Topics related to finding a phrase that fits a given context or meaning.
13
votes
2answers
684 views
How should I start an email when requesting something from someone I don't know well?
In English, there is a certain etiquette to follow when writing a business letter. From what I've seen so far, the same seems to be true in Japanese as well.
If I was making a business-related ...
10
votes
2answers
509 views
What do you say when giving something to somebody?
In English when you hold out something to someone, sometimes a vocal prompt like "here" or "there" is said to indicate that you are giving it to the person.
In Chinese (or at least in Singapore) we ...
9
votes
3answers
312 views
How do you say “You have gotten better at X”?
I was just reminded on another site that "being good at something" is expressed as [上手]{じょうず}/[上手]{うま}い, not いい. How do you tell someone they "have gotten better at something"? Xさん, 料理することがもっと上手いですね。 ...
8
votes
4answers
249 views
What is the formula to say “I'm trying to do X regularly”?
I was trying to think of a way to say "I'm trying hard to read a news article every day" (in the sense that I'm trying to find the time to sit down and pay attention long enough to read, not ...
8
votes
2answers
157 views
Proportion and Rate
How do I form a sentence pattern for:
The more/less X happens, the more/less Y happens
E.g. The more you stir, the faster the salt dissolves.
The colder the weather, the more ...
8
votes
2answers
185 views
Just so you know
I'm looking for a good way to tell someone that I want to inform them of something, but I don't actually need them to do anything for me. Something like "Just so you know, the printer is broken." As ...
8
votes
2answers
215 views
Are we done here?
Today I was getting help from someone behind a counter and when I had handed in my form and shown my ID, I wasn't sure if I needed to do anything else, or if I was free to go. Usually in that ...
7
votes
2answers
471 views
Expression equivalent to “as far/long/much as I/you X”
Is there an expression in Japanese that is equivalent to "as far/long as I/you X", for example "as far as I know", "as far as I'm concerned", "as much as you want", "as long as he is still alive" etc? ...
6
votes
1answer
806 views
What is usually written at the end of a slides presentation to imply “Thanks for listening”?
I've seen this phrase a couple of times but couldn't read the Kanji so I don't remember it.
Otherwise, what phrase would be good to include in the last slide to imply "Thanks for listening!"?
For ...
5
votes
4answers
764 views
How to say, “things like”
If you want to say "things like" you can use とか、など、and し。
What if you don't want to list out several things. You want to say, "things like A." Then what do you do?
5
votes
2answers
471 views
Is there a form for “I have never heard of”?
Some examples of what I'm trying to convey:
I have never heard that song before.
I have never heard of Miyazawa Kenji
I have never heard of that before?
I've never heard of that store?
...
5
votes
3answers
155 views
What would be the best way to express the term 'master', as in a master of some sport?
For example, 'a tennis master'?
5
votes
2answers
332 views
a natural and short way to say I'm currently learning Japanese, and it isn't very good?
background: I'm playing Shogi 将棋 on a Japanese site since there are no good english ones, and every once in a while someone tries to open a converstaion with me. While I try to participate as much as ...
5
votes
1answer
259 views
How to invoke God/spirits in Japanese
No, this is not about any Buddhist chant or mantra that can be used to call forth Japanese gods or heavenly spirits, but rather about any specialized words or interjections that attract attention of ...
5
votes
1answer
296 views
Openings and Closings (Salutations and Valedictions) When Writing a Letter/E-mail
This question came to me because I am writing a personal thank-you letter to a friend's family who hosted me in their home over the holidays. What is the proper way to address the entire family? For ...
5
votes
1answer
351 views
Expressing “not greater/less than” and “greater/less than or equal to”
I'm having trouble coming up with a way of saying "not greater than 0" and "not less than 0".
Would the following sentences be natural/grammatical? If not, in what ways can the following be ...
5
votes
1answer
336 views
translation for “It serves as a good reminder for me”?
After I've say watched a film with some friends (or read a fable or something) and learned something from it, i want to say "It [the teachings of this fable/film] serves as a good reminder for me". ...
4
votes
3answers
939 views
Expressing “don't work too hard”
I've read at other sites that "don't work too hard" isn't something that's generally said in Japanese. Is there any truth to this?
Are there any alternatives if that is the case? In which ...
4
votes
1answer
95 views
前 or 後 when placing an event in temporal reference to “now”
Consider this phrase:
今は(event)二十分前です。
Deconstruction of the above phrase yields:
Now is twenty minutes before (event).
(Q1) Can I reconstruct the statement using 後 in this manner?:
...
3
votes
2answers
271 views
Is there a Japanese phrase equivalent to “crisis of faith”
I am wondering if there is a way to describe this concept in Japanese, or an equivalent phrase.
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_of_faith it is a mostly western concept (if you ...
2
votes
2answers
172 views
How to get clarification in Japanese
I sometimes find that when Japanese answer my questions, their answers are too vague. For instance, I asked what つなぎ is in a given context. A Japanese person told me it is 作業着の種類, "a type of work ...
2
votes
2answers
183 views
ホワイトデー: use ハッピー or おめでとう?
When wishing a woman a happy White Day, would I say ハッピーホワイトデー, or ホワイトデーおめでとう, or are both ok? If both forms are used, do they have a slightly different nuance, such as "have fun on White Day today ...
2
votes
1answer
186 views
Appropriate “wishes” for pregnancy
What is the appropriate way to express your best wishes to a woman who is having a baby?
(This is for a colleague, if there are different ways depending on different contexts please explain those, ...
1
vote
1answer
259 views
Fast Food Conversation - Any Practical Guides?
I looked up for fast food conversation but I could not find anything very practical.
While most guide always emphasize on how to order, I never found it prepares one to understand what a fast food ...
