Tagged Questions
1
vote
1answer
140 views
Use of はじめて and どれだっけ?
I don't really know where to ask for help, usually I got the meaning of a sentence on my own but, well this sentence is giving me a hard time, it seems easy but I can't figure out what's the use of ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views
Help translating this japanese sentence please?
I really really need help with this sentence I have tried everything but I don't get its structure and how to translate it so I'd appreciate if someone could help please?
オレ一人 ore hitori
...
2
votes
2answers
173 views
Question about 相手
I'm confused in describing 相手 here, I cannot understand is it "Partner who can show their true self" or "Partner to whom can show your true self"(sorry for a bad translation)? Oh, and here ぶつけられる is ...
2
votes
1answer
147 views
Question about を
In the following sentences is it correct to put を(second one) here ? Maybe it should be に ? And if its correct, how can we translate this part ? 「それをクラスメイト*を*見られて以降」
中学の夏休みだったーー。 ...
1
vote
1answer
142 views
What is particle と means here
I'm a bit of confused with と in the following sentence, what does it mean here and how can we translate the whole sentence?
その名に恥じず放置すればするだけ存分と進行してくれればそれは非常に楽だけど。
Thank you very much for help!
2
votes
2answers
120 views
Talking about what other people think
As far as I know when we talking about other people thoughts in japanese we have to use something like よう、と思う etc. But I've got a problem in the following sentence, I cannot understand と考え here about ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
Meaning and translation 働かせっぱなし
Help me please with translation 働かせっぱなし in the following sentence
それって、朝からずっと働かせっぱなしの人間に対して、掛ける言葉じゃ、ないと思うんだけど
The main problem is that I cannot understand how to correctly translate 働かせっぱなしの人間, ...
1
vote
1answer
203 views
Meaning and translation お納めになられる
Tell me please, what is the meaning of お納めになられる in the following sentence.
Is it just passive ?
Thanks for help!
4
votes
2answers
156 views
Meaning of でもない in this context?
While listening to the song "Yasashisa no Riyuu", I noticed the following sentence:
今は誰の名前でもない 輝きの彼方へ
Which by the fansub is translated like this:
Now it doesn't matter whose name it may ...
1
vote
1answer
90 views
meaning of から in following sentence
Tell me please, what is から means in the following sentence?
本当のところを言うと、この時間に悠馬さんがここを通るからと、夏目さんに教えてもらったので、待っていたんです。
Thank you very much for help!
1
vote
1answer
238 views
Can うちは means the same as うちに ?
Tell me please in the sentence below, can うちは means the same as うちに? Or it's just うち like "we" ?
Thank you very much for help!
5
votes
1answer
104 views
知っとった meaning of grammar?
What does the grammar form of 知るin the below sentence mean?
闇の世界とは関わるはずがないと知っとったんだろうな
The sentence is from the Japanese version of Harry Potter I
6
votes
1answer
133 views
How to express “with (x) as well” and “even with (x)”
I am trying to express something akin to these sentences:
Even with a spoon, he digs well (でも?)
Even without a shovel, he digs well
I would also like to express this:
With a shovel ...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
What is the meaning of ようで?
I think ようで means "to look/look like", but I'm having trouble understanding it in the context of this sentence:
感動に水を差すようで悪いのだが、さっさと爾子に乗ってくれ。でなくば、城とともに潰れるぞ。
Also, is でなくば another form of でなければ?
2
votes
1answer
120 views
Explanation / Meaning of らしく in 例文
Hi in this sentence 'らしく' is used, but I am not really sure about the meaning of らしく. I found this explanation for it, but it doesn't helps me to understand its meaning in the sentence:
way to use ...
4
votes
1answer
157 views
General confusion ("Volitional＋ともせず”, redundancy, uses of と, )
I'm having trouble understanding the grammar in some sentences even if I understand the basic idea of the sentence. I may post with more questions later.
...
9
votes
4answers
184 views
How to translate: “Keep/leave something”. So, how to express intention to leave something unchanged
Consider questions like:
Please leave the door open, thanks!
Could you please keep the lift's doors open? Thankyou
Please, leave it as it is.
They all imply something common: not changing the ...
1
vote
2answers
92 views
Questions about this sentence
"当時の関係者何人かにあたって記憶を確かめてみたが、人の記憶の欠落部分というのは、捏造で補われる仕組みになっているらしく、共通の体験が、しばしば、お互いに矛盾する記憶になっていることに驚かされた。"
What does "にあたって" mean there ?
"驚かされた" is referring to what/whom exactly ?
Does "関係者何人か" mean ...
3
votes
1answer
151 views
Can't quite understand this sentence
この間、時間を見つけては、過去の歴史をひもといてみたのだが、再認識させられたのは、人間というのは、どれほど多くの涙とともに飲み下した教訓であっても、喉元を過ぎたとたんに忘れてしまう生き物であるということだった.
Especially what "忘れてしまう生き物" is supposed to mean in "喉元を過ぎたとたんに忘れてしまう生き物であるということだった".
2
votes
3answers
260 views
How do I say “before” or “used to” in Japanese?
朝に作文を買ったの時、質問になります。
How can I say something like:
I didn't used to like this band.
*Before, I didn't like this band.*
5
votes
2answers
146 views
How do I say “the reason why” or “the purpose of” in Japanese?
While studying this morning, I became interested in how to say "When you were a child, did you read books for fun?" in Japanese.
In this case, would I use ため?
Or would it be something like this:
...
10
votes
3answers
139 views
心配でたまらず - what is the verb and its form?
Could someone explain the grammar/words behind this and similar phrases? I did some research and probably found the explanation, but I am not sure if this is correct.
The phrase may be found in a ...
5
votes
2answers
414 views
What is -からです, and when is it used?
I have seen this expression a few times, and have never quite understood it. In particular, it seems to be equatable both to ですから and to んです, but I can't figure out where it would be used over either ...
3
votes
1answer
139 views
What does そこによるところは大きい mean?
could anyone help me with a sentence? It was from an article in the Asahi about the leadership change in North Korea. The full sentence is 拉致被害者の早い救出も、そこによるところは大きい。I understand the first part of the ...
1
vote
1answer
127 views
～なければならない and ～によって auxiliary meanings
I am having trouble with the bold part of this sentence from wikipedia:
バブル経済（バブルけいざい、economic
...
7
votes
2answers
192 views
〜しては is this a grammar pattern?
I was trying to translate this sentence:
僕はアルバイトしてはレコードばかり買っていたから、一日半働けばLP一枚買えるな、と思って働いていた。
I think I get the overall meaning as: Because I spent all my wages on records I went to work thinking "If ...
9
votes
2answers
195 views
What is the purpose of the suffix “さ” on adjectives?
What is the purpose of the suffix "さ" on adjectives like 美しさ and 多さ?
The former is the title of an essay by Banana Yoshimoto, so I don't have much context for it. The book editors translated it as ...
8
votes
1answer
230 views
得意とするところ explanation?
As far as I'm aware this expression means "(a persons) strong points', but I'm not sure how とする is being used in this context.
My best guess would be something like "the thing (a person) tries to do ...
10
votes
3answers
283 views
How do I say “He already went to do X for me”, implying he is still in the process of X, not finished?
The other day at some festival a few japanese friends asked me something to the effect of
アイスを買ってくるけど、行く？
But I had already asked a friend, who had not yet returned, to get some for me. So I said
...
5
votes
2answers
147 views
When is it appropriate to choose にわたって or を通じて in regard to time?
I seem to have a hard time recognizing when to choose either にわたって or を通じて in the following question:
この地方は一年（ ）暖かく、とても過ごしやすい。
The correct answer is を通じて. My idea is that を通じて would make this ...
5
votes
2answers
187 views
Are the grammatical forms ものか and だろうか questions?
For some reason, I have had the impression that か at the end of a sentence marks some kind of question that is being asked. However, in these examples from 日本語総まとめ 文法:
うれしいもんですか。困っているんです。
...
5
votes
1answer
162 views
understanding hōgejaku — an archaic imperative?
I would like to understand this Zen calligraphy:
...
3
votes
2answers
116 views
Understanding 〜たら良いか〜
The sentence 何と言ったら良いか分かりません means "I don't know what I should say."
But what is the literal translation of this sentence? What is the purpose of the か in 良いか?
1
vote
2answers
185 views
What does 御用の向きとは mean + usage of うぬ in the meaning of “you”
I have two questions:
What's the meaning of a phrase: 御用の向きとは? Is it a set expression? I found a few examples where it was ended with a question mark, in some cases preceded by addressing an ...
5
votes
2answers
374 views
This use より baffles me
From the anime Noir, Episode 2.
Context: The husband comes home and his wife and son greet him outside.
Wife: おかえりなさい。今日は早いのね？
Husband: ああ、思ったより早く仕事が終わってね。
The wife's line, I get. The ...
5
votes
2answers
223 views
How do I accurately convey “enough to make a difference”?
I want to say "it's different enough to make a difference," but I'm struggling a bit to get there. Partly because the two uses of "different" in this sentence are doing two different jobs. The first ...
3
votes
1answer
129 views
How are で and ばかりused in this expression?
来年は是非明るい年でありますように願うばかりです I hope that the next year will be great for you
Why is で used in 年であります? Is であります an older form of です? Also, what would the ばかり translate to here? I thought maybe it ...
1
vote
1answer
116 views
How does this で work?
日本女性で電車の中で化粧をする人を見ると恥ずかしいくて嫌な気持ちになる。
In my understanding, the で following 日本女性 could correspond here to the english "of," or "speaking of."
Thus one interpretation of this sentence (though in ...
5
votes
3answers
236 views
Who is performing the actions in this sentence?
I have a question about the last sentence here taken from this essay:
やっぱり旅っていいな…としみじみ感じます。
'Then you will know the true joy of travelling.'
食事の後はちょっと外へ出てみましょう。
'After your meal, go ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
Is this sentence making a comparison?
This sentence comes from my JLPT practise book:
宗教{しゅうきょう}とは何{なん}か、迷信{めいしん}とは何{なん}かを正確{せいかく}に定義{ていぎ}するのは困難{こんなん}だ。
I think it's basically saying:
Things like religions and supersitions are ...
1
vote
1answer
162 views
How do the two ideas in this sentence come together?
I have this sentence as part of a question in my JLPT practise book:
スリのグループがボスの合図{あいず}で乗客{じょうきゃく}から金{かね}を盗{ぬす}むのを目{ま}の当{あ}たりにして恐{おそ}ろしかった。
Part of the sentence means, "the pickpocket group ...
3
votes
2answers
136 views
How does 話{はなし}が噛{か}み合{あ}わない work?
I saw this phrase discussed on esaura.cc
話が噛み合わない
'There's a gap in their conversation.'
'They can't meet on common ground.'
'They have been at odds with each other.'
'They have not been ...
7
votes
1answer
263 views
what does 可哀想{かわいそう}でならない mean?
I came across this expression in my JPLT N2 study materials.
I deciphered the parts as
可哀想{かわいそう} means pitiable, pathetic
でならない means can't help feeling
so does it mean "can't help feeling ...
4
votes
3answers
282 views
気にしてられないと思えるようになる。Is this interpretation of the grammar here correct?
人の目なんて。
気にしてられないと思えるようになる。
You can't concern yourself with what other people think.
I saw this on a TV show where the hosts were talking about coming out in public if you are gay. They had ...
5
votes
1answer
186 views
Usage of まるで with 見ているようだった.
その翼はとても滑らかに動くため、まるでコンピュータ・グラフィックスを見ているようだった。
Its wings were moving so smoothly that it almost looked like CGI.
or would a more accurate translation be:
Its wings were moving so smoothly ...
6
votes
1answer
470 views
How is the “のです” working here?
目立つ事を恐れ、一緒でなければいけないという日本人が確実に減ってきているのです。
The strong feelings that Japanese have of being afraid of standing out and everybody having to do things together are starting to become less ...
4
votes
1answer
301 views
Help with adverbs with とする and としている
Taking yadokari's sentence:
彼女は表情が生き生きとしておりとてもかわいい。
The part that I need help understanding is the relation of 生き生きとして with 表情 and 居る.
Looking up the dictionary entry for 生き生き, it is "an adverb ...
5
votes
1answer
107 views
Does this athlete intend to play in the street or for the street?
In a bizarre and transparently ineffective attempt to try and change the culture of Shibuya's central shopping district, the shopowners promotion association (商店街{しょうてんがい}振興{しんこう}組合{くみあい}) has changed ...
2
votes
1answer
168 views
Name/Title at the end of a sentence. Vocative case?
Consider these stanzas taken from the opening song of Aria the Animation: Undine.
Translations taken from this site
Background information:
An Undine as a mythical concept is a female water ...
6
votes
5answers
327 views
Shouldn't this phrase using 【だけのこと】 mean “just for that”?
In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase:
幸い日本で日本語を勉強して、かなり話せるようになりました。日本に行っただけのことはありました。
【さいわい にほんで にほんごを べんきょうして、 かなり はなせるように なりました。 にほんに いった だけのことは ありました。】
The translation ...
