A set phrase used commonly in the Japanese language
15
votes
1answer
470 views
Can you say “half hour” or must you say “30 minutes”?
I know that to say an hour and a half you can say 一時間半, but is it possible to express simply half an hour even though the counter comes before 半? Or would you just have to say 三十分?
If both ways are ...
14
votes
1answer
215 views
Temperature abbreviations?
A certain dialog in my book has a man describing the symptoms of his cold to the doctor. It reads thus:
医者：熱はありますか。
...
12
votes
1answer
424 views
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」?
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」, all seemingly meaning "well" in English?
Someone said that I should use 「よく」 rather than 「うまく」 in the following sentence. Can anyone explain why?
...
11
votes
1answer
972 views
What's the difference between 「いけない」 and 「いかない」?
I've just learned that ～わけにはいけない as in 断{ことわ}るわけにはいけない ("I can't refuse") apparently isn't valid but ～わけにはいかない is, even though I've been using the former frequently.
But what is the difference ...
11
votes
1answer
212 views
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」?
I used to always read 「この辺{へん}」as 「この辺{あたり}」 as I thought it would be confused with 「変{へん}」 but it apparently is different.
9
votes
6answers
307 views
Greeting a person over the internet
So I was wondering, how do japanese people greet each other when they are, for example, writing on a blog or recording a video? My doubt comes from the fact that their greetings will be directed ...
9
votes
1answer
255 views
How do you express “try”?
I know that -てみる can mean "try", but my understanding of it is that it means "try it and see what it's like" or "give it a try". But is there a way of expressing "try" that emphasizes that effort was ...
9
votes
1answer
205 views
What does 窓という窓 mean?
What does 窓という窓 mean? I found it in this sentence in Harry Potter:
木の扉に寄りかかってホグワーツを見上げると、窓という窓が夕日に照らされて赤くキラキラ輝いている。
9
votes
1answer
233 views
When and to whom should I use the expression ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
In what context and relationship wise to who can I safely say ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
I often defer to using otsukaresama since I'm not sure if I'm talking down to someone by saying gokurousama. Please ...
9
votes
1answer
415 views
How to use ～に同意する to agree or disagree with a person?
A couple of times I've tried to say "I agree with..." or "he agrees with..." but I don't know whether I'm using 同意{どうい}する correctly.
In what ways should に同意{どうい}している be used? Also, which particles ...
8
votes
3answers
315 views
What is the difference between {出来る限り} and {出来るだけ}?
EDICT gives almost similar translation for these two expressions:
出来る限り; できる限り 【できるかぎり】 (n) as ... as one can
できるだけ 《出来るだけ》 (exp) (uk) as much as one can; as much as possible; if at all ...
8
votes
2answers
170 views
How would one express an opinion from the perspective of an inclusive group?
Often times, it is common for a speaker to make an assertion or opinion based upon a (ethnic or social) group to which they belong. In English it is common to use prefixes like "we" or "us" to ...
7
votes
3answers
350 views
What exactly does この通{とお}りmean?
I know that その通り can mean "Exactly" or "That's right". But I was watching an anime (Samurai 7) and heard one of the characters say "この通り" and something else right afterwards which I didn't catch.
For ...
7
votes
6answers
483 views
How to say “What's it to you?” in Japanese?
What would be appropriate expressions or idioms to convey the typical English response:
What's it to you?
(in a sense that goes somewhere between "None of your business" and "This is not your ...
7
votes
3answers
190 views
Explanation of the expression 気が済まない
A: 百均に入ると、何もいらなくても何か買わないと気が済まない人っているんだよね。
B: いるいる。僕だよ。
A: At the dollar store, there is always somebody who has to buy something even if they don't need it.
B: Yes, yes! That's me.
...
7
votes
3answers
812 views
When to use 早速ですが
I usually hear 早速ですが used as a phrase in the office. After looking on examples in the net, it somehow mean "Well then" in English. Is the phrase just the same as "じゃ" or "では"?
For example:
...
7
votes
2answers
235 views
Saying “as if to say” - What's happened to 言う in と言わんばかりに?
Can you help breakdown 言わん?
彼女は当たり前と言わんばかりに答えた
She answered as if it was a matter of fact.
Are these incorrect, have different meanings?
彼女は当たり前と言うばかりに答えた
彼女は当たり前なことばかりに答えた
...
7
votes
1answer
194 views
must/need [必要]{ひつよう}がある vs. なくてはいけない and [必要]{ひつよう}だ vs. [要]{い}る
This is a two part question, both pertaining to expressions involving "必要".
What is the difference between 必要がある and -なくてはいけない/ -なければならない? The
difference between the latter two expressions is ...
7
votes
1answer
108 views
The expressions 後へ引く and 後を引く
What is the logic behind the similar sounding expressions 後へ引く and 後を引く? Are they idioms? Apple dictionary lists these examples:
後へ引く
もう後へは引けない
'It's too late to turn back now.'
'We're in ...
6
votes
2answers
313 views
My friend said she says “やる時やる.” a lot. What's the translation to english?
やる時{とき}やるじゃん！ (Yaru toki yaru jan!)
I think the meaning is something like "When you want to do something, you do it".
Or maybe, "When you are about to do something, you just do it."
This is a ...
6
votes
2answers
218 views
Is ほんの一瞬【いっしゅん】だけ redundant?
When using the phrase ほんの一瞬, I somehow feel compelled to insert だけ afterwards. This seems to be somewhat common (over one million hits for "ほんの一瞬だけ" on Google), but does it seem silly in terms of ...
6
votes
4answers
337 views
word search: voluntary pause between desire and action
Some years ago, I read that Japanese has a word (or idiomatic expression) that means roughly:
The action of voluntary interposing a pause between the
moment you desire something and the moment you ...
6
votes
1answer
110 views
Translation of 「そんなことない」
What is a correct translation for 「そんなことない」 and when can it be used?
I understand the "this is wrong"/"this is not correct" general sense but is this considered either as harsh or a gentle way of ...
6
votes
1answer
302 views
Correct usage of ばかり
On a certain online correction site, my sentence:
正直に言うと、最近アメリカのドラマを観ていたばかり。
Was given many possibilities. Some people crossed out 「ばかり」 like 「観ていたばかり」 in the following sentences so I'm inclined ...
6
votes
1answer
149 views
What is the literal meaning of ”いいかげんにしろ！”?
Some translations for the expression いいかげんにしろ！ are:
that's enough!; cut it out!; get a life!
If the correct kanji of this expression is 好い加減, what is the literal meaning of both 好い and 加減 in ...
6
votes
1answer
131 views
Does 換骨奪胎 have negative connotation?
I looked at several online dictionaries, all of which didn't seem to me that the expression doesn't have negative sense by definition. However the book I'm reading makes me feel the author implies ...
5
votes
3answers
288 views
Is it normal to use ただいま in situations other than ただいま戻【もど】りました?
By itself, I would say that 「ただいま」 means something like "just now". I've used it a few times in sentences like this, but it feels somewhat awkward, as I am always reminded of ただいま戻【もど】りました.
So, for ...
5
votes
1answer
144 views
How to say “open Pandora's box” in Japanese?
How to say "open Pandora's box" in Japanese?
Ex.:
When I asked Jane about her problems, I didn't know I had opened Pandora's box.
What kind of Pandora's box do we open if we decide not ...
5
votes
1answer
145 views
How can I express “you make a…/you'd make for a…”?
Do you know the English expression, "you make a"?
It's pretty simple:
You make a fine wife.
It might be more correct as
You'd make for a...
but they're tenses are different then. I could ...
5
votes
1answer
138 views
Does the expression 抱えて生きている always imply a situation with negative aspects?
I was studying the expression 抱えて生きている (literally "living while holding"?), and have found the best English equivalent to be "having to live with." In the English expression, the "thing" that one has ...
5
votes
1answer
318 views
What does 「ハイきた。」 mean?
Also seen as 「ハイきたぁ～！」.
Maybe it's used between young people.
It seems to express the idea that you have achieved your expectations, or something like that.
I hope someone can explain it better.
...
5
votes
2answers
312 views
Meaning of ありじゃないかなぁ
I was asking if something is possible or not, and received the "ありじゃないかなぁ" answer below.
I had never heard this expression, is my translation correct?
Q: 独習×ゲーム的なソーシャルウェブサイトは可能ですか？
A: ...
5
votes
3answers
570 views
how can I say “what about…?” in Japanese?
I was writing to my japanese friends, and I got some doubts.
Hope it wasn't asked here before.
How can I express "what about ..." in Japanese? Particularly:
What about having some breaks?
What ...
4
votes
3answers
262 views
Sorry, I wasn't listening
What is the Japanese expression for:
Sorry, I wasn't listening
For example, for when you're asked a question and realize that you have no idea what it's about as you've been thinking about ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
Meaning of 気負わずに奮ってご参加ください
What does 気負わずに奮ってご参加ください mean?
Is it like 気軽にご参加ください?
Context: an event information page announcing pre-requisites for attendance:
前提知識
...
4
votes
1answer
151 views
Meaning and spelling of１対１で対応
In a recent email conversation, an acquaintance used the expression:
１対１で対応するそれは、大変だね。
Although I can vaguely infer the meaning of the expression １対１で対応する (いちたいでたいおう), I am having a hard time ...
4
votes
2answers
296 views
Does anyone know which おり this is?
彼女は表情が生き生きとしておりとてもかわいい。
was translated awkwardly on ALC as
She is very pretty for the liveliness of her expression.
Which おり is this? I think I know it from the polite しております but is it here ...
4
votes
2answers
299 views
What is that expression used to generally mean “…is what I would say, but…”?
Forgive me if this is a bit anecdotal, but I often hear a sentence pattern in speech which basically is of the form "[statement]...is what I would/want to say, but..." I usually hear this when the ...
4
votes
3answers
128 views
Looking for expressions similar to なるほど or やっぱり for situations that are opposite of speakers' previous suspicion
This is an extension of the question: Using 「なるほど」 {naruhodo} and 「やっぱり」 {yappari} in the same situation
From what I understood from the answers to the question above, なるほど and やっぱり imply the ...
4
votes
1answer
106 views
What does ホイっと mean?
in a manga I was reading this expression appeared.
It was about a lazy girl, who was thinking about getting herself a boyfriend (so that he can do the house chores for her), and then her friend ...
4
votes
1answer
77 views
What's the difference between にかけてand にわたって?
It looks like にわたって has just one meaning, "over (a period of time)" whereas にかけて means "over (a period of time)" and also "until". Is that correct? Can they be used almost interchangeably?
4
votes
3answers
322 views
How does だからって usually work?
馬鹿だからって知らないわけじゃない
I translated this sentence as "It's not like I don't know that I'm stupid," while my friend who wrote it translated it as "I'm stupid, but I know that." So I feel I understand ...
4
votes
1answer
111 views
Meaning of この延長線上にこそ、
Does X。この延長線上にこそ、Y。 have the same meaning as XなのでY ?
Context: 今回、時間の制約が大変厳しい状況にありますが、[...]自動的なチェックのしくみを実現したいと考えます。この延長線上にこそ、新しい世代のより低コストな技術を安定的に評価できる体制が実現可能となります。
4
votes
1answer
238 views
What is the harshness of についてとやかく言う?
あなたの私生活についてとやかく言うつもりはありません。
I don't give a damn about your personal life.
I have also seen についてとやかく言う translated as "quibble over".
Could another translation of this sentence be:
...
4
votes
1answer
335 views
Grammatically correct expression similar to the {～って感じ} slang
Is there a grammatically correct expression similar to the {～って感じ} slang?
For example, I heard something like the following conversation in an anime:
A: テストはどう?
B: どうって? 「もう死にてぇ」って感じだぜ。
A: ...
4
votes
0answers
133 views
What is the etymology of お陰で/おかげで and how does the expression relate to the kanji?
If おかげで / "okagede"
is an expression that means
thanks to ...; owing to ...; because of ...;
and the correct (?) kanji that this expression derived from is
陰 as in お陰で
which by ...
3
votes
3answers
435 views
How and when to use せや and its variants in Kansai-ben?
Here in Kansai I hear せや, せやねん, and せやな everywhere. I was wondering if anyone could clarify the meaning and usage of these, as well as their equivalent in more standard Japanese?
Additionally, are ...
3
votes
3answers
219 views
〜くてform from a verb
I ask here my question because I couldn't find anything on internet.
My problem is about 〜くて form for a verb.
I asked to a japanese friend what does mean "会いたくて" for example.
She told me that there is ...
3
votes
1answer
163 views
What nuance brings “ですな”?
I often see ですな used in social text posts.
Examples:
こんにちわ、あついし、ひまですな。
いいてんきですなｗ
A Google search for "ですな" does not show me any explanation.
Here is how I understand ですな in such context:
...
3
votes
1answer
107 views
What's the difference between どうして and どうやって?
I've read on stackexchange that どうやって can be used to mean "what did you do in order to x"
どうやってお医者になったか? - What did you do in order to become a doctor?
This definition makes alot of sense to ...
