The differences between two or more words or phrases and how to select the best one for a given situation.
2
votes
1answer
247 views
The difference between ～ようだ, ～ように見える, ～ように思える and ～みたい
In a Japanese English grammar textbook, "seems" is translated as ～のように見える, for example:
He seemed to have been ill.
病気であったように見えた。
I've also seen "seems" written as ～（の）ように思える in various ...
12
votes
2answers
253 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 ...
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
270 views
What exactly is 我, and how is it used?
I was taught that [私]{わた(く)し}, [僕]{ぼく}, and 俺{おれ} are the most common first-person pronouns.
Recently, I stumbled upon the word [我]{われ}, which supposedly means the same thing. An online dictionary ...
4
votes
1answer
201 views
“Postage stamp” word choice
I have two words that I think mean the same thing:
切手 - きって - stamp (postage)/merchandise certificate
郵券 - ゆうけん - postage stamp
When I look at some sample sentences, the first one is used for both ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Correct usage of から in this particular sentence
I want to make sure that I understand the basic usage of から.
If I say: まどをしめます。さむいですから。
Would this sound natural or stilted to native speakers?
8
votes
2answers
161 views
Terms for 'viewpoint': 視点 vs 観点
I'm not understanding the subtleties of [視点]{してん} vs 観点{かんてん}.
I know that they both mean something like "point of view", and given the existence of two of them, one of them probably implies more ...
10
votes
2answers
509 views
What do you say when giving something to somebody?
In English when you hold out something to someone, sometimes a vocal prompt like "here" or "there" is said to indicate that you are giving it to the person.
In Chinese (or at least in Singapore) we ...
9
votes
3answers
269 views
What is the difference between ～すぎ and ～すぎる?
When I was playing a video game a few months ago, I noticed that some of the characters (mostly young teen females, in case it matters) kept saying ～すぎ instead of ～すぎる.
For example, when one of the ...
8
votes
2answers
282 views
What is the difference between 記憶【きおく】 and 思【おも】い出【で】?
Is there any difference between the meanings or connotations of 記憶 and 思い出?
I started thinking about this after listening to the song 「タイムマシーン」 or "Time Machine" by 少女時代, where these two lines occur ...
18
votes
1answer
372 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
142 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
305 views
What is the difference between ですから, だから, それで、それでは？
I think they have the same meaning: therefore.
But my teacher told me they were slightly different.
So can you help me distinguish them and how to use please?
4
votes
3answers
939 views
Expressing “don't work too hard”
I've read at other sites that "don't work too hard" isn't something that's generally said in Japanese. Is there any truth to this?
Are there any alternatives if that is the case? In which ...
1
vote
1answer
123 views
difference of 将来(しょうらい) and 未来 (みらい) [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Difference between ゆくすえ, しょうらい and みらい
Is there any difference between these two words? I first came across 未来 in a PS3 game (FFXIII-2) and after a bit of digging, I ...
8
votes
2answers
203 views
What's the difference between どうしたらいい and どうしていい?
Particularly in the following phrases, what's the difference between どうしたらいい and どうしていい? The following both seem to mean something like "I don't know what to do":
どうしたらいいか分かりません
どうしていいか分かりません
...
8
votes
1answer
425 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
250 views
Does 切った mean to “cut out” or “cut from”?
I was pretty sure that 切{き}った meant something was cut from something else. So ケーキから一人分{ひっとりぶん}を切{き}った would mean, "one piece was cut from the cake."
However, I came across a usage which, at least at ...
4
votes
2answers
174 views
Which readings would you use to pronounce people's names?
I'm confused whether it is normally appropriate to use On-readings or Kun-readings when dealing with people's names; I'm fine when its just two character names; I just make a logical deduction in my ...
0
votes
1answer
103 views
Different permutations of 気 [closed]
Lots of words/expressions/phrases use 気 in one way or another. For example 気をつけて, 気味, 気になる, 気がつく, 気がする, 天気 etc...
Is there a reference somewhere for the seemingly more "interesting" phrases (like the ...
9
votes
2answers
223 views
Difference between 丸い and 円い
Both come up with the same reading and definition in Jisho.org (round/circular), and both are listed as common words. Is there any preference between the two or should I simply learn both as ...
4
votes
1answer
262 views
“Your sniffling is driving me crazy!”
There are people in Japan who seem to think nothing of sniffling their nose indefinitely as they sit in a coffee shop, in an office, on a train, or anywhere with other people around. Sometimes ...
4
votes
2answers
187 views
気を遣う versus 気を使う
It seems from my JLPT study books, and also my computer's IME, that 気{き}を遣{つか}う is the preferred kanji for "paying attention to, having concern for".
However, I noticed that on Space ALC if you look ...
7
votes
3answers
220 views
What is the difference between 一緒【いっしょ】に and 二人【ふたり】で?
I think in all situations where either 一緒に could be used, 二人で can also be used, and vice versa. I suppose 三人、四人、五人、etc. can also be used here if that's the number of people you are talking about.
But ...
7
votes
1answer
350 views
What is the difference between 見える／聞こえる and 見られる／聞ける?
In Japanese, there is a potential form to express that it's possible for something to be done.
My own examples of potential form:
辛【から】い食【た】べ物【もの】が食【た】べられる。 (I can eat spicy foods.)
...
10
votes
1answer
196 views
What exactly is ありき?
I think from looking up ありき that it means "based on", but it's usage is unclear to me.
I've come across it in these two examples:
まずは結論{けつろん}ありき
Which I think means "the conclusion is based on ...
5
votes
1answer
164 views
What does it mean when a sentence ends with しなくもない?
A friend posted this in a comment on Facebook:
これは深{ふか}い意味{いみ}があるような気{き}がしなくもない
I think I get the general meaning, which is "This seems to have a deep meaning." But I'm fuzzy on the implications ...
4
votes
1answer
123 views
Does 映す also mean “to copy” in some sense?
I was just sitting in a coffee shop, sheltering myself from the cloudburst over Tokyo a few minutes ago, and I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between to girls beside me.
They were ...
6
votes
5answers
329 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
163 views
4
votes
1answer
139 views
What's the difference between 威厳 and 尊厳?
What's the difference between 威{い}厳{げん} and 尊{そん}厳{げん} to mean "dignity"?
From what I can tell, the two seem to be similar, but slightly different. In what ways do the nuances and usages of the two ...
6
votes
1answer
232 views
When is it appropriate to refer to yourself using your name, rather than 私 (or others)?
I have heard—though not often—people refer to themselves using their first name, not by using a pronoun for "I." Does this have special connotation in Japanese? Nothing about the usage (to me) seemed ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
Difference between 妬【ねた】ましい and 羨【うらや】ましい
Considering "How to define 羨ましい?", it does not seem that 羨【うらや】ましい conveys a strong intensity of jealousy.
How does 妬【ねた】ましい compare to 羨【うらや】ましい then?
Does 妬【ねた】ましい convey a stronger sense of ...
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 ...
9
votes
1answer
248 views
What's the difference between 一応 and とりあえず?
What's the difference between 一応{いちおう} and とりあえず?
While I think they can both mean "tentatively" or "for the time being", there seems to be a difference in their usage. How do the two translate ...
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
606 views
Different ways to say “at least” / 「少なくとも」
I would like to know if there are other ways to say "at least~" (context below), along with the relevant nuances of each way.
This is for a piece of writing I'm doing where for the sake of style I ...
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.
...
12
votes
3answers
397 views
In modern usage how do Japanese natives regard the differences between 外人, 外国人 and 外人さん?
As a near native speaker of Japanese, I find it annoying to be called 外人 since it seems to imply that I "know nothing about Japan" (outsider). I much prefer 外国人.
In modern usage, how do native ...
5
votes
1answer
295 views
Openings and Closings (Salutations and Valedictions) When Writing a Letter/E-mail
This question came to me because I am writing a personal thank-you letter to a friend's family who hosted me in their home over the holidays. What is the proper way to address the entire family? For ...
5
votes
4answers
430 views
Are 終{お}わる and 済{す}ませる synonyms?
I know that they both mean "finish". But I wonder if there are situations or contexts where you can use one but not the other.
9
votes
1answer
366 views
Aren't がる and たがる the same thing?
In my JLPT practise book, it has two different entries, one to explain がる and one to explaining たがる. It offeres these example sentences to differentiate them:
うちの子{こ}は新{あたら}しいものを見{み}ると、すぐほしがる。
...
13
votes
2answers
319 views
When writing for general public, is there a general guideline for selecting kanji?
After reading numerous publications, I've spotted a trend or custom on determining whether kanji is or is not used for certain words. The most obvious ones are:
こと・事
…が実は犯人だったということがわかる。
...
5
votes
1answer
117 views
Are the two kanjis 箇所 and 個所 interchange?
Our customer uses 箇所 but my manager uses 個所 when emailing project status. Are both kanji interchangeable?
The context of usage in a sentence is:
一箇所変更しました。
A portion (of the code/software) ...
1
vote
1answer
183 views
What is the difference with 引充 and 引当
I do usually encounter the kanji 引当 but I suddenly encountered the 引充 kanji. My colleague said they mean the same and their reading is the same. when do you use the one over the other?
The word that ...
4
votes
2answers
214 views
The different types of pain and injuries
I'm lacking a range of vocabulary that allows me to express different kinds of pain. And since I'm on this theme I might as well included injuries in this question. It seems that everything can be ...
10
votes
1answer
311 views
How to differentiate friend level in Japanese?
I am sometimes having difficulty differentiating friends level when explaining it to a Japanese. For example, when I am telling a story about a friend, I want to specify the level of friendship we ...
5
votes
1answer
293 views
Different ways to show intention to do something
How can one say "I am going to", express intention to do something in the future. I know some expressions such as:
たいと思う - I'm going to/ I want to
ましょう - I will/ Why don't I
...
2
votes
2answers
183 views
ホワイトデー: use ハッピー or おめでとう?
When wishing a woman a happy White Day, would I say ハッピーホワイトデー, or ホワイトデーおめでとう, or are both ok? If both forms are used, do they have a slightly different nuance, such as "have fun on White Day today ...
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 ...
