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{
"accepted_answer_id": "17706",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "> 私は **大抵** 七時十五分に起きます\n\nWould this be a correct way to say 'I **usually** get up at 7.15'? Not sure 大抵\nis correctly placed before the time+に",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-07T14:08:45.563",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17703",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T04:01:11.280",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-07T16:04:54.040",
"last_editor_user_id": "5423",
"owner_user_id": "5423",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"particle-に"
],
"title": "Forming a \"habitual\" sentence: \"I usually get up at 7.15\"",
"view_count": 1958
} | [
{
"body": "Yes, you can place frequency words like たいてい, いつも, 普通, 普段 etc. before\n\"time+に\".\n\n> 私はたいてい７時１５分に起きます。 \n> 私は[普通]{ふつう}７時１５分に起きます。 \n> 私は[普段]{ふだん}７時１５分に起きます。 \n> etc.\n\nFor more examples, see\n[Weblio辞書usuallyを含む例文一覧](http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/usually/7)",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T00:06:18.557",
"id": "17706",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T00:06:18.557",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"parent_id": "17703",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 5
}
] | 17703 | 17706 | 17706 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17711",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I am trying to remember if the following sentences have the meaning of \"it is\na custom/habit.\"\n\n(1)「日本では、家に入る前に、靴を脱ぐものです。」 \n(2)「日本業界では、自己紹介をする時に、名刺を交換するものです。」 \n(3)「日本社会において、３月の１４日に、男は女の子にチョコを上げるものです。」\n\n(1) \"Taking one's shoes off before entering a house is something they do in\nJapan.\" \n(2) \"In a formal business situation in Japan, people always exchange business\ncards when they do their self-introduction.\" \n(3) \"In Japan, on March 14, men give chocolate to women.\"\n\nI am trying to think of how to say \"something is a habit\". Has anyone seen\nthis grammatical structure (verb+ものです。), or something similar, that has my\ndesired meaning? At the least, I am 97% sure I've heard the sentence\n\"家に入る前に、靴を脱ぐものです\".",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T02:08:32.600",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17708",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T05:52:21.470",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-08T02:23:26.173",
"last_editor_user_id": "4835",
"owner_user_id": "4835",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "\"verb+ものです\" has an additional meaning?",
"view_count": 1745
} | [
{
"body": "Yes, this pattern exists, and it is similar to `～べき`, indicating a type of\nsocial or moral obligation/expectation (as opposed to one's own opinion). I\nsuppose it can have the nuance of something being a habit or custom, but I'd\nsay only if it's something pretty much accepted by everyone. You wouldn't use\nthis referring to one's personal habits or customs.\n\n> * 日本では、家に入る前に、靴を脱ぐものです。 → In Japan, you must/should take off your shoes\n> before entering a house.\n> * 日本業界では、自己紹介をする時に、名刺を交換するものです。 → In the Japanese business world, when you\n> introduce yourself, you should exchange business cards.\n> * 日本社会において、３月の１４日に、男は女の子にチョコを上げるものです。 → In Japanese society, it's expected\n> that men give women chocolates on March 14th.\n>\n\nI think you could say \"It's customary to ～\" in these examples and it would be\nappropriate because those are things that every Japanese person does.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T02:59:25.457",
"id": "17709",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T02:59:25.457",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "78",
"parent_id": "17708",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "These are grammatically correct, but perhaps 「～ものです」 is stronger than you\nmight think. Especially I think the third example is too strong; it's\nsomething like \"Every guy is expected to give chocolates...\"\n\n[White Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Day) in Japan is not that\nobligatory, so I'd recommend 「日本社会では、3月14日に、男性が女性にチョコをプレゼントする（という）習慣があります。」\n\n(BTW, あげる is usually written in hiragana when it means \"to give.\" And giving\nchocolates on White Day is rather uncommon.)",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T05:52:21.470",
"id": "17711",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T05:52:21.470",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "5010",
"parent_id": "17708",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 5
}
] | 17708 | 17711 | 17711 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17714",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "If someone is discussing a situation, and how it is beyond their control, what\nwould be the most natural way to express this? The two options that come to\nmind offhand are to use either 操る【あやつる】 (\"to manipulate\") or 支配【しはい】 (\"to\ncontrol\"), but I'm not sure which is best in which setting.\n\nIn the interest of giving the question context, here are a couple attempts at\nsample sentences:\n\n> * チームはどれほど(orどんなに)好きでも、試合は操ることができない(or試合を操ることはできない)。 \n> \"No matter how much I like the team, I can't control the outcome of their\n> matches.\"\n>\n> * 明日は晴れれば(or晴れると)いいんだが、天気は支配できない。 \n> \"Clear weather tomorrow would be great, but I can't control it.\"\n>\n>\n\nAre those about on the mark, or is there a better way to phrase these kinds of\nstatements?",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T07:55:08.563",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17712",
"last_activity_date": "2018-10-02T23:29:25.890",
"last_edit_date": "2018-10-02T23:29:25.890",
"last_editor_user_id": "9831",
"owner_user_id": "4914",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"usage"
],
"title": "Expressing control over circumstances—or a lack of it",
"view_count": 403
} | [
{
"body": "One way to do it is just to say コントロールできない. 試合（の結果）はコントロールできない\n\nAnother might be to say どうすることもできない.\n\nGlancing on alc, I found one interesting expression: あずかり知らぬところである. It's used\nin this sentence:\n\n> \"have no control over how the dice of life are cast\" \n> 人生のさいころの目がどう出るかは自分のあずかり知らぬところである\n\nThat said, you probably don't want to spout this one off in everyday speech.\nUser @naruto points out that its nuance is more about \"concern\" in the sense\nthat something doesn't concern someone (i.e. they have no meaningful part/role\nin it).\n\nI think 操る has much more of a nuance of controlling something in the sense of\n_manipulation_ , like you would manipulate a tool or a person rather than how\nyou might manipulate an outcome.\n\n支配 is control in a much broader sense of having authority. If you talk about\nthe weather using 支配 it could be strange.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T08:02:25.317",
"id": "17713",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T09:00:03.677",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-08T09:00:03.677",
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"post_type": "answer",
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},
{
"body": "I think @ssb's どうすることもできない would work. I'd like to add some more phrases:\n\n> (～に)どうこうできることではない。 \n> (～に)どうこうできるものでもない(orではない)。 \n> (～に/～の力で)何とかできるものでもない。 \n> (～には/～の力では)どうにもできない。 \n> (～の力では)なんともならない。 \n>\n\netc.\n\n例文:\n\n> どんなにチームが好きだからって、試合ばかりは私にどうこうできるものでもない。 \n> 明日は晴れるといいけど、こればっかりはどうにもできないなあ。 \n>\n\n* * *\n\nYou also have a more literary phrase:\n\n> ~~の力の[及]{およ}ぶところではない。 \n>\n\n例文:\n\n> もはやこの問題は、私一人の力の及ぶところではない。",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T08:42:29.790",
"id": "17714",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T09:14:03.617",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-08T09:14:03.617",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": null,
"parent_id": "17712",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
}
] | 17712 | 17714 | 17713 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 0,
"body": "The following sentence was found in a book:\n\n日本社会の「きまり」にかかわる例の一つに、 会社への就職活動がある。\n\nI'm wondering, assuming the translation is \"An example of one of these \"rules\"\nrelated to Japanese society is job-hunting\", wouldn't it make more sense to\nword the sentence like:\n\n日本社会の「きまり」にかかわる例の一つは、 会社への就職活動です/である。\n\nOr something like\n\n日本社会の「きまり」にかかわる例の中に、 会社への就職活動がある。\n\nWhat are the nuances of writing the sentence as shown in the book, with\n~に~がある?",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T12:21:58.437",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17715",
"last_activity_date": "2016-02-14T05:50:29.473",
"last_edit_date": "2016-02-14T05:50:29.473",
"last_editor_user_id": "4216",
"owner_user_id": "4382",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"nuances"
],
"title": "~に~があります vs ~は~です in this sentence",
"view_count": 85
} | [] | 17715 | null | null |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17717",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "How does one address a stranger in a casual conversation when name is unknown?\nFor example, I had a conversation with an older Japanese lady and I wanted to\ncompliment her on her English (but in Japanese, for some reason). Usually in\nsuch situations I might've gone something like\n\n> ○○さんは英語上手です。 or ○○さんの英語は上手です。\n\nBut without the name it is quite difficult for me at this point. Using あなた\nfeels really rude, neither I'm comfortable relying on zero-pronoun and going\n英語は上手です without any context.\n\nShould I inquire about person's name in such situations? (obviously, not right\nbefore I have a sentence to use the name in).",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T17:28:55.877",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17716",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T20:14:07.727",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6632",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"politeness"
],
"title": "Addressing strangers without knowing the name",
"view_count": 3728
} | [
{
"body": "As _YangMuye_ explained, honorifics can be used to clarify first and second\nperson without ever needing to use a first or second person pronoun. In that,\nusage of 謙譲語{けんじょうご} implies I'm talking about me. Usage of 尊敬語{そんけいご} implies\nI am talking about you.\n\nAn extended discussion about this topic can be read on the thread titled [そちら\nas a second person\npronoun](http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2644469). As far as I\ncan understand, that thread can fully explain your question.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T18:31:37.490",
"id": "17717",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T18:31:37.490",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "4835",
"parent_id": "17716",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 7
}
] | 17716 | 17717 | 17717 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17722",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "The following sentences are from a reading passage. I'm confused on the third\nsentence - the previous two are just given for context.\n\n> 日本ではどこに行っても、「きまりですから」という言葉を耳にする。 これを言われてしまうと、こちらにはもう反論の余地はない。\n> **どんなに常識的で正当な理由もこの言葉にはかなわない。**\n\nI understand that the meaning is something like \"No matter what kind of\ncommonplace or appropriate reasons you give, there's nothing you can do about\nthose words.\" But there's no verb (\"give\" in the case of \"give a reason\"), and\nit would seem どんなに would only apply if there was some kind of verb (for\nexample, どんなに...理由を挙げても). As it stands, shouldn't it be どんな...理由(で)も? What am\nI missing here?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T20:01:23.653",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17719",
"last_activity_date": "2016-02-14T06:18:06.990",
"last_edit_date": "2016-02-14T06:18:06.990",
"last_editor_user_id": "4216",
"owner_user_id": "4382",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"particles"
],
"title": "Unnecessary に in \"どんなに\" in this sentence?",
"view_count": 437
} | [
{
"body": "The どんな here takes a に because it's being used adverbially to modify\nadjectives 常識的 and 正当. The bit up through the も is parseable as one big noun\nphrase, which could be diagrammed as:\n\n`[NP [ADV どんなに [ADJP [ADJ 常識的] [CONJ で] [ADJ 正当] [PRT な]]] [N 理由]]`\n\n(Click [this link](http://yohasebe.com/rsyntaxtree/), paste the above into the\ntext field, choose a Japanese-compatible font like JP-Gothic, and click the\n**Draw PNG** button to see a prettier version of the diagram.)\n\nCode key:\n\n * `NP` == noun phrase\n * `ADV` == adverb\n * `ADJP` == adjective phrase\n * `ADJ` == adjective\n * `CONJ` == conjunction\n * `PRT` == particle\n * `N` == noun",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-08T21:16:53.833",
"id": "17722",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-08T21:16:53.833",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "5229",
"parent_id": "17719",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 5
}
] | 17719 | 17722 | 17722 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17741",
"answer_count": 5,
"body": "According to the article [\"On Being Late to Work in Japan |\n遅出\"](http://thisjapaneselife.org/2011/03/09/japan-work-ethic/) (linked from\n[this post](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/28274/10298) at The\nWorkplace):\n\n> The word for participation – _kameseru_ – has a special significance which\n> also explains why Japanese bureaucracy is so overwhelming...\n\nAs far as I know, カメセル is not a Japanese word, and it doesn't look like any\nvariations on the vowels (カーメセル or カメーセル or カメセール or カメセルー or some combination\nthereof) or gemination (カメッセル) give you anything useful either. Nor can I\nthink of any near-homophones (コメセル? カメスル?) that mean anything related to\n\"participation\".\n\nWhat word might the article have meant?",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T00:26:40.583",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17723",
"last_activity_date": "2016-05-17T02:59:03.113",
"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:48:50.040",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "3437",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"words"
],
"title": "What is a word for \"participation\" that resembles \"kameseru\"?",
"view_count": 936
} | [
{
"body": "The closest word to _kameseru_ which means \"participation\" is, maybe 噛【か】ませる?\n\n[噛む](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/45040/m0u/) sometimes means \"get\n(partially) involved\", often (but not necessarily) referring to bad/illegal\nthings. My boss may say something like this:\n\n> やれる仕事はないかもしれないけどさ、とりあえずA君もこのプロジェクトに噛ませといてよ。 \n> Though I doubt he has something to do, let A join this project for now,\n> too.\n\nWell, this expression is natural, but uncommon. The general idea of\n\"everyone's (full) participation\" is usually not described by this word. I may\nbe missing something.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T00:57:38.980",
"id": "17724",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-09T01:45:33.720",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-09T01:45:33.720",
"last_editor_user_id": "5010",
"owner_user_id": "5010",
"parent_id": "17723",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 2
},
{
"body": "I think it might refer to [加盟]{かめい}する, although in the context of leaving\nearly or not from work, 参加する would have been a much better fit.\n\nStill, my guess is the author just asked someone \"How do you say\n_participation_ in Japanese?\" and someone came up with 加盟する.",
"comment_count": 6,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T00:58:00.293",
"id": "17725",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-09T01:05:10.003",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-09T01:05:10.003",
"last_editor_user_id": "1628",
"owner_user_id": "1628",
"parent_id": "17723",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "It appears as if we might be dealing with a garbled 任【まか】せる, 'to entrust'.\n\nBasically, the word _kameseru_ is only found in two contexts: The article in\nquestion and excerpts plagiarized from it; and questions asking what the word\n_kameseru_ means such as a similar discussion on\n[reddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/24wwqf/what_is_kameseru/).",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T06:19:23.620",
"id": "17736",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-10T03:40:49.970",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-10T03:40:49.970",
"last_editor_user_id": "29",
"owner_user_id": "519",
"parent_id": "17723",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 2
},
{
"body": "I'm the author of that post, the 'insufferable self-absorbed hipster.'\n\nIt was a typo - I'd meant 'kamei-suru' but was pretty bad at Japanese when I\nfirst arrived (and still am not very good, but continue to learn and practice\neven after having left the country). It's this:\n\n加盟 + する\n\nAnd basically refers to 'becoming a part of the group' by engaging and\nparticipating in the group's activities. I think in hindsight it may have a\nmuch more limited function.",
"comment_count": 11,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T17:45:23.503",
"id": "17741",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-09T17:45:23.503",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6776",
"parent_id": "17723",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
},
{
"body": "The most common Japanese word for “participation” will be 参加（さんか）する、like\nパーティ（組合、会議、ゲーム）に参加する- participate / join in a party (union, meeting, game).\n\n加盟(かめい）is a big word to mean “joining,” that’s applied to big entities e.g.\norganizations and countries, like EU（三国間協定、連合）に加盟する- participate in Europe\nUnion (three-country treaty, National Labor Union League).\n\nThe word, 加盟 that reads “kamei” have nothing to do with a late-coming to work.\n\nThere is no word that reads and being vocalized as “kameseru” in Japanese\nlanguage.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2016-05-16T20:57:56.653",
"id": "34180",
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"owner_user_id": "12056",
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"score": 0
}
] | 17723 | 17741 | 17725 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17728",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I have heard both terms, 年休{ねんきゅう} and 有休{ゆうきゅう} (or occasionally 有給), used to\ndescribe paid vacation time, or 年次有給休暇{ねんじゆうきゅうきゅうか}. In my situation it's\nalways been 年休, but I know people just a town over who have insisted that the\nterm is 有休. I have said 年休 to people and they have looked at me confusedly and\nsaid 「有休のこと？」\n\nIs there any actual difference between these terms, and is there any pattern\nto when one is used over the other? Should I default to 有休?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T00:58:52.217",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17726",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-09T10:16:15.277",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-09T10:16:15.277",
"last_editor_user_id": "1797",
"owner_user_id": "1797",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"nuances"
],
"title": "年休 vs. 有休/有給 as paid time off work",
"view_count": 497
} | [
{
"body": "Basically, 年休 and 有休 are just the two ways to abbreviate 年次有給休暇. They are\nusually interchangeable.\n\nStrictly speaking, 年休 has more formal, technical nuance, and it specifically\nrefers to 年次有給休暇 as defined in the Japanese law.\n\n有休 is a more casual and popular (and thus ambiguous) word. It's sometimes not\nlimited to 年次有給休暇 and may be confused by any other kind of paid vacation set\nby each company. (For example, I expect varying answers by non-professionals\nfor questions like \"Is 産休 also 有休?\")\n\nI believe majority of people prefer 有休 to 有給, but [some media seem to have\nchosen 有給 as the standard abbreviation for\n有給休暇](http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZZO06311940V20C10A4000000/), which is\nsurprising to me.",
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] | 17726 | 17728 | 17728 |
{
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"body": "It has always struck me as strange that 買 \"buy\" and 売 \"sell\", which are\nantonyms, have the same _on_ -reading バイ. A few questions:\n\n 1. Is there some logic (possibly stemming from the Chinese use of these characters) behind the readings being so similar? \n 2. How are the characters 買 and 売 related? Is one derived from the other?\n\n(This post is inspired by the comments on [this\nanswer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/17498/3437), which ought to find\ntheir way into a proper answer rather than languishing in the comments\nsection.)",
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"score": 6,
"tags": [
"kanji"
],
"title": "How are 買 and 売 related?",
"view_count": 645
} | [
{
"body": "It's more obvious when you're looking at the non-simplified character for 売,\n賣; the thing on top is 出 originally, which makes sense, but later reduced to\n士. So, 賣/売 is indeed derived from 買.\n\nRelated, you can typically get to an etymology of Chinese characters just by\ntyping them into Google by their lonesome.",
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"body": "### The Chinese part\n\nThe answer to this question ultimately goes back into the Chinese from whence\nthese characters originally came.\n\n> 1. Is there some logic (possibly stemming from the Chinese use of these\n> characters) behind the readings being so similar?\n\nThe _on'yomi_ come from Chinese. Both 売 (selling) and 買 (buying) are simply\ntwo sides of the same activity, so it kind of makes sense that they're almost\nthe same word: 売 (in Mandarin, _mài_ with a high falling tone), 買 ( _mǎi_ with\na low tone rising slightly at the end).\n\n> 2. How are the characters 買 and 売 related? Is one derived from the other?\n\nCourtesy snailboat: Yes, one is derived from the other. The modern Japanese\nkanji 売 is a 新字体{しんじたい}, a simplified form. The old character is 賣, which is 士\nover 買. The 士 element here is itself simplified from older 出 \" _to put out_ \",\nso 売(賣) = 出＋買 = \" _to put out for buying_ \" = \" _to sell_ \".\n\n### The Japanese part\n\nThis isn't part of the original question, but in the interests of\ncompleteness, we should also look at the etymologies of the Japanese words\n_kau_ \"to buy\" and _uru_ \"to sell\".\n\n * Japanese 買{か}う is, at its root, the same word as 代う, 換う, 替う, 交う, all かう with a root meaning of \"to trade, to swap, to exchange\". By extension, these are the roots of かわる・かえる \"to change, to turn [into]\", and probably also かえる・かえす \"to turn back, to return\". See also [the Gogen Allguide entry for 買う](http://gogen-allguide.com/ka/kau.html). \n\nかう derives from older かふ. This seems to be related to 食{く}う (older くふ) \"to\neat, to put into one's mouth\" and 請{こ}う・乞{こ}う (older こふ) \"to ask [for], to\nrequest\". All three are semantically related to ideas of _getting_ or _taking\nin_.\n\nMuch more speculatively, these _inward_ semantics make me wonder if these\nmight be cognate with 来{く} (modern 来{く}る), with the final ふ perhaps the well-\nknown auxiliary that attaches to the _mizenkei_ and indicates repeated or\ncontinuous action. If so, かふ would meet the expected form of the _mizenkei_\n(with an _a_ sound), but くふ and こふ would not, leaving significant holes in\nthis theory.\n\n * Japanese 売{う}る, meanwhile, is cognate with 得{え}る (also read as うる) \"to get, to acquire\", from the idea of _getting_ money (or something else desired) in exchange for the item sold. See also [the Gogen Allguide entry for 売る](http://gogen-allguide.com/u/uru.html).",
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] | 17727 | 17742 | 17742 |
{
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"body": "I already know some things, like 「最初{さいしょ｝の道｛みち｝を右｛みぎ｝に曲｛ま｝がって」 and the like.\nHowever, unless one knows the exact moment to shout 「止｛と｝めて！」 then one would\nneed to know how to say things like \"it's the third building on the right\" or\n\"stop at the building with the sign on it\" or something. Those were vague\nexamples, but can someone help me with giving directions, like to a cab driver\nor a guest?",
"comment_count": 10,
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"translation",
"words",
"expressions"
],
"title": "How does one give directions in Japanese (e.g. to a cab driver)?",
"view_count": 1589
} | [
{
"body": "I usually use clearly visible markers and don't worry too much about keigo:\n\n> 赤い車の後ろの[辺]{へん}でいいですよ。\n>\n> [角]{かど}の自動販売機でお願いします。\n\nSomething like that. Basically I give the same directions as cab drivers\nanywhere. I don't assume they know how to count^ so I try to avoid counters.\n:-)\n\n^ i.e., while it's easy for you as the passenger to count the \"fifth house\nfrom the corner,\" it's tough for the driver to do this while not crashing into\nthe housewife on a mamachari with 2 kids on it.",
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"body": "Giving directions「道順、みちじゅん」 to a taxi driver in Japan is not as complex as it\nis in other countries. The custom in Japan is to suggest the nearest bus or\ntrain station that is within walking distance from your destination.\n\nBelow there are two informative examples for accessing common places and a\nthird example of thorough directions personally given to me. In the example\nnote for words like _in front_ 「前」, _from_ 「から」, _by foot_ 「徒歩」, _10 minutes_\n「10分」, _either by A or B_ 「A または B」;\n\nSenso temple in Asakusa:\n\n東武スカイツリーライン：浅草駅より徒歩５分\n\n東京メトロ銀座線：浅草駅より徒歩５分\n\nつくばエクスプレス：浅草駅より徒歩５分\n\n都営地下鉄浅草線：浅草駅Ａ４出口より徒歩５分\n\nKyoto Botanical Garden:\n\nJR京都駅（近鉄「京都駅」、阪急「烏丸駅」）から京都市営地下鉄「北山駅」下車3番出口すぐ、又は「北大路駅」下車3番出口を東へ徒歩約10分\n\n京阪「出町柳駅」から市バス1系統または京都バス「静原」「市原」行きバス停「植物園前」下車徒歩5分\n\n名神高速道路京都南ICから車で京都市内北山方面へ約45分\n\nYamada’s house:\n\n池ノ上駅：左、4軒（左前郵便局）左\n\n右 小学校（50メートル先のオレンジ色のフラメンコ教室）\n\n4軒目 右\n\n5軒 右 10メートル BMWの車\n\n世田谷区代沢 9-99-99\n\nHowever, It could be that you travel with an older person, carry luggage, or\nit’s raining and it’s important to get off at the door of your destination. In\nthat situation and with an appropriate timing you could let the driver known\nyou’re close by saying _we’ll be there soon_ 「もうすぐです」 _please drop me off by\nthe next corner_ 「次の[角]{かど}で降ろして下さい」。If it’s troublesome giving details like\n_next building/house/street_ to tell precisely where to stop you could use\n_please stop over there_ 「あそこに止めて下さい」 and considering enough anticipation.\n\nPlaying RPG games on the other hand is a great resource for exposing yourself\nto the Japanese used in following directions and guidance. I find _The Legend\nof Zelda: Phantom Hourglass_ 「ゼルダの伝説 夢幻の砂時計」 for the Nintendo DS extremely\nhelpful since it has interactive furigana in every dialog.\n\nTo spot a taxi the _vacant_ sign 「空車」 is shown (not necessarily appears in\ngreen light) while an _occupied_ cab shows the sign 「賃走」。 However, spotting a\ntaxi sometimes has to be done at the taxi central or by phone. Be aware\nthere’s a flat fee when riding a taxi cab in Japan, it should be shown on the\nwindows, as well as a night fare after 11 PM.\n\nOnce you're in the taxi cab the driver will first greet you and then ask you\n_where do you want to go_ 「どちらまでお送りいたしますか？」。\n\nKnow in advance that some taxi drivers can’t read romaji and it’s convenient\nif you write the address in chinese characters and hand it to the driver.\n\nFurther resources:\n\n-- 美輝タクシーPR動画 本編 In this video you could watch the interaction between a taxi\ndriver and a passenger <http://youtu.be/5V0zTxMTzQ8?t=4m23s>\n\n-- Japanese site showing the common phrases a taxi driver uses. These are\nexactly the same as used in the video above. Each driver memorizes them and\nuses them as a formality. <http://www.kokusan-j.co.jp/safety/shouwa.html>\n\n-- Yahoo!路線情報 Directions, fares and routes for commuting in Japan\n<http://transit.loco.yahoo.co.jp/>",
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"body": "When I was barely talking Japanese riding taxi was one of the easiest tasks.\n\nThe basic algorithm is as follows:\n\n * Immediately after getting into taxi tell //some landmark next to your place// までお願いします。Taxi drivers know all landmarks around and rarely ask for directions to there. \n * If a driver asks which way is preferred, it is easier to just answer 速い方 - which is \"the fastest way\" or, for example, 安い方 - the cheapest way, which will not be necessarily the fastest one. \n * When you get closer to your place, operate using words: 右です, 左です, まっすぐ. \n * When you feel like it's time to stop, just tell: こちらです or こちらでお願いします.\n\nDo not say 止めて because it is plain rude, at least without ください word.",
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{
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"body": "I'm not really sure there is an equivalent for hypothetical questions in\nJapanese, but here's hoping there is.\n\nIn English, hypothetical questions are generally prefaced by \"What would you\ndo if...\" or something along those lines. It seems like 「何しよう...」 would almost\nwork, but that sounds more like \"what _could_ you do if...\". To be really\nspecific, how would one say \"What would you do if you were dying?\" or (for the\nsake of variation) \"what would you do if you went to the park?\"\n\nI'm assuming 「公園に行ったならば、何しようか？」 is not correct because it sounds very\nunnatural.",
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"tags": [
"grammar",
"set-phrases"
],
"title": "Is there a special way of asking hypothetical questions?",
"view_count": 1853
} | [
{
"body": "English uses specific verb forms (past subjunctive / would) to express\nunlikely/counterfactual conditionals. Japanese doesn't have this feature, so\nif you want to stress the unlikeliness, you need to express it in other ways,\nfor example with adverbials like もし or 仮に\n\n> 仮に公園に行ったならば、何する？ What would you do if you went to the park? \n> 仮に公園に行ったならば、何した？ What would you have done if you had gone to the park?",
"comment_count": 10,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-09T03:32:45.053",
"id": "17733",
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"body": "1. 「公園に行ったならば、何しようか？」 is unnatural, and the main reason is that 「～しよう」 means \"Let's ～\", referring to something someone is actually going to do right now or in the near future. Instead, expressions like 「何をしますか？」 or 「何をして／どうやって過ごしますか？」 will do.\n\n 2. Basically this type of question is asked without any _if_ -clause:\n\n> いつも公園では何をして過ごしますか？ \n> ふだん公園ですることは何ですか？\n\n 3. When you ask the similar question to someone who really is unlikely to go to parks (for some reason), you can use \"仮に\", \"もし\", \"もしも\", etc., combined with \"～のであれば\", \"～としたら\", \"～なら\" or \"～ならば\". You can omit 仮に or もし, but that will make the question a bit unclear:\n\n> もし公園に行くとしたら、何をして過ごしますか？ \n> 仮に公園に行くなら、何をすると思いますか？ \n> もしも1週間後に死ぬのであれば、何をすると思いますか？\n\n 4. Using past tense here is also possible if it's the conditional of the present (≒past subjunctive in English); that will not change the meaning:\n\n> もし公園に行ったとしたら、何をして過ごしますか？ \n> 仮に公園に行ったなら、何をすると思いますか？ \n> (* もしも1週間後に死んだのであれば、何をすると思いますか？: weird)\n\n(I've been aware of this fact since I learned English subjunctive many years\nago, but I don't know the underlying Japanese grammar here. I don't think it's\nrelated to honorific/humble expression, but it may be some kind of euphemism?\nAny comment is appreciated.)",
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{
"accepted_answer_id": "17735",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I have been reading about using と and や.\n\nNow, I [understand the basic\nidea](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/17376/difference-\nusing-%E3%81%A8-and-%E3%82%84-%EF%BD%9E-%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A9) that や is for a\nlist where the list is not all-inclusive. と on the other hand essentially\ninforms the listener that \"only these things are what I mean.\"\n\nAre there any times where the \"and\" や and と would both be used in a sentence?\nSpecifically for a list of things?\n\n> 趣味がスキーやゴルフや英語と日本語の勉強やカラオケです。\n\nas a possible (and poor?) example. If I wanted to say in the example above \"My\nhobbies are skiing, golf, studying English and Japanese, and karaoke.\"",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"particles",
"syntax"
],
"title": "Can と AND や be used in a sentence for a list of things",
"view_count": 594
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{
"body": "Your example sentence I think is a little clumsy, but short answer: yes. と in\na case similar to your example would just be a component in one of the noun\nphrases that makes up your list. For the sentence, however,\n趣味はスキーやゴルフ、英語と日本語の勉強、カラオケなどです would be better. Points to take away:\n\n * 趣味は not 趣味が.\n\n * When making longer lists of things, Japanese typically works, unsurprisingly perhaps, in the reverse of English, with further conjunctions omitted.",
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] | 17732 | 17735 | 17735 |
{
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"body": "So here in this sentence below \"との\" was used 2 times. What does との standfor?\nCan someone please explain it to me?\n\n> これまで数多くのアニメ作品 **との** コラボを実現してきた痛印堂には、「好きなアニメ **との**\n> コラボは嬉しいけど、自分の好きなキャラクターがいない！」「メインキャラクターだけでなく違う子もお願いします！」などの声が届いており、その要望に応えるべく今回の「ガールズ＆パンツァー」痛印第2弾が実現しました。",
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"score": 7,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"translation"
],
"title": "Grammar of との, what is the meaning",
"view_count": 5136
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{
"body": "Generally speaking:\n\n〜と links to a following **verb** (or other predicate) \n〜との links to a following **noun** (or noun equivalent)\n\nThat's generally what の does--indicates a relationship to a following noun:\n\n> 海 **へ** 行く The particle へ links 海 to the following **verb** 行く \n> 海 **への** 道 The particle の links 海へ to the following **noun** 道\n\nIn English, we use word order instead of a particle:\n\n> go [ **to** the sea ] \n> the road [ **to** the sea ]\n\nWe can tell that the **_to_** -phrase relates to the verb **_go_** or to the\nnoun **_road_** because they're next to each other. But that doesn't work in\nJapanese--you need to specify that it relates to a noun by adding の.\n\nLikewise, in your example, 好きなアニメ **と** needs **の** to relate to the following\nnoun, コラボ. In English we could just say \"collaboration [ **with** 〜 ]\", but in\nJapanese you need to add **の**.",
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] | 17738 | 17739 | 17739 |
{
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"body": "I've got a question about the two instances of の in 君が代:\n\n> さざれ石の巌となりて \n> 苔の生すまで\n\nFirst, is さざれ石の巌 to be interpreted as _a boulder made of pebbles_ (analogous\nto, say, 木製の槍)?\n\nSecond, is the の in 苔の生すまで essentially が, akin to the が/の alternation in\nrelative clauses:\n\n> 太郎の焼いた魚 / 太郎が焼いた魚\n\nIf so, at what stage of the development of Japanese was this alternation\npossible outside of relative clauses?\n\n(Bonus: what stage of Japanese does 君が代 even reflect and why? I know it was\ncobbled together in the Meiji period; [the Wikipedia\narticle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimigayo) says it's based on a waka from\nthe Heian period, but doesn't provide the original text.)",
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"owner_user_id": "816",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"history"
],
"title": "In 君が代, what's the function of の?",
"view_count": 470
} | [
{
"body": "Turning comments into an answer. Credit should go all to the commenters on\noriginal question!\n\n[Choko](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/users/1016/choko):\n\n> 「さざれ石(=細かい石)が巌【いわお】(=大きな岩)になって、(それに)苔【こけ】が[生]{む}す(=苔が生【は】える)まで。」って意味です。\n\n[jogloran:](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/users/816/jogloran)\n\n> Is the fact that が=の in this text commonly known to ordinary Japanese\n> speakers?\n\n[Choko](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/users/1016/choko):\n\n> 私学の中高に通っていた大学生は結構知らなかったりしますね・・・\n>\n> College students that went to private junior and high schools often aren't\n> aware of it...",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-11-07T07:00:38.573",
"id": "19407",
"last_activity_date": "2014-11-08T06:13:31.190",
"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.157",
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"body": "The lyrics is written in Classical (Heian-era) Japanese, where the が/の\nalternation is known to be _180 degree inverted_ than today, that is, `君が代` is\n`あなたの代` in today's language, so `さざれ石の巌となりて` → `さざれ石が巌となって` and `苔の生すまで` →\n`苔が生えるまで`. I'm not sure about the origin of the alternation, since the usage\nis attested in earliest documents.\n\nThe original text has multiple variations. One of them is\n[here](http://www.emuseum.jp/detail/100171/001/000?x=81926&y=203&s=3)\n(fullscreen recommended). It reads `わがきみはちよにましませさゞれしのいはほとなりてこけのむすまで`.",
"comment_count": 0,
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] | 17740 | null | 19407 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17744",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "This is from an exercise in Minna no Nihongo, ch16.\n\nFull sentence:\n\n> 神戸は古い物があまりありませんが、町の後ろに山 **が** 、前に海があって、素敵な町です。\n\nAs above, I don't understand why there is nothing after the が. I can sort of\nsee that two sentences have been contracted into one but I'm still lost:\n\nMachi no ushiro ni Yama ga aru\n\nMachi no mae ni umi ga aru.\n\nIf someone could help that would be great :)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T22:20:48.890",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17743",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-10T01:08:59.900",
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"owner_user_id": "6752",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"particle-が"
],
"title": "Use of first が in 町の後ろに山が、前に海があって、",
"view_count": 609
} | [
{
"body": "後ろに山が has been coordinated with 前に海が:\n\n```\n\n **町の**\t[ 後ろに 山が、 ] \n \t[ 前に 海が ] **あって** 、素敵な町です。\n```\n\nOne possible way to describe it is like this:\n\n 1. Start with the following:\n``` [ **町の** 後ろに 山が **あって** 、 ] \n \t[ **町の** 前に \t海が **あって** 、 ] **** 素敵な町です。\n```\n\n 2. Pull out **町の** from the left side:\n``` **町の** [ **＿＿** 後ろに 山が **あって** 、 ] \n ****\t[ **＿＿** 前に \t海が **あって** 、 ] **** 素敵な町です。\n```\n\n 3. Pull out **あって** from the right side:\n``` **町の** [ **＿＿** 後ろに 山が **＿＿＿** 、 ] \n ****\t[ **＿＿** 前に \t海が **＿＿＿** ] **あって** 、素敵な町です。\n```\n\nIn linguistics, steps 2 and 3 are called left-node raising and right-node\nraising respectively. We have something like this in English, too, which you\ncan see in phrases like _pre- and post-war_ :\n\n> [ pre- **war** ] and [ post- **war** ] \n> [ pre- **___** ] and [ post- **___** ] **war**\n\nAnother way to understand this is by analogy to mathematics. When we pull\n**町の** out from the left, it's like we're **factoring it out** :\n\n> Let _**a**_ = **町の** \n> Let _x_ = 後ろに山が \n> Let _y_ = 前に海が\n```\n\n> _**a** x_ + _**a** y_ = _**a** (x + y)_\n```\n\nOf course, the explanations above are just metaphors to help you understand\nhow the words fit together. It's not necessary for you to believe that anyone\n_actually_ starts with more complex sentences and reduces them this way. And\nthis certainly isn't the only possible way to explain these particular\nexamples.\n\nWhichever way you choose to think about it, in your example the **町の** on the\nleft connects with both coordinates at the same time, and so does the **あって**\non the right. So I think your description is basically correct.",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-09T23:28:24.903",
"id": "17744",
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}
] | 17743 | 17744 | 17744 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17748",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Like how it is common to see their/there and \"could/would/should of\" instead\nof \"could/would/should have\" in English discussions.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T05:46:42.760",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17747",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-10T07:27:46.203",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "4516",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"learning",
"linguistics",
"comparative-linguistics"
],
"title": "Are there words or phrases that are commonly mistyped by native speakers on the Internet?",
"view_count": 240
} | [
{
"body": "Due to the way kanji are typed (i.e. using an IME which presents you with\ncandidates from a dictionary), and the fact that Japanese kana usage is by-\nand-large [phonemic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonemic_principle) (i.e.\nyou write it how you say it), there aren't really many mistakes that are\nentirely analogous to your/you're or there/their/they're, etc.\n\nProbably the closest thing is typing something into an IME, then inadvertently\nselecting the incorrect candidate from the list (like say accidentally\nchoosing 以外｛いがい｝ instead of 意外｛いがい｝). This is what is commonly referred to as\na 変換ミス｛へんかんミス｝, or \"conversion mistake\".\n\nSomewhat of a tangent to that phenomenon is the 打ち｛うち｝間違い｛まちがい｝ページ (\"Typo\nPage\") that you will can find on Japanese websites (I'm not aware of such a\nthing for English pages, at least not that's common). These exist primarily to\ncatch poor candidates produced by IMEs or people who have just completely\nmisremembered the -- often stylized -- written form of the name of the\nwebsite/company they're looking for. You can see a lot of such pages by\nsearching google for\n[打ち間違いページ](https://www.google.com/webhp?ie=UTF-8#q=%E6%89%93%E3%81%A1%E9%96%93%E9%81%95%E3%81%84%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8).\n\nAddition: ssb also points out above a good tangent of people\nmislearning/misremembering readings of kanji words, and then not being able to\nget the IME to produce appropriate candidates as a result (e.g. ふいんき for\n雰囲気｛ふんいき｝). This is, however, relatively uncommon in practice because most\npeople will note that something's up when their IME doesn't produce the result\nthey're looking for, or because the IME reinterprets and then effectively\nhides the mistake by producing the intended kanji; Google IME, for example,\nproduces 雰囲気 when typing ふいんき (with a note about correct usage on the side).",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-10T07:06:46.733",
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] | 17747 | 17748 | 17748 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17754",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Why is Typhoon Neoguri sometimes referred to in Japanese as \"ノグリー\", and not as\n\"ネオグリー\"?\n\nThe English language Wikipedia's disambiguation page for [Typhoon\nNeoguri](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Neoguri) mentions that it used\nto be referred to in English as \"Noguri\", but that was back in 2002, and\nthere's been another Typhoon Neoguri between then and now.\n\nIs it because Japanese has a commonly used transliteration of the Korean word\nfor \"Raccoon dog\"\n([너구리](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%EB%84%88%EA%B5%AC%EB%A6%AC))?",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T09:30:16.533",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17749",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-10T13:16:27.280",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "91",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 0,
"tags": [
"etymology",
"loanwords",
"spelling"
],
"title": "Why is Typhoon Neoguri sometimes referred to as \"ノグリー\"?",
"view_count": 300
} | [
{
"body": "My assumption would be that neoguri is one way of romanizing the hangul 너구리,\nbut that the pronunciation is closer to \"noguri.\" Given the tendency of\nkatakana to go with pronunciation, it would be ノグリー. Listen to the Korean\n[here](http://www.forvo.com/word/%EB%84%88%EA%B5%AC%EB%A6%AC/#ko).",
"comment_count": 5,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-10T13:16:27.280",
"id": "17754",
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"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "1797",
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}
] | 17749 | 17754 | 17754 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17751",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm really a 初心者 when it comes to Classical Japanese, and I guess that is what\nI have here...\n\n> 一日の苦労は一日にて足れり. 【聖】 \n> _Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof._\n\nPlease, can someone tell me what this is about? 足れり comes from 足りる or is it\nfrom 足る? \nMoreover, I don't get it... Even with the translation, because I'm not an\nEnglish native speaker either. So can you put the japanese sentence and/or the\nEnglish translation in a simpler way, please?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T10:34:19.423",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17750",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-10T13:15:31.043",
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"owner_user_id": "2972",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"verbs",
"classical-japanese"
],
"title": "What's this -れり ending?",
"view_count": 867
} | [
{
"body": "足れり is basically the Old/Middle Japanese version of what in Modern Japanese\nwould be 足りている. It consists of 足り (the ren'youkei of 足る) plus あり (modern ある).\n(It's not 足りあり because of Old Japanese's vowel cluster mergers: /ia/ > /e/.)\nModern Japanese 足りている has exactly the same structure as the Middle Japanese\nversion, just with a different conjunction form (-て instead of the bare\nren'youkei) and a different 'to be' verb (いる instead of ある); and in this case,\nthe verb has jumped classes since Middle Japanese and is now the kami-ichidan\n足りる instead of the yodan 足る. (足る is apparently valid in Modern Japanese, but I\nat least have never seen it used outside of fossilised constructions or\ndeliberately archaic speech - the vast majority of the time Modern Japanese\nuses 足りる.)\n\nThe sentence as a whole could be somewhat loosely translated as 'the hardships\nof one day are enough for that day'. A literal translation of 一日にて足れり here\nsounds weird in English, but it basically means something like 'the action of\nbeing enough is complete within [that] one day'.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T10:59:09.700",
"id": "17751",
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}
] | 17750 | 17751 | 17751 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17756",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "My dictionary says 今日{きょう} is a special reading. My textbook presents it in\nthe third lesson, so I'm guessing it's a normal pronunciation. So... what's\nthe difference between 今日{こんにち} and 今日{きょう}?",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T11:40:41.503",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17752",
"last_activity_date": "2016-08-06T07:02:01.687",
"last_edit_date": "2016-08-06T07:02:01.687",
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"owner_user_id": "5423",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"words"
],
"title": "Difference between こんにち and きょう",
"view_count": 1104
} | [
{
"body": "To see that 今日{きょう} is a special reading, you need to look in a kanji\ndictionary.\n\n[「きょ」 is not listed as a possible reading of\n「今」.](http://jisho.org/kanji/details/%E4%BB%8A) \n[「う」 is not listed as a possible reading of\n「日」.](http://jisho.org/kanji/details/%E6%97%A5)\n\n「今日」 is a 熟字訓{じゅくじくん} which is best explained [in the wikipedia entry for\n\"kanji\".](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#Special_readings)",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T12:03:12.633",
"id": "17753",
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"score": 1
},
{
"body": "Both means _today_ , but the meaning depends on the pronunciation.\n\nきょう refers to the day after yesterday, the day before tomorrow.\n\n> 今日【きょう】は雨【あめ】が降【ふ】っています。 It's raining today.\n\nこんにち means _present age_ , _nowadays_ , or _these days_.\n\n> 今日【こんにち】の若者【わかもの】は新聞【しんぶん】を読【よ】まない。 Young people of today do not read\n> newspapers.\n\nThis difference is rather strict; basically you can't expect they're\ninterchangeable. I recommend that you memorize how to use きょう first, because\nこんにち is less common.",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-10T14:43:13.753",
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}
] | 17752 | 17756 | 17756 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17758",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "In English, the term _ruby_ refers to small text set above the main text (in\nhorizontal writing) or to the right of the main text (in vertical writing).\nFrom [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_character):\n\n> **Ruby characters** (ルビ) are small, annotative glosses that can be placed\n> above or to the right of a Chinese character when writing languages with\n> logographic characters such as Chinese or Japanese to show the\n> pronunciation. Typically called just **ruby** or **rubi** , such annotations\n> are used as pronunciation guides for characters that are likely to be\n> unfamiliar to the reader.\n\nAs I understand it, this is mainly a typography term, and it's likely that\nmany speakers are unfamiliar with it, but web developers probably know the\nterm due to the HTML `<ruby>` tag. Students of Japanese are more likely to\nknow _furigana_ than _ruby_.\n\n* * *\n\nIn Japanese, although [ルビ](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AB%E3%83%93) is\nused, I think that 振{ふ}り仮名{がな} is a much more common word. Taken literally,\n振り仮名 appears to refer specifically to kana, as in hiragana or katakana. That\nwould make ルビ a more general term, including small kanji or rōmaji used as\nruby.\n\nIn fact, I've seen the term\n[振{ふ}り漢字{かんじ}](http://ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E6%8C%AF%E3%82%8A%E6%BC%A2%E5%AD%97)\nused on occasion, in contrast to 振{ふ}り仮名{がな}:\n\n> kanji printed as ruby, usually to explain kana\n\nMy feeling is that taken strictly, 振{ふ}り仮名{がな} should only refer to kana used\nas ruby, not to kanji or rōmaji. But I'm not sure if that reflects actual\nusage, so I've decided to ask this question:\n\n**Is it common to use the term 振{ふ}り仮名{がな} for ruby text, even when the\ncharacters aren't kana?**\n\n(And if so, would that be considered sloppy usage, or would it be perfectly\nnormal / acceptable?)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T14:56:07.103",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17757",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-10T15:52:26.350",
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"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": null,
"post_type": "question",
"score": 8,
"tags": [
"furigana"
],
"title": "Can \"furigana\" be used to refer to ruby that isn't kana?",
"view_count": 1045
} | [
{
"body": "ルビ is originally a technical term of the publishing industries. The ruby\nfeature is called ルビ in Adobe InDesign, MS Word, etc. A ruby can be in kana,\nkanji or even alphabets, but 傍点（圏点） is different from ruby. I suppose the word\nルビ focuses more on the technical aspect of this feature.\n\nAnd the word ふりがな focuses on the role of ルビ. It implies \"how to read this out\nloud.\"\n\nBecause I know both of the two words, I would definitely avoid using ふりがな for\nrubies in non-kana characters, or rubies for \"double meaning\" as in\n\"[校長先生]{ストーカー}\" or something. (Such rubies are occasionally seen in manga or\n'light novels'). Not all Japanese recognize the term ルビ, so other people may\ncall them ふりがな.\n\nTo be honest, I've never seen 振り漢字.",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-10T15:52:26.350",
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] | 17757 | 17758 | 17758 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17761",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I was having a conversation with a friend of mine who is also learning\nJapanese, and she used 大きなめんどくさい as a phrase today, which seemed off to me to\nuse 大きい as a modifier on an adjective. Can you use 大きい/な as an adverb to\nmodify another adjective? If so, are there restrictions around what sort of\nadjectives it can modify?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T18:52:54.660",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17759",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-11T01:26:30.273",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "3256",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"adjectives"
],
"title": "restrictions on what 大きな can modify",
"view_count": 199
} | [
{
"body": "No な form can modify an adjective. The な ending creates what's called an\n_adnominal_ , i.e. something that can only modify a nominal (noun). This is a\nspecial kind of adjective -- while normal adjectives can be used to form\npredicates, such as \" _that dog is **red_** \", adnominals can **only** be used\nto modify nouns, and **cannot** be used to form predicates. 大きい is a normal\nJapanese adjective, by this measure -- you can have 大きい犬 \" _a **big** dog_\",\nand you can have 犬が大きい \" _the dog is **big_** \". 大きな is an adnominal, and only\nworks one way -- you can have 大きな犬 \" _a **big** dog_\", but you can't have\n犬が大きな \" _the dog is a **big** _____\", because you **need** a noun after that\nな.\n\nFor adverbs, modifying verbs or adjectives, you'd have to use に instead of な,\nor the -く form of _-i_ adjectives.\n\nYour friend's sample phrase of 大きな面倒くさい could kinda work, if a noun came right\nafter this phrase -- 大きな面倒くさい（何か） \" _a big bothersome (something)_ \".\n(Technically speaking, even that isn't quite right, and should probably be 大き\n**くて** 面倒くさい（何か） instead.) But if she intended for the 大きな to modify the\n面倒くさい, the grammar just doesn't work that way.\n\n**Addendum:** If she was trying to say that something is _a big bother_ , the\ngrammatically correct way to say that is 大{おお}きな面倒{めんどう}. The adjective\n面倒{めんどう}くさい is literally 面倒{めんどう} \" _a bother_ \" + くさい \" _stinky, smelling of\n[something unpleasant]_ \".",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-10T20:51:02.957",
"id": "17761",
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{
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"body": "I've read a post on this topic, but really not sure of the difference when\napplied to something like this:\n\n> 私は朝飯のみ **に** 茶を飲む \n> 私は朝飯のみ **で** 茶を飲む\n\nFrom what I read, I'm guessing one of them is incorrect, as に is used for\nspecific times and で for ranges of time in which an action happened. So I'm\nguessing に is the incorrect one. Could someone confirm me this please?",
"comment_count": 5,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-10T19:12:32.333",
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"tags": [
"word-choice",
"に-and-で"
],
"title": "に/で as time particles. What's the difference?",
"view_count": 638
} | [
{
"body": "You say 「[朝]{あさ}ごはん _に_ 」「[朝食]{ちょうしょく} _に_ 」「[朝飯]{あさめし}に」 for \" _for_\nbreakfast\".\n\n> 私は朝飯のみに茶を飲む\n\n→ I would rather say it this way:\n\n> 私は[朝食]{ちょうしょく}[時]{じ} _に_ のみお茶を飲む。 \n> 私は朝ごはん(or朝食)の[時]{とき}( _に_ )だけお茶を飲む。 \n> 私は朝ごはん(or朝食)の[時]{とき}( _に_ )しかお茶を飲まない。etc. \n> (\"I only drink tea at breakfast\", or in other words, \"The only time I drink\n> tea is (at) breakfast\").\n\nYou use に for [時]{とき} and [時]{じ}, too.\n\nIf you want to use [朝飯]{あさめし} (and probably if you're a guy) I think you'd say\nit like this:\n\n> [俺]{おれ}は[朝飯]{あさめし}の[時]{とき}(に)だけ[茶]{ちゃ}を飲む。 \n> 俺は朝飯の時(に)しか茶を飲まない。\n\n* * *\n\nBy the way, you'd say 私は朝食(or朝ごはん)にお茶 _しか_ 飲ま _ない_ to say \"I have only tea for\nbreakfast\", or \"Tea is the only drink I have at breakfast.\"",
"comment_count": 3,
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"body": "> 朝飯に茶を飲む drink tea _as_ breakfast \n> 朝飯で茶を飲む drink tea _at_ breakfast\n\nIn case my English is weird, the former sounds as if the tea was the main part\nof the breakfast. Only drinking tea, eating nothing else, and calling it 朝飯 is\nnot usual, I think. 朝飯にトーストを食べる sounds good, though.\n\n\"朝飯のみで茶を飲む\" means the speaker drinks tea while having breakfast but not during\nthe rest of the day. If that's what you want to say, it's correct. But it\nstill is a bit awkward and see @Choko's answer for better expressions.\n朝飯【あさめし】 sounds a bit rough or old.\n\ncf.\n\n> 誕生日に指輪を買う buy a ring **on** someone's birthday (gramatically OK but the\n> situation is unlikely) \n> 誕生日プレゼントに指輪を買う buy a ring **as** a birthday present \n> * 誕生日で指輪を買う weird",
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{
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"body": "In a fanfiction i am writing, one of the characters who was born in Japan\ngives her girlfriend a bracelet she had made, as a sign of her nationality\nthere is an engraving in japanese which, when her girlfriend asks the meaning\nshe replies\n\n> \"It's Nanoha loves Feito Forever\"\n\nwhich is actually a reference to when 2 people write their initials in a heart\nlike this\n\n```\n\n ____ ____\n / \\ / \\\n / \\/ \\\n / \\\n \\ N T /\n \\ /\n \\ + /\n \\ /\n \\ F T H /\n \\ /\n \\ /\n \\ /\n \\/\n \n```\n\nN T = Nanoha Takamachi\n\nF T H = Fate Testarossa Harlaown (Nanoha says Feito)\n\nwhen i use google translate to find Loves i get\n[愛](https://translate.google.com/#en/ja/loves), using the Nanoha Wikia for\n[Nanoah's](http://nanoha.wikia.com/wiki/Nanoha) and\n[Fate's](http://nanoha.wikia.com/wiki/Fate) names in japanese i get\n\n> なのは愛 フェイト\n\nsince i'm a stricter for accuracy with these things i am wondering if this\ncorrect? if not what would be the correct way of express what i am trying to\nachieve",
"comment_count": 2,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-11T06:56:42.817",
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"score": 2,
"tags": [
"words"
],
"title": "How to express \"Eternal/Endless Love\" on an engraved bracelet",
"view_count": 1515
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{
"body": "First, every language has peculiar vocabulary when it comes to memorials,\nceremonies, gravestones, etc. Don't believe Google Translate in such a case.\n\nSecond, Japanese people generally don't like engraving Japanese text on things\nlike rings, bracelets, watches, etc. Sharing such items as the symbol of love\nor friendship is a common practice in Japan, but [using English alphabets is\nby far the\ncommonest](https://www.google.co.jp/search?q=%E3%83%96%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9%E3%83%AC%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%20%E5%88%BB%E5%8D%B0):\n\n> NANOHA LOVE FATE \n> NANOHA ♥ FATE \n> FOREVER LOVE / NANOHA & FATE / 2014\n\nI think these may look somewhat weird to native English speakers, but that's\nhow it is. Using kanji makes even less sense when the present is for a\nforeigner.\n\nIf you insist that you need a _Japanese_ expression which is not\nunderstandable by Fate, here are the samples:\n\n> 2人の愛が永遠に続きますように Futari no Ai ga Eien ni Tsuzukimasu yoni. \n> May our love last forever.\n>\n> 愛は永遠に Ai wa Eien ni. \n> Love (lasts) forever.\n>\n> 永遠の愛をここに誓う Eien no Ai wo Koko ni Chikau. \n> We herein pledge eternal love.\n\nThese expressions are frequently seen on Japanese\n[絵馬](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ema_\\(Shinto\\)).\n\nAnything shorter than these, like simply putting \"愛 (love)\", would be very\nstrange to native Japanese people. But as you are writing to English-speaking\naudience, you may not have to be too strict. For example, [kanji\ntattoos](http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/kanji-tattoos) by westerners are\nalways weird to Japanese (even if they're in perfect Japanese), but we just\ncan't stop them.",
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{
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"body": "Earlier, I asked [a\nquestion](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/17760/%E3%81%AB-%E3%81%A7-as-\ntime-particles-whats-the-difference) with the following examples:\n\n> **私** は **朝飯** のみに茶を飲む \n> **私** は **朝飯** のみで茶を飲む\n\nI was told in [a\ncomment](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/17760/%E3%81%AB-%E3%81%A7-as-\ntime-particles-whats-the-difference#comment40809_17760) that 私 and 朝飯 sound\nfunny together. Why is that so?",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-11T16:02:02.723",
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"score": 2,
"tags": [
"word-choice"
],
"title": "Why don't 私 and 朝飯 go together?",
"view_count": 280
} | [
{
"body": "The word 「[朝飯]{あさめし}」, to begin with, is NOT your most generic word for\n\"breakfast\". That word would be 「[朝]{あさ}ご[飯]{はん}」, or more\nformally,「[朝食]{ちょうしょく}」. This means that it would take a certain group of\npeople and/or certain situations for you to hear the word 朝飯 in natural\nsettings among us native speakers.\n\nWho would say 朝飯, then? First and foremost, it is male speakers. Any male\nspeakers? No, it would generally be the \"tough guy\" types. Once in a while,\nhowever, even the non-tough guy would use the word if he were surrounded by\nother guys he knew very well --- call it peer pressure.\n\nHowever, the next question is even more important. How many of those tough\nguys with their own word choices would refer to themselves with the not-so-\ninformal pronoun 「私」 when we have a few other choices that would go better and\nmore naturally with a word like 朝飯? This is why I said it sounded funny. I\njust could not picture a guy using those two words in a short sentence in the\nreal Japanese-speaking world.\n\nI am not sure how you are reading 「私」, but the combination of わたし and 朝飯 would\nalready be very rare and that of わたくし and 朝飯 would be near impossible.",
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] | 17768 | 17770 | 17770 |
{
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"body": "I know people say not to rely too much on music to learn Japanese, but I love\nJapanese music. Usually I try to translate the lyrics into English as I\nlisten, but I keep hearing the phrase どうしようか and I can't really figure out\nwhat it means. Usually 何しようか usually means 'what should (I/we) do,' so I\nthought maybe it means 'how should (I/we) do it' or something along those\nlines. How does どう change the meaning of the sentence?\n\nNote: the sentence doesn't have any comprehensive context, so I only included\nthe singular phrase I was confused with.",
"comment_count": 1,
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"score": 2,
"tags": [
"syntax",
"phrases"
],
"title": "How do 何 and どう change the meaning of these sentences?",
"view_count": 66
} | [] | 17769 | null | null |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17785",
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"body": "Could somebody please give me a hint about the meaning of に in 「反抗的な態度 **に**\n映ったのか、隊長は舌打ちして前を向く。」. If I'm understanding correctly, に here has the same\nmeaning as として.\n\n```\n\n 内容・状態などを示す。「ーとして」の意。「ほうびにもらう」\n \n```\n\nSome sort of translation:\n\n> Maybe he took it (Luis's laugh) as a rebellious attitude, the captain\n> tutted, facing forward again.\n\nWith context:\n\n> 隊長「おい、うるさいぞ。ふざけるな」\n>\n> 助手席からの苛立たしげな声が、俺たちをぴしゃりと打つ。\n>\n> こちら隊長様だ。\n>\n> 瑚太朗「すみません」\n>\n> ルイス「ごめんなさーい」\n>\n> 反抗的な態度に映ったのか、隊長は舌打ちして前を向く。",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-12T08:19:17.207",
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"tags": [
"grammar",
"particle-に"
],
"title": "に - same meaning as として?",
"view_count": 503
} | [
{
"body": "○ \n(～が) 反抗的な態度に見える \n(～が) 反抗的な態度に映る \n(～を) 反抗的な態度として受け止める \n(～が) 反抗的な態度として受け止られる(受け止められる) \n(～を) 反抗的な態度と捉える \n\nx \n反抗的な態度として見える(映る) \n反抗的な態度に受け止める \n\n「に」and「として」have nearly same meaning but 「に」is correct here.",
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] | 17771 | 17785 | 17785 |
{
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"body": "I recently wanted to say \" _The Japanese counting system does not make sense._\n\" However, I could not figure out how to communicate the full meaning of \"does\nnot make sense\". I don't want to say that it is good, bad, difficult, stupid,\nweird, etc. I want to express the closest approximation to the abstract\nmeaning of \" _does not make sense_ \".\n\nI found \" **理{り}にかなう** \" in a dictionary. I've never even heard「理」used all by\nitself. I've only heard it in words such as 「理屈」 and 「理由」. So, I'm not so sure\nthat that phrase is a natural thing to blurt out in a conversation.\n\n * Is 「理にかなう」 actually a natural thing to say in daily conversation? Does it have the meaning I want? \n * The phrase \" _makes sense_ \" can be used in many contexts, and most of the time it can be talked around using Japanese I somewhat know. But, in the specific case of \" _The Japanese counting system does not make sense._ \", how do you capture the nuance?",
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"tags": [
"phrase-requests"
],
"title": "how to say \"does not make sense\"?",
"view_count": 5884
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{
"body": "I think the best advice here is to suggest you consider what you really mean\nand if there is a different way of saying it with the Japanese you have\nlearnt.\n\nAt the moment, based on your question, it sounds like you want to say \"the\nJapanese counting system is not logical\" (which is what we mean by \"making\nsense\"). This is quite easy:\n\n> 日本の数え方は論理的ではない（のです）。 \n> Literally: \"Japan's way of counting is not logical.\" \n> Rephrased: \"The Japanese way of counting is not logical\" \n> => \"The Japanese counting system does not make sense.\"\n\nHowever, this is not a fair statement: As in English, there are several\ncounting systems, they may serve different purposes but, as far as I know,\nthey are based on logic, otherwise they would not be used.\n\nAlso, if you said this, you might not get a good reaction. It comes over in a\nsimilar way to the statement \"The English language does not make sense.\"\n\nWhat do you really want to say and what kind of response are you looking for?:\n\n> ~ does not make sense to me. \n> ~ is confusing. \n> I don't understand ~ \n> ~ unnecessarily complicated. \n> ~ is stupid and does not make sense.\n\nDo you want someone to explain something or just empathise with the challenge\nof learning how to count in Japanese? If you can answer this question clearly\nthen it should be easy to answer your question.\n\n**Note on 理にかなう**\n\nYou identified this as a candidate expression. My プログレシブ〜辞典 tells me that:\n\n> logicalが「論理的思考」を意味するのに対し, reasonableは「理にかなった思考」を意味する.\n\nAs your own comments suggest, I suspect this expression is quite \"堅い\" and\nwould be used when coming to a favourable conclusion in a matter or\nacademic/legal judgement. Unless you have a well thought out thesis to\npresent, this expression may not fit your need but, as I said, you need to be\nclear what you want to say and what response you are seeking.",
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"body": "I think the closest approximation is `訳【わけ】が分からない` (lit. _reason is not\nunderstandable_ ).\n\n> 日本語の数え方は訳が分からない。\n\nThis is an informal expression, and depending on the context, this can be used\nto express your _subjective_ , personal confusion (does not make sense _to me_\n):\n\n> 日本語の数え方は **私にとって** 訳が分からない。\n\n... and to express that something is _objectively_ a mess:\n\n> 日本語の数え方は訳が分からないので、勉強する人は大変だろう。\n\nIndeed the first sentence can be interpreted in both ways, and people may ask\nback to you saying 「自分にとって? それとも一般論として?」\n\n* * *\n\n`理にかなう`, `論理的でない` or something like these basically expresses the _objective_\nlack of logic:\n\n> 私は、日本語の数え方は理にかなっていないと思う。\n\nThis says the Japanese counting system is bad and illogical (to anyone).\n\nAnd `ちんぷんかんぷん` (noun) is sometimes used, focusing on subjective understanding\nof the speaker (It's all _Greek_ to me):\n\n> 日本語の数え方は、私にはちんぷんかんぷんです。",
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] | 17773 | 17780 | 17780 |
{
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"body": "I'm playing a video game in Japanese, and one of the characters said\n\n> 僕にもわかり **そうにない** 。\n\nI understand that (verb stem)そう means \"it seems\" or \"it appears\", but I've\nnever seen (verb stem)そう used with the に particle.\n\nMy guess is that the sentence means something like:\n\n> I don't seem to know either.\n\nAm I translating it correctly? What is the meaning of this construction?",
"comment_count": 7,
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"post_type": "question",
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"tags": [
"grammar",
"translation"
],
"title": "「〜そうにない」 unfamiliar usage of そう",
"view_count": 1590
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{
"body": "Your translation is correct. \n「そう」is for positive sentence, 「そうに」is for negative sentence. \n「そう」/「そうに」also have some meaning of \"in the future\".\n\nI also understand.\n\n> 僕にもわかります \n> 僕にもわかる\n\nI understand... maybe.\n\n> 僕にもわかりそうです \n> 僕にもわかりそう \n>\n\nI don't understand.\n\n> 僕にはわかりません \n> 僕にはわからない\n\nI don't understand, ether.\n\n> 僕にもわかりません \n> 僕にもわからない\n\nIt's hard to understand. Ask someone else. \n「そうもない」is much harder to achieve the goal than 「そうにない」.\n\n> 僕にはわかりそうもありません \n> 僕にはわかりそうもない\n\nI don't understand ether. \nNearly same as 「わからない」 but 「わかりそうにない」is a little bit soft. \n\n> 僕にもわかりそうにない \n>\n\n\"(I'll try but..) it seems too dificult for me to understand\" \n「わからなそうです」is more softer expression \n\n> 僕にもわからなそうです \n>",
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"body": "> 当時を知る者があれを見て、本人とは思わないだろうから **のう**\n\nThe sentence is taken from a visual novel. I am wondering what the ending \"のう\"\nmeans in this context. I've tried searching it but the only thing people were\nasking was \"のいう\" and I am not sure if that is the same thing.",
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"score": 1,
"tags": [
"translation",
"particles",
"syntax"
],
"title": "The のう ending in this sentence",
"view_count": 166
} | [] | 17776 | null | null |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17781",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I saw the phrase よいではないか (yoi de wa nai ka) in a comic strip, and decided to\nlook it up because its literal meaning of \"isn't it good?\" didn't seem to make\nany sense.\n\nMy research indicated that it was related to something a man says while\nunwrapping a woman's waist cloth on her kimono (such as in [this cheaply made\niPhone game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piXCwHUMu7s)), which confused me\neven more because there was nothing remotely suggesting something that would\nmake one say よいではないか.\n\nCan anyone explain the history behind this phrase and its current usage?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T02:29:29.420",
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"tags": [
"meaning"
],
"title": "What does よいではないか mean?",
"view_count": 10911
} | [
{
"body": "While よい (or more modernly いい) can mean \"good\", it is often used in places\nwhere in English we would use \"ok\" or \"all right\". In the case of the phone\ngame the man is trying to undress the woman while pressuring her to go along\nby saying \"isn't it all right?\"\n\nThis comes to mind:\n[いいじゃないの？ダメよー、ダメダメ！](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee_9R77MfpU)",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T03:45:12.893",
"id": "17779",
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"body": "「よいではないか」 literally is \"Isn't it OK\", and usually it means \"That's OK\" or \"No\nproblem\".\n\nIn general, 「よいではないか」 is a pompous expression and used by high-ranked people,\nsuch as kings, mainly in fiction. Usually real people use shorter expressions\nsuch as \"いいでしょ\", \"いいよね\", \"ダメ?\", \"問題ある?\".\n\nSo-called\n「[よいではないか](http://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E3%82%88%E3%81%84%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B)」\nis also a famous recurring joke in Japan, and that's why you got many search\nresults related to this. This is how it goes:\n\n> Woman in kimono: 「○○様、おやめ下さい！」 _Please stop it, sir!_ \n> Man: 「グヘヘ、よいではないか、よいではないか～」 _Hehe, don't worry, it's fine..._ \n> Woman: 「あーーれーー」 _Oh, nooooo!_ (kimono stripped) \n> (Maybe some kind of hero jumps in)\n\nI doubt real people in the Edo period played like this (belts in kimono are\nnot that long!), and apparently almost [no one knows who did this\nfirst](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q13109638923).\nI remember a Japanese comedian\n[志村けん](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Shimura) (Ken Shimura) did this\nfrequently in his comedy show\n[志村けんのバカ殿様](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%E3%83%90%E3%82%AB%E6%AE%BF%E6%A7%98)\nin the 1980's.\n\nIf neither of these explanations still makes sense, please edit the question\nand provide more context.",
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] | 17778 | 17781 | 17781 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17784",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I've been trying to understand those two particles when applied to these\nphrases:\n\n> 1. 私は朝ご飯にお茶を飲みます\n> 2. 私は朝ご飯でお茶を飲みます\n> 3. 私は朝ご飯の時にお茶を飲みます\n>\n\nWhat I more or less understand is:\n\n> 1. the only/main thing I have for breakfast\n> 2. at breakfast time, but not at any other time\n> 3. at breakfast time, but not restricted to that time.\n>\n\nSo, my questions are:\n\n * What general function does に fulfill in sentence 1 (specific time, direction...)? \n * Is, in sentence 1, 朝ご飯 functioning as a time expression? \n * In sentence 2, is 朝ご飯 functioning as a time expression and じ indicating a restrictive period of time?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T11:35:31.443",
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"id": "17783",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"に-and-で"
],
"title": "Still trying to get my head around に and で",
"view_count": 305
} | [
{
"body": "In sentence 1, に is not functioning as a time expression. It's like _for_ or\n_as_. \"I have green tea **for** breakfast.\"\n\nで when used as a time particle can indicate:\n\n 1. the age at which something was done: ２５歳で日本に行きました。 _At the age of 25 I went to Japan._\n\n 2. the end point of a period of time: １時間で宿題を終えた。 _I finished my homework in/after an hour._ \nNeither of these apply in sentence 2 so 朝ごはん is not functioning as a time\nexpression. The で is showing that 朝ごはん is the place/setting where the tea-\ndrinking is taking place.\n\nIn sentence 3, 朝ごはん itself is not a time expression, but together with 時 (とき\nnot じ）you get 朝ごはんの時 'the time of breakfast' or 'breakfast time'.\n\n> Only one doubt I have: what does に indicate in the first sentence?\n\nIn sentence 1 に means _for_ or _as_. It functions like として.",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T15:03:28.157",
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] | 17783 | 17784 | 17784 |
{
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"body": "What are the valid interpretations of the (first) て-form in the following\nsentence?\n\n> **何かを犠牲にして** 、その上で、平和は成り立っている。\n\nI'm having difficulties assigning a definite meaning to this sentence. There\nseems to be a couple of forms the て-form could imply that all make sense in\ncontext (in English at least), which I've listed below. Can any of them be\nexcluded for grammatical reasons?\n\n```\n\n 何かを犠牲にした\n \n (平和が)何かを犠牲にしている\n \n (not平和が)何かを犠牲にしている\n \n 何かを犠牲にする (habitual)\n \n```\n\nThe full context is:\n\n> しかし、平和はただではありません。 **何かを犠牲にして** 、その上で、平和は成り立っている。昔は自分の可愛い子供達でした。",
"comment_count": 7,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T21:29:39.090",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"て-form"
],
"title": "Valid interpretations of the (first) て-form in 何かを犠牲にして、その上で、平和は成り立っている。",
"view_count": 276
} | [
{
"body": "> しかし、平和はただではありません。何かを犠牲にして、その上で、平和は成り立っている。 昔は自分の可愛い子供達でした。\n\nIn parts, \"しかし、平和はただではありません。\"\n\nHowever, peace is not free. (natural English order: \"Peace, however, is not\nfree\")\n\nPart 2: \"何かを犠牲にして\"\n\n\"Something becomes a sacrifice\" or \"something is used as a sacrifice\"\n\nPart 3: \"その上で、平和は成り立っている。\"\n\n\"Through this, peace is made\"\n\nPart 4: \"昔は自分の可愛い子供達でした。\"\n\n\"In the past, this was your own cute children\"",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-13T22:03:20.860",
"id": "17790",
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{
"body": "Its difficult to give a full translation of the sentence with the limited\ncontext you have given (and I was not sure what to make of your other notes)\nbut, regarding the てーform:\n\nIt links phrases. The link is usually to describe one of the following three\nthings:\n\n> (1) \"Cause and effect\"*, eg: お腹が痛くて、歩けない\n>\n> (2) Sequential actions, eg: 図書館へ行って、勉強した\n>\n> (3) A common topic, eg: このレストランは安くて、おいしい\n\nIn this case the te-form is describing \"cause and effect\" (one is the result\nof, or at least, the reason or condition of the other):\n\n> 何かを犠牲にして -> 平和が成り立っている \n> giving something up/making some sacrifice -> peace was concluded.\n\nその上で is similar to 〜た上で〜 which is equivalent to ~てから (~ after). It contributes\nto the literary effect of the writing, emphasising that peace will come only\nafter a sacrifice has been made.\n\nRegarding a translation:\n\nMy rough, somewhat loose, translation of the extract found by Choko is as\nfollows:\n\n>\n> 平和はただではありません。何かを犠牲にして、その上で平和は成り立っているのです。昔はそれが、自分の可愛い子供達でした。幼い兵士が、地獄のような戦場で戦い、死んで、国を守ってくれていたのです\n>\n> Peace does not come at any price. It is established after the required\n> sacrifices have been made. A long time ago those sacrifices were our\n> precious children. Our young soldiers fought and died for us, protecting our\n> country in battlefields that resembled Hell.\n\n*Note: \"Cause and effect\" is used to indicate a reason or causal link between the two actions. \"Sequential actions\" is used to indicate cases where the te-form simply describes the order in which the actions occur. It is more important to focus on the nature of the examples than the English labels.",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T07:04:41.723",
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{
"body": "Logically speaking is cause-effect, but I think it's actually a sequential\naction. At least looking at a literal translation. - You sacrifice something,\nand it's on that (sacrifice) that peace is founded(/arises).",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T21:54:46.493",
"id": "17806",
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] | 17789 | null | 17790 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17797",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "In my notes I have the following example:\n\n> 私は 仕事を 止めない つもり です。 - I expect my work will not stop.\n\nDoes anybody know the rule for using つもり? Is it just verb plain form e.g.\n\n> 今月 家を買う つもりです - This month I expect to buy [the] house\n\nSome guidance would be appreciated. Many thanks!\n\nEDIT: I've found this example which indicates my notes may be wrong (first\nexample)\n\n> これから10年働いて、35くらいまで結婚しないつもりだ。 I'm going to work now for 10 years and I won't\n> get married until I'm 35 or something.\n\nSo have we decided that つもり is to express an intention, rather than an\nexpectation that something will happen? If that is so, then how do we say we\nexpect something to happen? e.g. \"I am expecting to pass the exam\"",
"comment_count": 11,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T08:10:45.530",
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"id": "17794",
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"score": 2,
"tags": [
"usage"
],
"title": "つもり - expectation. How to use?",
"view_count": 758
} | [
{
"body": "I'm a bit uncertain where the question \"is it just verb plain form\" is coming\nfrom here, since つもり functions as a regular noun/nominal grammatically.\n\nIt means something like intention or expectation, where the specifics of the\nintention modify the\n[つもり](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/je2/50468/m0u/%E3%81%A4%E3%82%82%E3%82%8A/)\nby coming before it.",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T09:42:44.787",
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] | 17794 | 17797 | 17797 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17813",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "Just saw this picture:\n\n\n\nNotice the _ニッポン_.\n\nWhy is it written in Kana?!\n\nIsn't that like super bizarre?",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-14T16:04:21.053",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 8,
"tags": [
"kana"
],
"title": "ニッポン? Why Kana?",
"view_count": 1352
} | [
{
"body": "\"日本\" is normally pronounced as ニホン/nihon at the present day. In this case,\nhowever, the flag designer is aiming at having audiences pronounce it as\nニッポン/nippon explicitly.\n\nAt international sport matches including football, Japanese supporter\ntraditionally prefer \"Nippon\" for the cheering call, like \"Nippon Cha-Cha-Cha\"\n(c.f. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fagu9L2AntA>). If you use \"Nihon\" for\nthe cheering call alternatively, it would be not good rhythm.",
"comment_count": 9,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-14T16:37:33.277",
"id": "17800",
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{
"body": "I would say there's no one specific answer here. It's a stylistic choice, made\nby the designer based on the target audience and circumstances and cultural\nnorms and expectations and/or the breaking down of same. The choice between\nkanji, hiragana and katakana is often an arbitrary one, and especially in\nadvertising and design the choice is usually made on the way it will make the\naudience feel and perceive the message.\n\nIn this case, ニッポン just feels a lot more energetic and apropos then 日本. That's\nall, I think. Just try screaming it:\n\n> がんばろう、ニッポン！！\n\nAnything else would feel more like:\n\n> 頑張りましょう、日本の皆さん。\n\nNot quite the same feel... ;)",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T17:13:10.267",
"id": "17801",
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{
"body": "I suppose this banner struck OP as \"super bizarre\" for either of the two\nreasons:\n\n 1. Because you are a diligent Japanese learner who only learned how traditional textbooks say about when to use kanji or kana.\n 2. Because you have a kind of fascination with kanji, as a design element. You regard kanji as cool, and kana as mere, dull, phonetic symbols.\n\nWhichever is the case with you, the fact is that this kind of \"kana-fication\"\nis very common, and \"がんばれ、ニッポン\", is recognized as the standard catchphrase of\ncheering up Japanese national sport teams.\n\nActually, we're talking about two facts here: \"にっぽん is better than にほん (\n_acoustically_ )\", and \"ニッポン is better than 日本 ( _visually_ )\". I think both\nare true and important. \"にっぽん\" is definitely the standard pronunciation here.\n\nHowever it seems to me that OP's main interest is the _visual_ impression of\nthis banner. And unfortunately, the mere fact that にっぽん _sounds_ better,\nacoustically, does not fully explain why this is written in _katakana_.\nUsually modern Japanese uses hiragana, not katakana, to instruct the readings.\nAnd we all know how to read 日本 in situations like this; there is no practical\nneed to instruct how to read this in a banner. If 日本 looked better than ニッポン,\nthey'd absolutely use 日本 because this is intended to be seen by millions of\nJapanese soccer fans who love shouting _Nippon! Nippon! Nippon!_\n\nThat's why I believe this ニッポン is in katakana mainly for visual reasons.\n\nI'm not a native English speaker so forgive me if some adjectives which follow\nare weird. Anyway, to me, \"がんばれ、日本\", as written in kanji, looks a bit uncool.\nIt's dull, uninteresting, too plain. To us Japanese, \"日本\" is simply the plain,\nmatter-of-fact way of expressing \"Japan\", and I can hardly feel the\nattractiveness, which is needed for slogans like this.\n\nWe always see this kind of kana usage in comics, ads or lyrics written in\nJapanese. Using katakana or hiragana for words, which are normally written in\nkanji, has a special visual effect. Just like **ALL UPPERCASE** or\n**all_lowercase** or **lowerCamelCase** gives different impressions in English\ncomics, logos and ads.\n\nIt's hard to generalize the impression of katakana as a design element,\nthough. Simply putting \"this is a equivalent of bold face in English\" is not\nenough. Sometimes it's simply\n[impressive/cool](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B3%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AD%E7%A9%BA%E3%83%A2%E3%83%A8%E3%82%A6),\nsometimes\n[robotic/toneless](http://dic.pixiv.net/a/%EF%BD%B2%EF%BD%B2%EF%BE%8A%EF%BE%85%EF%BD%BC%EF%BE%80%EF%BE%9E%EF%BE%85%EF%BD%B0),\nsometimes\n[exotic/peculiar](https://www.nissin.com/jp/products/brands/currymeshi/),\nsometimes\n[mysterious/magical](http://nippon1.jp/consumer/hotarunonikki/)/horror,\nsometimes nostargic/archaic, sometimes businesslike. You have to be very\nfamiliar with Japanese language to fully understand this.\n\n**TLDR:** In this specific case, I'd say that ニッポン was chosen instead of 日本,\nfor two reasons: a) because ニッポン looks like a foreign word, and thus\nsymbolizes Japanese people performing internationally (cf.\n[サムライ・ブルー](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_national_football_team), not\n侍ブルー), and, b) because they wanted ニッポン to look like something repeated in a\nloud voice, closer to _Ole!_ , _Hurray!_ , etc.",
"comment_count": 3,
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}
] | 17799 | 17813 | 17813 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17808",
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"body": "I saw this message created by a native speaker:「よい夢{ゆめ} **を** 」. \nThat seemed strange to me. I would have expected: 「よい夢 **へ** 」.\n\nMy thinking right now is that:\n\n 1. 「よい夢を」 is a straight contraction of 「よい夢をみてください」。 Such a contraction is typical of how to use Japanese in instant messaging. \n 2. 「よい夢へ」 is something you would say in a conversation. And, it has more of an abstract meaning. A \"good dream\" is perceived as a destination towards which the speaker is hoping you will advance to.\n 3. 「よい夢ありますように」 is sort of the formal version of 「よい夢へ」。I think that the meaning is like \"I hope that you get into the state of having a good dream.\"?\n\nAm I correct on any of points 1, 2, or 3?",
"comment_count": 3,
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"particles",
"set-phrases"
],
"title": "Can you say \"よい夢へ\" instead of \"よい夢を\"?",
"view_count": 5150
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{
"body": "よいXを is an expression you can find in many other cases. Mostly with 年 and 旅 .\nIt should be followed by 祈ります or something on the same line, meaning I\npray/hope that you have a good X. Here most certainly it is よい夢を見て下さい, I mean,\nthis is what the sentence means, but the usage of yoi makes dropping the verb\nmore natural. If you want to use the verb, いい夢を見て下さい is probably more\nfrequently used.\n\nEnding the sentence at the postposition is perfectly fine with a lot a\npostpositions, and it's particularly frequent in written language (a lot of\nadvertisements uses this style).\n\n> I pray you will have よい旅を。よい年を。御運を。 \n> Let's go toward よい明日へ。 (not literally: a good _future_ /a _better_\n> tomorrow) \n> I'll wait/Stay well また会う日まで \n> Stay 元気で(いて)ね。達者でな。 \n> (体を／健康を)お大事に(して)。\n\n \nSometimes it happens in the middle of a sentence.\n\n> お元気で(いて)ね is an example.\n\nThis is a sign I've seen on the net: \n\n> まだ平気と \n> 飛び出す心が事故のもと\n\nmeaning まだ平気(だ)と(思って)飛び出す心が事故のもと(だ)\n\n \nActually you can drop postpositions too:\n\n> 守ろうルールとマナー(を) \n> _(The inversion of topic/subject/object with a verb is another interesting\n> phenomenon.)_ \n> 子供の飛び出し(に注意して)\n\nHowever you can't do anything like this if it's not obvious for you and the\nlistener what's the verb the should follow: it MUST be clear from context. So\nif you say よい夢へ it's not clear what you mean, you can't just end it with へ\nbecause is convenient, it needs to make sense in the context.\n\n_If you find the answer unsatisfactory please post a comment instead of just\ndownvoting._",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-14T22:04:34.290",
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{
"body": "* 「よい夢を」 is the normal* way of saying \"Sweet dreams\" not just in emails or instant messages but also in conversations or letters. As Kokoroatari says, 「よい年を」is also common, and is the normal way of wishing someone a happy new year. While it's true that it's a contraction (probably of 「よい夢をみてください」), the short version is more natural. In English, instead of saying \"good night, sweet dreams\" you could say \"I wish you a good night, and I hope that you have sweet dreams\" but it would sound overly formal.\n\n * 「～ますように」 is a pattern which indicates a prayer to a god or heavenly power (whether Shinto, Buddhist, Christian or something else). The ます form in the middle of the sentence is presumably because when you're talking to a god, you need to be extra polite. It's the form that you normally use to write _tanzaku_ for _tanabata_. 「よい夢をみますように」 would be the way to say \"I pray that you have good dreams\" but it seems like overkill to resort to prayer, unless you're talking to someone who's troubled by recurring nightmares.\n\n * 「～へ」 can be used in phrases such as 「未来へ！」 which I take as meaning something like 「未来へすすめ！」 \"Onwards, to the future!\" However, it sounds strange to say \"Onwards, to sweet dreams!\" so I don't think it can be used with 「よい夢」, at least not in this sense. In the right context, 「～へ！」 might also be used as a way of making a toast (a short version of 「～へ乾杯！」), and so maybe the phrase you mention, 「平和へ」, was being used in this way. But in that case, the meaning would be closer to a celebration of peace, not a hope for more peace, so again, 「よい夢」 wouldn't fit.\n\n*Edit: In this answer, I make it sound as if everyone uses 「よい夢を」 all the time, but 非解答者 makes the point that the cultural habit of saying something meaning \"sweet dreams\" is non-existent in Japanese. I (belatedly) endorse this. In fact, anyone who says 「よい夢を」 is probably thinking of the English phrase \"sweet dreams\" and trying to provide a Japanese equivalent. However, if you want to say \"sweet dreams\" in Japanese, I think that 「よい夢を」 is the best fit.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-14T23:07:16.070",
"id": "17808",
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{
"body": "Suggestion (1) sounds correct:\n\n夢 is typically used with the verb 見る and the particles を or に：\n\n> 母のことを夢に見た | I saw my mother in a dream \n> 父に会った夢を見た | I dreamt that I met my father\n\nSo, as you suggest in (1), the verb in よい夢を is probably 見る.\n\nThe よい＿を construction is used with other words. よい週末を comes to mind. In that\ncase the verb would be something like 過ごす, which also takes the particle を：\n\n> よい週末を過ごしください。| Have a good weekend.\n\nI not sure what verb you have in mind for よい夢へ to be used in an expression\nwishing sweet dreams - your (2) and (3) do not sound right. In Japanese dreams\nare \"seen\" or \"described\" or \"had\" in the sense of 持つ rather than in the sense\nof ある/exist. However, 夢 does seem to get used with へ in expressions like 夢への道\nwhich would mean \"the road to your dreams\". In this case I think the full\nexpression would be 「夢へ歩む道」.\n\nBTW: If I google よい夢へ then I get one result: 「よい夢へのイメージに繋がる４つのポイント」(last line\nin 1st section of <http://serendipity-japan.com/meaningofadream-489.html>).\nBut again, this is still not the use you had in mind of wishing someone\n\"sweet\" dreams. I take it to mean the \"four key points related to the image of\nyour [\"sweet\"] dream\" and expect the full expression to be something like:\n良い夢[に対して]の [ イメージに繋がる４つのポイント ]but somebody must be able to improve on this.",
"comment_count": 4,
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}
] | 17802 | 17808 | 17808 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17811",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm aware that the so-called 'f' in ふ isn't pronounced with the English\nlabiodental fricative [f], but rather the bilabial fricative [ɸ]. I'd like to\nknow if Japanese speakers also use the bilabial fricative to pronounce は, ひ, へ\nand ほ. The reason I ask is because in romaji, I see these written as 'ha',\n'hi', 'fu', 'he', 'ho', and wondered if ふ was a special exception in terms of\nhow it is pronounced.",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-14T21:46:48.460",
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"id": "17805",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-14T21:48:24.447",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "4242",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"pronunciation",
"kana",
"phonetics"
],
"title": "Is the 'h' in Japanese pronounced the same as the 'f'?",
"view_count": 3838
} | [
{
"body": "It is most definitely an exception. The actual phonetic realisation of that\nseries goes like this:\n\nは [ha]\n\nひ [çi]\n\nふ [ɸɯ~hɯ]\n\nへ [he]\n\nほ [ho]\n\nIn Middle Japanese they all were pronounced with [ɸ], which you can see in\nEuropean transcriptions of names from the 1500s and 1600s - the Portuguese\nwrote e.g. `<Faxecura>` for a name that in Modern Japanese would be\ntranscribed `<Hasekura>`. In Old Japanese and earlier this sound was [p], and\nit still is [p] in most of the Ryuukyuus, e.g. in Miyako /pztu/ 'person'\n(cognate with Modern Japanese /hito/).\n\nThe ɸ>h sound change hasn't quite finished for many speakers, and so /h/ for\nthem remains [ɸ] before /ɯ/. This probably has to do with the particular\ndetails of how Japanese /ɯ/ is articulated - it's ultimately neither rounded\nnor unrounded, but 'compressed': unlike a canonical [ɯ] your lips are pulled\ntogether, but they're not pushed out like with [u]. (I'm writing the Japanese\nversion as <ɯ> anyway because there's no good transcription of the\n'compressed' version.) [ɸ] is retained because your lips are doing mostly the\nsame thing that they're doing with the 'compressed' [ɯ].\n\nFor other speakers, the ɸ>h sound change is complete, and ふ is [hɯ].",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T09:51:33.050",
"id": "17811",
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"score": 5
}
] | 17805 | 17811 | 17811 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17812",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I was doing my daily dose of reading and I came by this particular sentence,\nwhich I had a little bit of trouble finding the meaning for.\n\n「このあたりからまた意識が虚ろになってしまいました」\n\nThe context is a patient who had brain surgery and is struggling to get his\nthoughts together. I roughly translate it to \"Once again my consciousness has\nfaded from these effects\".\n\nThe 虚ろに has been the main problem I have with this particular sentence. I know\nthe 虚ろ is a way to address something hollow, or give a sense of emptiness\nthats different from 空; but I'd like some confirmation on the usage of that\n虚ろに in this sentence. Also, the「あたり」is written in hiragana, so I'm not 100%\nsure on it meaning \"effects\".\n\nOnce again, thanks for anyone taking their time to answer this question!",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T09:31:17.953",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17810",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-15T10:52:48.557",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "4912",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 0,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"usage"
],
"title": "Meaning of 虚ろに in this particular case",
"view_count": 238
} | [
{
"body": "First, it looks like you are somehow seeing a word that is simply not there --\n「[当]{あ}たり」 --, which is preventing you from understanding this sentence even\nwithout the word 「[虚]{うつ}ろ」.\n\nThe word that you should be seeing instead is 「[辺]{あた}り」. 「このあたり」 means\n\"around here/there\". Unlike 当たり、辺り is very often written in kana.\n\n(For the pronunciation-conscious students, 「[辺]{あた}り」 and 「[当]{あ}たり」 are\npronounced very differently from each other. The pitch accent is on the あ in\n辺り and it is on the たり in 当たり.)\n\n> 「このあたりからまた[意識]{いしき}が[虚]{うつ}ろになってしまいました。」\n\n「意識が虚ろになる」 means \"to become not fully conscious\"\n\n> \"From around this point (in time), I became not fully conscious again.\"",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T10:40:21.397",
"id": "17812",
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"parent_id": "17810",
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"score": 4
}
] | 17810 | 17812 | 17812 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17832",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Where do you place the counter in Japanese when you want to specify how many\nof something there are, especially if you're listing multiple things?\n\nI believe the counter usually goes after the particle associated with the\nnoun:\n\n> I bought 3 pencils => 私は鉛筆{えんぴつ}を三本{さんぼん}買{か}いました。\n\nBut what do you do when there are multiple things you want to count? Are these\nsentences correct?\n\n> I bought two books and three pencils. =>\n> 私は本{ほん}を二冊{にさつ}と鉛筆{えんぴつ}を三本{さんぼん}買{か}いました。 ?\n>\n> Two books and three pencils are on the desk. =>\n> 本{ほん}が二冊{にさつ}と鉛筆{えんぴつ}が三本{さんぼん}机{つくえ}の上{うえ}にあります。\n\nCan you use the の particle to mean the same thing? Would it change the meaning\nor nuance?\n\n> 私は二冊{にさつ}の本{ほん}と三本{さんぼん}の鉛筆{えんぴつ}を買{か}いました。 ?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T14:34:32.470",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17816",
"last_activity_date": "2019-11-27T06:47:55.103",
"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "5306",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 14,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"counters",
"quantifiers"
],
"title": "How to list numbers of things",
"view_count": 4356
} | [
{
"body": "In basically all informal daily conversations, the most natural way to express\nthe numbers and items is:\n\n> Name of item + (particle) + number + counter + verb phrase\n\nNatural: 「ビッグマック + を + **ふたつ** + [食]{た}べた。」 = \"I ate two Big Macs.\"\n\nNatural: 「みそラーメン +を + **よっつ** + [下]{くだ}さい。」 = \"(Give us) four miso-ramens,\nplease!\"\n\nNot very natural though grammatical: 「 **ふたつの** ビッグマックを食べた。」 & 「 **よっつの**\nみそラーメンを下さい。」\n\n**What this means is that in Japanese, \"number + counter\" is most often used\nadverbially, modifying the verb that follows.**\n\nThe not-so-natural versions will be understood by virtually all native\nspeakers, but you will definitely sound foreign if you say those, **_using the\nquantity adjectivally as in English_**.\n\nWhen you have to express an action involving a list of mutiple things, simply\nplace them one by one.\n\n> 「ビール（を）2本（と）、ラーメン（を）よっつ（と）、ギョウザ（を）みっつ下さい。」\n\n= \"Can we have 2 bottles of beer, 4 orders of ramen and 3 orders of pot\nstickers, please?\"\n\nIn informal conversation at eateries, these particles in parentheses above are\noften omitted.\n\nFinally, even though using the \"number + counter + の + item name\" is unnatural\nin everyday conversations as I stated above, it is used in literature, legal\npapers, business communication, etc. when the number needs to be emphasized\nfor a reason.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T04:26:36.857",
"id": "17832",
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"last_edit_date": "2019-11-27T06:47:55.103",
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"parent_id": "17816",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 15
}
] | 17816 | 17832 | 17832 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17823",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I have stumbled upon instances where \"は + verb\" is used in situations where I\nthought \"を + verb\" should be used. For example, recently I've seen\n\n> その覚悟はしてました \n> I was prepared for that\n>\n> 楽な道は選ぶな \n> don't choose an easy road\n\nIs there a difference? And if there is, what's the \"rule\" when to use は\ninstead of を?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T15:38:49.593",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17817",
"last_activity_date": "2016-02-11T09:53:40.973",
"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "6809",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 5,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"verbs",
"particle-は",
"particle-を"
],
"title": "\"は + verb\" instead of \"を + verb\"?",
"view_count": 908
} | [
{
"body": "は is normally used a subject marker, but its also used for emphasis by\nslightly subverting its standard usage. When used this way, it's usually to\nshow contrast the object with some other object. In your example sentence\n(その覚悟はしてました), the speaker indicates that they're prepared for the eventuality\nthat their conversation partner just mentioned, but maybe not some others. \n「無線機をなくしたら、どうしますか？」 \n「その覚悟はしてます。シグナル鏡を持っていくつもりです。」 \n「シグナル鏡をなくしたら？」 \n「そのときは、仕方がありません。」",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T18:59:59.300",
"id": "17823",
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"owner_user_id": "4176",
"parent_id": "17817",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
}
] | 17817 | 17823 | 17823 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17819",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I am reading Genki II. And I found a report sentence (a sentence that states\nwhat somebody else said) that ended with と言ってた:\n\n> チョコレートを食べすぎた **って言ってた** 。 \n> He said he ate too much chocolate.\n\nI've got two questions:\n\n 1. Why is 食べる in its stem form (食べ)? \n 2. And, why are we using 言ってた instead of 言っていました?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T17:34:20.453",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17818",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-15T21:08:44.547",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-15T17:39:45.060",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6812",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"て-form"
],
"title": "How do you use と言ってた?",
"view_count": 3724
} | [
{
"body": "1. The verb is in its \"stem form\" because that's the form 〜すぎる attaches to. This is what Martin refers to as the **excessive** in his _Reference Grammar of Japanese_ (p.434):\n\n> You can attach すぎる to the infinitive [stem form] of most (probably all)\n> verbals, to produce a new verbal, the EXCESSIVE form with the meaning\n> 'overly' or 'all too (much, many, often)'.\n\nIn Japanese, what you call the \"stem form\" of a verb is usually referred to as\nthe 連用形{れんようけい}, and if you look up 〜すぎる in a Japanese dictionary you'll see\nthat it attaches to the 連用形 of verbs. From 明鏡国語辞典:\n\n> ≪ **動詞の連用形** 、形容詞・形容動詞の語幹など **に付いて複合語を作る** ≫ \n> 物事がある程度をこえる。度をこえる。\n``` > 「働き―・喜び―・みじか―・多―・静か―・危険―」\n\n> 「自信がなさ―」\n> 「あまりにも情けなさ―」\n> 「ぎごちな(さ)―」\n> 「人の意見を聴かな―」\n```\n\n>\n> 〔語法〕「…ない」に続くときは、語によって「なさすぎる」「なすぎる」の形になる。「情けない→情けなさすぎる」「つまらない→つまらなすぎる」\n\nThis doesn't have anything to do with って言ってた, though. It just happens to be\npart of the quote in this case.\n\n 2. 言ってた is an informal contraction of 言っていた, which is the plain form corresponding to the polite 言っていました. It's a more colloquial way of saying the same thing.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T17:54:50.560",
"id": "17819",
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"parent_id": "17818",
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"score": 4
}
] | 17818 | 17819 | 17819 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17822",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "An example would be: \"watashi wa cake o(お) tabetai\". What does the お do? I\ntried on google translate and it seems it gives pertenence to that thing..like\nit belongs either to you or me..but I still need actual clarification.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T17:59:48.543",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17820",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-21T14:37:35.737",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-21T14:37:35.737",
"last_editor_user_id": "6840",
"owner_user_id": "6775",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"particles",
"particle-を"
],
"title": "What does adding お at the end of a word change?",
"view_count": 639
} | [
{
"body": "There are three particles in Japanese which are typically spelled differently\nthan they're pronounced:\n\n 1. は (pronounced _wa_ rather than _ha_ )\n 2. を (pronounced _o_ rather than _wo_ )\n 3. へ (pronounced _e_ rather than _he_ )\n\nAlthough you're hearing it correctly, in this case it is actually the particle\nを, marking a direct object:\n\n> （わたしは） **ケーキを** たべたい\n\nThis particle comes directly after the word or phrase it marks, like particles\nusually do in Japanese.\n\n* * *\n\nWe have direct objects in English, too. But in English, we don't have a\nparticle like を. Instead, we mark direct objects with word order:\n\n> **I** want to eat **the cake**.\n\nHere, we can tell **_I_** is the subject, and **_the cake_** is the direct\nobject. Why? Because of their location. If we switch them, the meaning changes\ncompletely:\n\n> **The cake** wants to eat **me**.\n\nJapanese word order is much more free than in English, because the Japanese\nlanguage has little words like を and doesn't have to rely on word order all\nthe time.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-15T18:57:38.883",
"id": "17822",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-15T18:57:38.883",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"parent_id": "17820",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 7
}
] | 17820 | 17822 | 17822 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "There are a lot of Japanese words that use the morpheme よ, written 予, to mean\n\"in advance\". This clearly looks like a loan from Chinese, but I do not know\nof any examples of Chinese words or texts that use 予 in such a way.\n\nAre there any examples of the usage of 予 to mean \"in advance\" in Chinese? If\nthere are, it must have been a rather rare usage. What would explain the large\nnumber of Japanese words that use it in this way?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-15T23:08:43.937",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17824",
"last_activity_date": "2017-12-14T22:01:55.797",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "3221",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"chinese"
],
"title": "Does the use of 予 such as in 猶予 to mean \"in advance\" have any precedent in Chinese?",
"view_count": 185
} | [
{
"body": "予 in Japanese is also a simplified version of 豫. 猶予 corresponds to Mandarin\n犹豫.\n\n<http://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BA%88>",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T01:29:56.290",
"id": "17825",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T01:29:56.290",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "1073",
"parent_id": "17824",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 4
},
{
"body": "In modern traditional Chinese, you can use \"預約( **appointment** in advance)\"\nand \"予約\" as compatible writing. 予 is much easier than 預 in writing form.\nTherefore, \"予\" is the simplification written form of \"in advance\" and you have\nto combine two kanji to present more meaning. [Ref: wiktionary 予約\n](https://ja.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E4%BA%88%E7%B4%84)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2017-12-14T21:32:06.250",
"id": "55181",
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"last_edit_date": "2017-12-14T22:01:55.797",
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"parent_id": "17824",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
}
] | 17824 | null | 17825 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17828",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "If I were to tell my Japanese friend that I plan to become a teacher, would I\nliterally say that I will become a sensei? I have always thought of this as an\nhonorific title, and it feels odd to call myself as such. I don't know of any\n\"general\" term for teacher. Is there one?\n\nThank you.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T01:41:48.170",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17826",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T02:55:47.250",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "6814",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"usage"
],
"title": "Is \"先生 / せんせい / sensei\" haughty or overly-formal",
"view_count": 1296
} | [
{
"body": "If you mean a classroom teacher as an occupation, I think the general term is\n教師{きょうし}.\n\n先生{せんせい} is rather used as a suffix after names or to address/talk about a\nparticular person in honorific terms.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T01:51:29.627",
"id": "17827",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T02:55:47.250",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-16T02:55:47.250",
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"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "In general, you're correct. Calling yourself as _sensei_ has to be avoided,\nbecause it's an honorific word. The better word is 教師【きょうし】.\n\nHowever there is an exception. If you are to become Sensei of elementary\nschools or kindergartens, I think it is OK to say \"小学校の先生になりたい\", at least\ninformally. Kids do not understand honorific expressions, and teachers in\nthose facilities frequently use 先生 as the first-person.\n\n\"高校/大学の先生になりたい\" would be frowned upon in a formal setting.\n\n**EDIT:** Actually my answer didn't mention how \"高校/大学の先生になりたい\" sounds like in\n_informal_ situations, but in that case I totally agree with @dainichi.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T01:52:29.430",
"id": "17828",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T02:38:07.817",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-16T02:38:07.817",
"last_editor_user_id": "5010",
"owner_user_id": "5010",
"parent_id": "17826",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "In informal situations (like yours, talking to a friend), I see nothing wrong\nwith \"先生になりたい\" for all kinds of teacher.\n\nIt is quite common for honorific words to shift towards use as general nouns\nin informal situations. For example, in informal settings, many will use お母さん\n(honorable mother) to refer to their own mother.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T02:23:46.063",
"id": "17829",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T02:23:46.063",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "1073",
"parent_id": "17826",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
}
] | 17826 | 17828 | 17828 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17835",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I want to say \"it was a rough year\", but I'm not sure how to put it.\n\nI thought of \"難しい年頃\" which I understand means \"difficult age\", normally used\nto describe the rebel age of kids.\n\nHow do people normally put it? 難しい年? Can we use 大変な年？",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T08:23:02.247",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17834",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T19:42:24.257",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-16T12:50:21.827",
"last_editor_user_id": "1628",
"owner_user_id": "3379",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"time"
],
"title": "How to say \"rough year\" or \"rough time\"?",
"view_count": 2634
} | [
{
"body": "The main point for saying \"rough [time]\" is that you should express [time] as\na proper time period.\n\n> (one) day 一日【いちにち】 \n> (one) month [一ヶ月]{いっかげつ} \n> (one) year 一年【いちねん】\n\n(Cf., 良い一日を \"Have a nice day\".)\n\n大変な一日だった／でした is I think common for \"I had a rough day\". 大変な一年 works similarly.\n\n難しい一年 works as well, although it's more like \"difficult year\" than \"rough\nyear\". That is, 難しい一年 sounds a bit more collected, as though you were in\ncontrol (at least emotionally), in spite of hardships.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T12:48:35.537",
"id": "17835",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T12:48:35.537",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "1628",
"parent_id": "17834",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
},
{
"body": "Earthliŋ has already provided a great answer, so instead of repeating what\nthey've got, I figure I'll just fill out the information as it relates to the\nphrases presented in the question -- ways of saying it without 一【いち】,\nbasically, and how natural they may or may not be.\n\nI did a few Google searches for various phrases (putting \"quotes\" around the\nterms to get exact results) and this is what I came up with. Google results\naren't _everything_ , naturally, but I believe that they provide a great\ngeneral reference point.\n\n * 大変【たいへん】な年【とし】 \n * 6,000,000+ results. Super common. Looks safe to use while sounding natural.\n * 「[2011年]{にせんじゅういちねん}は、私【わたし】たち福島県【ふくしまけん】 民【みん】にとって大変な年となりました。」 (\"2011 was a rough year for those of us in Fukushima.\")\n * 「大変な年になりそうですか！」 (\"Looks like it'll be a bad year [for him], doesn't it?\")\n * 辛【つら】い年 \n * ~30,000 results. Much, much less common. Not unheard of, though. Maybe use with caution? I'd find a few more example sentences and familiarize myself with it before trying to use it, I think.\n * 「去年【きょねん】は辛い年だった」 (\"Last year was difficult.\")\n * 「競合【きょうごう】のタブレット端末【たんまつ】にとっては辛い年になる」 (\"It's gonna be a challenging year for competing tablet computers [due to the fact that the iPad is doing so well].\")\n * **EDIT per @naruto:** With no context, this can imply a sudden, unfortunate event. Death, loss of job, etc. Again, I'd find more examples of the word being used and familiarize myself with it and its contexts further before adding it to my active vocabulary.\n * 難【むずか】しい年 \n * ~40,000 results. Technically more than for the above, but I put it lower because it appears that most of the results actually aren't relevant. It seems that 「難しい年」 is not usually used for this purpose.\n\nTo emphasize Earthliŋ's point, 「大変な一年」 gets 12.8 million results in Google,\n_more than twice the results that 「大変な年」 gets_. Applies also to 「難しい一年」. But\nyeah, **your safest bet would be with 大変** , I would say.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T14:27:53.380",
"id": "17836",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T15:11:59.310",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-16T15:11:59.310",
"last_editor_user_id": "4923",
"owner_user_id": "4923",
"parent_id": "17834",
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"score": 7
},
{
"body": "In addition to the two existing answers, you could also say `しんどい一年` or\n`きつい一年`.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T19:42:24.257",
"id": "17840",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-16T19:42:24.257",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "78",
"parent_id": "17834",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 4
}
] | 17834 | 17835 | 17836 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I'd like to know if there is any difference between 電話する and 電話をする, if they\nmean the same, or if 電話をする doesn't even exist.\n\nI ask this because in an exercise in my book it says to use をする with 電話 to\nform the verb, but on the online dictionary I usually check it says it's 電話する,\nwithout を.\n\nDictionary link: <http://tangorin.com/general/%E9%9B%BB%E8%A9%B1>",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-16T15:33:52.960",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17837",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-18T05:11:12.113",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "5423",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 5,
"tags": [
"word-choice"
],
"title": "電話する or 電話をする to form the verb",
"view_count": 494
} | [
{
"body": "been in japan for almost 5 years already and have passed n5 and n4, from my\nconversations and from what i have heard, 電話する is used and the only time i\nhave heard of 電話をする is in the classroom. having said this, it is important to\nknow the usage of を and how it is used/not used in the real world.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T04:43:56.350",
"id": "17846",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T04:43:56.350",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "4899",
"parent_id": "17837",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": -2
},
{
"body": "> I ask this because in an exercise in my book it says to use をする with 電話 to\n> form the verb, but on the online dictionary I usually check it says it's\n> 電話する, without を.\n\nSimilar to [fefe's answer on a closely related\nquestion](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/4007/29), 電話をする is really a\nphrase, not a \"word\", so it probably wouldn't show up in a dictionary as a\nunit.\n\nIn this case, it might be fair to say that the meanings are the same. In some\nways it can be compared to \"I'll give X a call\" vs \"I'll call X\". There are\ncorner cases where the former could sound \"odd\", but for all practical\npurposes they mean the same thing.\n\nOne technical note: を shouldn't be used with 電話をする to indicate the topic of\nthe phone call, whereas it can be used with 電話する... following a more general\nrule about not having more than one を in a clause.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T08:53:01.837",
"id": "17847",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T09:12:36.507",
"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.260",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "29",
"parent_id": "17837",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
}
] | 17837 | null | 17847 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17845",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "そろそろ and もうすぐ can both be translated as 'soon', but I feel they have different\nuses and connotations.\n\nMy take on it is that そろそろ is slightly more formal and has more of a meaning\nof 'It's about time (we)...' as in this example:\n\n> そろそろ出ましょうか？ Shall we get going? / Isn't it about time we go?\n\nWhereas もうすぐ sounds more urgent, and has more of a meaning of 'almost' or\n'just about to', like in the following example:\n\n> もうすぐ夏休みだ。 Summer vacation is just around the corner.\n\nCan these be used interchangeably? Can I say the following sentence:\n\n> そろそろ夏休みだ。\n\nTo me it sounds a bit stiff and formal.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T00:00:40.707",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17842",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T05:58:03.067",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6604",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 7,
"tags": [
"words",
"usage"
],
"title": "What difference is there between そろそろ and もうすぐ? (if any)",
"view_count": 3145
} | [
{
"body": "I see little difference in the level of formality. もうすぐ may be, relatively, a\nbit more casual or colloquial than そろそろ, but, I can't say that そろそろ is a\nformal or stiff word in general.\n\nOnly そろそろ has the meaning of \"expected time\", \"high time\", \"it's about time\".\nYou can just say 「そろそろ…。」 when you want to leave now, to interrupt a boring\ndiscussion, or to change a situation in general. You cannot say 「もうすぐ…。」 in\nsuch cases.\n\nAnd in your example:\n\n> もうすぐ夏休みだ。 \n> そろそろ夏休みだ。\n\nBoth of these are okay, and the difference is small. But if you're innocently\ncelebrating the upcoming, happy vacation, I think the former fits better. To\nme, the latter might sound a bit less exciting, or might sound like some kind\nof action is expected.\n\n> もうすぐ夏休みだ！ いっぱい遊ぶぞ！ \n> もうすぐクリスマスだから、サンタさんに手紙を書いたよ！ \n> もうすぐお正月！ (in an ad for a travel package, etc.)\n>\n> そろそろ夏休みだ。旅行の準備をしないと。 \n> そろそろ夏休みが終わっちゃう。宿題が残ってるのに…。 \n> そろそろクリスマスだけど、どう過ごすのか予定決まった？ \n> そろそろお正月！ (in an ad for year-end\n> [oosoji](http://gojapan.about.com/cs/japaneseholidays/a/newyeareve.htm)\n> goods, etc.)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T03:55:58.827",
"id": "17845",
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"score": 5
}
] | 17842 | 17845 | 17845 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "can someone please explain となる ? I read it everywhere but still don't know\nwhat it exactly means.\n\nHere's just an example sentence:\n\n> この世界が心つなぐ鍵となる",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T14:38:17.117",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17848",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T16:02:38.120",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6773",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 0,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "となる - Grammatical explanation please",
"view_count": 386
} | [
{
"body": "I'm not fluent with Japanese and can't read Kanji, but I think となる means \"to\nbecome\" or \"to change\" into a final state.\n\nThis site might help give you a better explanation - [It focuses on the\ndifferences of になる and となる, but also gives it's meaning.\n](http://www.sljfaq.org/afaq/to-naru-ni-naru.html)\n\nこの世界が心つなぐ鍵となる - I'm sorry I can't translate this but in Romaji it would look\nlike this > kono sekai kokoro tsunagu kagi tonaru. Translated literally it\nmight look like this > (kono)This (sekai)world (kokoro)heart (tsunagu)to tie,\nfasten or connect (kagi)key (tonaru)to change into final state.\n\nSo possibly > This world's heart is tied (or bound) to change?\n\nSorry can't read Japanese _yet_ so hopefully this helps.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T16:02:38.120",
"id": "17852",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T16:02:38.120",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "6821",
"parent_id": "17848",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 0
}
] | 17848 | null | 17852 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17864",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I know \"koto\" means thing, but I've seen it used like this in my Self-Study\nJapanese book:\n\n_Nihon no koto ga yoku wakarimasu ka._\n\nand\n\n_Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita._\n\nDoes this mean **Japan's thing** or **Team's thing?** I don't understand. Also\nI can't use Kanji, just Hiragana.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T15:36:57.303",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17849",
"last_activity_date": "2016-12-31T06:02:29.710",
"last_edit_date": "2016-12-31T04:00:34.750",
"last_editor_user_id": "9831",
"owner_user_id": "6821",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 9,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"words",
"meaning"
],
"title": "What is \"koto\" used for?",
"view_count": 11283
} | [
{
"body": "こと is an abstract thing. In English when you say something like \"I don't know\nmuch about XX.\" or \"I know a bit about XX.\" The **about XX** part is\n**XXのこと**.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T16:38:41.497",
"id": "17853",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-17T16:38:41.497",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6797",
"parent_id": "17849",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
},
{
"body": "There is 「こと」 that actually means \"thing(s)\" and there is 「こと」 that does not\nmean \"thing(s)\".\n\n> 「ふたつのことをかんがえています。」 means \"I am thinking of two things.\"\n\nThe こと clearely means \"thing\". In the following sentence, however, こと does not\nreally mean that.\n\n> 「すみこさんのことがすきです。」 = \"I like/love Sumiko.\"\n\nOne could possibly translate it as \"I like the things about Sumiko.\" but that\nwould not be natural English, would it? We just often prefer to speak more\nindirectly than to say something like 「すみこがすきだ。」 all the time.\n\nIn neither of your two sentences, does 「こと」 really mean \"thing(s)\".\n\n> 1. 「にほんのことがよくわかりますか。」\n>\n> 2. 「チームのことをかんがえていました。」\n>\n>\n\nSentence #1, unfortunately, is a mysterious sentence to us Japanese-speakers.\nI could only guess what it would mean in the world of Japanese-as-a-foreign-\nlanguage. They probably want it to mean \"Do you know a lot about Japan?\" while\nit could only mean \"Does it tell you a lot about Japan? (referring to a book\nor something)\" to Japanese-speakers.\n\nSentence #2 makes perfect sense and it means \"I was thinking about the/our\nteam.\"\n\nIn either case, I did not use the word \"thing(s)\" in my translations. I could\nhave used it but that would have only made my translations look wordy. e.g. \"I\nwas thinking about things regarding our team.\"\n\nYou will keep encountering the structure \"Noun + の + こと\" for as long as you\nstudy Japanese, and it will just mean \"regarding (Noun)\" most of the time.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T05:47:10.807",
"id": "17864",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-18T05:47:10.807",
"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": null,
"parent_id": "17849",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 13
},
{
"body": "The Japanese \"こと（事）\" means not only concrete thing(s) but also abstract\nthing(s) or matter.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2016-12-31T06:02:29.710",
"id": "42153",
"last_activity_date": "2016-12-31T06:02:29.710",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": "19219",
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"post_type": "answer",
"score": 0
}
] | 17849 | 17864 | 17864 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17854",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm going through some basic grammar and this one website teaches the\n\"extended\" use of the word する. There is a confusing example which looks like:\n\n> 波の音 **がする**\n\nThe translation is: \"(I) hear the sound of waves\". The way I learned it prior\nto this site is:\n\n> 波の音 **を聞く**\n\nWhat is the difference between these two?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T15:50:39.503",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17850",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-19T21:24:11.203",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-19T21:24:11.203",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "5131",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 7,
"tags": [
"translation",
"nuances",
"verbs",
"syntax"
],
"title": "「〜がする」 the extended use of する (to do)",
"view_count": 578
} | [
{
"body": "Xがする is a phrasal verb and is most often used in phrases such as 音がする and\n匂い{におい}がする and even 気がする. It is used with words that are about perceiving or\nsensing something. ([More phrasal verbs\nhere.](http://amaterasu.tindabox.net/guide/AGT.php#phrasal))\n\nYet it does not really require the actual sensing part from the part of the\nspeaker, but instead is a pretty objective way of saying that 'there is a\nsmell' or '[something] is making a sound'. The focus is less on the sensing\nbut rather just the existence of the sensory input.\n\n波の音を聞く sounds odd to me. It means something like _[I] listen to the sound of\nwaves._ It should be 波の音が聞こえる _I hear the sound of waves._ With the 聞く verb,\nit would work as a request such as 波の音を聞いてみて _Try listening to the sound of\nwaves_",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T17:20:02.097",
"id": "17854",
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}
] | 17850 | 17854 | 17854 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17898",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "As I understand it, それでいい means 'it is fine like this' and それがいい means 'this\nis fine', but what is the protagonist trying to convey here by first using\nそれでいい and then correcting himself to それがいい?\n\nBackground: This is the main character's internal dialogue. A girl (who\nappears to be his 憧れ{あこがれ}の人 from the same school) steps onto the bus he is\non, and sparks this monologue, part of it reproduced below:\n\n> もしかしたら違う{ちがう}世界に住んでるのかもしれない。 \n>\n> たまたま見えているだけで、手で触れよう{ふれよう}とすればかき消えて{きえて}しまいそうな──だから触って{さわって}はいけない、関わって{かかわって}はいけない。 \n> 近寄るともままならない。 \n>\n> そんなバカげた妄想{もうそう}すら浮かべたく{うかべたく}なるほど、彼女の存在{そんざい}は僕にとって、いい意味で異質{いしつ}であり、遠い存在だった。 \n> 僕に出来ることは、声をかけることではなく、ただただ、こうやって見守るだけだった。 \n> と言っても、別に指をくわえてる訳{わけ}じゃない。 \n> むしろ、この距離{きょり}がいいんだと思ってる。 \n> きっと成績{せいせき}も優秀{ゆうしゅう}で、性格もいいんだろう。 \n> 彼女の日常{にちじょう}の中に、僕なんかが関わる余地{よち}はどこにもない。 \n> そして僕自身、関わりたいとは思わない。 \n> 凄すぎて{すごすぎて}家には飾れない{かざれない}絵画を見ている気持ち、に近いかもしれなかった。 \n> だから、校内で彼女の姿を探そうなんて思わない。 \n> 知り合いになりたいなんて、夢{ゆめ}に見たこともない。 \n> 同じバスに乗ってくるかどうか。 \n> ただそれだけを気にかけて、会えた時はその偶然を素直に喜ぶ。 \n> それでいい。 \n> いや。 \n> それが、いい。 \n> ……こんな気持ちは多分、そんなに特別なことじゃないんだろう。 \n> 憧れて、そして憧れるだけで終わる感情。 \n> おそらく、誰にでもあることなんだろう。 \n> そして、いつかは忘れてしまう思い出なんだろうな、きっと……。 \n>\n\nSome attempt at a free translation:\n\n> Rather, I think this distance is good. She's sure to have great grades and a\n> good personality. There's no space for me anywhere in her daily life. And I\n> myself even don't think that I want to have something to do with her.\n>\n> It's as if I'm looking at a painting I cannot place in my home as it's too\n> wonderful -- or something close to that. Therefore, I'm not going to spend\n> my time searching for her at school. I haven't even dreamt of being\n> acquaintances with her.\n>\n> The only worry I have is whether or not she'll ride the same bus with me.\n> When I do meet her by chance, I can be glad without reservation.\n>\n> It's fine like this. No, I mean, this is good. (???)\n>\n> These feelings are probably nothing special. Feelings of aspiration that are\n> nothing more. Perhaps everyone has them. And later, they'll become memories\n> that will sometime be forgotten.",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-17T15:50:49.647",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17851",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 7,
"tags": [
"translation",
"meaning",
"particle-で",
"particle-が"
],
"title": "What is the difference between それでいい and それがいい here?",
"view_count": 4041
} | [
{
"body": "My suggestion is:\n\n> And that's OK. No, I mean, it's better that way.\n\nAs I understand it,「それでいい」 means that something is acceptable, but maybe not\nideal, so I used \"OK\" instead of \"good\". 「それがいい」 means that this is the option\nthat you like or want, so I think it has the feeling of \"better than other\noptions\".\n\nI feel that the main point to express is that first, the narrator says\n「それでいい」, but then he notices that this sounds as if he is settling for\nsomething less than ideal. So he corrects himself, to try to sound more\npositive about the choice he has made.\n\nHowever, I'm not confident that I captured the exact nuance of 「それがいい」; it's\njust a rough approximation.\n\nIt's not really answering the questions, but some other comments about the\ntranslation:\n\n * \"Therefore\" and (maybe) \"rather\" sound a little formal for this context.\n * The translations for 「憧れ」 and 「素直」 may need changing.\n * \"I myself even don't think that I want to have something to do with her\" makes it sound as if the protagonist doesn't like her.\n * Lastly, at the end, I would use \"probably\" not \"possibly\" for 「だろう」. To me \"possibly\" means maybe only a small chance, while \"probably\" means a chance of more than 50%.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T00:49:07.950",
"id": "17861",
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"score": 7
},
{
"body": "With de you're saying \"that way/option is fine (too)\". With ga you're saying\n\"that's the way you like/want it, that's your first choice\" .\n\nコーヒーにしようと思った。 \nI was thinking of ordering a coffee. \nあっ、それがいいね。 \nOh, that's just what I want (too).\n\n紅茶？コーヒー？どっちがいい。 \nTea? Coffee? What do you want? \n紅茶でいい。 \nThe tea is fine. \n...meaning (something else would pr be better, but if I have to choose)\nbetween those two options, I'll go for the tea.",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-21T21:42:05.573",
"id": "17898",
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"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
}
] | 17851 | 17898 | 17861 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17859",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I started reading basic grammar of Japanese, and found this sentence:\n\n> ねこがすきです。 \n> I like cats.\n\nI thought が is the subject particle, so I supposed that ねこ would be the\nsubject of the sentence.\n**[すき](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/je2/38836/m0u/%E3%81%99%E3%81%8D/)**\nseems to mean \"like\". So I expected ねこがすきです to mean _\" Cats like me\"_ rather\nthan _\" I like cats\"_; however, it seems like _\" I like cats\"_ is the correct\nmeaning, as another example バナナが好きだ ( _I like bananas_ ) in the mentioned\ndictionary entry also has the same structure.\n\nI asked another learner and got this phrase (私は)猫が好き as the full version of\nねこがすきです. However, this confuses me even further, because somehow I understand\nit as _\" Cats, I like\"_ (and probably _\" Me, cats like\"_). And I think no\nmatter how strange it means, it's still a perfectly fine sentence.\n\nHow should I understand these two following sentences? Which one means \"I like\ncats\" and which one means \"Cats like me\"?\n\n> 1. 私は猫が好き \n>\n> 2. 猫は私が好き\n>",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T21:20:39.683",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 16,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"particle-は",
"particle-が",
"は-and-が"
],
"title": "私は猫が好き and 猫は私が好き",
"view_count": 2222
} | [
{
"body": "Particles have multiple uses or meanings. が can be used to mark the subject.\nHowever 好き【すき】 is an adjective not a verb. In this case が marks the target of\n好き【すき】 which is cats.\n\n> 1) 私は猫が好き\n>\n> 2) 猫は私が好き\n\nThe pattern of these sentences is: Topic は target of adjective が adjective\n\n 1. I(topic) like(adjective) cats(target of adjective).\n 2. Cats(topic) like(adjective) me(target of adjective).",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T21:41:53.753",
"id": "17859",
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{
"body": "Sentence 1) is easy — it clearly means \"I like cats.\"\n\nSentence 2) is more difficult, and has already generated [complicated\ndiscussions about grammar](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/4327/)\nelsewhere on this site. It's an unusual-looking sentence, and it's certainly\nnot a normal way of saying \"Cats like me.\" It could mean \"I like cats.\" and I\nthink that this is the most natural interpretation.\n\nThe most important point is that most of the time, 好き is used for saying \"I\nlike...\" and not for talking about what other people like. If you use 好き to\nmean \"I like...\", you can leave out the word for \"I\", because people will\nassume that you mean \"I like...\". On the other hand, if you want to say that\nsomeone else likes something, you have to use extra words and more complicated\nexpressions, to make it clear that you don't mean \"I like...\".\n\nFor example, if you walk up to someone, with no other context, and say\n\n> 好きだ！\n\nit means, \"I love you!\" (or at least, I really like you). Also,\n\n> 猫が好きだ。\n>\n> 猫は好きだ。\n\nboth means \"I like cats.\" (There is a small difference between these two\nsentences, which is discussed in detail in other questions tagged wa-and-ga.)\n\nIf you want to say \"Cats like me.\", you could say:\n\n> 私は猫に好かれる。\n\nwhich uses a special passive verb 「好かれる」 instead of the normal 「好き」. I think\nthis expression is a good choice. If you really want to use 「好き」, maybe you\ncould also say:\n\n> 猫はみんな私のことが好きみたいだ。\n\n\"All cats seem to like me.\" I added 「みたい」(seem to), 「みんな」(all) and 「のこと」(which\nindicates that I am the thing being liked) to try and make the sentence more\nnatural, but I think it's still a little strange, because it makes it sound as\nif cats have human-like emotions.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T04:02:57.637",
"id": "17872",
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"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
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},
{
"body": "It may help to understand the nature of: the は particle (topic marker), the\nnature of the が particle (subject marker), and the fact that 好き is an\nadjective, not a verb.\n\nJapanese is what is known as a [topic prominent\nlanguage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic-prominent_language). In English,\nno distinction is made between the topic of a sentence and the subject. In\nJapanese, however, they serve two different purposes. Therefore in sentences\nsuch as \"私は猫が好きです。\", there is both a topic (me) **and** a subject (cats).\n\nThink of the topic of a sentence as translating to \"as for ____,\", and\neverything that follows is simply a comment about the topic. So in the case of\nyour example sentence, it translates more literally as follows:\n\n> 私は猫が好きです。 \n> As for me, cats are well-liked.\n\nAs Kyon Smith mentioned, 猫は私が好きです doesn't sound natural because 好き is\ngenerally understood to be the speaker's internal feelings and therefore it\ndoesn't make sense to use it to describe someone or something else's feelings.\nBut to help further demonstrate the function of はand が,\n\n> 猫は私が好きです。 \n> _As for cats, I am well-liked (by them)._",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-19T18:21:45.487",
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"score": 11
}
] | 17857 | 17859 | 17876 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17927",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Lately I've seen in some dialog games with this difference. They use 観る rather\nthan 見る, e.g.:\n\n> ・あなたテレビ観るかな。\n>\n> ・あんまり観ない方なんだ。\n\nSo I'm thinking I can use 見る to make the same dialog. However there must be a\nreason why they use one instead of the other. Perhaps its a simple reason...\n\nWhat is the difference between 見る and 観る?",
"comment_count": 6,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-17T21:28:26.750",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17858",
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"owner_user_id": "5388",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 16,
"tags": [
"homophonic-kanji",
"kanji-choice"
],
"title": "Difference between 見る and 観る?",
"view_count": 12917
} | [
{
"body": "This is very simple.\n\n * 観る means \"to watch\" - TV, theatre, whatever else action. \n * 見る means \"to see\" - to see the sea, for example.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-22T17:22:39.263",
"id": "17905",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-22T17:22:39.263",
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},
{
"body": "The verb 「みる」(\"look\"/\"see\"/\"watch\") is one case of a word which can be written\nwith one commonly-used general-purpose kanji, and sometimes with other rarer,\nmore specific kanji.\n\nThe general-purpose kanji writing is 「見る」. Any time you use 「みる」, you can be\nconfident that you can write it 「見る」 and it will be correct (as long as it's a\nverb which means anything like look/see/watch). Here's a [Japanese dictionary\nentry with a variety of meanings for\n「見る」](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E8%A6%8B%E3%82%8B).\n\nAs the same dictionary entry says, 「観る」 is a way of writing 「みる」 which can be\nused when it has specific meanings:\n\n * Looking at scenery, as a tourist does, and\n * Watching something for entertainment, such as TV, as in your example.\n\nIn these cases, 「見る」 is also OK, so you don't have to use 「観る」, but if you do,\nit makes the meaning more precise.\n\nAs other people have commented, there are other specific kanji for 「みる」. The\ntwo common ones (also listed in the dictionary entry above) are:\n\n * 「診る」, which means to examine, in the sense of a doctor examining a patient, and\n * 「看る」, which means to watch over, in the sense of a nurse watching over a patient.\n\nIf you write\n\n> 医者は患者を見た。\n\npeople might think you simply meant \"the doctor looked at the patient\" in the\nsense of \"glanced casually at the patient\". On the other hand, if you write\n\n> 医者は患者を診た。\n\nit's clear that you mean \"the doctor examined the patient\".\n\nThere are even rarer kanji. I found a blog which mentioned 「覧る・視る・覗る・監る」 as\nother possibilities. These are rather obscure, and if you make a habit of\nusing them, your Japanese sentences will start to look strange. On the other\nhand, learning that all these kanji have a meaning related to seeing could be\nuseful for studying kanji compound words. If you want to find out more, a\nkanji dictionary is a good place to look.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T15:03:14.537",
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}
] | 17858 | 17927 | 17927 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17866",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "What is the significance of sometimes using the stem form of a verb like how\nthe て form would be? For example:\n\n> 燃えゆく (from HANABI) \n> 飲みほして (from Ambiguous)\n\nIt's something I hear now and again, but never understood what its grammatical\nroots are.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T02:20:16.217",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17862",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-18T04:00:55.240",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "3172",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"て-form",
"compounds",
"renyōkei"
],
"title": "Using the stem form of a verb like the て form, as in 燃えゆく or 飲みほして",
"view_count": 234
} | [
{
"body": "[飲]{の}み[干]{ほ}す, [燃]{も}えゆく are compound\nverbs([複合動詞](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8B%95%E8%A9%9E#.E8.A4.87.E5.90.88.E5.8B.95.E8.A9.9E)):\n飲む + 干す >> 飲み干す, 燃える + 行く >> 燃えゆく\n\n> 例: 死にゆく、食べ続ける、話し終える、飛び立つ、言い出す... ← continuative form(連用形) verb + verb\n\n* * *\n\nCompare: 燃えてゆく(燃えていく) is made of the verb 燃える + the subsidiary\nverb([補助動詞](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A3%9C%E5%8A%A9%E5%8B%95%E8%A9%9E))\nゆく/いく(行く).\n\n> 例: 死んでいく、食べてもらう、話してくれる、飛んでくる、言ってしまう... ← te-form verb + subsidiary verb",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T09:43:23.447",
"id": "17866",
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"score": 6
}
] | 17862 | 17866 | 17866 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17867",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Today, in some official document I received, an enumeration (of items to\naddress) had each line prepended with ㈰, ㈪, ㈫ etc.\n\nFrom context, it is reasonably easy to guess that this might be an equivalent\nto numbers (①, ② etc) or roman letters (a, b, c etc).\n\nI am familiar with the use of half-width katakana (ｱ, ｴ, ｲ etc) for that\npurpose, but it is the first time I see days of the week used that way (and\nsurprisingly, there seems to be a set of dedicated characters for it).\n\n**Is there a name for this type of enumeration prefix, or at least for the\ncharacters themselves?**\n\n**Do they have any special meaning, beside that of a regular enumeration\n(first item, second item etc)?**\n\n**Is it standard to start with ㈰ and go from there? Is there anything after\n(土)?**",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T06:57:38.887",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17865",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-18T12:48:12.510",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "290",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 7,
"tags": [
"kanji"
],
"title": "Use of ㈰, ㈪, ㈫ in enumerations",
"view_count": 343
} | [
{
"body": "Welcome to the wonderful world of character encodings. :)\n\nIf you're unfamiliar with them (things like \"ASCII\", \"UTF-8\", \"Unicode\", all\nthat jazz), the fast and short of it is: what some computers see as being a ー,\nothers see as '. If two computers aren't using the same encoding, text can get\njumbled when moving information from one to the other. (This is a heavy\nsimplification, but this is a Japanese-learning site, not a technical site.\n:P)\n\nI don't know the technical details of your situation (what type of computer\nthe author of the document uses, what font was used, what computer _you_ use,\nwhat fonts are available to you, etc.), but basically what you see as ①, ②,\netc. appears in other fonts and encodings as ㈰, ㈪, etc. in others. More\nspecifically, according to [this\nsource](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q124603082),\nolder Mac systems (OS9x and below?) have this issue, and I'd imagine that\nother systems might have the same issue depending on fonts and encodings used.\n\nIn summary, **this is a technical problem, not a special feature of\nJapanese.** If you're more technically comfortable, play around with encoding\nsettings to see what you come up with.\n\nLots more details and whatnot can be found\n[here](http://www.kotalog.net/archives/4339). Including the answer to your\nlast question. Is there anything after ㈯? Yes: ㉀. ;)",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T12:48:12.510",
"id": "17867",
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"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
}
] | 17865 | 17867 | 17867 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Newcomer here. Trying to learn Japanese on my own for years now. Here's a\nfirst question. How can I make sure to learn correctly the difference between\nusing を and で in the context of an action occurring in a given place. Meaning,\nwhat is correct to say:\n\n> 公園で散歩します。\n>\n> or\n>\n> 公園を散歩します。\n\nI tend to always use で in such case, but I stumble upon を at times.",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T20:20:42.237",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17868",
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"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "6829",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"usage",
"particle-を",
"particle-で"
],
"title": "When should I use で or を particles?",
"view_count": 581
} | [
{
"body": "で indicates the location of an action, while を indicates the object of an\naction. However, some verbs such as 散歩【さんぽ】する, 走る【はしる】, 歩く【あるく】, etc. can also\nbe used in this way, meaning that both are correct.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-18T23:44:09.863",
"id": "17869",
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"score": 0
}
] | 17868 | null | 17869 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17871",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Would\n\n> 私を見て **突っ込む所** はないか\n\ntranslate to something like \"Would you come take a closer look at me?\"\n\nI've done a lot of context searching for 突っ込む所 but I can't quite pin down a\nsolid meaning on it.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T00:55:28.310",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17870",
"last_activity_date": "2021-01-07T19:40:35.910",
"last_edit_date": "2021-01-07T19:40:35.910",
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"owner_user_id": "3542",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"translation",
"meaning"
],
"title": "突っ込む所 - is this what it means?",
"view_count": 659
} | [
{
"body": "Forget about the 9-11 reference; That is just the literal meaning of the word.\n\nHere, we are talking Japanese comedy slangs. If you have not seen any Japanese\ntwo-person stand-up comedy, you probably should before reading this answer as\nit is readily available on YouTube. You will understand the term much better\nthat way than getting an explanation.\n\n> [突]{つ}っ[込]{こ}む vs. ボケる (verbs)\n>\n> ツッコミ vs. ボケ (Nouns)\n\nI recommend that J-learners learn these words in pairs. Knowing only one of\nthem will not help you much in the real Japanese-speaking world, trust me.\n\nIf you are the ボケ, you will just keep on telling jokes in an uninhibited\nmanner trying to make people laugh. You can be illogical, rude, ignorant ---\nanything. People do not expect sanity or normalcy from you in the first place.\n\nThe ツッコミ must do the opposite. He keeps correcting and pointing out the\nirrationalities presented by the ボケ.\n\n> 「私を見て突っ込む所はないか？」 means:\n>\n> \"Dontcha have anything funny to say about my face?\", \"Can't ya think of\n> anything funny to say about my face?\", etc. One could tell that the speaker\n> is usually the ボケ type. ボケ types always \"require\" reactions from the ツッコミ.\n\nPoint is, you do not have to be a comedian for others to expect you to talk\nlike one in present-day Japan. Among the young and not so young generations,\nthis boke-tsukkomi-style of talking rules. It is like everyone knows which\ntype s/he is and they usually stick to it.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T03:52:47.260",
"id": "17871",
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}
] | 17870 | 17871 | 17871 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I've been wondering how to say 'I spent the past [time frame] [insert\naction]'. For example, \"I spent the past hour studying Japanese\". Would it be\ntranslated to something like...\n\n> 日本語の勉強は最近の一時間が全かかりました\n\n...or would it be something like...\n\n> 日本語の勉強はついさっきの一時間が全かかりました。\n\nOR! Would the sentence structure be completely different?\n\nI'm sorry if this has already been asked before, but I can't seem to find\nanything concerning this type of phrasing.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T09:32:37.590",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17873",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-19T11:00:15.793",
"last_editor_user_id": "5041",
"owner_user_id": "6833",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 4,
"tags": [
"time"
],
"title": "How would you say 'the past ____'? (i.e. the past 'hour', the past 'day)",
"view_count": 3473
} | [
{
"body": "By far the most common way of expressing that would be to use 「この」 as in\n「この１時間」、「この１ヶ月（間）」、「この１年（間）」, etc.\n\nSome natural ways to say \"I spent the past hour studying Japanese.\" for us\nnative speakers are:\n\n> 「日本語の勉強にこの１時間をかけました。」\n>\n> 「この１時間を日本語の勉強に[充]{あ}てました。」\n>\n> 「この１時間をかけて日本語を勉強しました。」\n>\n> 「この１時間をかけて日本語の勉強をしました。」",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T10:17:06.783",
"id": "17874",
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},
{
"body": "How about ここ in this case?\n\n```\n\n 「ここ一時間ぐらいずっと勉強してた。」\n 「ここ数日ずっと忙しかった。」\n 「ここ２週間海外にいた。」\n \n```",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-21T03:35:52.677",
"id": "17887",
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"last_edit_date": null,
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}
] | 17873 | null | 17874 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17879",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "This is something that is often said in English to politely ask a question\nwhile avoiding sounding overly intrusive. For example,\n\n> What do you do for a living, if you don't mind my asking? \n>\n\nThe way that I would think to translate it is:\n\n> 聞いてもよろしければ、何の仕事をしているのですか。\n\nBut I'm not entirely confident, because that's a literal translation, and\nthere may be a more natural sounding set-phrase for it. Is my translation\ncorrect? Or is there a better way to say it?",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T19:48:29.347",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17877",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-20T01:13:01.130",
"last_editor_user_id": "1575",
"owner_user_id": "1575",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"translation",
"politeness",
"phrase-requests"
],
"title": "How would you say \"if you don't mind my asking\"?",
"view_count": 5627
} | [
{
"body": "I would probably say\n\n> * [失礼]{しつ・れい}ですが、～ → I'm sorry to be rude, but ～\n>",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T20:26:06.613",
"id": "17878",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-19T20:26:06.613",
"last_edit_date": null,
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},
{
"body": "A very common (and mature-sounding) phrase would be 「[差]{さ}し[支]{つか}えなければ」.\n「差し支え」 means \"obstacle\", \"inconvenience\", etc.\n\n> 「差し支えなければ、ご[職業]{しょくぎょう}をお[聞]{き}きしてもよろしいですか。」\n>\n> You may add a 「もし」 at the beginning as well.\n\nOther natural expressions would include:\n\n> Polite:「（もし）お[尋]{たず}ねしてもよろしければ」\n>\n> Less polite:「もし聞いてもよければ」",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-19T22:39:15.057",
"id": "17879",
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"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
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"parent_id": "17877",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 11
}
] | 17877 | 17879 | 17879 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17881",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I have trouble understanding the following sentence:\n\n> ルーカスさんは、自分をファーストネームで呼んでもらいたいと言うけれども、三年も年上の人なので、どうも「トム」とは呼びにくい。\n\nIs it. Mister Lukas wants to get called by his first name but it's hard to do\nso because he is 3 years older than the speaker. Or does the speaker wants to\ncall him Tom?\n\nI don't know to whom 自分 is pointing, isn't it always pointing to the speaker?\nIn this case the sentence wouldn't make sense since the speaker wants to\nreceive something \"もらいたい\".\n\nI think I am confusing either the 自分 or the もらいたい part.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-20T02:01:51.203",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17880",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-20T09:58:44.500",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-20T02:14:26.767",
"last_editor_user_id": "1628",
"owner_user_id": "5333",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "Use of 自分を and もらう",
"view_count": 339
} | [
{
"body": "Although it isn't a great analogy, I sometimes think of 自分 as the Japanese\ncounterpart to the \"reflexive\" (just because 自分を sometimes translates to\n\"himself\" or \"herself\"). That doesn't really work here, but in any case, 自分\nstill points to ルーカスさん, even though he isn't the speaker:\n\n> **自分を** ファーストネームで呼んでもらいたい \n> _he wants to get people to call **him** by the first name_ \n> he wants to be called by his first name\n\nSo,\n\n> ルーカスさんは、自分をファーストネームで呼んでもらいたいと言うけれども、三年も年上の人なので、どうも「トム」とは呼びにくい。 \n> Mr. Lucas says that he wants to be called by his first name, but him being\n> three years older than me makes it really quite hard to call him \"Tom\".",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-20T02:30:22.237",
"id": "17881",
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"last_edit_date": null,
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},
{
"body": "In a basic sentence, 自分 is a **reflexive pronoun** which refers back to a\nsubject. It can often be translated with English reflexives like _himself_ or\n_herself_. It doesn't necessarily point to the speaker.\n\nHowever, in this case we have 自分 in indirect speech, which is a little\ndifferent:\n\n> **ルーカスさん** _i_ は、[ **自分** _i_ をファーストネームで呼んでもらいたい ]-と\n> 言うけれども、三年も年上の人なので、どうも「トム」とは呼びにくい。\n\n…and in cases like these it's a [**logophoric\npronoun**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logophor), a way of referring back to\nルーカスさん in the main clause from the indirect speech.\n\nThere's also a dialectal usage of 自分 as a **first-person pronoun** , and when\nit's used that way it _does_ point specifically to the speaker. I point this\nout in case it was the source of your confusion when you wrote \"isn't it\nalways pointing to the speaker?\".",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-20T09:58:44.500",
"id": "17885",
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"last_edit_date": null,
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"parent_id": "17880",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 2
}
] | 17880 | 17881 | 17881 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17883",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "How do you say \"to ask for\" in Japanese?. For example:\n\n> He asked his boss for a raise.\n>\n> We ask for great revival.\n\nIs \"仰{あお}ぐ\" fine? In particular, I want to use something that's natural and\nnormal, but that's not disrespectful to superiors. Some of the usual sources,\nlike jisho.org, don't seem to be very definitive about this.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-20T03:39:58.640",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17882",
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"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "1771",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"words"
],
"title": "How do you say \"to ask for\" in Japanese?",
"view_count": 5051
} | [
{
"body": "The most normal word choice for \"to ask for\" is [頼]{たの}む.\n\n仰{あお}ぐ means \"to ask for\" only in the sense of seeking guidance from someone\nabove you -- not in the sense of asking for a raise.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-20T04:35:58.233",
"id": "17883",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-20T04:40:26.177",
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"score": 5
}
] | 17882 | 17883 | 17883 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17890",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "Were I in a situation where I want to get the attention of a waitress in a\nnoisy restaurant, I kind of feel like calling-out:\n\"お姉{ねえ}さん、すみませんが、ビールもう一本お願いできますか？\". I think that I've seen this done in a\nmovie, as well as seen native speakers do this in front of me (but only at a\nbar where everyone was pretty drunk).\n\nHowever, I think I've been told that addressing a waitress, or waiter, as\nお姉さん, or お兄{にい}さん, is impolite. Is this correct?\n\nAddressing a waitress as お嬢{じょう}さん is off the charts impolite, right?\n\nSay that I am at a beer garden and want to get the attention of one of the\nwaitresses by saying お姉さん, what would be an appropriate substitute? Is just\nnot addressing her at all the only way?",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-21T02:11:40.237",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17886",
"last_activity_date": "2020-04-14T20:55:55.230",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-21T05:05:57.193",
"last_editor_user_id": "6840",
"owner_user_id": "4835",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 17,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"politeness"
],
"title": "How impolite is it to call a waitress お姉{ねえ}さん?",
"view_count": 4892
} | [
{
"body": "I wouldn't do that. It's true that some people use お姉さん, but you'll be taking\nunnecessary risk. For a example, some older women might get offended for being\ncalled that way, and some younger women might get offended, too! It's like\ncalling somebody \"Hi _young_ woman!\".\n\nOf course some people will like it. If you say お姉さん to an 大｛おお｝阪｛さか｝のおばちゃん,\nyou might get that beer for free :) That will also constitute a kind of joke.\nBut unless you are using it for this effect, I would stay clear.\n\n> Addressing a waitress as お嬢{じょう}さん is off the charts impolite, right?\n\nYou have to be very old for this to be ok, like > 65. I.e. you have to be\nclassified as おじいさん/おばあさん. Even then the other person must be very young, like\n< 25.\n\nIf the other person is _really_ young (like < 8) then it's ok for a non-\nおじいさん/おばあさん to use it. However it will sound very old fashioned.",
"comment_count": 5,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-21T07:16:21.373",
"id": "17890",
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"score": 12
},
{
"body": "Until a few decades ago, we used to hear guests call waitresses “お姉ちゃん” or\n“お姉さん.” But we don’t see or hear someone calling a waitress by the term,\n“お姉ちゃん” or “お姉さん” today. We address waitresses in restaurant mostly raising a\nhand, and by saying “すみません ‐ Excuse me” or sometimes “ちょっと、済みません - Pardon a\nmoment” instead of calling them “お姉ちゃん / お姉さん,” which is regarded as rude.\nおばさん is out of question.\n\nSame thing applies to the addressing word to female staff in sales / service\nestablishments in China, where we used to address them by 小姐‐ xiao jie,\nequivalent to “お姉さん” 20 years ago. I heard it’s rarely used today, and “服務員！-\nservice staff” or ”對不起 - Excuse me” are used instead.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2016-03-01T08:55:23.520",
"id": "32592",
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"score": 11
}
] | 17886 | 17890 | 17890 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17889",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I am confused in determining the correct way to write furigana.\n\n 1. Is a furigana only allowed to be attached to a single kanji character? In other words, can a furigana attached to more than one kanji character? If a furigana can only be attached to a single kanji, how to write furiganas for, e.g., 今日?\n\n 2. Where should the `っ` which is the small つ be positioned in furiganas for words, e.g., 一緒? Which one is the correct one? 一{い} 緒{っしょ} or 一{いっ} 緒{しょ}?\n\n 3. Is it correct to write 居{い}所{どころ} instead of 居{い}所{ところ}?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-21T04:59:44.623",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17888",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-21T08:38:55.270",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "1466",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"furigana"
],
"title": "What is the rule to write furigana (ruby)?",
"view_count": 2098
} | [
{
"body": "If you're taking care to write the readings over the characters they belong to\n(which people don't always do), then geminated consonants belong to the first\nkanji:\n\n> **学{がく}** + 校{こう} _**gaku** + kō_ ＝ **学{がっ}** 校{こう} _**gak** kō_\n\nAs you can see, the consonant still belongs to the first kanji. **_Gak_** is a\nreduced form of **_gaku_** , having lost its final vowel **u**. Likewise, in\nyour example you would split **一** 緒 into **いっ** and しょ.\n\nSometimes readings are assigned to entire compounds rather than to individual\nkanji. Although **今** 日 was historically compositional ( ** _ke** + pu_),\nthese days it's treated as a 熟字訓 reading--a reading assigned to an entire\ncompound, rather than made up of the individual readings normally associated\nwith those characters. So in cases like these, it makes more sense not to try\nto split them up:\n\n> **今日{きょう}** _**kyō**_\n\nIn your last example, **ど** ころ _**d** okoro_ is a\n[rendaku](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendaku)'ed form of **と** ころ _**t**\nokoro_. Just like with our earlier examples of **がっ** **_gak_** and **いっ**\n**_is_** , we'll write it the way it's pronounced, rather than trying to\nrepresent an \"underlying\" pronunciation with the /t/ intact:\n\n> 居{い} + **所{ところ}** _i_ + _**tokoro**_ ＝ 居{い} **所{どころ}** _i **dokoro**_\n\nGenerally, you should write furigana with the standard pronunciation of the\nword you're writing, unless you're trying to specifically emphasize another\npronunciation. Since Japanese spelling was reformed recently and is now\nrelatively accurate, that makes things fairly simple.\n\nYou'll find that there are people who pronounce a few words differently than\nthey're spelled. Normally, you would write:\n\n> **女王{じょおう}・体育{たいいく}・雰囲気{ふんいき}** rather than **女王{じょうおう}・体育{たいく}・雰囲気{ふいんき}**\n\nIn these cases, I think it's better to write them like the left--unless you're\ntrying to specifically indicate that you pronounce them like on the right.",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-21T05:31:06.187",
"id": "17889",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-21T06:32:33.863",
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"parent_id": "17888",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 7
},
{
"body": "I'm just addressing #1, since snailboat covered the other ones very well.\n\n> Is a furigana only allowed to be attached to a single kanji character?\n\nNo. In fact, it's common to attach furigana to a kanji compound, as seen in\n\n * [Matcha (やさしい日本語 version)](http://mcha-easy.com/)\n * [NHK Web Easy](http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/index.html)\n * [City of Tsukuba's site (やさしい日本語 version)](http://www.tsukubainfo.jp/jp/)\n\nThere are also some that attach furigana to single kanji\n\n * [Hiragana Times](http://www.hiraganatimes.com/ja/). Here's a screenshot \n\n\n\n * [Asagaku](http://www.asagaku.com/) (Asahi Shimbun's newspapers for students - [PDF samples here](http://www.asagaku.com/shidoku.html))\n * Manga (not sure if this applies to all manga with furigana though). Here's a screenshot \n\n\n\nSome sites use both (furigana on single kanji and furigana on kanji\ncompounds), like [kids goo.ne.jp](http://kids.goo.ne.jp/)\n\nI think which one is used ultimately depends on ratio of kanji font size to\nhiragana font size. If the ratio is large enough, then furigana is applied to\nsingle kanji.\n\n* * *\n\np/s: Hmmm, screenshots might be too large...",
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] | 17888 | 17889 | 17889 |
{
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"body": "\n\nI got this from a Japanese bar owner, she said it means \"bamboo\", but I used\nGoogle translate and can't find a similar word that looks like that. Also, is\nit possible to type out this word?",
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"tags": [
"kanji",
"calligraphy"
],
"title": "What does this word mean?",
"view_count": 777
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{
"body": "It looks to me like 「[七夕]{たなばた}」 in vertical cursive. It does not look like\n「[竹]{たけ}」, which means \"bamboo\".\n\nHere is what 七夕 means: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata>",
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"body": "The characters are almost certainly represent Tanabata (七夕), and are written\nin the fluid calligraphic style known as \"grass style.\"\n\nThe idea of bamboo here probably comes from the use of bamboo during the\nTanabata festival. From the Wikipedia\n[page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata) on Tanabata:\n\n> In present-day Japan, people generally celebrate this day by writing wishes,\n> sometimes in the form of poetry, on tanzaku (短冊 tanzaku?), small pieces of\n> paper, and hanging them on bamboo, sometimes with other decorations (see\n> also Wish Tree).\n\nThe bar owner may have been trying to suggest a use for the Tanabata item you\nreceived, since the holiday was on 7 July.",
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] | 17891 | null | 17899 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17895",
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"body": "It doesn't apply to all the words, just some. Here are examples of words from\nthat are marked with that symbol\n\n * 悪い (with reading にくい): [大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/166457/m0u/%E6%86%8E%E3%81%84/); [大辞林](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E6%86%8E%E3%81%84)\n * 面倒くさい (with reading めんどくさい): [大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/264709/m0u/%E3%82%81%E3%82%93%E3%81%A9%E3%81%8F%E3%81%95%E3%81%84/); [大辞林](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%82%81%E3%82%93%E3%81%A9%E3%81%8F%E3%81%95%E3%81%84)\n * 皆 (with reading みんな): [大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/214380/m0u/%E3%81%BF%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA/); [大辞林](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%BF%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA)\n * 判る・解る (with reading わかる): [大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/237767/m0u/%E3%82%8F%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B/); [大辞林](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%82%8F%E3%81%8B%E3%82%8B)\n\nThe thing is even for the same word, 大辞林 and 大辞泉 places the ▽ symbol at\ndifferent positions.\n\nFor your convenience, here are 2 cropped screenshots to illustrate what I\nmean:\n\n 1. From 大辞林\n\n\n\n 2. From 大辞泉\n\n\n\nApparently 明鏡国語辞典 uses this symbol too. Here's a screenshot for 解る・判る from an\nEPWING viewer.\n\n\n\nAs far as I know, 広辞苑 doesn't use this symbol. See below\n\n\n\n* * *\n\nAs I'm typing this, I noticed a pattern: the symbol seems to indicate that the\nreading is either non-standard or not-so-common for that particular kanji.\nSeveral kanji references seem to support this interpretation.\n\nTake 悪 for example, [kakijun](http://kakijun.jp/page/aku200.html) mentions\n\"にく(む)[常用外]\", and [漢字辞典ネット](http://www.kanjijiten.net/jiten/1601.html#k1613)\nlabels \"にく(む)\" with 準1 (which I assume is the second highest level in 漢検?).\nSame for 判る and 解る, whereas みんな and ど aren't listed as reading for 皆 and 倒\n(perhaps those are more colloquial?).\n\nIt's just that 大辞泉 and 大辞林 uses different convention: for 大辞泉 it's the kanji\nto the right of ▽, for 大辞林 it's the kanji to the left of ▽.\n\nAm I going in the right direction with this interpretation?",
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"tags": [
"readings",
"dictionary",
"symbols"
],
"title": "Some Japanese dictionaries (e.g. 大辞林, 大辞泉, and 明鏡国語辞典) use this inverted triangle outline symbol (▽) for some kanji compounds. What does it mean?",
"view_count": 2050
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{
"body": "> Am I going in the right direction with this interpretation?\n\nYou got it, friend! [大辞林曰く](http://www.weblio.jp/sanseido.jsp)、\n\n> 【 】の中【なか】の漢字【かんじ】が「常用【じょうよう】漢字【かんじ】表【ひょう】」にないものには「 ▼\n> 」、その漢字が「常用漢字表」にはあるが見出【みだ】しに相当【そうとう】する音訓【おんくん】が示【しめ】されていないものには「 ▽\n> 」を漢字の右肩【みぎかた】に付【ふ】した。 \n> If a given kanji isn't part of the 常用漢字 list, it'll be marked with a ▼. If\n> it _is_ part of the 常用漢字 list but uses a non-standard reading, a ▽ will be\n> placed on its right side.\n\nSame deal on the [大辞泉](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/help/jn/09_04.html):\n\n> ▽ 常用漢字表にない音訓 \n> ▽ Non-standard reading of a 常用漢字\n\nSo yes, **the ▽ symbol indicates a non-standard kanji reading**. And yeah, it\nlooks like both dictionaries choose opposite sides of the characters to place\nthe symbol on.",
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] | 17894 | 17895 | 17895 |
{
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"body": "I just started playing the video game Mother 3, and if you try to examine the\ntrash can in front of his house, Lucas says, `問題なし`.\n\nI expect this means something like, \"no problem here\", but I haven't been able\nto confirm that so far.\n\nWhat kind of construction is the なし part?",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-21T17:31:04.950",
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"tags": [
"translation",
"meaning"
],
"title": "What does 「なし」in 「問題なし」 mean?",
"view_count": 4344
} | [
{
"body": "なし is the Old and Middle Japanese shuushikei form of what is now 無い. The\nmodern shuushikei/rentaikei form (ない) is a descendent of the Old/Middle\nJapanese rentaikei form なき with the loss of the /k/. なし is still found in\nfossilised phrases (like your 問題無し), and sometimes on its own in intentionally\narchaic/dramatic speech.",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-21T17:57:30.427",
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"body": "The basic meaning of なし is the same as ない, but its grammar is different.\n\n* * *\n\nLong ago, adjectives used to have separate sentence-final forms (with し) and\npre-noun forms (with き). People gradually started using the き form at the end\nof sentences too, and eventually the /k/ dropped out, turning it into い:\n\n```\n\n 赤 root \n 赤し sentence-final form (historical) \n 赤き pre-noun form (historical) \n 赤い sentence-final form AND pre-noun form (modern)\n \n```\n\nA few adjectives had the し ending built-in as part of the root. They\nconjugated pretty much the same way, except the sentence-final form didn't\nneed an extra し added since one was already built-in:\n\n```\n\n 美し root \n 美し sentence-final form (historical) \n 美しき pre-noun form (historical) \n 美しい sentence-final form AND pre-noun form (modern)\n \n```\n\nThe し ending is now lost for most adjectives, although you'll hear it\nsometimes when people quote the literary language. The き ending too is\nconsidered literary, but you'll probably recognize it from literary contexts\nsuch as song titles, where it's used to this day.\n\n* * *\n\nHowever, certain adjectives have fossilized forms available that are still\nused in modern Japanese as modern words, without the feeling that they're\nliterary forms. なし is one of these. Etymologically, it's the same word as ない,\nbut it should be distinguished in modern Japanese because its usage is\ndifferent.\n\nOf course, なし can be used more than one way, and some of those ways overlap\nwith ない, which is unsurprising since they're historically the same word. Let's\nfocus on the way it's used in 問題なし:\n\n 1. It attaches directly to nouns without giving the impression that anything is omitted:\n\n> 問題なし\n\nAlthough phrases like 問題な **い** are relatively common as well, I think 問題\n**が** なし is significantly less common than 問題 **が** ない. It's probably best not\nto consider 問題なし as a case of ellipsis.\n\n 2. なし is commonly treated as though it's nominalized, in which case it can be followed with the copula だ, genitive の, adverbial に, etc.:\n\n> ○問題なしだ okay \n> ×問題ないだ non-standard\n\nIn this sense, we can say なし means ないこと. In this usage, it's often\ncharacterized as suffix-like or as forming compounds, but it can be treated as\nnominalized even when it's not attached to a noun, so \"suffix\" doesn't work as\na complete description.\n\n 3. It can be translated \"no 〜\" or \"without 〜\" in many cases.\n\n> 問題無し (literally \"no problem[s]\" / \"without a problem\")\n\nAlthough なし can be treated as nominal, it doesn't have to be. You can use\n「問題なし」 or 「異常なし」 and such as complete utterances, if you like. But any large\ndictionary should have plenty of examples where it's followed by particles\nthat follow nominals such as だ・の・に・で・と. Let's take a look at some examples\nfrom 研究社 新和英大辞典:\n\n> 1. 休日 **なしで** 働く \n> _work without even a holiday_\n>\n> 2. アスピリン・砂糖 **なしの** 錠剤 \n> _an aspirin-free, sugar-free tablet_\n>\n> 3. さあさあ、堅苦しいことは **なしだ** 。 \n> _Relax. Stop being so formal._\n>\n> 4. 断りも **なしに** 休まれては困るね。 \n> _If you take the day off without even telling me, it causes problems._\n>\n> 5. 一歩後退の感 **なしと** しない。 \n> _One would be hard put to deny that things have taken a step backward._\n>\n> 6. お互い隠し事は **なしに** しましょう。 \n> _Let's not have any secrets between us._\n>\n>\n\nThere are plenty more! It's common to use なし this way, even though it was\nhistorically a sentence-ending form. One more usage of note is as a\nconjunctive form, similar to なく. Here's an example from Martin's 1975\n_Reference Grammar of Japanese_ , p.833:\n\n> 今でもね、あたくしのうちっていうのは、ラジオは **なし** 、黒白のぶっ壊れのテレビしかないんです。 \n> _Even now, you know, at my house there's no radio, there's just busted\n> black-and-white television._\n\nPersonally, I suggest you memorize なし as having its own set of grammatical\npatterns in modern Japanese, and pay attention to how it's used. You'll find\nthat certain phrases with なし are especially common, and your example of 問題なし\nis one of those.\n\n(There's probably more to say about it, so watch for additional answers!)",
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{
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"body": "To add a bit more to my question, I'm wondering if the words are used\ninterchangeably, or if 法度 has more a sense of law that is set up to ban or\nprohibit something? Is 法度 a commonly used word?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-22T15:48:15.887",
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"tags": [
"word-choice",
"definitions"
],
"title": "what is the difference between [法度]{はっと} and [法律]{ほうりつ}?",
"view_count": 169
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{
"body": "First, 法律 is more commonly used in spoken and written Japanese than 法度 is. You\ncan verify this notion by how the two words appear in a Google search, with\n404 million for the first and 930,000 for the second. Also, ほうりつ when entered\nin an input bridge will immediately convert to 法律, whereas はっと will likely\nconvert to Katakana, and only with further keyboard work will you get 法度.\n\nThat said, the two words have similar meanings. Using Kenkyusha's as my source\nhere,\n\n法律 applies to \"(the) law\" as well as referring to a law or legislation. It is\nlikely the most general word for this idea, and does not have the specific\nsense you note for 法度 in your question.\n\n法度 also means a law or ordinance, but also can refer to a prohibition, ban, or\ntaboo.\n\nOn a personal note, in over 20 years of translating Japanese material into\nEnglish I've never seen 法度 whereas I regularly see 法律. However, I am not a\nlegal translator or scholar, and input from someone with that background could\nfurther clarify this question.",
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"body": "法律 is the general word for \"law\", as in 「法律を守る」(obey the\nlaw),「法律で禁止されている」(forbidden by law) or 「渡辺法律事務所」(Watanabe Law Firm).\n\nI believe that the most common use of 法度【はっと】 is to mean \"something that is\nterribly bad manners\", and that it's almost always used with ご in front —\n「ご法度」. A quick Web search found:\n\n> 新郎・新婦の恋愛遍歴話はご法度:結婚式でゲストがやってはいけない非常識な行動\n>\n> \"Talking about the bride and groom's ex-lovers is a no-no: faux pas that\n> guests mustn't make at weddings\"\n\nIt seems that originally, 法度 meant a law forbidding something, but I don't\nthink it's used in modern-day legal discussions.",
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] | 17902 | 17914 | 17914 |
{
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"body": "To create ～なければいけません or similar forms, I've been having trouble finding the\nexact method for conjugating into ～なければ.\n\nI imagine (but also greatly doubt) that it's something like this: 食べる -> 食べない\n-> 食べなく -> 食べなける -> 食べければ. However, even if it was like that I still wouldn't\nreally understand why. Can anyone explain the exact process to get from ～ない to\n～なければ?",
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"tags": [
"conjugations"
],
"title": "Conjugating into なければ",
"view_count": 747
} | [
{
"body": "`〜なければ` is a contraction of `〜なく＋あれば`. Of course the `〜ば` form is a\nconditional and `〜なく` is the \"adverbial\" form of a negation. So you can kind\nof translate it as \"If it is/exists such that 〜 doesn't happen\".\n\n> 食べなければ` → If it's such that you don't eat → If you don't eat\n\n* * *\n\nRelated: [Origin of ~なければ ならない](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/11788/78)",
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"body": "## A modern perspective\n\n`〜ければ` is the conditional ending for adjectives. Since the `〜ない` form of verbs\nis shaped like an adjective, it uses adjective endings like `〜い` and `〜ければ`.\nThat's it! From a modern perspective, there are no steps in-between.\n\nHowever, some grammars do take it one step further: they divide `〜ければ` into\n`〜けれ` (the hypothetical form of an adjective), plus `ば` (a conditional\nparticle). This explanation is attractive because `ば` appears elsewhere with\nconditional meaning, as in `ならば`.\n\nBut either way, it's pretty simple. `〜なければ` is the negative conditional form.\n\n* * *\n\n## A historical perspective\n\nHistorically speaking, `〜ければ` was presumably formed by a contraction of some\nsort. But what sort? The explanation @istrasci gives is a common one and can\nbe found elsewhere on this site, that`〜ければ` was a contraction of `〜く+あれば`. In\nturn, we can say `あれば` was a form of `ある` with the conditional `〜ば` attached.†\n\nHowever, this leaves us wondering why the first vowel is /e/ rather than /a/.\nSansom, on page 205 of his 1928 [_Historical Grammar of\nJapanese_](https://archive.org/stream/historicalgramma00sansuoft#page/205/mode/2up),\ngives an explanation:\n\n> This change is easy to understand, for the final _e_ of _kare_ influences\n> the preceding vowel _a_ , by a tendency which is common in Japanese.\n\nIn contrast, Frellesvig, in his 2010 _History of the Japanese Language_ ,\nsuggests that the `〜けれ` stem comes from a contraction of _*ki-are_ into\n_kyere_ , giving way to modern _kere_. Either way, it's a contraction of some\nsort of adjectival form plus `あれば`.\n\n* * *\n\n## What is ある doing there?\n\nThe presence of `ある` is most likely purely grammatical, inserted so that\nendings like `〜ば` can attach to adjectives. We shouldn't really translate it\nas \"exists\" in English. Instead, we should describe `〜なければ` as the conditional\nform of the negative `〜ない`.\n\nThis sort of grammatical use of `ある` is common and can be seen in all sorts of\nplaces in Japanese, including in other adjectival inflections:\n\n> 〜な **く** ＋ **あ** った ＞ 〜な **か** った\n\nI trust you understand that `〜なかった` is simply a negative past form, and that\nyou don't attempt to translate it as though it has \"exists\" in it. You can\napply the same sort of logic here.\n\n* * *\n\n## Historical versus modern\n\nWhy look at it from a modern perspective? Well, let me ask you this: when you\nsay **_goodbye_** in English, do you always think [**_God be with\nye_**](http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=goodbye&searchmode=none)?\nOf course not! Historically speaking, it's a contraction of that phrase, but\ntoday speakers use **_goodbye_** as a pre-formed unit. It's simply part of\ntheir vocabulary. In that sense, the word is no longer a contraction.\n\nLikewise, when you say `〜なければ`, please don't think something like \"if it's\nsuch that you don't\", as @istrasci wrote. It's simply a negative conditional\nform.\n\n* * *\n\n† _For simplicity's sake, I'm referring to this verb as_ ある, _which is its\nmodern citation form. Its historical citation form was_ あり.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T07:49:52.803",
"id": "17921",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T07:56:25.210",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-23T07:56:25.210",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": null,
"parent_id": "17906",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 9
}
] | 17906 | null | 17921 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17925",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "It is very difficult to find literature on this topic and the only related\nquestion is [Splicing である with a\ntopic](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/13753/splicing-%e3%81%a7%e3%81%82%e3%82%8b-with-\na-topic) whose answer is (to my view) a bit elusive and the reference provided\nby snailboat is way beyond my understanding.\n\nSo my question is when it is possible to split the two entities of である and\nwhat can be put in between ?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T00:47:01.230",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17912",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T12:30:05.527",
"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:43.857",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "4216",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"copula"
],
"title": "When is it possible to split である in で+ある",
"view_count": 200
} | [
{
"body": "I really don't quite understand which part of the fantastic answer on the\nlinked question you don't understand. I'll try to add some notes.\n\nである is for all practical purposes a copula (like だ). This means in particular\nthat your sentence structure will consist of a topic/subject and a predicating\nnoun phrase.\n\nThe topics/subject may be marked by は/が/も; the predicating noun phrase is\nmarked by である (for this example; generally だ, です, ...). Schematically,\n\n> A [は・が・も] B である。\n\nYou know that you can insert the topic/subject between で and ある for emphasis\n\n> B で A [は・が・も] ある\n\nNote that this shortens the distance between the topic/subject and ある.\n\nOther examples, which may be found on the internet\n\n> ~~ご自身の責任で 完全に ある。~~ \n> It's entirely your own responsibility. ???\n\nare definitely understood, but certainly considered unnatural/incorrect.\n\nSo, in a word, **you can split で ＋ ある for (strong) emphasis to insert the\ntopic/subject**.\n\n* * *\n\n(Just for completeness.) I guess you were asking about adding in more than a\nparticle, because particles you can add in quite readily:\n\n> である ＋ も = でもある \n> である ＋ は = ではある \n> (Cf. でない ＋ は = ではない = じゃない & でありません ＋ は = ではありません = じゃありません)\n\nNote that でもある is the only way to try to combine も and (the copula) だ:\n\n> これは赤ペンだ。黒いペンでもある。 \n> This is a red pen. It's also a black pen.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T12:29:45.520",
"id": "17925",
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"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "1628",
"parent_id": "17912",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
}
] | 17912 | 17925 | 17925 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17918",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I have some questions about the difference between 係 and 担当.\n\n 1. Do these words have the same meaning? Basically, can they be used interchangeably as \"the person/group in charge of something\"?\n\n 2. I know that there can be more than one 係 in a department (for example, when sending an email, it seems like 経理係 御中 is acceptable), but can there be more than one 担当? Or does 担当 only point to one person within a department? On a similar note, if you don't know who the person in charge is, should you write ～担当 御中 or ～担当者 様?\n\nThanks!",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T03:08:20.157",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17915",
"last_activity_date": "2016-02-12T14:58:59.127",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6861",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 8,
"tags": [
"word-choice"
],
"title": "Differences and similarities between 係 and 担当",
"view_count": 551
} | [
{
"body": "Basically, yes they have the same meaning, but normally the company decides\nwhich word they use in each case, and a customer or business partner shouldn't\nuse the words interchangeably. If they call themselves as \"XX担当\" then you call\nthem that way, too.\n\n担当 is treated as a person (even if there were more than one person in charge),\nso you use 様, not 御中.\n\n[係]{かかり} is treated as a group, so you use [御中]{おんちゅう}, not 様.\n\nIf you don't know the name of the person in charge:\n\n> XX係 + 御中 (eg 人事部 人事課 採用係御中) \n> XXご担当者 + 様 (eg 人事部 人事課 採用ご担当者様 ) \n>\n\nIf you know the name of the person in charge (=YY):\n\n> XX係 + YY様 (eg 人事部 人事課 採用係 山田様) \n> XX担当 + YY様 (eg 人事部 人事課 採用担当 山田様) \n>",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T07:05:05.217",
"id": "17918",
"last_activity_date": "2016-02-12T14:58:59.127",
"last_edit_date": "2016-02-12T14:58:59.127",
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"parent_id": "17915",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
}
] | 17915 | 17918 | 17918 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17920",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Example : **As a friend** , I think we should...\n\nWhat do you add to ともだち to add the \"As a\" prefix?\n\nAlso, after that part, does the rest of the sentence follow the normal rules\nof a Japanese sentence?\n\nWhat I mean is, could I comfortably add \"As a friend\" at the start of any\nJapanese sentence without changing anything for it to make sense?\n\nEdit : Also, if you could put your answers in both Kanji and kana, that would\nbe great, since I do not understand Kanji yet. Thanks",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T07:07:29.590",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17919",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T07:28:05.783",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-23T07:28:05.783",
"last_editor_user_id": "5041",
"owner_user_id": "6863",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "How to say \"As a <position>, ...\"",
"view_count": 3815
} | [
{
"body": "Generally speaking, ～として is used for \"as a\". You use a noun before として. For\nexample:\n\n> As a friend... \n> 友{とも}だちとして...",
"comment_count": 6,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T07:11:51.863",
"id": "17920",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T07:11:51.863",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "5041",
"parent_id": "17919",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 6
}
] | 17919 | 17920 | 17920 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I find it much more sincere to accept compliments and show how grateful I am\nrather than to belittle myself. Therefore I would like to know some phrases in\nJapanese to accept compliments and show my gratitude rather than overhumbling\nmyself (e.g. not まだまだ）.\n\nHow do you accept compliments in Japanese without coming off as really\narrogant (taking into consideration that the Japanese culture in general\nhighly values modesty and humility)? Although in the West it is certainly\npossible to accept compliments and be modest at the same time.\n\nE.g. in English we might say:\n\n * \"I'm very happy to hear that!\"\n * \"I'm glad you liked it (for a performance or something like that)\"\n * \"It's very kind of you to say that.\"\n\nThank you",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T09:40:49.417",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17922",
"last_activity_date": "2016-01-08T07:00:55.513",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-23T09:58:06.143",
"last_editor_user_id": "6840",
"owner_user_id": null,
"post_type": "question",
"score": 8,
"tags": [
"culture"
],
"title": "Accepting compliments (without rejecting them)",
"view_count": 3077
} | [
{
"body": "Yes, there are ways to say these kind of things. They don't sound super\narrogant to me, but I won't guarantee that they'll always be the perfect thing\nto say. I went with ですます, but _keigo_ and plain form versions are possible as\nwell.\n\n> \"I'm very happy to hear that!\"\n\n「そう言ってくれて、とても嬉しい【うれしい】です。」\n\n> \"I'm glad you liked it\"\n\n「気に入って【いって】もらって嬉しいです。」\n\n> \"It's very kind of you to say that.\"\n\n「優しい【やさしい】ことばをありがとうございます。」",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-24T14:02:02.303",
"id": "17938",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-24T14:02:02.303",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6799",
"parent_id": "17922",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
},
{
"body": "This is a hard topic because as you stated Japanese people normally don't\nreact in this way. With that said, there are a couple approaches, not already\nstated here. (These would be in a more formal setting). Also, it really\ndepends on **how** you are getting complimented and **what** the compliment\nis.\n\n～光栄です。(It's an honor, I am flattered, etc.)\n\nお蔭様で～。(Thanks to you～, Because of your help～, etc.)\n\n～からこそ～。 (All because of～I was able to～, only because～was I able to～)",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T20:34:57.160",
"id": "17969",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-25T20:34:57.160",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6823",
"parent_id": "17922",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
},
{
"body": "I think it's important to remember that this is an intercultural conversation.\nThat fact is blindingly obvious to the interlocutor. And let's face it--\npeople use their own cultural stereotypes to interpret meaning in this\nsituation. If Japanese people have \"seen\" anglophones use these phrases in\nmovies, then it'll probably fit right into their expectations when talking to\na real-live anglophone. Sometimes Japanese people get really uncomfortable if\nanglophones behave \"too Japanese\" in their presence. Or maybe I just am bad at\nit, and end up over-doing it? But I'm sick of saccharine condescensions like\n\"You're more Japanese than me!\" \"You understand the Soul Of The Japanese\"\n(gotten that one three times and it makes me want to punch someone)\n\nEven if the OP's words are in Japanese, I'm guessing the OP has an accent, and\nhasn't exactly perfected Japanese non-verbals like body language and tone of\nvoice. I've heard people say that the majority of communication is non-\nverbal-- well, the OP's words might as well match what his/her body already\nbetrays. Because let's face it, \"tondemonaidesuuuu\" probably sounds like a\nstale script when this person says it. Because it is. And I have to use every\nounce of my body and voice to pretend that it isn't a stale script when I say\nit every day.\n\nWhen you live in a foreign culture, you get to reinvent yourself in the new\nlanguage-- you have to, because your Japanese persona can't be the same as\nyour native one. However, it can be hard to live a perfectly Japanese persona\nday-in, day-out. Everyone else assumes that you, an anglophone and a\nforeigner, are egotistical and easily flattered. Saying \"mada mada\" won't\nchange their minds. So it's okay to make your Japanese persona a little more\nliveable by injecting it with your own native rhetorical norms.\n\nWho knows. You might even look like a movie star to them. ;)",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2016-01-08T07:00:55.513",
"id": "30282",
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"owner_user_id": "12155",
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"post_type": "answer",
"score": 0
}
] | 17922 | null | 17938 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17943",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "When used with a noun ために could have two meanings :\n\n> (1) 学生のために、奨学金がある。\n>\n> There are scholarships _for (the sake of)_ students.\n>\n> (2) 学生のために、学校の規則に従わなければならない。\n>\n> Since s/he is a student s/he has to obey the rules set by her/his school.\n\nWith the second meaning, it is possible to express \"the state of being a\nstudent\". Indeed, I can rephrase the second translation as \"Since s/he is in\nthe state of being a student s/he\" has to obey the rules set by her/his\nschool. Thus it is possible to express this state in the past.\n\n> (3) 学生だったために、学校の規則に従わなければならなかった.\n>\n> Since s/he was (in the state of being) a student, she had to obey the rules\n> set by her/his school.\n\nIn this sense of expressing a state, の is equivalent to である, right ?\n\nSo I can rephrase (2) as 学生であるために、... and since である and だ are somewhat\nequivalent I should be able to rewrite this as 学生なために (since な is the 連体形 of\nだ).\n\nSo the question is: Is all this possible or mere speculation ?",
"comment_count": 8,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T11:18:12.917",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17924",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-24T19:49:58.627",
"last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500",
"last_editor_user_id": "-1",
"owner_user_id": "4216",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "な, の, である and ために",
"view_count": 646
} | [
{
"body": "Yes, all the reasoning above is just mere speculation. Now is the why (I'm not\nsure to use the good terms so feel free to edit if you think it is necessary).\n\nThe major difference between だ and である is that である is a real verb (ie. it is\nnot defective) but だ is not. So there is no restriction in the use of the 連体形\nof である but according to [助動詞_(国文法)\n(wikipedia)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%A9%E5%8B%95%E8%A9%9E_%28%E5%9B%BD%E6%96%87%E6%B3%95%29)\n5th note below the fisrt chart there is this sentence the な-連体形 of だ is\nlimited to a few cases:\n\n> 助詞「の」「ので」「のに」等が続く場合に使われる。連体形だが名詞を修飾することはできない。なお、形容動詞を品詞と認めない立場では別の考え方になる。\n\nWhich translate to ([thanks to\nChoko](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/17934/4216)):\n\n> Those 連体形 (=「そうな」「べきな」「な」 and 「です」) can be followed by particles\n> 「の」「ので」「のに」etc...\n>\n\n>> 例: そうなの・べきなの・なの・ですの そうなので・べきなので・なので・ですので そうなのに・べきなのに・なのに・ですのに\n\n>\n> ... but cannot modify nouns (=cannot be followed by nouns).\n>\n\n>> 例: *そうな机・*べきな机・*な机・*です机\n\n>\n> By the way, those who don't recognize na-adjectives as a part of speech\n> (=those who deny na-adjectives) think differently (eg. they consider きれいな机\n> as \"きれい + 助動詞「だ(な)」+ noun\", not as \"na-adjective + noun\").\n\nThis explains why な could not be used in this case.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-24T19:49:58.627",
"id": "17943",
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"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.863",
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"owner_user_id": "4216",
"parent_id": "17924",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 1
}
] | 17924 | 17943 | 17943 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17958",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm writing a report for a class, and at first I wrote:\n\n> ［…］どのような批判があろう **が** ［…］\n\nBut then I sat back and thought, maybe it should actually be:\n\n> ［…］どのような批判があろう **と** ［…］\n\nBut now I'm not sure if there's actually a difference, or if there is, how it\nactually affects the meaning in this case. So... **do these actually have\ndifferent meanings/connotations?** And if so, how so?\n\nThanks for your help!",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T14:43:36.917",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17926",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-25T09:33:58.300",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "384",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"word-choice",
"meaning"
],
"title": "What is the difference between ～あろうが and ～あろうと?",
"view_count": 712
} | [
{
"body": "There is virtually no difference in meaning but there is a slight difference\nin nuance, therefore, in actual usage.\n\nUsing 「どのような批判があろう + が」 could make you sound a bit more defensive and/or\nexcited about your own opinion being presented than when using 「どのような批判があろう +\nと」. The latter would help show your composure as an author better than the\nformer.\n\nWithout knowing what you want to say in your report, however, it is difficult\nto say which one you should choose. The \"safer\" choice in general would be to\nuse 「と」, naturally.",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T09:33:58.300",
"id": "17958",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-25T09:33:58.300",
"last_edit_date": null,
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"owner_user_id": null,
"parent_id": "17926",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 3
}
] | 17926 | 17958 | 17958 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17931",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Example sentence:\n\n> オオカミのことばに **従い** 、 森に行った。\n\nWhat is the meaning of this construction? Does it have a special meaning?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T19:36:18.763",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17930",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T20:13:02.797",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-23T20:13:02.797",
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "4277",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"renyōkei"
],
"title": "What is the meaning of masu-stem + proposition",
"view_count": 1907
} | [
{
"body": "A bare ます-stem can be used to join sentences together, much like the て-form.\nAnother valid way to render this sentence would be as follows:\n\n> オオカミのことばに従って、森に行った。\n\nIn both cases it translates to \"In accordance with the wolf's words, [I] went\nto the woods.\"",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-23T20:05:40.347",
"id": "17931",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-23T20:05:40.347",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "4914",
"parent_id": "17930",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 4
}
] | 17930 | 17931 | 17931 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17934",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "On the\n[助動詞](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8A%A9%E5%8B%95%E8%A9%9E_%28%E5%9B%BD%E6%96%87%E6%B3%95%29)\nwikipedia page there is this sentence and I can't make sense of the part in\nbold:\n\n> 助詞「の」「ので」「のに」等が続く場合に使われる。連体形だが名詞を修飾することはできない。\n> **なお、形容動詞を品詞と認めない立場では別の考え方になる。**\n\nHere is my try :\n\n> (Those 連体形 are) only used when preceding things like 「の」「のに」「ので」. However, a\n> noun cannot use those 連体形 in order to modify (another element). Moreover,\n> from the view point which does not recognize na-adjectives and (???) parts\n> of speech, there is another way of thinking ???.\n\nMay somebody help me so as to understand this part?",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-23T20:24:18.260",
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"tags": [
"translation"
],
"title": "Meaning of XXをYYと認める：「形容動詞を品詞と認めない立場」",
"view_count": 305
} | [
{
"body": "I think it's saying...\n\nThose 連体形 (=「そうな」「べきな」「な」 and 「です」) can be followed by particles\n「の」「ので」「のに」etc...\n\n> 例: そうなの・べきなの・なの・ですの \n> そうなので・べきなので・なので・ですので \n> そうなのに・べきなのに・なのに・ですのに \n>\n\n... but cannot modify nouns (=cannot be followed by nouns).\n\n> 例: *そうな机・*べきな机・*な机・*です机 \n>\n\nBy the way, those who don't recognize na-adjectives as a part of speech\n(=those who deny na-adjectives) think differently (eg. they consider きれいな机 as\n\"きれい + 助動詞「だ(な)」+ noun\", not as \"na-adjective + noun\").\n\n* * *\n\nBy the way, the なお is not a 副詞/adverb (\"furthermore\") but a 接続詞/conjunction\n(\"ちなみに/by the way\").\n\nXXをYYと認める means \"recognize/consider XX as YY\".",
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] | 17932 | 17934 | 17934 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17939",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Entry 3734 of the 万葉集 reads as follows1:\n\n> 等【ト】保【ホ】伎【キ】山【やま】 世【セ】伎【キ】毛【モ】故【コ】要【エ】伎【キ】奴【ヌ】 伊【イ】麻【マ】左【サ】良【ラ】尓【ニ】\n> 安【ア】布【フ】倍【ベ】伎【キ】与【ヨ】之【シ】能【ノ】 奈【ナ】伎【キ】我【ガ】佐【サ】夫【ブ】之【シ】佐 【サ】\n\nTranscribed in more modern Japanese style, this reads:\n\n> 遠【とほ】き山【やま】関【せき】も越【こ】え来【き】ぬ今【いま】さらに逢【あ】ふべきよしのなきが寂【さぶ】しさ\n\nIt is noted that in certain 万葉集 transcriptions, the last four characters are\ntranscribed as 左【サ】必【ビ】之【シ】佐 【サ】 （寂【さび】しさ）. However, what interests me about\nthis alternate transcription is that the 万葉仮名 used for ビ is devoiced;\ngenerally it is read as 必【ヒ】. I do understand that, at least for the\nsubsequent thousand years or so, the marking of voicing was inconsistent at\nbest, but I was under the impression that in 上代特殊仮名遣【じょうだいとくしゅかなづかい】, a\ndistinction between voiced and voiceless consonants was in use.\n\nSo why is this read as ビ? Am I wrong that a 清濁 distinction is in use generally\nwithin the 万葉集?\n\nNote: incidentally, every other usage of 必【ヒ】 in the 万葉集 is devoiced. Sadly,\nthe reference above is the only usage of サビシ in the 万葉集.\n\n* * *\n\n### References\n\n1 <http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/manyoshu/Man15Yo.html>\n\n* * *\n\n**Note:** I originally mistakenly claimed that the 万葉仮名「夫」 was normally read\nas 夫【フ】. This is not true and I have updated the question to reflect this.",
"comment_count": 9,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T01:43:35.477",
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"tags": [
"readings",
"manyōgana"
],
"title": "Why is 左必之佐 read as サビシサ in 万葉集 entry 3734?",
"view_count": 252
} | [
{
"body": "[Rewritten from comments above.]\n\nRegarding the annotation 一云左必之佐, page 353 in 萬葉集三 (ISBN 4-00-240003-4) in the\n新日本古典文学大系 series says:\n\n>\n> 西本願寺本などには「一云左必之佐」の注記があるが、天治本・類聚古集・広瀬本など非仙覚本系の諸本にはそれがない。また、「左必之佐」の「必」は甲類の仮名であるが、「寂しさ」の意ならば「び」の仮名は乙類でなければならない。「一云左必之佐」の本文は、後世の竄入と思われる（有坂秀世『国語音韻史の研究』）。\n\nAs indicated, an analysis of the various manuscripts shows that this\nannotation does not appear in most of the manuscripts. More likely it was\nadded at a later period by someone. Who wrote it and when is unknown, but\nspeculation is possible. Several things can be noted:\n\n * If sabisi derives from sabusi, the /bi/ must be 乙類.\n * 必 is 甲類 rather than the expected 乙類.\n * 必 is non-voiced /pi/ rather than the expected /bi/.\n * 甲類 and 乙類 distinctions soon vanished after Old Japanese.\n * While 万葉仮名 is able to distinguish between voiced consonants, that distinction is not always made. Further, early hiragana and katakana lacked a means to distinguish voice, and even after a method was developed, it was not regularly used like in Modern Japanese.\n\nConsidering these clues together with the hypothesis that this annotation was\nadded at a later period, the following may be assumed:\n\n * A later scribe would be unable to distinguish between 甲類 and 乙類 sounds since this distinction is now no longer made.\n * The lack of voice distinctions may be normal a person of a later period.\n * Perhaps this annotation represents a translation from the now old sabusi to the newer sabisi.\n\nWhile much of this is supposition, in all likelihood this annotation was done\nby someone at in a later period.\n\n> Am I wrong that a 清濁 distinction is in use generally within the 万葉集?\n\nIn general, I would have to agree. However, there are exceptions even in 万葉集.\nQuote from 時代別国語大辞典：上代編, page 29: 万葉集では、清音仮名をもって濁音を写したと見なされる場合がややふえる（略）. These\nare not absolutes, so a bit of flexibility is needed at times. Note though\nthat this point is rather moot now with the supposition that this above\nannotation was added by a later scribe so it does not represent the original\n万葉集.",
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] | 17933 | 17939 | 17939 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17937",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I've been reading a text and all three of these come up 影 vs 形 vs 形状. I know\nthey mean shape/figure, but is there a more nuanced difference between them? I\ncan see the logic of where they are in the text but I can't figure out the\ndifference.",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T05:43:28.877",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"meaning",
"words",
"nuances",
"synonyms",
"wago-and-kango"
],
"title": "影 vs 形 vs 形状. What's the difference between them?",
"view_count": 638
} | [
{
"body": "If you are familiar with the general difference between on-readings (音読み) and\nkun-readings (訓読み), you already know the basic difference between 形【かたち】 (kun)\nand 形状【けいじょう】 (on).\n\n * 形 is used in informal conversations/writings and most of formal conversations, while 形状 is preferred in formal written texts or scientific articles.\n * Usually Japanese children learn 形【かたち】 first, and many Japanese idioms are based on 形【かたち】. (形作【かたちづく】り、形【かたち】をなす、形【かたち】から入る、形【かたち】ばかりの、...)\n * 形状 is frequently combined with other 音読み words to form longer phrases, as in 形状記憶合金 (shape-memory alloy).\n\nThe primary meaning of 影【かげ】 is _shadow_ or _silhouette_ , not _shape_ , in\nmodern Japanese. A few certain words, such as 月影【つきかげ】, contain 影 to mean\n_shape_ , but I think such usage is archaic or poetic.\n\n> 地図で見ると、イタリアは長靴のような形をしている。 : OK (Casual) \n> 地図で見ると、イタリアは長靴のような形状をしている。 : OK (Formal) \n> (*)地図で見ると、イタリアは長靴のような影をしている。: Incorrect (at least in modern Japanese)",
"comment_count": 2,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T09:35:45.233",
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] | 17935 | 17937 | 17937 |
{
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"body": "In which situations can I choose one of them to use?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-24T07:18:33.507",
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"post_type": "question",
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"tags": [
"grammar",
"particles"
],
"title": "What are the differences amongst 「ならびに」, 「かつ」 and 「および」?",
"view_count": 5834
} | [
{
"body": "They all translate to `and` in English. But, in Japanese, they are translated\ndifferently depending on how it is used.\n\n**および（及び）**\n\nThis is used when listing items. E.g. `A, B, and C` translates to `A、BおよびC`\n\n**ならびに（並びに）**\n\nThis is used when listing items that contain a subset of items.\n\nLet's say there are 3 groups A, B, and C. Also, let's say each group has\nanother three items. If you want to list all of them, it would be `A1,A2およびA3,\nB1,B2およびB3ならびにC1,C2およびC3`.\n\n**かつ**\n\nThere aren't any rules like those above. My impression is that `かつ` is used\nwhen you need some emphasis. For example, I get the impression that `AかつB`\nmeans A _must_ be true, _and_ B _must_ also be true. On the other hand,\n`AおよびB` simply means A and B.\n\n**と**\n\nThis also means `and`. This word can be used in both formal and informal\ncontext, but you probably don't often see it being used in legal documents. It\nis preferable to use `および`.\n\nBy the way, you may also come across `または`, `もしくは`, and `あるいは`. These all mean\n`or` in English. Just like the ones above, `または` is for flat lists, `もしくは` is\nfor nested lists (but you use `または` to connect nested lists), and `あるいは` is\nneither and can be used in both context.",
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{
"body": "# According to a dictionary...\n\n### 1. ならびに\n\n> `ならびに` ([接続]{せつぞく}):\n> [二]{ふた}つの[事柄]{ことがら}を[結]{むす}び[付]{つ}けて，[並列]{へいれつ}の[関係]{かんけい}にあることを[表]{あらわ}す。および。また。\n\n(From Daijirin Dictionary)\n\nTranslation:\n\n> `ならびに` (Conj.): Used to express that two things are connected and\n> linguistically parallel. _Similar_ to `および` and `また`.\n\n### 2. かつ\n\n> `かつ` ([副]{ふく}): 二つのことが[同時]{どうじ}にまたは[相前後]{あいぜんご}して[行]{おこな}われることを表す。\n>\n> `かつ` (接続): 二つの[動作]{どうさ}・[状態]{じょうたい}が[並行]{へいこう}あるいは[添加]{てんか}して行われることを表す。\n\n(From Daijirin Dictionary)\n\nTranslation:\n\n> `かつ` (Adv.): Used to express that two thing are done concurrently or near\n> time.\n>\n> `かつ` (Conj.): Used to express that a thing fulfills two conditions.\n\n# My opinion\n\n### 1. ならびに, および\n\n`ならびに` and `および` are written language usually. And they are also used in\npolite and formal speech especially in a scene that someone speaks to\naudience. In ordinary talk, `と` or `それと` can be used instead.\n\nIn most cases, `ならびに` can be replaced with `および`, `また`, and `さらに`.\n\nExample (On a event in a school, the principal is speaking to audience):\n\n```\n\n [地域]{ちいき}の[皆]{みな}さん、ならびに[保護者]{ほごしゃ}の[方]{かた}におかれましては、ご[足労]{そくろう}[頂]{いただ}きありがとうございます。\n (I would like to thank local residents and parents (of the students) for coming our school.)\n \n```\n\nabove is equal to:\n\n```\n\n 1. 地域の皆さん、および保護者の方におかれましては、ご足労頂きありがとうございます。\n 2. 地域の皆さん、また保護者の方におかれましては、ご足労頂きありがとうございます。\n 3. 地域の皆さん、さらに保護者の方におかれましては、ご足労頂きありがとうございます。\n \n```\n\n### 2. かつ\n\nDaijirin says that `かつ` are used as both conjunction and adverb but I can't\nclassify how it is used in many sentences. `かつ` can be used in ordinary, speak\nor polite language. The certain thing I know is that `ならびに` and `かつ` have\ndifferent meanings.\n\nThings and conditions connected with `かつ` are fulfilled at the same time.\n\nExample:\n\n```\n\n [彼]{かれ}は[笑]{わら}い、かつ[踊]{おど}った。\n (He laughed and danced.)\n \n```\n\nAnd also it's used in math / programming. If I want to pronounce `A ∩ B = C`\n(Set theory),\n\n```\n\n A かつ B [は]{wa} C\n \n```\n\nIf I want to pronounce `if(a == b && c == d)` (C programming language),\n\n```\n\n 1. もし a イコール b かつ c イコール d なら\n 2. もし a は b に[等]{ひと}しく、かつ c は d に[等]{ひと}しいなら\n \n```\n\n# Thus\n\n * `ならびに` and `および` can be used when you want to write polite sentences.\n\n * `ならびに` and `および` can also be used when you speak to audience.\n\n * `かつ` can be used when you want to describe two conditions that are fulfilled at the same time.",
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] | 17936 | null | 18135 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17941",
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"body": "From what I can see people are forced to use the term of a younger or older\nbrother/sister oneesan, oniisan, etc.\n\nBut what do you call a brother or sister if they're the same age as you?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T15:36:41.090",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 12,
"tags": [
"terminology"
],
"title": "What do you call brothers or sisters of the same age?",
"view_count": 8772
} | [
{
"body": "I think that even twins, born only moments apart, are considered to be older\nand younger based on who was born first. So even if you're both twenty years\nold, the normal rules apply.\n\nThat's why you can say things like 双子のお兄さん \"older twin brother\".",
"comment_count": 5,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T15:52:28.883",
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] | 17940 | 17941 | 17941 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17946",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "There is a question in my Japanese book to translate a sentence. This is how I\ntranslated it:\n\n> わたし の てがみ の うえ の つくえ を よまないで。\n\nBut, this is how my book translated it:\n\n> つくえ の うえ の わたし の てがみ を よまないで。\n\nAre there any differences in meaning or nuance? Or is it acceptable to use\neither one?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T20:17:10.790",
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"id": "17944",
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"owner_user_id": "6821",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"usage",
"meaning",
"particle-の"
],
"title": "Do these two questions differ in any way?",
"view_count": 129
} | [
{
"body": "In the first sentence, you are talking about the desk, specifically, \"don't\nread the desk.\" The rest of the sentence describes more about the desk (on top\nof the letter of mine).\n\nIn the second sentence, the letter is marked as the object, and is the thing\nthat is not to be read.",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T20:34:09.720",
"id": "17945",
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{
"body": "The direct object particle を stands next to the word of phrase that is the\ndirect object in your sentence. This phrase in your translation is 「わたし の てがみ\nの うえ の つくえ」.\n\nTo analyse the meaning of this phrase, let's look at its parts:\n\n「わたし の てがみ」 - My letter. \n「わたし の てがみ の うえ」 - Above my letter. \n「わたし の てがみ の うえ の つくえ」 - The desk above my letter.\n\nSo the direct object phrase is then \"the desk above my letter\" and your\nsentence is \"Don't read the desk above my letter\".\n\nSee how を stands next to the direct object \"desk\" and the rest of the phrase\nis used to further describe the desk. In your sentence, を stands next to the\nletter and makes the letter the direct object while the other part of the\nphrase describes the letter. So the book's translation sentence is \"Don't read\nmy letter on the desk\" or in better English \"Don't read my letter which is on\nthe desk\".",
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}
] | 17944 | 17946 | 17946 |
{
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"body": "what does\n\n> ではないか\n\nmean in the sentence below? And can someone please translate it?\n\n> 耳に馴染みのない方も多いのではないかと思いますが、 (after that he explains the word)....",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T21:40:05.277",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 6,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"translation"
],
"title": "ではないか Grammar translation",
"view_count": 2537
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{
"body": "A は B ではないか is asking \"isn't A (=) B?\", and here used as a (stylized)\n_rhetorical question_ , i.e. meaning \"I think that A is B\".\n\nSince A と思いますが is \"I think that A, but ...\", we are also dealing with an\n_ellipsis_ (assuming you're quoting the whole sentence).\n\nIn any case, both figures of speech are very commonly used in Japanese.\n\nUnfortunate for a straight-forward translation is that basically both parts\ntranslate to \"I think that\". In English, we can try to translate it like\n\n> 耳に馴染みのない方も多いの **ではないか** ¹ と思いますが **…**² \n> I think that a number of people **might** ¹ not be familiar with [this]\n> **…**²",
"comment_count": 1,
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}
] | 17947 | null | 17948 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17950",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "Reading an article on NHK, it starts with this sentence about the missing\nAlgerian plane. The French foreign minister says that it probably crashed in\nnorthern Mali:\n\n>\n> 西アフリカのブルキナファソからアルジェリアに向かう途中消息を絶ったアルジェリア航空の旅客機について、最も多くの乗客が乗っていたフランスのファビウス外相は、２つの国の間に位置するマリの北部で墜落したという見方を示しました\n\nThe part I'm confused about is this:\n\n> 最も多くの乗客が乗っていた\n\nThis seems to mean that \"most passengers were on board\" when the plane\ncrashed. Is that what it means? Where else would they be?",
"comment_count": 2,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T22:01:51.153",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"translation"
],
"title": "Understanding the phrase 「最も多くの乗客が乗っていた」 from a news article",
"view_count": 243
} | [
{
"body": "It's a relative clause. You need to look at it with the following head noun:\n\n> 最も多くの乗客が乗っていた **フランス** \n> _' **France** , which had the most passengers on board'_\n\nFrance had more passengers on board than other nations.",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-24T22:33:31.947",
"id": "17950",
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] | 17949 | 17950 | 17950 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17983",
"answer_count": 4,
"body": "Person A : \"I am sick today\"\n\nPerson B : \"Oh no!\"\n\nHow do the Japanese express feelings of negative shock towards bad news? What\nwould Person B say in Japanese?",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T03:02:32.967",
"favorite_count": 0,
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"score": 6,
"tags": [
"translation",
"expressions"
],
"title": "\"Oh no!\" - How do the Japanese express feelings of negative shock towards bad news?",
"view_count": 19672
} | [
{
"body": "That depends on the actual thing they’re expressing shock toward, formality,\netc. just like in any language.\n\nVarious interjections include まさか, しまった (my go-to interjection when something\nupsets me and I’d say “oh balls” or “aw shit” in English), うわぁ, うそだろう, あら（ま）,\n大変だ, etc.\n\nSomething like “I’m sorry for your loss” as a reaction to very bad news would\nbe お悔やみを申し上げます.",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T04:27:59.410",
"id": "17953",
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{
"body": "Just adding to the list: you can use 残念だ as a reaction.\n\nAs an aside.. Otherwise, for any illness you generally can say お大事に or お大事にどうぞ\nor お大事にしてください, etc. In English, this would be like saying \"Get well soon\".",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T20:24:12.343",
"id": "17968",
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{
"body": "As for some sort of unfortunate event, there's the good old 気の毒 as well. 可哀そう\ncould work in certain circumstances too. Or, as mentioned, 残念 too. It's all\nvery circumstantial as user1713450 points out.\n\n> Aさん： は～、昨日、うちの猫が死んでもうたんよ。 \n> Sigh... my cat kicked the bucket yesterday. \n> Bさん： えっ！？ほんま？あんなに元気やったのに？ **気の毒** やわぁ。 \n> What! You're shitting me? He was so full of life the last time I saw him...\n> that's terrible.\n\nor\n\n> Aさん： は～、しんどッ、風邪気味やわ。 \n> Ah man, I'm dying. I feel like I caught a cold. \n> Bさん： **かわいそうに** 。最近がんばりすぎなんちゃう？はよ帰って寝といてや。 \n> Poor you. Don't ya think maybe you've been pushing yourself a bit too hard\n> recently? Hurry up and get home and get some rest.\n\nWhy not in standard Japanese? Because it's more fun and \"real\" this way.",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T10:53:54.210",
"id": "17975",
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{
"body": "Depends on the case - there are many ways to express a negative surprise.\n\nExample using 大変ですね which expresses some, but not excessive sympathy and\ncannot be used for \"really bad\" news. In some case can sound ironic, so be\ncareful:\n\n> * 今朝、寝坊しました。// I overslept today\n> * 大変ですね！ - // literally \"so hard isn't it?\", actually kind of \"i am sorry\n> for you\" but without excessive sympathy.\n>\n\nAnother example with 大変, this time much stronger one:\n\n> * 火事だ！ // It's fire!\n> * あら！大変！ // literally \"hard\", actually kind of \"oh no!\"\n>\n\nAn example using 残念:\n\n> * ハズレだ！ // (the lottery ticket) did not win\n> * 残念ですね。// literally \"regretful, isn't it?\", actually \"I am sorry for\n> you\".\n>\n\nAn example using どうしよう:\n\n> * 津波だ！逃げろ！ // Tsunami is coming! Run!\n> * やばい、どうしよう。 // literally \"horrible, what should I (we) do?\", actually\n> expresses some distraction and (negative) surprise.\n>\n\nAn example using びっくり:\n\n> In this situation a person is surprised by a something in the dark but then\n> it turned out it was a cat: - びっくりした！！！ // Literally means \"I was\n> surprised!\", actually it means \"I was surprised\" but expressing kind of\n> relief.\n\nAs for actual \"I am sick today\" the following would sound very natural:\n\n> * 風邪をひいてしまった。 // I'v got a cold today\n> * 大丈夫？お大事に！ // Are you ok? Get well soon! (お大事に) is an etiquette word used\n> to express sympathy for one's sickness. The full variant is お大事にしてください。\n>\n\nAn example using 嫌だ (いやだ), heard extremely often, especially among women:\n\n> * 施術しなければなりません。// You must do surgery...\n> * 嫌だ〜！ // Literally \"I hate it\", actually a common expression of negative\n> surprise.\n>\n\nAn example using 嘘 (うそ), used quite often too:\n\n> * ○○ちゃんは事故った。 // Ms. ○○ got into an accident.\n> * 嘘？ // Literally \"lying?\", actually a common expression of negative\n> surprise and disbelief.\n>\n\nFinally, an examples which is little rude, but still heard very often:\n\n> * やっぱり、動かないんだ。まいった! // Apparently it does not work. What a bummer!\n>",
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}
] | 17952 | 17983 | 17983 |
{
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"body": "I understand that ことになる has the meaning \"It has been decided that\" and can be\nused to point to a ritual or habit of a society like taking off your shoes.\n\nHowever, I don't get what it means when it is like this:\n\n> あすで１週間雨が降りつづくことになる。\n\nHow is that different from say,\n\n> あすで１週間雨が降りつづくようになる。",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T06:04:23.120",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17954",
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"owner_user_id": "3754",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 16,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "How do ことになる and ようになる differ? (When ことになる cannot = \"It has been decided that\")",
"view_count": 6749
} | [
{
"body": "Where did you see the first example? It doesn’t make sense to me unless you\nbelieve in the Greek gods and are saying it has been decided (by them) that it\nwill continue to rain.\n\nThe verb that precedes ことになる must be one that is capable of being decided and\ndone. Natural phenomena out of the hands of human beings, cannot ことになる.\n\nYou are likely getting confused because in English, “to decide” can mean\neither “decide to take an action” or “decide some fact will come to pass.”\n\nIn the case of it continuing to rain, this would be a decision (conclusion,\nactually) that some fact will come to pass. This is _not_ what you use ことになる\nfor. You use it for the “decide to take an action” one.\n\nThink of ことになる as a passive form of ことにする\n\nピザを食べることにした = I decided to eat pizza. ピザを食べることになった = It was decided that\n(we/I/he) would eat pizza.",
"comment_count": 2,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T11:12:58.583",
"id": "17959",
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"body": "> １週間雨が降りつづくことになる。 is totally fine. \n> \"it will end up raining for a week\" \n> １週間雨が降りつづくようになる。 is very strange. \n> \"it will come to be that it rains for a week\" \n> １週間雨が降りつづくようだ。 is fine. \n> \"it appears that it will rain for a week\"\n\nUsing user1713450's pizza example:\n\n> ピザを食べることにした \n> \"I decided to eat pizza\" \n> ピザを食べることになった \n> \"I ended up eating pizza\" \n> ピザを食べるようになった \n> \"I came to eat pizza\" \n> ピザを食べるようにした \n> \"I made an effort to eat pizza\"",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T14:54:06.837",
"id": "17962",
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{
"body": "First, I must clearly state that \" **it has been decided that ~~** \" is a\nhighly overrated translation of 「～～ことになる」 among J-learners. Truth is that that\nis not what it means even half the time.\n\n「あすで１週間雨{しゅうかんあめ}が降{ふ}りつづくことになる。」 means \" **It will have ended up raining a\nwhole week**.\" It has already been raining for 6 straight days now (at the\ntime of utterance) and the weather forecast says that it will rain again\ntomorrow.\n\nA more natural or less stiff way to say this would be\n「もし明日{あす}も雨だったら、（これで）一週間雨が降り続{つづ}いたことになる。」, but virtually all native speakers\nwould understand 「あすで１週間雨が降りつづくことになる。」.\n\nHere, 「ことになる」 means \" **to end up (in a certain way)** \" and that is already a\nvery common usage of the expression.\n\nYour second sentence 「あすで１週間雨が降りつづく **よう** になる。」, however, makes little sense,\nI am afraid.\n\n「ことになる」 refers to (and focuses on) the final result whether it happened\nnaturally or someone made it happen on purpose.\n\n「ようになる」 focuses on the change from one situation to another. \"It was like A\nbefore but it is like B now.\" e.g. 「去年{きょねん}までは泳{およ}げなかったが、今年{ことし}からは泳げる\n**ようになった** 。」 In this example sentence, you cannot replace the 「ようになった」part\nwith a 「ことになった」 because it talks about a **change** in one's swimming ability.",
"comment_count": 4,
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}
] | 17954 | 17963 | 17963 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17956",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I have learned from my previous studies that it is `みんで`.\n\nHowever, Google translate seems to give me the answer `みて`.\n\nWhich is correct?",
"comment_count": 7,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T06:15:53.933",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17955",
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"score": 0,
"tags": [
"て-form"
],
"title": "What is the て-form of みます?",
"view_count": 226
} | [
{
"body": "If you are talking about [見]{み}ます/見る, the て-form is 見て。",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T06:24:43.383",
"id": "17956",
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"body": "If OP really wanted to make a distinction between みる and みます, then the te-\nforms would be:\n\n> みる ⇒ みて\n>\n> みます ⇒ みまして",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T08:15:27.837",
"id": "17957",
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}
] | 17955 | 17956 | 17956 |
{
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"body": "I know it's a complicated grammar concept that even Japanese don't fully get,\nbut I'd like to know what's the difference between\n\n明日は火曜日です and 明日が火曜日です\n\nThey way I understand it, in the second sentence you're indicating that\ntomorrow, and not any other day, is Tuesday. And in the first one, you're\nindicating that tomorrow is Tuesday, and not any other day.\n\nWould this be correct?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T11:42:54.183",
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"id": "17960",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"word-choice",
"particle-は",
"particle-が",
"は-and-が"
],
"title": "明日が/明日は, what's the difference?",
"view_count": 383
} | [
{
"body": "The former (明日は…) is an answer to a question \"What day is tomorrow?\" while the\nlatter (明日が…) is that to \"When is Tuesday?\".\n\nEdit: \"Topic\" stands for imformation that's suggested in the preceding\ncontext, so when we see 明日は…, we can imagine some contexts that include \"明日\"\ne.g. \"明日は何曜日？\". On the other hand, 明日が火曜日 is inversion of 火曜日は明日, and we can\nthink of one that includes 火曜日 e.g. \"火曜日はいつ？\".",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-25T16:12:05.950",
"id": "17964",
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{
"body": "明日が... Siginifies specificity and maybe importance (I think), e.g., 明日が会議 or\n明日が試合。明日は seems to imply something more vague or mundane, e.g. 明日は仕事 or\n明日は暇。You wouldn't say 明日が暇だ。\n\nSo, 明日は火曜日 is \"tomorrow is (just a) Tuesday,\" whereas 明日が火曜日 might be more\nlike, \"Dude, tomorrow is THE Tuesday, when something special is happening.\"\nAnd when you turn it in to a question, 明日が火曜日？may imply, \"Tomorrow is Tuesday?\nThe day I have to do a lot of important crap?\"",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T07:44:43.380",
"id": "17972",
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}
] | 17960 | null | 17964 |
{
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"body": "I'm having trouble trying to understand a fragment from a dialogue between two\nstudents in the book \"An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese\".\n\nI do know that 今度 means \"now\", \"next time\", or \"another time\", and 一度 means\n\"once\". But in the conversation between the two students they use 今度一度:\n\n> 加藤: でも上手じゃありませんよ。\n>\n> トム: **今度一度** やりましょうか。\n\nHow should I understand 今度一度 in the previous fragment of the dialogue?",
"comment_count": 4,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-25T16:50:07.183",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17965",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-25T20:16:25.570",
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"owner_user_id": "6812",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"words"
],
"title": "Problem understanding 今度一度",
"view_count": 501
} | [
{
"body": "First, 「[今度]{こんど}」 can be used to refer to an event occuring in all of the\nthree time frames below:\n\n> The recent past\n>\n> The present\n>\n> The near future\n\nThough I have no idea what bilingual dictionaries say about this, you could\nverify this with any medium-size monolingual Japanese dictionary. Which one of\nthe three the word 「今度」 refers to will entirely depend on the context.\n\nWhen the World Cup ended the other day, I said to a few people,\n「今度のワールドカップはなんかつまんなかったね。」 = \"The World Cup this time was kinda boring, wasn't\nit?\" (I said it because Japan got eliminated very quickly.)\n\n> In the phrase 「[今度一度]{こんどいちど}」, 「今度」 can only mean one thing out of the\n> three mentioned above. That is \"in the near future\". It does not\n> specifically have to be \"the very next time\" [加藤]{かとう} and トム meet. It just\n> means \"one of the next few (but not many) times we are meeting in the near\n> future.\"\n\n「一度」 does not have to be translated as \"once\" everytime you see it. In the\nphrase 「今度一度」, 「一度」 just means \"sometime\".\n\n> 「今度一度」, therefore, means \"sometime soon\", \"sometime in the near future\", or\n> even just \"next time\".",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-08-12T02:00:39.703",
"id": "18210",
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{
"body": "As you understand, in this case, \"今度\" means \"next time\" or \"another time\". And\n\"一度\" means \"once\".\n\nThe problem is relationship between word.\n\n\"once\" is related to after part.\n\n\"一度やりましょうか\" means \"Let's try one time\". Then add \"今度\"(next time). \"Let's play\none time, in next time.\".\n\nEx. (Tom: Mr.Kato, do you play tennis?) \n(Kato: I play tennis before.) \n加藤: でも上手じゃありませんよ。 \n-> Kato: But, I'm not good player. \nトム: 今度一度やりましょうか。 \n-> Tom: Let's play one game, next time.",
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] | 17965 | null | 18210 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": null,
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"body": "I was reading a page (<http://kids.goo.ne.jp/shirabemono/detail.html?id=153>),\nbut I couldn't understand this phrase:\n\n> 音楽は、音をきいたり **かなでたり** して楽しむものだね。\n\nI understand the \"tari form\" (or whatever it is called) is being used here,\nfirst with 聞く, then with another verb. But I couldn't figure out which verb is\nかなでたり.\n\nSo, which verb is it?\n\nThank you.",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T02:12:45.503",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": -1,
"tags": [
"words",
"verbs"
],
"title": "Understanding かなでたり",
"view_count": 172
} | [
{
"body": "奏でる, which is the verb “to play” when talking about, among other instruments,\nthe guitar (can also use 弾く、かき鳴らす) and the violin.\n\nYou should also note for future reference that the only way a verb can end\nwith an え-row kana and then たり is if たり replaced る.",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T04:56:47.167",
"id": "17971",
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] | 17970 | null | 17971 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17974",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "How can I express the idea that one word sounds like another?\n\nAs a concrete example, I wanted to say, `「フライアー」sounds like 「fryer」`.\n\nLooking in dictionaries\n([wadoku](http://wadoku.de/search/klingen%20wie%C2%A0%E2%80%A6)/[jisho](http://beta.jisho.org/search/sound%20like))\nfor \"sound like\" turns up 「がましい」, but I could only find [one example sentence\nwith that phrase on tatoeba](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/170904),\nand it was used in a different way (\"that sounds too forward\").\n\nIs there a better way to express what I want to say? Or, if がましい is actually\ncorrect, how exactly would I use this expression?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T08:28:31.057",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 5,
"tags": [
"translation",
"phrase-requests"
],
"title": "How to express \"X sounds like Y\"",
"view_count": 6138
} | [
{
"body": "I think you can use\n\n> XXはYYのように聞こえる \n> XXはYYみたいに聞こえる \n> XXはYYに聞こえる \n> XXはYYに(音が)似ている \n> XXはYYみたい(だ) \n> etc.\n\nFor example...\n\n> 「Sit down please」は「しらんぷり」のように聞こえます。 \n> 「I get off」って、「揚げ豆腐」みたいに聞こえるね。(casual) \n> 「フライアー」は、「fryer」に聞こえます。 \n> 「You know me」は、「湯飲み」に(音が)似ていますね。 \n> 「What time」って、「掘った芋」みたいだね。(casual) \n>\n\n* * *\n\nがましい is used in set phrases like\nおこがましい、差し出がましい、未練がましい、押し付けがましい、言い訳がましい、恩着せがましい...",
"comment_count": 2,
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"id": "17974",
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] | 17973 | 17974 | 17974 |
{
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"body": "Even here in Osaka I don't hear it very often among anyone even remotely\nyoung, but where does this come from originally? Does anyone have a reference\non hand?\n\nIf I myself had to guess from what I know of classical Japanese I would think\nit could be\n\n（打ち消し）ぬ → （連用形）に + あり + たり → にありたり → にありた → なりた → なんだ\n\nThanks.",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T11:04:53.680",
"favorite_count": 0,
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"score": 2,
"tags": [
"etymology",
"classical-japanese",
"kansai-ben"
],
"title": "The origins of なんだ as in 飲まなんだ or せなんだ",
"view_count": 181
} | [
{
"body": "According to a dictionary,\n\n> この語の成立については未詳。一説に「ぬあった」の転かともいう\n\n[source](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%81%AA%E3%82%93%E3%81%A0)",
"comment_count": 1,
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"creation_date": "2014-08-04T10:23:26.183",
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}
] | 17976 | null | 18112 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17980",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I'm playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past（ゼルダの伝説：神々のトライフォース）and this\nsentence came up (spoken by one of the 7 maidens):\n\n> ハイリアの民は、ふしぎな力を \n> あやつることが、できたと言います。\n\nI think this means \"It is said that the Hylian people could harness/manipulate\na mysterious power.\". Why did they use `と言います` instead of `と言われています`? I\nthought that's how you'd indicate a myth or some widely-believed story.",
"comment_count": 6,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T18:26:02.760",
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"score": 4,
"tags": [
"verbs",
"conjugations"
],
"title": "と言います vs．と言われています",
"view_count": 1605
} | [
{
"body": "The difference is very subtle, but there is a difference. With `と言います`, it\nsounds as if the myth is actually true or people somehow believe it. With\n`と言われています`, it sounds as if it is an actual myth. There is no rule that says\nyou must use `と言われています` when indicating a myth.\n\nI've never played the game, but you can probably infer that the maiden\nactually believes the myth and she is informing the player about it. That's at\nleast the impression I get with `と言います`, but again, the difference is very\nsubtle. It makes sense with either way.",
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{
"body": "It is very natural to interpret the sentence in the first way, as a Japanese\nnative speaker. However, the punctuation is not correct. ハイリアの民は、ふしぎな力を\nあやつることができた、と言います。 is more correct.\n\nIf you would like to say in the latter manner, the following sentences are\nappropriate: in a present sense, ハイリアの民は、ふしぎな力を あやつることできる、と言っています。 or, in a\npast sense, ハイリアの民は、ふしぎな力を あやつることできる、と言っていました。.",
"comment_count": 4,
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"creation_date": "2014-08-01T14:40:40.777",
"id": "18078",
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}
] | 17977 | 17980 | 17980 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17979",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I saw [this scathing review of KY式日本語 on Amazon\nJP](http://www.amazon.co.jp/review/R3CBZ2EMKYPEOD/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=4469221961&channel=detail-\nglance&nodeID=465392&store=books). This is the full sentence I'm asking about:\n\n> 出版する意味を感じられない本は多数世に出ているが、これほど無駄な本というのもまた珍しい\n\nIgnoring the もまた part, what I get from this is\n\n> While a lot of books where I don't see the point of publishing has come out,\n> a \"book\" of such pointlessness is rare.\n\nWhen used together, もまた seems to be used a lot of times in the sense of \"too\"\nor \"again\", but it seems a bit odd if I interpreted it that way here.\n\nI'm wondering if perhaps [this definition from\n大辞泉](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%88%E3%83%BB%E5%BE%A9%E3%83%BB%E4%BA%A6?dic=daijirin&oid=DJR_mata_-030)\nis a better fit in this context.\n\n> ④ （上にくる副詞を強めて）驚きいぶかしむ気持ちを表す。それにつけても。 「よく－そんなことが言えたものだ」 「どうして－そんなことをしたのだ」\n\n(Side question: does 上にくる副詞 mean the adverbs that follows また?)\n\nThough that would still leave me in the dark about も's function here.\n\nThoughts?",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-26T22:09:54.563",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 2,
"tags": [
"grammar"
],
"title": "What's the meaning of も and また in 「これほど無駄な本というのもまた珍しい」?",
"view_count": 1992
} | [
{
"body": "Side question first, so I will not forget. Whenever you see a 「上」 or 「下」 in an\nexplanation in a Japanese dictionary, \"Think Vertical\" as in \"vertical\nwriting\" and take the words 「上」 and 「下」 literally. 「上」 refers to what precedes\nsomething and 「下」, what folllows. Thus, 「上に来る副詞」 refers to 「よく」 and 「どうして」,\nrespectively, in the example expressions.\n\nOn to the main question, we use 「も」 and 「また」 very often to NOT mean \"also\" or\n\"again\". This is clearly a weak point for many J-learners, which is why I have\nanswered this same question dozens of times.\n\n> In the sentence,\n> 「[出版]{しゅっぱん}する[意味]{いみ}を[感]{かん}じられない[本]{ほん}は[多数]{たすう}[世]{よ}に[出]{で}ているが、これほど[無駄]{むだ}な本というのもまた[珍]{めずら}しい。」,\n\nBoth 「も」 and 「また」 are used to express the speaker's sense of surprise (at how\nuseless this particular book is). The author could have used only the 「も」, but\nhe added a 「また」 for extra emphasis. Again, these words do not mean \"too\",\n\"also\" or \"again\" in this context.\n\n> To use as much of your own TL as possible, the senmtence means \"While many\n> books where I don't see the point of publishing have come out, a book of\n> such pointlessness is extremely rare.\"\n\nReference:\n\n「も」 Meaning 一-5 in:\n[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%82%82?dic=daijisen&oid=18174500](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%82%82?dic=daijisen&oid=18174500)\n\n「また」 Meaning 一-5 in:\n[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%88?dic=daijisen&oid=17319800](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%88?dic=daijisen&oid=17319800)",
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}
] | 17978 | 17979 | 17979 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17982",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I'm having trouble understanding a translation I've encountered in Makino and\nTsutsui's _Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese grammar_ , under とする1.\n\nThe original sentence is as follows:\n\n> 一男【かずお】を養子【ようし】とすることには **依存【いぞん】** はない。\n\nWhich the textbook translates into:\n\n> I have no **objection** to regarding Kazuo as our adopted son.\n\nAccording to the dictionaries, 依存 can only assume the meaning of \"dependence\",\nnot \"objection\".\n\nデジタル大辞泉:\n\n> 「依存」とは、他に頼って存在、または生活すること。「会の運営を寄付金に―する」「―心」\n\nEDICT:\n\n> dependence; dependent; reliance\n\nWhich should make the original sentence, given the lack of any context,\ntranslate into something like this:\n\n> There is no dependence on regarding Kazuo as (our) adopted child. (???)\n\nThe meaning of this sentence is unclear, although it would have probably made\nmore sense given the broader context that I don't have.\n\nMy question is whether it is possible for 依存 to be interpreted as \"objection\"\nin this (or any other) sentence and why.",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T04:05:59.930",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 1,
"tags": [
"translation",
"words"
],
"title": "Can 依存はない mean \"no objection\"?",
"view_count": 353
} | [
{
"body": "Who wrote this textbook?\n\nThe word it should have used is 「異存」, not 「依存」.\n\nBoth words are pronounced いぞん but only 異存 will fit in the context.\n\n「異存」 means \"objection\".\n\n「異存はない」 means \"to have no objection\"",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-27T04:27:02.083",
"id": "17982",
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"score": 12
}
] | 17981 | 17982 | 17982 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17985",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I've read from many grammar books that when we are talking about a third\npeople thinking about something, we must use 思っている, and it means \"think\"\ninstead of \"be thinking\". For example:\n\n> * スミスさんは日本の物価は高いと思っている is correct\n> * スミスさんは日本の物価は高いと思う is considered incorrect\n>\n\nI've tried to find the reason, however, any documents I could find states only\nthe rule without explanation. I really wish to know if there are any\ngrammatical or cultural reasons for this.",
"comment_count": 3,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-27T05:58:38.267",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "17984",
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"last_edit_date": "2014-07-27T09:22:35.550",
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"owner_user_id": "6893",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 5,
"tags": [
"grammar",
"usage",
"nuances"
],
"title": "Why do we have to use ている form of 思う with third person subject",
"view_count": 1835
} | [
{
"body": "There are a few verbs that do this. It's not just 思う but also 考える.\n\nI tried coming up with an English parallel but after a few goes decided that\nthey don't work. The source difference as I see it is that the Japanese\nlanguage has a stricter account of philosophy of mind that works from the idea\nthat we don't have access to the thoughts and feelings of others.\n\nThus, in Japanese, Verbs about people's thought processes and other things\nthat are somewhat opaque to observes work a little differently than things\nthat are openly apparent (e.g. kicking a ball).\n\nIt's a little Wittgenstinian, but there's really a difference in meanings\nbetween:\n\n> I feel sad\n>\n> I think we should have no nuclear weapons\n\n--\n\n> He feels sad\n>\n> He thinks we should have no nuclear weapons\n\nIn the former case, the normal interpretation with mental verbs is that you\ncannot be wrong as you are expressing with the sentence your thoughts. In the\nlatter, what we mean is that someone _appears_ to have that thought, feeling,\nor emotion, because we don't have direct access to these things.\n\nWhy does this block 思う but not 思っている. I think Darius's example to a near-\nduplicate is great on that point. The instant duration of the simple verb form\nis different than the ~ている form which expresses of a duration. Also, his\nanswer explains why the past tenses are different.\n\nWith your example pair, we can say both in English. But the meaning of the\nword \"thinks\" if we render your sentence in English means that Smith makes the\njudgment that Japan has high prices.\n\n* * *\n\nI found this\n[explanation](http://s-ir.sap.hokkyodai.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/123456789/929/1/59-1-zinbun-03.pdf):\n\n> 「と思う」は,もっぱら発話時における話者自身の命題に対する蓋然的判断を表す。したがって,「と思う」\n> が文末に現れている文は主語が一人称に限られる。なお,「思っている」のようなテイル形や「思っ た/て いる\n> らしい」のようにタ形やテイル形にムードが後接している場合は,他者の思考内容を表すことも可能\n> となるため,人称制限が無くなる。この場合の「思っている」などは本動詞的に用いられ,文全体は一般的 な引用構文となる。\n>\n> このように,「~と思う」は,発話時における話者の命題に対する態度を示すという点において「だろう」...\n\nThe relevant point is that the dictionary form indicates the speaker's view at\nthe 発話時 (moment of utterance). Assuming you don't have access to other\npeople's thoughts instantly, you need to use a stative construction to express\nwhat is inside their heads and inaccessible.",
"comment_count": 10,
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{
"body": "```\n\n と思っている talks about the current state of things: \"is thinking\"\n と思う talks about what will happen or what always happens.\n \n cf.\n \n ご飯を食べている\n I am eating.\n ご飯を食べる\n I eat (habitually).\n I will eat.\n \n```\n\nDoes that help show why it sounds weird to use 思う in this kind of situation?",
"comment_count": 3,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-28T04:28:59.427",
"id": "18005",
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"owner_user_id": "6841",
"parent_id": "17984",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": -2
}
] | 17984 | 17985 | 17985 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "18008",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "As explained in the thread [Difference between そうです、 ようです and\nらしいです.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/16312/difference-\nbetween-%E3%81%9D%E3%81%86%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99-%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99-and-%E3%82%89%E3%81%97%E3%81%84%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99),\nwhen describing what you think are the thoughts of another person, might\n「思っているようです。」 be more appropriate than 「思っている。」?\n\n(1) ~~今{いま}の景気{けいき}では、Bobさんによれば、株価{かぶか}が高{たか}いと思っている。~~ \n(2) ~~今の景気では、Bobさんによれば、株価が高いと思っているようです。~~\n\nI think that #2 sounds better.\n\nOther than speaking for myself, or a group that I represent, is not\n「思っているようです」 the better option? After all, you are only capable of stating what\nyou think the other person appears to be thinking.",
"comment_count": 5,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T11:37:37.303",
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"id": "17986",
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"last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.740",
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"owner_user_id": "4835",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"verbs"
],
"title": "「思っているようです。」or 「思っている。」 for describing another person's opinion",
"view_count": 609
} | [
{
"body": "I think #2 is a little more natural especially in everyday conversation.\nHowever, #1 is still often found in articles or such.\n\noff-topic: If you want to use ～によれば, it's 「…によれば今の…では株価が高い。」, 「・・・株価が高いそうだ」 or\n「・・・株価が高いとのこと(だ)」\n\nBobさんによれば株価が高いと思っている(ようだ) means \"Bob said he/she (not Bob himself) thinks\nstock price is high for the current economy\".",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T13:15:22.187",
"id": "17991",
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"body": "I would say\n\n> ボブさんは、物価が高いと思っている。(casual form) \n> ボブさんは、物価が高いと思っています。(polite form) \n> (not *ボブさんは、物価が高いと思う。/ *ボブさんは、物価が高いと思います。)\n\nto say \"Bob thinks that prices are high\",\n\n> ボブさんは、物価が高いと思っているようだ。(casual form) \n> ボブさんは、物価が高いと思っているようです。(polite form)\n\nto say \"It seems that Bob thinks prices are high\", and\n\n> ボブさんによれば、物価が高いそうだ。(casual form) \n> ボブさんによれば、物価が高いそうです。(polite form)\n\nto say \"According to Bob, prices are high\" (or \"Bob says that prices are\nhigh.\") \n\n* * *\n\nIf I heard/read\n\n> ボブさんによれば、物価が高いと思っているようだ。(casual form) \n> ボブさんによれば、物価が高いと思っているようです。(polite form)\n\nI would feel like asking \"誰が(物価が高いと思っているの)？(Who thinks that prices are high?)\"\n\nI would rather expect something like\n\n> ボブさんによれば、XXさんは物価が高いと思っているようだ。(casual form) \n> ボブさんによれば、XXさんは物価が高いと思っているようです。(polite form)\n\nwhich means \"According to Bob, (it seems that) XX thinks that prices are\nhigh\", or\n\n> ボブさんによれば、XXさんは物価が高いと思っているそうだ。(casual form) \n> ボブさんによれば、XXさんは物価が高いと思っているそうです。(polite form)\n\nwhich means \"According to Bob, (I hear that) XX thinks that prices are high.\"\n(Bob told me that XX thinks that prices are high.)\n\n* * *\n\nBy the way, if I just heard\n\n> 物価が高いと思う。 \n> 物価が高いと思います。 \n> 物価が高いと思っている。 \n> 物価が高いと思っています。\n\nthen I would think that the subject is \"I\", the speaker.",
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] | 17986 | 18008 | 18008 |
{
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"body": "I came across this question, and found the same meaning in the dictionary for\nboth options\n\n> (a-危ない) or (b-危うい) ですから 下がってください\n\nhowever the answer booklet says it is (a-危ない), what is the difference?",
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"tags": [
"word-choice",
"synonyms",
"i-adjectives"
],
"title": "What is the difference between 危ない and 危うい?",
"view_count": 3588
} | [
{
"body": "危ない is \"dangerous\" while 危うい is \"vulnerable\" or \"not reliable\".",
"comment_count": 0,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T12:38:39.297",
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{
"body": "They have the same meaning of \"dangerous\", but 危うい is used more in the written\nlanguage (文語), whereas 危ない is used more in the spoken language (口語).\n\nHere's a [Chiebukuro\nquestion](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1088317925)\nasking about this.\n\n大辞林 has a [note in the entry for\n危ない](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8D%B1%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84?dic=daijirin)\n\n>\n> 〔中世以降，「あやうい」に代わって用いられるようになった。現代では「あやうい」は文章語的に用いられ，死や滅亡など最悪の事態が差し迫っている意に用いる。それに対して「あぶない」は生命・身体などを損ないかねないような，好ましくない事態が起こりそうであることをいう〕\n\n(Warning: possibly inaccurate translation ahead). Basically it says that 危ない\nhas replaced 危うい in modern times. Nowadays, the usage of 危うい is literary-like,\nand expresses the urgency/imminence of a worst case scenario like death or\ndecimation. In contrast with that, 危ない expresses that something bad is going\nto happen, regardless of whether it involves bodily harm (threat to life) or\nnot.\n\nAdditionally, in [語源's entry on 危ない](http://gogen-allguide.com/a/abunai.html),\nit mentions that\n\n> 元々は、類義語である「危うい」が文語的表現で、「危ない」は口語的であった。\n\nThe 元々 seems to suggest that it is not the case now though, hmm...",
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{
"body": "In theory, both are correct because the meaning is the same. **危うい** and\n**危ない** have the same meaning of **\"Dangerous\"**.\n\nBut you should have to know the context in the case of **「危ないですから、下がってください」**.\nThis is a typical audio message that is heard in the station when the train\narrives. So, in that case only **危ない** is the correct word, because **危うい** is\nonly used in the written language.\n\nAnd yes, as always the Nihongo Sou Matome book (the source of that question)\ndoesn't explain anything about this.",
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] | 17987 | 17992 | 17988 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "18021",
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"body": "What is the etymology of the old province and Japanese name 武蔵?\n\n[Wikipedia claims](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_Province) that it is\nnon-Yamato vocabulary from an Ainu language. Even if this is true, why were\nthese characters (military/weapon + store) chosen as ateji?",
"comment_count": 1,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-27T12:47:23.930",
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"tags": [
"kanji",
"etymology",
"ateji"
],
"title": "Etymology of 武蔵",
"view_count": 474
} | [
{
"body": "## Etymology\n\nThere are numerous theories about this.\n\n**Japanese:**\n\n * The theories restricted to Japanese origins all revolve around the ideas of some larger geographic area that was split into \"upper\" ( _-kami_ or _-gami_ ) and \"lower\" ( _-shimo_ ) halves. The main theories listed at [the JA Wikipedia article on 武蔵国](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A6%E8%94%B5%E5%9B%BD) ( _Musashi no Kuni_ ) and at [the Nihon Jiten page here](http://nihonjiten.com/data/115152.html) revolve around an ancient province named _Musa_ or _Munza_ (or possibly even _Fusa_ ). After the ostensible split, there would have been _Musa-gami_ and _Musa-shimo_ , and the theory goes that the name _Musa-gami_ lost the leading _mu_ to become _Sagami_ , while _Musa-shimo_ lost the trailing _mo_ to become _Musashi_. \n→ This seems a little strained and unlikely, however.\n\nOther theories look beyond just Japanese for the origins of the name, and find\npossibilities in Ainu, as mentioned in [the EN Wikipedia\narticle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_Province#cite_ref-2), and maybe\neven Korean, as mentioned in [the Nihon Jiten\nentry](http://nihonjiten.com/data/115152.html).\n\n**Ainu:**\n\n * Per [Vovin's paper](http://shikon.nichibun.ac.jp/dspace/handle/123456789/1482) mentioned in the EN Wikipedia article: Japanese _musashi_ , from older _muzashi_ , from yet older _munzashi_ , from Ainu _mun_ (\"grass, weeds\") _sa_ (\"open, exposed; a plain, a wide-open area\") _-hi_ (third-person possessive suffix), with Ainu _hi_ becoming Japanese _shi_ (as observed in other likely terms). So _mun_ _sa-hi_ would ostensibly mean \"grassy or weedy plain\". \n→ This holds together reasonably well. However, I cannot find any mention of\nthis _-hi_ possessive suffix in [Batchelor's seminal Ainu\ndictionary](https://archive.org/details/ainuenglishjapan00batcuoft). I do find\nanother _-hi_ , used as a nominalizing suffix for verbs and adjectives. I also\nsee mention of _-i_ , again used as a nominalizing suffix for verbs and\nadjectives. This is also used to indicate demonstrative pronouns, and to\nindicate direction to or from a place. \nI find this gap in Vovin's etymology rather odd, especially as the paper\nexplicitly cites Batchelor's dictionary as the source for the Ainu word _sa_ ,\nand as Batchelor's work also lists Ainu _mun_ as \"grass, weeds\" in agreement\nwith Vovin's etymology.\n\n * Per [the Nihon Jiten entry](http://nihonjiten.com/data/115152.html), Japanese _musashi_ , then probably from much older possible _mushashi_ (see **Spelling** below), from Ainu _mo_ (\"sluggish, quiet, gentle\") _casi_ (\"fort, castle; enclosure\", where Ainu _ca_ is read similarly to Japanese ちゃ). \n→ This doesn't seem very likely.\n\n**Korean:**\n\n * Per [the Nihon Jiten entry](http://nihonjiten.com/data/115152.html), マル (probably [말 _mal_ , \"great\"](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%EB%A7%90#Etymology_4)) + チャチ (probably 차지 _chaji_ , part of compound verb [차지하다 _chaji-hada_ \"to hold, occupy, take, have\"](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%EC%B0%A8%EC%A7%80%ED%95%98%EB%8B%A4)), together meaning something like \"great holding, great occupation\". \n→ This theory also seems unlikely.\n\n**Conclusion:**\n\nWe don't know where _musashi_ really comes from, or what it might have\noriginally meant. All the theories I've read so far have holes in them, and\nnone seem conclusive. From my personal perspective, Vovin's Ainu derivation\nseems the closest to convincing, but that hypothesized final _-hi_ remains\nunexplained.\n\n## Spelling\n\nFrom the JA Wikipedia article, specifically the section at\n<https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%AD%A6%E8%94%B5%E5%9B%BD#.E5.9B.BD.E5.90.8D>\n(my additions in [square brackets]):\n\n>\n> 表記については、飛鳥京・藤原宮木簡に「无耶志国」と見え、7世紀頃までの武蔵は「无射志」(ムザシ)や「牟射志」(ムンザシ)と表記されていた記録も見つかっている[1]。他にも「牟佐志[2]」、「無邪志[3]」といったの表記があるが、いずれも訓に字を当てたものと考えられている。 \n> For the spelling, we find 无耶志国 [probably _mu ya shi kuni_ , maybe _mu sha\n> shi kuni_ ] in the Asuka wooden fragments [see [this EN Wikipedia\n> article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27y%C5%8Dsh%C5%AB#Mokkan) for\n> more], and there are also records that show spellings of 无射志 ( _muzashi_ )\n> and 牟射志 ( _munzashi_ ) until around the 7th century. Additional spellings\n> include 牟佐志 and 無邪志, but all of these are thought to be reading-based\n> _ateji_.\n\nAs for your specific question, \" _why were these characters (military/weapon +\nstore) chosen as ateji_ \", I have not yet found any sources stating specific\nreasons, though presumably the use of 武 had something to do with the military\nimportance of the area.",
"comment_count": 2,
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] | 17989 | 18021 | 18021 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "17999",
"answer_count": 3,
"body": "I don't have any kanji reference books so I have to rely on kanji sites for\nkanji information.\n\nA lot of websites list 入 （いる） as the radical for 全:\n\n * [Jisho beta](http://beta.jisho.org/search/%E5%85%A8%20%23kanji) (as well as other sites which use the Kanjidic database)\n * [Go-kanken](http://jiten.go-kanken.com/kanji/346.html)\n * [Kanjijiten](http://www.kanjijiten.net/jiten/3301.html#k3320)\n * [Quus](http://kanji.quus.net/kakijyun/1196.htm)\n\njust to name a few.\n\n_But_ , two sites, which seemed pretty reliable to me up until now, list 人\n（ひと） as the radical.\n\n * [Kakijun](http://kakijun.jp/page/0616200.html)\n * [Kanji Alive](http://app.kanjialive.com/)\n\nI'm more inclined towards 入 right now due to the number of sources saying so,\nbut I want to make sure.",
"comment_count": 4,
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"tags": [
"kanji",
"radicals"
],
"title": "What is the radical of 全? 人 or 入?",
"view_count": 744
} | [
{
"body": "From Chinese character point of view of things the radical is definitely 入\n(even though it is written 人 on top!).\n\nWhy?\n\nWhile I'd take the following with a pinch of salt, I still think it's worth\nconsidering:\n\n> Etymology (文字來源): Remnant Primitive, all of a persons stuff 工壬 under one\n> roof 入 - complete - _Chinese Etymology_",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T14:40:06.440",
"id": "17993",
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{
"body": "(Revised)\n\nAccording to this site ([http://www.saiga-jp.com/cgi-\nbin/dic.cgi?m=search&sc=0&f=0&j=)the](http://www.saiga-jp.com/cgi-\nbin/dic.cgi?m=search&sc=0&f=0&j=\\)the) radical is やね, which is Japanese for\nroof. I don't think this is one of the traditional 214 radicals\n(<http://kanjialive.com/214-traditional-kanji-radicals/>) but it does get used\nby Henshall in his book \"Kanji: Remembering the Japanese Characters\".\n\nAccording to 学研監修漢字辞書 (a real dictionary) the radical is 人 (ひと）.\n\nI don't think you can get a definitive answer unless you go by one dictionary:\nThere are several sets of radicals in existence, compiled for different\ndictionaries (see also note by Choko). Other users of this site can explain\netymologies at great length, if that it what you seek.\n\nPersonally I used to find radicals quite useful to look up characters but I\ncan live with 全 having both of these as radicals.",
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T15:00:34.543",
"id": "17994",
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"body": "Although there have been many sets of radicals and many classifications over\nthe years, the traditional set of 214 radicals is now usually identified with\nthe famous 康煕字典 ( _Kangxi Zidian_ ). To many people, if you say _the_ radical,\nit's understood that you're referring to the traditional Kangxi\nclassification.\n\nFrom that point of view, the traditional radical is 入. [See the 康煕字典 online,\npage 126](http://www.kangxizidian.com/kangxi/0126.gif).\n\nIn the case of 全, however, the simplified Japanese 新字体 (new character form)\nuses 人 rather than the traditional 入, so it's natural for some modern\ndictionaries to classify it under that instead. I have three paper character\ndictionaries that use the radical system, and all three place it under 人\nrather than 入.\n\nFrom this point of view, the modern radical is 人.\n\n* * *\n\nOf course, it's quite possible for different dictionary editors to classify\ncharacters under different radicals. But I think the above is a decent\ndescription. As you can see, in this 漢和辞典 published by 学研, both the modern and\ntraditional radicals are listed, corresponding to the modern and traditional\nforms of the character:\n\n",
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}
] | 17990 | 17999 | 17999 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "18017",
"answer_count": 1,
"body": "I will take 客 as an example:\n\n 1. Can 客 form a compound with 席, 娟, and all the other thousands of Japanese 漢字?\n\n 2. If I put 席客, but not 客席, will the meaning be different? Or will it just have no meaning? Or is it only a grammar error? Even if it's a grammar error, can the meaning still be understood?\n\nHow flexible is the formation of kanji compounds?",
"comment_count": 2,
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"creation_date": "2014-07-27T15:42:33.203",
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"post_type": "question",
"score": 8,
"tags": [
"kanji",
"compounds"
],
"title": "Can kanji compounds be formed arbitrarily?",
"view_count": 3783
} | [
{
"body": "Technically speaking, kanji don't compound. The Japanese language is not made\nof kanji. [It's made of words and and parts of words, many (but not all) of\nwhich can be written with\nkanji.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/17696/how-are-the-\ndifferent-pronunciations-of-kanji-used-such-as-onyomi-and-kunyomi/17705#17705)\nWhen you put these words or parts of words together, you can often (but not\nalways) write the resulting compound using kanji.\n\nStill, let's talk about \"kanji compounds\" for the time being. It's a\nconvenient metaphor for how words are put together in Japanese because kanji\nso often correspond to the words or parts of words that can be compounded.\nBelow, I'll reproduce a description from Habein and Mathias' _Decoding Kanji_\npp.25-27, which I believe is now out of print. It catalogues several common\ntypes of compound:\n\n> 1. When two kanji are in a syntactic relationship:\n>\n> a. Subject-predicate\n``` > 地震（ジシン, earthquake): the \"earth\" (subject) \"quakes\" (predicate)\n\n```\n\n>\n> b. Verb-object/locative\n``` > 造船（ゾウセン、shipbuilding): \"make\" (verb) \"boat\" (object)\n\n> 在日（ザイニチ、(someone) stays in Japan): \"to be\" (verb) \"Japan\" (locative)\n```\n\n>\n> c. Adjective/noun-noun\n``` > 高級（コウキュウ, high class): \"high\" (adjective) \"class\" (noun)\n\n> 国宝（コクホウ, national treasure): \"nation\" (noun) \"treasure\" (noun)\n```\n\n>\n> d. Adverbial first kanji\n``` > 不正（フセイ, injustice): \"not\" (adverb) \"just\" (adjective)\n\n> 未定（ミテイ, undecided): \"not yet\" (adverb) \"decide\" (verb)\n```\n\n>\n> e. Auxiliary kanji\n``` > 私的（シテキ、private): \"I/me\" (noun) \"-ic, -ous\" (auxiliary)\n\n> 突然（トツゼン, suddenly): \"sudden\" (adjective) \"state (of things)\" (auxiliary)\n```\n\n>\n> 2. When two kanji are in a nonsyntactic relationship:\n>\n> a. Reduplication of kanji\n```> 方々（ホウボウ、everywhere): two of \"direction\"\n\n> 月々（つきづき、every month): two of \"month\"\n```\n\n>\n> b. Combination of two kanji of similar meaning\n```> 平和（ヘイワ、peace): \"calm\" and \"harmony\"\n\n> 生活（セイカツ, living): \"live\" and \"liveliness\"\n```\n\n>\n> c. Combination of two kanji with contrastive meanings\n```> 子孫（シソン、descendants): \"child\" and \"grandchild\"\n\n> 左右（サユウ、left and right): \"left\" and \"right\"\n```\n\n>\n>\n\n>\n> Three-kanji compounds are usually made with a prefix and a two-kanji\n> compound, e.g. 新時代（シン・ジダイ, new era): \"new\" and \"age\", or a two-kanji\n> compound and a suffix, e.g. 仕事中（シゴト・チュウ, while working): \"work\" and \"in the\n> middle of\". There are occasionally three-kanji compounds where all the kanji\n> have contrasting meanings, such as 大中小（ダイ・チュウ・ショウ, large-medium-small):\n> \"large\", \"medium\", and \"small\".\n\nThis description isn't exhaustive, and there are other ways to catalogue\ncompounds, but it should give you at least an overview of how they're put\ntogether.\n\nStill, although native speakers make new compounds fairly often, **learners\nare generally taught not to make their own kanji compounds**. Instead, we're\ntaught that we should learn as many pre-existing Japanese compounds as\npossible. If you create your own without a good understanding of Japanese, you\nhave a good chance of not being understood―and if you _are_ understood, you\nhave a good chance of sounding quite strange.\n\nThink about it this way: [if you didn't know the compound **_television_** ,\nyou probably wouldn't come up with it yourself by putting **_tele_** and\n**_vision_** together.](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/2946/1478) That's\na word you've got to learn, and coming up with your own compound for it simply\nwon't work.\n\nThere _are_ a couple ways you can put kanji together you'll need to be\nfamiliar with:\n\n 1. What Habein and Mathias refer to above as \"auxiliary\" I would categorize under \"prefixes and suffixes\". There are a number of these you should know, such as their examples of 〜的 and 〜然.\n\n 2. Japanese counters such as 〜人 or 〜枚 which attach to numerals to form words like 3人. (These could be considered a type of suffix as well.)\n\nBut putting 客 together with 席 or 娟 (what is this? I have no idea) is the wrong\napproach. Until you're comfortable with Japanese, you should try to use the\nwords that are already part of the language rather than forming your own.",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-28T19:26:11.713",
"id": "18017",
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}
] | 17996 | 18017 | 18017 |
{
"accepted_answer_id": "18001",
"answer_count": 2,
"body": "I was wondering the difference between the two words since both mean to walk.\n\nWhen to use verb 歩きます and when to use 散歩します。",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-27T18:57:46.237",
"favorite_count": 0,
"id": "18000",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-28T04:22:58.780",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "4322",
"post_type": "question",
"score": 3,
"tags": [
"translation"
],
"title": "difference between 歩く and 散歩します",
"view_count": 2280
} | [
{
"body": "The verb 散歩する is equivalent to the English term \"take a walk\". That is, 散歩 is\nmore of a recreational activity, as opposed to it simply being a means to get\nfrom one place to another. 歩く is a general term for walking.\n\nFrom [dictionary.goo.co.jp](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/92043/m0u/):\n\n> 気晴らしや健康などのために、ぶらぶら歩くこと。散策。「公園を―する」 \n> To leisurely walk for recreation or for health. A stroll. \" ___ through the\n> park\"",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-27T20:33:19.210",
"id": "18001",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-27T20:40:50.503",
"last_edit_date": "2014-07-27T20:40:50.503",
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"parent_id": "18000",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 11
},
{
"body": "The 散 of 散歩 is also a clue as to how it's different:\n\n```\n\n 散る・散らす\n 散らかる・散らかす\n ⇒ ばらばらになる・する ⇒ ぶらぶら（と）歩く ≒ 当てもなく歩く\n \n```",
"comment_count": 0,
"content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0",
"creation_date": "2014-07-28T04:22:58.780",
"id": "18004",
"last_activity_date": "2014-07-28T04:22:58.780",
"last_edit_date": null,
"last_editor_user_id": null,
"owner_user_id": "6841",
"parent_id": "18000",
"post_type": "answer",
"score": 2
}
] | 18000 | 18001 | 18001 |
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