Subtle differences between two seemingly interchangeable expressions.
5
votes
2answers
123 views
How does one know how to read 堪える? Is it 「こたえる」、「こらえる」 or 「たえる」?
The verb 堪える has three different readings: こたえる, こらえる, and たえる, and as far as I can tell they all mean "to bear, to endure, to put up with", with slight variations. Is there a way to tell which ...
5
votes
1answer
217 views
What are the rules for the plural suffix ～ら
I came across the following in a newspaper article:
藤沢健太教授（宇宙物理学）らの研究グループ
The first part (藤沢健太教授) is the name of a professor (Professor Kenta Fujisawa). The parentheses say "Astrophysics", and ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
The difference between 添削 and 訂正
I used to always use 訂正{ていせい} rather than 添削{てんさく} to mean "correction", but recently I haven't really seen 訂正 being used. When used in the context of correcting English translations etc, it seems to ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
6
votes
1answer
237 views
When the agent takes を in the causative form
I've seen a few sets of terminology when referring to the causative form, so for the basic case, I will use the following:
instigator が agent に 〇〇 を ｖ－させる。
In its most basic, text-book form, we have ...
4
votes
2answers
181 views
How to exhaustively list predicates in a non-temporal way?
Supposing that you want to express a list of events or actions exhaustively and without significance in ordering (for example: Yesterday, I ate some ice cream, went to the store, and read a book, but ...
5
votes
1answer
161 views
で終わります: trying to close by? で帰ります, trying to leave by? It depends on the sentence?
I can say 売り場は九時で終わります、 and 三時で帰ります、 which I've learned mean something like, "They'll be trying to close from," and, "I'll be trying to leave from." I've also learned that ２月２５日で帰ります is not correct. ...
9
votes
1answer
317 views
天気 vs. 天候, what's the real difference?
What's the real difference between 天気 and 天候? In at least one of my dictionaries, 天候 just redirects to 天気.
I've always thought (read: "felt") that 天候 is the general "concept" of weather, or even ...
10
votes
2answers
574 views
寝る vs. 眠る, what's the real difference?
What's the real, definite difference between 寝【ね】る and 眠【ねむ】る?
I know they both mean "sleep", but also that each carries some additional (sometimes, figurative) meanings.
Where do the meanings ...
5
votes
1answer
188 views
“きのう、何をしていた。” vs. “きのう、何をした。”
What is the difference in nuance between きのう、何をしていた。 vs きのう、何をした。? To be fair, I can't really tell the difference between these two english sentences:
What were you doing yesterday ?
What did you do ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
“トムと話した” vs. “トムと話し合った”
This book (Chap. 29) says that for some verbs which can be unilateral or bilateral (like 相談する, 話す, 合う),
The particle と implies that the verb is shared 50/50 between the two participants (bilateral), ...
7
votes
2answers
235 views
へ or に particle for 曲がる?
i was wondering what may be the difference in nuance between 右へ曲がる and 右に曲がる ?
Example: Take a right turn and you'll see the library.
1) 右へ曲がると、図書館がある。
2) 右に曲がると、図書館がある。
As for [noun-location] ...
1
vote
1answer
155 views
“一目ぼれから長持ちする関係は望めません。” この表現のニュアンスを説明して頂けませんか？
一目ぼれから長持ちする関係は望めません。
Falling in love at first sight won't bring you a lasting relationship.
I found this sentence and translation without any other context, and
have a few questions about ...
2
votes
1answer
156 views
ほんの時々私の中で顔を出し、しばらくすると消えてしまうもの。Are there any other options to replace the で here?
ほんの時々私の中で顔を出し、しばらくすると消えてしまうもの。
My attempt at translation: "Every once in a while my inner feelings show themselves, only to disappear again."
The above was taken from the following dialogue:
...
12
votes
2answers
413 views
The differences between ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
I was wondering what the differences are between these three: ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
They all seem to be some sort of variant of "Hard to do ~". But it seems they are used with different verbs and/or imply ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
Different between 可決 and 許可？
I want to know the different between 可決 and 許可.
I search into dictionary and the meaning is quite the same whose meaning are approval or permission.
So, what different? and how to use it ...
13
votes
2answers
248 views
What are the various ways to express 'or' and when are they appropriate?
I'd like to get an idea of when it is appropriate to use different expressions for expressing disjunction (of the inclusive AND exclusive variety).
「AとBとCの中で...」、「どちら」、and 「か] come to mind, but I ...
8
votes
1answer
102 views
Does 「鳴く」 give any nuances about the sound being made?
When we say "birds singing", there is a positive connotation.
When we say "birds crowing", there is a negative connotation.
"The birds are making some sound" seems to be objective, and thus neutral.
...
7
votes
1answer
180 views
How different is 冷やかす from 冷やす? And 散らかす from 散らす?
I've long known 冷やす as the transitive counterpart of 冷える. But thanks to one question here, I've realized that there is another version with an extra syllable in it: 冷やかす. Although 冷やかす seems to have ...
7
votes
2answers
270 views
Can placements of adverbs be altered freely?
I'm curious if there is any difference in nuance between these two sentences:
彼は少なくとも週に一度車を洗う。
彼は週に少なくとも一度車を洗う。
I'm aware that grammatically speaking both are 100% right, but this question is not ...
12
votes
3answers
402 views
“Seemingly cute” - かわいい + 〜そう
The 〜そう form means "seemingly 〜" and is usually conjecture made based on first-hand information. This usually means seeing something or hearing about something and making a conjecture, e.g., おいしそう ...
7
votes
2answers
547 views
おしまい {oshimai} vs おわり {owari}
Are there any differences between using おしまい {oshimai} and おわり {owari} to mean "the end" (both with neutral and negative connotations)? Are they always interchangeable?
E.g:
テスト失敗したらおわりだぜ。
...
5
votes
1answer
434 views
Fun with synonyms - “perhaps/maybe/probably”
What are the differences when using the following words/phrases to mean "perhaps", "maybe" or "probably"?
多分
恐らく
蓋し {けだし}
もしかして
ひょっとして
なかろう (negative -> probably not)
だろう / でしょう / であろう
かも知れない
...
5
votes
1answer
208 views
ねばねば食べねば, relation between ねば and なければ
I would like to know a bit more about the "ねば" grammatical construction.
Every now and then, I hear people say sentences like
東京に行かねばならぬ
粘々丼を食べねば倒れる
なんとかせねばいい
It's quite clear that ねば ...
7
votes
2answers
229 views
The role of と particle in 「二度としない」
What is the role of と particle in 「二度としない」? Is it quotative, adverbialisation, change of state or supposition?
Also, what extra nuances does it contribute to the expression compared to if も is used ...
5
votes
2answers
176 views
1
vote
1answer
129 views
What is the difference between ホワイトシャツ・ワイシャツ and 背広? [closed]
How do we decide whether to call a shirt a ワイシャツ or 背広 ? What's the difference in nuance between the two terms?
Side question: EDICT
claims that a ホワイトシャツ is a white business shirt but even if it's a ...
7
votes
3answers
231 views
Does うるさい have a “negative” connotation?
Is it true that when someone uses the word うるさい, it means that there is a feeling of "discontent" ?
Like for example, we will take this sentence: "It will be noisy in the factory"
"It will be ...
6
votes
2answers
129 views
言ったりしたら versus 言ったら
I came across the phrase 言ったりしたら【いったりしたら】 in one of the Tintin books I'm reading. It means something like "if I say [it]".
What I can't figure out is how it's different from simply saying 言ったら.
Here ...
4
votes
2answers
247 views
Using な in positive instead of negative imperative (e.g. 行きな)
Putting な after a plain verb turns it into negative imperative.
But I noticed that in spoken Japanese, putting な after conjunctive form (連用形) turns it into positive imperative. For example:
...
6
votes
1answer
251 views
Usage of “sensei”/“先生” when the recipient is a peer?
In a professional setting, would two professors/doctors/lawyers—who would normally be addressed as "sensei"—refer to each other (as peers) using "sensei"?
Note: This question used to be asking about ...
2
votes
2answers
104 views
The nuance of 得る compared with ~ば
If we compare the following two sentences:
でき得るならば、独立して事業を始めたい。
できれば、独立して事業を始めたい。
意味が同じですか？どう違いますか？すみませんが、説明して頂けませんか？
4
votes
1answer
116 views
Fun with synonyms - “evaluation/investigation/etc.”
Explain the differences in the following vocabulary. They all essentially mean some form of investigation, inspection, etc. Please don't just write the definitions; I'm lost on how they differ, when ...
2
votes
1answer
151 views
Reversing the clause pattern “～ほう～より”
Consider the two sentences below:
(1) 私のほうが田中さんよりよく飲む。(I drink more than Mr. Tanaka.)
(2) 私はビールより酒のほうをよく飲む。(I drink more sake than beer.)
I think the pattern for the second one is a reverse ...
16
votes
1answer
856 views
Must do : ～なければならない vs ～なくてはいけない
What are the differences when using ～なければならない and ～なくてはいけない, or their colloquial contracted forms ～なきゃ and ～なくちゃ when saying "must do"?
For example, what is the difference in the nuance and usage of ...
5
votes
1answer
111 views
just by the phrase 試験を受ける, can we imply anything on the 試験?
since 受ける is the same verb associated with "sustaining damage", "incurring losses", "suffering injury", all 3 seemingly have negative nuances, I'm wondering when we use it (受ける) with 試験, does 受ける ...
13
votes
3answers
297 views
Love in the air: 愛ｘ恋 {あい vs こい}
From WWWJDIC:
愛 【あい】 (n,n-suf) (See 愛する) love; affection;
恋 【こい】 (n) love; tender passion;
My understanding on affection, love and tender passion is like the following:
affection < ...
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 ...
6
votes
1answer
145 views
is 随分 of a higher degree than なかなか (with positive verb) ?
my dictionary shows both 随分 and なかなか (with positive verb) as "very/considerably"
I was wondering is it true that 随分 is of a higher degree than なかなか?
Like あんたなかなか勇敢だな。= 75%
and あんた随分勇敢だな。 = 85%?
10
votes
4answers
417 views
Am I coming or going? 戻ってくる vs 戻っていく
A little while ago I was in a shop, and about 5 minutes after I left, they phoned me to tell me I had left my USB stick there. I said I would head back and pick it up.
I used 戻って行く to mean "I'll go ...
8
votes
2answers
175 views
Which particle to use with 出会う {であう} : と, に or が?
From Google searches, I can see that all three particles と, に and が are used with 出会う, but are there differences when using each of the particles or are they interchangeable?
For ease of explanation, ...
6
votes
1answer
279 views
と言っても vs とは言え .
Hi all is it true that と言っても and とは言え is the same thing except that と言っても is for spoken clauses whereas と言いえ is for written clauses?
11
votes
2answers
198 views
<adv> versus <adv>+と versus <adv>+に
I often see adverbs used in one of three ways:
1) Adverb appears in isolation in a sentence:
あまり 好きじゃないんですが。
2) Adverb is followed by に
別々に お願いします。
1970年代後半、多くの罪もない日本の一般市民が 次々に 失踪した。
...
6
votes
2answers
181 views
What is the difference between 蔵, 倉, and 庫?
The word 【くら】 can be written with any of the kanji 蔵, 倉, or 庫. However, WWWJDIC lists them all under one entry, defined as:
(n) warehouse; cellar; magazine; granary; godown; depository; treasury; ...
10
votes
1answer
428 views
あまり meaning “too much”
When using あまり in the sense of "too much" (as opposed to "not very"), until recently I had always seen it as あまりにもA, with A being the thing that there was too much of. I never really tried to relate ...
5
votes
3answers
128 views
得る vs ～られる potential form
Recently I learned of a new way to express potential form. Here's a few example sentences:
今回は予測し得ないことが起きたけど、皆、落ち着いていた。
自分の意見を自由に言えないなんて、普通の国ではあり得ない。
The second example I put for contrast, ...
17
votes
2answers
390 views
What is the difference in nuance between 間違う and 間違える?
I've heard from a Japanese native speaker friend of mine that both 間違う and 間違える are correct usage, but he wasn't able to explain the difference in nuance between them. Is there a difference, and if ...
5
votes
1answer
272 views
Phoenix: 不死鳥【ふしちょう】, 鳳凰【ほうおう】, 鳳/鵬【おおとり】, フェニックス… How many lives does this bird have!?
All of the following words and kanji (and a few more obscure ones) seem to be used in Japanese, to describe a bird that is translated by "Phoenix" in English:
不死鳥【ふしちょう】
鳳凰【ほうおう】
鳳【おおとり】/鵬【おおとり】
...
6
votes
2answers
157 views
What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ?
What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ?
For example:
1) これは機会だぜ！
2) これはチャンスだぜ！
7
votes
3answers
534 views
低い鼻 vs 短い鼻 and 高い鼻 vs 長い鼻 ?
After reading this thread: When would you use 低い vs 短い, I'd just thought of something.
I once heard that a long nose (witch / Pinocchio) is called 高い鼻 and not 長い鼻 whereas the opposite (short nose) is ...
