Subtle differences between two seemingly interchangeable expressions.
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1answer
228 views
[plain form]-んじゃない
When I was first learning Japanese, I learned that the explanatory form, -んです is always constructed by conjugating the verb in short form and adding -んです, and that the です part is never conjugated. But ...
3
votes
1answer
166 views
How to write “Ikigai”
I'd like to use Ikigai ("something one lives for; purpose in life; raison d'être") for a Calligraphy (ShoDo) work.
According to Tangorin there are three possible ways to write this:
生き甲斐
生きがい
...
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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
185 views
Explaining cause in response to the question “why?”
Alright, lets give this another go.
I'm having trouble understanding the best way to respond to someone asking "why".
My study guide advised,
To answer the question with "why", make a statement ...
11
votes
1answer
292 views
ひらく / とじる vs. あける / しめる
The verbs ひらく and あける both mean to open, and とじる and しめる both mean to close. I understand that ひらく and とじる are antonym pairs, as are あける and しめる, but have never been clear on the difference between ...
7
votes
3answers
187 views
What is the difference between 防止 and 予防?
My dictionary defines both 防止 and 予防 as "prevention", with 予防 having the additional definitions of "precaution" and "protection against".
I sort of understand the latter definitions for 予防 as acting ...
6
votes
3answers
236 views
What is the appropriate size of hiragana in proportion to kanji?
I remember being told that hiragana should be the same size as kanji when writing them by hand. However, there are times when I see handwritten kana that are much smaller than the kanji. Does this ...
5
votes
3answers
229 views
What is the difference between 寿司, 鮨, 鮓, 寿斗, 寿し, and 壽司?
It is likely that this is due to my poor understanding, but why are there so many names for「すし」? I think for the most part I have only seen the first three (寿司、鮨、鮓). For whatever reason in some ...
12
votes
3answers
243 views
Sentence structure/element order
In the textbook Japanese for Busy People I, the order of the elements in a sentence is always the same (subject - when - with whom - by what means - to where - verb) at least as far as I have made it. ...
8
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1answer
244 views
What kind of a thing is a “やつ”?
I've been seeing やつ used for "thing" reasonably frequently in Manga/online etc, for example:
ほとんどは本とか食玩とか細かいやつかな。
"It's virtually all stuff like books, those small toys sold with food and small ...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Difference between the usage of 知恵 , 知能 and 知力
I have read the sentence
"12歳の小児の知力しかない".
In this sentence , I would like to know the usage of 知力 .
In dictionary , it means "intelligence "
Can I use 知恵 or 知能 instead of 知力.
Is there ...
5
votes
1answer
115 views
What may be the difference between the usage of 自尊心 ,誇りand 自慢?
I read a paragraph and the paragraph contains the word 自尊心.
I want to know meaning of 自尊心.
Dictionary says 自尊心 = pride.
Is it same with 誇り? or 自慢?
What may be the difference between the usage of ...
4
votes
1answer
92 views
What is the difference between 義務and 本分?
Now, I try to brush up my vocabulary in Japanese.
In dictionary, both 義務 and 本分 mean "duty". Is there any differences in usage?
And can I use 本分 instead of 義務 in following sentence?
...
7
votes
2answers
184 views
What is the difference between 意味 and 意義?
I have learned (意味) and (意義）as "meaning". I am confused these two words. Are they same or is there any difference in usage?
8
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2answers
175 views
What is the difference between 首相 and 総理?
I learned 総{そう}理{り} as the word for Prime Minister, but I've recently learned that 首{しゅ}相{しょう} is also used. Is there a difference in usage or meaning? Is one more polite than the other?
4
votes
1answer
351 views
“causative of negative” vs “negative of causative”?
Wikipedia (Japanese Verb Conjugation):
Negatives [verb negative-conjugations] are not normally made into causatives. Instead, a negative ending is added to the causative of the verb. Thus, for ...
7
votes
1answer
129 views
ところ vs どころ: Interchangeable or different meanings altogether?
I have two questions.
A) Why do they use どころ instead of ところ in this sentence? Is it possible to use ところ without changing the meaning?
...
5
votes
1answer
223 views
How to decide to use どうせ or しょせん?
The dictionary translates both どうせ (WJDIC) and しょせん (WJDIC) as "anyway / in any case / after all".
But what exactly is the difference in nuance between them?
For example, what is the difference ...
7
votes
1answer
160 views
Can 一杯 be used to express the fullness of things without physical volumes?
According to an answer to this question, the word [一杯]{いっぱい} can be used to expess fullness; especially in relation to the capacity of whatever is containing the quantity. This, however, tends to ...
3
votes
1answer
186 views
What is the difference in terms of grammar between ～かける and ～っぱなし?
Spawned from What is the difference in terms of grammar between きり and っぱなし?; I started thinking about ～かける. Don't these essentially mean the same thing? I'm failing to see any difference except ...
5
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1answer
124 views
What's the difference between 赤ん坊 and 赤ちゃん
Are both words interchangeable? Rikai-chan defines them both as "baby, infant". So what would be the difference?
10
votes
2answers
270 views
What exactly is 我, and how is it used?
I was taught that [私]{わた(く)し}, [僕]{ぼく}, and 俺{おれ} are the most common first-person pronouns.
Recently, I stumbled upon the word [我]{われ}, which supposedly means the same thing. An online dictionary ...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
Is there any difference between 意志薄弱【いしはくじゃく】, 薄志弱行【はくしじゃっこう】, and 優柔不断【ゆうじゅうふだん】?
...Because they all seem very similar to me.
6
votes
3answers
366 views
What does ちがいます。 mean?
I saw this translated in the first episode of FLCL as "It's wrong.", but checking the translation, I get "Different." Can someone clear this up? Thanks.
2
votes
2answers
204 views
Does V~たりする include the verb in a “perfect” sense or “varying” sense?
Does V~たりする include the mentioned verb in a "perfect" (specific) sense or "varying" sense?
For example, in the sentence 「映画を見たりした。」, is (1) or (2) a more accurate depiction of the meaning of the ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
Is まい as in あるまい really only used in literary texts or TV?
My understanding --admittedly limited-- is that in Japanese, people say as much as they can with as little words as possible. So I wondered why ないだろう would be used in everyday speaking instead of まい? ...
8
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2answers
238 views
(noun) です vs. がある when either is appropriate
~するつもりです
~するつもりがある
~する予定です
~する予定がある
These are just two examples. Obviously you can't stick in any noun, but I don't know if these fall into some well defined class either.
Anyhow, ...
4
votes
1answer
375 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 ...
7
votes
2answers
288 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
129 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
139 views
What's the difference between 威厳 and 尊厳?
What's the difference between 威{い}厳{げん} and 尊{そん}厳{げん} to mean "dignity"?
From what I can tell, the two seem to be similar, but slightly different. In what ways do the nuances and usages of the two ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
Difference between 妬【ねた】ましい and 羨【うらや】ましい
Considering "How to define 羨ましい?", it does not seem that 羨【うらや】ましい conveys a strong intensity of jealousy.
How does 妬【ねた】ましい compare to 羨【うらや】ましい then?
Does 妬【ねた】ましい convey a stronger sense of ...
4
votes
1answer
110 views
Additional nuance of より with time
It seems to me that より has virtually no meaning when used as shown below.
Consider these:
Please come before five O'clock:
五時前に来てください
五時より前に来てください
Please come after five O'clock:
五時後に来てください ...
9
votes
1answer
332 views
How do you use 〜と知る?
I've often seen and heard the expression 〜と知る（知っている）. When I think about it, it makes sense in the context of the quoatation-と, like with 〜と言う or 〜と思う. It seems like it means "Know that 〜".
...
10
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2answers
213 views
“看護師” vs. “看護士”
Good afternoon all,
I was wondering is it true that
"看護師" is a gender-neutral way of referring to a "nurse",
Whereas "看護婦" implies that it is a girl,
And "看護士" implies that it is a guy?
...
5
votes
2answers
254 views
What does the “~ておく” mean in “任せておく”?
Good afternoon all,
From what I understand, "~ておく" basically has 4 meanings:
to do something for a purpose / reason
used as a softener (source)
to do.. for now or for the time being (source, ...
7
votes
1answer
314 views
Usage of て-form in 知っての通り
I have just come across the phrase 知っての通り〜 (as you know...)
I have never noticed this usage of て-form before and can't find an explanation.
What is the difference (if any) between this and 知っている通り?
...
2
votes
1answer
213 views
What exactly does “るぅ” mean?
Good afternoon all,
Sometimes I see that people like to "curl" the last mora of a verb, for example:
瑞生: ああそれから、亜湖にも特別ボーナスだ。
亜湖: えっ。
瑞生: ジャーン！
亜湖: 何それ？
瑞生: かわいいだろう？
瑞生: ...
8
votes
2answers
358 views
What is the difference between 悪い and だめ?
What is the difference between 悪い and だめ?
They're not really the same, but in English they both can be translated to "bad".
あの人が悪い。In my limited experience, this is bad in the sense of evil.
...
8
votes
2answers
149 views
“乗せる” vs “乗っける”
Good afternoon all,
I was wondering when someone gives someone a ride (bicycle, car, etc), what's the difference in nuance between using the verb "乗せる" and the verb "乗っける"?
For example, I was ...
6
votes
2answers
186 views
When is it appropriate to use ごくろうさま?
I've seen お疲れさま and ご[苦労]{くろう}さま used to say "Thank you" after some had done work of some type. After reading the お疲れさま thread, I realize that the two are not interchangeable. So when do you use ...
12
votes
4answers
414 views
How to “shoo away” a sales clerk?
When I go window shopping, the sales clerk would usually come near me asking what I like. How should I politely shoo them away? Can I simply say
いいえ、けっこうです
or something like
自分で見る
I know ...
8
votes
2answers
282 views
What is the difference between 記憶【きおく】 and 思【おも】い出【で】?
Is there any difference between the meanings or connotations of 記憶 and 思い出?
I started thinking about this after listening to the song 「タイムマシーン」 or "Time Machine" by 少女時代, where these two lines occur ...
10
votes
1answer
311 views
How to differentiate friend level in Japanese?
I am sometimes having difficulty differentiating friends level when explaining it to a Japanese. For example, when I am telling a story about a friend, I want to specify the level of friendship we ...
7
votes
1answer
213 views
How to ask person to guess for something during conversation?
I was conversing with my Japanese colleague:
Me: Do you know how much a melon costs in my home country?
Colleague: I do not know.
Me: Take a guess.
I asked him how to say take a ...
3
votes
1answer
182 views
How do you say I am emailing something and attaching it to the email?
I am usually confused if I am going to use 入れます or 付けます when specifying that I attached something to the email.
For example:
最新の帳票サンプルを添付して入れます。
or
最新の帳票サンプルを添付して付けます。
I would usually say that ...
7
votes
1answer
271 views
How to ask for a refund?
I want to ask for a refund? For example, if I want to refund a train ticket. How do I ask the train master?
I think it is not a 返品。
Do you need certain politeness?
2
votes
1answer
82 views
How is 候 used in this line of Nōgaku dialogue?
I am studying some nōgaku. In particular, the play 卒都婆小町, which I find has some interesting, beautiful lines.
At the start of the play, a priest says:
...
3
votes
1answer
140 views
How to hope something is going well?
I would like to hope that someone's small business is going well.
I know is someone's business is going well they can say:
「店は繁盛している」
but, how can I say "I hope your store is prosperous/I hope ...
