Questions tagged [culture]
文化. Where the linguistic aspects of Japanese culture and the cultural aspects of the Japanese language overlap.
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Are there any terms used to refer to people of the anime/manga fandom in a non-derogatory manner?
In the Western world, anime/manga fans are commonly referred to as otaku (Hiragana: おたく, Katakana: オタク). [1] In Japanese however, this is a (mildly) derogatory word for a geek, nerd, or any person who ...
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The usage of 様{さま} (-sama) honorific
I've always heard that 様 is a highly respectful honorific, being used to refer to lords, kings and deities. However, many times I hear people calling someone with 様, without sarcasm or irony, being ...
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Calling someone older brother/sister and the implications on relationships
If a Japanese person calls you older brother/sister(お兄さん, お姉さん), in addition to implying closeness, does it also mean that they are implying a platonic relationship?
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What is the meaning of 絶対零度の怒り?
I'm reading the manga "Fruits Basket". On page 89 of the first volume, Shigure informs Yuki during supper that Kyo will start going to the same high school as himself and Tohru. Yuki responds with ...
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How do Japanese speakers transition from polite to plain form amongst friends?
When you first meet somebody, polite language is, on the whole, the most commonly used form of Japanese. Children may differ, and I understand that not everyone will use plain form, but regardless a ...
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How are twins addressed by their teacher at school?
If two twin brothers attended the same class, how would their teacher address each of them to indicate to whom they were speaking to, since they shared the same family name?
Would one be seen as the ...
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What do Japanese signatures look like?
Since you often need to write your signature fast it should be something short. I wonder which script, kana or kanji, natives use for writing their signature (in most cases)?
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Thank you note to Japanese professor
I just finished an introductory Japanese class, and the class bought a small gift for the professor. I'm planning to drop the gift off at the professor's office, so I need to write a brief tag saying ...
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The "3 highs" and "3 lows" when choosing a husband
Recently I was told about a popular concept among japanese women concerning choice of the future husband. The concept was called '3 高' - three high points, meaning that a good husband should have: 1) ...
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Why was 邪 chosen to spell the names of 伊邪那岐神 and 伊邪那美神 in the 古事記?
I had been wondering about this for a while. Consider the spelling of he names of Izanagi and Izanami in the 古事記:
伊邪那岐神【いざなぎのかみ】 and (妹【いも】)伊邪那美神【いざなみのかみ】
(source)
Both of their names ...
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Is it polite in Japan to ask if someone speaks English? (英語を話せますか？)
As preparation for my trip, I am re-learning my Japanese. I imagined a scenario which I am not sure if it is okay to ask.
Is it polite to ask someone if they speak English or are people offended by ...
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Equivalent of "That said, Carthage must be destroyed" in Japanese
"Ceterum censeo, Carthaginem esse delendam," the famous phrase with which Cato the Elder used to finish all of his speeches, no matter how unrelated the topic was. It was probably an effective ...
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What are valid responses to the expressions 「はじめまして」 and 「よろしくおねがいします」 used in introductions?
I came across a learn-Japanese book from the 1980s and wanted to know what you guys think. The book gave a general formula for introduction and here is how it goes:
Someone says their name with any ...
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When did LOC adopt modified Hepburn?
If I look in Google Ngrams, I see that the transliteration "honbu", meaning HQ, basically didn't exist until 1964. But it didn't surpass "hombu" until 1976. I believe Modified Hepburn was introduced ...
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What is the implication when a girl refers to herself using "うち"? Is it meant to be more or less feminine? Neutral? Tomboyish?
I realize it is a kind of Kansai-ben but how does it compare to the other forms of "I" in terms of how they want to represent themselves?
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What does 2-jigen or 3-jigen mean?
In conversations done among heavily otaku people, I often hear the words 2-jigen or 3-jigen used. I know its meaning: two-dimension and three dimension, except that it does not always seem to make ...
user7136
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Accepting compliments (without rejecting them)
I find it much more sincere to accept compliments and show how grateful I am rather than to belittle myself. Therefore I would like to know some phrases in Japanese to accept compliments and show my ...
user6868
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How to say "person who is consistent" (in romaji) ? Is it a Japanese principle?
I have seen a documentary about a mangaka who would draw her own manga from start to finish and the documentary described that she was applying a Japanese principle of doing things alone, at your own ...
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Please help me understand [予習]{よ・しゅう}
tl;dr
The word 予習 is strange to me. Is its usage related to cultural difference? Does the user's knowledge of the material have something to do with it?
I've always had trouble understanding what ...
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How do I translate the names of types of school, without reference to the US school system?
Whenever I see Japanese school years translated to English, either in vocab lists or in manga/anime translations, it's always with reference to the US school system (i.e. n'th grade). As I'm not ...
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What to say at the cash register in the convenience store
I just came back from Japan, it is my first time, so I found myself in the situations, that I wasn't prepared for.
At the convenience store I noticed natives tend not to say much to the staff at all, ...
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Cartel, syndicate, anti-competitive practice
I've heard this story from several foreigners in Japan:
I hired Japanese Company A for a service. I didn't like Japanese Company A, so I went to Japanese Company B in the same industry and tried to ...
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Can 交番 (koban) be used for old British-style/Dr Who police boxes?
When Dr Who is translated into Japanese, do they translate police box as こうばん? I've seen こうばん in Japan, and they aren't anything like old British police boxes, so if that's how it's translated, is ...
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Why does Japanese TV News and magazine programs have "mandatory" subtitles/legend?
(I never thought I would ask one of these questions and even considered if it was off topic but this is a very distinct feature of the language as it is really used. Is it due to some characteristic ...
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Would educated Japanese people without special training be able to understand Buddhist mantras/真言?
A well-educated speaker of Hindi (a modern descendant of Sanskrit) who doesn't have any special training in Buddhist (or Hindu) liturgy would probably be able to more or less understand the following ...
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What are the reasons for the huge amount of loanwords in Japanese?
It seems that Japanese has far more loanwords than any other language I've heard spoken. I understand that English is far-reaching and a global language, but are there many known reasons that English ...
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What do you call the small wooden plates that people write wishes in and hang on some stand in a shrine?
What do you call the small pieces of wood(?) where people write wishes on and hang them on some stand close to where you tie folded o-mikuji (おみくじ)? Or are they also called おみくじ?
Related question:
...
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How can I tell whether a Japanese company's name is in hiragana or katakana?
So today in class, I actually learned that the Japanese game company "Sega"'s name is actually written in Katakana, not Hiragana. I learned the same also applies to some other notable companies, such ...
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Is Japanese one of the Buddhist canonical languages?
The languages of oriental Buddhist traditions, be it Theravada or Mahayana, do not always provide complete and entire canonical texts.
Up to now, I am aware of Pali, Chinese and Tibetan versions of ...
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Does the word 津波 (tsunami) have negative connotations?
Or is it just a neutral term for tidal waves?
(I'm considering naming a JavaScript library tsunami.js – would it be offensive?)
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Are there stereotypical speech patterns or inflections associated with gay Japanese speakers?
This is not intended to be a controversial or provocative question.
In English, there are "commonly accepted" stereotypes for how gay people sometimes speak. Are there corresponding characteristics ...
user1316
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What is the background of the phrase 背中で教える, and where does the meaning "to teach with one's back" come from?
I came across this phrase today while doing a lookup on 背中.
背中で教える
I checked several sources, and all listed the meaning, amongst others, "to teach with one's back". It seems related to ...
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What is the significance of number of Kanji in a name?
There are several one-character surnames:
[林]{はやし}
[森]{もり}
[堤]{つつみ}
Most surnames have two-characters:
[鈴木]{すずき}
[山田]{やまだ}
[藤井]{ふじい}
[酒井]{さかい}
[松村]{まつむら}
A few surnames have three-characters:...
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How would I respectfully disagree with a peer?
This is probably related to How would I respectfully disagree with a superior? however the context is a tech forum where the thread starter is asking for someone technically advanced to help, and the ...
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Are there any issues with sexism in the Japanese language?
The only example I can think of/that I know of at the moment that has ever been of controversy with regard to sexism in Japanese was the change from 看護婦 to 看護師. I'm sure there are probably many more ...
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Colour connotations in Japanese language?
In English cultures there is a thin line (that usually isn't crossed) between symbolism (usually used in visual arts) and lingual connotation which is usually used in creative writing, and colour is a ...
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Did the Japanese have a word for surrender before WWII?
I had always thought that the Japanese didn't have a word for surrender before WWII. It seemed to be plausible given their culture. However, I can't seem to find any solid evidence of this. Is it just ...
user3139
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Do Chinese loanwords have special connotations as foreign words?
I once heard that the Japanese like to use words like 「トイレ」 and 「お手洗い」 to refer to the water closet/bathroom because they are neutral and don't have dirty connotations, especially the English loanword,...
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How should I bid farewell to a superior?
My boss is leaving soon after years of service. What would be a good way for me to express my gratitude for all of his guidance and help?
I am somewhat familiar with the expression お世話になりました but am ...
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Is -さん used when referring to a celebrity or historical figures?
When referring to a celebrity or historical figure, do you use -さん?
I am listening to Yoko Shimomura.
Would it be:"下村陽子さんを聞いている。"?
Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president.
Would it be: "...
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How do I "understand" kaomoji? (Japanese smilies)
When I see something like this:
ﾍ(´∀｀ﾍ)ﾍ(´∀｀ﾍ)ﾖｲﾖｲ(ﾉ´∀｀)ﾉ(ﾉ´∀｀)ﾉﾖｲﾖｲ♪
I think some voodoo demon wants to say something to me. o_O
My Japanese friends often use kaomoji. But, when they add (´▽｀) or ...
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What is the best expression used by an employee to appreciate his/her employer?
Assume that the employer gives a presentation to the public audience. After the presentation, you as the employee want to appreciate it.
What is the best expression used by an employee to appreciate ...
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How and when do Japanese children learn kanas and kanji?
I wonder how exactly Japanese children learn to write. It may help a foreigner to know what is important to memorize or not. The only thing I know is that first of all, hiragana are learnt, and then ...
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What is 日本橋{にっぽんばし}？
So I'm doing some exercises in Minna no Nihongo and run across these two sentences:
どこで安い電気製品を売っていますか。
大阪の日本橋で売っています。
I looked it up and saw it mean japanese bridge but the way it is in the ...
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Is ノシ considered 絵文字?
My friend ended a letter thusly:
あとでノシ
ノシ symbolizes a waving arm. Is this considered 絵文字 or does it have a different name?
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Is まい as in あるまい really only used in literary texts or TV?
My understanding --admittedly limited-- is that in Japanese, people say as much as they can with as little words as possible. So I wondered why ないだろう would be used in everyday speaking instead of まい? ...
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What do you mean, "In Japanese there are no words for "I’m suffering""?
Today I noticed this article about eating disorders in Japan, which I got to via the News on Japan site.
The first line jumps out at me. Supposedly, in an interview, a 25 year old Japanese woman ...
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"Your sniffling is driving me crazy!"
There are people in Japan who seem to think nothing of sniffling their nose indefinitely as they sit in a coffee shop, in an office, on a train, or anywhere with other people around. Sometimes ...
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Address someone by their first name, or their last name?
When addressing John Doe, would you say "John-さん", or "Doe-さん"?
Does it depend on how polite or formal you're being? Does it also depend on whether the person is a nihonjin, a kankokujin (who have ...
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Is it OK to keep saying ありがとう
I was asking a Japanese person for some help and noticed that I kept saying ありがとうございます over and over as they helped me more. Culturally, is it OK to keep saying it multiple times in Japanese? Would it ...
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