Questions regarding endings or sounds which can be appended to the end of a word and change its meaning or function in some way.
34
votes
5answers
3k views
Differences among -たら、なら、-んだったら、-えば, etc.
Japanese language has a lot of patterns for "if" clauses. What are the differences among the following patterns and how do we choose to use one over the others?:
行ったら
行くなら
行けば
行くんだったら
行くのなら
行くとしたら
...
17
votes
3answers
735 views
What does -komu (ー込む) at the end of a word mean?
There are loads of word in Japanese which end in 込む, like 吸い込む, 読み込む, 入り込む, 打ち込む, 売り込む, 送り込む, 押し込む. How does adding ー込む change the meaning? What is the meaning that links all these words?
15
votes
2answers
494 views
What is the difference between ~げ and ~そう
How do these two differ, for example:
寂しそう vs 寂しげ
楽しそう vs 楽しげ
言いたそう vs 言いたげ
大人げ vs 大人っぽい（...？ Not sure if this one works.)
11
votes
2answers
235 views
What is ~げに suffix actually?
Today, while looking up random words in WWWJDIC, I stumbled upon an example sentence for the word いとしい as below:
少女は人形をいとしげに抱き締めた。 The girl squeezed her doll affectionately.
The sentence uses ...
10
votes
1answer
304 views
“slightly/somewhat” の「～め」 【～目】: Usage and limitations
I'm somewhat confused about the usage and limitations of the ～め suffix that means "somewhat/slightly". I've only ever heard it on a handful of words:
大きめ
小さ目
多め
少な目
早め
and maybe a few others that ...
9
votes
2answers
241 views
What's the reading of -中 as a suffix?
I see this all the time, but I don't know that I've heard it spoken.
For example: インストール中
Is it simply "なか"?
9
votes
2answers
231 views
Can I use suffixes (な、ね、さ、わ…) before と思う?
I always hear ～なぁと思った, but I don't know if it comes from:
食べるかなーと思った。 or like
きれいだなーと思った。 or
寒いなーと思った。
I think this sound なーと思う is so relaxing and so nice, that I want to use it. But actually I ...
8
votes
1answer
182 views
Relation between -ますよ and -ましょう
They sound alike. Are they cognate historically?
Morphologically, is よ in both cases a particle or part of the morpheme in -ましょう?
8
votes
3answers
180 views
Is the only time 得る read as うる when it's a suffix?
Just wondering If choosing a reading is as simple as whether
得る is a suffix.
This is from tatoeba.org, a wiki-like sentence mine, so I'm not sure if える, the reading entered is correct.
...
8
votes
2answers
251 views
The meaning of 切る on the end of verbs
Is there a general meaning for 切る on the end of verbs?
I think it might have to do with "completely doing" something. If that's the case, how does ～切る on the end of verbs differ from ～てしまう, for ...
7
votes
1answer
352 views
Is ～がる suffix limited to specific adjectives only?
I noticed that there are some adjectives that have ～がる suffix to make them into verbs. Some examples from WWWJDIC:
ほしがる
こわがる
いたがる
くるしがる
さびしがる
うれしがる
Apparently ～たい form also can take ...
7
votes
1answer
140 views
Is there a pattern to the usage of 〜的 on the end of words?
Sometimes I think it's more obvious when to use 〜的 as a suffix for example 国家 "nation/state" vs 国家的 "national", but in a lot of other cases I think the distinction might be more blurred, and they ...
6
votes
1answer
223 views
Usage of the suffixes 流, 風, 式, 的 and 様
If I was to put the suffixes 流{りゅう}, 風{ふう}, 的{てき}, 式{しき} and 様{よう} on the end of a noun etc, what would be the difference between them?
I could be wrong, but the following all seem to me to mean ...
6
votes
1answer
141 views
Pronunciation of 対応済
Is the pronunciation of 対応済 たいおうすみ or たいおうずみ ?
Context: Software
Example:
ユーザが押したときに問題が起こらないように対応済
6
votes
3answers
280 views
what exactly does the suffix とはいえ mean?
I came across the structure [V simple-past]とはいえ、、、、 and I can't figure out exactly what it means.
I found this いえ is 言え, and it means the same as とは言うものの...Which I don't really understand perfectly ...
6
votes
1answer
168 views
What does「新聞っぽい曜日」mean? Newspaperish? Commonplace? Routine?
This is a practice problem from a textbook on natural language processing:
やってみよう:ブラウンコーパスのニュースとロマンスの 2 つのジャンルのデータを利用して、どの曜日がもっとも新聞っぽく、どの曜日がもっともロマンチックかを調べてみよう。
"Which day of the week is ...
6
votes
1answer
262 views
How to distinguish between passive and potential forms of the verb?
I've read that potential form of the ru-verb is formed by replacing る with られる, which is exactly the same for the passive form of ru-verbs. How can we tell the passive form and potential apart in this ...
5
votes
2answers
655 views
List of Japanese counter words [closed]
What are the essential Japanese counter words?
For example -dai for machines, -mai for papers and stuff like that.
What else to expect/know?
Thank you
5
votes
3answers
261 views
Any rules for a suffix on english words?
(Note: I'm part of the "I know bits and pieces of Japanese from watching anime" group, so I lack an in-depth knowledge of Japanese)
As I'm hearing Japanese occasionally there will be an English word ...
5
votes
2answers
246 views
What is 方 used for (when attached to a た-verb)?
I have the following sentence:
早く行った方が良かったでしょう。
Here, if we take it apart we shall have:
早く(Adverb) 行った(Verb, Past tense) 方(?) が(GA, Subject particle) 良かったでしょう(Verb, Past tense) 。
What is ...
5
votes
2answers
167 views
Is this a valid use of どころか?
In the following, I feel it should be 会話が出来るどころか.
ジムは日本語で会話が出来ないどころか、簡単な挨拶も出来ない。
Jim is not only unable to converse in Japanese; he cannot even make simple greetings.
I was expecting the ...
5
votes
1answer
217 views
What are the rules for the plural suffix ～ら
I came across the following in a newspaper article:
藤沢健太教授（宇宙物理学）らの研究グループ
The first part (藤沢健太教授) is the name of a professor (Professor Kenta Fujisawa). The parentheses say "Astrophysics", and ...
5
votes
1answer
101 views
たら as an emotional suffix
In this phrase I couldn't find another meaning of たら (I guess it's not -た＋ら）:
自分たらの事しか考えてなかった
I'd translate it as "I think only of my own business" or "I think only of myself".
I found in ...
4
votes
1answer
176 views
What is the difference between 出す and 始める when used as a suffix?
Judging from examples I've seen, these are some differences I think there are:
始める:
1: More formal than 出す
2: When the focus in more on the beginning of the verb than the verb itself
3: When the ...
4
votes
1answer
127 views
～まくる as a suffix, what does it mean and how is it used?
I found this phrase 「家族に突っ込まれまくった」 and I believe it means "[my] family really stuck it [to me]" but I'm not familiar with the suffix まくる.
Any examples and clarifications would be appreciated.
4
votes
1answer
214 views
Difference between 「~がる」 and 「～そう」
「～がる」と「～そう」の違いは何でしょうか。感覚的に同じではないことは分かりますが、説明はできません。どうも「～がる」形はもはや口語ではあまり使われないように感じます（「怖がる」「怖そう」などの完全に意味が変わる形容詞を除く。）。そういったレジスター(言語使用域)の違いも含めての回答を期待しています。もしこの質問がDuplicateであれば、元の質問を教えていただければ幸いです。
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Please help to understand the verb suffix 掛ける
I have a sentence フライト・アテンダントはよく話しかけてくれて親しみがありました。
Where 話しかけて is what I can't understand. What sort of suffix is "shikakete"? Or is it two suffixes, shi + kakete?
3
votes
1answer
158 views
Meaning and usage of suffix -まい
According to the WWWJDIC, the verbal suffix まい can mean:
(1) probably isn't (doesn't, won't, etc.)
(2) don't (doesn't) intend to; intend not to
(3) must not; (when used in an imperative ...
2
votes
1answer
181 views
Who are Mrs. Fuji and Mrs. Gas?
Is there any etymological relationship between the -さん suffix in 富士山 or 月山 and the -さん suffix you put at the end of a person's name? Or are they unrelated?
1
vote
1answer
265 views
What suffix do you add to a verb to make it perfective or imperfective?
What suffix would be added to the end of a verb to make as it is being done (I'm eating), or that it has been done (I have eaten, I've ate).
For example
私は食べる, or I eat, 食べる would be converted into ...
1
vote
1answer
102 views
1
vote
1answer
136 views
use of word suffixes with 事
In this sentence I've a some doubts"自分 の 事し 考えぬ には、この 氷 は 溶かせない" I think a translation would be" Think to yourself of this matter of you, this ice never will melt" But it's just a guess. I can ...
