1
vote
4answers
316 views
What's the joke in this 4コマ comic?
In this 4コマ漫画{まんが}, a four panel comic, a young attractive woman walks through a station ticket gate, but there's something wrong with her ticket. The station attendant calls after her, first by ...
5
votes
2answers
218 views
What does おめでとう煜ございます mean?
At first I thought it was a typo, but inserting the character 煜 into birthday wishes or the like seems to be common, e.g.
おめでとう煜ございます
おめでとうございます煜
おめでとう煜ございます煜
I have several problems:
What ...
3
votes
1answer
107 views
Proper usage of 四字熟語 in Japanese
In Chinese, usage of 四字熟語 a lot usually demonstrates sophistication and things like political announcements etc that want to sounds powerful and sophisticated use a big load of them. What does using ...
0
votes
1answer
128 views
How can I say “I'm listening to your song” in Japanese? [closed]
A Japanese friend made a song, I want to tell him that I'm listening to his song and I really like it! But I'm kinda lost, I don't know how to say it properly.
3
votes
1answer
195 views
How is the last name Curry transliterated to japanese?
I'm transliterating my friend's names for fun and I'm having trouble figuring out the kana for the last name Curry. Would it be クリ？ Which doesn't seem right...
It confuses me that this is also an ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views
きちんとした性格の母さん Sentence help
I would like some help understanding this sentence.
あの真面目できちんとした性格の母さん（が動詞をする）
I don't understand the した性格 part, because how can した modify "personality" which can't do anything?
I also don't ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
Why use 分 in this question?
I have come across the following sentence :
そのダンボ－ルゴミに出す分ですか？
I understand it means something like "Are you throwing out this cardbox?". But what does 分 mean in this context and why is it at that ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Is this word slang? アメテ
I can't find a definition for this word アメテ. Aside from sounding like an amateur, the word didn't make sense in the context.
In the context, a character was flipping out. The entire sentence he ...
3
votes
3answers
203 views
How can I translate けど in this sentence?
I don't get these sentences; the first one ends with けど (plus I don't get why there is the use of !? at the end)
Here the sentences:
俺モデル!
顔命なの です
けど!?
んなに
硬くねーだろ>
I know that けど ...
1
vote
2answers
96 views
~くなりました with ない
For example, if I want to say "(this food has) become not tasty", would the correct way to say that be "おいしくなくなりました"? How would this be distinguished from おいしく亡くなりました, "died tastily", however ...
1
vote
0answers
74 views
相変わらずだよWhat is the meaning of this ending -azu in verbs [duplicate]
Not long ago, I peeked into a slang book where I found the following expression:
"あいかわらずだよ"
変わる means to change but what happens in this case with the meaning? kawarazu
Thank you for your answer ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
Origin of 楽しみ and 楽しみにする
楽しみ is derived from 楽しむ isn't it? Despite this, it's used as if it were an adjective, and I don't completely understand why it can be used in 楽しみにする.
What is the name of the form that 楽しみ is relative ...
0
votes
1answer
55 views
Using て form at the end of sentences
I know that て can be used before いる, as well as when asking for ください, but I just realized I don't really know what it means. For instance, I just read an instance of て being used at the end of a ...
-1
votes
0answers
62 views
How and where can someone use Ruby Text? [closed]
In my writings on the language, I often use the word(furigana) set up, and it works well most of the time. When it gets to be too much, or the word is like this(吹き上げ), it can become very problematic ...
0
votes
1answer
86 views
Meaning of いくのは
Cheers,
I'm teaching myself the language for a while now and I'm picking up on basic grammar structure. Combined with a dictionary, I can occasionally even make sense of a sentence!
But the full ...
2
votes
1answer
81 views
Question on an apparent solipsistic usage of the “quotative って”
A: Be careful not to make a mistake.
B: I know that without being told.
A: 間違えないように気を付けてね。
B: 言われなくても分かってるって。
In the final って in B's answer, I am supposing that this is the ...
1
vote
1answer
126 views
What are the differences and usage patterns for 常套句, 言い草, 決まり文句, 諺, and 名言?
This is a little bit of an encyclopedic question, but I would like to know what separates the four expressions in the title, i.e., what separates them when they are close to referring to the same ...
6
votes
2answers
112 views
What's the substitute word for missing/unimportant part of sentence?
Sometimes there are situations when you'd like to describe someone saying something, but what exactly he says is less important than the rest of sentence and it can be easily ignored. Or in case when ...
3
votes
1answer
101 views
What does こと mean between two nouns?
What is the function of the first こと in the following sentence?
「労働のビッグバン」こと非正規雇用の規制緩和が次々に行われたのは９０年代、バブルが崩壊して以降のことである。
Logically it seems it has a function similar to と. If that is indeed what it ...
1
vote
1answer
138 views
Is 回す ever used to mean “gang-rape”?
Sorry, I've been on reddit...and found the eighth definition here:
回す
まわす 1: to turn; to rotate; to gyrate;
2: to circulate; to send around;
3: to surround;
4: to put something to a new ...
3
votes
1answer
185 views
How do you count ghosts in Japanese?
I have found this example, using the human counter:
In this movie, the two female ghosts who appear before the main character, a man who works as a potter, are both victims of a war-torn society.
...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
Parsing a sentence with a て connecting verb
This sentence is from NHK newsweb easy.
政府は、新型インフルエンザ（＝人から人にうつる今までになかった新しいインフルエンザ）が世界で流行して、日本でも大勢の人が亡くなる心配がある場合、どうするかというガイドライン（方針）の案を作りました。
I'll remove the easier parts and try to reduce it to ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
-1
votes
0answers
86 views
「ぞ」と「出ずる」の意味は何ですか？ [closed]
In さくらさくら, ぞ is used in the middle of the line, so I'm assuming it isn't the normal particle I see added onto the end of sentences. What does it mean, and where does it come from?
Also, いずる is used, ...
3
votes
1answer
121 views
Difference between words for road
I know the following words that all mean a road of some kind:
道
町
街
路
道路
街路
街道
通り
通り道
What's the difference between all these words? I'd assume size would be one of them, but what is the order if ...
9
votes
4answers
393 views
How is リィ pronounced?
I'm confused about リィ. (That's big リ followed by little ィ.)
Although this combination isn't part of the official orthography (as far as I know), it seems to be fairly common. I asked a Japanese ...
6
votes
1answer
97 views
I can't find a translation for 言やいー
I would very much appreciate it if someone could tell me what 言やいー refers to. All I know is that 言 has something to do with speaking or words, but that alone doesn't help. Is it slang?
The entire ...
2
votes
1answer
52 views
Use of ご and にね
In the following sentence, how are にね and ご used in that first clause. I'm baffled. They seem to have no meaning.
で、そんなご身分にね、一年も経てばいよいよ引け目を感じますよ。
Thanks for your help.
2
votes
1answer
74 views
What's the meaning of とこに?
Pretty much I couldn't find this とこに in my dictionary so I was wondering what it means.
Here the context to better understand:
あんなとこにタオル落ちてる
Also is あんな a slang for あのな?
Thanks in advance c:
I ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
関わらず, こうして, and “Titles”
My question concerns the middle part of this sentence.
宮さんは、僕がこうして敬称付きで呼ぶにも関わらず、 見た目十代前半くらいの少女なのだった。
How exactly does こうして affect the meaning of the sentence?
What part of the sentence is 関わらず ...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
Pronunciation of ワンマン運転
I hear ワンマン運転 as ワンマウンテン, with the ん of マン dissapearing, or perhaps being very soft.
Here's an example:http://youtu.be/DZnuH1XkE7s?t=49s
Another question shows that there can be something ...
2
votes
2answers
152 views
What are the general principles of using verbs to modify nouns (ex 焦げるトースト/焦げたトースト)?
In all the time I've studied the language, I've never heard or seen anybody even hint at whether the principles from a given language (like using burnt toast vs. burning toast) carry over, or if the ...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
What does やさぐれ mean?
I believe it has something to do with bullying.
Also, I think I heard it as a verb: やさぐれる
I can't seem to find much information about it. Is it slang?
1
vote
1answer
104 views
How do you be sarcastic in Japanese? [duplicate]
Especially in text, is there a clue in Japanese as to whether someone is being sarcastic, or is it as ambiguous as it is in English? And how do you form a sentence so as to make it obviously ...
0
votes
3answers
106 views
What is this person saying?
In a visual novel a girl just said そうですねー and the guy replied
「僕はですね、伯母の紹介だったからこそ、ここでバイトしてる訳ですが。」
I feel like he's making fun of her for saying desu ne.... and that she sounds like his aunt?
If ...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
What does しやがって imply? shiyagatte doesn't seem to show up directly in dictionaries
I've run across the expression/word a few times in manga, and generally the context indicates that it's a conjugation of する with the ～がる indication of "3rd party appearance of internal state" (as in ...
0
votes
2answers
109 views
桜桜ーいざや and ゆかん meanings
In 桜桜 what do "いざや" and "見に行かん" mean, or rather why do they mean what they mean.
I've never heard a term like いざや, and I've never seen 行く written as ゆく, nor have I seen an あん ending unless it was ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
Can we use 通る about 心地 or 気持ち?
Just before these sentence main character told that he is worried about crossing the tunnel(because of some childhood memories). That is why I'm not sure what is he talking about in this sentence(bold ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
What does “だがたまには下も見るもんだぜ” mean?
There is a suggestively conversation between two men who are fighting each other. A is claimed to be strongest wizard and B is nearly strong as A. Here is the conversation,
A:世の中上には上がおる
B: ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
1
vote
2answers
109 views
What does「散々人を待たせておいて最初の一言がそれか」mean?
I am unsure how to translate the following phrase:
[散々]{さんざん}人{ひと}を待{ま}たせておいて最初{さいしょ}の一言{ひとこと}がそれか
My guess as to how this phrase translates is:
Is that the first thing people say to those ...
2
votes
1answer
112 views
What exactly is this でね construction?
The following dialogue is from the video game Final Fantasy VI:
宿屋{やどや}の[親父]{おやじ}は、[余所者]{よそもの}が[嫌]{きら}いでね。
I think I understand this sentence. It means something like "the old man at the inn ...
3
votes
1answer
229 views
Slang metaphorical animal names used to describe people
Does Japanese slang use animal names to describe people's personalities in the same way English does? If so, what are some common ones?
For example, in English, men can often be called "dogs" or ...
3
votes
1answer
97 views
What does 彼のままだった mean?
In the following phrase:「時{とき}が過{す}ぎても彼{かれ}のままだった。」what does the「彼{かれ}のままだった」part mean?
My guess is that I can translate this phrase into something like "He's the same" or "he didn't change", but I'm ...
4
votes
1answer
104 views
How to appropriately display the day of the month by itself? Is 日 required, optional, or undesirable?
I know that an acceptable way to display (this is in a computer program) a full year/month/day date is like so:
2013年5月19日
What If I wanted to display the day only? Does the following look ...
2
votes
1answer
155 views
Meaning of 'だろうと'
What is the meaning of 「だろうと」 in the following sentence, and how can we translate last part of sentence(bold one).
今や人型の死とした存在は、無感動な声で終わりの拳を握り締めた。彼の攻撃を防げる者など存在せず、しかも何発だろうと発射可能。
Thank you very ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
Is ネコでも分かる・サルでも分かる idiomatic?
I heard the expression ネコでも分かる... mentioned in a TV drama as title for a (fictional) book, in the sense of "...for dummies". A quick search on Amazon brings up a few (real) titles ネコでも分かる... or ...
3
votes
1answer
227 views
Legal characters for first names include: hiragana, katakana, jinmeiyo and joyo kanji. What about latin letters?
Is it legal for parents to give to their child a first name with latin letters (romaji, I guess), instead of using katakana, hiragana, or kanji?
For example, if Japanese parents want to give their ...
2
votes
0answers
103 views
What is this colloquial / dialect form? 〜たるけんね
I'm still playing Final Fantasy VI, and I came across this bit of dialogue:
マリアの頭にオモリ
落としたるけんね。
I understand it up to 落とし. Orthros is going to drop the weight on her head! I can't make ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
逃げる vs 逃れる What's the nuance?
This is the question I was trying to ask when I made this question, but I guess I can't type or read or think.
I'm looking for the difference between 逃げる and 逃れる. I'm assuming it's something like ...
