒ Outsider

I was told this direction marks your feeling towards a person as well, so if I were to say:

  お隣さんはオヤジにお土産をあげた。

Here using あげる instead of くれる strongly implies that something is wrong with the relationship between you and your old man.

Yet, くれる is used in a sample sentence from a dictionary (研究社):

  彼はこじきに一番よい上着をくれてやった。

Thus my question:
Why does the dictionary use くれる when 彼 is the giver and こじき is the receiver? Is this usage expressing sympathy towards the beggar, or does what follows (てやる) has more to do with it than direction?

ご回答いただきたいんですが...お願いいたします！


texts: Meaning of ありじゃないかなぁ

texts:
I was asking if something is possible or not, and received the "ありじゃないかなぁ" answer below.

I had never heard this expression, is my translation correct?

  Q: 独習×ゲーム的なソーシャルウェブサイトは可能ですか？

  A: 聞いてみないとわからないけど、ありじゃないかなぁ。

My translation of the answer: We have to ask to be sure, but I guess it is not possible.


texts:
I am a Japanese beginner and I see many instruction books containing rōmaji. As I understand, rōmaji helps English speakers to pronounce the words. But is rōmaji really used in Japan or by Japanese people? Or is it used only for an English speaker learning Japanese?

I heard (not sure if true) that on the computer, when Japanese people type, rōmaji is often used. But I did not see any rōmaji on popular Japanese websites like Yahoo Japan. Could someone comment on this as well?


texts: Is the English word "ikebana" a suitable translation for "華道"?

texts:
A native speaker of Japanese wrote in English about a place offering "Kadou", and referred to it in Japanese as 華道. I wanted to suggest using the word "ikebana" instead, as that's more likely to be understood by the intended audience. (Google NGrams suggests "ikebana" and "[Japanese] flower arrangement" are approximately equally common in English, for those curious)

However, I've never done ikebana, and I'm not sure whether the English word "ikebana" would be a suitable translation for 華道. The word 華道 is pronounced かどう, whereas the word pronounced いけばな in Japanese is 生け花. Is it generally ok to translate 華道, along with 生け花, into English as "ikebana"? Is there any significant difference between 華道 and 生け花 that'd mean such a translation is confusing?

Looking at the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article 華道 and the first sentence of the English Wikipedia article Ikebana suggests not.


texts:
I'm currently reading this article
Which has the following sentence:

インドで人気がある小さい炊飯器を輸出する予定です。
My translation: There is a plan to export small rice cookers, which have become popular in India.

The sentence ends with 予定です but I don't understand why. I would expect it to end with 予定があります instead. Since for me 予定があります would translate to "there is a plan", where just 予定です would be "it's a plan"


texts: Do 擬態語 (いらいら, きらきら, すっきり, etc.) generally have root words?

texts:
I understand that 擬音語 (ぎおんご) imitate sounds, like どきどき imitates a heartbeat. So, if these onomatopoeia don't have roots I wouldn't be at all surprised.

But where do 擬態語 (ぎたいご) come from? Do いらいら (to be irritated), きらきら (to glitter), すっきり (to be refreshed/relieved) have root words?

It was said on this Japanese.SE question that ぴかぴか came from 光 (ぴかり), is this generally the case or an exception?


texts: How do I read 上 in ご注文の際は予めそちらをご了承の上お願い致します? What does it mean?

texts:
ご注文の際は予めそちらをご了承の上お願い致します。

How do I read the 上? うえ? or じょう?
What is the meaning of 上 in that sentence?


texts: Can 風が強く also refer to disruptive behavior rather than a strong wind?

texts:
Im reading a comic and two guys are basically being noisy af, and messing around. Their friend walks in and says 君たち...今朝は風が強かったな.

I just assumed at first hes talking about the weather, but im wondering if its possible hes referring to the two guys being noisy and just horsing around ( i.e, its very lively/ loud this morning) , as it seems a rather random thing to say that the wind is strong ( given the scenario).


texts:
so, consider the following conversation:

  「その日本酒、どう？」
  「うん、わるくない。ちょっと甘い」
  「本当？飲んでみる...　げっ！全然甘くないよ！
  「まあ、it's sweet, for sake

Essentially I'm trying to say that something is not sweet in absolute terms, but is sweet relative to other members of the indicated category. Other examples might be "It's slow for a motorbike" or "It's gentle, for a roller coaster."

The best I could come up with was 「ほかの日本酒と比べたら、あまい」which gets the meaning across, but feels a bit clunky to me.


texts: Interpreting the meaning/nuance of a conversation

texts:
The following is less a question of grammar or language but more of understanding and context, because I feel like I'm maybe missing something. I have the following conversation/sequence of events. There is the Leader with her two subordinates, and due to anime shenanigans she just had a vision or something grip her. Note that both the leader and the subordinates have forgotten a log of their long lives. This is what follows:

  Leader:

  我は今ナニを…

  ...

  記憶にあるか (line break) 二人とも

  (next page) 遠い過去…”我らと共にあった者”だ

  shock on subordinates' faces

  Leader:

  どうだ？

  subordinates shake heads

  Leader disappointed

  Subordinate A:

  でもねLeaderさま

  ”近くにいないとなんか落ち着かない”
  ってのはわかる

  Subordinate B:

  私にとっては
  ”なにより必要で大切な”もの
  …ですね

  Leader:

  あれは…
  ”どうあっても我がもとになければならない”もの
  …だ

A rough translation of the first bit could be:

  Leader: What the heck...was that my memories just now? And two of you too...
  long time ago...with "the person who used to be with us".

  What about you?

  Subordinates: Nope.

Apart from the 二人とも which confused me and that I now think refers to the subordinates and that とも is in this case "also with", this is mostly okay. The bigger problem was the fragmentation of the lines.

But the following kinda confuses me. So we know that the subordinates don't remember the mysterious person. But...

  Sub A: But, Leader-sama...I do know how they say "to feel uneasy when not at someone's side"... you know.

  Sub B: For me, it's "indispensable and precious thing"...is that so?

  Leader: That is..."Something that must be at my side at all costs"...is what it is.

The above is just weird to me.

I'm getting a feeling that they are trying to say that even though they don't know or remember this person that Leader just remembered, they are cognizant that Leader might be sick from being far away from this person, or that they might be something precious to her. And then Leader corrects them a bit about what she actually feels. That she must have that person at her side again at all costs. Problem here is B saying that FOR HER it's a precious thing.

OR

Those two are trying to say that though they don't remember or have had the vision, they are familiar with the feeling of unease since someone is missing (in case of A) and that there is someone precious and indispensable (for B), and then Leader states how she also feels on this. But the problem here IMO is that A doesn't say she feels like this, but that she knows/understands such a pain. Hell TBH, that form "quote"ってのはわかる almost feels like she is saying that she is aware of a saying on those lines.

OR

It could be something entirely different, and all those もの's could be one of its many other meanings that I tend to forget about ;)

So what would be your interpretation of the final exchange? Unless I am mistaken about my interpretation of the part that precedes it.

Also...I'm not sure what's with them making pauses right before the です and だ bit. I'd have thought if they were having trouble saying it, the pause would be sooner. But that's the least of my troubles.


texts: At some point I found that 手を貸す both literally and figuratively means 'to lend a hand' - is the resemblance a coincidence?


texts: As in 'That cake was so good'. I know I could use とても or something similar but I feel like 'so' expresses a kind of excessiveness that とても doesn't.


texts: Need help understanding this sentence: 「30前後とみられる男性が血まみれで死亡しているところが見つかり...」

texts:
本日、午前11時頃、神奈川県横浜市のアパートで、３０前後と見られる男性が、血まみれで死亡しているところが見つかり、神奈川県警は、殺人事件として捜査しています。

I have no idea what 前後 could mean here. Is this about his age? From what I found, とみられる could be translated as "x is considered to be" so I guess in this case it would be that "a man (who is considered to be in his thirties) covered in blood has been found dead.

Does ところ here means "place"? I'm a bit confused since it's already clear that the crime scene was in an apartment, so why would they say that they found the crime scene again? I was also thinking that ところ could imply his state (covered in blood and dead).


texts: Please help me understand this grammar: ようになるだけではなくて

texts:
I'm having trouble understanding this grammar. Could someone please help?

  「ようになるだけではなくて」

Taken from the sentence:

  本を読めるようになるだけではなくて


texts: Could someone help me identify this kanji?

texts:
There is 格, then that kanji that i can't recognise, and then 内 and 庫.
What kanji is that one in the between the first and the third one?


texts:
たたき台 means a springboard for discussion.

According to my dictionary, this word's first meaning is "chopping block".

On Google Images, it does not look like the plastic/wood board I use to cut meat/vegetables:

So what is the non-abstract meaning of たたき台?
ALC does not have it.


texts:
Whenever I see のでは, I always think of のではないか. That's why I was left confused when I came across this sentence : 部品がないのでは大切なミシンだからといっても直そうにも直せないではありませんか.

I understood the meaning of the sentence, but the のでは still strikes me as odd. Does it derive from ので? Or perhaps  it's the same with ようでは..


texts:
A sentence in my book:

  これは、漢字{かんじ}が持{も}つ体系的{たいけいてき}なつながりを明{あき}らかにして文化勲章{ぶんかくんしょう}を受{う}けた漢字学{かんじがく}の第一人者{だいいちにんしゃ}、 白川{しらかわ}静{しずか}さんに、漢字の成{な}り立{た}ちを一つ{ひとつ}一つ{ひとつ}教{おし}えてもらった本{ほん}です。

The very start of the sentence reads: "これは、漢字 が 持つ...."

Why is the 助詞 "が" instead of " を "?
Isn't "漢字" the direct object of "持つ"?


texts:
According to the book I am reading, "Sakura is beautiful" is written as

さくらはきれいです

and "Sakura is a beautiful flower" is

さくらはきれいなはなです

,but when using たかい the na form isn't used.  For example:

ふじさんはたかいで
ふじさんはたかいやまです

But not

ふじさんはたかいなやまです


texts:
I think it is safe to assume the speaker is also not the most organised person in this sentence:

  「あなた、もう少し計画的に行動した方がいいよ。わたしも他人のことは言えないけどさ」
  You should behave a little more systematically. I ? can't say this of other people but...

The whole of the second sentence is confusing me a little. Is the highlighted は an emphatic replacement of を?

What is the function of も here? It doesn't seem to work as either 'also' or 'even' to me.


texts:
I have read that both おう and おー are read as "ō".

When to use each one? Is there a rule for it, or is it totally random?


texts: Would you please correct my translation?

texts:
would you please help me out figuring out this couple of lines? This is a couple of sentences in a conversation between two rivals, who meet on the evening before a match while one of them is training. One of them comes from the former champion school, while the other (the one training) comes from the runner-up school. The lines are the following:

(Player 1): グラウンドがすぐ近くにあるホテルとは。。。IH 準優勝様は違うね

(Player 2): IH優勝校がどの口で言う

BTW, IH stands for inter high schools tournament. My translation is

(Player 1): The field is just next to the hotel.... maybe it's different for the runners-up to the inter high tournament , eh?

(Player 2): What is the Inter High champion school saying? ((Or, are the Inter High champion schools ones to talk?))

But both lines sounds odd to me, and I'm afraid I don't really understand them. Am I on the right track? In particular, the use of 違う has always been difficult to me. I'd really appreciate any help.

Thank you very much in advance!


texts:
I came across this phrase:

  いつのまに降り止んだ
  雨上がり煌めき出す街

And I don't understand the grammar behind the word 降り止んだ.

I've seen two translations for it:
"Without anyone noticing, the rain let up.  With the rain having stopped, the town sparkles." and "In the meantime, the rain stopped falling and the town started to sparkle".

I'm not sure which is more accurate, though they are quite similar.

My question is this:
Regarding 降り止んだ, what is the grammar behind its current conjugation and the ending, "やんだ".  Also I've seen it written in romaji as both "oriyanda" and "furiyanda".  Which is correct?

ありがとう


texts: トウモロコシ: Why kana? What is the etymology?

texts:
First came across this written in Kana
Midori

とうもろこし, トウモロコシ【玉蜀黍】
corn (US), maize (UK) (usually written in kana)

Why Kana?
Is トウモロコシ borrowed from another language?
What is the etymology of トウモロコシ?


texts:
As i found in jisho dictionary here

https://jisho.org/search/%23kanji%20寺

This word "国分寺"  means "state-supported provincial temple"

国 means "state or region" and i understand why it is in the word

寺 means "temple" and of course it must be part of this word

But what is the function of 分 here?


texts:
I have seen this used on a Japanese site by at least two native speakers, usually attached to the end of the post to mean "Thank you for reading". The phrasing simply doesn't make sense to me. 「拝見」is 謙譲語. How could you thank someone for their 拝見? I commented that I didn't think it was correct to say that phrase and I essentially got snapped at.
I have found this post that reaffirms this, but I am curious if this locution would ever make sense.

Come to think of it, last time I told someone who included in their Japanese post the English line "Thank you for watching" that it should be "Thank you for reading" my suggestion wasn't exactly welcomed either...


texts:
If I were heading toward Tokyo but not neccessarily to Tokyo I would use へ.　If I were going to Tokyo I would use に. That much I understand.

My question is whether this can be extended to time.

For example, If I wanted to tell Jim I will call him around 5 (presumably sometime between 430 and 6) I would say ５時へ呼ぶでしょう．However, if I want him to be at the phone at 5 then I would say ５時に呼ぶでしょう。to indicate that I will be calling at a specific time.

Do I have this correct, or is に always used in regard to time?

よろしくお願いします、


texts: Stem of verbs vs て-form of verb in complex sentence

texts:
What's the difference between using a verb stem and the te-form of a verb. For example:

机を六つも合体させ、まるで小学校....
机を六つも合体させて、まるで小学校....


texts: どうしたの, どうした, どうしたんですか, どうしましたか？

texts:
どうしたの
  どうした
  どうしたんですか
  どうしましたか

They all mean what happened. But what's the difference in between? Feel free to add examples. Thanks!


texts: Does 決して always mean "never" even if the verb is negative?

texts:
So I saw this on chat on a gacha game I'm playing.

正式触媒も無くかの刀匠を引き当てるほどの奇跡を
忘れることなど決して

My understanding of this. "It was a miracle for me to summon her without an official catalyst, I'll never forget that."
So I looked up what 決して. I found this on context.reverso.net

アーロンは決して横たわらない　ゴードンさん

Is the use of "決して" here different? The first example doesn't have the negation yet both examples seem to mean "never".


texts:
Old title: Conditional patterns comparison

Recently, I stumbled on new grammar patterns using the conditional form the following way (and I could not find an explanation in any of my grammar books) :

名詞・形容動詞＋なら＋形容動詞＋で
連用形＋たら＋た＋で
動詞: 已然形＋ば＋連用形＋た＋で
形容詞: 已然形＋ば＋終止形＋で
形容動詞: 已然形＋ば＋語根＋で
名詞: であれば+ 名詞 ＋ で

Example: 休んだら休んだで、たくさんやることがある。

The author of the website that explains this pattern says that the particles で can be replaced (in most case) by ほど.

In which case, で is better that ほど　?

I modify the question, what is the meaning of this pattern ?

The website which explains the pattern is here.


texts:
I was watching the video and the guy won a cake, so he said 「ご褒美のケーキ」
so I was wondering how should I translate this in English?
I know that

ご褒美 = prize, reward
ケーキ = cake

but simply putting them together is quite odd to me
Thank you!


texts: Can 交番 (koban) be used for old British-style/Dr Who police boxes?

texts: When Dr Who is translated into Japanese, do they translate police box as こうばん? I've seen こうばん in Japan, and they aren't anything like old British police boxes, so if that's how it's translated, is that confusing to a Japanese audience? Or do they use some other term?


texts: How to explain to the 店員 that I'm an "inverted triangle" body type?

texts:
Recently went to buy some shirts to wear at work, I exercise a lot (cardio, weight-training and calisthenics) so I have pretty large shoulders and a (smaller? regular?) waist.

I tried explaining that I'm an "inverted triangle" body type and was told something called "Y体", at first I thought it made sense but when I tried them on, the ones that fit my waist I couldn't even get my forearms into, and the ones that fit my shoulders and arms were like 1.5 times the size of my waist, came to the conclusion that this "Y体" is just a "rectangle" body type (why it's called "Y" beats me...).

How would I explain an "inverted triangle" body type in Japanese?


texts: How should I translate “ethnic origin” into Japanese?

texts:
I first came across this term here. I have to say, that is some fascinating information they got there.

Wikipedia has an article on the term here. Frankly, I'm not sure the article does a good job explaining it.

Fortunately, I found this article, which does a great job at explaining it, and it goes like this:

“The ancestral race that an individual belongs to, as opposed to their current nationality. People derived from of a variety of ethnic origin types currently inhabit the United States, and which include white, black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander and Eskimo.”

I have looked at Weblio, and it presents some options for translating:

For “ethnic”, I could choose 民族, 民族の, 民族的な, 人種, 人種の, 人種的な, エスニック, and maybe some other terms I missed. I guess the tricky part here is deciding if “ethnic” is a noun or adjective in this context.
For “origin”, I could choose 生まれ, 系の, 素姓, オリジン, and maybe some other terms I missed. I'm not entirely sure which term would be a good choice in this context.

I would really appreciate your help.


texts: How to say "the third time since I started making..."

texts:
I want to say:

  Now may be the third or fourth time since I started making this cuisine.

And my attempt is as follows:

  今はこの料理を作るのを始めて、三、四回目かもしれない。

Bonus examples

More examples might help me understand the grammar in question.

It is the 3rd time since I started visiting your house.
Tomorrow will be my 3rd visit since I started visiting this museum 5 years ago.


texts:
Eg: "What is it like for T-san to be jealous?"

Is it ヤキモチ焼きのTさんはどうですか？

Thank you!


texts:
I want to translate : I can't wait to go to Japan / I can't wait to be in Japan.
I mean I already planed to go and I'm going there in two weeks. I'm wondering how to express this in Japanese.

Is " 日本に行くのが待ち遠しい " correct ?
Is " 日本に行くのを楽しみにしています" better ?

Also, does it sound friendly and excited ?

Would it be correct to say : 日本に行くのが待てなーい？

Thanks for reading my post. :)


texts:
I am not sure if the 「やっと」 would mean 'at last' or relate to any specific Japanese dialect. Here is sentence including the words in question.

だから わしが特{とく}別{べつ}におねがいして やっと おまえたちも入{にゅう}場{じょう}することもゆるされたんだ。
おとなしうせにゃいかんぜ。


texts: How do you say 'to die from...' in Japanese?

texts:
For instance, I'm trying to say 'I would die from boredom' and the best I can come up with is

死ぬのから退屈だ

However, I strongly suspect this isn't correct. It would also be useful to have the phrase "I suffer from..." laid out as well.


texts: Can the word "駄目" effectively 'cancel out' a negative?

texts:
This is a line from a story:

Speaker C: どのみち先に言わないと駄目でしょ……。
Some context: A has withheld information from B and has fed B false information instead as a joke, A says the correct information to himself after B leaves but C hears it and rebukes A for doing that mischievous act, saying the above line.

I believe it would translate to something like:

You should say it beforehand anyway.

But literally I believe it would be:

Anyway, it must not be [the case] that you don't say it beforehand.

Given that my above translations are accurate, does that mean the word 駄目 can effectively 'cancel out' a negative in the same sentence? In this case 言わない - don't say, but in context the speaker is implying "you should say it" right? So that would mean the negative is in actuality 'canceled out'.


texts: Are the words 保育所 and 幼稚園 synonyms or is there some distinction between them, either in meaning or formality?


texts: 「助かりました」と「助かります」の違い？

texts: When to use 「助かります」, when to use 「助かりました」?


texts:
I found this sentence in a manga when the main character was trying to make a call from a prison phone; however she is knocked down by another prisoner before she can do so and is said:

  『ここの電話は全て予約制だ！囚人みんなが電話をしたがっている　しかもいくらかけようと自由ってんなら混雑ができるのは当たり前だろ』

The part in bold is giving me a hard time. I understood 「かけよう」in the "make a phone call" sense of 「掛ける」. I haven't come across 「～ようと」constructions that are not followed by a verb so far. I got the general meaning of the pharse but cannot make out the grammar behind aforementioned construction.

In short my question is: What is the 「～ようと」construction in above stated sentence.


texts:
As far as I know an adjective can be before noun(for ex. 美しい花) or before other adjective, but with て(for ex. 寂しくて眠れない夜). But in the following sentence「指定席みたいなコジンマリとした少年 」- this part is a bit of odd. Of course maybe I'm just don't know something, so can you please explain this part to me?

  格好いいよりも可愛い路線で売っていきたいアイドル集団の末席が指定席みたいなコジンマリとした少年のような笑顔を向けてみた。

Thank you very much for help!


texts:
Context is that protagonist is swearing. And says following sentence:

  捻りもクソもねえな。

I know クソ, but I'm not sure what 捻り means here. Is this some slang or just some obvious (for Japanese) usage of literal meaning?


texts: What is the meaning and etymology of 蝶よ花よ?

texts:
In a book I was reading, a tomboyish character complained about the expectations her parents had of her as their only daughter.  She said:

  「蝶よ花よと育てたかったらしいんだけど」

EDICT defines 蝶よ花よ as "bringing up (one's daughter) like a princess."  Is this accurate?  What is the etymology of this phrase?


texts: Question regarding structure of a sentence : use of と here?

texts:
There is a sentence which is highly confusing me. A character says this :

  『どうして王様は裸なの？』と無邪気な子供に指摘されるまで、恥を晒しておめおめと舞台に立っているのは、あまりにも情けない

What does the と after the phrase in quotation mean?
From what I looked up and saw,

『どうして王様は裸なの？』= Why is the king naked /bare?
無邪気な子 = innocent children
指摘 = identification
恥 = shame
晒し = bleach
おめおめ = shamelessly
舞台 = stage

But I can't wrap my head around how they fit together. Especially in the first part.
I also can't understand what amari ni mo nasakenai is , is it "not even the least bit pitiful" or "very pitiful"
What I thought about for the second part of the sentence is to "to bleach our shame and shamelessly stand upon the stage is "not the least bit pitiful"( or )"very pitiful " .
I don't know if it's correct .
But I can't understand the first part of the sentence at all. I would be grateful for help!! Thank you!!

The source is given.


texts:
...お出かけ用のワンピースを着て、コートをはおりながら...
  ...she put on a dress suitable for the trip and while putting on her coat...

I've not seen the verb はおる before and it does not appear in any of my more basic dictionaries. Is it a commonly used word for putting on an item of clothing or is it a more obscure word that was used to avoid repeating 着る? Basically, would I sound weird if I used it in everyday conversation?

For what items of clothing can it be used?


texts: Is the pitch data correct in this pdf file intended for learners?

texts:
(If the question is inappropriate here, please direct me to an appropriate site or forum)

In an effort to simplify the acquisition of pitch in L2 learners (ie. myself), I created a pdf document that groups verb endings and morphemes into more manageable groups: Verb Pitch Table.

However, reliable data is difficult to establish.

Can anyone confirm that the data is accurate for Standard or Tokyo Japanese?

I asked 2 Japanese speakers (1 quickly, 1 in detail) and it seems okay. The only problem is that some of the data conflicts with what I found in my NHK Accent dictionary. For instance, after accentless verbs, でしょう、だろう、らしい are said to have pitch on the antepenultimate mora, but this was thought to be odd by the speakers I asked；とも is said to be HL but the one speaker thought it should be H]LL (downfall occurs before). My goal is to create a quick and easy reference for anyone wanting to sound like the average speaker of the Greater Tokyo Area.

I realize the question is complex, but I hope to provide an efficient method to help learner predict pitch in all verbs with the help of a simple all-encompassing tool.


texts: The correct way to ask if delivery to our home is available?

texts:
I'm trying to ask a company if they can make a business trip to my home. What would be the correct phrase on the phone?

  新宿に自宅で出張が可能ですか？
  新宿まで自宅を出張が可能ですか？
  新宿まで自宅の出張ができますか？

Which would be more natural?

Thanks in advance for your input!


texts: I'm in the middle of doing a translation project for a website that has UI elements for filling out forms. The pre-programmed UI has 「ファーストネーム」, but I would think 「名」or「名前」 would make more sense. Which variant sounds more natural in this case?


texts:
Is it known why a さかや normally has a か, rather than a け like in さけ?

Are there many other -や constructions for stores that change the spelling of the word added to?


texts: Is it common for Kanjis to have several pronunciations like for 乾?

texts:
While doing introductionary courses of Japanese, I stumble on a fact that affrights me about the difficulty of the language.

When congratulating each other around a drink: 乾杯
 the Kanji 乾 is pronounced かん Kan, which I think is directly coming from Chinese for 干杯 GanBei .

But when dealing with the fact of being dry: 乾いてます , then 乾 is pronounced かわい Kawai.

Is it common for Kanjis to have several pronunciations ? Or is it some kind of rare exception ?

In case it is common for Kanjis to have several pronunciations, what is a common way for learners to remember those differences ?


texts:
What is the difference between

中学生になってもずっとボーッと生きてきたけど

中学生になってもずっとボーッと生きたけど

What does きた do in this sentence this is from the second episode of the anime K-On! the character is telling a story about her school life I don't see what きた does in the sentence.


texts: Translation of "technically speaking" / What is this villain saying?

texts:
This is a fan-made Japanese version of an English song on a children's show, LazyTown.
I'm trying to find out what the (second) villain was saying (second line) at 0:03. The English translation of the line is above.

My attempt:
「おまえら本当の悪{あく}党{とう}か？」
「まあ、____にいうと、いや。」 (0:03)


texts:
Both can be test, or they have a different meaning/usage?

"試験{しけん}を受ける{うける}."


texts: What is the name of paper to train how to write kanji?

texts:
I'm learning how to write hiragana, katakana and kanji.

What is the name of paper that has little squares to write the Japanese characters?


texts: mittsu vs san - what's the difference and what are these two forms called?

texts: I am trying to learn the numbers and I see there are two different translations for the number 3 (and other numbers). When should I use one and when should I use the other? Is there a name for the type of number that "san" is and the type of number that "mittsu" is?


texts:
I just started learning kanji so I might be missing something very basic.

剃刀 = 剃 + 刀

How come I can't combine 剃 and 刀's readings to form kamisori?


texts:
Context: production of a copper-plated stainless steel sheet (Ｃｕめっきステンレス鋼板)

What is the meaning of 融着 in the following sentence?

  多重巻きパイプ造管時のロールとの摺動によるＣｕめっき層のはく離を抑制し、Ｃｕめっき層同士を加熱により融着させる際に起こる未融着部（ボイド）の発生を抑制することができるＣｕめっきステンレス鋼板を提供する。

I understand the meaning of the whole sentence except for 融着. Judging from the first kanji, it must have something to do with fusion, adhesion or bonding, but I can't find the exact meaning on any dictionary. Here's my translation attempt of the part in bold:

  ... prevent the appearance of 未融着 parts (voids) that occur when 融着させる the copper-plated layer by heating.

Could you also explain how to interpret that 同士? Thank you for your help!

EDIT: I don't know if this can be of any help, but later in the same document there is a table that shows the technical properties of the copper-plated stainless steel sheet with a value named ブレ一ジング模擬加熱後のボイド発生率.


texts:
I've always heard that 様 is a highly respectful honorific, being used to refer to lords, kings and deities. However, many times I hear people calling someone with 様, without sarcasm or irony, being that person of no high authority, like the emperor or someone else. Additionally, the customers are called お客{きゃく}[様]{さま}, i.e. double honorifics. Maybe that would be the reason to why it's said that "the Japanese treat their customers as if they" (the customers) "were gods".

Now, or the Japanese give a highly exaggerated respect to those "normal people" (maybe some kind of "idolatry"?), or I misunderstood completely what 様 means.

So what is the proper use and real meaning of the 様 honorific?


texts: What should "Find. Attack. Exterminate" be in Japanese?

texts:
So I wanted to create a Japanese motto for our Esports team, seeing that our entire team are all anime fans.

So what is

  Find. Attack. Exterminate.

in Japanese?

None of my friends can agree on which, 根絶します or 駆除 is the correct one, so I would like to see if someone can come up with another word for exterminate, or tell us which one is the correct one to use.

We want to make our motto sound ruthless, unforgiving, and utterly decisive (which is how we play our games).


texts:
If saying 同{おな}い年{どし} in daily conversation is just something you'd say without thinking twice, then I have no further questions.

But, doesn't saying 同い年 sound sort of stand-offish. Saying 同い年 is a hint to the listener that he is misunderstanding our level of friendship.

My asking question to Empress Michiko at お茶会

  (私): "その二人子、同い年ですか。

This is normal usage.

My sister-in-law asking me a question at お寿司屋さん

  (義理姉さん response #1): "その二人子、年齢が一緒ですか。
   (義理姉さん response #2): "その二人子、同い年ですか。

I'd expect response #1.
Hearing #2, I'd be like that was completely uncalled for. What is her problem? If she wants to keep her distance, then so be it.

BTW:
同い年 is considered 当て字, right? I've never seen a word made 当て字 by its 送りがな.


texts:
I am not sure if it would be a combination of the word 「くれてやる」and the word 厄{やっ}介{かい} which means trouble or support.
Here is the sentence I found the word. It was said by a boxer during a fight. He was more advantage than his opponent at that time.

こりずにきたな...いっちょうカウンターでもくれてやっかい


texts:
Out of the two words below which one is the correct term for "cash"?

紙幣{しへい} vs. 現金{げんきん}


texts: How is "rack" (as in billiards or pool) expressed?

texts:
In pool/billiards, "to rack" means to set up the game by placing the balls into the triangle frame. What is the corresponding (technical) term in Japanese if any?

I came up (via circumlocution) with:

  ビリヤードの球を三角形の枠に並べる

Is there a better way to express this? Alternatively I suppose 準備 and its synonyms would work to describe "preparing the game for play". But it's not specific to pool/billiards.


texts: Why do they say 'kawaii' for 'poor thing'?

texts: I've observed that when someone wants to say 'poor thing', they say something like 'kawaii sonna' and I know that kawaii means cute. Can someone please explain? Thanks.


texts:
I've seen this phrase used a few times and i don't think I get it. What meaning does the "ては" indicate? Here are examples from google:

  そんな彼女を直子はちらりと見たものの、口に出しては何も言わない。

  それは、現代人の共通認識のはずではあるまいか。
  と、心の中で密かに抗議したものの、口に出しては何も言わない。
  どうせ言っても、呆れ顔でたしなめられるだけだからだ。

This usage doesn't match any definitions of ては I can understand or find in a dictionary. What does it mean?


texts: How much "weight" do personal pronouns have?

texts:
I always feel like I have an identity crisis when I try to say "I" in Japanese.
After reading so much about differences between the various pronouns I've gotten the impression that whatever one you use defines your perceived identity. But is your pronoun choice really that significant?
I get hung up on 俺｛おれ｝ vs 僕｛ぼく｝. I understand them as: the first being "cooler" and more assertive and the second being a safer option and more humble
But does which one you pick really define your image that much? Or does the way you talk in general matter more, like picking 食｛く｝う over 食｛た｝べる
I don't know exactly what I'm asking, I guess I'm just trying to get a feel for how things are in real life vs how I understand it online. Like if you picked a pronoun that really doesn't suit you would people just subconsciously feel kinda weird when they heard you use it or would they consciously think "uhh, what the heck?"


texts: Is there a native Japanese word for upgrading a document to a new format?

texts:
I have a document in an old version of a template, and I'm moving the contents into a newer version of the template.  I typically describe this process as "upgrading" the document.

Jisho suggests バージョンアップ, but I'm hoping to find a native term, something that's not technology-specific but rather describes the more general process of moving content from an old format to a new format, which I assume is an action that would have been defined in Japanese bureaucracy long before the introduction of digital word processing.


texts:
I do not like the word "お巡りさん" because it sounds おこちゃま. I doubt an adult would say such a word.

What is an alternative word to say for "お巡りさん"?
In daily conversation, can I say 警察者{けいさつしゃ} instead of "お巡りさん"?
In daily conversation, can I say 警察官{けいさつかん} instead of "お巡りさん"?


texts:
I often have heard my japanese colleagues a double て used. example, kuruma nottete, ushiro mitete, genba ittete.

what i know is single te is command but what does double te mean? does it make more stress or what?

yoroshiku onegai itashimasu


texts: Can たい and たがる be used for a 1st/2nd/3rd person's desire?

texts:
もし生まれ変わっても見たい映画は あなたにありますか？

When I saw the the above sentence, I started to wonder. Is it an over simplification to say that たい can only be used for your own desires? However the sentence above might be explained, it seems to me it is clearly not about the speaker's own wish, but about which movie(s) the reader would want to watch.

Under what circumstances or conditions is it permissible to use たい with a desire other than your own? Can たがる be used with one's own desire?


texts: 「から」 and the potential form in 「～ことから～言える」

texts:
The entire sentence was:

  この種の文は、次に示すように、いくつかの属性を並立させて記述することができることからも記述文であると言える。

「～ことからも～言える」 here means something like "judging from this fact, it can be said that..." or "based on this fact, it can be said that..." or "due to this fact, it can be said that...", right?

I've also seen 「内容から」 with various verbs in potential form.

Examples from Weblio 英和和英辞典:

  その内容から往来物の祖ともいわれる。
  Because of its contents, the book is also considered the origin of a textbook for common people.

  大祓詞は、内容から大きく前段と後段の2つに分けられる。
  Oharae no kotoba can be divided into two parts, the first and latter parts, based on the contents.

  これらのことは、相手の話の内容からというよりもむしろその話し方から知られることになるだろう。
  He will learn these things not so much from what the other man says as from how he says it.

I understand why the verbs are in the potential form in the first two examples, but I'm not really sure why 「知られる」 is being used instead of 「知る」 in the last one.

That's why I'm curious: is 「～から～される」 a frequent structure?


texts: Why で in 今日で最後にしたいです?

texts:
Referring to the clock that counts the time since the last nuclear test:

  時計の数字を変えるのは、今日で最後にしたいです。
  I want to make today the last day where I change the figure on the clock.

I'm confused by the particle で in this sentence. Maybe I've mistranslated, but I would have expected it to be 今日を. I'm thinking of the pattern AをBと/にする meaning "make A as/into B".

Depending on the explanation there's also a possibility I'll be confused as to why it's で and not に, but at the moment I don't see how either one works.


texts:
I'm trying to understand this:

賞品？おそらく！リナちゃん.....私の後ろの笑い声輝くんがたくさんで黙らせ

The last word, 黙らせ, is confusing. Is this a combination of different forms?


texts: Is kanji (especially hyogai kanji) more prevalent than usual on Twitter, or is it the opposite?

texts: Since it is very easy to input kanji on computers or mobile devices, I've always wondered if tweets have more kanji (particularly non-jouyo kanji) than typical Japanese text, especially since kanji characters save character space. But on the other hand, tweets are very casual and slangy.


texts: What does this causative sentence mean? Phrase using 「やらせてもらう」

texts:
I found this sentence in a manga that I fine quite difficult to understand.
"君が言ってたことをそのまま俺もやらせてもらうよ"
Does this sentence mean " I let you do the thing that you have said" ?
Also, the structure of this sentence make me really confused, especially 俺も. Why the subject is in the middle of the sentence?
Here the context: A criminal kidnap the police that used to arrest him and bring him to his hideout. Then, he tortured him. Before in could get any worse, the police partner suddenly appeared. He managed to fine out his hideout. The criminal then attacked him but to no avail and the police partner handcuffs him. The criminal then says just bring him to the police station already. The police partner stare at him and say: “I was thinking about that. But before that…". Then he says this sentence. After that he give him a lot of punches.


texts:
In the first page, this is written:

  六{むっ}つのとき、原始林{げんしりん}のことを書{か}いた「ほんとうにあった話{はなし}」という、本{ほん}の中{なか}で、すばらしい絵{え}を見{み}たことがあります。

I don't have the English version, but the Brazilian version says the equivalent of:

  Once upon a time, when I was 6 years old, I saw in a book about the Virgin Forest, Real Stories, a impressive drawing.

Would it be correct if I said something like 私が六歳のとき?


texts: is there any other same words? i mean the origin of this word.


texts:
――野武士か？　とは、すぐ思ったことだったが、意外にもそれはまだやっと十三、四歳にしかなるまいと思われる小娘であって襤褸てはいるが金襴らしい幅のせまい鉢の木帯をしめ、袂のまるい着物を着ているのである。――そしてその小娘もまた此方の人影をいぶかるものの如く、死骸と死骸との間から、迅こい猫のような眸を、じっと、射向けているのであった。｛宮本武蔵（1935年–1939年、朝日新聞連載、吉川英治）｝

What does it mean? (e.g. a kind of belt? if so, what kind of belt?)


texts:
I have trouble understanding this commercial.

(This page also provides Japanese subtitles)

The woman has received a lot of 喪中はがき lately and so is worried about お香典.
This part I understand but what the old guy says next is puzzling to me:

  「私ね進物用のお線香を贈ってるんです。喪中見舞いって書いて お返しなんかいいから今度ゆっくり話し聞かせてって気持ちでね」と笹野さん

I get it that he recommends giving お線香, possibly because it's easier on the purse, but what he says later is hard to parse:

  "お返しなんかいいから今度ゆっくり話し聞かせてって気持ちでね"

My best try: he says the meaning of お線香 is "not to ask something in return" (お返しなんかいいから) but to "pay respect and have a leisurely chat". Doesn't make much sense to me.


texts: Particle Use When Using Form V-ている/ある at a Location: で or に?

texts:
So imagine I get asked this question, perhaps when calling someone:
図書館...何をしている。
Perhaps I am reading a book, so:
［僕は］としょかん...本を読んでいる。
Here is the problem. For "...", I am conflicted on whether to use で or に in each instance and in general. I know that being at a location is に, and doing an action at a location is で, but what of this sentence pattern? Are there specific cases for whether to use one or the other?


texts: Meaning of 後に in 研究員たちが後に続くと、博士は笑みを浮かべた。

texts:
I'd like to confirm if the 後に in

研究員たちが後に続くと、博士は笑みを浮かべた。

is referring to sometime later. In other words, if the sentence can be translated as

When the researchers followed later on, the Professor showed a smile on its face.

Additionally, what is the function of に in this case? I don't think it's a temporal marker since relative time expressions (e.g. 明日, 今日...) do not take に. My guess is that 後に is an adverb modifying 続く, but I'd like to check.
Finally, this was taken from a Pokemon light novel. For context, a group of researchers has found a lithograph inside some ruins and are discussing the engraving. With this in mind, I'm also wondering if this 続く could refer to their talk instead.
I've included the excerpt below:

ジャングルの中で博士たちを見ていた、ピンク色のポケモン。
「ミュウです」
発掘隊員が石版を指すと、博士は感嘆の表情を浮かべた。
「神秘の力を持ち、大洪水を引き起こしたとか••••••荒地に作物を実らせ、人々に分け与えたとか••••••」
「天使か悪魔か」
「気まぐれなだけか」
研究員たちが後に続くと、博士は笑みを浮かべた。


texts: Variations in the "same" kanji, how do you know which one to use?

texts:
I've been trying to memorize some Kanji, and I've noticed that some of them seem to have different forms. So depending on what app I use, or what website I visit, the Kanji seems lightly different. As far as I can tell, they are actually the same kanji, just not always written the same.

To demonstrate what I mean, consider this screenshot from google image search:

Sometimes the kanji is written with the last horizontal stroke joined, sometimes it is separate.

Alternatively, consider this:

Sometimes this kanji is written with the two verticle strokes on the bottom right as straight lines, other times as little arrows going to the left. Some google search results suggest the straight-line version is Chinese and the little-arrows version is Japanese, however one of my Japanese textbooks (Remembering the Kanji, vol 1) has the straight-line version.

Also this example:

Sometimes I see this character with two horizontal lines in the top-right, sometimes I see it with three. This character is even more confusing because when I copy and paste that character I sometimes get the two-line version and sometimes I get the three-line version. Is this purely a font difference or is something more complicated happening?

The dictionaries I use (jisho.org, and a paper dictionary) tend to have just one form or the other, and does not reference the other form as an alternate form.

So questions...

What is this kind of variation called? Like is there a name for it?
For two slightly different looking kanji, how do you know if they are actually different kanji or if they are just variations of the same kanji? Is this just a matter of experience, or is there a good list or a good set of rules somewhere?
Is this like the Japanese equivalent of how in english, the letters "a" and "g" are displayed differently depending on fonts. And letters like "b" and "p" may be written slightly differently (if you write fast, a lot of people don't join the loop properly in 'b' and 'p').
If you write in Japanese by hand, which form should you write? Are there conventions or rules? (e.g. in english, when you write the letter "a", it's always the comic-sans style 'a'). Or should I mentally treat them as the same symbol, and just write it however I feel like writing it?
Are there cases where kanji have more than two different forms?


texts: 'nihongo ga wakarimasen' vs 'nihongo wo hanashimasen' ga and wo usage?

texts:
I'm afraid this question might be basic knowledge, but for the life of me, I cannot figure it out:
So most of us know the phrase 'nihongo ga wakarimasen' (meaning: I don't understand japanese) but recently I came across the phrase 'nihongo wo hanashimasen' (meaning: I don't speak japanese)

I am aware that these two phrases are usually said with the particles being omitted, but I'm curious  about the usage of the particles (ga and wo).

why is it that one uses ga and the other wo when the object of the sentance(nihongo) is the same? As well as the fact that wakarimasen and hanashimasen are both verbs directed toward the object.

I see no difference in the structure of the two phrases yet the particles are different. If anyone can provide an answer, I would appreciate it.


texts: Stative verbs: ～ている　vs　～てある　vs　～（ら）れる

texts:
I'm not sure if I'm wording this properly, but I want to know the nuances of these "stative" type verb forms that act kind of like adjectives.

For example, you could describe an open window with any of the following:

  窓が開いている
  窓が開けてある
  窓が開けられた

Another one I often see is for "it is written":

  ～と書いてある
  ～と書かれた


texts: I don't understand this correction to my sentence. Please explain!

texts:
でも今ほとんどすべての暇は日本語を勉強することを過ごしています。 "I spend most of my free time studying Japanese"

A couple people corrected me and said it should be: 日本語を勉強して過ごしています。

I know you connect 2 verbs with the te form, but I thought that was 2 verbs that come after each other like 'get up and go to work'

What am I missing?

Thanks!


texts:
そのようにしてこの巨城は、二年の長きにわたってゆっくりと攻略されてきた。

The first thing I had kind of a problem with, is そのようにして...
I just have no idea how to translate it.

Also, as for 巨城, 巨 doesn't have a prefix form, nor there is the work 巨城 in the dictionary. Therefore, how is this compound read, and how is it possible to tell?

Thank you!

And once again, this sentence is taken from the novel "sword art online 1".


texts:
それは、玉座に繋がれた真祖の姫ではなかった。
  彼女は今でもあの間に繋がれたままである。
  これは彼女の内面に潜む、彼女と融け合う事を待っている彼女に他ならない。
  「はじめましてブリュンスタッド。
  こうしてお話をする機会が回ってくるとは思いませんでした。
  なにしろ貴方があの様子では、受け継ぐのは姉君ではと危惧していたものですから」

  This isn't the princess of the true ancestor chained to the throne.
  She is still chained there.
  This is what is dwelling inside  her and is waiting to melt with her.
  Honored to meet you Brunesteid.
  I did not think I could meet you like this and talk to you.
  At any rate if you are in that condition, if it's that sister I doubt that inheriting is possible.

Or since he was speaking about waiting to melt I think

  At any rate if you are in that condition, I doubt you can take over your sister.

I think:
ではと
では=Used before a negative consequence or something that is not favourable
と=Quoting particle

I looked for definitions of the words and found that:
受け継ぐ:前の人の仕事などを引き継ぐ。また，人の性質や志などを引き継ぐ。継承する
姉君:姉を敬っていう語。姉上。
危惧:うまくいかないのではないかと，あやぶむこと。危懼

I understand these 3 definitions and I tried my best to understand how the grammar works in the bold sentence.

Edit: I thought 姉君 could be used when addressing older girls
so

  At any rate if you are in that condition, i doubt that for you it's possible


texts: Honshū is the main island in Japan (so it could be called something like 大州 or 広州). But it is also common in cosmogonies to say the gods created our land first and foremost, and the rest of the planet is just an afterthought to use up left-over materials, Honshū may then have been 元州. Related questions: How old is the name, what is the source?


texts: How to appropriately pair tenses in subordinate and main clauses?

texts:
Consider the following combination. Which is the correct one?

テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《です》。
テレビが私の国で 《できる》  のは１９６０ 《です》。
テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。
テレビが私の国で 《できる》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。

Note: The important words are intentionally bracketed for the sake of emphasizing.


texts: こんにちは, Im quite new to this platform and also japanese, but recently a question struck me. How do I say , "Because I feel pain, I feel alive" or "Because I feel pain, I know that Im alive" Which is better,  痛みがあったから、「生きている」を感じる or 痛みがあってから、「生きている」を感じる ? If there is any better ones, could some kind soul suggest it and correct me? どうもありがとう!


texts: Can someone please explain how to use 出会い/出会う correctly?

texts:
I really can't understand the difference. As far as I understand it, 出会い is a noun and 出会う is the verb. But I can't get my head around how to use them in a sentence!

Too add to the confusion, when I used tangorin to search for 出会い example sentences this was one of the examples:

  わたしは素敵{すてき}な人{ひと}たちと出会{であ}いました。

Surely it functions as a verb in this case?

Also, when is it appropriate to use 出会う instead of using 会う?

Thank you!


texts:
Is 明日辺り exactly the same as 明日?

If not, let's say I just got told "Please do <something> 明日辺り", then:

From what time today does it start to become acceptable to do it?
Approximately when will it start to be considered as later than expected?


texts: When a verb in the present expresses the past, is it CORRECT to conjugate it to the past and still nothing changes?

texts:
If

あの子どもは、それを口に入れるや、吐き出した

is correct, is

あの子どもは、それを口に入れたや、吐き出した

also correct? If yes, has the meaning changed at all?


texts: How to differentiate between the meanings of けり?

texts: けり has 2 meanings: 過去 and 詠嘆. Is there some sort of trick to find out which one is being used? (besides context, of course)


texts:
！
  ……ハッ！　……
  フッ、だまされるわけないだろ。
  相手を見て物をいいなよ。
  オレはこの道のプロだぜ。

I'm having trouble translating this part - 相手を見て物をいいなよ。

物を言う has two meanings, so I guess the sentence will be something like -

  Watch the opponent, then make a conclusion! or Watching the opponent is everything!

Which one is right?


texts:
Occasionally I come across an interesting usage of 合える with a verb stem, mostly when I listen to music. One such example can be found here at approximately 0:42:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgSDZfcq_9o

"分かり合えない、あなたと私”.
As far as I can guess, this means "we don't understand each other, you and I"(or lit.: our understanding cannot meet). However, since I couldn't find any useful information using Google, I really can't be sure of it.

I would really like to know how common this kind of usage is, and in what situations it would/wouldn't be fitting.
Could anybody shed some light on the matter?

Much appreciated :)


texts: Is the direct object implied in this translation? Or does it seem unnatural?

texts:
I'm working with a translation program, trying to translate the following sentence correctly:

The attacker may use a cross-site scripting attack to do this.

The program gives me:

攻撃 者 は 、 クロス サイト スクリプティング 攻撃 を 使用 し て 行 う こと が でき る 。

I don't see the direct object 'this' from the source sentence translated. If this translated sentence followed a sentence mentioning the nature of 'this' (as would normally be the case), would the sentence seem natural (i.e. implied direct object referring to previous sentence)? Or does it seem like something is missing?

I hope I made myself clear, it's kind of hard to explain what I mean...


texts:
他にいいものがたくさんあるけど、やっぱりこれにする。
"There are a lot of other good things, but as I thought I'll go with this one"

What is the に particle doing here? Is it turning 他 into an adjective?
I understand that いいもの means good thing but I can't figure out why they wrote 他にいいもの instead of 他いいもの.


texts: Usage of で particle in this sentence: この問題用紙は全部で8ページあります

texts:
Usage of particle で and に have been causing me quite some difficulties from the beginning (I keep on using で instead of に and vice versa). From what I've learned so far, particle で indicates either where an action is taking place or by what means.

So how come で is being used with...全部... to mean "in all there is.."?

I would rather write it at as :

この問題用紙は全部、8ページがあります。 or,
この問題用紙は全部に8ページがあります。(Maybe I'm interpreting に particle too literally here)

Also, is the usage of particle が optional when stating 'there is something', so using あります? This was the first example I've seen that didn't use particle が with あります。 (As some might have recognized, this example is from a JLPT test, so there isn't a possibility it was just omitted)

I would appreciate it if someone can translate what my versions of the sentences would mean (この問題用紙は全部、8ページがあります。and この問題用紙は全部に8ページがあります。), so I'd be able to compare them and maybe understand better. Thank you!


texts: What is the difference between "悪化した場合" and "悪化する場合"?

texts:
「危機対応融資」は、災害や金融危機などで一時的に業績が悪化した場合に、融資を受けられる制度です。

I don't think it make sense if "悪化した場合" is interpreted as past tense in this sentence.

Will the original meaning be altered somehow if it is updated into "悪化する場合"?


texts: Can Japanese be written without any kana (kanji only)?

texts: I always assumed that Japanese uses a minimum amount of hiragana until I opened this Life and Death Dictionary (Game of Go) and everything is in kanji. Are there kanji for the particles (は が で に も etc...)? If not, can one write Japanese without particles? In the image text, are the particles implied but not written?


texts: Is there any practical difference between しばらく and しばらくの間?

texts: While answering How does しばらく work with ていない?  I started to wonder if 暫く{しばらく} and 暫く{しばらく}の間{あいだ} were fully interchangeable? Or are there any examples where you would use one and not the other?


texts: Difference between こと and と, word choices

texts:
What's the difference between using these structures

行くことを決めた
行くと決めた
行くことに決めた
行くって決めた

They all mean "I have decided to go". So which one should I use?


texts:
What is exact meaning and usage of 「またこんど」? I know that is like saying "see you later", but it's not very clear to me.
Should we use Kanji in this phrase?


texts: ～てたまらない、～てならない、～しようがない

texts:
技術が進歩してなにかが新しくできるようになると、それを _______ のです。

  a) 使ってみたくてならない
  b) 使ってみたくてたまらない
  c) 使ってみたくてしょうがない
  d) 使ってみたくて当然

The answer says that answer is b). According to my research てならない is used for feelings, and ようがない when something for some reason is impossible, but I have found translations as extremely.

Also read this post, but it seems the nuance would be different, but answers would still fit.
Contrasting 〜てならない、〜てしょうがない and 〜てたまらない


texts:
I'm learning Japanese on Duolingo.

I was wondering:

学校は日本にあります means 'The school is in Japan'

What is the difference between 学校は日本にあります and the Japanese translation of 'There is a school in Japan'? I thought arimasu could be translated as 'there is'...

Thanks in advance


texts: How would you use the 'と思います' form to say what others are thinking?

texts: 'と思います' is usually used when saying what you think/your assumptions, that much I know, but is it possible to alter it so that you can say what others are thinking? For an example, how would you say, 'Mary thinks the stars are beautiful'?


texts: Meaning of 気★い、死ぬほど、and タブー演る in a dialogue

texts:
This is dialogue (it's from a magazine).

  A: 現実場面では気★いが山のように出て事件も死ぬほど起こしてて、タブー云々と言ってるうちに表現が現実に負けちゃってるじゃん、最近って。

  B: 俺も別に[奇]{き}をてらってタブー演るわけじゃなくて.

I absolutely don't understand the first part of the first sentence.
What does 気★い mean? What does 事件も死ぬほど起こす mean?
Although I know タブー and 演る separately, I can't get the meaning of タブー演る.
And I'm not sure about the meaning of 奇をてらう.

Can somebody help me?


texts: What is the phrase for "getting to know" someone or something?

texts:
My question is how is the concept of "getting to know" or "knowing" someone conveyed? How do you invite someone to get to know you better?
I was posting a message on mixi and could not figure out what the phrase for this was.

Sentence example so you can understand contextually...

If I sound nice, then don't be scared to get to know me.
or
I'd prefer not to talk about that until I know you better.

How do I express this in japanese? Are there stock phrases? Any help is appreciated.


texts: I came across "2人して" recently and am wondering about the function/translation of the "して" in this case. Is it maybe similar to "同士"? If someone could explain this usage to me I would appreciate it, thank you


texts:
A is the sempai of B, both are girls

  A『私にも妹が居たら‥‥アナタみたいな感じなのかしらね？』

  B『ちょっと違うと思いますよ。』

  B『私とAさんは一つしか違いませんし‥‥それに、私の妹は私とは正反対の元気な子ですから。』

  A『性格とか年の数はどうでもいいのよ、いわゆる気分の問題なんだから。』

  B『んー、良くわからないですね‥‥。』

me and Aさん only have 1 thing (age/grade?) different?

i don't think this is true, since there are big differences in terms of 性格 between A and B as well.

otherwise, how should i interpret 私とAさんは一つしか違いませんし?

thank you


texts: desu vs. arimasu (or imasu) when declaring existence

texts:
The difference between arimasu and imasu is clear, but how do I decide when to use desu and when to use arimasu (or imasu) when stating that something exists?

Consider this example sentence:

There is an urgent job till tomorrow.

Why is it wrong to translate this as:

明日       までの   急な仕事　          は  です
(deadline)-madeno (thing that is due)-wa  desu


texts:
Is 判決が[下]{くだ}る a common expression?
Is 判決が下る (to pass judgment) common?


texts: What is the meaning of している in this sentence?

texts:
I know from looking at the title many of you are thinking "Frey, you should KNOW THIS by now." And to be honest I should, its just a matter of the more research I did only served to further confuse me.

Dialogue with sentence in question:

  「たしかに今までは、そんな自分に気づかなかったでしょうね。平穏な暮らしをしている限りはわからないわ。身の危険が迫った時にだけ発現する能力だか」

My Genki I book says the following on ている

  A verbal "te-form" when followed by the helping verb いる, means either of the following:

  (a) an action in progress, or

  (b) a past event that is connected with the present.

  Which of these two senses a given verb is used in is to a large extend determined by the semantic characteristics of the verb. The verbs we have learned so far can be roughly divided into three groups based on their semantics.

  (1) verbs that describe continuous states

  (2) verbs that describe activities that last for some time

  (3) verbs that describe changes that are more or less instantaneous

At first, I thought the している was being used as (b) a past event that is connected with the present. Considering how in context the past event was 平穏な暮らし, I thought option (b) was the correct choice as far as to what している meant in the above sentence and context.

My research to find a way to show the ている time construct through the usage of specific tenses in my native language, American-English - which I never formally studied the tenses of - has led to an extreme doubt in the accuracy of the ている being used as (b).

Looking around JSE Q&A for information on which of the above numbered options would work for する lead me to this question and this answer, the later of which has the following excerpt:

  So as a verb it means "to act in a way that accomplishes [objective]"

  And for ～をする since を marks the direct object, it means "do ～" (Because it's a direct object, doing ～ directly accomplishes ～)

  する can also be used for describing some attribute:

  私は長い足をしている to mean "I have long legs"（stative resultant ている form of する)

  To accomplish "long legs", the simplest way is to simply "have" it.

Further research into the ている construct led me here, and to this question.
 Questioning the particle usage of を in the above was what might have led me to the question containing the above except in the first place.
After all this research, I still have no clue whether する is a transitive/intransitive verb in the above, which according to my Genki II book will affect how the ている affects the verb, among other things.

As you can see I'm confused because of over-research into figuring out what the している is if its not option (b) from the above Genki I excerpt. If the correct option was in fact (b), please answer the following translation question:

As a native Japanese would read している and recognize that the 平穏な暮らしthat occurred far in the past is being connected to the present via している, what specific tense would work for describing 平穏な暮らしをしている限りは so that a English reader will have the same (or as close as possible) experience reading the translation as a native reader would when reading the original?


texts:
Probably a silly question, but in this sentence:

  仕事ができなかったら十日と待たずに解雇されるだろうと思う。

What does the と in 十日と待たずに mean? Is it the "if" と, e.g. "when/if 10 days pass, I'd get fired without hesitation?". Shouldn't it say 十日だと (with the だ added)?

Thanks for the answers.


texts:
Watching a show, I came across the sentence

２年前とは別人だってところをお見せします

What confuses me is the use of 「ところ」. I have seen 「ところ」 be used after verbs to give them a temporal-context, but this seems different because it is used after a noun.
I would translate the sentence as, "I will show that I am a different person from two years ago".
Is the 「ところ」giving a time related context to the sentence (i.e. the person changing)? And is 「ところ」used often after nouns like this?


texts:
甲斐{がい} seems to have the property where it conjugates with the 連用形 of verbs unlike most nouns with which verbs typically attach with the 終止形. i.e you say 生き甲斐 instead of 生きる甲斐, やり甲斐 instead of やる甲斐. I imagine this is due to some relic of older Japanese, but I'm unsure what it is.
Thinking about it a bit for some other nouns that might do this, it seems that 損 might have this property as well.
Is there a name for nouns that work like this? And are there some other examples of nouns that do this?


texts: Translation of "I am in college because of work"

texts:
I am in college because of work.

What I mean by that is that I want to say that I am in college due to some work, like as a guest for a lecture. I attended college for some work I had with the teachers.

I was communicating with a Japanese online and I made the following sentence which was corrected by her:

  大学に入っていたから私が働くのを待っています

I thought it sounded strange, so here is my own attempt:

  しごとがあるので大学にいます

Are these sentences correct? What's the best way to say it in Japanese?


texts:
Three siblings have been abandoned by their parents and are to be split up and placed in different homes.  They are understandably distraught and an adult family friend is trying to console them.  He says:

どんな幸い時でも、こんなことに負けてたまるかって思うんだ

(You can defeat this by remembering all the happy times.)

俺だって、幸いことなんて山ほどあった。だが、負けなかった

(Even I had lots of misfortune (?), but I wasn’t defeated.)

I have put my attempt at translation in brackets.

Question:
In the second sentence, it seems like 幸いことなんて should be something like misfortunes or unfortunate things (from the context) but shouldn’t that be 不幸い?  Or is なんて a negating factor here (even though 山ほどあった seems neutral and 幸いこと is positive)?


texts:
I'm very new to Japanese and I'm trying to figure out the usage of 'って' in the following sentence:

  変な事聞くけど、君　漢字って得意？
  This may sound strange, but are you good at Kanji?

The only use of って I have learned thus far is to make a quotation. However, I don't understand the purpose of って in this particular sentence. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


texts: How does adding なる make this phrase more "natural"?

texts:
Recently, I wanted to express the sentence "Maybe they'd make good pets." in Japanese. I initially tried to say it as such:

  [多分]{たぶん}いいペットでしょうね！

I was then corrected by a native speaker, and he told me that it would sound more natural if I expressed it this way:

  [多分]{たぶん}いいペットになるでしょうね！

Now, what exactly does this add to the sentence? I believe that in this case, なる is being used to mean "to become" (It's hard to tell for sure since I don't have a kanji for reference.) Was it added simply to make the expression more idiomatic, or is there a more grammatical reason behind it?


texts: Why is タ used instead of ソ in 外 despite it's read as ソト?


texts:
What is the difference between these two terms for the word «mother»?

おかあさん
ははおや

Is there a difference in politeness/register in addressing someone, our some other form of difference between these two?

My dictionary also lists:

はは
かあさん
ははのみこと

as being in current usage.

Also, I cannot figure out why katakana, which is usually used for foreign words, would also be used for two forms of mother, as listed in my dictionary, as follows (please note, I couldn't get my input method on my Android keyboard to input the first of these in katakana as in the dictionary, perhaps someone can tell me how to do it).

おもに
ママン

REFERENCE:

Thanks.


texts: Meaning of どんな+Noun+も where the Noun isn't a WH word?

texts:
While watching a video, I came across the quote:

  違う！キングダムハーツはどんな闇も消し去ることのできる心―光なんだ！

For 'どんな闇も' I first thought of the literal translation 'also what kind of darkness', but this made no sense in the context since it would add a question in a declarative statement.

My second thought was 'any darkness' to give the translation:

  You're wrong! Kingdom Hearts is a heart that can erase any darkness. It's light!

However, I feel like this use of どんな+も with a regular noun is wrong.


texts:
I know that there are tons upon tons of resources on this question because I did a thorough search in google before this post but they don't seem to address my case. I saw this used in a tutorial that I recently looked at:

  エーティーエムはありますか？

Here the tutorial used は for the ATM.
And then I saw another example like this:

  みずがありません。

Right here they use が for to say there is no water. Now I know that は and が are interchangeable but the tutorial won't accept my answer(I'm using Memrise). The question is:

  How do you say "Is there an ATM?"

and my answer was

  エーティーエムがありますか？

So is that a correct way to say it or is it not? What is it implying if it is. I saw SO MANY different things said for は and が. Here are some of them for example:

が puts emphasis on the word before it and は puts emphasis on the word after it.
は is used when we are familiar with the object and が is used when we are introducing an unknown one to the one we are talking to.
は is used when you want to say that the object は puts an emphasis on is the only one that matters. "わたしは。。。" meaning I am... I don't care about other people, as far as I am concerned...
and が is used to make the object "pop" and be distinguished from others: "わたしが。。。" if we use the が when we are in a group of people it means: Not the others but ME. It notes that out of all the people in the group I am the one that's concerned in this sentence.

There are many more since I looked at a lot of sources but every source seems to put a different spin on it. Are all of these bullet points correct?

I really seem to have a problem with learning by jumping from resource to resource since they all change so weirdly and they confuse me as to what's right and what isn't. Any idea how to help with that? Any particular resource I can look at and stick with?

Sorry for the long question I just needed to add these last few paragraphs to improve my learning in general.


texts:
I tried to parse the sentence 夢中で語り合う as
夢中(noun)で(particle)語り(?)合う(verb)
What is the part of speech of 语り ?
I've tried parse it by https://jisho.org/search/夢中で語り合う but failed.
The context of the sentence is the song キボウノカケラ

夕焼けに照らされて

** 夢中で語り合う **

目指してるあの場所は

もうすぐだと信じて


texts: How many different ways are there of saying words?

texts:
Sorry if the title of the question is not so clear but I understand there are some different ways of using words.

For example casual, polite, and honorific

Are these the only different ways or are there some other ways that an expert speaker would know / use?

What makes me confused is that I see

-san is honorific but then
-sama is a more respectful version of -san
-kun is used to address someone younger or children
-chan when addressing very young children

So if that is the case is there a special class for -sama

Thank you


texts:
I'm trying to translate this phrase:
「全ての生物をブッチ切りで超越したのだ！。」
which I believe roughly comes out to be:
"I have surpassed all living beings!"

My question is: how is で used in this sentence? It is preceded by the noun, according to Jishou, 「ブッチ切り」, which means "to establish a large lead above one's competitors". After the particle is ちょうえつ, meaning "to transcend". Since they both have similar meanings, I am confused about how the particle で connects the two in a sentence.


texts: Was katakana used in the teaching of Japanese as a foreign language?

texts:
The Wikipedia article Japanese language education in Vietnam, says that during the 1940s, Japanese was taught in Vietnam using either romaji or katakana. Is it true that katakana, rather than hiragana, was used?

My assumption was that if only one set of kana were taught, then it would have been hiragana. The Wikipedia article on furigana mentions that native speakers of Japanese learn hiragana before katakana, and that furigana is more commonly written in hiragana than katakana. Likewise, Sayo Masuda, a native speaker of Japanese who wrote her autobiography in 1957, had learnt hiragana (as an adult) but not katakana or kanji.


texts: History and etymology of Japanese onomatopoeia

texts:
I've been wondering about the patterns of Japanese onomatopoeia and their etymologies. Perhaps you could help me figure it out or link me to a useful bibliography that might.

The first of these onomatopoeia follow the following pattern: _っ_り, like:

  にっこり

  さっぱり

  すっかり

  びっくり

The second example of Japanese onomatopoeia repeats the preceding component, often adding a dakuten (゛) in the latter part, i.e.:

  わくわく

  ぼろぼろ

  しらじら

The third type of onomatopoeia seems to take the sound that things make and adds っと to it:

  ぎゅっと

  ざっと

  どんと

Another question would be, why do some of these onomatopoeia take the に particle, while some use the と particle?


texts: What purpose does に serve in set phrases that go after verbs?

texts:
～するに決まっている

～するに留まった

～するにして・にしろ・にしては,etc

other than this usage you don't see に after verbs. The entire に＿＿＿　is explained as grammar point as a whole.

Thank you


texts: What is pimsleur saying (shtain desnoga)?

texts:
Listening to the first Pimsleur Japanese audiobook and I'm having a hard time recognizing the words its saying. It says to say "I want to go shopping" and then in Japanese says something that sounds like "kaimonoga shtain desnoga". What are the actual words it's saying?

My best guess after reading some posts is that it's saying shitai desu ga. Are the n sounds just a regional accent? Or do they change the meaning?


texts:
I just read this question but was confused by a different aspect of the example sentence:

  牛乳を飲み終わった人から、紙パックを自分の番号のケースに戻して席に着くように。

The question's answer is perfectly clear about the meaning, but I don't understand how the grammar of the part in bold works. When I see から I think of either 'from', 'because' or (if it's て-form) 'after'. None of these seem to work.

On it's own, the first clause (to me) reads

  from the person who has finished drinking milk

but such a translation clearly doesn't fit with the rest of the sentence.

Is it a geneal rule that

  verb-past + noun + から = as noun does verb

What about the tense/aspect of the verb? Some more examples would also be appreciated.


texts:
I'd suppose the answer would generally be yes depending on who you're talking to but I'm a bit unsure.

Just wondering if it isn't weird to speak very casually online


texts: How do I address a young lady properly in person?

texts:
In real life, if I were to meet a stranger who is a young woman around my age in Japan, how would I--a man--call her without knowing her name? For instance, how should I say, "Excuse me, miss, you're up (in a queue)."

A search on the Internet turned up one result dominantly--お姉さん.

However, from memory I believe I've heard another term (if not more often) in Japanese films and anime--お嬢さん.

Somehow I feel calling any random young lady on the street お姉さん slightly off.


texts: Different transcriptions for words with related origin

texts:
Sometimes, a single foreign word or etymologically related words from different dialects/related languages is/are incorporated into Japanese with different transcriptions/pronouncations and often different meanings. The most obvious and systematic ones are the different on-yomi's assigned to a single kanji, which came from different ancient dialects of Chinese.

明　(みん, めい, みょう)

Besides kanji, there are some with gairaigo:

ガラス < glas (Dutch) 'glass, glass window'
グラス < glass (English) 'glass cup'
コップ < kop (Dutch) 'cup'
カップ < cup (English) 'trophy cup'

Are there any other examples of gairaigo groups like this?
I would like to exclude those that are due to 平板化 (deaccentation) such as the following:

クラブ (KUrabu) < club (English) 'club activities before/after school'
クラブ (kuRABU) < id. 'host(ess) club'
ゲーム (GEemu) < game (English) 'game'
ゲーム (geEMU) < id. 'video game'


texts: Sentence structure: "I can accomplish (a) by doing (b)"

texts:
I'm trying to say sentences like "I can accomplish (a) by doing (b)." in Japanese, and I can't seem to figure it out.

An example sentence would be "I can earn good grades by studying hard."

Maybe the english example wasn't quite right. I know accomplish complicates the question but I do feel thats what I'm looking for. Maybe this example of what I'm looking for will help.

"I can show initiative by working hard."

Or if someone was presenting a product demonstration before an audience.

"I can make this product appeal to the audience."
"I just need to show its usefulness."

What I want to construct is more "i can make this product appeal to the audience by showing its usefulness."

I'm not necessarily looking for a direct translation of these sentences. An example of how to construct the idea or something similar would work.


texts: * "The Japanese language does not have words that function as adjectives in a syntactic sense"

texts:
※  This (titular) assertion is questionable, so I'm (1) putting it in quotes, and (2) placing an asterisk in front of it.
The following page starts with this assertion, which I had not heard before :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_equivalents_of_adjectives
The Japanese language does not have words that function as adjectives in a syntactic sense – that is to say that tree diagrams of Japanese sentences can be constructed without employing adjective phrases. [citation needed]
Nevertheless, there are words that function as adjectives in a semantic sense.

[citation needed]  ! ! !
Is this a commonly heard notion?
For example :

立派で赤い花
背が高く赤い花が立派なこの植物の名前を教えてください。

It's not obvious how Parse Trees of these strings (above) would be any different from  Parse Trees of  English strings of similar meanings.
–- that is to say,   a tree diagram (or a parse tree) of the latter   Japanese string (the sentence) seems like it would be a great example to
illustrate [adjective phrases] in Japanese.
This Jp wikipedia page doesn't have anything on it:
Wikipedia 形容詞
Any ideas?


texts: Why is も used instead of が in the sentence 「日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ」

texts:
What is the exact sentiment expressed by も in this sentence as opposed to が?

日本ではクモを見ると良いことがあると言う人もいますよ

It's a sentence in response to someone saying "I saw a spider in my room, I was scared".


texts:
What is the etymology of the word バックシャン?
I understand it commonly refers to a woman beautiful only from behind. See this definition-

  女性のうしろ姿が均整がとれて美しいこと。また、その女性。多く、前から見ると失望するような
  場合にいう。

I understand the back/バック part, but is the シャン a version of ちゃん?
When did it come into common usage?


texts: What is the antonym of 丁寧語? either "dictionary form" or "conversational form" of a verb?

texts:
食べます、飲みます、読みます are the _ 丁寧語 _ forms of 食べる、飲む、読む。

But, how do I call the "forms" for 食べる、飲む、読む？
食べる、飲む、読む are the _ ??? _ forms of 食べます、飲みます、読みます。

I think of 食べる、飲む、読む as being the dictionary form or the conversational form.


texts: Who carries out the action of くる in 呼んでくる?

texts:
In the following sentence, who carries out the action of くる?

田中さん、ちょっと山本さんを呼んできてください。

Generally, Vてくる means to go somewhere, do V, and come back. But in English, it would sound more natural to say something like “Tanaka, call Yamamoto over.” After all, the speaker wants Yamamoto to come over.


texts: Clarification about how 惚れた should be translated

texts:
There is sentence

  「だがまあ、惚れた女を一途に見守っている男の邪魔をするのは無粋と言うものだ」

which I rougly translated as "However, as they say, it's rude to disturb a man who is earnestly watching over loved woman".
But this translation is due to context, which suggests that it is a man who fell in love with woman, where my first attempt was that it was woman who fell in love, since 惚れた modifies 女.

Can someone clarify what happens here grammar-wise?


texts: I have a friend who will say 良かった, which I believe means "that's good." But I'm looking for a more elaborate explanation on this. For example, I notice 良かった is past tense. So translating it literally I get: was good. Of course literal translation doesn't always make sense, so I'm hoping someone can help me understand it better. Thanks.


texts: What does 苦学 and 何浪 mean in this sentence?

texts: In this sentence: 苦学し、何浪もして東大に合格, I can't find the meaning? WhenI search up 浪 via Japanese dictionary, it says 'waves' and 苦学 is 'paying one's own school expenses by working'.


texts: Why isn't the う (u) in どうして being pronounced?

texts:
According to Google Translate the phrase is pronounced dōshite (I've also heard it pronounced like that in anime and movies).

I couldn't help noticing that the う (u) isn't being pronounced. Why is this?


texts:
I know that if I want to say "You're cold!" I can just say "つめたい！"

But is there a way of saying "Please don't be cold to me"?

The whole context is truly too long to put into this question but basically I would like to know how to ask

  Did you tell XY to not be cold to me?


texts:
Wiktionary says that the Japanese for "Native speaker" can be either "母語話者" or "ネイティブスピーカー". What difference, if any, is there between the two?

Searching the corpus on jisho.org only got one hit for the kanji form, and no hits for the katakana form.

On lang-8, I saw someone correct from 母語話者 to ネイティブスピーカー as the kanji form was not as common.


texts: Combining two い-adjectives without using て

texts:
In the JLU chat, Flaw recently typed up some instructions printed on a Japanese product.  Here's what they said:

  直射日光の当たらない涼しい所に保管してください

It appears that 所 is modified by two phrases:

直射日光の当たらない "not in direct sunlight"
涼しい "cool"

But they aren't joined by て.  It doesn't say 直射日光の当たらなくて涼しい.  I can't find any information on joining two adjectives like this, without using て.  Is it grammatical to combine them this way?  Is it different from using て?

I've seen forms like すごい高い before, but I thought that was just a non-standard way of saying すごく高い.  This seems like it's different.


texts: Double を of the form [noun] を [noun] を [verb-stem] つつ

texts:
I have the following from here:

本記事｛ほんきじ｝では、最新｛さいしん｝の築地｛つきじ｝情報｛じょうほう｝を写真｛しゃしん｝を交｛か｝えつつ、築地｛つきじ｝でオススメの寿司｛すし｝レストラン、軽食｛けいしょく｝や朝｛あさ｝ごはんが食｛た｝べられる店｛みせ｝、また訪日｛ほうにち｝客｛きゃく｝向｛む｝けツアーやアクセス情報｛じょうほう｝などをご紹介｛しょうかい｝します。

By context, I understood it as

In this article, while providing the most recent pictures and information about Tsukiji market, ...

but I'm not too sure how the grammar works. I've referred to another post on double を, which suggests that I might parse the phrase as

築地情報を[ 写真を[して] ]交えつつ

Yet, I would think that if 交えつつ refers to two nouns, it would be through the と particle instead, so

築地情報と写真を交えつつ

Is this another common double-を pattern that's different from what was listed in the linked post?


texts:
What's the difference between 少{すこ}し (sukoshi) and 小{ちい}さい (chiisai)?

In what situations would I use each one?


texts: The real meaning of の when asking a question

texts:
It seems to be the season for asking questions about questions, and with every question and answer I read I get more confused.

What is the difference between:

  1) どこに行く
  2) どこに行くの

I'm assuming 1) is a simple, informal, friendly question with no hidden meanings and nuances.

For 2) I read all sorts of things in different places. Some say that:

2) and 1) are entirely equivalent.
The の in 2) has the nature of the explanatory の. e.g. I'm seeking clarification on something.
2) can have an accusatory or rude tone to it and should be used with care.

Maybe I'm confused because people are giving different explanations in different contexts. Can somebody clear up my confusion? Are all these different interpretations correct? If so what context determines each meaning?

Nice to have: If someone would be so kind as to try and compare 1) and 2) with のか and の/んだ as well it would be great to see it all in one place.


texts: What's the difference between 「言う」「話す」「喋る」「語る」?

texts:
Are 「言う」「話す」「喋る」「語る」 interchangeable in the following sentences? Why or why not?

「ああ」と言って、田中は友達の顔を眺めた…

学校にあったことを父に話す。

自分の考えを友達に話した。

人と話すのが好きです。

ああ！カエルが喋った！

彼は皆の前で、将来の大きな夢を語りました。

彼は私に子供のところの思い出を語った。

あの人は実によく喋る。

誰もいないところでいうのは構わない…

In my opinion, sentence 1, 2, 3, and 4 are not interchangeable because:

「ああ」と言って、田中は友達の顔を眺めた…

Because「ああ」 is a short sentence, only 「言う」can be used.

学校にあったことを父に話す。

Because, I'm talking with my dad, so 「話す」 is used. The same for sentence 3 and 4.
But I cannot figure out under what cases 「喋る」「語る」 can be used only.
Do 「喋る」 add a feeling that what is being talked unimportant?
And how to say "to tell a story (to a child)"?
Thanks for your help in advance!


texts: Does it have a less literal meaning that "nothing left behind"?


texts: What is the difference between ぐらい、ほど and だけ

texts:
And there are examples:(新完全マスター文法N3より)

１．医者にお酒を止められているが、ちょっと(。。。）いいだろう。

だけでは
だけでも
ぐらいなら
などなら

２．一度会った（。。。）どんな人物かわからない。

ほどなら
ことでも
だけでも
だけでは

どうしてその答えを選ぶのかも説明してくれませんか？


texts: Meaning of ここで引くなどご法度

texts:
ここで引くなどご法度

I've read several articles on nado, and have found that it can mean 'whatnot, and such, etc.' but to me that doesn't make sense here. Can anyone help with this?


texts: I'm a bit lost on this sentence using なかろうか

texts:
As part of a long text on the use of られる, there is this sentence:

  られる　は私{わたし}の父{ちち}が信{しん}じていたほどには効能{こうのう}を持{も}っていなかったのではなかろうか。

This sentence is from my JLPT textbook, but it seems a section of the full text can be found online here.)

I'm having trouble parsing this sentence. My inadequate attempt to translate it has only resulted in fragments that don't come together into one logical whole. "As for られる / to the degree my father put trust in / didn't have benefit / probably wasn't the case."

Can someone help me link everything together so that this sentence makes sense?


texts: Meaning of 「～でも～でもない」?

texts:
I have been translating mini comics to practice my Japanese and I came across this sentence:

仲間でも家族でもないそれは魅力的に映った、とても。

What exactly do they mean? I know the meaning of the words and kanji but I can't translate it because I don't understand. I think it may mean, "neither friends (comrades) nor family, that seemed very attractive," quite literally. Can someone give me a proper translation and/or explanation of how exactly this sentence works?


texts: I saw “私は日本語を話せます。” in an online lesson. Is it grammatically correct?


texts: What is the difference between あるまい and　ありません？

texts: From what I understand, they both mean "is not". But from what I've been able to gather from the few times I've heard it, it seems that あるまい may not be as strong or definitive as ありません. Am I on the right track here? Also, can まい be used with any verb ex: 飲むまい or just with ある?


texts: Desire words: When to use 欲望{よくぼう}, 欲求{よっきゅう}, 欲{よく} and 欲念{よくねん}?

texts:
Today I ran into these three desire words, which are defined:

欲 = greed, craving, desire, avarice, wants
欲求 = desire
欲望 = desire, appetite, lust

And while searching dictionaries, I also found a fourth word

欲念 = desire, wish, passion

All of these have quite similar definitions, and I couldn't find an explanation of their differences anywhere, not in English at least, but I did find a Japanese site with an explanation of sorts, and what I gathered is that at least 欲望 has something to do with the desired thing itself, whereas 欲求 has to do with the actual feeling of desire... or something like that.

I'm still quite unsure, so I would appreciate if someone could explain the situations each of them is used, and/or how their nuances differ.

EDIT: The site with the Japanese explanation I found is this: http://okwave.jp/qa/q1543862.html. I think it only discusses 欲望 and 欲求, and their differences, though.

EDIT2: I could also add that I ran into the three words in Core 6k deck. The following example sentences (some of them not very good) were given for each:

欲: 「あまり欲を出しちゃだめだよ。」
欲求:「時には自分の欲求を抑えることも必要です。」
欲望:「彼は欲望が強い人です。」


texts: Why 皮切り is labelled as a sensitive word in the dictionary?

texts:
When I studied Japanese this morning, I found this word 皮切り in my dictionary:

Example sentence:
それを皮切りとして欧州の詩や文学を多数紹介するようになりました。

Translation: With that as a start many European poems and much literature came to be introduced.

From the example sentence, I don't find the usage 'sensitive'.

Sources:
https://jisho.org/search/%E7%9A%AE%E5%88%87%E3%82%8A

However, after some research, I find this to be interesting:

Opinion of user1

  http://www.edrdg.org/jmdictdb/cgi-bin/entr.py?svc=jmdict&sid=&e=1118327

  最初に据える灸は皮膚を切るような痛みを感じることから。包茎手術の意はないが卑俗に感じる場合もある

  Basically it's from the two Kanji used that give the feeling of "cut
  skin".

  My guess: This word is related to a circumcision, thus labelled as
  'sensitive'.

Opinion of user2

  I have never thought of 皮切り as a sensitive word. I use it, people use
  it.

  It seems that some publisher put this word on their list of sensitive
  words at some time because they thought it might remind the readers of
  circumcision, and therefore might sound vulgar.

  In my opinion, it's far-fetched. Again, people use the word.

Opinion of user3

  There are lots of words to do with cutting, leather, flesh, and
  butchery which might have connotations that moderns no longer feel.

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin

  Note that Entertainers were even below them, considered non-human,
  whereas Burakumin were cast out, but still considered human. It gives
  more context to "The Izu Dancer", that.

Additional information:

  In JMDICT history: This word seems to be included in
  放送禁止用語 or banned words in TV. It's on the NHK list of things to be avoided or used carefully. It seems it can be confused with
  circumcision.

My questions:

1.Are their opinions correct? I mean that the reason of the word being sensitive? Why do you think so?

2.What do you feel when using the word i.e.: 皮切り, is it truly sensitive to your native ear?

3.One of the meaning is 'beginning with/starting with' and I think it's pretty neutral. Is this correct?

Thank you very much!

Source2


texts: What is the meaning and utility of the "Koto" in the end of these five Karate-Do Principles?

texts:
The Japanese martial art Karate-Do has five principles on conduct that should be pursued by its practitioners. In all books it comes with the koto at its end, just after the principal verb. I've read that koto means thing, and in other source I've read that koto after a verb makes it transform to a noun verb, but I think I've don't really understood that very well, since I can't understand the use of koto in this five phrases:

一、人格 完成に 努める こと
hitotsu, jinkaku kansei ni tsutomeru koto
Exert yourself in the perfection of character

一、誠の道を守ること
hitotsu, makoto no michi wo mamoru koto
Be faithful and sincere

一、努力の精神を養うこと
hitotsu, doryoku no seishin wo yashinau koto
Cultivate the spirit of perseverance

一、礼儀を重んずること
hitotsu, reigi wo omonzuru koto
Respect propriety

一、血気の勇を戒むること
hitotsu, kekki no yū wo imashimuru koto
Refrain from impetuous and violent behaviour

These were extract from this site: http://www.shotokankaratedoassociation.com/translating-dojo-kun-meaning-behind-japanese-characters/ where they explain the philosophical meaning of the principles.

But, from the grammatical point-of-view, I didn't understood it. What is the meaning and the utility of this koto?

Thanks in advance!


texts:
The sentence is this one:

その音に反応したのか、わたしの耳に一つの声が届いた

I kinda understand the connotation that のか has in some sentences, but I just don't understand it in this particular one.


texts: Does "私は山田さんが描きました。" make sense in Japanese?

texts:
Is this sentence put together correctly?
I'm trying to say "I drew (name on person)" formally. Drew as in "drew a picture of". In this case I will be using Yamada-san as an example.

  私は山田さんが描きました。

I Yamada-san drew.

Am I using は and が right? Am I using the right kanji for draw(描く)? Am I using the right form of the verb(きました)? Is the entire sentence wrong and doesn't make any sense in Japanese?


texts: What does 『好き』が強い感がある

texts:
In the below I'm not quite sure how to understand the bold part. Before this he was flash backing and describing an event from a few days ago where his girlfriend 莉佳 was being very intimate (激しいスキンシップ　but nothing of that nature).
莉佳のことはもちろん大好きだけれど、その……ちょっとその『好き』が強い感がある
There's a few things I don't understand about what he says (and obviously the meaning).

Why is 『好き』 in quotes? It doesn't seem like he is quoting anyone.
感がある - What's the difference between 感じがする and 感がある


texts: Why is ように used in this imperative (if it is an imperative)?

texts:
For full context:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/web_tokushu/2018_0202.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-closeup_002

The sentence in question:
当時の記録には、役所から住民に対し「隕石を拾った者は届け出るように」と申しつけられていたことが記されています。

My attempt at translation:
"Concerning the records from back then, it is written down that it was instructed by the government office to the citizens that 'The person who picks up the meteorite must(?) report'"."

Without an imperative in this quote, it doesnt make much sense that the quotation is called an instruction/order. However, ように as a marker for an imperative is something I havent encountered so far.


texts:
I have the following sentence: [仕事]{しごと}で[気]{き}を[遣]{つか}うことが[多]{おお}い. Which directly translates to：　at work you use your 気 often. Some other translations of ki wo
tsukau include, paying attention to others, caring about something, to attend to, to fuss about, to take into consideration.

My question is what is the nuance of this き. Is it a good thing or is it a bad thing. Imagine you have to agree or disagree with the statement. What is the suggested meaning implied by these responses.

I've read in other works where 気を遣う is not really a good thing, like it is taking away at the core of your energy and you couldn't maintain some situation, essentially because that situation is using your き. However, in the translations above it also seems like the statement is saying, you often care about your work. The significance here is that ones response of agreeing or disagreeing to the sentence, has almost exact opposite meanings depending on the interpretation of the sentence. I feel the key to understanding the sentence is in the nuance...

Cheers.

Finally, I would be happy if someone could edit/add tags so I can better understand what this question should be tagged as, thanks.