Focused on the spoken form of Japanese rather than the written form.
5
votes
1answer
125 views
What does うんたらかんたら mean?
I recently heard this phrase being told in a show, but I just couldn't make sense of what it means...And what really caught my attention was that the listener was really surprised to hear this phrase ...
1
vote
2answers
249 views
Tips for japanese online radio or podcasts [closed]
Do you have any good recommendations for Japanese radio stations available online? Weather I can listen through the website or using some third party music app does not matter.
I would like a ...
6
votes
2answers
251 views
Are times after noon expressed in military time?
How are times after noon expressed when speaking?
I assume that if it's obvious from context that it's after noon, then people will just say ５時.
But what if it's not obvious from context? My ...
6
votes
1answer
906 views
How do I spell “So! So! So! So! So!”?
I've heard people say "So! So! So! So! So!" (or possibly "Sou! Sou! Sou!" or maybe using "z" instead of "s" - I'm bad at hearing) when laughing in agreement.
When middle-aged women speak Japanese ...
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 ...
8
votes
1answer
141 views
Spelling over the phone
In Japan I often have to call somewhere and explain my name such that the person on the other end can write it down. My name is "Sepponen Bemmu", which I want them to write down as "セッポネン・ベンム".
Is ...
6
votes
6answers
571 views
Should I speak in the local dialect and/or accent of an area?
I'm planning to go to Tohoku for at least a week, and Lonely Planet, Wikitravel and TVTropes all mention that Tohoku-ben is a bit different from how Tokyoites would speak. TVTropes also mention that ...
4
votes
1answer
260 views
Why do some people use 分からない, when they mean 知らない? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How should I choose between [知]{し}る and わかる?
I often get puzzled when I ask a question and the other person says 分からない or 分からん, when they seem to understand but they ...
3
votes
1answer
110 views
How difficult is it for Japanese to distinguish between [五]{いつ}[日]{か} and [何時]{いつ}か in spoken contexts?
There are times when both 五日 (5th day of the month) and 何時か (someday) could be used I think. Does this become a minor problem for Japanese when speaking (no kanji to guide), or do they speak in some ...
3
votes
0answers
175 views
Is the pitch data correct in this pdf file intended for learners? [closed]
(If the question is inappropriate here, please direct me to an appropriate site or forum)
In an effort to simplify the acquisition of pitch in L2 learners (ie. myself), I created a pdf document that ...
8
votes
3answers
189 views
do people actually, if ever, say みょうにち ?
Hi all I've heard people using あした (the common one) and あす (rather uncommon) to refer to "tomorrow".
I was wondering does anyone actually uses the reading みょうにち ?
7
votes
1answer
109 views
Do the various verbs pronounced つく differ in intonation?
Related: Dissecting つく verbs
There are many verbs which are pronounced つく, and I was simply wondering: Do their intonation patterns differ?
If so, what are the intonation patterns of the most ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
How does the intonation of ありがとう vary between dialects?
I recall in my speaking/listening class last semester in Japan, when we were discussing proper intonation in the standard dialect, that the intonation of ありがとう varied rather widely between dialects ...
21
votes
2answers
858 views
Where does “もしもし” (moshimoshi) for answering the telephone come from?
Does the term "もしもし" (moshimoshi) predate the telephone? Does it have any use besides answering the phone? Where does it come from, is it just a reduplication of "もし" (moshi) "if", and if so how does ...
8
votes
1answer
224 views
can we use ねー as a question?
I've read that people usually change ない to ねー to make it more manly, like:
したくないよ becomes したくねーんだ
So basically i often heard questions ending with ない but have not heard anyone end a question with ねー
...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the stereotypical characteristics of yakuza speech?
When people imitate yakuza speech, what are the major things they do to make it recognizable as such?
If possible, how accurate is this compared to actual yakuza speech?
I've seen mention elsewhere ...
16
votes
3answers
575 views
全然 {ぜんぜん} with positive adjective / na-adjective
In Japanese classes, I was taught that 全然 can only be used with negative-meaning words/phrases/clauses, for example:
全然出来ません
全然だめです
However, I've observed that, especially in spoken Japanese, ...
23
votes
6answers
946 views
How important is one's pitch when speaking Japanese?
I'm aware of some words in Japanese that have the same reading but different meaning depending on the pitch of each syllable. The canonical example is はし (hashi), which can mean either chopsticks ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Using 「なるほど」 {naruhodo} and 「やっぱり」 {yappari} in the same situation
I know, since they are of different word classes, 「なるほど」 {naruhodo} and 「やっぱり」 {yappari} may not be used interchangeably within the same sentence but can they be used within the same situation ...
7
votes
2answers
145 views
About cutting the sentences short
I've been told during my Japanese classes, and I've also observed in anime and Japanese dramas & movies, that sometimes when talking Japanese people tend to stop halfway and omit the end of ...
16
votes
4answers
728 views
Commonness of casual phrases like “あたし” and “ちっちゃい”
I came across a Japanese girl in Germany who talked using words like あたし instead of わたし, or ちっちゃい instead of ちいさい. When I asked her, she said that these words or usages of words are more common in ...
