Two or more words which share a meaning in at least one of the senses of each.
18
votes
1answer
370 views
What is the difference between いえ and うち?
I am trying to understand the difference between using いえ and うち. I originally drew the conclusion that うち is used for your own house and いえ for others' houses, but my Japanese teacher said that this ...
16
votes
2answers
303 views
What's the difference between “家” (ya), “屋” (ya), and “や” (ya) as used in the names of shops/stores/restaurants?
As a gyudon addict I have noticed that the names of the three major national restaurant chains all end in "ya" but they used two different characters:
"吉野家" (Yoshinoya)
"松屋" (Matsuya)
"すき家" (Sukiya)
...
15
votes
4answers
579 views
Since Japanese already had several words for rice why was “ライス” (raisu) borrowed from English?
Last night I had dinner in a ramen restaurant in northern Japan and was surprised to read the katakana "ライス" (raisu) on the menu. This is obviously the English word "rice" borrowed. But what kind of ...
13
votes
6answers
864 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 ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
What's the difference between “gohan” and “meshi”?
In answer to my question on the difference between "gyudon" and "gyumeshi" I learned that "meshi" just means cooked rice. But I thought "gohan" meant cooked rice, so please, what is the difference?
I ...
12
votes
1answer
399 views
Honorific prefix 「ご」 vs 「お」
Some nouns take the 「ご」 prefix:
ご両親 {りょうしん}
ご家族 {かぞく}
ご無事 {ぶじ}
ご安心 {あんしん}
ご丁寧 {ていねい}
While many others take the 「お」 prefix:
お母さん
お仕事 {しごと}
お月 {つき}
お内 {うち}
お客 {きゃく}
In ...
11
votes
3answers
246 views
How are 化け物, 妖怪, 幽霊, etc. related to each other?
In the past few years, reading light novels and the like, I have come across many different terms for ghosts, spirits, monsters, etc. in Japanese, and I'm wondering how they relate to each other. What ...
11
votes
3answers
2k views
What's the difference between “さけ” (sake) “しゃけ” (shake)?
Today I saw onigiri claiming to contain "しゃけ" (shake), when I asked my friend what that was she said it was the same as "さけ" (sake), "salmon".
So are these two just different readings of a kanji, ...
11
votes
3answers
485 views
Fun with synonyms - “eternity”
What are the differences among the following two-kanji words that seem to mean "eternity":
永遠 {えいえん}
永久 {とわ}
永世 {えいせい}
永代 {えいたい}
永劫 {えいごう}
永永 {えいえい}
久遠 {きゅうえん}
悠久 {ゆうきゅう}
恒久 {こうきゅう}
恒常 {こうじょう}
長久 ...
10
votes
3answers
309 views
10
votes
2answers
311 views
Ups and downs: かみ・しも vs うえ・した
So, we have the kanji 上・下 which can be read as either かみ・しも or うえ・した, and as I understand it, those two are antonym pairs. But what are the differences between the two?
The thesaurus isn't very ...
10
votes
2answers
237 views
What's the difference between 今日{きょう} and 本日{ほんじつ}?
I also see both in different examples.
As in :
今日は暑い。
本日はおめでとうございます。
Both are translated as "Today", but when and how should I use either one?
Can we say : 本日はあつい。 And 今日はおめでとうございます。?
10
votes
2answers
567 views
寝る vs. 眠る, what's the real difference?
What's the real, definite difference between 寝【ね】る and 眠【ねむ】る?
I know they both mean "sleep", but also that each carries some additional (sometimes, figurative) meanings.
Where do the meanings ...
10
votes
1answer
166 views
Fun with synonyms - “flattery"
What are the difference in the following words meaning flattery / to flatter:
お世{せ}辞{じ}
追{つい}従{しょう}
おべっか
胡{ご}麻{ま}をする
阿{おもね}る
諂{へつら}う
煽{おだ}て（る）
美{び}辞{じ}麗{れい}句{く}
Which ones are honest, sincere ...
9
votes
2answers
179 views
What's the difference between 迷う and 紕う?
I was looking in a dictionary and both were listed as being defined as "to lose one's way, to hesitate, or to waver," but I don't understand why there are two different kanji for the word.
9
votes
3answers
256 views
Difference between ゆくすえ, しょうらい and みらい
I've been looking around and I got that the three words can mean "future". Is there a way to differentiate them? Can they be used the same way?
9
votes
1answer
193 views
Difference between Fire : 火【ひ】and 火事【かじ】?
Both of them mean fire. But what are the difference between the two ?
For the sentence : There is a fire in my room. Can I use both of them ?
And what about for the sentence : Fire is part of the 5 ...
9
votes
1answer
315 views
天気 vs. 天候, what's the real difference?
What's the real difference between 天気 and 天候? In at least one of my dictionaries, 天候 just redirects to 天気.
I've always thought (read: "felt") that 天候 is the general "concept" of weather, or even ...
9
votes
1answer
242 views
Is it true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで?
I've been thinking if it is true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで. In other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance?
1) ...
9
votes
1answer
316 views
ならば vs なら. both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
is it true that なら is merely a short form of ならば and as such, both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
Also, a second question is is ならば more "formal" than "なら" ...
9
votes
2answers
156 views
How to use イコール to compare things? How is it different from 同じ?
I've heard sometimes that イコール is used sometimes to imply that things are similar. What would be a correct expression to use イコール? Furthermore, how is it different from using 同じ to say that things are ...
9
votes
2answers
175 views
What's the difference between くる and やってくる?
Can someone explain the nuance between them? They both mean "come", but I'm unsure of when they are interchangeable. My perception is that やってくる seems to put more emphasis on the actual action of ...
8
votes
2answers
198 views
what's the difference between 余地 and よゆう?
I have been informed that よゆう is to do with temporal or physical room, while 余地 has to do with emotional room, but I might have misunderstood the explanation.
8
votes
1answer
150 views
What is the difference between “meshi” and “don” for the food sometimes translated as “rice bowl” in English?
I'm a big fan of the Japanese fast food gyudon (cooked thinly sliced beef strips on top of a bowl of boiled white rice) and its variants such as butadon (the same but with pork).
But why do some ...
8
votes
2answers
358 views
What is the difference between 悪い and だめ?
What is the difference between 悪い and だめ?
They're not really the same, but in English they both can be translated to "bad".
あの人が悪い。In my limited experience, this is bad in the sense of evil.
...
8
votes
1answer
283 views
加える/増やす and 加わる/増える or even 増加する/殖/足, various kanji for “adding things”
I'm a bit confused regarding the choice between the 加 and 増 kanji for any meaning related to "adding one thing to another".
I assume that, as usual, the suru-verb combination 増加する is somewhat more ...
7
votes
6answers
288 views
Different transcriptions for words with related origin
Sometimes, a single foreign word or etymologically related words from different dialects/related languages is/are incorporated into Japanese with different transcriptions/pronouncations and often ...
7
votes
1answer
666 views
What's the difference between “マグロ” (maguro), “ツナ” (tsuna), and “シーチキン” (shiichikin)?
It seems that there are (at least) three words for "tuna" in Japanese:
"マグロ" / "鮪" / "まぐろ" (maguro) - Seems to be the native name for the creature and used at least in sushi
"ツナ" (tsuna) - Seems to ...
7
votes
1answer
274 views
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
Are they always/often/seldom interchangeable?
7
votes
2answers
262 views
What's the difference between “巻寿司” (makizushi), “海苔巻き” (norimaki), and “巻物” (makimono)?
It seems there are three words for the same Japanese food item, a kind of "sushi in a long roll":
"巻寿司" (makizushi)
"海苔巻き" (norimaki)
"巻物" (makimono)
Are they all identical / synonyms? Do they ...
7
votes
1answer
199 views
Nuances of “give” - あげる／与える／授ける
Can someone give some good context and scenarios for using these? Not only when to use them, but when NOT to use them as well. I know あげる is kind of the most common, but I'm just not sure of the ...
7
votes
1answer
151 views
Difference between 創立、設立、樹立
Can anyone explain the difference between these words? They all basically mean "to set up / to found", and from what I've researched, it's all very 微妙 to me.
6
votes
2answers
204 views
Difference between verb types (verbal nouns, transitive & intransitive: eg 開始, 始める and 始まる)
All three of these words mean "to start", but what's the difference between them and where are they used?
6
votes
3answers
263 views
In general/Generally: 概【がい】して, 一般【いっぱん】に, 全体【ぜんたい】に, 総【そう】じて, なべて, 一体{いったい}に, etc
When I look at them in the dictionary, they all mean the same thing. How to know which one to use?
If I want to say: "Generally, I go to school by bus" or "Generally, people grow taller" or even ...
6
votes
1answer
171 views
What is the difference between 詰まらない and 詰らない
What is the difference between 詰まらない and 詰らない? Are they both valid words? Are they pronounced the same and do they have the same meaning?
6
votes
2answers
290 views
Why is gaikokujin more politically correct than gaijin?
While in English, the word "gaijin" is far more common than "gaikokujin", I've heard that in Japanese [外人]{がいじん} has been replaced by [外国人]{がいこくじん} for reasons of political correctness.
What ...
6
votes
2answers
154 views
What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ?
What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ?
For example:
1) これは機会だぜ！
2) これはチャンスだぜ！
6
votes
1answer
135 views
What's the difference between 平行 and 並行?
They both seem to mean "parallel". In my プログレッシブ dictionary, it seems to point to the former being the more mathematical sense of the definition (two co-planar, non-intersecting lines), while the ...
6
votes
1answer
170 views
ぼちぼち - related words
I am at present rigorously studying 擬音語／擬態語 (an entire world of its own!).
The definition my book has for ぼちぼち (also ぼつぼつ) is:
1. Gradually; slowly but steadily
2. Used to describe something that is ...
6
votes
1answer
103 views
Are 勅 and 詔 simply synonyms?
I cannot find a clear difference between these two kanji:
勅 : Imperial decree (みことのり、ショウ)
詔 : Imperial edict (みことのり、チョク)
The English definitions for "decree" and "edict" are so similar, I ...
5
votes
1answer
250 views
Fun with synonyms - “to grab/catch/capture”
Here's a question for you experts. I've actually asked this to my Japanese friends, but I want to see how you guys answer too.
Explain the differences in the following verbs and which one(s) appear ...
5
votes
2answers
180 views
What's the difference between 触る and 触れる?
These two seem to overlap almost completely. The only thing I can really tell is that 触れる seems that it can also be used in a metaphorical sense ("touch on" something; feel; perceive). I'm ...
5
votes
1answer
206 views
What's the difference between 腹切り and 切腹?
I need to add a body to submit my question, so I'll just say the Mortal Kombat seemed to believe that the term 腹切り (はらきり harakiri) was more appropriate for self slaughter (i.e., throwing a boomerang ...
5
votes
1answer
142 views
迷宮 vs 迷路
WWWJDIC says that both 迷宮 and 迷路 mean "maze / labyrinth".
Google Images suggests that they are about the same thing: link1, link2
However, what may be the differences in nuance and usage between 迷宮 ...
5
votes
1answer
176 views
自分の vs 自らの when used for humans
What's the difference between 自分の and 自らの?
Both can be used to mean "oneself", but is there a difference in their nuances / usages?
(e.g. what would be the difference between あの子は、自らの命と引換に… and ...
5
votes
1answer
427 views
Fun with synonyms - “perhaps/maybe/probably”
What are the differences when using the following words/phrases to mean "perhaps", "maybe" or "probably"?
多分
恐らく
蓋し {けだし}
もしかして
ひょっとして
なかろう (negative -> probably not)
だろう / でしょう / であろう
かも知れない
...
5
votes
2answers
164 views
Fun with synonyms - “freeze”
I'm a little confused on the difference between 凍る 【こおる】 and 凍える 【こごえる】.
From what I've researched, it seems like 凍る focuses more on the physical process of something freezing, and the result being ...
5
votes
1answer
116 views
The difference between 書物、図書 and 本
What are the differences between these three words. They all seem to translate to "books".
書物、図書 and 本
5
votes
2answers
123 views
what is the difference in the nuances / usage of 気に病む and 心配する ?
I was wondering what is the difference in the nuances / usage of 気に病む and 心配する ?
(E.g. If I want to tell my friend not to worry about a test (albeit an important test), is it more appropriate to use ...
4
votes
2answers
186 views
餌食 vs 獲物
What is the difference between 餌食{えじき} and 獲物{えもの}?
Both mean "prey", so how do we decide when to use which?
What is the difference in their nuances?
