All Questions
30,069
questions
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Understanding 同じ楓の樹でも同じ色を枝に着けているものは一つもなかった
From Kokoro chapter 26:
私は私を包む若葉の色に心を奪われていた。その若葉の色をよくよく眺めると、一々違っていた。同じ楓の樹でも同じ色を枝に着けているものは一つもなかった。
I found the last sentence bit ambiguous. I am not quite sure about the meaning of 同じ楓の樹でも and what ...
- 1,087
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0
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20
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Trouble understanding 立つ瀬がない
I understand the expression 立つ瀬がない means "having lost face, in a bind", but I have difficulty understanding it’s practical usage.
For example here, B is A's 後輩, and A put B in a tough ...
- 1,289
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1
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49
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I wonder how I can use the word 魅力的?
The range of translation for this word is charming, fascinating or attractive. These are very different words in English. I want to describe a small village as 'charming' and I think the word 魅力的 ...
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39
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Japanese atonic verbs
Why do japanese atonic verbs, who are supposed to have heiban accent pattern, end up to get an accent (and then a pitch fall) on the last mora when followed by such particles as か or の?
I did not ...
- 19
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0
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25
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What is the difference between と見える、そうです、ようです
If I have to translate them I can use IT SEEMS.. for all of them.
Is there any difference or nuance between them to understand which one do I have to use when I want to say "It seems that....&...
- 83
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0
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26
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DIfference between どういう訳も and なぜという訳も
From Kokoro chapter 25:
「先生はなぜ元のように書物に興味をもち得ないんですか」
「なぜという訳もありませんが。……つまりいくら本を読んでもそれほどえらくならないと思うせいでしょう。それから……」
I found the use of なぜ in なぜという訳もありません odd to me. I'd understand its meaning if it were ...
- 1,087
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Understanding それは別に映画の話であって
In this excerpt, I have trouble with それは別に映画の話であって part.
I am not sure whether それ refers to the situation described previously:「映画などを見ていると、知らぬ間に主人公に同一化してしまって、主人公が苦境に立つと、こちらも胸が苦しくなったり、知らぬ間に手を握りしめていて、...
- 1,087
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1
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23
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Usage of volitional + というところ?
The character is wondering where to take the relationship next and thinks
いざ先に進もうというところで一線を引いてしまうんだろう
What does というところ mean here? I understand the first part is "I try to move forward" and ...
- 1,781
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31
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Particle に and relative time expressions
Many questions have been asked regarding the correct usage of the に particle to indicate the time when an action occurs and the matter appears to be more nuanced than it may seem, at least to ...
- 127
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1
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52
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Why 論文に鞭うたれた is in passive form?
From Kokoro chapter 25:
それでも私は馬車馬のように正面ばかり見て、論文に鞭うたれた。
I am bit uncertain why 鞭打つ is written in passive form here. I wonder if this question is related here.
- 1,087
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79
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Why is が (instead of に/を) used with せる here?
こわがりの恵美がだんだん顔をこわばらせて、しまいには泣きだしてしまう
恵美's brother read a horror story to her and she started crying. The above sentence explains what happens to 恵美 when her brother reads her such a story. I am having ...
- 274
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0
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33
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で scope marker used for context of conversation?
I read this post a while ago:
Is this で with 思い当たる the particle or te-form
And considering it is the scope marker here, does it indicate the context for the statement/talking point that comes after?
''...
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1
answer
55
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''では'' Translating to ''According to'' in ''友人の話では'?
How does the で function in these sentences? I've read and heard it translates to ''according to'' or ''in someone's opinion' but couldn't find any good explanation as for why. Is it similar to ''だと'' ...
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1
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81
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Hepburn romanization of "知りせば"
I have a question regarding romanization of the verb 知りせば, in Modified Hepburn Romanization System.
From what I know, 知りせば is a form of past tense of 知る, but is not used in modern japanese. せば would ...
- 3
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1
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46
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Trouble with だって before a comma
「……それでさ、ふりむいた男の口からは、真っ赤な血があふれていたんだ。どろどろ、だらだら。男はにまりと笑って、今度はおまえの番だって、女の子に手をのばしてきたんだ。...」
The above is the beginning of a chapter of a Japanese children's book. Now I am not sure if the character is ...
- 274
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1
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Can なのか replace であろうと?
Can the following statement
複雑であろうと単純であろうと、状況は変わります。
be rephrased as
複雑なのか単純なのか、状況は変わります。
- 2,957
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1
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58
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Grammar of 寒い風の吹くに任せて
From Kokoro chapter 24:
東京へ帰ってみると、松飾はいつか取り払われていた。町は寒い風の吹くに任せて、どこを見てもこれというほどの正月めいた景気はなかった。
I wonder how the grammar works in 寒い風の吹くに任せて. I wonder why it is possible to use の like that even though ...
- 1,087
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What is denakereba (でなければ) here
あのレストランには、上着を着て行かなくてはいけませんか。
いいえ、Tシャツでなければ上着を着て行かなくてもかまいません。
I don't get the use of denakereba here, is it ba form of でない (でありません) or else?
- 21
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1
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80
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What is this usage of 連展開 here?
The characters are designers so that's the context.
What does "B倍ヨコの2連展開" mean? "B倍" is paper format, while ヨコ is "horizontal/side by side"
so "2 B倍 side by side&...
- 1,397
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54
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What is use of と here [duplicate]
彼女が私と同じくらい背が高いんだ
(My girlfriend is about the same height as me.)
Can any one pls explain me how と fits here in this sentence.
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1
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64
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Pitch accent of の particle with nouns
What's the pitch accent of の, when it comes after 頭高, 中高, 尾高 and 平板 nouns?
Based on my experience, it attaches low after 頭高, 中高 and 尾高 nouns, and attaches high after 平板 nouns, is it correct assumption?...
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1
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420
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What does こんなところ refer to here
From Kokoro chapter 24:
私は早速先生のうちへ金を返しに行った。例の椎茸もついでに持って行った。ただ出すのは少し変だから、母がこれを差し上げてくれといいましたとわざわざ断って奥さんの前へ置いた。椎茸は新しい菓子折に入れてあった。鄭寧に礼を述べた奥さんは、次の間へ立つ時、その折を持って見て、軽いのに驚かされたのか、「こりゃ何の御菓子」と聞いた。奥さんは懇意になると、...
- 1,087
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38
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Can “〜などない” or “〜なんてない” also mean “not remotely”?
I keep seeing “〜などない” in many contexts where I feel this is the only interpretation that makes sense even though I can't find anything on the internet about it, such as say “その人に車を運転する資格などない。” “...
- 1,476
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1
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64
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Can you use 晩ご飯 as a time indicator?
So, after some years I'm back to the process of studying Japanese. I've come across the following sentence:
晩ご飯はレストランで食べました。
Although the meaning is clear, upon reading I was perplexed about the ...
- 127
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79
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Actual nuance of 面影?
The character is looking at this friend's photos as a child and says this. The friend answer "There was also that kind of time"
What does 面影here imply?
- 1,397
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How are "suicide points" considered to be 生活感のある表現 here?
A says to B that despite B's wishes they cannot go back to a castle to ask someone more about their upcoming journey and the reason they are embarking on it. The reason is that their "suicide ...
- 1,289
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Nouns being repeated? Nounがnoun
(Upon being asked if he heard the latest incident, the character comments on this
事件が事件なので気がかりで 意識してニュースを追ってる
Why is the noun repeated?
- 1,781
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What is the actual nuance of あてられた here in this sentence?
また、どこからか熱が沸き上がる。時たま吹くビル風にも関わらず、自分の目許はあてられたように熱っぽくなっていく
I understand what the sentence means overall, but I'm stumbled on the actual meaning of "あてられた" here. The more direct meaning would be ...
- 1,397
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1
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べきもの in this sentence
そして心が動かないと言った彼の、これが本来の甘さなのだ。
――本来の……例えば恋愛相手、恋人。そんな役割を持つ誰か。そんな存在が受け取るべきもの。
Context: The character "彼" asked the narration/main character a kiss. So the narrator narrates this
"...
- 1,397
2
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1
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191
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What is this usage of ことが過ぎる? (NSFW warning i guess)
そんな風に考えていると、青戸の押し殺した笑いが耳を擽った。
それはどこか獣欲めいて、初めて体を重ねた時のことが過ぎる。
The character is thinking this after her lover teases her.
"Aoto tickled my ear with a stiffed smile"
"With the appearance ...
- 1,781
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What is ではつまらない here? Why does it mean?
日向から与えられるものであるが故に、生ぬるい刺激ではつまらないのだ...
The character is receiving a gift from her lover and thinks this... Why is ではつまらない used? "It's something I received from Hinata, but consequently the ...
- 1,781
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Usage of なんだり in this sentence?
What does exactly なんだり here mean?
I understand he's saying "We meet many monsters in our own way and it was terrible" but what does なんだり actually add?
- 1,397
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Why is 男 pronounced "dan"?
In 漢音 , the word for man 男 is pronounced dan, instead of nan. Where does the initial D come from when none of the chinese dialects say this character with an initial D? The only one whichi can think ...
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What is de particle marking here? 「買ったつもりで貯金する」
つもり貯金って何ですか。
…欲しいものがあっても買わないで、それを買ったつもりで貯金することです。
What is で after つもり used for?
As for me it is marking a condition, but I'm not sure.
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i-adjective + に [duplicate]
Stupid question I know, but I can't find any explanation as to what an i-adjective followed by に is supposed to mean. For example:
明日もアサッテも忙しいに決まってんだろ！
I know what everything else is, even the ...
- 229
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Is this incorrect usage of だからと言って？
I'm going through the 新完全マスターN1: 文法, and the following question is given:
長期入院中（ ）、わたしにも選挙権があるのだ。
1 だからといって ２ にかかわらず ３ と思いきや ４ といえども
The bolded 4: といえども is what the book says is the correct answer. ...
- 3,796
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Could someone explain the difference between 痛そうな顔 & 苦しそうな顔? Is one emotional pain while the other physical pain?
Can someone explain the difference between "苦しい" and "痛い"? I know both mean pain but don't know the nuance between the two.
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When to use ～に for time? （暑い日、ドラマを見る）
I have two examples where I'm not sure about the particle for time.
私は暑い日、家族と家でビールを飲みます。
Is it necessary to use 「に」after 暑い日？If I don't add a particle would
it be grammatically incorrect?
...
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1
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53
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じゃありません or ありません
EJUを受けるつもりはありません。私が受ける大学の入学試験に必要ありませんから。
Why 必要じゃありません is not used here.
Please help me here.
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+100
What's the verified etymology of 撥音 and 撥ねる音?
The most popular explanation for the terms 撥音 hatsuon and 撥ねる音 haneru-on is that the kana used to spell this sound, ん and ン, are drawn with an "upsweeping" or "jumped-up" terminal. ...
- 1,306
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3
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282
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Etymology of 制度
What is the rough etymology of 制度 (system / organization)? Or how do 制 (system) and 度 (degrees / capacity) come together to form the meaning of system / organization? Specifically, how does 度 (...
- 51
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75
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Am I understanding the で condition/scope marker right?
The question is:
僕の知っている限りでは彼は家出しました
I've seen this 限りで been used a lot and I am wondering does the で here with ''限り'' indicate scope/condition? Because of this confusion I ended up compiling some ...
2
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2
answers
99
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Pronunciation rule
Is there any rule about the pitch accent of nouns resulting from i-adjectives plus the suffixes み and さ?
For instance 長い 長さ 長み
- 19
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139
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Why is 学 pronounced gaku and not kaku?
Aren't all H's in chinese transcribed as k in japanese? Why is this character's intial consonant voiced?
- 53
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1
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593
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Why do sentences with いわんや often end with をや?
I was reading about the (apparently) archaic-sounding 況んや{いわんや}, which is used like まして, but getting to the examples sentences I see many ending in をや/においてをや:
私は貧乏でなかなか人並みの生活もできない, いわんや貯蓄をやだ.
The ...
- 1,289
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75
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Understanding もしかしてとも思ったのだがそこは流石の綾瀬さん
There is one sentence I have trouble understanding. It is from chapter two of 義妹生活 novel. The context is that the narrator 浅村 and 綾瀬 plan to go to school 水星 but it seems like 綾瀬 fear students seeing ...
- 1,087
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2
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71
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What is this usage of のよ?
The character meets a girl at a party and she tells him this. I understand it's "Please eat a lot, I'll bring some to you"
But what is the second part of the sentence actually? "let me ...
- 1,397
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1
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120
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Mysterious readings and a general question about researching such words
It always intrigued me how some readings came to linguistically and historically. One I've been wondering about is 躑る (たちもとおる). Can't seem to find anything about this specific reading. But how would I ...
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2
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176
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Can や be a contraction of ば?
I was reading a text using yomitan, and when I highlighted a や that was next to the word 歌, it said 歌や was the verb 歌う in ば form but や was a contraction of ば.
Now, in the context of the sentence I was ...
- 121
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Meaning of ならなくなった in this sentence
From Shirabe Jisho's example sentence
係長が急に辞めてしまったので、私がその穴を埋めなければならなくなった。
While I understand that 穴を埋めなければ means "if we do not fill the hole" - so the conditional form of the verb - I ...
