The differences between two or more words or phrases and how to select the best one for a given situation.
1
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1answer
184 views
What's the difference between “な感じ” and “という感じ” when written after quotation marks?
な感じ was crossed out and replaced with という感じ in a sentence that I wrote that was similar to this one:
その文には「それは私にはもったいない」 な感じ という感じ があると思う。
I think that sentence has a feeling of "that's more ...
8
votes
2answers
315 views
Would I have 牛乳 or ミルク with my cereal?
I've just found out that there's a couple of words for milk, and that they have slightly different meanings. Which one would I have with my Weetbix in a "viking style" breakfast in Niseko?
Based on ...
11
votes
1answer
212 views
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」?
I used to always read 「この辺{へん}」as 「この辺{あたり}」 as I thought it would be confused with 「変{へん}」 but it apparently is different.
1
vote
1answer
95 views
Is ものを similar to けど?
Another sentence from my JLPT practise book, this time in a section explaining the use of ものを.
借金{しゃっきん}で困{こま}っていた友人{ゆうじん}を、助{たす}けようと思{おも}えば助{たす}けられたものを、見捨{みす}ててしまった。
I think this sentence is ...
0
votes
1answer
82 views
Not understanding 解{と}く in this sentence
This sentence comes from my JLPT practise book in a section explaining the use of 解{と}く:
練習{れんしゅう}問題{もんだい}は答{こた}えを見{み}ないで、自分{じぶん}で解{と}いてください。
I get that 解{と}く means to "unravel" or "solve", but ...
3
votes
2answers
105 views
あっけなく vs ものたりなく
I have been going over the JLPT test from 1999 and came across this problem that stumped me. For those planning to take the previous tests as practice you may want to avoid this question.
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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 ...
9
votes
1answer
180 views
伸{の}びる versus 延{の}びる in a JLPT question
In my JLPT workbook, it gives these examples to explain the difference between 延{の}びる and 伸{の}びる:
髪{かみ}は１か月{いっかげつ}に１センチぐらう伸{の}びる。
会議{かいぎ}はいつも30分{ぷん}ぐらい延{の}びる。
They both mean "stretch", more ...
4
votes
2answers
162 views
What is the metaphorical meaning of 手{て}?
I often see 手{て}, hand, used in a metaphorical sense to mean something along the lines of effort or presence... but I'm not totally sure.
For example, consider this sentence:
...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Does そう imply vagueness in this JLPT question?
I have this question in my JLPT practise book:
明日{あした}は雨{あめ}が降{ふ}りそうな_____がする。
A 予報{よほう} B 予知{よち} C 予感{よかん} D 予測{よそく}
I chose A, mostly because of seeing 予報{よほう} used a lot when talking ...
7
votes
2answers
187 views
たたく versus ぶつ in a JLPT question
In my JLPT practise book, there is a section demonstrating the difference between なぐる, たたく, 打{う}つ, and ぶつ. If I understand them, they are all variants of "hit", with subtle nuances to differentiate ...
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 ...
7
votes
2answers
253 views
Earnest and serious: when should each be used?
I've noticed there's a lot of overlap between the following words meaning "earnest" or "serious" when talking about a person:
まじ
真面目{まじめ}
真剣{しんけん}
本気{ほんき}
正気{しょうき}: (This word really means "sane" I ...
12
votes
1answer
424 views
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」?
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」, all seemingly meaning "well" in English?
Someone said that I should use 「よく」 rather than 「うまく」 in the following sentence. Can anyone explain why?
...
2
votes
4answers
362 views
Why is this JLPT(N1) question a matter of practicality, not futile effort?
Here is a snippet of text from a JLPT(N1) question:
...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
233 views
What does 「つっぱしり」mean in this context?
I recently heard about a manga entitled つっぱしり元太郎, and I'm slightly confused about the meaning of the 「つっぱしり」 in its name. I've looked the word up in several dictionaries, but have gotten no results.
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8
votes
2answers
274 views
“Should” in Japanese
The word "should" in English has these uses when not used as a question:
To express the expectation of the speaker (Probabilistic reasoning).
The train should arrive in 10 minutes.
To express a ...
12
votes
1answer
483 views
JLPT N1 question: Why isn't a large amount of money a good enough reason to kill someone?
In my JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) level N1 workbook, there is this example question:
適当{てきとう}な語{}を選びなさい
この殺人{さつじん}事件{じけん}の裏{うら}には（ ）上{じょう}のトラブルがあるようだ。
A 金額{きんがく} B ...
4
votes
2answers
181 views
How to exhaustively list predicates in a non-temporal way?
Supposing that you want to express a list of events or actions exhaustively and without significance in ordering (for example: Yesterday, I ate some ice cream, went to the store, and read a book, but ...
7
votes
2answers
241 views
What's the word to use for “confidential”, as in a company report?
I'm preparing a sales presentation; it contains some company data and I want to indicate that the entire presentation is confidential. In English, this would likely be accomplished by stamping the ...
5
votes
1answer
206 views
What's the difference between 腹切り and 切腹?
I need to add a body to submit my question, so I'll just say the Mortal Kombat seemed to believe that the term 腹切り (はらきり harakiri) was more appropriate for self slaughter (i.e., throwing a boomerang ...
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
265 views
What are the different ways of saying to agree or disagree with a person?
There seems to be many different ways of saying either to agree or to disagree with a person.
Which words are there, in what circumstances should they be used, and are there any relevant examples of ...
0
votes
1answer
210 views
“にすぎない” vs “だけ” and “にかぎらない” vs “だけじゃない”
I am having difficulties to make sense of にすぎない, which is translated by EDICT to mean "no more than that; just; only". Is it not simply equivalent to だけ? Can I use にすぎない as substitute for だけ?
Also, ...
2
votes
1answer
115 views
What are the different ways of saying to agree or disagree with a person?
There seems to be many different ways of saying either to agree or to disagree with a person.
Which words are there, in what circumstances should they be used, and are there any relevant examples of ...
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 ...
9
votes
1answer
409 views
Does タメ語{ご} mean “casual speech”?
A debate came up on the use of タメ語{ご} in this question, and I thought it was worth its own analysis.
The question is, does タメ語{ご} simply mean "casual speech", or does it mean "speech between equals". ...
19
votes
4answers
965 views
Are there words so bad that they aren't allowed on television?
Warning: We're all adults here, but just in case, this question may contain words, in both Japanese and English, that some may not like to read.
A long time ago, when I was working with a translator, ...
5
votes
1answer
249 views
を vs が with use against 好き?
The difference between が and を with the potential form of a verb. and Is it true that all nouns must be able to accept a が particle and a を particle? are noted as possible duplicates; however, I ...
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 ...
6
votes
2answers
244 views
What is the difference between がる and ぎみ?
In one of my study flashcards, I have this sentence:
疲{つか}れぎみだけど生{い}きてます。
Which should translate to something like, "[He] appears worn out but [he's] still kicking."
The main point is that in ...
5
votes
1answer
182 views
What are the different nuances of saying 変{へん}?
I recently came across the term 変{へん}てこ, which, if I understand it, means "strange", but is softer than saying 変{へん}な.
Is it similar to 変{へん}なちょこ? I think this also means strange, but also in a ...
5
votes
1answer
161 views
で終わります: trying to close by? で帰ります, trying to leave by? It depends on the sentence?
I can say 売り場は九時で終わります、 and 三時で帰ります、 which I've learned mean something like, "They'll be trying to close from," and, "I'll be trying to leave from." I've also learned that ２月２５日で帰ります is not correct. ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
“トムと話した” vs. “トムと話し合った”
This book (Chap. 29) says that for some verbs which can be unilateral or bilateral (like 相談する, 話す, 合う),
The particle と implies that the verb is shared 50/50 between the two participants (bilateral), ...
10
votes
2answers
450 views
What is the difference between “〜がる” and “〜がっている”
I want to know the difference between 〜がる and 〜がっている, and in what situations I can use them.
My friend said 〜がる is used for a regular activity that someone does every day or every week, and the ...
6
votes
2answers
227 views
酔う vs 酔っ払う: does it depend on how drunk you are?
酔{よ}う and 酔{よ}っ払{ぱら}う both seem to mean "to get drunk" but how are they different from each other? Does it depend on how drunk you are, and assuming 酔っ払う is worse than 酔う, exactly how drunk would you ...
8
votes
2answers
200 views
what's the difference between 余地 and よゆう?
I have been informed that よゆう is to do with temporal or physical room, while 余地 has to do with emotional room, but I might have misunderstood the explanation.
26
votes
4answers
2k views
Is じゃないです equally correct as じゃありません?
Text books normally teach that the negative of です is じゃありません.
However it seems very common to hear native Japanese use じゃないです.
Is this slang or somehow less correct than じゃありません?
Would it be marked ...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
How do I ask about two different possible options?
Is this the correct way to ask which of two options is true?
あの CD は トルコご の ですか えいご の ですか？
("Is that CD in Turkish or English?")
12
votes
2answers
412 views
The differences between ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
I was wondering what the differences are between these three: ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
They all seem to be some sort of variant of "Hard to do ~". But it seems they are used with different verbs and/or imply ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
Different between 可決 and 許可？
I want to know the different between 可決 and 許可.
I search into dictionary and the meaning is quite the same whose meaning are approval or permission.
So, what different? and how to use it ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
The difference between 「人文科学」 and 「社会科学」
I want to know the different between these two words.
The meaning is the same which is social science.
So, what is the difference?
Edit: Sorry for confusing question. I mean the different usage.
7
votes
1answer
180 views
How different is 冷やかす from 冷やす? And 散らかす from 散らす?
I've long known 冷やす as the transitive counterpart of 冷える. But thanks to one question here, I've realized that there is another version with an extra syllable in it: 冷やかす. Although 冷やかす seems to have ...
4
votes
1answer
96 views
Is this the denial of a statement, or a statement of denial?
This sentence originally came from a newspaper article. Unfortunately, I copied it onto a flashcard for later study and then lost the original context.
彼は、可能性について「念頭に全くない」と否定した。
【かれは、かのうせいに ...
2
votes
1answer
91 views
Are けもの and けだもの different types of beasts, or simply two variants of the same word?
Both けもの and けだもの are written in kanji as 獣, but is the beast with 'だ' inside more brutal than the one without 'だ'? Or are they simply two variants of the same noun, thus they refer to exactly the ...
12
votes
4answers
667 views
Is there an equivalent to George Carlin's “Seven Dirty Words” in Japanese?
Warning: This question contains words in both Japanese and English that some might not want to read.
Also: My apologies that this question is lengthy. However, I wanted to take care to express it ...
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 ...
7
votes
1answer
118 views
Usage and nuance of あまりに vs あまりにも
WWWJDIC lists both あまりに and あまりにも to mean "too much; excessively; too" but are they exactly the same in term of usage and nuance?
あまりに 《余りに》 (adv) (uk) too much; excessively; too
Ex: ...
