0
votes
1answer
12 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 ...
0
votes
0answers
47 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
45 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
109 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
82 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
81 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
53 views
逃げる vs 逃す What's the nuance?
It's pretty straightforward, I'm wondering what the nuance between 逃げる and 逃す is?
I'm assuming it's something like the difference between "run away" and "escape", but which one is which?
2
votes
1answer
59 views
What is the ちょ in こなしてちょ?
I'm playing a video game (Final Fantasy VI), in which a character is reading her lines and stage directions for a play. The stage directions contain the following sentence:
この芝居を間奏の間にこなしてちょ。
...
1
vote
0answers
70 views
Habitual aspect
My (poor) understanding of things is that there are two ways to get habitual semantics in Japanese:
use the dictionary form of the verb:
毎日、映画{えいが}を見に行く "I go to the movies every day."
use the ...
1
vote
2answers
84 views
Question about 仕事 vs. 仕事場
While studying Japanese through Rosetta Stone, I've run across these two sentences:
私は仕事に行きます。
私は仕事場にいます。
I'm confused as to why the first sentence doesn't use "仕事場" since the person is going to ...
-2
votes
0answers
53 views
How do you say “my pride will not let me fail” in japanese? [closed]
Hiragana or katakana, as long as it has the correct grammar.
0
votes
1answer
112 views
“Sore ni taru” and “rasen ga gotoku”
What does "Sore ni taru 'kekka' nano desu" mean?
It takes place here in Fairy Tail manga => http://online.mangaraw.net/Weekly-Shonen-Magazine-Vol-04-05-231-7911.html
And also, "samazamana omoi to ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Translation of “for whom” or “to whom”
How would you translate the following sentences?
1/ Check the identity of any other person for whom you may have requested an extra card.
2/ She is the person to whom I sent the documents.
I always ...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
「可能な額を払う」= Pay what you can?
In ALC, I found the following example sentence:
支払可能な額を払う
pay what you can
It's the first time I see the word 額【ひたい】 used in this way and I wonder if this is just a case of mistranslation ...
1
vote
1answer
65 views
Questions on a usage of じゃない
I found this usage of じゃない. Perhaps the translation is too loose in meaning.
A: Is your girlfriend cute?
B: Why wouldn't she be?
A: 君の彼女、かわいい？
B: かわいいに決まってるじゃない。
Does ...
5
votes
1answer
116 views
Is ending question sentences with の really feminine?
In What differences should I look out for between male vs female speech?, a lot of answers explicitly mention that ending question sentences with の is feminine.
However, this makes very little sense ...
5
votes
2answers
126 views
How is the Kanji of 口実 related to the meaning?
口実
noun:
excuse; pretext
Literally translated it seems to mean mouth-truth.
Most excuses seem to avoid the truth, so what is the logic here?
1
vote
2answers
86 views
What's the meaning of しない as in …するしない？
My textbook contains the following sentence
参加するしないにかかわらず、必ず返事を葉書で出してください。
(Regardless of whether you participate or not, kindly make sure to RSVP by postcard.)
as an example of the expression ...
3
votes
1answer
83 views
Which readings were changed in the 2010 Jouyou kanji reform?
I'm looking for pointers on which readings (on/kun) were changed in the 2010 reform. By that I mean which kanji has additional readings and which kanji has had one or more readings removed? Is there a ...
5
votes
1answer
138 views
Terms for Royalty
Why are there so many terms for royalty? And I'm talking about generic words like "king", "queen", etc. I seem to remember from my studies that certain terminology was used specifically for Japanese ...
6
votes
1answer
127 views
What's the difference between 心, 念, and 意?
I can say that after much research on this, I'm more thoroughly confused than before I started. I'm talking mostly about when they are used as suffixes, but the concept applies when they stand alone, ...
6
votes
2answers
235 views
Encountered な with ten-ten
I am currently reading a manga for studying Japanese and encountered something strange. A girl exclaims「な゛?!」
The situation is that she has just had water squirted up her nose, so I am guessing it's ...
2
votes
0answers
145 views
How important is gendered language in reality? [closed]
Many people say that gendered language is especially important in Japanese. To a point, I can understand this, but only to a certain distance. For example, if I (Fe/male) were to say 'Wow, that show ...
0
votes
0answers
82 views
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Question about subject
I cannot understand what is the subject in the following sentences, mainly in the second one 「迂闊に手が出せなくなった・・・・・・」. Is it 「強力な力を持った天魔には」 ? Something like 強力な力を持った天魔には迂闊に手が出せなくなったのも、当然というものだろう。 ?
...
1
vote
1answer
148 views
Use of はじめて and どれだっけ?
I don't really know where to ask for help, usually I got the meaning of a sentence on my own but, well this sentence is giving me a hard time, it seems easy but I can't figure out what's the use of ...
6
votes
2answers
189 views
Questions with some usages of で
From my understanding, "で" have many different usages in Japanese. I have some questions regarding the following particular uses of で. It would be very helpful if someone could also come up with other ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
What verb is in 覚えてみたい?
I found this YouTube comment:
きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅとっても可愛い〜(*ﾉ∀ﾉ)ダンスとか覚えてみたいと思いまーすww
I'm not sure how to parse 覚えてみたい. The context seems to make it have nothing to do with 覚る, and in any case the え 送り仮名 ...
2
votes
1answer
89 views
“Cleaning”: [掃除]{そうじ} vs. [清掃]{せいそう}
Mostly I've seen 掃除 "souji" for "cleaning". Here recently I noticed an anime had a floor-sign for "closed for cleaning" using 清掃 "seisou". What's the difference?
Looking at the kanji didn't help ...
6
votes
1answer
160 views
“Reason”: [事由]{じゆう} vs. [理由]{りゆう}
What's the difference between 事由 "jiyuu" and 理由 "riyuu"? Both are translated to mean "reason", as in why something happened.
I even noticed in Tae Kim's Grammar Guide that both words are listed, and ...
3
votes
2answers
137 views
への対へ/に-Difference between への and へ/に
This is actually following a recently asked question on how to say "for."
I thought that saying あなたに私の愛 sounded perfectly fine - "toward you, my love."
However another user changed it to あなたに対する愛, ...
9
votes
3answers
226 views
Addressing a friend's parents when meeting them for the first time
I have met the parents of a close Japanese friend two times in my life and have never been sure how I should address them. Both times I've asked the friend beforehand but never got a satisfactory ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
How to say “for”
I will use a specific example.
I was trying to write "My love for you is hurting me."
"私の愛ために貴方は私を傷つけている。" Is what I came up with, however, I am unsure about the usage of "ために" in this situation.
...
5
votes
1answer
114 views
What is the correct way to say 小さい『つ』?
This is a two part question.
1.) When spelling out a word in kana, what is the correct way to call the small つ (for example the small っ in ちっちゃい)?
I only have experience with my Japanese friends ...
0
votes
1answer
108 views
Typing Japanese text from images or clothing
Is there a way of typing Japanese characters when you have no knowledge of the language? I've cut and pasted from Japanese websites before and used translation websites from English to Japanese with ...
3
votes
1answer
94 views
Help translating this japanese sentence please?
I really really need help with this sentence I have tried everything but I don't get its structure and how to translate it so I'd appreciate if someone could help please?
オレ一人 ore hitori
...
1
vote
0answers
143 views
キリンとゾウ：どっちが大きい？ [closed]
My Japanese colleagues are having a heated debate about which animal is the most 大きい : giraffe or elephant?
Both sides have their arguments (height/volume), so is it entirely a matter of personal ...
6
votes
4answers
289 views
What's the most appropriate negative potential form for this situation?
This morning my co-worker asked me if I wanted some coffee. I said, "No thanks, I can't drink coffee because it upsets my stomach." I was thinking of how I'd say this in Japanese, but I'm not sure ...
5
votes
1answer
214 views
Why is 〜に受かる used to mean “to pass”?
I'm having trouble understanding why 〜に受かる means "to pass". What would the equivalent logic in English be for this phrase? (Something like the intransitive form of receive?)
Also, why is the particle ...
0
votes
1answer
152 views
Can 助動詞(auxiliary verbs) be used with other 助動詞?
I've been learning about these for awhile, but everything I've seen them used in doesn't use more than 1 at a time. Is there a reason for that?
Also my materials don't really explain the subtleties ...
4
votes
2answers
135 views
The differences between 速さ, 早さ, and 速度
I was emailing a friend and used the phrase "タイピングすることの早さ" which I discovered was very incorrect. I did some searching on Google and here is what I discovered:
タイピングの速度 <-rare
タイピング速度 ...
5
votes
1answer
101 views
Can ご存じです function as a transitive verb?
I recently got an automated email from Twitter with the following subject (except with real user names):
username さん、username さん、username さんをご存じですか?
My question is about を paired with ご存じですか. ...
1
vote
1answer
147 views
What is the meaning of “beta”?
Can somebody please explain what "beta" means in the following sentence:
Tsugi no mokutekichi wa beta da keredo, Shikago.
3
votes
1answer
199 views
Why should we use 世界で and not 世界に for 日本で一番高い山は富士山です
Why do we always use で in the following situations? 日本で一番寒い月は二月です。 日本で一番高い山は富士山です。 Why can`t we use use に here? There is no action in these sentences yet we use で,rather we are indicating the place of ...
2
votes
3answers
215 views
Japanese construction verb+noun, how do I interpret it. I am confused!
A) lets take just transitive verbs first:
食べる人
食べられる人
B) now lets take intransitive verbs:
起きる人
起きられる人
起こす人
起こされる人
OK, this thing has confused me for a very long time now, like really long. ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
Who are Mrs. Fuji and Mrs. Gas?
Is there any etymological relationship between the -さん suffix in 富士山 or 月山 and the -さん suffix you put at the end of a person's name? Or are they unrelated?
7
votes
1answer
125 views
What's the difference between ぜひ and きっと when inviting someone to do something?
You can say for example
ぜひパーティーにいらしてね
そのうちまた是非お出かけください
「今晩お伺いしてもいいですか」「ぜひどうぞ」
and
きっと来てくださいね
きっと訪ねて来てください
I would translate both ぜひ and きっと in these sentences with "by all means", but I'm ...
4
votes
3answers
270 views
Why use あんなに instead of こんなに when expressing one's memories?
My textbook contains the following dialog where 鈴木さん interviews her 課長 about what he did last evening:
鈴木「焼き鳥屋ですか。その店、いかがでしたか。」
課長「安くて、おいしかったよ。あんなにおいしい焼き鳥を食べたのは初めてだなあ。」
鈴木「そんなにおいしかったんですか。」
...
3
votes
2answers
185 views
Which romanization system should I use in my word game?
I have developed a word game quite similar to Scrabble, and I am currently considering adding a Japanese word list to it.
Please note that I have no real knowledge of the language, apart from knowing ...
3
votes
2answers
135 views
Question about もらう
As I learned, we can use もらう like this 「私は彼女に弁当を作ってもらいました。」, where noun before に(から) - giver and は(etc.) - reciever. But I saw sentence like
「もっとも・・・・・・そんな風になっちまった以上は、因縁なんざ意味がないだろう。悪いが俺に譲ってもらうぜ」
...
