Questions asking for words or phrases to be translated.
5
votes
3answers
236 views
Who is performing the actions in this sentence?
I have a question about the last sentence here taken from this essay:
やっぱり旅っていいな…としみじみ感じます。
'Then you will know the true joy of travelling.'
食事の後はちょっと外へ出てみましょう。
'After your meal, go ...
4
votes
1answer
360 views
Difference between 自分 and 自分自身 and how to reflect their difference in English
Consider:
自分について書きたいことがあります。 = There are times that I want to write about myself (lit: things concerning me)
自分自身について書きたいことがあります。
What is their difference?
I think the second sentence ...
7
votes
2answers
256 views
Why does someone intend to die in this JLPT question?
This is a question in my JLPT practise book:
手遅{ておく}れかもしれないが、死{し}んだ＿＿になってやれば、間{ま}に合{あ}うかもしれない。
A もの B わけ C つもり D はず
None of the answers made sense to me, so I didn't even choose one.
The ...
3
votes
1answer
122 views
Understanding a JLPT practise question with ものなら
This sentence comes from a question in my JLPT practise book that is part of an explanation of the use of ものなら:
一度{いちど}仕事{しごと}を手伝{てつだ}おうものなら、それをいいことにあの人{ひと}は何度{なんど}でも頼{たの}んでくるから、気{き}をつけたほうがいい。
...
6
votes
1answer
565 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. ...
3
votes
1answer
129 views
Is “bless” the best translation of 祝福{しゅくふく}?
As far as I understand it, 祝福{しゅくふく} means "bless". I came across it in this sentence, and it struck me as weird:
だれもが彼の成功をうらやむと同時に、心から祝福した。
My rough translation is, "At the same time that ...
5
votes
1answer
148 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
Is this sentence making a comparison?
This sentence comes from my JLPT practise book:
宗教{しゅうきょう}とは何{なん}か、迷信{めいしん}とは何{なん}かを正確{せいかく}に定義{ていぎ}するのは困難{こんなん}だ。
I think it's basically saying:
Things like religions and supersitions are ...
1
vote
1answer
163 views
How do the two ideas in this sentence come together?
I have this sentence as part of a question in my JLPT practise book:
スリのグループがボスの合図{あいず}で乗客{じょうきゃく}から金{かね}を盗{ぬす}むのを目{ま}の当{あ}たりにして恐{おそ}ろしかった。
Part of the sentence means, "the pickpocket group ...
3
votes
2answers
214 views
How and when to use 「そうですね」？
I only know the 2 meanings of it as follow:
Use when thinking - no meaning
Use to agree with others - the meaning is like "yes, I think so"
What else and what situation can it be used?
If someone ...
7
votes
4answers
485 views
How to say, “try to __”, “have to __”
For some reason I can't remember how to say "try to _" or "have to (must) _" in Japanese. How can I say this? Any variations you can include would be appreciated.
3
votes
2answers
136 views
How does 話{はなし}が噛{か}み合{あ}わない work?
I saw this phrase discussed on esaura.cc
話が噛み合わない
'There's a gap in their conversation.'
'They can't meet on common ground.'
'They have been at odds with each other.'
'They have not been ...
5
votes
1answer
543 views
Heaven in Japanese
I have found that there are a number of words in Japanese that correspond to "heaven" in English. By heaven I mean the concept of a paradisiacal afterlife. The two most frequent in my limited and ...
8
votes
1answer
242 views
What is this English doing in the middle of my Japanese?
Note: I understand this question is on the edge of being off topic. I'll accept the community assessement if enough people feel that is the case.
I'm reading 脳{のう}は0.1秒{びょう}で恋{こい}をする by ...
7
votes
1answer
264 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 ...
3
votes
2answers
242 views
Translation of “に” into “natural” English
All of my Japanese teachers have told me that な-adjectives converted to に-ending words and い-adjectives converted to く-ending words, when followed by a verb, are 'adverbs'. However, sentences sound ...
4
votes
3answers
282 views
気にしてられないと思えるようになる。Is this interpretation of the grammar here correct?
人の目なんて。
気にしてられないと思えるようになる。
You can't concern yourself with what other people think.
I saw this on a TV show where the hosts were talking about coming out in public if you are gay. They had ...
5
votes
1answer
187 views
Usage of まるで with 見ているようだった.
その翼はとても滑らかに動くため、まるでコンピュータ・グラフィックスを見ているようだった。
Its wings were moving so smoothly that it almost looked like CGI.
or would a more accurate translation be:
Its wings were moving so smoothly ...
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
303 views
Help with adverbs with とする and としている
Taking yadokari's sentence:
彼女は表情が生き生きとしておりとてもかわいい。
The part that I need help understanding is the relation of 生き生きとして with 表情 and 居る.
Looking up the dictionary entry for 生き生き, it is "an adverb ...
5
votes
1answer
107 views
Does this athlete intend to play in the street or for the street?
In a bizarre and transparently ineffective attempt to try and change the culture of Shibuya's central shopping district, the shopowners promotion association (商店街{しょうてんがい}振興{しんこう}組合{くみあい}) has changed ...
4
votes
1answer
238 views
What is the harshness of についてとやかく言う?
あなたの私生活についてとやかく言うつもりはありません。
I don't give a damn about your personal life.
I have also seen についてとやかく言う translated as "quibble over".
Could another translation of this sentence be:
...
6
votes
3answers
504 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 ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
人生に生き甲斐を求めてギターを習い始めた。 Can 求める mean give?
人生に生き甲斐を求めてギターを習い始めた。
I started learning guitar to give myself something to do with my life.
Is this translation a little too loose?
Can 求める mean give?
Or would another way of translating this ...
4
votes
2answers
289 views
How do you indicate a literal translation
I know that when I read sites like Wikipedia and there are foreign words they will often give the name with the original alphabet and spelling as well as a phonetic and a literal translation. So for ...
2
votes
1answer
168 views
Name/Title at the end of a sentence. Vocative case?
Consider these stanzas taken from the opening song of Aria the Animation: Undine.
Translations taken from this site
Background information:
An Undine as a mythical concept is a female water ...
13
votes
3answers
424 views
Blue blistering barnacles, what is Captain Haddock saying?
For those who might not be familiar with the series Tintin (soon to be in a major motion picture, by the way), there is a character named Captain Haddock who is famous for shouting out colourful ...
1
vote
0answers
213 views
Looking for the original japanese of this haiku [closed]
I'm sure this is a translation of a haiku but I'm not able to find the original text or even the author.
As the sun
goes down the birds
land one by one.
I've been trying to Google it ...
12
votes
1answer
349 views
Understanding all the words but not the meaning: What does this ad say?
This is a frequent problem that I think many Japanese learners experience. You look at some Japanese sentences, and you understand the words, and most, if not all, the grammar, and yet still, it just ...
7
votes
1answer
304 views
What is this crazy guy shouting?
Note: I understand the risk that this question might be considered "too localized". However, my hope in asking isn't just to translate this one instance, but to use it as an exploration of how and why ...
5
votes
2answers
329 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
2answers
141 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。
4
votes
5answers
427 views
「安い」って英語からきた表現？
皆さんこんにちは、
日本語で質問を聞かせていただきますので、ご協力ください。
回答やコメントなどは、日本語か英語、どちらの言語でも喜んで読みます。
では。
此間友達と喋っていて好みの話をしていた時一人が「ホラー映画やB級映画が大好き」と言うやいなや「あなた安いな〜」ともう一人が反応しました。
...
4
votes
1answer
5k views
How to say "Please direct all your future correspondence to _email_?
Soon I am leaving my job and I would like to leave an e-mail for future correspondence with my colleagues. How do I write in Japanese something like "Please direct all your future correspondence to my ...
7
votes
2answers
469 views
Expression equivalent to “as far/long/much as I/you X”
Is there an expression in Japanese that is equivalent to "as far/long as I/you X", for example "as far as I know", "as far as I'm concerned", "as much as you want", "as long as he is still alive" etc? ...
4
votes
6answers
716 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
2answers
230 views
Use of になります in the context of time
While attempting to translate the sentence "It will soon be two years since I started learning Japanese", I started wondering how になります works in the context of time. Ignoring any other translation ...
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?
14
votes
7answers
1k views
Does the Japanese language only have negative terms for flirting?
I am looking for terms in the Japanese language which can describe the act of flirting in a positive light. This probably requires inventing terms to close a lexical gap, because as far as I know, all ...
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 ...
1
vote
2answers
321 views
What does コピー mean in this context?
A: 他にもラルクコピーしてましたか？
B: じゃあ最後にもう一度聴いてくれ…虹。ってやってた
I know that ラルク is the band L'arc En Ciel. What does コピー mean here? What does the first sentence say?
2
votes
1answer
194 views
What does 懐{なつ}い mean in this context?
Saw this on twitter:
A: 懐い
B: そういえば私がマオさんの唄初めて聞いたのwinter fallでした。サンタさんでしたね（笑）あの日の衝撃は未だに忘れられないなー「歌うますぎ！この人誰！？」ってみんな言ってましたよ。懐かしい。
-1
votes
2answers
226 views
What is a ダンディー? [closed]
I've encountered this word several times already but never really knew what it meant. Then I just saw this on twitter:
タモリさん、今日服装がダンディー。
What is a ダンディー? What kind of clothes does a ダンディー wear?
...
2
votes
3answers
798 views
What does MC mean in Japanese?
Saw this on twitter:
MC挟んでいいなら♪( ´▽｀)RT @miri_sid: @mao_sid マオくんは全曲連続で歌えますか？(^-^)
Can't find the Japanese definition of MC anywhere. What does that say?
2
votes
2answers
209 views
What does 二周目 mean?
I find this all over the net, but can't find it defined anywhere.
I'm trying to understand this tweet:
じゃあ二周目は是非モノマネで♪( ´▽｀)RT @mimiroll_410: @mao_sid ...
2
votes
1answer
169 views
What does 週一 mean?
Trying to understand this tweet:
日曜日は掃除の日。新しく買った掃除機が良すぎる！忙しいと週一とかになりがちな掃除機がけも、これでマメにやれそう♪( ´▽｀)ルンバと迷ったけどこっちにしてよかった！やっぱり掃除は自分でしたいしね。
I understood everything up to 週一. What does that sentence say?
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 ...
5
votes
1answer
142 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?
-5
votes
1answer
238 views
What does 染めちゃえ mean here?
Saw this on twitter:
A: マオにゃん、シドギャの彼女が出来ない僕に一言くれたら幸いです ...
B: 付き合った後に染めちゃえ
What is 染めちゃえ here?
2
votes
1answer
226 views
What is a シドギャ? ギャ doesn't mean girl, does it?
At first I thought ギャ meant girl, but after doing some googling, that doesn't appear to be what it is. What is シドギャ?
シドギャ is related to the band シド, the most popular Visual Kei rock band in Japan for ...
