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How can I express the nuance "I 'find' studying Japanese interesting"?

日本語を勉強していることが面白い

Studying Japanese is interesting

日本語を勉強していることが面白いと思う

I think studying Japanese is interesting

The difference in nuance in English is that when you 'find something interesting' it implies you have some experience in the activity. This nuance is not conveyed by the above sentences (in English at least).

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日本語を勉強していることが面白い doesn't really mean "studying Japanese is interesting", it sounds like "I find it interesting/odd that he/she is studying Japanese".

"I find studying Japanese interesting" can be expressed as "(私は)日本語を勉強するのが面白い" (or …勉強することが…). If you add …と思う, you can still express the same thing. But it's ambiguous and can also mean "I think it's studying Japanese that is interesting". If you insert な after 面白い, i.e.日本語を勉強するのが面白いなと思う, you can get rid of the ambiguiry and it means "I find studying Japanese interesting/fun".

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  • Can you explain why changing from する to している completely changes the meaning of the sentence please? What particular aspect of the grammar is causing this to happen? Commented Jun 8, 2015 at 16:59
  • していること stands for "a fact that one is studying" while すること is "a fact that one studies". Now, "studying" as in "studying Japanese is interesting" is close to the latter and if you nevertheless choose the former, people assume some extra reason behind it. And the choice between は and が affects it too.
    – user4092
    Commented Jun 8, 2015 at 20:40
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Studying Japanese is interesting.

You can say it as:

日本語を勉強するのは面白い。
日本語を勉強することは面白い。

I think it'd be more natural to say it as:

日本語の勉強は面白い。

which literally means "Study of Japanese is interesting."

I think studying Japanese is interesting.

So you can say it as:

日本語を勉強することは面白いと思う。
日本語を勉強するのは面白いと思う。
日本語の勉強は面白いと思う。(← I think this is more natural)

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    せやな、「思う」や「感じる」くらいが限度やな。言語の系統が根本的にちゃうさかい、無理やり"find"により近い動詞を使用できひんな。(それがどんな動詞なのか知らんけど。)欧州言語間なら、このfind使った文、苦労なくスッキリきれいに訳せるんやけどな。
    – user4032
    Commented Jun 8, 2015 at 6:50
  • 「まさか」て、失礼なやっちゃのお。「レレレ」て、知らんわ、そんな古い漫画のキャラ。着物着ていつも掃除してはるおっちゃんやろ?竹ぼうき持って?知らんわ。
    – user4032
    Commented Jun 9, 2015 at 6:19
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    欧州言語間なら、このfind使った文、苦労なくスッキリきれいに訳せる>>Ich finde es interessant, Deutsch zu lernen. とかになるのかな・・・あってます?
    – chocolate
    Commented Jun 9, 2015 at 6:48
  • It's interesting to ask whether English and German or 標準語 and 関西弁 are closer together. Commented Jun 9, 2015 at 7:57

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