Questions asking for words or phrases to be translated.
12
votes
2answers
251 views
Saying “to miss” (“I missed you over the weekend”)
What's the best way to say "to miss" in the sense of feeling a longing for something, or that something pleasant is missing? I understand there's [懐]{なつ}かしむ, but it seems to me that, like 懐かしい, is ...
2
votes
2answers
145 views
What is って doing in this sentence?
From Noir, Episode 2 (anime).
I don't get what the って is doing in this sentence. For context, the father came home early from work. He quickly answers his wife in the first sentence then in the ...
7
votes
2answers
154 views
Does バラの寝床 come directly from the English expression “bed of roses”?
I came across this phrase in a Haruki Murakami short story, and I was wondering if this is just a literal translation of the English phrase?
I tried googling the Japanese phrase, but I could only ...
0
votes
1answer
144 views
MySpyPhone Translation [closed]
I have an Android application called MySpyPhone. I want to translate it to a meaningful Japanese name. The application takes pictures on a user defined schedule.
Any naming suggestions?
Thank you ...
17
votes
5answers
544 views
What does the final て in 待ってて signify?
In this scene a young girl, Yotsuba, drops in on her neighbors for some breakfast. The mother who's cooking breakfast says 「今お父さんの焼いてるからその次ねー。ちょっと待っててー」.
So I guess she's preparing her husbands food ...
4
votes
1answer
181 views
What is おもぴろかった
Saw this on twitter:
@Daigo19780408 昨日はお疲れ様でした！おもぴろかったです♪( ´▽｀)
What does おもぴろかった mean? I find words like this all over the place on the net, but I can't figure out what it means, and I can't find ...
4
votes
1answer
139 views
What is the difference between 予想、期待、予期、思惑 for the meaning of “expectation”?
What is the difference between these 4 words for the definition of "expectation":
予想{よそう}
期待{きたい}
予期{よき}
思惑{おもわく}
Specifically, which would you use for "managing customer expectations (for project ...
5
votes
3answers
290 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
78 views
Translation for 食べ物を腐らせずに保存する
Saw this in my textbook. The translation is "to preserve food from decay". I get it, but I am not clear about the ず after 腐らせる. Where is it coming from?
6
votes
3answers
362 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.
1
vote
2answers
185 views
What does 御用の向きとは mean + usage of うぬ in the meaning of “you”
I have two questions:
What's the meaning of a phrase: 御用の向きとは? Is it a set expression? I found a few examples where it was ended with a question mark, in some cases preceded by addressing an ...
5
votes
1answer
162 views
understanding hōgejaku — an archaic imperative?
I would like to understand this Zen calligraphy:
...
8
votes
1answer
423 views
What do you mean, “In Japanese there are no words for ”I’m suffering“”?
Today I noticed this article about eating disorders in Japan, which I got to via the News on Japan site.
The first line jumps out at me. Supposedly, in an interview, a 25 year old Japanese woman ...
3
votes
5answers
313 views
Translation - Long sentence, uncertain of the nuance
I'm having trouble determining the meaning and nuance of this sentence. Can you help me out?
[技術]{ぎじゅつ}といっても、上手か下手かだけではなく、その技術を使う人の気持ちの持ち方まで[問題]{もんだい}にしているのです。
I think the closest I've been able ...
3
votes
1answer
265 views
How should I go about translating my company name in Japanese?
I'm trying to translate a company name ("puddle") in to Japanese. I put it into google translate, but when you translate words you're translating their meaning rather than the word itself, which is ...
9
votes
2answers
203 views
What work is left on a map?
Near Shibuya, they're finishing up some construction on a subway system that has been going on for years. It seems they're at the stage of finishing up some road work above where they had been making ...
6
votes
5answers
327 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
1answer
470 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
116 views
Understanding 〜たら良いか〜
The sentence 何と言ったら良いか分かりません means "I don't know what I should say."
But what is the literal translation of this sentence? What is the purpose of the か in 良いか?
6
votes
1answer
141 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 ...
4
votes
6answers
715 views
What Does 火信 Mean?
I saw 火信 tattooed on a gentleman's neck. I looked up the words, but couldn't make sense of their combination...
What does it mean?
9
votes
0answers
226 views
Thoughts about event frequencies and “often enough”
I'm having trouble expressing the concept of "not often enough". The most basic way to say "often" is よく, but I think there's a problem in putting qualifiers on this word. For instance, expressing ...
9
votes
2answers
291 views
Japanese idiom equivalent to “take with a grain of salt”
Is there a Japanese idiom equivalent to "take with a grain of salt"?
In other words, an idiom which means "don't accept this information as completely true or the complete truth".
7
votes
1answer
122 views
How do I translate a pattern like “Tap to enter comment”?
I find it difficult to translate short software GUI instructional pieces like:
Tap to enter comment
Press here to talk
Sign in to continue
Should I put it like:
タップしてコメントを入力
or must it be: ...
3
votes
1answer
127 views
Can I refer to the March 11 earthquake without mentioning the word earthquake?
Is it possible to refer to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and nuclear incident in everyday conversation, preferably without using the words earthquake or tsunami or nuclear incident?
For ...
10
votes
4answers
445 views
What's the difference between いいえ and English's “no”?
In "Japanese for Busy People I" page 2 (kana or romaji edition) it says that いいえ is 'virtually the same as "no"'.
It sounds like there are some differences, but they want to omit mentioning them for ...
5
votes
1answer
336 views
translation for “It serves as a good reminder for me”?
After I've say watched a film with some friends (or read a fable or something) and learned something from it, i want to say "It [the teachings of this fable/film] serves as a good reminder for me". ...
3
votes
1answer
206 views
Trying to translate 遊ばにゃ損なってなもんだろうがおう！
I'm reading a manga and have run into a tricky phrase, so I am asking for help and some explanations:
...遊ばにゃ損なってなもんだろうがおう！
遊ばにゃ (or にや) - can't understand what the verb form is used here...
損なって - ...
-3
votes
3answers
232 views
3
votes
1answer
164 views
How can I talk about old memories and important “firsts”?
How can I say old memories and first (talk, hug, kiss) kind of stuff?
5
votes
4answers
289 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
181 views
Just so you know
I'm looking for a good way to tell someone that I want to inform them of something, but I don't actually need them to do anything for me. Something like "Just so you know, the printer is broken." As ...
1
vote
2answers
128 views
How best to translate 左右対称 in this context?
For example:
人間の顔は左右対称ではない
A person's face is asymmetrical.
The above is simple, but how about:
漢字の形が左右対称である。
"The shape of the Kanji character is symmetrical."
The problem I have with the ...
8
votes
4answers
249 views
What is the formula to say “I'm trying to do X regularly”?
I was trying to think of a way to say "I'm trying hard to read a news article every day" (in the sense that I'm trying to find the time to sit down and pay attention long enough to read, not ...
5
votes
2answers
223 views
How do I accurately convey “enough to make a difference”?
I want to say "it's different enough to make a difference," but I'm struggling a bit to get there. Partly because the two uses of "different" in this sentence are doing two different jobs. The first ...
5
votes
2answers
374 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
138 views
Could anyone confirm my poor translation of these few sentences?
For my first question I would like some help on the following message I received(the sentences are relatively simple since my Japanese skills are quite low). But before starting I would like to say ...
2
votes
1answer
301 views
I have no idea what my old shirt says. Can anyone help?
I have owned this old RVCA shirt for nearly a decade. I have never had any clue what it means, though I suspect it is offensive or awkward (as that is what I would put on a shirt if I knew an ignorant ...
1
vote
3answers
122 views
Comment dire “dossard” en japonais?
Un dossard est un morceau de tissu qui identifie les sportifs dans un marathon:
Comment dire ça en japonais ?
日本語では、フランス語の「dossard」と同じ意味の言葉がありますか？
In Japanese, is there an equivalent for the ...
6
votes
4answers
335 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 ...
5
votes
2answers
234 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
133 views
Can a cathedral be referred to as a 寺?
I was listening to a song Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame in Japanese (the intro, The Bells of Notre Dame or ノートルダムの鐘), and I noticed that they referred to the cathedral as a 「てら」. I thought that was ...
1
vote
2answers
145 views
Defining a particular 系
http://mainichi.jp/life/kimochi/archive/news/2012/20120205ddn013070029000c.html
The article above, about how a girl wants to be loved, is entitled
愛され系
I am wondering which definition of 系 ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
Term for health retreat accommodation
I've been trying to google some Japanese pages for health retreats. I've tried a few different combinations, but all I seem to get are yoga class studios or beauty salons. What term best describes the ...
2
votes
1answer
226 views
Is it cool to use かっこいい in this way?
The other day I was playing sports, and I yelled at a guy for what I thought was a cheap play. However, later, after the game ended and I had chilled out, I realized that I had over reacted. It's ...
6
votes
1answer
436 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Expressing neighborhood in Japanese
Something I have often stumbled on is the expression of "neighborhood" in Japanese.
For most uses I find that 近所 works well.
However, this usually seems to refer to a closer proximity than one would ...
3
votes
2answers
368 views
How do I convey “As you all know”?
Having been trying to write a "sakubun", I must say that I had some trouble to find a reliable translation for the phrase "as you all know" such as:
As you all know, the education system in our ...
1
vote
3answers
100 views
「鉄道関係{てつどうかんけい}の言葉{ことば}を書きなさい」- “Write words about railroads?” [closed]
This question appears on my homework above an empty box instead of lines as with previous questions. Am I being asked to "write words about railroads?" I came into this class about a week late, and am ...
2
votes
1answer
453 views
How do you say “[amount of time] later”?
What is the general rule for saying, for example, "2 hours later"?
