The differences between two or more words or phrases and how to select the best one for a given situation.
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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.
4
votes
1answer
203 views
なった versus なってきた
My friend recently said to me:
眠くなってきた 【ねむくなってきた】
Which, I think means "I became sleepy".
But it seems to me that it is the same as saying:
眠くなった
How does the addition of きた change this ...
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
174 views
What is the difference between 出す and 始める when used as a suffix?
Judging from examples I've seen, these are some differences I think there are:
始める:
1: More formal than 出す
2: When the focus in more on the beginning of the verb than the verb itself
3: When the ...
4
votes
1answer
190 views
What's the difference between 招待, 招く and 誘う?
I've stumbled upon these 3 words. I think meaning of 招待 is:
invite (as in a formal invitation)
The other two seem rather confusing to me, though.
4
votes
1answer
92 views
When is 着ける used in context of clothes? (eg in comparison to 着る, する、履く)
I recently read that:
着る（きる）is used for the wearing clothes for either the upper half of the body (eg 上着）or the whole body in general.
履く（はく）is used for bottom half (eg shoes, socks, ...
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 ...
4
votes
2answers
212 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
98 views
What is the nuance of 解{げ}す？
Today in my JLPT text book, I came across the word 解{げ}す.
I know that the kanji 解 means "unravel", and it can be read 解{わか}る, and with that reading it's synonymous with 分{わ}かる, "to understand".
When ...
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3answers
128 views
Looking for expressions similar to なるほど or やっぱり for situations that are opposite of speakers' previous suspicion
This is an extension of the question: Using 「なるほど」 {naruhodo} and 「やっぱり」 {yappari} in the same situation
From what I understood from the answers to the question above, なるほど and やっぱり imply the ...
4
votes
1answer
209 views
Different meaning of 何?
While reading some lyrics online, I stumbled upon the following phrase:
これ以上何を失えば 心は許されるの
Which I could myself losely translate as following:
If I lose what more (than I already have), will ...
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
1answer
171 views
Can 彼 be used as an indefinite pronoun like やつ or 男?
気取らない彼が好きです。 I like him, who doesn't put on airs.
My first reading of this sentence was to assume that 彼 was referring to the boyfriend meaning of 彼, and thus my interpretation was "I like an ...
4
votes
1answer
109 views
What's the difference between 申し出 and 提案?
In the Kanzen Master N2 listening textbook, there's a table of phrases to be aware of, and it includes both 申{もう}し出{で} and 提案{ていあん} in the "function" part of the table:
提案:
〜たらどう？
こっちの色にしたらどう？
...
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2answers
120 views
Are the grammatical forms きっかけに and 契機に interchangeable?
One of my grammar books 日本語総まとめN2 文法 lists both of the grammar forms 「きっかけに」 and 「契機に」 in the same definition.
However, in the example question a choice is given between them:
その事件（a. の契機に b. ...
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
215 views
が早いか versus や否や
が早{はや}いか and や否{いな}や both seem to mean "as soon as". They describe a relation between two actions, where one action occurs when another does.
I'm a little fuzzy on the difference, though. I think, ...
4
votes
1answer
169 views
What's the difference between もともと and そもそも?
What's the difference between the usage and meaning of そもそも and もともと?
They both seem to mean something like "from the start/to begin with/originally" in dictionaries, but I believe their usage ...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
What does the verb 好く do?
Observation:
The verb 好く exists.
好く is transitive.
By extension, "to like ~" is predicted to be:
a. ~を好く。
However, empirical data shows that this pattern is the accepted form:
b. ~が好きだ。
...
4
votes
1answer
162 views
Help with には and にとって
I need help understanding why にとって cannot be used in this circumstance:
その仕事は私｛には/*にとって｝出来ない。 ( * denotes unacceptable)
This is what I read:
にとって cannot be used when it marks an experiencer ...
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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 ...
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1answer
95 views
前 or 後 when placing an event in temporal reference to “now”
Consider this phrase:
今は(event)二十分前です。
Deconstruction of the above phrase yields:
Now is twenty minutes before (event).
(Q1) Can I reconstruct the statement using 後 in this manner?:
...
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votes
1answer
87 views
What is 在り方 used for?
Consider the extracted original Japanese text from the translation attempt in "Why is 知りません the negative form of 知っています？" :
これは「知る」という動詞の"意味特徴"と、私たちが「知る」に抱く"イメージ=認知の在り方"に原因があると考えるのが妥当だと思う｡
Also ...
4
votes
0answers
189 views
What's the difference between 欲{ほっ}する and 欲しがる?
Is there one? One of my dictionaries lists them as
欲{ほっ}する → to desire/to want
欲しがる → to desire/to want/to wish for/to covet
Only the latter sounds like it includes more "bad"/selfish ...
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votes
3answers
360 views
How to say “you may not [verb] here”?
たとえば、おすしを食べてもいいですか？ is for "May I eat sushi?". However I know that ちょっと、食べなくてもいいです。Is not the right phrase because that means: "Well, you don't have to eat (that)." So what is the response for ...
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3answers
491 views
When to use ご返事 and お返事?
Here is a discussion about whether to use ご返事 and お返事, but there seems to be diverging opinions:
ご返事:
ご返事 is 謙譲語 (according to No.1)
ご返事 is seldom used for 尊敬語 (according to No.5)
ご返事 is for 謙譲語 ...
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 ...
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votes
2answers
265 views
Is こんばんは too formal for everyday conversation?
When giving a talk on Japanese, How to talk like a ge1sha, I made a terrible mistake: I invited someone who knew something about the language along.
The only times he heckled me was when he reckoned ...
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2answers
173 views
Why choose 念入{ねんい}り over まともに in this question?
My JLPT book has this question:
ドライブの前{まえ}に（a.まともに b.念入{ねんい}りに）車{くるま}の点検{てんけん}をした。
I chose a, thinking that a reasonable translation was, "Before driving, do a proper check of the car."
The ...
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votes
1answer
181 views
How do you say I am emailing something and attaching it to the email?
I am usually confused if I am going to use 入れます or 付けます when specifying that I attached something to the email.
For example:
最新の帳票サンプルを添付して入れます。
or
最新の帳票サンプルを添付して付けます。
I would usually say that ...
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
104 views
What is the difference between mannenhitsu and pen?
I was studying on another website and ran across a blurb that said that a pen is also called mannenhitsu in Japan. Is there a difference between the two? If not, is mannenhitsu said sometimes, just as ...
3
votes
4answers
122 views
What is the difference between 楽しい and 面白い?
Google translates both of them to be interesting. And which can be used for a funny guy?
3
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3answers
248 views
“Instead” using 代わりに
Excerpt from A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar:
Consider the difference in the sentences below:
[a] 昼間遊ぶ代わりに夜遊ぶつもりだ。
I intend to play at night instead of having fun in the daytime.
...
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 ...
3
votes
3answers
527 views
森 vs 林 for forest
According to A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters, 森 (38) is woods and 林 (75) is forest.
But some material I've found online related to Japan seems to indicate 森 is the more correct Japanese ...
3
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1answer
118 views
How to say “running total”?
I've looked around but haven't found a decent way to write "running total" like in the following table.
A Running Total
1 1
2 3
1 4
5 9
3 12
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3answers
279 views
Does this use of だろうか indicate assertion of an opinion?
I always get a bit confused with だろう, which I've asked about before. In my other question, I got the impression that たろう meant a certain amount of assertion, and だろうか left some room for uncertainty.
...
3
votes
1answer
276 views
Why is 自分 used instead of 私?
For example:
自分の名前が呼ばれたとき、私は自分の耳を疑った。I couldn't believe my ears when I heard my name called.
Would it be appropriate if I said 私? When is it appropriate to use 自分? What is the difference?
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votes
2answers
149 views
What's the best translation of アタリ in the context of drawing?
I'm reading through a book on how to draw in a classic Japanese manga style. Specifically, the book is about the basics of デッサン, "sketching".
They use the term アタリ a lot. For example, this typical ...
3
votes
1answer
120 views
Does the word レストラン make saying 中国レストラン strange?
I see that the WWWJDIC emphasizes western style restaurants for the word レストラン. So would there be a better word to use in 中国レストラン?
3
votes
2answers
105 views
Can desire be expressed for entities that do not hold volition?
We can personify things. By using "want" with an inanimate object, it is personified:
An object with inertia wants to maintain its state of motion.
(Question) First, is it possible in Japanese ...
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1answer
166 views
When is 顧客{こきゃく} used for “customer”?
In daily life, I usually hear the words お客様{きゃくさま}, お客{きゃく}さん, and maybe other variants that use 客{きゃく}/客{かく} to refer to customers at a shop.
However, in the dictionary, the first word that comes up ...
3
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2answers
239 views
Difference between Noun+な and Noun+だという
I came across this sentence:
四月だというのに、結構寒いね。 "It is April, but it is rather cold isn't it?"
Recalling what I learned about the のに conjunction, I can also make the sentence:
四月なのに、結構寒いね。
...
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
145 views
How would I respectfully disagree with a peer?
This is probably related to How would I respectfully disagree with a superior? however the context is a tech forum where the thread starter is asking for someone technically advanced to help, and the ...
3
votes
1answer
135 views
Difference between 切る and 切れる？
This question is prompted by the earlier question on the use of 書ける. Initially I thought the answer might explain the difference between these two (eg 彼は頭がよく切れる|
he is (very) sharp) but in most cases, ...
3
votes
1answer
350 views
Difference between の代わりに and に代わって
I need help understanding the difference between の代わりに and に代わって.
This is how A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar explains the difference:
の代わりに cannot be used when "replacement" is ...
3
votes
1answer
124 views
Can と be used with verbs other than 思う to imply a thought process behind the action?
Following hot on the heels on my other question about と and 思う, I know と can be used with 言う, but can it also be applied to verbs that imply some kind of thinking process other than 思う?
Do these make ...
3
votes
2answers
181 views
Slip of the mouth instead of a slip of the tongue?
This sentence is in my JLPT textbook:
つい舌{した}がすべってしまい、うそがばれてしまった。
I thought that it meant something like, "with an unintentional slip of the tongue, my lie was exposed." However, the sentence is ...
