The differences between two or more words or phrases and how to select the best one for a given situation.
6
votes
2answers
313 views
Using 伯母 / 叔母 to refer to one's aunt
Is it true that when we see 伯母 it usually (90%) means "parent's elder sister" and sometimes (10%) can be used to refer to the parent's younger sister?
On the contrary, when we see 叔母 does it always ...
6
votes
1answer
189 views
What's the difference between ちゃんと, きちんと, きっちり and ぴったり?
The four of ちゃんと, きちんと, きっちり and ぴったり all seem to mean something like "perfectly", "precisely" or "exactly", and there seems to be a lot of similarity between their definitions.
Daijisen says that ...
6
votes
1answer
2k views
What is the difference between お元気に、お元気で、気をつけて？ [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Difference between 気をつけて, お大事に and お元気で
I want to say hello to a friend long time no see, and end my message with "take care". All お元気に、お元気で、気をつけて mean "take care", so ...
6
votes
1answer
212 views
Another example where I don't know if 欲しい or 欲しがる is right
私の祖母は私が欲しい以上のものをくれた
私の祖母は私が欲しがる以上のものをくれた
I want the meaning to be "my grandmother gave me more then I wanted." Is the second sentence right and the first sentence wrong?
I learned 欲しがる for ...
6
votes
2answers
129 views
言ったりしたら versus 言ったら
I came across the phrase 言ったりしたら【いったりしたら】 in one of the Tintin books I'm reading. It means something like "if I say [it]".
What I can't figure out is how it's different from simply saying 言ったら.
Here ...
6
votes
2answers
241 views
How would one convey the concept of “vouching” in Japanese?
Update: There seems to be some controversy here as to whether or not there really is a difference between vouching and guaranteeing, which impacts how it is translated. Please see the discussion I ...
6
votes
3answers
341 views
～か～ないかのうちに vs. 次第
According to my references, both of these are used in situations where one thing happens immediately after another. Here are some example sentences:
（火事を見た人の話）ドーンという音がして、１分たつかたたないかのうちに火が出てきました。
...
6
votes
2answers
156 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
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
2answers
406 views
The difference between “follow” using についていく、「あと？」をつける、「あと？」をついていく
What is the difference between and how can we explain the grammar in the expressions for "follow" in the examples below?
子供が母親のあとをついていく
(A child is following his/her mother)
母親の買い物についていく (go ...
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 ...
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
2answers
406 views
What is the difference between そうか and そっか?
Is そっか just more slangy? Is そうか the same as saying ああそう? Or, is this more a spoken thing? If so, what is used when writing?
6
votes
2answers
164 views
Anti-causal/Non-causal relationship
How do I form a sentence of these patterns "X does not arise from Y", "X not due to Y", "X not because of Y", "There are other reasons for X". Since obviously I cannot simply slap ない onto から or ので to ...
6
votes
1answer
200 views
What is the origin of, and how do I parse 絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき}?
絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき} is a slang term that refers to the visible bare skin from the bottom of a woman's skirt to the top of her thigh high stockings. Or, short pants and thigh high boots... pick your ...
6
votes
1answer
101 views
What's the difference between 向こう and 向こう側?
My textbook (An Introduction to Modern Japanese) introduced 向こう as meaning "the other side of" and 側{がわ} as meaning "side". On page 76 it states that
側 can be added to some, but not all, of these ...
6
votes
1answer
155 views
Difference between 一段 imperatives ～よ・～ろ
一段 verbs may be conjugated to form imperative forms of ～よ or ～ろ.
For example:
見る forms either 見よ or 見ろ
食べる forms either 食べよ or 食べろ
How did the two forms come about?
What is the difference in ...
6
votes
1answer
129 views
referring to children: 子, 子供, or お子さん?
This is an issue that came up with my host family quite often. I have never been quite clear on which to use. In particular, 子 seems somewhat rude (much to the same effect as 男 or 女). On the other ...
6
votes
1answer
138 views
What is going on with 書けている? What is Potential Form+ている?
I'm having difficulty in understanding 書けている (initially observed from an answer to "パソコンが 得意だ/わかる/上手だ"). Also observed from SPACEALC:
この小説は上手に書けている。
最もよく書けている記事。
...
6
votes
2answers
179 views
When is the correct situation to use 案外 or 意外?
I think this is a question I should have asked a long time ago.. What is the difference between 案外 and 意外? What does the correct situation look like when using either?
Example with 案外:
...
6
votes
2answers
280 views
The various ways of saying “all”
While trying to write a plugin to (unofficially fan-)translate this website to Japanese, I've been noticing that "all" has multiple different translations.
What exactly is the difference between ...
6
votes
1answer
212 views
Taking Class, Course, Lecture - Which verb is fit?
I would like to know how we say taking class or course or lecture in japanese.
I have heard about 「クラスを受ける」 and 「クラスを取る」.
Are there significant difference? And Is there any other verb we can use ...
6
votes
2answers
251 views
Concretely, on what scenarios should I say either お世話になっています or いつもお世話になっております?
Furthermore, what is its different in meaning between the both? When I was in training as a fresh graduate at a Japanese company, they told me to use いつもお世話になっております all the time and so I did. But ...
6
votes
1answer
131 views
What's the difference between 心, 念, and 意?
I can say that after much research on this, I'm more thoroughly confused than before I started. I'm talking mostly about when they are used as suffixes, but the concept applies when they stand alone, ...
6
votes
2answers
507 views
Is it natural to call elderly men ojiisan?
Is ojiisan an idiomatic word choice for a chronologically gifted man, akin to obaasan for elderly women? For example, when giving your seat to them on the train.
6
votes
1answer
162 views
“Reason”: [事由]{じゆう} vs. [理由]{りゆう}
What's the difference between 事由 "jiyuu" and 理由 "riyuu"? Both are translated to mean "reason", as in why something happened.
I even noticed in Tae Kim's Grammar Guide that both words are listed, and ...
6
votes
2answers
128 views
Expressing ethnicity that is different from nationality
How do you go about expressing ethnicity that is different from your nationality.
I happen to be of British decent from Canada (now living in Japan):
イギリス系のカナダ人です。
That's my best guess. Any ...
6
votes
1answer
206 views
What exactly is 我が家, and how is it used?
I know the phrase 我が家 means "our home" or "our family". My question is when would you use it, as opposed to say 私の家 or 私の家族? It seems poetic to me, or something that wouldn't exactly be used in ...
6
votes
1answer
143 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
1answer
162 views
How to use 乗{の}り出{だ}す
In my JLPT practise book, there is this question:
子供{こども}のけんかに親{おや}が_____きた。
A 乗{の}り越{こ}えて B 乗{の}り切{き}って C 乗{の}り出{だ}して D 踏{ふ}み込{こ}んで
I chose D, because it seemed to me that the meaning of ...
6
votes
1answer
361 views
The meaning, usage and cultural significance of the word [苦]{く}[笑]{しょう}
I've looked in many dictionaries, but I can't fully grasp how the word [苦]{く}[笑]{しょう} is used. I've seen it in dictionaries as being a kind of "embarrassed laugh". It appears to be used to deprecate ...
6
votes
1answer
166 views
What makes using ある for people okay in this context?
Yep, I'm reading a lot of Tintin in Japanese recently, and he keeps throwing me curve balls with the language. Here's another one.
The situation is that the car he was in has been run off the road ...
6
votes
1answer
280 views
Difference in nuance between 頂ければと思います, 頂けませんか, and 頂きたいんですけども
I've recently started using the expression 頂ければと思います, but I'm not 100% sure about its precise nuance.
Is there any difference in nuance between
頂ければと思います
頂けませんか
頂きたいんですけども?
To my non-native ear, ...
6
votes
1answer
316 views
Usage of 目を覚ます and 目が覚める
What's the difference between 目を覚ます and 目が覚める? It seems both of them have the sense of literally waking up and also to wake up from some delusion.
How are they different in usage?
Perhaps because ...
6
votes
1answer
279 views
と言っても vs とは言え .
Hi all is it true that と言っても and とは言え is the same thing except that と言っても is for spoken clauses whereas と言いえ is for written clauses?
5
votes
2answers
470 views
Is there a form for “I have never heard of”?
Some examples of what I'm trying to convey:
I have never heard that song before.
I have never heard of Miyazawa Kenji
I have never heard of that before?
I've never heard of that store?
...
5
votes
2answers
416 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
3answers
155 views
What would be the best way to express the term 'master', as in a master of some sport?
For example, 'a tennis master'?
5
votes
1answer
142 views
Terms for Royalty
Why are there so many terms for royalty? And I'm talking about generic words like "king", "queen", etc. I seem to remember from my studies that certain terminology was used specifically for Japanese ...
5
votes
2answers
105 views
what's the difference between 領域 、範囲 and 分野?
Could anyone explain to me the difference between these 3 words, especially between 範囲 and 領域 ？
For example, I have these 練習問題:
a.分野 b.領域 c.範囲
① 試験の……… は、17課までです。
② 外の大学との交流が進んで研究の……… が広がった。
③ ...
5
votes
2answers
256 views
How do you know when to use みな or みんな?
Are there any tips for deciding to write みな or みんな? If I'm not sure can I just go with 皆?
Also, in speech is there a distinction made? If not, which pronunciation is more common in standard Japanese?
...
5
votes
2answers
490 views
Can 野郎{やろう} really have that many meanings?
(Warning: potentially offensive words. Proceed at your own risk. Also, apologies for the length.)
I realize this risks opening up the "does Japanese actually have swear words" debate, touched on ...
5
votes
1answer
171 views
Is 「喧嘩」 a verbal fight or a physical fight?
Taking 2 sentences from WWWJDIC as examples:
見てごらん。２人の男の子がけんかしている。
議論は最後に喧嘩になった。
I was wondering is it true that the 「喧嘩」 in the sentences above may be interpreted both ways (i.e. it may ...
5
votes
3answers
128 views
得る vs ～られる potential form
Recently I learned of a new way to express potential form. Here's a few example sentences:
今回は予測し得ないことが起きたけど、皆、落ち着いていた。
自分の意見を自由に言えないなんて、普通の国ではあり得ない。
The second example I put for contrast, ...
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.
5
votes
2answers
469 views
Wait… えらい means also means “terrible”?
For over a decade of speaking (poorly) and listening to Japanese, it seems to me that I have almost exclusively heard the word えらい in the sense of meaning "admirable".
For example, I'd mention ...
5
votes
2answers
204 views
What is the difference between 照{て}れる and 照{て}れてる?
According to my dictionary, both 照{て}れる and 照{て}れてる mean to be shy, or be awkward.
I don't think one is a different verb form of the other. The て+いる form of 照れる would be 照れている, not 照れてる.
So I think ...
5
votes
1answer
121 views
What's the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?
Could someone explain the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?
I've looked up both words, but I'm still not clear on what the distinction is, or how much overlap there is between the two. My mental ...
5
votes
1answer
123 views
What is the difference between 口元 and 口?
When talking about the body part (not, for example, entrances/exits), what is the difference between these two words. Based on looking at these two pages (for 口 and 口元) I'm guessing that the ...
5
votes
1answer
142 views
How does adding なる make this phrase more “natural”?
Recently, I wanted to express the sentence "Maybe they'd make good pets." in Japanese. I initially tried to say it as such:
[多分]{たぶん}いいペットでしょうね！
I was then corrected by a native speaker, and he ...
