Questions tagged [expressions]
表現. A set phrase used commonly in the Japanese language.
471
questions
0
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1answer
42 views
How to interpret あたり in this sentence?
From this link,
ずらずらとでてくるので、無関係そうな所は除外しています。ignoring nonexistent directory "/dammy/xxx" というあたりがそれっぽいですね
There is another question, where あたり is used in the following way:
「(an example) + あたり + (...
1
vote
1answer
68 views
What particles can be used with 気にしない?
I would like to say "I don't mind that," or "That doesn't bother me," but I'm not sure what particles to use for 気にしない when I would like to specify both a subject and an object. These are the ...
0
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0answers
28 views
thank you for your friendship [closed]
I would like to write an email to a Japanese business associate leaving to go back to Japan. I want to wish him good health and thank him for his friendship. I have known him for 2 years and will ...
-2
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0answers
84 views
What does it mean when someone just says “Onegai Shimasu” by itself?
I was watching a scene from one of my favorite shows and at one point the main character just said “Onegai shimasu” to another person without adding anything extra. It was just said by itself. Can ...
1
vote
1answer
97 views
What does 不変的なもの mean in the context of music?
I'm trying to read an interview with a musician who is also a songwriter. In this context, what is the meaning of 不変的なもの? Does it mean lyrics that contain nothing to indicate a time period?
...
2
votes
2answers
564 views
How does one express uncertainty when describing numbers e.g. 170-odd cases
I found myself stuttering when I tried to tell my boss that I had finished sending a-hundred-some-odd emails yesterday.
I've ask a similar question on HiNative a long time ago, and here I quote the ...
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2answers
94 views
あかさたなはまやらわ mnemonics
What mnemonic phrase / jingle, if any, is used by Japanese children to memorize the あかさたなはまやらわ sequence?
Or could you come up with some?
To help myself memorize this, I could possibly fashion an ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
Meaning of 羽目になる
I have found that 羽目になる means:
to get stuck with (some job); to end up with (something unpleasant)
But I cannot make sense of it for the following sentence
The context is of a veteran police ...
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2answers
110 views
3割引 ＝3 %? 33.3 % ? 30 %?
The sentence is:
あの店は今、3割引のセールをしています。
I suspect it means 30% , but maybe it means 33.3% which is 1/3?
In any case I don’t understand the logic behind this.
How would you say if the discount rate ...
4
votes
2answers
185 views
how to use: ~ばいいのに
what does it mean when a sentence ends with ~ばいいのに?
Example sentence:
そんなに聞いてほしいなら言えばいいのに
and what does のに mean at the end of sentences?
4
votes
1answer
632 views
What is the それ in それゆけ?
As I understand it, それゆけ is an interjection that might be translated "Go!" or "Go get 'em!"
While the second component is clearly 行け, what is the intended sense of それ here?
3
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0answers
72 views
unintentionally early meetings
I heard there is an expression in Japanese for when two people agree to meet at a certain time, but both arrive at the meeting point much earlier.
In that situation, when the two people see each ...
7
votes
1answer
672 views
Absence of て in お気をつけください
I’m uncertain about the phrase お気をつけください, which I found where I would have expected お気をつけてください. Assuming it’s not a typo is it 尊敬語？ Should I understand the honorific お as qualifying 気 only or the ...
3
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0answers
128 views
Effect of 発 in 発殴られる [closed]
I have the following part in a sentence:
増田に発殴られて
The 発殴られて is being translated as with one hit.
So I can understand why it is not simply 殴られる. But is 発殴れる a fixed term or is 発 a more common ...
6
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2answers
245 views
In what contexts can 旗色が悪い be used?
According to コトバンク, 旗色が悪い can be used when there is some connotation of a battle, war or fight - which makes sense because it literally translates to something like the color of the national flag is ...
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vote
1answer
123 views
就く in sports jargon
I know that 就く{つく｝means “to be hired”. But does it have a separate meaning in sports jargon (soccer, baseball...)
I’m referring to the following sentence:
全員、守備に就くため走った。
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1answer
46 views
The もの in 再生したもの
How would you understand this sentence:
これはペットボトルを再生したものです。
“This is the tool that fixed the PET bottle”? Or, “this is an object made from recycled PET bottles”?
I typed it into Google ...
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vote
0answers
64 views
もしもし to start a conversation in chat [duplicate]
Is it natural to say もしもし to start a conversation in chat? How about in a business setting when you want to start a conversation in chat (example: Skype)?
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vote
1answer
173 views
80/20 rule expression (Pareto Principle)
Is there a saying (ことわざ）or 4 character phrase (四字熟語) in Japanese for the 80-20 rule (i.e. the Pareto Principle)? i.e. it takes 20% of the effort to get 80% of the results but to get the last 20% of ...
2
votes
1answer
165 views
How have writers in English spelled うん?
I write fanfiction, some of it based on anime. There is the Japanese word うん, used to casually indicate agreement, very familiar to anyone who pays attention to the audio in subtitled works.
I am ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
Meaning of verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程
In a letter by a mangaka at the end of a manga, I encountered the following sentence:
〝正しいこと〟なんて描くつもりも描ける程、自分を上等とも思っていないけど〝つまらないこと〟だけはしないようにしていきたいなって思います
Is verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程 a ...
5
votes
1answer
192 views
What are simple “No” responses?
I've learned from textbooks and online sites like Duolingo that "no" is いいえ, but I've rarely heard native speakers say that. I learned さあ today as sort of an "I don't know" response. I saw a ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views
How to use「足がすくんだ」
I want to say "The building was very high, so I froze with fear". Would I be right to say:
「建物がとても高くて僕は足がすくんだ」
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0answers
34 views
What does お慕いしております mean? [duplicate]
Its something I can't understand very well and I like to know what it really means
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0answers
100 views
Meaning of かっぱ寿司では
I found an article here, and the first sentence contains fragment ~かっぱ寿司では~. Can not translate it - what does it mean? The complete sentence: 回転寿司チェーンかっぱ寿司では、12月13日から「本格ラーメンシリーズ」の第八弾として金澤濃厚中華そば神仙監修の「...
2
votes
0answers
74 views
Question concerning 〜やがる / Imperative in “Slang” [duplicate]
I've come across these expressions in all sorts of anime, manga and light novels and now I am wondering behind the "mechanics" of it...
「勝手に言ってろ」「ほざいてろ」「食らいやがれ」
In these cases the imperative is ...
2
votes
1answer
98 views
Can なになに be used to fill in an unknown word in an example? i.e. なになにともうします。
In English you teach someone how to say their name by saying: My name is ''blah blah'' or My name is ''whatever''. Your voice drops on the words blah blah and whatever to show that your name is not ...
5
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1answer
341 views
Meaning of これでもかという forms
Sorry to ask a vague question, but I hope someone could explain what these following expression amount to.
これでもかって
これでもかってほど
これでもかってぐらいに
I thought I would figure this out eventually but ...
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1answer
207 views
Can “genki desu ka” also mean “Am I well?”
I learnt that how are you is “genki” or “o genki des ka”, but there is no anata, so how do you know that that’s not “Am I well?”. In other words how do you distinguish 1., 2., and 3. person when no ...
6
votes
1answer
135 views
What is the origin of っこない?
There's a construction V+っこない which means something like "have no way of doing V".
お前には分かりっこないでしょう。
There's no way you would understand.
Is it known what this construction originates from? I ...
10
votes
2answers
229 views
What's up with the weird word order in 乞うご期待?
乞うご期待 is a set expression that means "Don't miss it!"
What's up with the weird word order? If I interpret this to really mean ご期待を乞う, then I can't think of any other circumstance in Japanese where ...
1
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1answer
195 views
Which is more polite, ではまた or じゃまた?
Context: The terms are used when leaving chat sessions. Some people type deha/wamata and others, jya/jaomata. Which one is more polite?
1
vote
1answer
168 views
Different ways to ask help from strangers
1) Offering help to strangers in Japanese is te form shimashouka ( o tetsudaishimashouka- Shall I help you / Do you need any help ?)
2) What are the different ways to seek help ( one I know is eki no ...
9
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1answer
1k views
What is the Japanese equivalent of 'you're in my heart'?
According to this, the translation would be:
あなたは わたしの こころに います。
That seems simple enough. However, the same source claims it's not in use, and recommends the following instead:
いつも あなたのことを ...
6
votes
1answer
173 views
How best to respond to 「ご無沙汰しています」
I just received an email from a good friend in Japan, who has notably over the past few months been instrumental in connecting me to various people, for some research interviews I've been conducting.
...
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1answer
215 views
What is the word for “man cave”?
In English, the term is used for a special room where a man sets things up for his own personal use and enjoyment, his private space for entertainment and hobbies. The room is decorated and used by ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
Is there an equivalent phrase for “(enjoyed it) as much as we did”?
When sending a thank you message to a friend that showed me and my family around in her country, I wrote something along the lines of
We had as much fun as we did thanks to you.
Later when I was ...
0
votes
1answer
130 views
Should I use 正解 or 当たり to mean correct in a testing situation?
I want to use the term(s) when indicating a correct answer to a TEST question. I am thinking that one term may be preferred in TESTING situations, over the other.
6
votes
1answer
347 views
Japanese equivalent for “get to do something”?
I'm looking for a natural way to express that you're happy or surprised about an action. In English, "I got to spend the whole day reading", or "I get to interview him tomorrow". Does something like ...
2
votes
1answer
93 views
What is the meaning of ケタ外れ in this situation..?
I have a sentence which says,
2030年、日本が迎えるのはケタ外れの「ひとりさま社会」。
The dictionary says the word means; incredible, extraordinary, exceptional or phenomenal, but it doesn't really make sense when ...
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1answer
249 views
What does はなはなはな mean in the Okinawan dialect?
What does はなはなはな mean? People were clapping and the expression was used after the karaoke song was completed. This term was used as more of a chant after the person finished singing. This expression ...
1
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0answers
53 views
I need help on the meaning and translation of 絶賛不登校 [duplicate]
I came across this word in a manga that I'm translating. I understand that it has something to do with not attending school, but I can't for the life of me figure out what "絶賛" means when placed in ...
1
vote
2answers
143 views
Equivalent to “How to” in guides and the like
What is an equivalent expression to "How to" that is used when searching/referring to guides, especially online?
4
votes
1answer
161 views
Using そうです to respond to a sentence ending in a verb or adjective
I was recently reading through grammar notes in the Japanese textbook, "Shin Nihongo no Kiso I", and came across a statement which confused me a bit:
In answering a question asked in a noun ...
4
votes
1answer
416 views
Is 悪いところを見つかった proper Japanese?
The weblio page for 見つかった uses this phrase as an example meaning "I've been caught." But as I understand it, 見つかる implies that the subject and not the object is the thing that is found. And so I would ...
3
votes
0answers
96 views
Expressing “huh” tag?
How would you express this type of tag?
For example:
Lovers, huh? That’s what you think they are?
Would って work?
恋人って？そうと思う？
0
votes
1answer
296 views
What's this word I always hear in anime? “Oh no!” or “not good!” [closed]
Sometimes when a character ends up in a bad situation they'll say a word or phrase that sounds like "matsui!" or "natsui!" It's usually translated as "not good!" or "oh no!" I'm curious as to what the ...
3
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4answers
677 views
How to say “How long have you had this dream?”
Would it be correct to say:
「どのくらい夢がありましたか。」
I don't really know. This is for a Japanese assignment I have at school.
14
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1answer
2k views
Why is 一日 used instead of 日 to ask how your day is?
I spoke with someone from Japan on Tandem and she said to me “今日はどんな一日でしたか?” and I’m wondering why 一日 was used since I thought that meant the first of the month?
3
votes
1answer
110 views
Difference between 付き合いが悪い and ノリが悪い
In a manga, a girl is reproaching her friend for not being very sociable since she became friend with a guy from the school cinema club:
あんた あの映研のメガネとつるむようになってからつきあい悪いしノリも悪い
I read on Kenkyusha ...
