Questions asking for words or phrases to be translated.
7
votes
1answer
230 views
What does “ni tsuki” mean in the title “Sono otoko, kyōbō ni tsuki”?
According to Wikipedia, the Japanese title of the film "Violent Cop", "その男、凶暴につき" ("Sono otoko, kyōbō ni tsuki"), literally means "That man, being violent". Is this correct? What other translations ...
7
votes
1answer
265 views
what does 可哀想{かわいそう}でならない mean?
I came across this expression in my JPLT N2 study materials.
I deciphered the parts as
可哀想{かわいそう} means pitiable, pathetic
でならない means can't help feeling
so does it mean "can't help feeling ...
6
votes
3answers
367 views
What does ちがいます。 mean?
I saw this translated in the first episode of FLCL as "It's wrong.", but checking the translation, I get "Different." Can someone clear this up? Thanks.
6
votes
2answers
352 views
What does はくださらない mean?
I am having problems finding a word in this sentence in the dictionary:
一体全体なぜこんなところにおいでになったのか、たぶん話してはくださらないのでしょうね?
Unknown word:
- はくださらない
The English translation is:
"And I don't suppose ...
6
votes
3answers
197 views
It's time to [verb]
I know this is dangerously close to a translation question, but bare with me.
Today I found out a co-worker of mine is studying Japanese as well. And at the end of the conversation I wrote: Jikan wa ...
6
votes
3answers
588 views
イケメン translation to English
I am in a Japanese 101 class. We are suppose to translate the following sentance:
日本ぶんかの先生は、イケメンですが、ぜんぜんやさしくないですから、あまり好きじゃありません。
I am having trouble with that katakana イケメン. So far, I have:
The ...
6
votes
3answers
226 views
Equivalent of someone's valentine
How would I describe the designated object of someone's affections on Valentine's Day?
The meaning I'm referring to is meaning 2 on Wiktionary:
A person to whom a valentine is given or received, ...
6
votes
5answers
330 views
Shouldn't this phrase using 【だけのこと】 mean “just for that”?
In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase:
幸い日本で日本語を勉強して、かなり話せるようになりました。日本に行っただけのことはありました。
【さいわい にほんで にほんごを べんきょうして、 かなり はなせるように なりました。 にほんに いった だけのことは ありました。】
The translation ...
6
votes
3answers
508 views
よかろう - What does it mean? Where does it come from?
This is another question that's come from a 昔話。
We have the following section:
大きい箱と小さい箱がありますが、どちらがいいですか。
どちらも結構じゃが、どうしてもと言うのなら、小さいほうでよかろう。
I'm having trouble with the second sentence. My ...
6
votes
3answers
408 views
What does 思いっきりどうぞ mean?
I heard this phrase a few times but I still can't grasp its meaning. Does it mean, "as much as you would like"?
6
votes
3answers
150 views
Expressing: “Send them over/up, please”
This should be a rather straightforward (if a bit specific) bit of translation, but I cannot find a form that makes sense to me and gets corroborated by Google.
How would one translate the typical ...
6
votes
2answers
323 views
What does “ごうと音がして” mean?
I am currently practicing Japanese by reading a novel but I have reached a sentence that I could not understand.
ごうと音がして
Can you please translate the vocabulary and verb used along with any unique ...
6
votes
3answers
223 views
How would you say “talking shop” in Japanese?
In English, when we say someone is "talking shop", we mean that they are having a conversation about a particular trade or skill that they're familiar with (usually because it's their profession), ...
6
votes
2answers
246 views
What's the literal and natural translation of たるもの?
子{こ}たる者{もの}すべからく親{おや}の命{めい}に従{したが}うべし。
Children should obey their parents
What I got from ALC is that a child isn't fit, unqualified, to be one's child if it disobeys its parents. Or is it ...
6
votes
3answers
413 views
Does the (USA) English metaphor “Unable to see the forest for the trees” keep its meaning if translated verbatim into Japanese?
The phrase "Unable to see the forest for the trees" implies one is too entangled in a situation to understand what is transpiring from a larger context, and thus, unable to determine the correct ...
6
votes
4answers
337 views
word search: voluntary pause between desire and action
Some years ago, I read that Japanese has a word (or idiomatic expression) that means roughly:
The action of voluntary interposing a pause between the
moment you desire something and the moment you ...
6
votes
1answer
471 views
How is the “のです” working here?
目立つ事を恐れ、一緒でなければいけないという日本人が確実に減ってきているのです。
The strong feelings that Japanese have of being afraid of standing out and everybody having to do things together are starting to become less ...
6
votes
3answers
180 views
Computer calculation: is there a better word than “オンザフライ” to say “on-the-fly”?
As a valuable feature of my software product, I want to say that results are calculated on-the-fly, meaning the user does not have to wait and receive results by email: results are displayed after two ...
6
votes
2answers
189 views
Shouldn't 確認する always be translated into “check”?
One thing I have noticed among my Japanese coworkers is that it seems that they overuse the verb "confirm" when translating 確認する:
テストを確認する ("confirm the tests")
彼と確認して欲しい ("[I want you to] ...
6
votes
1answer
110 views
Translation of 「そんなことない」
What is a correct translation for 「そんなことない」 and when can it be used?
I understand the "this is wrong"/"this is not correct" general sense but is this considered either as harsh or a gentle way of ...
6
votes
1answer
108 views
“XYZ mentioned in newspaper ABC!” in Japanese?
My organization XYZ has been mentioned in a newspaper, and I would like to post a link to the online article, together with a short explanation like "XYZ mentioned in newspaper ABC!"
How about ...
6
votes
2answers
153 views
What's the meaning of すます in 耳をすませば?
What's the meaning of すます in 耳をすませば?
How would you translate this?
6
votes
1answer
145 views
Translating volitive expressions in ads into English
I saw this on an advertisement outside the construction site of a company that makes wooden houses:
木{き}の家{いえ}と、暮{く}らそう。
I'm trying to think of a way to translate it other than:
Live with a wooden ...
6
votes
1answer
117 views
Why did the translator use ゴナラ here?
I've got a copy of "オ・ヤサシ巨人BFG", Taeko Nakamura's translation of the famous children's book by Roald Dahl, The BFG.
The story concerns a friendship between a little girl named Sophie and a friendly ...
6
votes
1answer
439 views
How can I differentiate between “risk” and “danger” in Japanese?
I wanted to know how to say "risk" in Japanese, so I looked it up, and found that most dictionaries translate "risk" as 「[危険]{きけん}」. To me, [危険]{きけん} means "danger", which is different.
Though, to ...
6
votes
1answer
133 views
How to express “with (x) as well” and “even with (x)”
I am trying to express something akin to these sentences:
Even with a spoon, he digs well (でも?)
Even without a shovel, he digs well
I would also like to express this:
With a shovel ...
6
votes
2answers
243 views
“Tourist trap” in Japanese
Assuming such a concept exists in Japanese, how do you say "tourist trap"?
Wikipedia describes it as:
A tourist trap is an establishment, or group of establishments, that
has been created with ...
6
votes
1answer
566 views
Is this a slang, and possibly derogatory term, for “lesbian”?
Warning: Potentially offensive terms.
I'm watching The Walking Dead on Hulu Japan with Japanese subtitles. I've noticed that the English dialogue and Japanese subtitles differ a lot. More than usual. ...
6
votes
1answer
108 views
Questions on the use of 動物 in reference to mankind/humans
I got this quote from a journal an online associate writes. I provided the translation. Some of the wording in Japanese struck me as strange, so I am wondering about whether in fact this quote is a ...
6
votes
1answer
144 views
What is the best word to use to mean “to take long-term a break (i.e. from school)”?
Just to add some context to this question: I graduated with a B.A. last June, and am currently taking a two-year break from education to work off some of the inordinate amount of debt I accumulated in ...
6
votes
0answers
164 views
What would be the Japanese name of a person with a native Chinese name? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When Chinese personal names are written in Japanese in kanji is there always an obvious reading?
What would be the common ways to convert a Chinese name for a person to ...
5
votes
4answers
290 views
Is there a general/default word for “to wear”?
I've been introduced to 着る (for things you put on like a shirt) and 履く (for things you put on like pants) in class, but is there a general way to just say something like wear clothes? Or must the ...
5
votes
2answers
375 views
This use より baffles me
From the anime Noir, Episode 2.
Context: The husband comes home and his wife and son greet him outside.
Wife: おかえりなさい。今日は早いのね？
Husband: ああ、思ったより早く仕事が終わってね。
The wife's line, I get. The ...
5
votes
3answers
292 views
What does ワソマソ mean?
I'm trying to translate some of the signs in the anime FLCL, and I came across this sign on the side of a train in the first episode:
ワソマソ
出入口
The second part means "doorway", correct? But what ...
5
votes
2answers
417 views
Can the qualifiers “very” and “too” be expressed unambiguously in Japanese?
I've noticed that some of my Japanese friends with fluent but imperfect English often say "too adjective" when a native English speaker would say just "very adjective".
(I am asking about "too" in ...
5
votes
2answers
236 views
Correct word for “indeed”
What is the correct translation for "indeed"? I found 実際{じっさい}に and 確{たし}かに.
If both are correct, what is the difference?
Thanks.
5
votes
1answer
141 views
How should I respond to a client after receiving materials?
A client sent some materials and I have to respond, so I want to give a quick thank you acknowledging that I have received the materials and will email again once I have reviewed them. (It's always ...
5
votes
2answers
202 views
How do I differentiate all these terms for “illiterate”?
I looked up the word "illiteracy", and was offered many different possibilities. Here they are, with my personal take on the nuance behind their origins:
活字{かつじ}離{ばな}れ ("removed from printing"?)
...
5
votes
2answers
142 views
What does 公け mean?
I am wondering what the reading and meaning of 公け is in the following sentence:
彼女のことが公けになることを好まず、ひそかに離縁しようと決心した。
5
votes
1answer
144 views
How to say “open Pandora's box” in Japanese?
How to say "open Pandora's box" in Japanese?
Ex.:
When I asked Jane about her problems, I didn't know I had opened Pandora's box.
What kind of Pandora's box do we open if we decide not ...
5
votes
2answers
422 views
What is -からです, and when is it used?
I have seen this expression a few times, and have never quite understood it. In particular, it seems to be equatable both to ですから and to んです, but I can't figure out where it would be used over either ...
5
votes
2answers
171 views
How can I say “counted in (specific unit)”?
Specifically, I am trying to say something like "a semester's length is counted in months" in order to imply how short it is as compared to, say, your whole life. When I tried to look this up in my ...
5
votes
1answer
166 views
understanding hōgejaku — an archaic imperative?
I would like to understand this Zen calligraphy:
...
5
votes
1answer
107 views
知っとった meaning of grammar?
What does the grammar form of 知るin the below sentence mean?
闇の世界とは関わるはずがないと知っとったんだろうな
The sentence is from the Japanese version of Harry Potter I
5
votes
1answer
305 views
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.
5
votes
1answer
149 views
Usage of the word 心配
Sorry if this is really simple and I'm overlooking the obvious, but I'm not sure how the following sentence should be translated as I've noticed on previous occasions that the word 「心配{しんぱい}」 might be ...
5
votes
1answer
181 views
How to say: (one) month through (another) month
I'm working on my Japanese homework, and we're practicing describing weather. We're given charts on temperature to say things like:
カイロは九月が一番あついです。Or, "In Cairo, September is the hottest month."
...
5
votes
2answers
147 views
When is it appropriate to choose にわたって or を通じて in regard to time?
I seem to have a hard time recognizing when to choose either にわたって or を通じて in the following question:
この地方は一年（ ）暖かく、とても過ごしやすい。
The correct answer is を通じて. My idea is that を通じて would make this ...
5
votes
2answers
330 views
How can I say “make a big deal [about/out of/of] X”?
See title. I'm looking for idiomatic ways to say something like this - over-emphasizing something, worrying about it overly much, etc.
Bonus points if a literal 大 (whether read as だい or おお) is ...
5
votes
1answer
143 views
Meaning of ぎゃほ ?
What does the interjection ぎゃほ mean?
Context:
A: We are mentioned in (famous newspaper)
B: ぎゃほ！ かんどう＝＝＝＝３３３
Does it have the meaning of かんどう ? Or is it surprise, or something else?
