The precise meanings of Japanese words or phrases.
15
votes
3answers
624 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" ...
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 ...
12
votes
1answer
271 views
Does ごめん really mean sorry?
Normally ごめんなさい is translated as sorry or excuse me, but that seems like a translation for non-native speakers. In the same way, しつれいします can also be translated as excuse me or pardon me. But it really ...
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 ...
11
votes
4answers
398 views
Does 髭 refer to the beard or the moustache?
My dictionary lists 髭 as moustache / beard, but from the example sentences in WWWJDIC, it seems like 髭 is more often used to mean "beard" than "moustache" ?
So for example, in this sentence: ...
11
votes
1answer
572 views
what does 自己PR mean？
I keep coming across this word often 「自己PR」when looking at applications. I'm not sure what the "PR" part means in Japanese, but in English it usually means "public relations". What does this word ...
11
votes
3answers
485 views
Fun with synonyms - “eternity”
What are the differences among the following two-kanji words that seem to mean "eternity":
永遠 {えいえん}
永久 {とわ}
永世 {えいせい}
永代 {えいたい}
永劫 {えいごう}
永永 {えいえい}
久遠 {きゅうえん}
悠久 {ゆうきゅう}
恒久 {こうきゅう}
恒常 {こうじょう}
長久 ...
10
votes
2answers
367 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 ___?
10
votes
1answer
996 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 ...
10
votes
2answers
237 views
What's the difference between 今日{きょう} and 本日{ほんじつ}?
I also see both in different examples.
As in :
今日は暑い。
本日はおめでとうございます。
Both are translated as "Today", but when and how should I use either one?
Can we say : 本日はあつい。 And 今日はおめでとうございます。?
10
votes
1answer
196 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 ...
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 ...
9
votes
2answers
141 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
...
9
votes
3answers
305 views
How can you figure out whether 鍵【かぎ】 means “lock” or “key”?
Recently, I forgot whether 鍵【かぎ】 meant lock or key, so I looked it up quickly on my phone's dictionary... And then I found out that it actually means both.
What are the best ways to figure out if ...
9
votes
3answers
244 views
9
votes
1answer
365 views
Aren't がる and たがる the same thing?
In my JLPT practise book, it has two different entries, one to explain がる and one to explaining たがる. It offeres these example sentences to differentiate them:
うちの子{こ}は新{あたら}しいものを見{み}ると、すぐほしがる。
...
9
votes
2answers
457 views
I can't stand 立つ【た・つ】: Do all its meanings derive from “stand”?
I have an issue with the word 立{た}つ, which is that I get it's basic meaning is "to stand", but I see it used in all sorts of ways that don't make sense to me.
Here are some examples, from various ...
9
votes
2answers
173 views
[潔]{いさぎよ}い meaning
Can anyone tell me more about 潔い? I've looked in Goo, Alc, Kenkyusha, and Edict, and the definitions refer to "sportsmanlike", "gracious", or "take it like a man". However, I'm doubtful if these are ...
9
votes
1answer
409 views
Does タメ語{ご} mean “casual speech”?
A debate came up on the use of タメ語{ご} in this question, and I thought it was worth its own analysis.
The question is, does タメ語{ご} simply mean "casual speech", or does it mean "speech between equals". ...
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 ...
7
votes
3answers
705 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 ...
7
votes
1answer
185 views
Is “かいしゅん” a valid reading for 買春?
I have seen the words 売春 and 買春 pronounced "ばいしゅん". From my understanding 売春 is taken from the perspective of the "seller" whereas 買春 is taken from the perspective of the "buyer". However, when I ...
7
votes
1answer
526 views
What does ただいま actually mean?
I was wondering what the literal translation really means. I've seen it translated as I'm home but I've also seen it in a few situations where the person wasn't arriving home.
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 ...
7
votes
1answer
151 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.
6
votes
1answer
414 views
Ancient practise of sneaking into women's bedrooms…?
I was looking up the meaning of スマ婚{こん}, when my mouse happened to roll over the kanji 婚{こん}, and this definition popped up in Rikaichan:
婚 よばい ancient practice of creeping at night into a woman's ...
6
votes
2answers
420 views
のか - Particle “lamenting reflections on the preceding statement”. What?
I've come across this sentence in my manga.
そ そうか そういう疑いを持っているのか
It's actually fairly easy, but the particle at the end has confused me. I thought it was the two particles の and か, but then I ...
6
votes
2answers
333 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) ...
6
votes
1answer
135 views
What's the difference between 平行 and 並行?
They both seem to mean "parallel". In my プログレッシブ dictionary, it seems to point to the former being the more mathematical sense of the definition (two co-planar, non-intersecting lines), while the ...
6
votes
2answers
203 views
Where does the phrase 「ノリが悪い」 come from and what is the meaning?
What is this phrase 「ノリが悪い」? I've seen it in a few places, but I haven't been able to find it in a dictionary yet. I had first thought it meant that "the seaweed was bad".
What is the meaning of ...
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
151 views
What does 不可とする mean?
On the subject of real-time OS's, I read this sentence:
割り込みを一時的に不可(マスク)とする。
Where 不可 apparently means "to mask". I can understand that "割り込み masks something", but I can't understand "不可とする"
...
6
votes
1answer
168 views
What does the word ゆける signify?
I have the sentence:
この国に生まれ老い、良かったと死んでゆける高齢化社会。
This is the first time I've seen 「死んでゆける」 or 「ゆける」. What does it mean? Is this a grammatical form? I also tried looking up more examples with ...
6
votes
1answer
140 views
What is the difference between キャリアウーマン, OL, and ビジネスウーマン
When I come across the titles キャリアウーマン, OL, and ビジネスウーマン, I seem to have a difficult time picturing what their position is or what they do. I'm wondering if anyone can elaborate on how they are ...
6
votes
1answer
142 views
Which つける do I use?
So I looked up つける and saw it can be written as:
付ける
着ける
附ける
And they all seem to have the exact same definition: to attach, to join, to add, to append, etc. So are these "spellings" ...
5
votes
2answers
202 views
How do I differentiate all these terms for “illiterate”?
I looked up the word "illiteracy", and was offered many different possibilities. Here they are, with my personal take on the nuance behind their origins:
活字{かつじ}離{ばな}れ ("removed from printing"?)
...
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
469 views
Wait… えらい means also means “terrible”?
For over a decade of speaking (poorly) and listening to Japanese, it seems to me that I have almost exclusively heard the word えらい in the sense of meaning "admirable".
For example, I'd mention ...
5
votes
1answer
103 views
What is koshinashi?
I can't find コシなし defined in any dictionary. It looks like it might have something to do with udon noodles.
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
234 views
Does the kanji 妾 still get used by women to refer to themselves?
In this answer, the kanji 妾 was defined as "mistress".
I'm not so familiar with this kanji, so I looked it up, and it seems to have about four readings and two definitions. Although I think some of ...
5
votes
1answer
222 views
Does ところ mean the exact same thing as こと in this sentence?
Consider the following sentence:
お金じゃないところが好きだから一緒にいるの
【おかね じゃない ところが すき だから いっしょに いるの】
I think it means "I'm with you because of the parts of you that don't have to do with money".
I'm ...
4
votes
3answers
183 views
4
votes
2answers
93 views
what do the words OG and OB mean?
In my JLPT workbook, I have the sentence:
就職活動で携帯電話を重用する学生が増えている。OB, OG訪問で約束を取り付けたり、採用担当者から面接日の連絡を受けたりするのも、常に持ち歩いている携帯の方が確実とみられているからだ。
I'm not sure what OB, OG訪問 means.
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
142 views
What's the difference between 世間{せけん} and 世界{せかい}?
Both 世間{せけん} and 世界{せかい} seem to mean "world" in the sense of "a sphere of human activity or interest", or "a particular way of life", and that sort of thing. (As opposed to 地球{ちきゅう}, the literal ...
4
votes
2answers
98 views
What is the nuance of 解{げ}す？
Today in my JLPT text book, I came across the word 解{げ}す.
I know that the kanji 解 means "unravel", and it can be read 解{わか}る, and with that reading it's synonymous with 分{わ}かる, "to understand".
When ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
What is 我が身 and how is it justified in this sentence?
First off, I tried looking at the explanation here. However, the reasons for 我が家 don't seem to apply to 我が身.
Here is the excerpt that doesn't seem to apply from Jesse Good's post:
The above also ...
4
votes
1answer
75 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
2answers
127 views
Is 東西二つ idiomatic?
I came across this sentence about a traditional festival in Japan:
阿月の神明祭は、阿月地区を東西二つに分けて行われる災厄除けや病気除け、豊作を祈願して行われる。
(link)
The general meaning is clear, but what I don't fully understand is this ...
