Questions tagged [phrases]

句. More than one word in a row. In linguistics, this term is used for a string of words that forms a syntactic constituent, generally with a head and zero or more dependents, above the word level but below the clause level. However, on this site, the tag is used with the simple definition non-linguists are more likely to be familiar with; linguists can understand this definition as "strings of more than one word".

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1 answer
65 views

What's the meaning of 一度 in this sentence?

I don't think 一度 means "once" in this sentence. Thus, I would to know if there is any other meaning in 一度 that I am missing here: 羽原と一度性交するたびに、彼女はひとつ興味深い、不思議な話を聞かせてくれた。
-3 votes
0 answers
82 views

I want to know sexual terms and expression that are commonly found in エロ漫画&同人誌 [closed]

I want to know sexual terms and expression that are commonly found in エロ漫画&同人誌, because currently I'm drawing one that's R18.
1 vote
2 answers
151 views

What does ばかりで in "愉快な仲間ばかりで頼もしいぜ" mean

愉快な仲間ばかりで頼もしいぜ I can not understand the ばかりで in this sentence. Are ばかり and で stand together or both of them stand alone?
2 votes
2 answers
107 views

What does 「ものと見られます」 mean in this sentence?

From a news segment in Persona 5: 切り札として招いた社長が事故で死亡し、 改革の遅れが懸念されているものと見られます。 What does ものと見られます mean? Upon looking it up, I found that it means "to think; to suppose; it is believed/expected ...
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1 answer
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The Meaning of "百万ボルト" in Doraemon Comic Strip

I was trying to translate something, and I came across this phrase: 幼女の瞳は百万ボルト ..."A young girl's pupils are 1,000,000 volts"? (That is right, correct? 100*10,000...) Anyways, this made no ...
1 vote
1 answer
107 views

What does 「連中の宣伝にならんだろ」mean in this sentence?

From Persona 5 テレビ観ました? 会社がハッカーに狙われるかも ウチみたいな零細、相手にするかよ。 連中の宣伝にならんだろ。 What does 「連中の宣伝にならんだろ」mean in this sentence? At first I guessed that it means "it's not good publicity (宣伝) for them (連中),&...
0 votes
0 answers
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What did my friend mean? (Fukuoka Dialect)

I was talking to my friend at school today and I said her chicken she bought looked good. She replied with 「美味しいよとたい!」or 「美味しいよとだい!」possibly 「美味しいよ取ったい」or something along those lines. We live in ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Does とみに here mean intensely?

サトルは正義感がとみに強い男ではあるが、それをいいことに利用しようとすりよる輩も存在していた。 The 広辞苑 dictionary lists とみに to have the meaning of しきりに : しきりに。「老眼が―進んだ」「国運―衰える」 which on of its meanings is "intensely".so, does とみに here ...
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1 answer
140 views

Is this なことには here functions the same as 不思議なことには?

さらに重要なことには、これほどの美女がネズミを駆除するなど誰も信じない i encountered this sentence on the witcher3 . Is this なことには here functions the same as 不思議なことには?
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106 views

Are there any rules for determining accent phrases?

Recently, I've been doing Japanese language processing. As far as I know, Japanese is a tone language and there is only one accent nucleus in an accent phrase in most cases. So, basically, there are ...
5 votes
1 answer
111 views

How is 「相手」being used here?

From the ”上級で学ぶ日本語” N2 level book, page 51, ローソク島 reading, 2nd to the last line of the 2nd paragraph. In the story the author is convinced to go visit "Candlestick Island" by the employees ...
1 vote
1 answer
84 views

When are good situations to use the phrase "見事にやられた"?

When are good situations to use the phrase "見事にやられた" ? In the language guide book "Shadowing," the authors use it to refer to doing very badly on an exam. Thank you.
10 votes
2 answers
6k views

meaning of "~しており、...."? isn't that 謙譲語{けんじょうご}?

The second line in the first paragraph of this Bloomberg news article reads as such: ロシア軍{ぐん}は既{すで}にウクライナのクリミア自治共和国{じちきょうわこく}の一部{いちぶ}の施設{しせつ}を占拠{せんきょ}しており、ウクライナ政府{せいふ}は軍事{ぐんじ}侵攻{しんこう}を受{う}けていると非難{ひなん}...
0 votes
1 answer
53 views

The usage of 議論の余地

I can't figure out if the phrase 議論の余地 is used to convey the meaning of "there is no room for arguing about that" or what else it conveys. Also, is it weird to use it? I couldn't find many ...
2 votes
2 answers
511 views

What is the implied subject in 夏から秋にかける?

Consider 夏から秋にかけて台風がよく来ます。 Typhoons frequently come from summer to autumn. I know that 夏から秋にかけて effectively means "from summer to autumn". But more literally I assume it means "from ...
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0 answers
38 views

What does 「やっぱり申告制でひとつ」mean in this context? [duplicate]

Context: MC is asking 2 of his subordinates about their desired salary/ allowance, which he will pay for them. Since he has been isekai'd , he doesn't know about the average salary/ income or ...
3 votes
1 answer
969 views

What does ついたつかないで mean in this sentence?

世の高校生はこの「既読」がついたつかないで日々揉めているそうな。 Why is the past form of a verb and negative te form written next to each other? is it grammatically correct and what does it mean? Apparently it's the function of the ...
0 votes
0 answers
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why using た in これからはどうしたものか? [duplicate]

The phrase 「これから」 refers to the future, while 「た」 refers to the past. Why can they be used in this way?
0 votes
1 answer
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Understanding 気分任せの足跡

I'm translating the song “はだしの軌跡” from Final Fantasy X-2: Vocal Collection - Rikku. 気分まかせの足跡つけて新しい地図 描こう I’m translating this lyric from right to left, reading as “Let’s draw a new map by...” ...
0 votes
1 answer
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Does the いは in 或いは come from any term, and if so, how is it/was it used?

I was curious about いは in 或いは because ある is in its plain form however I can't find anything on it. I don't have any physical dictionary, either nor knowledge of if this is archaic Japanese
2 votes
1 answer
101 views

What does 気持ちの余裕 mean here?

唐朽さんと別れた後、仕方が無いのでトイレで着替えを済ませることに。 肌は若干ベタつくものの、服が濡れているのと濡れていないのでは気持ちの余裕が違う Context: a character's thought after he dived into a lake, and helped a girl retrieved her handkerchief . Now he had to ...
1 vote
2 answers
193 views

Why does ごめん or すみません with て form make the sentence, Sorry for (...)?

I learned that て form is used to combine with lots of things, but when putting て form with one other thing, it normally means ... and .... So why does putting て form with ごめん or すみません make it sorry ...
0 votes
1 answer
242 views

Can anyone explain こんなもんよ?

This is a phrase I came across while watching Pokemon in Japanese. The fan subtitles have it translated as "How are you doing now?". However, from looking at a Japanese dictionary, that does ...
1 vote
1 answer
70 views

Are (Verb+べく) combos considered to be adverbial phrases?

In sentences that involve (Verb + べく) combinations, as in: 身近な人間は(なるべく)避けたほうがいいな… As for people close to me, (as much as possible) it's best to avoid them.. (勉強すべく)図書館に行った。 I went to the library (in ...
2 votes
1 answer
121 views

How would you ask for help for someone else?

I'm trying to figure out the best way to ask for help on someone else's behalf, like in "Could you help my friend with the elevator?". For myself, I would think that something like "...
0 votes
1 answer
71 views

Meaning of idioms difficult to translate

I have to understand two japanese idioms and I am having a very hard time finding a meaning for them (on a dictionary I mean). Can someone explain them to me 机上 as in 「机上実行」 related to the execution ...
0 votes
0 answers
79 views

Can anyone help me fill in the blanks of a kid's rhyme?

My 4 year old has been going to a Japanese preschool for a few weeks and has picked up a rhyme/chant that all the kids say before they eat. I'd love to learn it too so we can say it together at home, ...
2 votes
2 answers
225 views

How to analyze たこともある?

In Tobira chapter 11 grammar, one of the examples is 奈良は京都と並んで、古い歴史のある町で、日本の首都だったこともある。 I don't seem to find any information about たこともある on the entire web. I understand there is no difference between ...
0 votes
1 answer
64 views

Understanding 「難しいのと簡単なやつ」

In 難しいのと簡単なやつ、どっちがいい? Do you want the hard ones or the easy ones? Just confirming that の is nomalizing 難しい (i.e. 難しいの is equivalent to 難しいのこと here)? Is the と here "and"? (As in: is this ...
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Kaguya-sama: Does maji manji (マジ卍) really translate to based or dope A.F.?

Related I guess: Japanese slang - まんじ、マンジ、卍 From Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: In S02E09, specifically Chapter 82, when Yu (Ishigami) praises Kaguya by describing Kaguya as 'maji manji', the translation ...
0 votes
0 answers
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How to translate "the movie deserves better than what it got at the box office", specifically the "got" part in Japanese

I'm trying to explain this english phrase in Japanese, specifically the "got" part of this phrase. I'm a native English speaker, but I'm not a teacher so it's difficult to explain this ...
0 votes
1 answer
265 views

Is the '最高の女' (saikou no onna?) the thing that 'best girl' memes/terms are based on?

I'm kind of an anime/manga n00b, but I notice people on forums always talk about like who is 'best girl' (or 'best boy' or 'best guy' Idk) in any particular anime/manga series. Then I noticed in this ...
1 vote
3 answers
1k views

Shashin onegaishimasu / しゃしん おねがいします - informally acceptable?

If I were to ask a native of Japan to take a picture of myself or me and the group with whom I am, is it acceptable to ask "Shashin onegaishimasu / しゃしん おねがいします" as a shortcut instead of the ...
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2 answers
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Help with understanding roles and meaning of this phrase: 脳が処理をしないかのどちらかなんだ

The phrase is part of this following line: 普段の生活の中に埋もれている何気ないことなど気にも留めないし、知覚したとしてもすぐに忘れるか、脳が処理をしないかのどちらかなんだ。 Actually I'm also unsure about the role and meaning of the か in the second to last clause ...
0 votes
1 answer
69 views

What does "なくす" mean in this phrase?

カメラで人を見つけて踏切の事故をなくす I don't know a meaning of "Nakusu" in this phrase. Can someone help me with this?
1 vote
2 answers
570 views

Masculine/ Dominant voice in Japanese:

I am an early 30s male with upper intermediate – advanced Japanese and I had some questions about the masculine voice. I do not use the common feminine words (かしら、statement〜なの、using my name in third ...
2 votes
1 answer
91 views

Meaning of the "Ni Naru" in this phrase

14年前に秋葉原で7人が殺された事件 男が死刑になる Does anyone know what's the translation? i'm unable to translation because of "ni naru". i know "ni naru + noun" means "to became", but i don'...
0 votes
1 answer
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Help breaking down this sentence: 配役も、今やったので良かったと思う

Context: Rui: それで——みんな、(ショーは)どうだい? 軽くとおしてやってみたけれど Tsukasa: うむ! 申し分ないと思うぞ! シチュエーションも場所に合っているしな Nene: 配役も、今やったので良かったと思う I can understand each word's meaning, but I'm a little confused as to what to ...
0 votes
1 answer
81 views

「予習」はどういう意味ですか。 [closed]

what is the usage of the word [よしゅう] in Japanese. What is the best answer out of these four answers given.
0 votes
1 answer
86 views

How do you build the equivalent of an English noun phrase in Japanese?

For example, if I wanted to say "the fear of drowning" or "the desire to do something" in Japanese, how would I do that? 溺れるという恐怖? 何かしたいという気持ち? These two sentences sound correct ...
1 vote
1 answer
451 views

傷つけるような真似する meaning?

I'm stuck on what this could mean. the context is: おい、庭園や屋敷を傷つけるような真似するんじゃねえぞ? Is the speaker implying that damage has been done by the other person before? Is this some sort of saying? I'll leave ...
3 votes
2 answers
256 views

"これが喜ばずにいられると思うかい?" meaning?

I'm working on a translation and am having trouble making sense of this phrase. I tried looking up the meaning each individual word and putting the phrase through Google Translate, but something doesn'...
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

まさかこれから毎回ここまで来て言うのか?

So I'm making a translation for a scene from a video game, and stumbled upon this phrase. I understand every word individually, but I'm struggling to make sense of all those words together. The ...
0 votes
1 answer
104 views

Can I say 無理しないでください when asking someone to not bother too much?

Can I say "無理しないでください" to someone who wants to bring me a gift, but I want to tell him that something small is ok and not to bother too much? Or is there something else that would sound ...
0 votes
1 answer
86 views

Understanding 「同居している25歳の女性に暴行を加え殺害したとして」

I'm having trouble understanding the bolded parts from a sentence from the first episode of Death Note: 本日正午過ぎ東京都渋谷(しぶや)区で⸺同居している25歳の女性に暴行を加え殺害したとして Questions: I'm assuming the single verb "...
2 votes
1 answer
283 views

せいせいすらあ Meaning

This is from the manga Kaiji. A hated character is making his departure, and Kaiji thinks to himself, "消えろ!消えろ!。。。!” ”せいせいすらあ。。。。” The first part is pretty easy, basically like "Yeah, get ...
3 votes
2 answers
273 views

What does 一生やってろ exactly mean?

I’ve seen this phrase being used and it just confuses me. I wanted to see if I could find an explanation for the phrase. A direct translation would be something like "Do it for the rest of your ...
1 vote
1 answer
157 views

Verb in て-form before a noun

I came across this sentence: 「東京」は、京都から見て東の京(首都)という意味です。 I don't understand why there 見る is in て-form. I've never met uses of て-form before a noun. To me it looks like a typo. Do I miss something?
1 vote
1 answer
540 views

ともすれば~・ともすると~: " a tendency to ~, prone to ~" or "cause and effect"?

頭の中は恥辱と奇妙な解放感に混乱した。ともすると恥辱と刺激だけが意識を占めてしまいそうになる。 彼の掌から甘い痺れが沁みこんで来て、ともすれば腰が抜けそうになる。 呼吸を整えることで、ともすれば崩れそうになる自尊心を平静に保とうとした。 Regarding these examples, it seems "as a result," is more appropriate ...
3 votes
1 answer
157 views

よりほかはない ほかしかたがない

I am pretty sure I have heard native speakers say things like あの大事故の中で、けが一つなかったのは奇跡と言うほかありません My question is can I use this construct or the similar usage ほかしかたがない to describe something decidedly ...

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