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 ...
11
votes
1answer
710 views
What exactly is a “taru adjective”
On the talk page of the Wikipedia article on "Japanese adjectives", user Dougalg suggested nearly two years ago:
I know these are falling out of use, but still exist. If anyone can give an ...
9
votes
1answer
315 views
aru vs iru : Why is aru in “Watakushi-wa untenshu-ga aru” (私は運転手がある) unacceptable?
There is a generally expressed rule in Japanese that, when declaring existence, いる is used for animate subjects, and ある is used for inanimate subjects. There are some interesting variations in what is ...
9
votes
1answer
230 views
When and to whom should I use the expression ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
In what context and relationship wise to who can I safely say ご苦労様 (gokurousama)?
I often defer to using otsukaresama since I'm not sure if I'm talking down to someone by saying gokurousama. Please ...
9
votes
4answers
347 views
Use of ～のか (～んですか) in questions not seeking a yes/no answer
I would like to know if there is a shift in nuance in questions such as these:
誰が参加したんですか。 vs. 誰が参加しましたか。
いつ着いたんですか。 vs. いつ着きましたか。
I wish to limit discussion to only non-yes/no questions ...
8
votes
1answer
154 views
X is near or next to Y. Is my understanding of this correct?
So I know that a few words could be used interchangably. But I wasn't sure if I got the nuance(s) correct. So I have this sentence: 車はどこにありますか。 車庫のそばです。 And as far as I can see, I can change そば in ...
8
votes
1answer
300 views
What is the role of 空書 (writing kanji in the air) in modern Japanese?
What is the role of 空書{くうしょ} in modern Japanese?
空書 is tracing characters in the air with your finger (or on a flat surface), a phenomenon which apparently develops only in users of Chinese ...
8
votes
2answers
260 views
How to express vague amounts of time?
I'm having trouble figuring out how to express vague amounts of time in Japanese, such as some number of months or some number of hours.
I want to use this in a context where the specific number is ...
7
votes
5answers
353 views
Less-approximate and more-approximate forms of loan words
When Japanese incorporates a Western word, especially English, often the spelling rather than the pronunciation is respected in the transcription, thus, ending up with a transcription that is not the ...
7
votes
1answer
351 views
Is ～がる suffix limited to specific adjectives only?
I noticed that there are some adjectives that have ～がる suffix to make them into verbs. Some examples from WWWJDIC:
ほしがる
こわがる
いたがる
くるしがる
さびしがる
うれしがる
Apparently ～たい form also can take ...
7
votes
7answers
698 views
What are the advantages/disadvantages of writing in romaji instead of kanji, hiragana, and so on?
Romaji is somewhat of a conversion from kanji, hiragana, and so on to the Roman alphabet.
What are the disadvantages of learning only or mostly romaji aside from being unable to read/write in kanji? ...
7
votes
3answers
411 views
How rude is it to say 寝ぼけてるんじゃねぇよ！
I've heard this used (also as 寝ぼけんじゃねぇよ！) in informal situations with nothing but smiles all around. But when I tried to use it in an informal situation with a colleague, I got the distinct feeling ...
5
votes
2answers
141 views
Varying word order for stylistic effect
Sometimes, for stylistic or rhetorical effect, one wants to delay mentioning a word/concept until the end of a sentence. For example, it's often best to save the punchline for the very end:
I was ...
5
votes
2answers
331 views
Correct usage of [verb stem] + に + [another verb]
I'm a little unclear on the use a verb stem, followed by に and another verb.
Take these two examples:
特別なビザをもらって行った
特別なビザをもらいに行った
I think the first means "I went with a special visa", but ...
5
votes
1answer
250 views
Fun with synonyms - “to grab/catch/capture”
Here's a question for you experts. I've actually asked this to my Japanese friends, but I want to see how you guys answer too.
Explain the differences in the following verbs and which one(s) appear ...
4
votes
3answers
227 views
What makes に基づいて instead of に応じて the correct choice for this question?
I'm working on some example questions from my grammar textbook. One of them I listed below:
税金はこの表（ ）計算されています。
ア）につれて イ）に応じて ウ）に比べて エ）に基づいて
I'm unsure why 「に基づいて」is the only correct ...
3
votes
2answers
142 views
Stem classification 終止形 vs 連体形（しゅうしけい vs れんたいけい）
What is the difference between 終止形 and 連体形 and which one is the correct term for the dictionary form?
The Japanese Grammar Wiki entry says...
Terminal form (終止形 shūshikei) -u
is used at the ...
24
votes
3answers
315 views
Do 以上 and 以下 include the number preceding them?
I was having a discussion with a colleague and we couldn't recall how they both worked. Does 一人以上 mean a) 1 or more persons or b) more than one person?
17
votes
1answer
518 views
Do Japanese writers use underline for emphasis?
Do Japanese writers use underline to emphasize a point, or other techniques? Wikipedia mentions the use of katakana here and here, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate.
Background: I'm incorporating ...
14
votes
2answers
892 views
What does the little っ (tsu) signify when at the end of a word?
The small っ (tsu) is usually used before a consonant to indicate gemination, less technically known as doubled consonants, which is how they are transliterated in romaji.
I have seen it at the end of ...
13
votes
2answers
664 views
What's the difference between に and で when speaking of time of an action?
What's the difference between に and で when speaking of the time of an action? I know に is very specific about time, but I'm not sure when, or how to use で. Can で only be used in certain instances?
...
11
votes
4answers
379 views
How should I select what first-person pronoun to use?
I've always had trouble choosing which first person pronoun to use - 私 (watashi), 僕 (boku), or 俺 (おれ). What kind of factors should I keep in mind when choosing between these? Is it common to vary ...
10
votes
1answer
228 views
What does どうした mean and how does it differ from 何をした?
I've never really understood how どうした works and hope someone can explain or point me towards further reading.
For example, in my textbook, the following question is asked in relation to a short ...
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
314 views
Ups and downs: かみ・しも vs うえ・した
So, we have the kanji 上・下 which can be read as either かみ・しも or うえ・した, and as I understand it, those two are antonym pairs. But what are the differences between the two?
The thesaurus isn't very ...
10
votes
3answers
495 views
When describing time span, are 間 {あいだ} and 内 {うち} interchangeable?
Both 間 {あいだ} and 内 {うち} can be used to describe time span relative to specific situations, similar to "while" in English. But are they interchangeable all the time? Are there any scenarios where one ...
10
votes
2answers
393 views
What is the difference between [plain form of verb]～そう and [root of verb]～そう?
I heard both forms of [plain form of verb]～そう and [root of verb]～そう in an anime I watched, reproduced below, so I'm wondering how are they different and how to choose to use one over the other?
...
9
votes
3answers
184 views
Is there any difference for compounds with/without okurigana?
What is the difference for word compounds that can exist with 送り仮名 and without and still retain the same pronunciation?
As an example:
巻き貝 と 巻貝
取り引き と 取引
If I'm correct, both of these are ...
9
votes
4answers
558 views
In what way is the negative form of a verb an adjective?
I was reading the wikipedia page on "predicate," where it mentioned that in Japanese, the negative form of a verb is an adjective. I thought that this was too expansive a statement to be true, but ...
9
votes
1answer
365 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。
...
9
votes
2answers
199 views
Can a noun + suru have an adjective modify the noun as well?
”I did some difficult studying last night."
Could I say, "昨夜、難しい勉強しました。”?
Basically, my question is: can an adjective, relative clause, or adjectival phrase modify a noun that has する attached. For ...
9
votes
2answers
313 views
do people actually respect the nuances of 探す vs 捜す?
Part 1
I understand 探す to be to search for something (general)
and 捜す to be to search for something lost
But do people actually care about the difference in nuance when they use it?
I mean do ...
8
votes
3answers
361 views
Difference between 気をつけて, お大事に and お元気で
What is the difference between 気をつけて, お大事に and お元気で. How and in which context are they used?
8
votes
1answer
409 views
What does こまけー mean?
Does anybody have a clue what こまけー might mean? Below are some sentences for context and the phrase as it's used:
まじめでおカタい感じの女子大生は、やたらとわたしを目を敵にしてきた。わたしが何をやっても文句をつけてくる。「しょうゆの向きは、こうじゃなくてこう！」って こまけー ...
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
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
2answers
225 views
What exactly is おく doing in 聞いておく?
Earlier today my friend and I were looking for a restaurant that someone had recommended we go to. We couldn't find it, and so my friend suggested I should check again with the person who recommended ...
6
votes
2answers
264 views
に and で revisited
Consider the statement A: ホテル（に/で）泊まる. For both cases would translate to "I stay at a hotel" in English. However they are answers to different questions.
Consider the questions １．どこに泊まる and ...
6
votes
2answers
371 views
Significance of the kanji 茶 in the set phrase 滅茶滅茶{めちゃめちゃ} / 目茶目茶{めちゃめちゃ}
While having fun looking up random words in my dictionary software, I found out that the phrase "めちゃめちゃ", which is often used in colloquial sentences like "めちゃめちゃかわいい" has two kanji variants:
滅茶滅茶
...
5
votes
2answers
261 views
Passive verb forms for intransitive verbs
Okay, so I'm confused about passive verbs.
From how I understand it, the verb is performed on the subject.
but how come you can say something like
明日の会議に行かれるんですか？
Are you going to tomorrow's ...
5
votes
1answer
489 views
Passive vs. active form of verb (past) What is the difference?
I was wondering what the difference is if I use passive form or active form of a verb.
For example:
ネズミは猫に食べられた。The mouse was eaten by the cat.
猫は、ネズミを食べた。The cat ate the mouse.
What EXACTLY is ...
5
votes
4answers
2k views
What's the best utility for identifying kanji? [closed]
I often run into kanji that I don't recognize and need some way to translate them into kana, so that I'm able to look up the meaning.
What's the most useful utility (in any form, web-based, ...
4
votes
2answers
168 views
この道をまっすぐ行ってください。Why “を” and not “で”?
In a quiz, I got a question where one had to complete with に、を、で or が the following sentence:
この道 (?) まっすぐ行ってください。
The correct answer being:
この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
It always seems more natural to me to ...
3
votes
2answers
1k views
How can I improve my Japanese vocabulary, grammar, and listening skills? [closed]
I consider myself at a lower intermediate level. I want to improve my Japanese vocabulary and grammar in order to expand my reading and speaking skills. I know enough Japanese to get around and have a ...
17
votes
5answers
547 views
What does the final て in 待ってて signify?
In this scene a young girl, Yotsuba, drops in on her neighbors for some breakfast. The mother who's cooking breakfast says 「今お父さんの焼いてるからその次ねー。ちょっと待っててー」.
So I guess she's preparing her husbands food ...
17
votes
2answers
464 views
Why is は pronounced as わ when used as a topic particle?
The particle は is pronounced similarly to わ (unlike the rest of the ハ行 kana) when used as a particle; why is this? What historical shifts went on to cause this irregularity?
15
votes
3answers
626 views
Does “敬語” (keigo) just mean “politeness” or is it a technical term specifically relating to Japanese grammar?
What is the difference between the Japanese term "敬語" (keigo) and the English term "politeness" (Specifically regarding language)?
I assumed politeness is more general covering things like "please" ...
15
votes
4answers
1k views
Which is correct: こんばんわ or こんばんは?
I've seen both こんばんわ and こんばんは used; which is correct here? If we interpret the は as the topic particle, は would seem correct, but it seems that わ is used quite frequently anyway...
13
votes
3answers
612 views
Historical differences between colors that are i-adjectives and those that are simply nouns
EDIT: Started a bounty with hope of getting more definitive and elaborate answers, e.g. timeline of when color names started being used in Japan.
In Japanese language, there are colors that are ...
12
votes
3answers
336 views
Do viruses あります or います?
Do viruses あります or います?
Currently, I'm under the impression that animals and humans use います (though see this question), while plants and inanimate objects use
あります. Do viruses fall under the latter ...
