All Questions
2
votes
2answers
13 views
What does 勝つべくして勝った mean?
I came across this phrase while looking at the meaning for べく:
勝つべくして勝った
It seems to be a set phrase, but I'm not 100% on the meaning. To win in order to win? To try really hard to win? To be ...
8
votes
2answers
95 views
When to use “もっと” vs “より”
Giving examples if possible, what's the difference between e.g. もっと大きい and より大きい to mean "more (than)"/"bigger (than)"? In what situations would you use もっと over より and vice versa?
For instance, why ...
9
votes
1answer
82 views
What is the significance of a large く character in literary texts?
I am currently reading an early story by Tanizaki Junichiro in Japanese. I have come across both the hiragana く and ぐ written twice the size they usually are, taking up the same amount of space on the ...
3
votes
1answer
61 views
Which readings would you use to pronounce people's names?
I'm confused whether it is normally appropriate to use On-readings or Kun-readings when dealing with people's names; I'm fine when its just two character names; I just make a logical deduction in my ...
0
votes
1answer
64 views
Different permutations of 気
Lots of words/expressions/phrases use 気 in one way or another. For example 気をつけて, 気味, 気になる, 気がつく, 気がする, 天気 etc...
Is there a reference somewhere for the seemingly more "interesting" phrases (like the ...
2
votes
3answers
119 views
Translation - Long sentence, uncertain of the nuance
I'm having trouble determining the meaning and nuance of this sentence. Can you help me out?
[技術]{ぎじゅつ}といっても、上手か下手かだけではなく、その技術を使う人の気持ちの持ち方まで[問題]{もんだい}にしているのです。
I think the closest I've been able ...
4
votes
1answer
99 views
What is the difference between お元気に、お元気で、気をつけて？
I want to say hello to a friend long time no see, and end my message with "take care". All お元気に、お元気で、気をつけて mean "take care", so which one suits my case?
How should I say?
And I want to distinguish ...
6
votes
3answers
165 views
What do we call things that are neither kana nor kanji?
I was wondering Is there a Japanese name (or term) for written stuff that are neither kana nor kanji?
By that, I mean stuff like:
゠ (ダブルハイフン, for indicating the dash in foreign words)
・ (ぽつ, for ...
4
votes
0answers
94 views
How close was the Japanese writing system from becoming abolished after World War II?
I remember hearing that the Japanese government planned on abolishing the use of Chinese characters entirely after World War II. I also remember hearing that there was a movement by the American ...
3
votes
1answer
59 views
混信 and 干渉 difference in terms of communications and computing?
I read an article that had the sentence
1.9GHz帯を使うため、ZigBeeやWi-Fiで使われている2.4GHz帯の機器と干渉しないことが特徴。
I previously learned that 混信 means "interference" or "jamming". I saw this word used often. I'm ...
2
votes
1answer
62 views
Difference between 十分 and 十二分
Is there a clear difference between the meanings of 十分 and 十二分? I rarely have ever seen the second one. When should the second one be used and in what context?
EDIT: To avoid confusion, I'm talking ...
6
votes
2answers
127 views
How to say “quarter to” or “quarter past” some hour?
For example, how do you say:
It's quarter to 3.
and
It's quarter past 3.
10
votes
2answers
99 views
Rare/Obsolete verb forms
I have noticed that some verbs have this "rare" or old form that is no longer used much (if at all). Here are some examples.
おそる： おそるべき者 → One who is feared
ほむ： ほむべきお方【かた】 → Seen often in my ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Stative verbs: ～ている vs ～てある vs ～（ら）れる
I'm not sure if I'm wording this properly, but I want to know the nuances of these "stative" type verb forms that act kind of like adjectives.
For example, you could describe an open window with any ...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
Localization Help
I'm writing a program and need to know how dates, versions, time, and numbers are formatted in the Japanese Language
Example (in English)
Version 1.0.0 (Build 0)
How would that look in Japan?
2
votes
1answer
57 views
擦れ違う usage and etymology?
擦れ違う is one of my new vocabulary words, so I try to understand as much as I can. I looked up a couple of meanings for the word and I found that it is used to describe 1) when two things pass each ...
3
votes
1answer
53 views
Come to ～: ～てくる vs. ～ようになる
Can someone please explain the fine nuances of these two? Things such as:
Are there conditions/restrictions of when you can use one or the other?
What are the "approximate" time periods that each ...
2
votes
2answers
97 views
Thank you for X: ～をありがとうございます
I've often heard this pattern, particularly in things like
メッセージ／メール を ありがとうございます。
Since ありがとうございます is an adjective, why is it acceptable to use を in this situation? That seems about as ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
What is a 両県 (as seen in newspapers)?
I've seen this a couple of times in newspapers. For example:
....は山口、広島両県の....
I can't find it in any dictionary. My gut feeling is that it indicates a sort of union between the two prefectures, ...
4
votes
1answer
53 views
What does ばらなきや mean?
I assume this is some sort of idiom or verbal tic, but i'm not 100% sure. Anybody care to help me out?
If you need context, this is the phrase:
まだピチピチなんだからかんばらなきや
Thanks in advance
3
votes
1answer
79 views
What is the grammar behind 朝6時 (as opposed to 朝の6時)?
朝の6時 seems to be consistent with using の to have one noun modify another, while 朝6時 appears to be just two successive nouns (which I wouldn't think would be a grammatically valid construction).
4
votes
1answer
56 views
difference between 連載 and 順次
I usually see the word 連載 pertaining to articles or books in a series. However, when I read 順次 I was confused (I saw this is a technical article). They seem to both hold the meaning "serial" or ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
difference between やかましい and そうぞうしい
these two words came up when I was looking at a vocabulary list that I'm supposed to study. I'm having trouble with understanding the difference and the usage of the words. If possible would someone ...
3
votes
1answer
151 views
How should I go about translating my company name in Japanese?
I'm trying to translate a company name ("puddle") in to Japanese. I put it into google translate, but when you translate words you're translating their meaning rather than the word itself, which is ...
8
votes
1answer
134 views
Did ありがとう come from Portuguese “obrigado”?
I have heard before that ありがとう came from the word "obrigado" in Portuguese. Is this true and is their any evidence to support this, or is it an old wives' tale?
1
vote
1answer
150 views
Why don't Japanese advertisers provide their web addresses? [closed]
I am used to seeing (outside of Japan) that, when a company wants to lead a potential customer to its website, it shows its web address on an advertisement. However, in Japan, in most cases, an ...
0
votes
0answers
74 views
Difference between に and が for intransitive verbs
What is the difference between 試験に受かる and 試験が受かる?
It seems that the first one means "to pass an exam" while the second one is more like "passing exams" (really not sure about it).
In which cases ...
2
votes
2answers
84 views
“俺が一番” vs “俺が最高”
I was reading through " How do I say "I am the best" ? の,は or が and 私 or 俺? ", and I was wondering what's the difference between "俺が一番" and "俺が最高"?
From what I know, both roughly equates to ...
8
votes
2answers
97 views
Difference between 丸い and 円い
Both come up with the same reading and definition in Jisho.org (round/circular), and both are listed as common words. Is there any preference between the two or should I simply learn both as ...
4
votes
2answers
106 views
から ending a sentence
I've seen this in a few texts now and since it's appeared with some frequency I thought to post the question here. I tried searching online but came up with no real conclusions.
ありませんから or plain form ...
5
votes
3answers
101 views
Is タオル used for the towels used at onsen?
onsenjapan.net claims that タオル is used for "towel", presumably the large one. When I asked a staff member at Odeo onsen "これ は 何 ですか?" while indicating the large towel I was holding, the staff member ...
3
votes
2answers
136 views
What does 遅れに遅れて mean?
I'm pretty sure ～れに～れて is a grammar form that I have studied in my JLPT textbooks, but I came across it again in a text and I can't for the life of me find it again in my grammar dictionaries. I also ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
“Your sniffling is driving me crazy!”
There are people in Japan who seem to think nothing of sniffling their nose indefinitely as they sit in a coffee shop, in an office, on a train, or anywhere with other people around. Sometimes ...
10
votes
1answer
119 views
What exactly is ありき?
I think from looking up ありき that it means "based on", but it's usage is unclear to me.
I've come across it in these two examples:
まずは結論{けつろん}ありき
Which I think means "the conclusion is based on ...
3
votes
2answers
92 views
気を遣う versus 気を使う
It seems from my JLPT study books, and also my computer's IME, that 気{き}を遣{つか}う is the preferred kanji for "paying attention to, having concern for".
However, I noticed that on Space ALC if you look ...
5
votes
1answer
100 views
What does it mean when a sentence ends with しなくもない?
A friend posted this in a comment on Facebook:
これは深{ふか}い意味{いみ}があるような気{き}がしなくもない
I think I get the general meaning, which is "This seems to have a deep meaning." But I'm fuzzy on the implications ...
7
votes
3answers
140 views
Multiple onyomi
If a kanji has multiple onyomi, which one do you use? Is there a rule governing this or can you use any one at any time?
5
votes
1answer
112 views
What does それに伴い at the start of a sentence mean?
I have a sentence that starts with それに伴い which I'm trying to translate. I'm assuming that it's a more polite version of それに伴って. My best guess for the meaning would be "With regard to (a previous ...
4
votes
2answers
126 views
<te form> + っと (conditional particle)
こんなとこで寝てっと風邪ひくぞ
Is this a contraction of something? How does it differ from something like 寝ると or 寝てると?
4
votes
1answer
72 views
Can もはや also mean “or rather” or “actually”?
I heard this sentence pattern watching an anime
(where A and B have similar meanings, but B is much stronger):
．．．．[description A] いや、もはや [description B]と言っていい。
I looked up もはや expecting a ...
4
votes
0answers
158 views
How did the verb 掛ける come to have many meanings?
I think that this verb is the only one I've seen in Japanese that has so many definitions. とる and つく have multiple definitions as well (quite a bit IIRC). But not as much as 掛ける. In any case, I am ...
5
votes
1answer
60 views
Meaning of 掛ける after ご面倒?
ご面倒をお掛けして申し訳ございません。 means "We are sorry for the inconvenience." but what is the meaning of 掛ける in this context?
4
votes
1answer
92 views
Does 映す also mean “to copy” in some sense?
I was just sitting in a coffee shop, sheltering myself from the cloudburst over Tokyo a few minutes ago, and I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between to girls beside me.
They were ...
3
votes
2answers
84 views
What is the purpose of の in this sentence?
"このテレビの直し方わかりますか。" means "Do you know how to fix this TV?" but I can't figure out the purpose of の (after テレビ) in this sentence.
8
votes
2answers
169 views
What work is left on a map?
Near Shibuya, they're finishing up some construction on a subway system that has been going on for years. It seems they're at the stage of finishing up some road work above where they had been making ...
3
votes
2answers
201 views
Can there be such a thing as のんでましょう？
I know のみましょう but I was wondering if the above was legal japanese as well.
2
votes
2answers
80 views
Meaning of ~きて~ and ~しまいました in sentence
"あなたの本を車の中に置いてきてしまいました。" means "I left your book in the car." but what is the meaning of "きて" and "しまいました" in context?
4
votes
2answers
83 views
Is “今の” in “今のは誰？” considered a synthetic noun?
Good afternoon all,
After a discussion, I was wondering is "今の" in "今のは誰？" considered a synthetic noun?
My analysis of the sentence "今のは誰？" is:
noun 今: just now
genitive particle の ...
5
votes
3answers
132 views
In which situations is が used with 曲がる?
According to jmdict 曲がる is intransitive, therefore it should be used with が or は. However it always seems to be used with を - for example:
この道を行って二つ目の角を右に曲がります。
3
votes
1answer
95 views
Does もさることながら imply a judgment?
In my JLPT textbook, it defines ～もさることながら as saying that the speaker feels one thing is true, and in addition another thing is true.
One example they give which makes sense to me is:
...
