13
votes
3answers
976 views
“You don't have to be so polite.” Really?
Sometimes a Japanese person will say to me:
そんなに丁寧な言葉を使わなくてもいいんですよ。
This is an invitation to be less formal. But how much less formal? As I have experienced, sometimes unintentional gaffes can ...
13
votes
5answers
1k views
Is すごい slang or just informal?
Regarding すごい:
What is the right way to spell it?
Is it vulgar, or is it slang like the English "cool"?, or informal or colloquial? Is it archaic?
If it is slang, does it have a non-slang meaning?
...
13
votes
5answers
548 views
What is the difference between 「はず」 {hazu} and 「わけ」 {wake}?
I know the following two sentences give implication that "not expecting me to understand (it)" but I have a feeling that they give different nuances that I just can't put my finger on:
...
13
votes
5answers
689 views
What is an appropriate response to お疲れ様です【おつかれさまです】 in non-work situations?
Often times at the gym, when I'm on my way out, covered in sweat, one of the staff will say お疲れ様です{おつかれさまです}("you've worked hard"...?).
Usually at work situations, I've often found that saying some ...
13
votes
3answers
297 views
Love in the air: 愛ｘ恋 {あい vs こい}
From WWWJDIC:
愛 【あい】 (n,n-suf) (See 愛する) love; affection;
恋 【こい】 (n) love; tender passion;
My understanding on affection, love and tender passion is like the following:
affection < ...
13
votes
2answers
303 views
Why does 語 contain 五?
I'm aware the two kanji are often pronounced the same, but why does one contain the other in it?
13
votes
2answers
875 views
Meaning of 情弱乙 ?
I see 情弱乙 being used (as an interjection?) on many websites, but I can't find it in any dictionary, even online dictionaries. I guess the pronunciation is じょうじゃくおつ. What does it mean?
Examples:
情弱乙！
...
13
votes
2answers
375 views
What is the meaning and usage of ネタ?
For example in this phrase:
話すネタはもっていそう
I translate it into "he might have some stories", but I have the impression it has many other meanings.
13
votes
2answers
319 views
When writing for general public, is there a general guideline for selecting kanji?
After reading numerous publications, I've spotted a trend or custom on determining whether kanji is or is not used for certain words. The most obvious ones are:
こと・事
…が実は犯人だったということがわかる。
...
13
votes
3answers
424 views
Blue blistering barnacles, what is Captain Haddock saying?
For those who might not be familiar with the series Tintin (soon to be in a major motion picture, by the way), there is a character named Captain Haddock who is famous for shouting out colourful ...
13
votes
2answers
3k views
What are good sources for streaming Japanese language television? [closed]
While learning Japanese I'd like to watch some Japanese television, whether it is children's programming, drama, or news.
I've found a few places online that allowed me to stream snippets, but ...
13
votes
2answers
444 views
How to say 'X, let alone Y' in Japanese?
How to say X, let alone Y in Japanese?
For example, how would one translate:
I don't know hiragana, let alone kanji.
He couldn't boil water, let alone prepare a dinner for eight.
I ...
13
votes
2answers
327 views
Where does the word ダイヤ come from that means “train schedule”?
For the longest time I've been hearing the word ダイヤ and just always assumed it meant "Diamond", but found recently it all means "train schedule". My question is, what word/language did this word ...
13
votes
2answers
497 views
When asking 'What is your name?' or 'What is your job?', why is it 'は' not 'か'?
As per the title, when asking 'What is your name?' or 'What is your job?', why is it 'は' not 'か'? For example, we are taught this:
おしごとは。
'What is your job?'
But I don't understand why it ...
13
votes
2answers
212 views
Kitten: 子猫 vs 小猫 vs 仔猫
Are there any differences (nuances or usage) when using prefix 子, 小 or 仔 for denoting young animals?
Examples:
Kitten: 子猫 vs 小猫 vs 仔猫
Puppy: 子犬 vs 小犬 vs 仔犬
Pony: 子馬 vs 小馬 vs 仔馬
Calf: 子牛 vs 小牛 vs 仔牛
...
13
votes
4answers
585 views
Are wasei-eigo and wasei-kango looked down upon?
Is wasei-eigo or wasei-kango looked down upon by Japanese language purists (as opposed to English or Chinese purists!) as informal, inauthentic, incorrect or the like?
13
votes
3answers
551 views
Rules for slang of Japanese numbers
I often here Japanese use a different method for saying a number like "248" as によんぱ for highways and license plates.
While this one is easy to understand, there are others that I don't quite ...
13
votes
4answers
610 views
Can a Japanese person understand something written in traditional Chinese
If I didn't know any japanese, could I potentially communicate with Japanese people just by writing in traditional Chinese? I've heard and seen this in movies, how true is this?
13
votes
2answers
665 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?
...
13
votes
4answers
650 views
How would one convey “get over it” in Japanese?
As a foreigner in Japan, one has to get used to the fact that some Japanese will compliment you on things that are too mundane to really deserve mention. Like the fact that you can use chopsticks, eat ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views
What to say after someone dies
What is the proper response when someone tells you, for example, that their mother has died? Relatedly, what should you do to express your sympathy? Do you send a card? flowers? bake a casserole?
13
votes
2answers
268 views
What is the difference in nuance and usage of the two kanji forms for なおす (naosu), 直す and 治す?
Stolen directly from Grigory M's question in the definition phase:
http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/7526?phase=definition
13
votes
2answers
257 views
13
votes
2answers
98 views
What are the nuances between these three terms for intelligence: 知恵 [ちえ], 知能 [ちのう], 知性 [ちせい] ?
In particular which one is closer to the idea of "ability to reason over things" as a quality of someone in particular?
What I believe is that 知識 on the other hand is closer to "knowledge" and ...
13
votes
2answers
362 views
“太ってる猫” vs “太った猫”
Greetings people I saw this sentence in a textbook: 彼女は太った猫が好きじゃない。, which was translated to "She doesn't like fat cats".
I was under the impression that 太ってる猫 means something like "cat that is in ...
13
votes
2answers
684 views
How should I start an email when requesting something from someone I don't know well?
In English, there is a certain etiquette to follow when writing a business letter. From what I've seen so far, the same seems to be true in Japanese as well.
If I was making a business-related ...
13
votes
2answers
450 views
The reason for using 何も+negative, but 何でも+positive
In one of the Japanese classes I attended, I've been taught that while we use 「何も出来ない」to say "He cannot do anything", to say "He can do anything" we use 「何でも出来る」 instead of 「何も出来る」.
Why is there a ...
13
votes
2answers
493 views
How to say: “I am returning your call”
Title says it all!
If somebody called and left a message, when calling them back, is there a set expression for that?
I generally just use "さっきにお電話頂いた...", but wondering if there is a more idiomatic ...
13
votes
4answers
234 views
Questions with ~か or without: how to choose?
Studying Japanese on my own, I've learned that in order to make a question, you usually add the particle "~か", like this:
今何時ですか。
It's also true that a question can be asked without it, using ...
13
votes
1answer
252 views
what is the difference between ごとに and おきに?
Both ごとに and おきに appear to mean "repeatedly at intervals".
What is the difference between these two expressions?
13
votes
3answers
614 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 ...
13
votes
3answers
259 views
What is the difference between 向かい and 向こう?
I am unable to locate objects and their orientation with respect to myself when 向こう and 向かい are used.
Consider:
向こう側
向かい側
向こうの店
向かいの店
Where is 向こう側 and 向かい側 with respect to me? Are they the same ...
13
votes
1answer
613 views
What are the guidelines of omitting particles?
I've recently discovered that certain particles could be omitted from a Japanese sentence (to help make it shorter), and still preserve the original meaning. Unfortunately, most resources about this ...
13
votes
1answer
256 views
Why does 「目がない」mean “something you like”?
I came across the phrase 甘いものに目がない which roughly translates to "having a sweet tooth". Then I wondered why 目がない refers to "something that you like". Is there an explanation for why "having no eyes" ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
When did the “wu” character drop out of use?
In the last century, the ゐ and ゑ characters were eliminated from common use. But it seems like there used to also be a "wu" character that has since been lost. Given that it's a lot harder to find ...
13
votes
1answer
248 views
Politeness in examination questions
1) Why do Japanese school examination questions get more rude as the year gets higher?
In elementary school
...してください。
or
...しましょう。 ... です。 ...ですか。
In junior high school to high school
...
13
votes
2answers
446 views
今までに vs. 今まで - what is the difference in meaning?
I recently used a following sentence in my homework:
今日までに 私は 二百まいしゃしんを とりました。
Now, in my homework I actually used 今日まで, without に, and I got it corrected. What's the difference between 今日まで and ...
13
votes
1answer
341 views
Sentence level pitch accent for 標準語
I was wondering if anybody had any references (preferably freely available) or insights that explain 標準語 (or should I say 関東語) sentence-level pitch accent.
I already have a dictionary which describes ...
13
votes
4answers
824 views
Distinguishing certain characters in handwriting and print
Japanese has some sets of characters which look very similar or even identical. Obviously, context is usually more than enough to distinguish which character is intended, but I'm wondering if there ...
13
votes
2answers
772 views
Passive-transitive-verb vs. Intransitive-verb （他動詞の受け身 vs. 自動詞)
Here's another question for you experts out there. I think I know the answer to this as well, but it still creeps up in my mind all the time; something I'd like to research more. I want to know ...
13
votes
1answer
217 views
When to read “その後” as “そのご”, “そのあと” or “そののち”?
I've recently been seeing あと as well as ご as Furigana on top of 後 in その後, but is there a difference in usage or meaning between the different readings?
Looking at the Yahoo thesaurus, it seems it can ...
13
votes
1answer
278 views
まち: what's the difference between 町 and 街?
My impression is that 町 tends to be used for smaller cities and 街 tends to be used for larger ones. Is this correct? If not, what is the difference?
13
votes
2answers
513 views
What is the difference between 「けれど」 and 「けれども」 and 「けど」?
「けれども」と「けど」と「けれど」はいったいどう違うんですか。「けれども」はテレビ番組でよく使われているが、「けれども」は「けれど」より丁寧ですか。
English translation: What exactly do 「けれども」 and 「けど」 and 「けれど」 mean? They often use 「けれども」 on TV programs, but is 「けれども」 ...
13
votes
2answers
252 views
Is there a logic for deciding when to employ furigana?
I'm vaguely aware that the usage of furigana is based on the intended target audience. The younger or less likely literate the target audience the more furigana are employed. But is there a system to ...
13
votes
2answers
248 views
What are the various ways to express 'or' and when are they appropriate?
I'd like to get an idea of when it is appropriate to use different expressions for expressing disjunction (of the inclusive AND exclusive variety).
「AとBとCの中で...」、「どちら」、and 「か] come to mind, but I ...
13
votes
1answer
202 views
What are the origins of the 「こそあど」 demonstratives?
I've noticed the following sets of words that seem to have a very obvious pattern, and, of course, their meanings are very closely related:
これ、 それ、 あれ、 どれ
この、 その、 あの、 どの
ここ、 そこ、 あそこ、 どこ
What are ...
12
votes
7answers
1k views
When should one add さん at the end of a name?
I've heard some names pronounced with an added さん such as 佐々木さん and some without. I believe it is related to respect or the age of the person named. What would be the guidelines or general principles ...
12
votes
6answers
3k views
What's the difference between “gohan” and “meshi”?
In answer to my question on the difference between "gyudon" and "gyumeshi" I learned that "meshi" just means cooked rice. But I thought "gohan" meant cooked rice, so please, what is the difference?
I ...
12
votes
3answers
284 views
What is the difference between 完了 and 終了
Both 完了 and 終了 both seem to have the connotation of finished/complete, but what is the difference if any in usage?
12
votes
2answers
848 views
How to end a sentence in わけ
The is a certain way of talking where you can end just about anything you say in わけ.
What is the sentence structure for this way of talking?
