From social politeness ("please", "thank you", etc) to the technical Japanese grammatical concepts of honorifics and respectful and humble forms known as "keigo".
13
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6answers
871 views
Can somebody explain the various words and combinations thereof used for thanking?
To my knowledge there are three words which can be used in thanking and they seem to be usable together in some combinations:
どうも (domo)
どうもありがとう (domo arigato)
ありがとう (arigato)
ありがとうございます (arigato ...
8
votes
2answers
253 views
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
Examples:
の only: 普通、大勢
な or の: 初心、特別、特殊
Is there a way for us to tell if a 形容動詞 needs a の or な particle after ...
12
votes
3answers
832 views
When to use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい
When does one use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい? For example, in phrases like:
先生は野菜を食べて欲し｛いです・がっています｝。
My incomplete understanding is that the がる form is more formal/polite, but it can only be used ...
25
votes
3answers
949 views
Usage of すみません (sumimasen) versus ごめんなさい (gomen'nasai)
There are several situations in which one of these words (phrases?) should be used but there's not usually a 1:1 mapping between any two languages.
Get somebody's permission. English: "excuse me", ...
9
votes
1answer
228 views
When and to whom should I use the expression ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
In what context and relationship wise to who can I safely say ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
I often defer to using otsukaresama since I'm not sure if I'm talking down to someone by saying gokurousama. Please ...
15
votes
3answers
624 views
Does “敬語” (keigo) just mean “politeness” or is it a technical term specifically relating to Japanese grammar?
What is the difference between the Japanese term "敬語" (keigo) and the English term "politeness" (Specifically regarding language)?
I assumed politeness is more general covering things like "please" ...
10
votes
2answers
336 views
Why is the honorific o used for the bathroom?
I've seen the honorific "o"/"go" (is it called bikago?) being used as politness or reverence: o-cha for non-western tea, o-namae when talking about someone else's name, o-genki instead of just genki, ...
4
votes
2answers
249 views
In customer settings, is it ok to ask for keigo to be repeated in more “normal” Japanese?
In the context of restaurants, convenience stores and similar situations, is it ok for a customer to ask for something that was said in keigo (or in manual keigo) to be repeated in more "normal" ...
15
votes
4answers
477 views
How would I respectfully disagree with a superior?
If my manager says something that I know to be factually incorrect, how can I point that out without sounding disrespectful? (Is ~違います appropriate in this context or is that too strong?)
Is this a ...
11
votes
2answers
167 views
What are the origins of ド when used as emphasis, and is it always negative?
Sometimes I've seen ド as a prefix that adds emphasis to words. So saying someone is ドバカ is saying that they are much more stupid than just バカ.
I'm wondering what the origin of ド in this context is. ...
11
votes
1answer
277 views
When can I exchange くださる for いただく in expressions of gratitude?
Way back when, I remember being taught that when you want to say a really polite "thank you", sentences such as these are basically the same:
文章を訂正していただきましてありがとうございます。
...
12
votes
2answers
666 views
Which kanji to use for saying ありがとうございます in emails?
When sending emails, I've noticed that Japanese colleagues use all sorts of kanji/kana combinations for the simple phrases ありがとうございました and よろしくおねがいいたします.
For example:
ありがとうございました
有難うございました
...
8
votes
3answers
195 views
correctness of い adjective + です
Generally, in all Japanese language classes, the rule you're taught is that です does not follow い adjectives. Instead, い adjectives can act like stative verbs, and as such terminate a sentence by ...
6
votes
2answers
342 views
Is it ok to use ～て下さりました instead of ～ていただきました?
Just to avoid repeating saying いただきました too much, can I occasionally switch it with 下さりました or 下さいました?
4
votes
1answer
200 views
When should the polite form of 〜たり be used?
I've noticed that I don't see 〜ましたり used very often, but it does seem to be an accepted form. I believe this form can be broken down like this: 動詞{どうし}の連用形{れんようけい}＋「ます」の連用形{れんようけい}＋「たり」
My ...
4
votes
2answers
292 views
Does anyone know which おり this is?
彼女は表情が生き生きとしておりとてもかわいい。
was translated awkwardly on ALC as
She is very pretty for the liveliness of her expression.
Which おり is this? I think I know it from the polite しております but is it here ...
3
votes
1answer
147 views
With whom to use different honorific forms? 丁寧語より尊敬語・謙譲語・丁重語
With whom is it considered proper to use 尊敬語・謙譲語・丁重語 instead of 丁寧語?
I mean saying おいでになります・伺います・参ります instead of 行きます.
The often given example is for a service-person speaking with a customer, but ...
13
votes
3answers
973 views
“You don't have to be so polite.” Really?
Sometimes a Japanese person will say to me:
そんなに丁寧な言葉を使わなくてもいいんですよ。
This is an invitation to be less formal. But how much less formal? As I have experienced, sometimes unintentional gaffes can ...
