The precise meanings of Japanese words or phrases.
8
votes
1answer
214 views
What is the exact definition of 泥棒?
In English:
a burglar is usually associated with someone who breaks into a house (victim is usually unaware during the burglary)
a robber is usually associated with that person who uses weapons and ...
4
votes
1answer
181 views
What is おもぴろかった
Saw this on twitter:
@Daigo19780408 昨日はお疲れ様でした！おもぴろかったです♪( ´▽｀)
What does おもぴろかった mean? I find words like this all over the place on the net, but I can't figure out what it means, and I can't find ...
6
votes
2answers
337 views
Does なかなか (with negative verb) mean “by no means” or “considerably”?
WWWJDIC defines なかなか (with negative verb) as by no means
But shouldn't it have been considerably ?
By no means means 100% not
considerably means like 85% not
So does なかなか (with negative verb) ...
2
votes
1answer
226 views
What is a シドギャ? ギャ doesn't mean girl, does it?
At first I thought ギャ meant girl, but after doing some googling, that doesn't appear to be what it is. What is シドギャ?
シドギャ is related to the band シド, the most popular Visual Kei rock band in Japan for ...
10
votes
1answer
166 views
Fun with synonyms - “flattery"
What are the difference in the following words meaning flattery / to flatter:
お世{せ}辞{じ}
追{つい}従{しょう}
おべっか
胡{ご}麻{ま}をする
阿{おもね}る
諂{へつら}う
煽{おだ}て（る）
美{び}辞{じ}麗{れい}句{く}
Which ones are honest, sincere ...
10
votes
2answers
143 views
How do I know when to read the kanji 抱 as 【だ・く】, and when to read it as 【いだ・く】, or even 【うだ・く】?
This sentence was in a grammar textbook:
彼は同僚にライバル意識、ひいては殺意すら抱いていた
Here's how it's read (except for the last kanji, for which this question is about):
かれは どうりょうに ライバル いしき、ひいては さついすら ??ていた
...
5
votes
1answer
176 views
Definition of ブラコン when discussing musical preferences
A Japanese person told me that they have ブラコン。I looked it up on Wikipedia and it said something like an emotional attachment to one's brother. But they said that it meant something like someone who ...
7
votes
1answer
301 views
Why is this 理由 【りゆう】 given the furigana わけ?
It might be hard to read because of the image resolution, but on the cover of this book, on the bottom left side, it says:
へんな日本語にも理由がある。
Which means something like:
"Even strange Japanese ...
2
votes
2answers
393 views
What does ちょちょい mean?
I can't find this defined anywhere.
Here's an example:
タオルケットをちょちょいかけにきてくれる。
I am also interested in what this whole sentence says.
6
votes
1answer
200 views
What is the origin of, and how do I parse 絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき}?
絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき} is a slang term that refers to the visible bare skin from the bottom of a woman's skirt to the top of her thigh high stockings. Or, short pants and thigh high boots... pick your ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Can “みたい” mean “want to see”?
Can "みたい" mean "want to see", or does it always mean "looks like"/"seems like"? If not, how would "want to see" be expressed?
Specifically, assuming it has both uses, it would seem ambiguous to me ...
3
votes
1answer
188 views
What is the meaning of 人児, and is it a compound?
There's this rather unpleasant sign on a restaurant that says:
中国人＆帰化人、残留孤児、中国系混血人児、絶対入店禁止、純血日本男児のみ。
Putting aside the racist content, from a linguistic point of view, the one word that throws ...
12
votes
2answers
305 views
What does とな mean (and how do I use it)?
I came across this on Twitter, it seems to be mostly a question but sometimes an exclamation. Is it とは, or maybe とか? How do you use it? My dictionary has a とな as word that come at the end of a ...
15
votes
3answers
628 views
Does “敬語” (keigo) just mean “politeness” or is it a technical term specifically relating to Japanese grammar?
What is the difference between the Japanese term "敬語" (keigo) and the English term "politeness" (Specifically regarding language)?
I assumed politeness is more general covering things like "please" ...
7
votes
3answers
709 views
Does “おつまみ” (otsumami) mean “snack” or “rice crackers” or “crunchy snack” like chips and peanuts, or something else entirely?
This is a word I learned by reading and not by studying or in conversation with Japanese.
After learning the kana years ago I had occasion to fly with JAL and the pre-meal snack was a little packet ...
3
votes
3answers
528 views
森 vs 林 for forest
According to A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters, 森 (38) is woods and 林 (75) is forest.
But some material I've found online related to Japan seems to indicate 森 is the more correct Japanese ...
5
votes
3answers
335 views
What is the meaning and etymology of 蝶よ花よ?
In a book I was reading, a tomboyish character complained about the expectations her parents had of her as their only daughter. She said:
「蝶よ花よと育てたかったらしいんだけど」
EDICT defines 蝶よ花よ as "bringing up ...
10
votes
2answers
368 views
Meaning of 〜あれだ
Recently I encountered this phrase:
_____ってあれだよね
What is あれ in this context? Is the speaking making a positive or negative statement about ___?
7
votes
1answer
152 views
Difference between 創立、設立、樹立
Can anyone explain the difference between these words? They all basically mean "to set up / to found", and from what I've researched, it's all very 微妙 to me.
12
votes
2answers
292 views
What is the meaning and root of 意味くじピーマン?
Recently a friend of mine threw the term 意味くじピーマン (imi kuji pi-man) into a story she was telling, and it totally threw me off. At first I thought, because I wasn't sure how to parse the くじ part, it ...
