Questions tagged [expressions]
表現. A set phrase used commonly in the Japanese language.
541
questions
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1answer
75 views
Translation of 無理に取ろうとしないで [closed]
Can someone tell me what the expression 無理に取ろうとしないで means? I tried searching for the different parts in dictionary and the internet, but did not succeed.
Any help appreciated
0
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1answer
95 views
How to use “なんとかなる” in the context “it's okay, I'll make things okay”?
I want to know how to properly write なんとかなる.
I've seen multiple ways: なんとかなるさ、なんとかなるよ.
I saw something somewhere saying that なんとかなるよ was like saying "everything will be okay" or "I will ...
1
vote
1answer
125 views
Is a long “yes” written “はははははい” or “はーい”？
How do I write a long はい？ I mean like when in anime, students all say "yeeeeees" to their sensei, is it written "はははははい" or "はーい"?
0
votes
1answer
122 views
ホワッとした子 >>What does this mean about a girl? [closed]
when reading i came across this expression ,that describe a girl
ホワッとした子 >>Please explain to me what does this mean thanks
1
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2answers
131 views
To be hit by the sun verb
I found three ways to say "If I'm too exposed to the sun, I get a headache". Can you confirm that these three sentences are right? And if there are some nuances between them?
...
1
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1answer
186 views
Connotations of 身もふたもないこと
My question is about the expression "身もふたもないこと".
I know that "身もふたもない" means blunt or point-blank, but is there any additional connotation such as "stupid" or "silly&...
5
votes
1answer
839 views
Meaning of せないかんのよ
Reading Tokyo Ghoul I found this sentence:
カミさんやらチビたちにまだまだ家族サービスせないかんのよ
After looking around I more or less understand it, expect the せないかん part: I'm guessing のよ are just ending particles and せない is ...
1
vote
1answer
119 views
高校生か死神っぽい動機 meaning
There's this scene in this LN where the main character unexpectedly accepted an invitation to a karaoke, and when questioned about it, the character responded by saying:
「やることもなかったし」
Then one ...
1
vote
1answer
141 views
腰が逃げそうになる >> What does this mean about a person's hip? Does it mean that it became disjointed/tired?
腰が逃げそうになる
When I searched this phrase on Google, it showed me some images about golf, so my guess is that it means a person's hip became dislocated and/or tired due to excessive exercising.
Can ...
2
votes
2answers
103 views
What does “大したもんだ” mean?
I usually see this phrase in Shonen manga from an antagonist, referring to a "persistent" character.
I remember a quote that goes like this:
ほう 大したもんだ。
It was from a character called "...
-4
votes
2answers
97 views
俺は自分だけが勝手に高ぶってしまわないよう >>What does this mean ?( In order to prevent myself from getting too excited ?) [closed]
俺は自分だけが勝手に高ぶってしまわないよう
What does this mean? My guess is "In order to prevent myself from getting too excited"?
If you can please break down the grammar for me to understand
2
votes
1answer
53 views
心を鬼にする >>What's the meaning of this expression ? (I've decided to become ruthless /evil ?)
心を鬼にする >> Can anyone explain to me what is the meaning of this expression ?
I guess it's like "I've made up my mind to become ruthless (though I don't want to) "?
I'm not so sure so ...
2
votes
1answer
273 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
87 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 ...
1
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2answers
76 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
vote
1answer
320 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
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0answers
49 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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1answer
59 views
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3answers
249 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
834 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
72 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
116 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
158 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 ...
2
votes
1answer
360 views
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1answer
46 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
156 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
116 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
123 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
128 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
266 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 ...
4
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2answers
260 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
153 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 ...
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vote
1answer
126 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 ...
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vote
2answers
172 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
136 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
59 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
150 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 ...
1
vote
2answers
97 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
297 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) ...
1
vote
2answers
116 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
39 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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1answer
147 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
92 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
142 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
235 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
vote
1answer
54 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 ...
1
vote
1answer
92 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
182 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?
