INSTRUCTION
stringlengths 11
999
| RESPONSE
stringlengths 0
999
| SOURCE
stringlengths 16
38
| METADATA
dict |
|---|---|---|---|
Meaning of てなわけで at the start of a sentence
This sentence is the start of a new paragraph. The ellipses are as written:
> ... **** ...
> ??? Maruko was raising the Rhinoceros Beetle grubs in a plastic fish tank that she'd put in the corner of the hallway, but... . A month went by.
I don't understand what means. I read this question, but was unenlightened since I can't understand either.
My guess is that the part together with the part later on suggest that the narrator is explaining the reason for something. Later sentences got on to say that she forget to look after them for a month.
|
> comes from
It is a rather drastic phonetic change, but you have already encountered the -to- change before, correct? So, we know we are dealing with quotative particles ( & ).
> ≒
Both phrases mean " ** _with that being said_** ". Depending on the context, " ** _for that reason_** " would fit better as can mean "reason". A freer and more informal TL would be " ** _so_** ", believe it or not.
It seems to me that "so" might not be such a bad TL for the context in question, but it is really your choice.
In very informal situations in real life, people often start a conversation with or without barely explaining what it is that they want to talk about. This is what I was talking about in my comment above.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, meaning"
}
|
Meaning of "Denshosha" - Memory Keeper
In reading articles about survivors of Hiroshima ( _hibakusha_ ), I learned that there are designated individuals, _denshosha_ , who are tasked with learning and recording the memories of the survivors of the bombing.
Is _denshosha_ a term specific to the "memory-keeping" of the _hibakusha_ , or does it have a more general meaning of simply "memory-keeper", i.e. it makes sense outside of the concept of the _hibakusha_?
(I do not study Japanese, and I do not know the Kanji/written form of these words.)
|
It's not specific to hibakusha. It's written (den sho sha), and the last sha means "person". means keeping knowledge through generations, usually by oral means or by teaching.
Hibakusha is written (hi baku sha), where hi means "exposed" and baku "bomb" or "blast". Sha is again "people".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words, english to japanese"
}
|
What are the small kana words put above kanji called?
Very quick question. What do you call the small hiragana written above kanji to show their pronunciation?
|
Those are called (furi-gana)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "kana, terminology"
}
|
"But it is true that..." in Japanese
I am trying to translate a sentence from English to Japanese in order to include it in an email, but I can't really find a satisfying equivalent in the target language.
> But it is true that it (the Japanese language) is getting easier over time.
I have:
>
Or should I say
I have have also tried:
>
Please let me know if this is wrong, or if there is a better way to say it.
|
> {}
Nice try, but it only sounds 80-85% natural. (It is 100% grammatical if it is the grammar that matters.)
: A more natural word choice would be {}. Using there could make it sound a bit childish.
: The native speaker's phrase choice would be or .
>
Excellent second half (). The use of there is not incorrect, but a phrase like {} would be more natural.
How natural sounds there would actually depend on the larger context. With only a single sentence given, it is no easy judgement. In that sense, would be a pretty safe choice.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 12,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice, english to japanese"
}
|
Is it ok if I leave kanji I don't know out?
So I want to write "I love you" but I see "aishitemasu" uses kanji characters for "ai" and I'm trying to stay away from kanji at the moment. Can I use instead?
|
The short answer is "yes you can." You can always write every Japanese sentence only in hiragana if you don't care how it would look like.
But what's the reason for doing so? If you are a total beginner and don't want to use characters you are not familiar with, then okay, that's one of the valid reasons to do so; sticking to hiragana might imply you wrote this sentence sincerely, not having copied it from somewhere.
A native Japanese speaker who knows many kanji might replace with intentionally to make the sentence look childish, informal, girly, or less serious, for example. Using no kanji might somehow be similar to using no capital characters in English (e.g., Saying "i love u" instead of "I love you").
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "usage, kanji, hiragana, kana usage"
}
|
Is there a term for "blue balls" in Japanese?
Blue balls: testicular pain caused by prolonged sexual arousal in the human male without ejaculation.
<
Is there a term for it in Japanese? If so, what is it? If not, what would be the closest way to express it?
|
There is not any specific term for it in japanese.
<
<
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "words"
}
|
How is v-ta no used?
Could someone explain the construction **v-ta no**? I saw it in the article title
>
|
This is a nominalizer, but more specifically, this can be understood as a marker that introduces cleft-sentences, which are used to focus some part of the sentence.
> * () 54 11
> Snow fell in November 54 years ago.
> * () 11 **** 54
> It's 54 years ago that snow fell in November. (54 is focused)
>
/ at the end is omitted because it's a news title which is expected to be short.
To be clear, this type of does not have to follow the ta-form of a verb.
> *
> I see this movie for the first time.
> * ****
> It's the first time that I see this movie. ( is focused)
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "particle の, nominalization"
}
|
The verb かける in this sentence
How should I translate the verb and the sentence as a whole?
> ****
|
is simply the verb that is used with .
> = "to vacuum-clean / to hoover"
In this case is usually written in _kana_ , although the correct _kanji_ would be .
Similarly, one uses
> = "to iron"
> []{}[]{}() = "to wipe"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation, verbs"
}
|
What does 鏡越し mean in this sentence?
I encountered the word while I'm reading a web novel, titled by
Here is the full sentence.
> ****
I googled and still I couldn't find the meaning of this word. The closet meaning I got when I used google translate was "Glanced up from glasses" and I don't think it is the right translation for this sentence. How should it be translated? Thank you in advance for your help.
|
Sounds like "through the looking glass" or "through the mirror". (Which I think may refers to an alternate world/universe/timeline used as a metaphor to illustrate what the present time might have been under different circumstances)
Unless if it happens that in the setting of the story the mirror is a plot device for actually going into an alternate world or communicating to the alternate world (or going/communicating to somewhere else within the same world) then it's not a metaphor.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Can 〜んとする mean "to pretend, to act as if"?
I'm trying to understand the meaning of the first sentence:
> {}{}...etc.
My translation would be "Reiji and his men are not trying to control Japan with the power of katana". But in the manga where it is taken from, Reiji and his men actually ARE the bad guys trying to control Japan with the power of the katana. Since in the next sentence the author is speaking of a (a plot), I thought could mean `to pretend`, `to act as if`. Is my guess correct? Thank you for your help!
|
> {}{}{}{}{}{}{}...etc.
Your translation of is way off, I am afraid to say. (And you have the right to say that it is mine that is way off, of course.)
Yours: "are not trying to control"
Mine: "are planning to control"
> Verb + means " **to intend to** " or " **to be about to** "
Check here: .
It is **** that you should be looking at, and not , to begin with.
As it says in the dictionary above, **** is the colloquial form of **** , which is classical Japanese. The meaning is the same for both.
> "Reiji and the gang who plan to control Japan with the power of the sword. Haruma and his guys who saw through their plot...."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, translation, classical japanese"
}
|
Different ways of saying "X continues / keep doing X"
I am trying to figure out the differences between all of these forms listed below. The examples are all part of these two pages:
* <
* <
* * *
1. _-te_ \+ _iku_
>
> I think I’ll continue to try my best from now on.
2. _ippou da_
>
> Global environment is getting worse year after year.
"Continues to" as in "more and more"
3. _bakari_
>
> The baby keeps crying.
Maybe more like: "The baby is only crying."
4. _bakari da_
>
> The wound keeps getting deeper.
"Becoming more and more"
5. _masu_ -stem + _tsudukeru_
>
> Keep walking!
6. _-te_ \+ _kuru_
>
> This tradition has continued for hundreds of years.
|
* te-form + : By its nature, it has the meaning of "from now on". See: Difference between - and -
* te-form + : It has the meaning of "up until now". See the link above, and this.
* masu-stem + : An explicit way to say "to continue". Use it sparingly because // is often enough.
The rest are less common than the above.
* dictionary-form + : As the word (one direction) suggests, this describes something is gradually _changing_ to one direction. You can say or but not or .
* te-form + : It has a negative connotation and implies someone is keep doing something worthless. We often hear , and , but you can even say when you don't want someone to keep working too hard.
* dictionary-form + : Similar to , but it's uncommon and a bit stiff, and is usually used in a negative way. and are okay, but sounds weird.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, nuances, english to japanese, subsidiary verbs, particle ばかり"
}
|
Words implied after saying "終わりだ。何も。" in footage of the Mar. 2011 tsunami?
In video footage of the tsunami in March, 2011, someone said while watching the beginning of the destruction of a harbor:
>
Is he thinking
> __
So the correct translation is:
> This is the end of everything here. Nothing will remain.
To inject explicit "future tense", could I say something like this:
>
But that "future tense" Japanese sounds stilted and weird even in writing?
|
Yes the guy is actually saying , which is almost ungrammatical. Perhaps he was too exited to say the sentence until the end. I guess the person would have wanted to say , which is the same as ("Everything is over/finished"). We don't have to think of the verb here.
In addition, (="It seems that ...") is too long and a person in a situation like this would not say something like that.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
What does 次行ってみよう mean?
I haven't done too, too much in-depth research on this one, but a general search seems to show that this is a joke or a meme. Either way, I'm very interested in knowing a bit more about the context of this phrase when used like this.
As a side note, this was someone's name while playing an online game, if that relates to your response in any way.
|
{}{} is a famous phrase used by a Japanese comedian {}{}. IIRC this phrase caught on in the late 1970's. He used this catchphrase frequently in his TV comedy show, at the end of many comedy bits.
It literally means "Let's go to the next segment (scene, chapter, etc.)", which is not really funny by itself.
This phrase is almost forgotten by young people, but perhaps its main use today is to forcibly (yet jokingly) change the topic of a conversation. When someone started to talk about something that's not very interesting or convenient to someone, he may say , and it works as the sign to forget everything that's currently taking place. (In a sense it's a humorous way to say "never mind".)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 11,
"question_score": 8,
"tags": "set phrases, culture, internet slang"
}
|
"お休みなさい" not appropriate between male neighbours?
In a japanese I noticed that after sharing the common elevator when going back home at night, most of the female residents would greet by "" before leaving, while it seemed that male residents would remain silent in a similar situation.
Would it be considered inappropriate for male neighbours to greet one another with ""? If so, which polite alternative could they use?
|
I don’t think it anything inappropriate to say ““ to a male neighbor when you leave the elevator in the evening. ““ is a non-gender greeting word as well as “,” “,” and ”.”
But there are some people who don’t like to exchange greetings and words with not so close friends or others. I’ve met people who don’t respond to “” and “” from time to time, when I addressed them on the street. They look unfriendly, and it’s discouraging to be ignored. But so many men, so many minds. In such a case, you can lightly nod at him, and leave out the elevator in silence.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 7,
"tags": "politeness, greetings, gender"
}
|
What's the difference between 大州 and 大陸?
I found both and in this sentence, I looked them up on Jisho and I see they both mean "continent". Is there any difference between them? Are they interchangeable?
> **** ****
|
is the name for "The Six Continents". The difference between and is maybe best illustrated by an example:
> : = = Europe
> : = Continental Europe = mainland Europe
Strictly speaking (according to Wikipedia), the difference is that the includes surrounding islands, whereas refers to the main landmass of a continent.
This is consistent with the fact that the continents themselves are referred to as and their mainlands can be referred to as .
The sentence would appear to be more correct if it said
> []{}
However, even monolingual dictionaries such as or don't note this difference, so it appears that is not really used as an individual word and is used for "continent" in both senses. (The same is true in English, I think.)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "words, nuances"
}
|
Difficult conjugation
I would appreciate help in understanding the following conjugation.
It is difficult to comprehend the English translation for this.
|
Assuming that the is a dialect form or mistranscription of :
* : this kind of
* : abstract thing → fact, happenstance, situation, etc.
* : `[particle]`, here indicating the result of the following verb:
* → contraction of + : to become, in an unfortunate way
* → contraction of : `[particle]`, used here to nominalize the preceding phrase
* → contraction of + : `[particle]`
* : not
* : `[particle]`, used here as a sentence-ending mood indicator: soft emphasis
In general, the cluster → expresses that the speaker thinks the part before this shouldn't happen, or shouldn't be done.
In this specific case, and without more context, the whole thing comes across to me as, _"It shouldn't turn out like this."_
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
How should I translate "If I have some" in this sentence?
Hello I'm learning Japanese since the beginning of the school-year and for my homework I have to describe what I do in general everyday.
I'd like to translate:
> Then I do my homework if I have some.
I have the beginning:
> "if I have some".
I only know the hiragana and katakana, I'm not supposed to use Kanji, can you help me please?
|
Most naturally, one would say:
> or
>
> or
>
>
You will hear all three from native speakers. How it is taught outside of Japan or in Japanese-as-a-foreign-language in general, I have no idea.
The repeating of in the first sentence is _**not**_ a typo. In Japanese, it is completely fine to repeat words like that in informal speech.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word choice, words"
}
|
Translation of sentence and why is a kereba used in this sentence?
In the first verse of this song, they say:
>
Is this even a full sentence? My translation would be:
> When passing through the ticket gate at the nearest station as usual, comes out(?) a little more brave father.
Is this translation correct and also, I thought that when saying when the tara form is being used? Isn´t kereba more like if he passes through the ticket gate?
|
The song is about working day-in and day-out for your family and so they use the kereba in sense that _if or when_ he is able to through that gate just that one more time, then the father becomes a little bit braver as he fights the world (at work). The assumption that is that it's sometimes hard to face the world.
Using your translation as a base, I'd say something like:
> If/When he passes through the ticket gate at the nearest station, daddy will come out a little bit braver.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation, relative clauses"
}
|
How is し used as a verb in this sentence?
I found these two sentences in "A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar" under (purpose):
> A student came to ask questions.
>
> For what are you going there?
When I look up in the grammar dictionary its listed as "a conjunction to indicate 'and' in an emphatic way", which doesn't fit as far as I can tell. When I look up in a regular dictionary all the words are nouns. What does it mean?
|
in this case is for the verb . It is not the for "a conjunction to indicate 'and' in an emphatic way" in this case.
It is one of the very few irregular verbs so it is understandable that you might get confused.
To do
> → → (Came to do X)
To eat (regular example)
> → (Came to eat)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, verbs"
}
|
Meaning of 僕も兎だった
The only thing I understand from the first part is I was also a rabbit.
This doesn't fit with the context since the person saying this is without a doubt a human.
Any other meaning for this phrase? Or is this a typo?
|
>
I think modifies , but not .
From the source that l'électeur provided, we can't find other people who hunt rabbits, so doesn't make sense if modifies .
Now a rough translation would be:
> Though it was (no more than) rabbit meat, I was also providing some meat to the shop.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
What does the phrase 「はきゃあがって」 mean?
Here is a part of a conversation between two young guys:
> A:
>
> B: ****....
I think would come from which means 'If you express...' and which means 'you speak out loud'.
Please tell me what meaning of this phrase really is.
|
>
The former is a very slangy, vulgar, tough guy's version of the latter. ( **Even the latter is already fairly vulgar**.)
> {} + (in -form)
= "to utter a line"
is an auxiliary verb of _**contempt and hatred**_.
>
thus means:
> "You just utterd a cool line!" or
>
> "That's a cool line you're speaking! "
"Hey, you're talkin' cool, mother****!" would be the actual nuance of it, TBH.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words, colloquial language, phrases, manga"
}
|
"Song Cover" in Japanese
How to you say "song cover" in Japanese. When I see song covers in youtube, the titles have which, I believe, translates to "tried to sing". So is there no native Japanese way of saying "XYZ song cover" instead of "XYZ "?
|
You can just use , as in or . There's no native Japanese word for it as far as I know, I think partly because the notion of "someone other than the original artist" is peculiar to modern music scene.
, which I guess is prevalent in Niconico or wherever, is better translated as "fancover". As you may know, the uploaders are supposed to be of amateur (though not so much these days) fandom who want to sing like their favorite artist, and that's what the word ("try to do, do a bit") conveys.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Can I use だけ and しか with amounts?
When I was learning how to use and , I was told that and both means "only". But the latter requires the verb to be in the negative form.
For example:
>
> I only like that person.
>
>
> Only buy this.
But out of all the examples I've seen, and are only used with nouns or verbs. I never seen it used with amounts.
For example:
> A:
> A: This is expensive, isn't it?
>
> B: ****
> B: It's not expensive at all! It's **only** 100 yen!
Is that correct? Also, can I use it wih other counter words like and ?
|
**Yes, you can.** For example:
> **** / Only two people survived.
>
> 100 **** / You have to pay only 100 yen.
>
> 5 **** / I bought only 5 apples.
>
> **** / There are only three people here.
>
> 500 **** / I have only 500 yen now.
>
> 3 **** / I could understand only 30% of that story.
But your example sounds unnatural. The better translations are:
> **** 100
>
> 100 ****
>
> 100 ****
I think `100` is not enough for us to infer the subject (the price). So in the second and third examples I added that information by the verb (to cost).
In the first example means "only; no more than," which is specific to amounts. By using instead of /, the subject becomes inferable.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, counters, particle しか"
}
|
What is the purpose of putting 「のは」 at the end of a sentence?
The dialogues below are said by an old man to stop a fight between young guys in two separate speech balloons. The first one is a screaming-type speech balloon which he shouted at them and the later one is a normal speech balloon which he said in a milder tone.
> First balloon: ****
>
> Second balloon:
According to my understanding, the particle used for nominalizing the preceding verb and making it to be a topic marker. I would like to know why it has to be put at the end of the sentence.
|
Basically the sentence has been reversed.
>
is the same as
>
> Stop it with all that stupid fist-fighting!
This , by the way, is different from the one in (don't stop!). It's an order to do something, rather than not to do something. It's most likely from .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 9,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "particles, manga"
}
|
What does ま？ mean?
# Japanese
""
# English
I have seen people who say "" I thought _what?_ , but they were establishing decent conversation. I think it is an abbreviation, but I'm not sure. Of course it's not listed in my dictionary.
What does mean?
|
> ()
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "meaning, slang, internet slang"
}
|
Can I replace 存在 with ある in this sentence?
Consider the following sentence.
> ****
Can I replace with as follows?
> ****
Bonus question: What does mean in ?
|
Yes, you could for the meaning, but it would **_not_** be advisable to do so because that would create some imbalance in the over-all formality of the sentence.
This sentence is very stiff and academic as it should be. If you replaced one of the words by another word with the same meaning but with a lower level of formality ( vs. , in this case), the result would almost always be less than ideal.
Finally, that is read and it is a suffix meaning "in", "under", etc.
{} = "under the influence (of)"
Other common examples:
{}= "a country under the control of France"
{}= "Japan in recession"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, word choice, meaning"
}
|
How do you say "When I was in high school I took (guitar) lessons"
How do you say this in Japanese?
> When I was in high school I took (guitar) lessons.
I don't know the proper word for 'lessons' or which verb goes with it. Of course I would appreciate a translation of the whole sentence though.
My best guess would be:
> Watashi wa koko no toki ni ressun o torimashita
|
The best verb is **[]{}**. Check the dictionary on jisho.org:
> to take lessons in; to be taught; to learn (from a teacher); to study (under a teacher); to get training in
The point of the verb is that you have a teacher.
So the whole sentence is:
> []{}[]{}[]{}
>
> Watashi wa kōkō no toki gitā o naratte imashita.
* * *
Using the verb []{}, it is difficult to hide "guitar" and just say "took some lessons." In this case, the noun []{}[]{} is suitable. This means "(taking) lessons".
> []{}[]{}[]{}[]{}
>
> Watashi wa kōkō no toki naraigoto o shite imashita.
* * *
Side Note: in some cases you can use []{} to mean "take (classes)". It has the nuance of choosing from many classes and used often in universities where students can choose what classes they take.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Is there a connection between the Chinese 鱼(fish, or yu) and ゆ(yu) looking like a fish?
I noticed this coincidence and I couldn't help wondering since other parts are based off of Chinese(kanji)
|
No, it's a coincidence. is over a thousand years old and is thought to be derived from . You can find a chart of the kanji that hiragana developed from on Wikipedia.
Mandarin _yú_ is more recent and corresponds to Japanese _gyo_ , both of which developed from Middle Chinese _ngyo_ (where the digraph ‹ng› represents the nasal velar sound [ŋ], as in English _ring_ ). At the time developed, the sound was too different from _yu_ to make this kind of connection.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "chinese"
}
|
How to say "i just want to do X right now"
"i just want to do X" Or something like "all i want to do is do X"
Example:
1. "All I want to do is lie down and rest"
2. "I just want to play that game forever"
If I tried to translate that it would be something like
1. ****
2. ****
I understand also that this can have different nuances, so for example there is one nuance that's like "this is all that I want to do in this moment" because everything else around you is unsatisfying, and the other nuance being something like "i have no other motivation but this / its not that I want to do Y, I just want to do X"
How would you translate both of those nuances?
|
First, my translation is:
> 1.
>
> 2.
>
>
* * *
For the example 1, your word choice of is very good.
And is also fine. But you should note that it has the nuance of postponing everything else to handle current problem (that you are really exhausted now), so it may imply "after I get up, I'll do the next task." When you don't want to consider the future at all, avoid using .
Using instead of (or even using both) is also a good choice.
* * *
For the example 2, not so bad, but if you say , it might sound like you are making an excuse. Instead, I used , that literally means "if , it's enough." It has a nuance of not being concerned about anything else.
is not suitable here. Its nuance can be either:
1. withdrawing what you said/thought before.
2. reconfirming what you said/thought before.
Both seem to differ from what you want.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Pronouncing ない as ねい / ねえ (also ~oi to ~ei)
I noticed that in anime and other Japanese shows, people often pronounce as . For example, instead of saying , the person will say , but the translation is the same.
I have many questions about this.
* Is there any nuanced difference in meaning between and ?
* Is it a colloquialism? Is it from a specific region or used mostly by one gender?
* When written, is it spelled or ? And do people often use it in writing, or only in speech?
* I've also noticed that sometimes gets pronounced . Is this the same phenomenon? Are there other non- examples?
* Does this transformation have a name? I'd like to read more about it but I don't know what to search.
|
1. I see it most often spelled out as as in etc.
2. For me it has a rough, slightly negative, rude connotation (e.g. used by ruffians and ), or the older generation that speak their opinions freely). It is also more prevalent in males than females.
3. I've seen but not .
4. Can be used in the positive to show emphasis (also used by above) e.g. etc etc.
5. If there is a name, I don't know it..
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "pronunciation, colloquial language, vowels, long vowels, language change"
}
|
Please help me with this sentence "細かいところは後で決めましょう"
I got bumped into unknown sentence
{}{}{}
It suppose to mean "Let's decide the details later" I don't know what's mean. I read around here on the forum and apparently a lot of meaning, like "place", and "about to" but its still doesn't make a lot sense.
Please help me clarify that, thanks :-)
|
Maybe thinking about it as spots will help? Like in a sense of "imaginary" spots in a plan for a trip or something like that.
\- specific "spots" e.g. the details
Note: You can also use like in the link above.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
Can someone help me with this sentence?
I have this sentence from tangorin. It an example sentence from sabishii:
>
The translation is:
> She thought he might be feeling lonely and forgotten.
I don't get this part:
What is the omoi part role in this? How come this translation got like that? There's nothing connecting and , is this an idiomatic expression?
|
>
is an unusually ambiguous sentence to be used as an example sentence in a dictionary.
More specifically, I do not think the correlation between "feeling loney" and "getting forgotten" is universally understood (and therefore unsuitable for use in a dictionary). This, I feel, is the reason that I, though a native speaker, have no idea _**who is getting forgotten by whom**_ here.
This sentence could mean both:
> "She thought that **he** might feel lonely and ( **he also** ) might be forgotten." and
>
> "She thought that **he** might feel loney and that **she** might be forgotten by him."
And neither one makes much sense to me.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "syntax"
}
|
Both on'yomi and kun'yomi in a first name?
I know that some Japanese words made of two kanjis can contain both on'yomi and kun'yomi, however, is that was also true for someone's first name?
For example, I have seen the name or read as Setsuka, with both kanjis being on'yomi. However, would it be possible to read or as Yukika with being kun'yomi and being on'yomi to mean "Snow flower"?
|
@ishikun's answer is not completely correct. The name does not have to be a valid reading of the kanji.
As I talk about **here** , names and kanji are allowed to go together basically in any way you want. So yes, could be read as either Setsukaor Yukika. Or it could be something completely random like Megumi or Ai. That's why I never assume I can read someone's name.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "kanji, readings, names, multiple readings, onyomi"
}
|
誰に聞いても何も教えてくれない
The sentence “” was translated as “No matter who I ask, nobody tells me anything.”
Could it also mean “No matter who you ask, no one will tell you”? As a warning or in a sarcastic manner?
|
Yes, it could -- **_easily_**.
Who it is that is asking or responding just depends on the context.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation, nuances"
}
|
What does ます形 + そうになった mean?
While reading an article, I came across this sentence (the article is describing people's reaction to a movie):
>
>
> A young girl said, "I started crying. It was amazing."
I was under the impression that the is used to **guess or describe based on appearance** and is usually translated as "seems" or "looks". It seems odd to me that someone would describe herself as having a "crying" appearance rather than simply stating that she was crying. Is this a different usage of that I am unfamiliar with? Is she perhaps stating that she actually **did not** cry and only looked like she was about to?
Finally, just to solidify my understanding, would the meaning change significantly if instead of she said something like or ?
|
> Verb in {} (continuative form) +
can _**only**_ mean " _ **to be about to (verb)**_ ", " _ **to come close to (verb + ing)**_ ", etc. I would strongly suggest that one learn this as a set phrase.
You were obviously thinking of the meaning of in general when it is **not** followed by .
Thus,
> {}
does _**not**_ really mean "I started crying." It means:
> "I was about to cry." or "I came close to crying."
**In other words, she did not really cry**.
> Finally, just to solidify my understanding, would the meaning change significantly if instead of she said something like or ?
Yes, of course. That would mean she actually cried.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "grammar, usage"
}
|
Meaning of 言っとくれぃ
>
> I'd like you to do me a favour right now
>
My guess was that it's a contraction of , the imperative of .
The person asking the favour is sat next to the other person so as 'come' makes no sense. That leaves me with 'start to say anything', which also makes no sense.
I also thought could be a contraction of (I've seen that before) but that didn't help at all either.
|
It's + + + . The part is contracted to .
There are two points:
* ****
This is a mostly outdated word that functionally equals . Etymologically it's honorific prefix - + . is the imperative of , not as you suggested (Both and are irregular; > and > ). We already have a good answer for its usage so please see: Is interchangeable with ?
V- + form roughly tells that the action is favorable to the speaker. Again see: Use of with .
* ****
Although written in small letter as if some kind of suffix in this passage, it's a dictionary approved particle that means similar to . This word also has mostly died out, so you don't have many chances to see it outside stereotypical parlance in fiction. It reminds people of brisk speech of traditional town-dwellers, namely .
To conclude:
>
> _Ask/tell me anything! (Don't hold back, as I'm happy to help)_
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Meaning of 「そのまま入れるから」 in this context
I know the general meaning of , but I can't thing of anything appropriate it could mean in this situation. The dialog goes something like this:
> A
> A: Oh, it's Narumi.
>
> B
> B: Good morning.
>
> A
> A: Are you packing up?
>
> B
> B: Yeah, I thought I could collect the textbooks I won't be needing any more ahead of time.
>
> A
> A: I'll help you. Your finger is hurt after all.
>
> B…
> B: But I'm nearly done... ah.
>
> A
> A: ???
>
> A
> A: You have to tie them (the books) together with something like a thread.
![enter image description here](
|
The handwritten onomatopoeia is the hint.
> the "sound" of things moving or shaking unsteadily.
That is what is happening to the textbooks thrown into the bag.
> {} means:
>
> "(That is because) you put them just as they are into the bag (without tying them up first)."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Can 全部 be used like 「全部の月は忙しいですか？」
``
What that is supposed to say is: `Will you be busy all month`?
But I feel that using in this way might mean all of the months in the year.
So first, when talking about the entirely of a time period can be used in the way I've shown?
Also, if I wanted to say: `Will you be busy for the rest of the month?` How would word that?
|
Using []{} in your context might make sense, but it is not idiomatic.
If you want to ask someone if he will be busy for a month, you could use
> []{}[]{}[]{} (Literally) For one month continuously busy?
is an adverb that you can use which means:
> continuously in some state, all along, the whole time, etc.
If you want to ask someone if he will be busy for a specific month, for example May, you can use,
> [5]{}[]{}[]{} (Literally) During May continuously busy?
As @Flaw suggested, you can use to mean the rest of the month as in:
> []{}[]{}(Literally) Until the end of this month continuously busy?
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 9,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "word choice, set phrases, phrase requests"
}
|
Meaning of 「人って」in the following sentence
I have trouble grasping the following sentence:
>
>
It's said by someone explaining his condition and how it's been getting worse lately (i.e. vomiting).
1. Isin the middle a form of conditional ("I thought that if a person is stressed and their head starts to hurt, they vomit")?
2. If so, why isthrown in the middle? Shouldn't it be something like ?
|
I think you've correctly understood the sentence.
> 1. Isin the middle a form of conditional ("I thought that if a person is stressed and their head starts to hurt, they vomit")?
>
Yes.
> 2. If so, why isthrown in the middle? Shouldn't it be something like ?
>
Consider the subject and the predicate. the subject is and the predicate is .
Generally, the closer these two are, the easier we can understand a sentence.
So you can still move to the top, and the result is indeed an understandable and natural sentence, but it's better if it's on the current position.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Meaning of 調子よい
Maruko's grandad just agreed to do something but then discovered that it might be unpleasant. The narrator says:
> **** ...
> _From_ Maruko's viewpoint ??? even though he'd said it was a piece of cake, as soon as he heard that it was gross he gave the feeling of "...sorry but even I don't want to look at such gross things ... _etc_ ).
I can't understand the meaning of here. I tried to translate the start as "From Maruko's viewpoint his condition was good and ...", but that seems to contradict the rest of the sentence.
|
means "because Maruko is in front of me.". () has the meaning of "unctuous". So is translated as "He unctuously said it was a piece of cake because Maruko was in front of him."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
Meaning of 乗ったほうがいい
I couldn't understand , I would like an explanation about this construction.
> ****
|
The grammar construction in this case V.+{}.
It means "it'd be better to, had better, should". Another example:
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, syntax"
}
|
Help understanding 「そのタイトルのリストに次に載るのは俺だ」
I've been reading this Japanese wrestling results site < and I'm having trouble understanding this sentence:
>
from this paragraph:
> ChrisWWE UniversalKevin OwensHIAC ****
Is it saying that his going to put the title (belt) on the list next? Is it normal the sentence ordering with at the end of the sentence? I don't understand the structure of this sentence.
|
Yes can be placed at the end of a sentence.
>
> It's me who will appear on the list of the title (holders) next time.
This is a rather simple cleft sentence which was constructed from:
>
> I will appear on the list of title holders next time.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, cleft sentences"
}
|
What are the general patterns of child-directed speech in Japanese?
In English, parents usually talk to their kids differently from how they usually talk. The words they use when doing so usually ends in -y. For example, "kitten" becomes "kitty", "I" usually turns into "Mommy" or "Daddy" depending on who the parent is, and "wakie wakie!" is used when waking the kids up.
Are there any patterns in Japanese child-directed speech? How are the words changed when parents talk to their kids?
Note: I read from other posts that s- sounds are changed to sh-, ch- or sometimes p- sounds in a little child's speech. But do parents speak to their kids this way as well?
|
This question is quite broad, but of course child-directed speech also exists in Japanese.
You probably know → is said to be both children's speech as well as child-directed speech, but it is very very common in conversations with no involvement of children. Doubling à la "wakie wakie" is also common (especially for one mora words).
Without further ado, here are some common words/expressions used in child-directed speech:
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
* →
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 10,
"question_score": 7,
"tags": "words, culture, child speech"
}
|
How to say "Comes along with ____."?
Example: Comes along with chopsticks.
I think "" is not enough.
Thank you.
|
How about...
* XX
* XX
* XX[]{}
* XX[]{}
* XX[]{}
* XX
* XX[]{}
Examples:
> ()
> ()[]{}
> ()[]{}
> ()[]{}
> ()
>
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, translation"
}
|
How to say "ever" in this context
I want to say:
> I don't think cats are **ever** friendly.
The only "ever" I know is using but that doesn't seem appropriate. My attempt without the "ever" is:
>
Btw, have I used correctly to make this into a statement about cats in general?
|
I would personally suggest using {} to say " _ **not ~~ ever ~~**_ " as in:
> {}{}{}{}
>
>
{} sounds pretty stiff, so I changed it to .
is OK even though I used . , however, can replace only in my first sentence. In the second sentence, you _**cannot**_ say or .
(, for some reason, is very popular among J-learners, but using it is not as easy as many of them seem to think. For instance, if you said , it has an _**affirmative**_ meaning --" _ **friendly, eh?**_ ". the negative form of the i-adjective is . One cannot say it using . , however, is grammatical because is a na-adjective.)
I would not feel too comfortable if you used instead of to talk about animals.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Understanding ものだ to make general statements
I'm trying to understand the use of to make generalised statements. I think I failed to use it correctly in this sentence (note that this question has a different emphasis from the link).
I'll start with a use of which I know is correct, so you can understand what I'm getting at:
> ****
Suppose I want to make the statement that cats are not friendly. Here are my two attempts:
> A)
> B) ****
What changes between A) and B)? Without further context if I say sentence A) will the listener start looking around for the **particular** cat I'm talking about? Or will they take it as a general statemement that I think **all** cats are unfriendly?
Is sentence B correct? In the linked question I was told to use (in a different position) but I think that's because I was unclear in my question.
|
I feel a cat in sentence A is the particular cat. However I feel cats in are all cats as a general statement.This is because of the difference between and .
So I feel your sentence 2 is unnatural because means "something everyone says generally". is natural. And you can use for creatures. For example, (It is said generally that babies often cry).
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, particle mono"
}
|
How to describe a way of something?
I know that when you attach ~ (kata) to something (like a verb or noun), it means the way of... But how would you describe the way of something?
For example, if I wanted to say that "there are many easy ways to cook onigiri", would work?
I'm not really sure about this sentence because it seems kinda off, but I can't tell what.
|
There are several ways to express that. The two most basic ones:
* which you already pointed out, but it should be attached to the -masu stem of the verb, so formally not (which would mean "a person who does something"). But again, is rarely used, it's more common to use or a more specific verb. For your example sentence, the most natural would be probably .
* a more formal noun {} which attaches to the infinitive form of the verb ~ or the noun ~
* * *
But there are more problems with the example sentence than just this expression (including the English "to cook onigiri" which sounds odd, because in whatever form, you don't really cook it):
* you should attach and to the "way" not to the "onigiri"
* doesn't fit here, as stands more for "make foot out of something"
* for a general statement (without stressing or comparison) you would use instead of
* is a past tense, but you are describing a general, present situation
> {}{}
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, syntax"
}
|
Are there any other words for bucket relay バケツリレー?
> The students are carrying luggage by the bucket relay method.
![enter image description here](
# Question
Are there any other Japanese words with the same meaning as ?
|
> {}{} and
These may not always be interchangeable with , but they are more often than not.
I also feel like including {}, which you will hear from time to time.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "word requests"
}
|
Meaning of まん in ほっとかれちゃたまんない
> ****
I can't understand what means in this sentence. Literally I'm reading
> There is no that got neglected forever in such a place.
which is gibberish.
|
there is not a word.
> **** **** = "unbearable", "unendurable"
just like
**** **** = "I don't know." or "I don't understand."
**** **** = "boring" or "(I'm) bored."
In colloquial speech (around the larger Kanto region), _ **often**_ becomes .
>
>
> = "It's unbearable to be left alone in a place like that for so long!"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, meaning, contractions"
}
|
Meaning of よく見りゃ
> ****
> But if it reaches adulthood it will become a splendid rhinoceros beetle, and even ??? grubs are cute.
My guess is that means 'good-looking' but I can't find it in any dictionary. Have I guessed correctly? Is it a contraction of something?
|
> = "if you look (at it)"
is often pronounced in informal daily speech.
thus means " ** _if you look at it/them carefully_** ". It could not mean "good-looking" in any context.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning, contractions"
}
|
Asking if someone has seen something: difference between 見た and 見たことがある
I'm an elementary Japanese student, so please answer in simple kanji or kana, please.
I am trying to figure out the nuance between and . Take this example:
>
>
> Did you see my husband?
vs.
>
>
> Have you seen my husband?
From what I know, is used to say that someone has had the experience of doing something. So, you could say things like, "I have gone to Japan before" / "I have had the experience of going to Japan before."
In a situation where I, the speaker, am _looking_ for my husband, which should I use? Would it be weird to say because it sounds more like "Have you had the experience of seeing my husband before"? (Such a question would not be helpful if I was currently looking for him.)
Then, what about ? What is the difference? Is this an acceptable question to ask if I was looking for someone?
|
Your reasoning is correct. When you're looking for your husband, you would use simply , and it is perfectly acceptable. As you noted, would mean, "Have you ever seen my husband?", and not fitting for the situation.
( **Note** : when speaking of your own husband, you usually say []{} or []{})
If you weren't sure which pattern to use in a conversation, you could of course reword it to say something like, "Do you know where my husband is?"
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, nuances"
}
|
んじゃない vs んじゃなかった in questions
> ?
Aren't you the one going to buy?
> ?
Weren't you the one going to buy?
> ?
Isn't it that You are the one that bought it?
> ?
wasn't it that you are the one that bought it?
Seriously what are the differences? I've been struggling for weeks. Can someone explain using real life situations on when to use them (all 4) with details?
|
> ?
> ≒ ?
> ≒ Aren't you the one who will buy it?
>
> ?
> ≒ ?
> ≒ Aren't you the one who bought it?
The difference between and should be straightforward; whether you will buy it in the future or you bought it in the past.
The use of at the end of the sentence should be the tricky part, and it does not describe something in the past, at least directly. Basically, using the ta-form in a sentence like this would make the sentence sound more euphemistic, mild, less-confident, or "polite".
See:
* - why past form?
* Why does the waiter use past tense here — some people hate this kind of unnecessarily indirect speech being used too frequently
By the way, a typical reaction to these questions would be **** (≒"Oh, that **is** right."), also using the "past tense". Here's why.
English speakers also often use the "past tense" when they want to say something politely and indirectly. Compare "I wonder if you can ..." and "I was wondering if you could ...".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
Curious about the phrase "しまいと" in a book I'm reading
I'm re-reading/translating a section of 's for a translation course I'm taking and ran into the following sentence:
> ****
I've never run into this usage of before and am curious about why it's being used here. A quick web search brings up mostly the phrase , so I've parsed it in this sentence as the equivalent of , meaning that it's the - form of and making the sentence read as something along the lines of "When he isn't home, if I don't imagine him sharing a meal or having sex with that person, I endlessly smoke cigarettes and drift into a meaningless existence."
So I guess my questions are:
1. Did I parse this sentence correctly?
2. Is there any particular reason for this usage of -? The novel consists mostly of a woman's inner dialogue and isn't at all formal, so this felt a little out of place.
|
You can forget the () pattern described hereuto~mai%2C%20\(yo\)uga~mai) for now. This simply expresses a negative volition ("I will not " or "I will try not to ") described here, followed by the quotative particle . The sentence says "I try not to imagine the scene where he ..." You can rephrase it as (), although it's a bit long. The rule for using is found here (I don't know if we can call this "mai-form").
This is indeed literary (as opposed to colloquial), and tends to appear in written documents. But I feel it's not particularly formal. I haven't read this novel, but in a typical novel, there is nothing unnatural when you see in descriptive texts.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "grammar, usage, negation, volitional form, auxiliaries"
}
|
Keigo: if the question doesn't concern neither the speaker nor the listener which form should i write
I started learning Japanese Keigo and there is something that is really confusing me. Assume I am talking to my supervisor so I will talk about myself using and address him with .
Then what is the case that I am neither talking about my self nor about my supervisor what should I use? for example I am telling him that japan has a rare cultural. how would I address a third party?
|
and are both unnecessary when you talk about inanimate things like Japanese culture, your friends of equal status, etc. Just use the plain versions of verbs. For example, even when you talk with someone far higher than you, you can simply say , instead of [×] (using ) or [×] (using ). Likewise you should say instead of [×].
That said, whenever you talk with your superior, you should stick to (polite speech, e.g., using /).
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "keigo"
}
|
日本語における relative clause (関係詞節?) とは？
[relative-clauses] Google
|
a the Google
* Relative clauses distinguishing whom/with which/that
* Wasabi: Japanese Relative Clauses
> 1. **** the person who heard the rumor
>
> 2. **** the rumor which I heard
>
> 3. **** the rumor by which I was shocked
> ()
> 4. **** the rumor that he married
>
>
*
* / (which, that, whom, when, where, why, whose, ...) ****
*
> **** → ****
(contrast)
*
> **** ****
/relative-clause (Hanako who likes Taro) (Hanako whom Taro likes) "the person who introduced someone" "the person whom someone introduced" "the person to whom someone introduced"
2 relative clause
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "relative clauses"
}
|
Looking for a single phrase, word or even proverb for "always being condemned for whatever someone does"
Consider the situation in which an employer dislikes one of his employees. The employee is always condemned by the employer for whatever the employee does. In other words, even though the employee does a good result, he is still condemned.
Is there a single phrase, word, or even proverb for "always being condemned" in Japanese?
I want to convert the following
>
to
> the phrase in question
or
> the phrase in question] ///
or something like these. Proverb is also welcome!
Note: It is not necessarily the relation between employer and the employee.
|
I think you'd normally say...
/////
I don't think we have a single phrase, set phrase or proverb to say this, I'm afraid...
(Maybe []{}[]{}?)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word requests"
}
|
Correct use of 国語
Is this correct, is the idea correct?
>
> Spanish is the national language in Mexico
The translators do not show if it can be used like this, also I have seen that it is used to refer to the Japanese language, is it the same to say:
equals to ?
|
The dictionary tells us:
>
> Language shared and widely used by the people of a country. The official language of this country.
So your sentence is correct.
The second entry:
>
made clear that without context means as you assumed.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
looking for a haiku maybe written by Sasaki Sadako
I'm looking for the Japanese text of the following haiku, maybe written by Sasaki Sadako :
> Statute of A-bomb child
>
> she seems as if walking
>
> after a butterfly
I found the English text here. The author may be Sasaki Sadako (see the mention "Sadoka Sasaki - a thousand of cranes") or Yasuhiko Shigemoto (but I don't see this haiku in the texts written by this author and available online).
I guess "Statute of A-bomb child" is the translation of "" (seven morae)).
|
[Disclaimer: This might crush your dream.]
First of all, here are the facts - if I can trust Wiki, that is.
The haiku in question could **_not_** have been written by {}. Why not? That is because Sasaki died in **1955** and the statue was completed in **1958** to commemorate Sasaki and other kids. Sasaki simply could not have written a poem inspired by the statue as she never saw it herself.
Secondly, my gut feeling as a Japanese-speaker more than anything. (That means you can take it or leave it.)
It would be safe to say that the haiku was written by {} though I could not find it anywhere online and **_it was written in English in the first place_**. Thus, there exists no such thing as the Japanese original. Shigemoto seems to have written many haiku in English.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "poetry, haiku"
}
|
How do Japanese people mark checklists?
I'm wondering, how would a Japanese person fill out a Yes/No checklist?
For example, say I have a list of things to remember. I'd mark them as such:
* Get spare key Y
* Remove items from trunk P
* Check tire pressure NA
* Call dealer N
Where (probably obviously) Y is yes, N is no, P is partial, and NA is not applicable.
|
When Japanese people have to distinguish _yes_ , _no_ , _partial_ and _N/A_ , they mainly use the symbols ``, `×`, `` and ``, respectively.
See: What do the shapes mean in Japanese? And are there variations in meaning, depending on whether or not the shape is filled?
In simple ToDo lists where a user marks _done_ as opposed to _undone_ , a checkmark `` is also commonly used.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "culture"
}
|
彼女は名誉な美食の宗教で育って、それを現代の基準に適応する方法を知っていた。このように、傑作が出られます
So I have seen this relatively intricate sentence on a website and tried to translate it into Japanese, but at this point I have no other way to know if it's any good.
Here is the original sentence in French:
> Elle a grandi dans la religion de la gastronomie de prestige qu'elle a su adapter à l'époque actuelle, si bien que de sa cuisine peuvent sortir des chefs-d'œuvre.
It's translation in English: (not mine)
> She grew up in the religion of the prestigious gastronomy which she updated to nowadays standard, so that master pieces can come out of her kitchen.
Since there is no context, I thought it would be correct to put "". Here's my attempt:
>
|
Some points
1. means religion in the sense of spiritual activity and it doesn't make sense here. or something would work.
2. Inanimate subjects ("masterpieces" in this case) don't take potential verbs. "Can come out" should be translated into just , or (note; not potential) instead of here.
3. almost only modifies one's act/behavior or events and means "honorable".
4. A so that B is rendered into AB or BA.
With these things put together, I'd write
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation, english to japanese"
}
|
Use of もの in this sentence
Said before looking at a box of animals to see if they are still alive:
> ****
> If I (look) now there will still be only one dead, but the next day another might end up dead.
I don't understand what does here.
Actually I think I must have messed up the first clause altogether, since we don't yet know if any of them are dead. Literally I translate this as "As yet, with the exception of one, they are not dead".
|
>
> Only one is dead for now, but the next day another one may die.
This is relatively rare, and it's a kind of connector which implies the mentioned situation would change in the next clause.
Here are some similar examples taken from BCCWJ:
> *
>
> * …
>
> * … …
>
>
I think you may use "what was (previously) A is now B" or "what is (now) A will be B" when possible, but it's probably okay to translate this just as "but" or "".
has many idiomatic usages (for example, and ) and such vaguely refers to some situation.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, formal nouns"
}
|
Help parsing 無事勝利
I'm not sure about the meaning of this sentences:
> PPV ****
Is it saying that at PPV, is going to return the if he gets a clean victory over , because in the original broadcast(this is a Japanese translation of a wrestling broadcast) it says a different thing(it never anything about giving back the after PPV). I don't think is an adjective because adj + noun + is ungrammatical.
|
is two words. Here is used as an adverb which means "without trouble" or "safely". is a simple suru-verb that means "to win".
here is interchangeable with . I think you already know how to turn a no- or na-adjective into an adverb by adding . Some words work as standalone adverbs without as well as standard adjectives.
* = = absolutely: =
* = = suddenly: =
* = = very/strongly: =
However (certain) and (sudden) do _not_ work as standalone adverbs. It depends.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning, parsing"
}
|
Meaning of 添い遂げる in this sentence
What is the meaning of in the following sentence?
>
Context: a man agrees with a friend's request to act freely, without worrying of anything.
The only meaning I found in dictionaries is `to remain married/together for life`, but this cannot be the case. I think here it has a meaning similar to `follow`, could it be? Here's my attempt:
> If this is the first and last time a man that had the resolution to carry everything on its shoulder acts freely, then I'll follow him.
|
If these two people are not in a romantic relationship, "to follow" may be appropriate. But the important connotation of is _until the end_ , or usually, _until death_. Maybe the friend has little time left to live?
There are other compound verbs which include :
* : to accomplish something difficult (after much struggle)
* : to do something all the way to the end
As you can see, "consuming much time/effort (to do something)" is the meaning of as an element of a compound verb.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "translation, words, nuances"
}
|
The meaning of「無理のない予定で構いません。」
My Japanese is dubious at best. Online translator tools is saving me most of the time. But I'll provide some context at least: In a project with our Japanese business partner we have been running a little bit late in most steps so far. And I've just provided an estimate (time and price) for the next step. After thanking me for the estimate he follows up with this:
>
When we can start, which is obvious I guess, but that last bit makes me scratch my head. Is it perhaps a hint that we are requesting too little time (yet again), or since it comes directly after the question is it just a "There is no need to rush." kind of thing?
Thank you.
|
> Is it perhaps a hint that we are requesting too little time (yet again), or since it comes directly after the question is it just a "There is no need to rush." kind of thing?
The latter.
> {}{}{}
means:
> "We will be happy with a realistic and no-stress (on your part) kind of plan."
That is obviously not a literal translation, but it is what it means.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
Meaning of にかかっている in this sentence
In this sentence(from this site:<
>
I don't know how to interpret Noun(personal name) + + .
I've been looking at www.imabi.net/l243kakarukakeru.htm and I think it could mean this:
> 28. "To be concerned", "be the work of", or "to concern". Only a usage of .
>
So, could this sentence mean: "This is going to be about ?
Also, I found this example sentence with it's translation:
> (The outcome will depend on your efforts.)
So, could it also mean: "This list will depend on(be in charge of) "?
|
I recognize the latter understanding is correct, where is used as "depends on".
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "meaning, verbs"
}
|
What is the meaning of への？
What is the meaning of or in this case:
****
|
in this case is expressing direction, similar to , though in this passage the direction is not physical, it is expressing the 'direction' of popularity ().
is being used to make the part before it "..." modify the part after it ""
So "" could be loosely translated as "Popularity of Manga".
Here is an article I wrote about this topic with more examples.
UPDATE: Below is my rough translation of the passage in question for reference:
_In China, building on the already high popularity of Japanese Anime and Manga, "Your Name" has quickly become a hot topic in places such as the Internet, and there are some movie theaters where tickets are already sold out and most seats are filled._
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "particle の, particle へ"
}
|
What is the meanig of かるーく?
This is a line of dialogue Yahari anime:
> ****
I do not understand ****.
Is that just an elongation of the vowel or a contraction?
|
is how is sometimes pronounced in informal conversation.
In the sentence in question, just means " ** _a little bit_** ", " ** _in an easy or casual manner_** ", etc.
> "So, I was kinda thinking it'd be cool to casually ask you/him/her/them out for relaxation."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
What is the purpose of に in 特別に上映?
What is the purpose of in ?
Here is the full sentence:
****
|
In Japanese, both verbs and adjectives conjugate as you know, I hope.
> {} **** is the {} (continuative form) of the na-adjective **** .
**** ("specially") can modify verbs and adjectives while **** can only modify nouns.
In the sentence in question, modifies the verb phrase {}{}.
( **** is the of the verb **** , by the way. is extremely important.)
> "the show specially started at midnight"
More naturally, perhaps:
> "a special show started at midnight"
This is a good example of how direct translation might not work well in the target language.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
What's the difference between 創造的{そうぞうてき} and 創造性{そうぞうせい}?
What's the difference between {} and {}? I know they both relate to creativity, but I am not sure what the exact difference between them is.
Do the {} and {} endings signify anything?
|
There are some cases that when attaches to a noun, it becomes a na-adjective as (creative), (poetic). And there are some cases that may be omitted as (poetic expression), (historical happening).
There are some cases that when attaches to a noun as (creativity), (safety), (mobility), it means "property, nature, and character of the noun" and it remains a noun.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice, suffixes"
}
|
What's the difference between dato, nanode and kara?
I know they all indicate consequence. `kara` implies an opinion, while `nanode` is objective, but what is the exact difference between all three words?
Edit: Update with example:
**Example 1: da to**
I think there should be more choice
motto sentakushi ga aru beki dato omoimasu.
**Example 2: na no de**
Watching children's show is a good way to learn Japanese as the dialogue is simple.
Kaiwa ga tanjun nanode, kodomo muke no bangumi wo miru nowa ii nihonngo gakushuu houhou desu.
**Example 3: kara**
….Therefore, this was my first thanksgiving.
...Desu kara korewa watashi no saisho no kanshasai deshita.
|
`kara` and `node`'s meanings are same. `dato` doesn't mean because.
`kara` is used when a speaker says a speaker's own idea, and a speaker wants to tell that reasons to listeners briefly.
`node` is used when a speaker wants to explain existing, or exited situations. It is impact on listeners is weak.
So speakers commonly used when asking for permission, and tell a little gently apology.
* * *
Their usage obscured. So your examples are **ORIGINALLY** wrong, but now, sometimes used the usage like that.
**UPDATE** : I wrote about `dato`.
Related: <
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 0,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, words"
}
|
What's the difference between 選び (erabi) and せんたくし (sentakushi)?
(erabi) and (sentakushi) both relate to choice and selection, but I am not sure what the difference is?
|
Those words mean **_very_** different things.
means the act of choosing or just plain "choosing". It is an **_action_** that humans perform.
Note: is most often used as a suffix rather than as an "independent" word.
Examples: {}(selecting a college), (selecting a husband), etc.
{} refers to the actual choices available. It is **_not_** an action.
> In short, **** and not
also:
> **** (Both verbs)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "words"
}
|
What's the difference between すべき (subeki) and べき (beki)?
What's the difference between (subeki) and (beki)?
> (subeki) = should do; ought to do
>
> (beki) = should; must; that one ought to; to be done
Both mean "should", but is there a rule as to when to use one instead of the other?
Here are some examples from my text book:
> _motto sentakushi ga aru beki dato omoimasu._
> I think there should be more choice
>
> _Nani o subeki ka wakarimasu yo._
> You'll know what to do, I'm telling you.
What's the difference between the two? In the examples above, they seem to perform the same function. So why is one used over the other?
|
is used with a verb in its "dictionary form".
> [verb]
> should [verb]
As you can see, by itself corresponds to "should", _but it never appears by itself_ (just like "should" doesn't appear by itself).
You can easily form examples,
> = should eat
> = should go
You only need to remember one additional rule,
> →
(About one in twelve times people also use , probably in contexts where is felt to be used for more than its usual auxiliary function, so don't be surprised if you see it.)
* * *
So
> [verb] = should [verb]
>
> ≒ = should do
In one line, you don't choose between and , you only choose a verb to go with and if it's , then it becomes .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 8,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "grammar, word choice, abbreviations"
}
|
Why are English loanwords so much more popular than Chinese ones?
While I get that Chinese-Japanese relations are complicated, American-Japanese relations are as well; given how Chinese jargon and terms of art are available, why is it that English terms are so often given preference?
|
As a matter of fact, at least after WWII, Japanese people have been exposed to and influenced by Western cultures far more than other Asian cultures. Hollywood movies are more popular than modern Chinese movies, rock music are more popular than modern Chinese pop music, and so on. I believe the situation is more or less the same in other Asian countries, too. The majority of new and cool things come from western countries, and loanwords are no exception.
In addition, from the language perspective, Chinese jargon terms use kanji. They look too much close to old-fashioned words Japanese people have been using from more than 1000 years ago. We don't learn Chinese at school, and we don't know how to tell which Chinese words are new and cool.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "linguistics"
}
|
Non-literal bringing of something to somewhere
I understand that to bring an object to somewhere would roughly translate to
> X
I've used this sentence structure for physical objects on numerous occasions, and have wondered if it would still be correct to use the same structure when you are not _literally_ requesting something to be brought over.
For example, assuming the UK does not celebrate Halloween (Not quite sure if they do), would it be grammatically correct to say
>
or assuming a product (for example Pepsi) is not available in some region
>
or perhaps even to bring an idea such as democracy?
>
In the first and last example, nothing is requested to be _physically_ brought over, only requested to be _introduced_. In the second, while there in a physical item involved, you're still not literally requesting a can of Pepsi to be brought to said region.
Would it still be the right way to say it?
|
Only in highly informal speech, all of your examples can be expressed with {}, but in formal speech, it would look and sound far better if you used other words.
(By the way, the phrase in question is and not . The latter makes little sense.)
Halloween to Country A:
> [Country A] + **** \+ + **** \+ {} ("to introduce") or
>
> [Country A] + **** \+ + **** \+ {} ("to spread")
A new product to a place:
> [Place] + **** \+ + **** \+ {}{} "to start selling" or
>
> [Place] + **** \+ + **** \+ ("to introduce")
Democracy to a place:
> [Place] + **** \+ + **** \+
means " _ **to introduce a new system**_ ". A good word to add to your vocab.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 5,
"tags": "usage, word usage"
}
|
what's the difference between 体 and 肉体?
Can (karada) and (nikutai) be used interchangeably or is there a difference?
|
I would not use the two words interchangeably. If you are unsure of the correct context, it might be better to default to {}.
is a noun used generally to describe the body as an object. Using is a lot more common in everyday usage.
{} also means body but referring to the underlying flesh/blood/bones in a more vivid way.
{} "To do manual/physical labor" is a phrase where might be commonly used.
{} means "physical or sexual relationship."
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
Is 微妙で繊細な a redundant phrase?
Consider the following sentence.
> {}{}{}
Is a redundant phrase?
|
Although and refer to similar things ("delicate"), this sentence looks just fine to me. IMHO Calling this a redundant sentence is bit too nitpicky.
Actually, you should not use alone in this case. is a nuanced word these days and it may mean negative things depending on the context. (See: Why does become "sucky" in slang usage?) If you said , it might mean something negative. If you combine with , there is no room for misunderstanding because has a positive connotation.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
How to understand (and translate) this magic spell?
Currently I am trying to translate a video that's supposed to be a parody of some Japanese kids show.
At some point the character uses a magic spell and it gives me a hard time on more than one level: <
1. I can't really hear what the girl says exactly. I came up with
>
Here, "Terra" is the place where they are teleporting, but it's the final part that puzzles me. For more context, here's the full video : <
2. I can't really tell if it's supposed to be a reference to pop culture or some other well-known thing in Japan and finally, I feel like it's a little bit harder to translate these special phrases compared to the sentences we generally hear, so I could greatly appreciate some help.
|
My kinda question, this is, sadly....
1. **_You are hearing the magic spell correctly_**. To be picky, we tend to pronounce the last syllable as rather than the plain . The pink character in the video pronounces it as well.
2. consisits of **_two onomatopoeias_**. Conquer our onomatopoeias (and particles) and you will conquer our language, trust me.
is a very common onomatopoeia to describe a thing's circular or rotating motion as in rotating a magic wand.
is an onomatopoeia describing a thing's movement or appearance **_all of a sudden_**. Use a magic and something will happen all of a sudden, won't it? The two "guys" suddenly got transported into the building/offices, correct?
The use of the magic spell in the video should not be a reference to a particular phenomenon in our pop culture. We all have been hearing this spell in stories since childhood.
If my life depended on translating this spell, I might go with:
> "Round and round and here we go!"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
What to use, 合繊で or 合繊から？
I want to say, that the weaving machine is weaving material on high speed using synthetic fibre. But I am confused, if I can use the combination instead of , so I won't have twice in my sentence...
Could you please help me understand which, or , is better here and why?
> ****
>
>
>
> ****
|
Both and work fine. Using twice itself does not look odd to me because these two clearly serve different functions. But in this case may be a bit easier to understand because it's more explicit about what turns into what. Another simple way to say this is **** **** . Many compound verbs in the form of take `AB` and add the meaning of "putting A into B" (e.g, , , , ).
What I'm more concerned with is the mixture of casual and technical words. is a difficult and technical term, while is a highly casual and/or manga-like word. If you want to put this sentence rather seriously, you should use ("high speed") or ("super-high speed") instead. also looks jargon-like to me, so you might want to replace it with depending on the audience of this sentence.
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "usage, particles, particle で, particle から"
}
|
Understanding わりかし
>
> Idiot! Will you take anything if you can get it for free?
> ****
> Yes, I _tend towards_ the receiving side. Unless it's something I really don't need.
Goo tells me that is a vulgar way to say . But I don't understand how to use that word either.
I can't see how translations of 'rather', 'quite' or 'comparatively' can fit into this sentence. To me these words should modify other adjectives/adverbs rather than verbs. Is there an implied adverb missing?
More generally how do I use ? Could you perhaps give a few examples?
|
How about:
> "Yeah, pretty much so." or
>
> "Oh yeah, I'm pretty much the type (who ~~~~)."
At the least, that is the "feeling" of the expression {}. Dictionaries will give you definitions, but they will not teach you how a word/phrase actually _**feels**_ to the native speakers. Without a feeling for the word, no good translation will come.
Those translations of mine should capture the feeling I am talking about, but they do not reflect the grammar used in the phrase. As far as pure grammar, modifies the following verb because is an adverb.
A proper grammar analysis and a good translation are often two different things altogether.
How native speakers use :
> " _ **This pizza tastes quite good**_."
Modifies the adjective .
> {} (in baseball) " _ **That batter hits rather well**_." ← Implies "better than expected".
Modifies the verb .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar, usage, colloquial language"
}
|
Japanese for Vegan & Vegetarians
Based on this description below:
_Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products._
The word for vegetarian which I know of is :
Is there any word to described Vegans in Japanese as described above?
|
The concept of veganism is scarcely recognized in Japan. When you really have to refer to it, you may use /, followed by its explanation. Some people seem to use words like or , but these are not widely recognized, either. Apparently most Japanese articles regarding veganism primarily use , and optionally introduce / as a possible translation. At any rate, you probably have to explain what this word means.
Weblio defines it as . ALC defines veganism descriptively as:
> veganism:
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
"Te-form" versus "masu-stem + して" (消しているうちに versus 消ししているうちに)
Is there any difference between and in the following sentences?
For example,
> A: ****
>
> B: ****
|
`A (te-form) + + B (masu-form)` is a common pattern that describes someone repeatedly/habitually does B right after A as a paired action. See: is this a grammar pattern? This set is often repeated for emphasis: `A BA B`.
*
When I was young I _always_ cried and annoyed my mother.
Interestingly, `AB` as a whole sometimes behaves like a long noun phrase. B can be a te-form, too:
* ****
****
to live idly (do nothing but eating and sleeping)
* **** (emphasized)
* () ****
* () ****
Because I am called right after returning home many times, I have no time to rest.
* **** 3
And it can even take another as if `AB` were a long suru-verb!
*
*
Of course you cannot usually say nor .
I feel `AB` tends to be treated like a noun especially when two verbs are short and commonly paired; e.g., , , , , .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 14,
"question_score": 18,
"tags": "grammar, nuances, て form, particle は"
}
|
counters for weight?
After looking online, I found a counter supposedly for grams: (monme). Is this right? Also, would I just use it with the noun + particle + counter + verb form? Like .
|
is an old Japanese unit for weight and it's approximately equal to 3.75 g. See: Japanese units of measurement. It's almost never used today, and you can probably forget it for now.
To refer to grams, you have to say , which is just a transliteration of 'gram'. Actually there is a kanji for 'gram', which is . But this is also almost never used in modern Japanese, and you should not use this.
When you want to use , the correct syntax is `number + unit + + object` (e.g., 5, 3). The correct sentence would be:
> 1000
> I bring 1000 grams of food.
Alternatively you can avoid using and say:
> 1000
See the discussion here: How to list numbers of things
(I used Arabic numerals which are usually preferred in horizontal writings)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "counters"
}
|
What does 追い付け飛び付け mean?
I jotted this down while playing a video game and didn't have a chance to get around to asking what the heck it mean until now.
Particularly, what's standing out to me is the last part of that phase, . I don't even know where to begin with that one.
I also want to bring up that when I googled this phrase, thinking, "Oh hey, maybe this is another weird cultural thing I don't get!", popped up as one of the first results, while typing. As a bit of a side note, I understand that particular phrase to mean something along the lines of "to catch up with and pass". Not sure if that's completely related or not though.
Anyway, any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading. ^-^
|
Judging from what's written in this blog post...: <
>
>
> (⊿)
>
> “ ”
>
not only respects as an ideal boss, he also seems to have a special emotion toward . The "normal" phrase he should have used here is , which is a common set phrase, as you already know. But he (jokingly or unintentionally) said instead, which is _literally_ jumping in to , implying his affection.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
「今はいない」as a response to 「彼女いるの？」
I get asked this question a lot, and _most of the time_ , I would reply .
However, recently I thought that I might be unintentionally lying.
Can anyone tell me which of the following does it **usually** mean?
1. She's not here with me now.
2. I'm not attached.
3. I'm attached most of the time but now I am not attached.
4. I've never been attached before and I'm afraid to admit it openly.
I know that Japanese is a very ambiguous language and it probably could be any of the 4 (or maybe more), but I'd like to know the usual/common interpretation of the answer.
|
It means 3. By saying , you are implying you usually have a .
Depending on the tone of your voice or your facial expression, the asker might suspect you are showing off and your actual situation is 4., but that's another story.
Of course this sentence can mean 1 if the question was "where is your girlfriend?"
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "nuances, particle は"
}
|
What kind of grammar is it in 調査に調査を重ねて?
I did not find any resources explaining the following grammar.
> N N V
For example,
> ****
What kind of grammar is it? What does it mean?
|
> X X (lit. _to pile up X (further) onto X_ )
is an idiomatic phrase to mean "doing X extensively, or unthinkably many times over", usually X is a noun that means some kind of (hard) work.
I also often hear:
>
>
> etc.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 10,
"question_score": 6,
"tags": "grammar, set phrases"
}
|
How to say "In order not to make her angry but make her delighted"?
I want to translate the following sentence to Japanese.
> In order not to make her angry but make her delighted, I must choose a proper gift for her birthday.
My attempt is as follows,
> ****
Is it natural? Is there any other better way to say "in order not to make her angry but to make her delighted" ?
|
You can use a causative verbal auxiliary like . is passive form.
I feel is a bit unnatural in this sentence and may be more appropriate. And in is extra.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": -1,
"tags": "grammar, word choice"
}
|
What is the meaning of this sentence?
I'm not sure how to translate the following sentence:
( taken from )
This is how I translate it:
"This is the first time I've seen anybody as stupid as you. Because I'll be observing you, don't be reckless and show your stupidity in front of other people" (according to Gomanism sengen, this is one reason she () was hired (by ))
I feel my translation doesn't make much sense.
|
You are missing the part , where you translate as "I'll be observing you."
The subject of this sub-sentence is "your stupidity," and the predicate (the verb) is "exists."
The rest of the sub-sentence []{} modifies the verb .
V (dictionary form) + means "in order to V," so is "in order for me to observe."
So the literal translation of the whole sub-sentence is:
> Your stupidity exists in order for me to observe.
That might include the nuance of "I solely have the right to observe your stupidity," which naturally connects to the next part .
* * *
Other part of your translation seems good. One thing, I would prefer "unnecessarily" or "excessively" for the word .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar, translation"
}
|
How would you say "please give me 10 of this"?
for example, is please give me 10 of this. then how should I say if it were 10, 11, 12, and more...?
|
You can stay with the form:
>
But beyond 9, you'd need to switch from the traditional _hitotsu-futatsu_ numerals to _ichi-ni_ -style and add an appropriate counter for the item.
For a generic counter you would use:
* {} - so for "10 of this": 10 () then 11 (), 12 (), etc.
But depending on the requested object itself, you might use:
* {} for long, thin objects (like pens or kushi-katsu): 10 (), 11 (), 12 (), ...
* {} for books/brochures: 10 (), 11 (), 12 (), ...
* or other counters listed here
Notice that many of these compounds have irregular pronunciation.
And also you can use them for the quantities below 10: 3 (), 4 (), 5 ()
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 6,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "counters, numbers"
}
|
Understanding ただより高いものはない
>
> From the old days there's a saying that "nothing costs as much as what is given to us".
I've taken the translation of straight from the dictionary, but I can't get this meaning when I analyse the sentence. I read something like "compared to expensive things there are no free things" (obviously nonsense).
Can the sentence be analysed grammatically such that it has the intended meaning? I can't make it work. Or must I just accept that it is a set phrase and move on?
Perhaps a separate question but I'll try asking anyway: I wasn't sure about my translation of . In particular why there is a in it.
|
is a proverb that means "Nothing is more expensive than free things." In other words, it says free things can be the most costly/risky thing because there is usually some catch for a free offer.
This sentence follows the basic grammar of comparing two things in Japanese:
* : expensive
* **** : more expensive **than (being) free**
* **** : **a thing that is** more expensive than (being) free
* **** : **there is not** a thing that is more expensive than (being) free
Here is not a conjunction nor an adverb but a noun ( _no_ -adjective) that means _free_. is not an adverb but a particle similar in purpose to English "than ".
is just a colloquial pronunciation of , which sounds masculine and dashing. The at the end of the sentence is for the same purpose. This accent is typically heard in so-called "Tokyo dialect" (aka /).
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 5,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "grammar, set phrases, reading comprehension, particle より, proverbs"
}
|
Should 入れる be used to express 'cutting with scissors' as a general action?
I came across the expression in the context of an opening ceremony. As far as I can tell it means 'to cut a ribbon with scissors'.
Is the verb that would still be used to indicate the general action of cutting with scissors (e.g. cutting paper with scissors for a school project)?
|
The phrase effectively means cutting but the verb itself is not a synonym of "cut".
has a general meaning of "applying a force/an effect (using)":
> **** ――――
You can see that your exact phrase is listed in the examples. For your infomation, and above are idioms that mean "modify" and "take radical measures", respectively.
So, what I visualize with is basically, an action making a single movement of scissors like when you just start to cut or make a snick, rather than you snip and snip to cut it off.
But in some occasions, though I'm not sure yours is the case, like wedding ceremonies, you should avoid mouthing words that mean "separate" or "end", and they completely reword into etc.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 7,
"question_score": 7,
"tags": "word choice"
}
|
What does こゆびくらい mean?
What does mean? I found this word in a children"s book.
The complete sentence is:
> ****
From this I understand:
> A long time ago and Grandfather and Grandmother that couldn`t have child so crave god...
|
{} is a "little finger"
indicates an approximate quantity or size (in this case)
So together with they mean "about the size of a little finger" and refer to the boy (), who was born.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
Two implicitly specified distinct subjects in a single sentence
Consider the following sentences.
> A: **** ****
Is it natural and understandable if I remove the subjects as follows?
> B:
|
Yes, it's even preferred form (if you do add , then the listener might think there is an emphasis there - as in `If *I* give...`)
Apart from that, I would correct your sentences as follows:
> A:
>
> B:
This is because would be considered hard to read and it's customary to add in this sort of cases.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
なってしまいました conjugation
So I was talking to this girl and she sent me this message:
> w
(She always send me the same message in English, which I got admit that makes my life easier)
Since I was not understanding the sentence in Japanese I asked her to send me it without any abbreviation, then she sent me:
>
I guess it is + + ??? I don't get the shimaimashita (shima + imasu in the past tense?)
And how could she compress all that with only Isn't supposed to only compress
|
> {}
is composed of:
> + + + + in past tense
As far as meaning,
Those were listed in the order of formality and politeness. Now what do they mean? Here are my personal best:
> means:
>
> "I've got the urge to eat ramen (suddenly) myself."
>
> "It/You got me craving ramen!"
Finally,
> Isn't supposed to only compress
You are clearly thinking of a different kind of here. For instance:
{} **** **** "Don't go!"
The that we are discussing here is just part of , which is the colloquial form of .
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "contractions, subsidiary verbs"
}
|
Meaning of 時間がありますか。
I've come across the sentence "" in Genki.
It was translated as "do you have time?" and I don't know if it is used in a context like "do you have time to talk?" or "what time is it?".
Also, could I use just ()?
|
> {}
can only mean:
> "Do you/we have time (for something or to do something)?"
So, it could **_not_** mean "What time is it?" even if you wanted it to. To mean that, we say:
> {} or for short.
Finally,
> Also, could I use just ()?
Good question, but the answer is negative (at least in modern everyday speech).
It will sound poetic, philosophical, profound, etc. if you use {} to refer to . In other words, it will sound pretty weird. We say things like:
> {}{} ("Time is money.")
That is fine because it is a profound statement; It is a proverb.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 9,
"question_score": 2,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
Which word should I use for "lesbian"?
When I looked up "lesbian" in jisho.org, I came across the six kanji term "", which I'm concerned may sound too formal or clinical, like using "homosexual" as a noun in English, plus katakana words of varying lengths.
The English edition of Wiktionary doesn't have a Japanese language translation for "lesbian". Looking up weblio doesn't help much, because the entries for the English word "lesbian" mainly provide information addressing native Japanese speakers.
The accepted answer on Yahoo answers gives a couple of different answers, and doesn't seem that authoritative: <
I would prefer a term that's acceptable for polite, respectful but friendly conversation.
|
In most of the cases or simply will generally suffice in conversations. As you guessed correctly, sounds formal and stiff, and /LGBT would sound even more technical and formal.
However:
* (and its male-male counterpart, ) may sound a bit vulgar and direct (if not derogatory), and newspaper articles targeted at the general public tend to avoid using this term.
* Some people are very keen and strict on the terminology around this area. I can easily imagine some people who hate to be called , while some people take pride in being called as such.
So depending on who you are talking to, you may want to play it safe and describe it indirectly (eg "") instead.
(lit. "lily") is another indirect term for this, but AFAIK this is mainly preferred in otaku-ish, fictional contexts. There is even a magazine for this.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "translation, word choice"
}
|
Meaning of the verb 受ける in the phrase 試験を受ける
I wonder, how to say just " **I took the exam** "?
The thing is, that saying ** ** could have two meanings, right?
1) The fact, that you took the exam, and 2) success in passing actually.
Am I right? If yes, how should I say "I took an exam", not "I passed an exam" - as f.ex. I am still waiting for results.
|
No, you are not right, but you came to the right place.
This is about **** vs. **** .
> {} + **** \+ {} ****
can only mean "to _**take**_ the exam".
> + **** \+ ****
can only mean "to _**pass**_ the exam".
Those are two different verbs and two different particles. The past tense versions are:
> **** **** (I/Someone **took** the exam.)
>
> **** **** (I/Someone **passed** the exam.)
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 11,
"question_score": 4,
"tags": "usage"
}
|
Japanese idiom equivalent to “Fat Fingered"
Is there a Japanese idiom equivalent to "fat fingered"?
In other words, an idiom which means "to make a mistake when performing a task that requires using ones finger". This is often used in reference to buttons, switches, keyboard keys, and more recently, touch screens.
|
This is one way:
>
Also:
>
For example: <
That's an article about how to cancel when you pushed the wrong floor button on an elevator.
Consider also:
> (often meaning to mistake the gas pedal for the brake while driving, like )
For example: <
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 1,
"question_score": 1,
"tags": "translation, idioms"
}
|
Meaning of だかどうだか
> ****
> Therefore _something about profit/advantage_ I told you to look in the tank soon, right?
I can't understand nor how it attaches to the rest of the sentence.
It looks a bit like the that means 'whether or not', so may be "whether or not you make profit I told you to go look in the tank", but I thought the pattern was X or X for the past, but definitely not X **** . And then there's the other . I'm rambling and I'm stuck.
|
In meaning, one could say:
= " ** _(to find out) whether or not it is profitable/beneficial/economical, etc_**."
Without more context, there is no way I could translate the part. functions adverbially and it modifies . If it helps any, literally means " ** _Is it ? How is it?_** ".
just sounds more informal/colloquial than the others I listed. Not everyone might use it, but absolutely no native speakers will be surprised if anyone said it in informal speech, either.
In fact, you will find a very similar expression in this well-known children's song.
<
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 4,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "grammar"
}
|
What term do you use to find Japanese e-cards
I can parse simple Japanese websites but can't find the term that I need to search for e-cards. e-card apparently has no translation so what would should I use to search for?
|
Try any one of these and it will work.
e, etc.
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 3,
"question_score": 0,
"tags": "translation"
}
|
"まゆんだ"の意味はなんですか？
Context:
> ****
""
|
* * *
**** (To have to recompense)
>
|
stackexchange-japanese
|
{
"answer_score": 2,
"question_score": 3,
"tags": "meaning"
}
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.