Questions tagged [phrase-requests]

Topics related to finding a phrase that fits a given context or meaning.

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"At the end of the day..." と同意の日本語表現はありますか?

例えば、"At the end of the day, what do you work for?" と日本語で言いたい場合、下記の空白はどんな表現で埋めますか? "______、何のために働くのでしょうか?" 「結局」だと思うのですが、違いますか。
Mico's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
627 views

What is the best way to say "online now" in Japanese?

I'm trying to figure out what is the best way to say "my friends are online now" or "I'm online right now". So far, I have considered: ネットでいます。 オンラインです。 For instance: 私は今ネットでいます。...
Zoe's user avatar
  • 141
0 votes
0 answers
36 views

What is the exact differnce in nuance between させてもらう and させていただきます and させていただきたい

My understand of させてもらう is akin to "I'll take the liberty of doing x". It's not an actual request or asking for permission. However this doesn't seem to be true for させていただきます? Which seems ...
Bluegate's user avatar
  • 1,089
0 votes
1 answer
232 views

How would i ask to record in a place, in japan, politely [closed]

Im going to be going to Japan and documenting my experiences in a vlog, is there any polite way to ask if im allowed to record. examples i can mostly think of are restaurants and stores. im aware of ...
David cruger's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
140 views

What is the word for a shop that sells small electronic parts (such as LEDs, resistors, transistors, breadboards, etc.)?

I want to find stores in Tokyo that sell articles mentioned in the title.
BelieverInTheDesert's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
309 views

How do you say "To count" or "That doesn't count" as in "(not) a true experience"

I've come across ふくむ and かぞえる, but to my understanding, that's used for counting sequences and quantities. How would you say "That doesn't count" in the following contexts. A- Have you ever ...
Kaney Dudey's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
741 views

How do you say “My car is not big. But, it’s not small either”?

I am having trouble finding out if I’m correct on this. The statement I would like to translate is, My car is not big, but it’s not small either. With the knowledge I have, it would be ...
じぇにい's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
268 views

How do you say 'My father and I share the same birthday'?

I am a total beginner in Japanese. If I were to translate it with the knowledge I have, it would be: わたし の おとうさん と わたし の たんじょうび は [insert Japanese word for 'share'] です. The setting would be as if I ...
じぇにい's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
129 views

あかんと言うには大阪からですか? to ask "Is the word 'akan' from Osaka?"

あかんと言うには大阪からですか? How would I ask in Japanese "Is the word 'akan' from Osaka?"
Boomermath's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
136 views

Equivalent of "Born to X, Forced to Y" snowclone

I'm looking for an equivalent to phrases such as "Born to fish, forced to save the world" (for use in a social media bio or etc., so usage of internet slang is fine), but I'm doubtful that ...
Aly's user avatar
  • 129
0 votes
2 answers
457 views

"sounds familiar" or "it rings a bell" phrases but a Japanese version

Was practicing some conversations when I came across those two phrases. How would you answer something like: ゲーム会社「カプコン」の名作「ヴァンパイア」シリーズを知っていますか。 with the Japanese equivalent of "it sounds ...
user51818's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
84 views

Phrase for "whatever comes to mind" or "whatever I feel like"

I had a friend, also learning Japanese, presenting "words of the day" (日の言葉). I asked him (and you are free to tear this sentence apart): どこから日の言葉出るの? "Where do the words of the day ...
Riolku's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
330 views

Translating the phrase "Says the guy who..." into Japanese

I got curious thinking about this. Is there any phrase that conveys the same idea/feeling as the English phrase "says the guy who [...]!" For example: "You should stop watching TV all ...
Ver's user avatar
  • 129
0 votes
1 answer
176 views

How do you describe something as "family-friendly"?

Google gives me 家族向け, but it seems like its used to describe things like vehicles, properties and tourist spots that are "for families (with 3-4+ members)", rather than media such as video ...
kashi's user avatar
  • 159
4 votes
1 answer
641 views

What is the Japanese wording for unsheathing a sword (katana) for about half an inch with your thumb?

I know that "tsuba" is the handguard that you use to push katana out of its scabbard and "nuke to" means to draw a sword I think. I'm curious how would you say/write down "...
sceadu's user avatar
  • 71
3 votes
1 answer
510 views

Is there a ことわざ similar to "water under the bridge" and "let bygones be bygones"?

Earlier today in a comment I tried to explain to a community member that they should put whatever happened in the past behind them. I used "water behind the bridge" and "let bygones be ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
722 views

How to ask "What is your opinion on X thing/X person?"

As the title says. How do you ask for someone's opinion on something in Japanese? My Japanese tutor says than an easy way to do this can be 「Xはどうですか?」 thus saying "How about X," but I ...
Justin Sewell's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
111 views

Is there another term for "in fact", "actually"?

I feel like I am blanking on a very common conjunction word. よく聞く言葉みたいな気がしますが、どうしても思い出せないんです。I am looking for a word that means "in fact", "actually", as in: You can call me by my ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
182 views

How do I say 'As to why I chose this topic...'

I have a highschool Japanese oral exam coming up in which we discuss a topic of my choosing, along with an accompanying image that relates to said topic. I have already memorised responses to many ...
Leonard Keats's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
276 views

How would say something like "I hate to break it to you, but..." in Japanese?

"I hate to break it to you, but..." or "Sorry, but..." For example: "Sorry, but I don't like cake" or "I hate to break it to you, but I didn't like your performance&...
arbol3000's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
108 views

How do you say "the audio says..."

Because I suspect 音声は〇〇と言う is wrong.
Julio Gomez's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
344 views

My notebook is almost full

So I was trying to ask for a new notebook at my office, I wanted to say that my notebook is almost full, so I need a new one. I ended up saying 私のノートはページがあまり残っていませんので、新しいノートをお願いします。 But I don't know ...
IhsanOak's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

How to ask someone if it is okay to do something?

I often find myself wanting to ask if I can do something ie. "Is it okay if I ask you a question?" or "Can I switch seats with you?" Along those lines. I'm not sure if this is ...
Ayaskui's user avatar
  • 11
3 votes
2 answers
192 views

ないと attached to a verb

I know that 頑張らないと would mean "I have to work hard" (as if I am forced to work hard). What if I see someone (my friend) working hard and I am motivated to work hard too. In this case, would 頑張らないと or ...
Newbie's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is there a Japanese word for "Easter holidays"?

I was wondering if there is a Japanese word for "Easter holidays"? While I am aware that most of Japan does not celebrate Easter, I was surprised to find a word for Easter (復活祭, fukkatsusai). My guess ...
BlackWolf's user avatar
  • 145
3 votes
2 answers
646 views

What is the difference between the words 状態 and 状況?

Actually, I want to write an email to a person asking about her current situation in life, understanding by "situation" if she got married, if she changed companies, if she's happy, etc. I remember ...
amedina's user avatar
  • 141
0 votes
2 answers
675 views

Correct way to say "I only see you as a friend"

How does one say "I only see you as a friend" in Japanese? Literal translation would give 友達だけとして見ます, but the 見ます part seems awfully wrong.
Newbie's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
182 views

Losing concentration

During some kind of repetitive task which doesn't involve thinking, I lost my concentration and forgot what I was doing. When I told someone about this I said 途中でぼけてしまった but I wonder if that is the ...
user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
232 views

How to say "trying to get someone to look at something"

What is a good way to express the idea of "trying to get someone to look at something", for example "She's trying to get me to look at her". I tried typing this into Google Translate and got this: ...
user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
4k views

How do I apologize for my bad Japanese?

I am writing a short letter in Japanese. I will doubtless make many mistakes. What is a nice way to acknowledge this to the recipient? I apologise for using the forum incorrectly. With the help of ...
solidsnack's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
430 views

What does しゅごい mean?

I'm reading a manga and I can't for the life of me figure out what this phrase is supposed to mean; I've never seen it before.
Liam's user avatar
  • 19
0 votes
1 answer
385 views

How to say "unless...?" in the context of "but what if"

In the context of the phrase "Just kidding... unless...?", how would the word "unless" be translated? Here, "unless" has sort of a connotation of "what if...?" as well as "unless you want to?"
Jon Persan's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
341 views

How would you ask "What makes your mouth water?" in Japanese?

I want to ask "What makes your mouth water?" in Japanese, but I'm not quite sure what is the right way. I was thinking of saying: あなたは何でよだれが出る?
marcosprins's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
888 views

How to say "turn around!" in Japanese?

How do you order someone to turn around in a direct and forceful manner, like the way a police officer or soldier would say? Thank you.
Rigo's user avatar
  • 29
4 votes
2 answers
895 views

Japanese idiom for "don’t get your meat where you get your bread"?

There is an idiomatic expression in Portuguese: Onde se ganha o pão não se come a carne Literally, it would translate to "where one earns their bread one does not eat the meat" and it relates to a ...
manoelpqueiroz's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
827 views

How to message or mail to teacher for making a appointment? [closed]

I need to send a message to my teacher for asking an appointment. But I don't know how to. He is gonna check my homework tomorrow and he wants a message. > 先生こんにちは。 作文をチェックのために7日に予約したいです。 ...
Bankai's user avatar
  • 41
4 votes
1 answer
386 views

How to ask if a connection/relationship exists between two things

I would like to ask if there is a connection or relationship between two different parts. For example, would this be an appropriate way of asking "Is there any connection between the two compilations/...
Linen's user avatar
  • 43
1 vote
1 answer
790 views

How can I say "even today" or "even now"?

I would like to say "even today" or "even now". I want to talk about Japanese culture and customs. Would it be something like: 今日まで日本の中でたくさんしゅうかんで、文化があります。 I want it so say something like "even ...
Faust's user avatar
  • 370
4 votes
1 answer
345 views

Way of the bicycle

I'm a karate-do practitioner. And I love the meaning of DO (way). I'm building a cyclist group. And I want to call it "The way of two wheels". Does it make sense to call it Niwa-Do?
Alberto García-Villarrubia's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
122 views

Is there an equivalent phrase for "(enjoyed it) as much as we did"?

When sending a thank you message to a friend that showed me and my family around in her country, I wrote something along the lines of We had as much fun as we did thanks to you. Later when I was ...
By137's user avatar
  • 4,172
1 vote
2 answers
150 views

Equivalent to "How to" in guides and the like

What is an equivalent expression to "How to" that is used when searching/referring to guides, especially online?
MKII's user avatar
  • 135
1 vote
1 answer
175 views

How do you say “only to find out” in Japanese

I’m trying to connect two sentences with the phrase “only to find out” / “only to discover”
Udonontheweekend's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to say "to cause a problem" in japanese?

I wonder if there usual/fixed phrase to say "to cause a problem"? I find self-made 問題を起こす to be inappropriate/unnatural in some way...
arkkus's user avatar
  • 45
2 votes
2 answers
187 views

How do you write "Lesson (number X)"?

For example, Lesson 19. Would it be: 1) 授業19 2) 十九番目の授業 Would I use 学課, instead of 授業? I'm a complete beginner, as well, I am literally starting from scratch, on my own. Regards.
michalinator's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
120 views

Order of sentence's parts in building sad-mooded rhetorical question

太陽を最後に我々は見たのはいつだ? literally: The Sun last time we saw-state when are? meaning: When did we last time saw the Sun, f**k!? context: it is a sad rhetorical question about bad rainy weather. It is not a ...
Tchibi-kun's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
829 views

What's the ultra-polite way to invite someone to do something?

While reading What's the polite way to invite someone to do something?, I noticed that many of the comments/answers talk about how things are polite enough for an online chat service. Well, I'm ...
Ringil's user avatar
  • 8,514
1 vote
1 answer
101 views

Understanding grammar and translation of 入出国 in followng sentence

すでに入出国の記録も抹消するよう、 手配してあります。 I know that verbs, nouns, and adjectives can qualify nouns in Japanese via qualifying phrases, and I'm assuming that's what's going on with '入出国'. Broken down, the ...
Toyu_Frey's user avatar
  • 1,470
2 votes
2 answers
617 views

How to say unpredictable in Japanese

I'd like to say "I like anime because its unpredictable". I found out through searching online that ありきたり translates to predictable, however I'm not sure if this is correct. My entire sentence: ...
Mohamed Shire's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

Japanese equivalent of "Mmmm" as in "Mmmm I like that!" or "Mmmm, delicious"

What's the Japanese equivalent of "Mmmm" as in "Mmmm I like that!" or "Mmmm, delicious"? "Mmmm" used as a tone of appreciation or approbation, NOT of ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
251 views

How do I say ''Idle animation'' in Japanese?

I want to know how to say the term ''idle animation'' in Japanese. It's what a character from a videogame does when standing still for too long. Ex: Sonic. I have seen people in twitter use ''...
Steve's user avatar
  • 21

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