Questions tagged [expressions]
表現. A set phrase used commonly in the Japanese language.
530
questions
2
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1answer
249 views
キミの心が、綺麗なのがいけないんだよ? >> What does this mean ? “Why is your heart ,it's beauty made me so hopeless/defenseless against you ?”
Context is a girl talking with MC ,looks like they're about to H
Girl: キミとひとつになるってことに……私、期待してる。
身体の奥、熱くなって……胸の鼓動が早くなって
なんだろう、この気持ちは……もしかして、一目惚れってやつなのかな。
私にはそんなこと、絶対にないと思ってたのに
キミの心が、綺麗なのがいけないんだよ?
I ...
0
votes
1answer
73 views
What does 妙に調子もいいし mean in this context?
3 characters talking with each other after being transferred into a strange world:
C1: そっちで勝手に話を進めないでほしいものね。こちらは訳も分からないまま巻き込まれた形なのだけれど？ (I want you to stop doing things arbitrarily. Even I've been ...
0
votes
0answers
51 views
How do I say congratulations for Bachelor's degree? [closed]
I’d like to say for a friend Bachelor’s degree:
ぞつぎょう おめでとう。
Is there any more appropriate way? Or a specific kanji?
1
vote
2answers
67 views
キッチリした性格の人 >>What does this mean about a person characteristic?
Context : 2 character are talking ,they're seems to be the student at a magic school
C2: あ、あはは…なんか、ここって愉快な人が多いのかしら。ちょっと思ってた感じとは違うなあ
C1: もっとキッチリした性格の人とか、捻くれた魔術士ばっかりだと思ってた?
Later on C2 thanks C1 ,...
-1
votes
1answer
59 views
Interesting or unique Japanese expressions for “second chance”? [closed]
Are there any unique or interesting expressions or words–poetic or literal–that mean or refer to a "second chance" in the Japanese language?
1
vote
1answer
184 views
What does kore wa kore wa mean?
I am watching a taiga drama, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and I hear people say kore wa kore wa often. I also here sore wa sore wa.
The translation in the subtitle is "well well".
I am only a beginner ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views
少しとろけ始めた表情 >> What does this face expression mean?
I came across a line describing a character face
少しとろけ始めた表情 >> I don't understand this ,my guess is "A little bit relaxed face/expression "?
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vote
1answer
56 views
0
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2answers
166 views
どんな風にする expression
I want to know the meaning of "山田さんはどんな風にしていましたか。" and understand the grammatical construction. Does it means "How Yamada looked like ?" or "In what way Yamada did it?" ?
...
2
votes
2answers
814 views
Why does 「もう待てないよ！」 mean “I can't wait any longer”?
I've just learnt that the expression 「もう待てないよ！」 has similar meaning in English as "I can't wait any longer", but how to interpret 「待てない」 from a grammar point?
Shouldn't the "te-form&...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
A question about 目を合わせる
So the thing is that I found the next sentence:
目を合わせて逸らさない、というのはそれだけで真摯に見える。
I understand the whole sentence and all, but that 「目を合わせて逸らさない」is troubling me.
I asked what it meant, and it was ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
“Strategies” to speak in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person without pronouns
My level of Japanese is still very basic. So sorry if I what I'm saying doesn't make sense.
As I understand it, Japanese do not like the usage of pronouns to express if a sentence's subject or direct ...
3
votes
2answers
150 views
「褒めても何も出ないよ」「褒めても何も出さないよ」
I think this is what people commonly say:
褒めても何も出ないよ
But I feel iffy about the switch of subject here. 褒めても of course talks about the listener. Why does the subject switch to an inanimate thing in ...
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1answer
352 views
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1answer
45 views
What do 条件付運航 and 状況待ち mean in practice?
A ferry company serving Yakushima offers a real-time status/schedule page with this handy key:
○：通常運航
△：条件付運航
※：状況待ち
欠：欠航
The first and the last are clear enough (normal operation and cancelled, ...
2
votes
1answer
153 views
Logical explanation for '高を括る'? phrase
Just came across this phrase and upon breaking it down it looked like it would have the opposite meaning to what it really has (高を括る-to make light of). Have I missed something and there's actually a ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
What does こき mean?
I've seen こき being used in expressions such as in こき使う (with the meaning of work someone hard) and 嘘こき (used to refer to someone who lies a lot, apparently). I haven't found this expression's meaning ...
1
vote
1answer
122 views
Can I use “dou” to offer something?
I understand that "dou" means how, and for example おちゃはどうですか means that I'm asking how is the tea? But, in Busuu app it says that I can use the same question to offer something, as if I'm ...
2
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0answers
121 views
Why use 一本 in the expression 一本取る
I was watching an episode of ファニエスト外語学院 on judo.
At 6:26, the judoka remarked how his opponent ボビー could win him just by his horrid face, saying 「顔で一本取られた」って感じです.
I am interested in understanding why ...
0
votes
1answer
77 views
Is there a short phrase/ slang for “ hating the people you love most”? [duplicate]
I'm looking for a phrase that means something that means something along "I hate the people I love the most"
I know 愛憎関係 means love-hate relationship but was wondering if there was something ...
11
votes
1answer
258 views
Why doesn't 「毎日学校に行ってきます」work?
This question stemmed from comments under another Q&A where @Chocolate points out that「毎日学校に行ってきます」doesn't work but 「今から学校に行ってきます」is fine. But I am still not quite sure why it doesn't work? When ...
3
votes
2answers
229 views
How to talk about completing a series?
I was wondering how to convey "today I've completed reading a manga series" or "I've completed watching a TV series". Does "Verb(ます stem)+終わる" sound wrong? Should I use &...
5
votes
1answer
149 views
Meaning of って意味 in this context
In the sentence
俺は人にモノを教えるのは得意じゃない。人には向き不向きがあるだろ？
正直、勉強を教えるって意味じゃ俺なんかより、堀北や櫛田のほうが向いている
I'm not a good teacher.People have different strengths and weaknesses, right ?
To be honest, Horikita and ...
0
votes
1answer
121 views
How to say, “I made/wrote this based off _____”?
To clarify, using "based off" in a way that's citing inspiration for a creation (vs. backing something up with a fact). I found にもとづいて, but I'm not sure if it's the most natural choice for ...
1
vote
2answers
164 views
How would one call something negative interesting?
This seems like it is very basic, but it was never resolved in the past, so here I am.
This was in a Reddit post recently, but it never received a good answer; most of the answers were along the lines ...
3
votes
1answer
125 views
How to say “Thanks to everyone who made it possible” in Japanese
So I'm trying to figure this out but I'm not finding much online. So, I want to thank the people who was involved into me being able to achieve something.
I know the ~てくれて/いただいてありがとう... form, but what ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
breakdown of 願ってもない申し出
I found this expression and the dictionaries give
"heaven sent offer", "best offer one could ask for"; "offer just what one wants"
I am interested by the break down ...
0
votes
1answer
146 views
When to use 良い夢を
I know that おやすみなさい。良い夢を❣️ means "goodnight. sweet dreams!"
I also know that 良い夢を is not something regularly used in Japanese. Right? Is this a normal thing for a Japanese man to write to a ...
0
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2answers
92 views
What do 「生業とし」and「究極」mean in this passage?
While watching Konosuba, when Megumin will do her self-introduction (she speaks in an archaic way) she says:
我【わ】が名【な】はメグミン! アークウィザードを生業【なりわい】とし、最強【さいきょう】の攻撃【こうげき】魔法【まほう】、爆裂【ばくれつ】魔法【まほう】を操【あやつ】る者【もの】。...
3
votes
1answer
266 views
Is the で in というわけで the de-particle or the te-form of だ?
Would the で in というわけで be analyzed as the te-form of da or the de particle? Both of them seem like they would fit, as the de particle can indicate cause/reason (as alluded to in this similar question) ...
0
votes
2answers
102 views
Can someone explain dialogue expressions? Momotarou
Trying to read and translate Momotarou and I don't quite understand these expressions.
So far I have
「うまい もも こっちゃ こい。
"Delicious peach ... come.
Reference translation: Sweet peach come here.
...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
What's the role of 名 in Xという名のならず者?
I just stumbled across an expression that basically goes like:
X という名のならず者
(X being the name of a group of people in the story)
I can see what ならず者 means ("bandit", "scoundrel" ...
0
votes
1answer
36 views
Difference between どうにかならない! and 仕方がない when used as an interjection
From what I've been seeing, the two have somewhat similar meanings when used as interjections.
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vote
1answer
144 views
can't understand how で particle works with ～ばいいのに
I am having trouble interpreting this sentence in a manga, the text was split in two bubbles which is why I separated them.
「日之出ん家でしてくればいいのに」 「そうすりゃもっと長く一緒に居られる」
from other threads, ～ばいいのに seems to ...
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0answers
91 views
Is Emmerich's translation of 特に望みもなく in Yoshimono Banana's みずうみ correct?
I'm reading Yoshimoto Banana's みずうみ in Japanese, and I decided to refer to Emmerich's translation into English to make sure I was following the beginning correctly since I'm still an intermediate ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Difference (if there is any) between 知るか and 知ったことか
From what I researched online, I have read that most of the times these phrases are interpreted as "I don't care", "Who cares?" " "I don't give a damn!" "It's ...
0
votes
1answer
209 views
龍 安 寺 蹲 踞 『吾唯足知』 [closed]
¿ Can you trace the ancient Chinese roots of the sentence
吾
唯
足
知
。
In the 茶の湯 garden of 龍安寺 🇯🇵 there's a stone dubbed 蹲踞〔つくばい〕where there it's written on it :
五
矢 囗 隹
止
and the 囗 is a basin of ...
1
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1answer
52 views
explanation of 状況が摑めず固まったままの俺
I have difficulty to understand the expression in the following sentence
"その美少女は、髪と同色の、透き通った水色の瞳をパチパチさせ、状況が摑めず固まったままの俺をじっと見ていた"
It has been translated as:
This beauty stare at me with ...
0
votes
1answer
88 views
Is the use of "だって” regional or is it used everywhere?
I recently came across "datte" for example: "だって眠くないんだもの" Is this specific to a dialect
or used all over Japan?
3
votes
1answer
181 views
meaning of the expression 順調に回る
I have found the sentence
勉強会が始まり、なんだかんだ順調に回り始めていた
that was translated as
The study group seemed to have gotten off a good start
But I could not break down "順調に回り", could you explain?
2
votes
1answer
115 views
Equivalent to the 5 Ws in English
Is there an equivalent to the English, "who, what, when, where, why" method of inquiry?
4
votes
1answer
178 views
Japanese equivalent to nonliteral “sounds like”
I am trying to find phrases that mean the same thing as "sounds like" in English when used in the sense of
It sounds like they are sincere, but they are trying to trick you.
or
That doesn't ...
0
votes
1answer
89 views
What does ってのか mean in this sentence?
In this sentence: 俺にあの日の再現をさせようってのか
I know that ってのか is short for というのか
But what does he mean by that sentence?
返事してくれてありがとうございます！
0
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0answers
33 views
What does だったりする mean in this context? [duplicate]
I found this phrase in an anime:
みいこ姉は伊御(いよ)の数少ない弱点の一つだったりする
I didn't understand this だ っ た り す る. Could someone explain to me?
ありがとうございます
0
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0answers
55 views
Revisiting いいんじゃない
In this post, it was mentioned that
Basically, "affirmation+じゃない(です(か))?" (notice the question mark), and
"affirmation+じゃん!" (notice the exclamation mark) is an informal way to
...
1
vote
2answers
51 views
万端 ｖｓ 完了 in this context
I was listening to a song the other day when I saw this. The lyrics in question:
[帰宅]{きたく}[完了]{かんりょう}。ダウンロード[完了]{かんりょう}。[配信]{はいしん}スタート。[準備]{じゅんび}[万端]{ばんたん}。
According to Jisho 万端 means
all； ...
2
votes
1answer
78 views
What does 歯が欠ける mean?
I would like to know what does 歯が欠ける mean: Lacking teeth? Broken teeth?
Context: 人の幸せを素直に喜べないやつ理解出来なさすぎて、また歯が欠けた。
My translation:
I can't barely understand people who cannot honestly be glad for other'...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
Can 二度と～ない be taken literally?
Let's take the following situation as an example: After having driven a car for 20 years without any problems, someone is one day involved in a horrible car crash. They then might think to themselves:「...
2
votes
2answers
122 views
How do you say “You sound like a ___?”
I've been singing on a karaoke app recently and I wanted to comment on a person's voice. How would I go about saying "You sound like a rockstar!"
I was thinking 「Aさん、ロックスターみたいなぁ～」
1
vote
2answers
158 views
What conjugation does出す/出せる take in this expression;元気を出せよ。?
Now i know that 元気を出せよ。=Cheer up.
But i have no clue what's going on in the expression.
Here's my attempt to literally translate it with the help of Jisho.org:
元気を出せよ。=You can reveal/show full spirit/...
