Questions tagged [set-phrases]
決まり文句・慣用句・成句. Phrases with fixed words used as a single unit, such as idioms and set collocations. For questions about a particular idiom, please use the tag "idioms".
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What does 形から入る mean?
What does 形から入る mean? What contexts may it be used in? I can't find the phrase in my dictionary.
I ran across this in an anime. Transcription of the relevant parts:
[麻]{ま}[音]{おん}の父さん 「本当にこの子は『...
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What is the background of the phrase 背中で教える, and where does the meaning "to teach with one's back" come from?
I came across this phrase today while doing a lookup on 背中.
背中で教える
I checked several sources, and all listed the meaning, amongst others, "to teach with one's back". It seems related to ...
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Emphasis instead of negation in 「そんなバカなことはありません」
In this quote by Akihiro Miwa, 「そんな～ことはありません」 isn't used the way I'd expect it to be:
努力{どりょく}をしない人も[平等]{びょうどう}になどと、そんなバカなことはありません。
It's (extremely?) foolish to treat people who don't make an ...
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What's the 日本語 equivalent of "Wipe them off the map"?
皆さん、こんばんは！
What is the 日本語 equivalent of saying the semi-set-phrase(or whatever you call set-phrases with parts you can fill in) "Wipe them off the map"?
Like when you say "North Korea knows that if ...
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Why does Siri say 座布団１枚お願いします when I told him he is an interesting person?
I use Siri to practice my Japanese. I basically say random things to him and see how he responds. (I know this is not even close to effective, don't judge me...)
Today I said to Siri that he is an ...
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How to say "Little did I/he/she/they know"?
I found a few examples at ALC, but still not sure about the best way to say it.
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Help for this expression: 猿は人間に毛が[三筋]{みすじ}足らぬ
I read this expression in a text. It seems to be an old proverb about monkeys. But I am not sure about its meaning. Why 筋, for instance? Does it mean muscle? reasoning faculty? Why would they be ...
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Politely asking to stay at someone's home? お邪魔させてもらう、泊めてもらう、or 滞在させてもらう?
Which of the following is the most polite? Is any of them incorrect? Is there a more standard way to ask someone if you could stay with them while in town?
~ 8日から9日まで、あなたのお宅にお邪魔させてもらえませんか。
~ ...
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Is there a Japanese equivalent of knock-knock jokes?
For those (non-natives, etc.) who maybe aren't familiar, knock-knock jokes are one of the lowest, most basic forms of American "comedy". They follow this format:
A: Knock, knock
B: Who's ...
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What is an equivalent phrase to the colloquial "I know, right!?"
What are the Japanese equivalent phrases for the phrase "I know, right?!"
The scenario is my friend said 「PS4には最高だね」, and I'd like to respond with something akin to "I know, right?!" 「でしょ！？」 comes to ...
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Meaning of 「かくや（という）」
A quote from 80日間世界一周:
巨大な湖が凍ったらかくやという景色だった。
It seemed like a vast frozen lake.
I'm guessing the 「かく」 is this one, but I don't understand how the 「や」 works. Could this be a set phrase?
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Is there any phrase similar to "may he rest in peace"?
George Michael just passed away... is there any phrase analogous to "may he rest in peace"? To me at least, that English phrase is emotionally tinged. I mean, I really do feel sad. But of course, I'd ...
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What is 願ったりだと?
The protagonist of the story is a taxi driver who picks up a girl. She asks him to bring her to Isezaki and then the author writes:
それは願ったりだと乗せて夜の道を走った。
What kind of form is the one in bold?
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In Japanese, how do you say you will skip ahead past one section for time's sake while reading aloud to an audience?
How do you succinctly say that you are going to skip ahead past the next section or paragraph for time's sake and tell the audience which spot you are picking up again when reading a paper aloud at an ...
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Is there a general way to express how you feel?
For example, while I am running I feel great.
This makes me feel happy.
When doing lots of work for low wages I feel tired.
What are the common ways to express my physiological/psychological state?
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山と積む: what does this と mean?
In the expression 山と積む (meaning 山ように積む , I think) I can't understand the grammatical function of this と.
Is there any omission after と in the phrase? Or is this a use of と that I don't recognize? Or ...
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Is "~の方が格上だ" a set phrase of sorts?
I've never come across "の方が格上" before, I'm wondering if it's a set phrase that would describe someone being "out of your league" in terms of power/strength so the implication is that one cannot hope ...
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How to make comparisons using "like" in japanese?
So take the following (contrived) example in english.
A: What does 'plane' mean?
B: Which 'plane'? 'Plane' like 'the thing in the sky'? 'Plain' like 'hills on the ground'? Or 'plane' like 'a ...
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Can you say "よい夢へ" instead of "よい夢を"?
I saw this message created by a native speaker:「よい夢{ゆめ} を 」.
That seemed strange to me. I would have expected: 「よい夢 へ 」.
My thinking right now is that:
「よい夢を」 is a straight contraction of 「...
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"Once upon a time" is to "The End" as "昔々" is to "______"?
(Question A) "Once upon a time" is to "The End" as "昔々" is to "______" ?
Here are my thoughts and problems with some possible answers:
ザーエンド
using ザー as "the". But this seems problematic since I ...
Flaw♦
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諺/熟語 for "paint oneself into a corner"
I am trying to find an idiom that describes someone setting hurdles for themself or putting themself in a more difficult position every step of the way, eventually trapping oneself or forcing one's ...
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Does it sound unnatural to say "タダイマ" after someone says "オカエリ" to you?
When you return home, the normal exchange is:
(oneself): "タダイマ"
(family member at your residence): "オカエリ"
My interpretation is that "タダイマ" means "hey, I've just got home.". And, "オカエリ" means "...
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Meaning and usage of 運のツキ
何さ、いやな人たちだね。こんな家に生まれてきたのが運のツキだよ。
What!? I'm an unpleasant person am I? To be born in a house such as this ...
Bit confused by the part in bold.
運 means "luck" and ツキ can also mean "luck". So is ...
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「いただきます」 to accept to a food offer?
In this JLPT N3 audio practice question (#3), the correct reply to the statement is 3.
コーヒー、もう一杯いかがですか。
けっこうだと思います。
おかげさまで。
いただきます。
If the question translates as "How about another cup of ...
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"お調べいただいた上、" vs. "お調べいただき、..."
What is the difference in meaning between:
(1) お調べいただいた上{うえ}、注文通りの品をお送り下さいますよう、お願いします。
(2) お調べいただき、注文通りの品を送り下さいますよう、お願いします。
I understand #2.
(2) Upon your looking into the matter, please ...
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How to interpret "一日の楽しみ"
こいつにとって水泳は本当に一日の楽しみなんだと思う。
The person in question here swims literally everyday.
"I think she really enjoys swimming (everyday? all the time?)"
It's hard to fit these use cases here.
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What is the Japanese for "I'll check it out, I will try and see"?
I found a form using 見て, and it seemed very useful, but I could never remember it. It means something like "I will try it out" or "I will try and see", and the Japanese form is something like 自転車見て... ...
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なるほど why it means "I understand" and usage as an adverb
I recently came across this phrase
しばらくは呆れていましたが、なるほど考えてみると
My questions are:
What is the meaning of this なるほど?
Why なるほど means "I understand" when used in isolation?
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why ひどい神もいたもんだ means "that's a mean god"?
the english version of the material Im reading says "that's a mean god", and a friend told me that means "there is a bad god ,isn't it?" , but I don't understand why.
I know ひどい神 (bad,cruel, God) I ...
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あなたにも as a response to someone's best wishes
I recently saw an exchange between two non-native speakers where one wished the other a happy new year, and the other replied with あなたにも (literally, "and to you").
Putting aside whether the ...
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「私の緊張のあまり」 vs.「私は緊張のあまり」in this sentence?
sentence #1:
自分{じぶん}の番{ばん}が近{ちか}づいてきたとき、私{わたし}は緊張{きんちょう}のあまり頭{あたま}の中{なか}が真{ま}っ白{しろ}になってしまった。
sentence #2:
自分の番が近づいてきたとき、緊張のあまり、私は頭の中が真っ白になってしまった。
sentence #3:
自分の番が近づいてきたとき、...
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根も葉も火種も -- is it proverbial?
I suspect「根も葉も火種も」 is an allusion to something I do not recognize. To what does it refer?
Consider this couplet from an amusing song released in March by IOSYS called 「ステマの女」(CD and promotional ...
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"Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes"
What is the Japanese equivalent of "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes"?
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How to confirm plans?
If you make plans to meat with someone, what's the best way to confirm the plans are still on. Something like "We're still meeting up tonight, right?"
Would anything like the following work, or is ...
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Why is 一緒に needed when it's already clear two people will be together?
A father is talking to his kid about their plans tomorrow and says,
けんしんくん、お父さんと一緒に買いに行きましょうか？
Why not:
けんしんくん、お父さんと買いに行きましょうか？
(The sentence is supposed to say, "Kenshin, would you like to ...
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How would you express the sentiment of "Happy New Era" [duplicate]
Something like 良いお時代を。? Or would you specifically say 令和?
If not that, what would be a literal English translation?
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"~において、..." vs. "~にとって、..." differences?
I'd like to ask about the difference between "~において、..." and "~にとって、...":
example #1
アジア地域{ちいき} にとって は、日本{にほん}は超大国{ちょうたいこく}です。
アジア地域 において は、日本は超大国です。
example #2
中国人{ちゅうごくじん} にとって は、...
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Can someone further explain the difference between 一緒に and 共に?
This is a follow up to the question “What are the fundamental differences between the ～と一緒に and the ～とともに fragments?” Someone suggested that I post my question as a separate thread.
Well, something ...
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About what age to stop using おいくつですか？
Is it natural to say 「おいくつですか」 to children who are around 10, or younger? Then, just like in Western culture, above a certain age I'm sure it is impolite or creepy to even ask another person's age. ...
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Which one is correct 会社名前 or 会社の名前?
I'm a beginner in Japanese language. In English, "Company Name" and "Name of Company" are basically the same. In Japanese, are those two the same or different? Which one should I use?
会社名前
会社の名前
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Why are こんにちは and こんばんは used for greetings?
If they are translated literally it gives "today is" and "tonight is".
Is it some sentence that got shortened ?
(Also not sure how to classify this question so forgive me if I used the wrong tags......
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What is the Japanese equivalent for words like 'go' in 'go team!'?
Here's something I just realized I didn't know how to say in Japanese. What is the Japanese equivalent for words and set phrases used to express excitement for what someone is doing, while also ...
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What order do Japanese people say/recite the seasons?
In English, I always say winter, spring, summer, fall/autumn, in that order.
Is there a similar order that the Japanese people follow?
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"だなんだと" meaning
聖夜【せいや】だなんだと繰【く】り返【かえ】す歌【うた】と (song lyric)
(then it goes like: わざとらしくきらめく街【まち】のせいかな )
More specifically, I cannot decide which character belongs to where in "だなんだと". Is it the expression ...
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Meaning of "何もそこまで"
ものすごく酸っぱい梅干しを食べたみたいに顏をしかめて、猛烈に残念がった友蔵{ともぞう}に、「何もそこまで」とおかあさんが、みんなの気持ちを代表して、ボンっとつぶやいた。
Mum, representing everyone's feelings, muttered 何もそこまで to Tomozou who was acting as though it (what he'd just ...
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ムダ足だった == useless leg?
When I look up the phrase 無駄足だった, I see it translated as "It was a Wild goose chase." I found this bizarre, since it seems like it would mean "It was a useless foot/leg." is this some sort of figure ...
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How to say ''I miss you'' at the end of a letter?
I am writing a letter to a Japanese girl that I like and I want to finish by simply saying "I miss you". I don't trust Google Translate and there seem to be a few ways to say it online. What is the ...
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サインもらっとけとでも言う - Breaking this phrase down
今のうちにサインもらっとけとでも言うんスか！？
What I thought he was saying: "Are you saying we should get his signature now while we still can!?"
I was stuck for several days on this sentence having trouble making sense ...
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Meaning of 身もフタもない
怒られるタイプの人のことを考えていて、自分が怒られたんじゃ、身もフタもないじゃないの
I've been thinking about people who are the type to get scolded and, I scold myself...
I can't make any sense out of the part in bold. Literally I get, "...
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