Questions tagged [kanji]
漢字. Chinese characters as used in Japanese writing as opposed to the two kana syllabaries and rōmaji (Latin letters).
1,317
questions
-3
votes
1answer
140 views
How in the heck does this colloquial japanese sentence make any sense grammatically?
I am aware that this is colloquial japanese, but the individual parts are jumbled haphazardly to where I can't figure out how this is supposed to follow even somewhat correct grammar. I got 2 ...
1
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0answers
75 views
Official definitions of kanji forms
How are the essential graphical identities of kanji defined? The length of the first stroke in 土, for example, is essential, because if it's longer than the third stroke, you have 士 instead. If you ...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
Help Deciphering 2002 Newspaper Kanji
Can anyone help me decipher the two middle kanji in the name of this newspaper? The first two are obviously 日本, the last two being 新聞, but I cannot manage to figure out the two others... A Japanese ...
-3
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0answers
66 views
Translating European name into Kanji [closed]
So I checked the meaning of my European given name, and using a site, I found (seemingly) accurate kanji representing the meaning. I know you're supposed to use katakana to write your name, but I ...
2
votes
2answers
118 views
Is the kanji 様 ever used for san/chan etc.?
For example 御母様 ?
I see 御 used instead of お but I have yet to see 様 used instead of さん.
Is it ever used like this ?
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1answer
86 views
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0answers
132 views
Chinese Name into Japanese [closed]
I was wondering if it was possible to use my Chinese name 安曜輪 Ān Yàolún as a basis for a Japanese name?
The only other option is to use katakana to transcribe my western name, which is one of those ...
0
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0answers
45 views
What does なんかぽらねー mean and what are the kanji for it? [closed]
So the full sentence is なんかぽらねーおっさん。I found this in a fan comic and it's all hiragana. When i put it in google translate it says it means "an old man who doesn't know anything", but when I ...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Is this kanji 缶田門 related to Kanda-ku or something else?
I have a set of souvenir cups purchased in Japan during the 1990's depicting Tokyo locales. There are no markings or production information, only the kanji depicted on the cup design.
To me, it looks ...
1
vote
1answer
63 views
Should you spell it 余り when a noun or suffix and あまり every time else?
Are there rules or guidelines on when and where to use the kanji spelling for this word? From my own observations, it seems like it is spelled 余り when used as a noun meaning remainder or leftovers:
...
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votes
1answer
78 views
need a little help with translating this fan art [closed]
I mostly understood everything but I'm having trouble understanding/making out three words.
the first one is the use of 現場 in this case. I translated it to "scene" or "crime scene"...
1
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2answers
131 views
Why is あやまち written 過ち and not 誤ち?
What's the reason for writing あやまち 過ち and not for instance 誤ち ?
Wouldn't that make more sense since it means to err, be incorrect...? I can see how one would get from exceeding/overdoing a mistake, ...
1
vote
1answer
110 views
Why the name 海未 has the 未 and not just 海?
I've seen Love Live recently and I liked the name UMI. I learned that Ocean was 海 only but when I watch her name closely she had a 海未... I just want to understand what does the 未 mean
0
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0answers
32 views
Why are some Kanji written in Hiragana? [duplicate]
I just noticed something. There are some Kanji that use Hiragana instead of the characters (like きれい). I'm a bit confused.
0
votes
1answer
99 views
contradictory evidence for 何に as (1) なんに and (2) なにに
is 何に pronounced (1) なんに or (2) なにに here: お飲み物は何になさいますか。?
(1) www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU-hnuSM098 @0:20 provides evidence (NB: despite the possibly incorrect ローマ字 (roumaji) found there and in the &...
0
votes
0answers
73 views
How many Shinjitai and Kyūjitai characters are there?
Kanji
Jōyō
Jinmeiyō
Hyōgai
Shinjitai
2127
?
0
Kyūjitai
0
?
?
Kokuji
9
16
0
Total
2136
863
?
I wonder if the above table is the exact concept of the use of Kanji in Japanese language. Can you help ...
6
votes
1answer
656 views
Why does あっけなく mean “too quick”?
Looking up the kanji, あっけなく comes from 呆気(state of surprise, shock)＋
ない. So, wouldn't the most natural translation be 'without surprise, conformingly'? Even so, I saw the following phrase in a game:
...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
Why 梱入 does not appear in any dictionary?
On a parcel that came from Japan, there is this sentence:
お客様のご注文の品が梱入されております。
The meaning is clear: “There are customer’s goods in the package.”
What puzzles me though is, why I could’t find the ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
How is writing with 旧字体 over 新字体, using lots of 表外漢字 and using 漢字 in place of かな in a word that is almost always written with かな perceived?
Examples:
A: 毎日、学校で桜の木を見る。（新字体）
B: 毎日、學校で櫻の木を見る。（旧字体）
A: この国の歴史を研究しています。（新字体）
B: この國の歷史を硏究しています。（旧字体）
A: 私はワニがすきです。（カタカナ）
B: 私は鰐が好きです。（表外漢字）
A: 私の好きな魚はハタハタとスズキです。（カタカナ）
B: 私の好きな魚は鰰と鱸です。（表外漢字）
A: ...
1
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2answers
95 views
What is the difference between 計測 and 測定?
When I wanted to use word 'measure' in the past I used 計測 or 測る. But recently I got a message from a Japanese co-worker:
申し訳ありません
18時前にネット障害がおこり最後の計測できませんでした...
まだ復旧してないので明日18時に測定します
I understand ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
Does 防具による攻撃 mean “attacks with armor” or “attacks depending on armor”
This is a vhs promotional video about a videogame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUhd8qoQl6E&t=4m55s
さらにタクティクスオウガでは、ユニットの武器や防具による攻撃、魔法攻撃、各ユニットの特性を生かした攻撃など、バラエティーに富んだアクションをもフルアニメーションで構成。
My ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
議論する場としてreading of 場
In the phrase 議論する場として (from this Wiki page) which is the correct reading of 場? じょう or ば?
4
votes
1answer
142 views
What's this kanji with circles?
I found out about this from what appears to be a Japanese calligrapher on YouTube. He says it's a historic version of 恋, but the only evidence of it being historical I found was from a blog with ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views
Help me understand this kanji
I'm watching a movie called A Long Goodbye and one of the characters asked his grandfather to write "Elizabeth" in kanji. Obviously the grandfather, who didn't know English, had a lot of ...
3
votes
1answer
513 views
Where does the irregular reading of 迷子 come from?
迷子 is read as まいご, despite the on-reading of 迷 being めい (for example in 迷惑（めいわく） ).
Why is that the case?
I would assume that this is not a case of jukujikun.
What I do find interesting is that the ...
5
votes
1answer
406 views
Using 聴く instead of 聞く to mean “ask”?
I am reading this article on NHK, but I am having a hard time understanding the title...
緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる 専門家に意見聴く
for the first part 緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる
I am having a hard time parsing this. I ...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Kanji compounds with the same meaning
I've come across a lot compunds of kanji where the kanjis mean the same thing. For example,
状態=state, 態=state, 状=state
表面=surface, 表=surface, 面=surface,mask
Can someone explain how these two kanji ...
2
votes
1answer
94 views
Ellipsis of の particle
I would like to know if I'm not mistaken:
When having a series of の-adjectives, it is ok to perform an ellipsis
of the の particles and create a long kanji compound.
For example: 日本語基本文法辞典, or a sign ...
2
votes
1answer
193 views
Is it correct to split the reading あした of 明日 as 明（あ）日（した）?
As far as I understand 明日（あした） is jukujikun (also called semantic ateji), so, as with for example 今日, I would expect for the "reading" to be considered over the whole word, instead of being ...
0
votes
1answer
70 views
ふじさん vs ふじやま what is “Vocabulary Reading”?
I'm using wanikani, and I'm confused by this question I keep getting wrong. The app is showing me ふじ山 and asking for "Vocabulary Reading". At this point I always type ふじやま but the correct ...
1
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0answers
50 views
Why is 体(たい) never softened to だい? [duplicate]
I'm looking at the word 連続体（れんぞくたい） (I'm sure there are better examples, that's just the one that made me wonder).
I find it rather clunky, whereas 「れんぞくだい」 would be much easier to pronounce.
With a ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
Does the tsu つ counter have a kanji associated with it?
I can't seem to find anything online or in any dictionary.
My conclusion is that there is no kanji but can anyone confirm this?
Is there an archaic version that has gone out of use?
-2
votes
1answer
136 views
Need help with prereform writing on a artefact [closed]
My great uncle found this item on Okinawa prior to the end of WW2. I have tried to find out what it says but have never been able to locate anything or anyone that is able to help since the writing ...
1
vote
1answer
65 views
Are the handwritten 漢字 in this anime 栗 or 菓 or something else?
I am currently learning Japanese and I started analyzing some anime images containing handwritten 漢字 in order to get used to reading these, in addition to learning new ones.
However I am stuck with 漢字 ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
Translating my name into kanji [closed]
so my first and second name means "peaceful valley", while my surname means "flowers". So all in all my name means "peaceful valley of flowers", "flowers in a ...
4
votes
1answer
151 views
Help identifying kanji
This is from a manga for general readers so should not be too obscure.
It looks like 氵+ 益 but I can’t find a full match when looking up by components.
溢{あふ}れる seems to match by okurigana and context ...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
Which 気力もつきかけている is appropriate here?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvBrve8BLog&t=2m57s
sm21891947 - スーパーメトロイド（ＳＦＣ） 店頭映像 | Super Metroid Promotional Preview
The official english captions for this sentence gives:
もう戦う気力も尽きかけている。= My ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
How many meaning does 前進しか許されない！ have?
Is this supposed to be an expression, an idiom or a saying or proverb or whatever, because I have seen this used a lot. There seem to be no entries for "前進しか許す"
This video on youtube gives ...
10
votes
1answer
771 views
たいまつ , why is it in this order: 松明?
So torch is たいまつ, and is written in kanji as 松明. Matsu, however, means pine, which is the first kanji, not the second. Are there many words like this in Japanese that seem "out of order"? Is ...
5
votes
2answers
158 views
Reversing stroke direction in kanji for left-handed writing
I am left handed.
A stroke from left to right is, depending on the writing utensil, inconvenient to impractical, since, instead of pulling the tip across the paper, I push, which doesn't work as well.
...
0
votes
1answer
144 views
Can 中村 mean “villager” (person)? [closed]
Does or can 中村 mean "villager" (person) or only "middle village" (place name)? Would alternate Kanji make a difference in meaning, i.e., 中邑 仲村 仲邑 ? Thank you.
1
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1answer
77 views
I'd like to know the difference between various ways of saying 'Capacity' and 'Implement' in Japanese
I am confused about some similar words in Japanese. Where in English we can use the same word for "implement" and "capacity", Japanese seem to be using different words depending on ...
1
vote
1answer
88 views
Are there other compounds with 分 where it is read as いた as in 大分県?
Not sure if 分 is ita or ta in 大分県, but anyway, kind of hard to find anything in the dictionary so if anyone knows a compound with that reading off the top of their head it would be appreciated!
1
vote
1answer
45 views
Is するということであります speaking in the past, or present?
This is from a commercial for Hermie Hopperhead:
長官:大変お待たせいたしました。
それでは、現時点で分かっている事実を発表いたします。
まず、名前はハーミーホッパーヘッド。
記者A:すいません。もう一度お願いいたします。
長官:ハーミーホッパーヘッド。全部カタカナです。
エ、これが、ある惑星から脱出するということであります。
...
1
vote
2answers
145 views
To what extent is 御目出度う御座います used? Is it considered bad form?
Relatively recently - probably in the last few months or something - I've noticed the much more Kanjified version of おめでとうございます - 御目出度う御座います. Personally I think this looks cooler than the strictly ...
1
vote
3answers
663 views
Why is 測 written in hiragana sometimes?
The dialog in this PDF document has the word はかります but when I search the word in romaji, only 測ります (and some other variations), show up in the results. Why is it that the kanji word 測 is written like ...
3
votes
1answer
106 views
What is the best interpretation of “釣込” (“tsurikomi”)?
To be more specific, my question relates to the judo throw named "釣込腰" ("tsurikomi goshi"). The most common translation I've seen is "lifting and pulling hip/waist throw" ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
平日 - What's the difference between the two readings へいじつ and ひらび?
平日 can be read へいじつ or ひらび. What's the difference between the two readings? Is one more formal than the other?
The basic meaning seems to be "Weekday" (ie Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ...
0
votes
1answer
169 views
What is small kanji part that is usually placed on the left of a japanese calligraphy (shodō) work?
There are generally small kanji on a japanese calligraphy (shodo) work. Sometimes they are written above an inkan or inkan set. What are these kanji for? What types of information is written like this ...
0
votes
1answer
100 views
Different ways of enumeration
Japanese seems to have multiple ways of enumerating sequences. The basic one is ordinal numbers:
Arabic (Indian) numbers like in English: 1,2,3
classic Chinese numbers: 一、二、三 etc.
special legal ...
