Questions tagged [nuances]
ニュアンス. Subtle differences between two seemingly interchangeable expressions.
4
votes
1answer
97 views
te form negative vs negative form (HW: やっていない, why not やらなかった or やっていなかった)
I've been studying Japanese here in Tokyo from scratch for a good 2 months now. I've been struggling with daily conversation but I try to improve each day by studying.
Lately, I am trying to ...
5
votes
1answer
104 views
~te + oku vs plain masu form
Good evenings folks,
Currently I'm here in Tokyo learning Japanese for about 2 months now from scratch, and our sensei is teaching us N4 level grammar structures already. My question is, what's the ...
2
votes
1answer
56 views
Differences between 'prepare' words. 整う、備える、設ける
What are the nuances between each? For general use in most cases can they be substituted for 準備します?
3
votes
3answers
166 views
What does というように mean?
I've been seeing this structure a lot lately, and I feel like it takes on different meanings depending on how it's used.
Basically I understand it as:
Quotative と + いう(to say, define etc.) + ように (...
0
votes
1answer
91 views
Negative adjective 恐怖せず [duplicate]
恐怖せず
I think it means “fearless”, but I don’t know the particle sezu. Is this old-fashioned?
2
votes
1answer
280 views
What does 気楽 mean when attached to ビール or お酒？
I first found this here: https://www.ettoh.jp/
楽酒＝気楽なお酒
Does this mean the drink is easy to drink? Or that it's meant to be drunk in a carefree setting? One example I was taught for 気楽 is in ...
6
votes
2answers
152 views
「呆れる」とはどういう意味ですか？
呆れるとはどういう意味か今一つわからないのです。goo辞書で調べると、「あまりに意外なことに驚く」というのが出てきますが、今まで見てきた例を考え合わせてみると、やはり納得がいかないところが残っています。特に、「呆れる」には必ず「驚き」の要素が入っていますか？「ショック」「衝撃」と同じくらい、爆発的な印象がありますか？
そして、三つの例について聞かせてください。
①「...
7
votes
2answers
182 views
Head-internal relative clauses
I am trying to figure out head-internal relative clauses. A paper I looked at presented two versions of the same sentence, one with the head word (りんご) outside the relative clause:
[皿の上にあった]...
3
votes
0answers
54 views
What is the difference between 端, 縁 and 先っちょ?
I struggle to visualise the differences between 端, 縁 and 先っちょ after
reading many examples and definitions online:
The approximate english translations are very similar:
端: end, tip, point margin (...
4
votes
1answer
140 views
Function of と when used with 続く
I don't understand the function of と when used with と続きます
From this sentence in my textbook:
世界で一番インスタントラーメンをたくさん食べる国は中国で451.7億食、その次はインドネシアの137.0億食、日本の51.0億食、アメリカの43.2億食、ベトナムの39.1億食、韓国の33....
2
votes
2answers
95 views
placement of さえ
I came across this statement involving さえ.
私はAKB48が全然分からない。一番有名な人さえ名前がわからない。
My question is: Is there a general rule as to where you can place さえ?
What about: 一番有名な人の名前さえ分からない。What is the meaning ...
2
votes
1answer
244 views
How to say “Developer” In Japanese?
I want to know how to say Developer in Japanese. By Developer, Specifically a web Developer, Programmer or Coder.
When I googled it initially, I got:
デベロッパー
And then I found a Kanji:
開発者
I ...
3
votes
0answers
63 views
Differences between “even if”/“no matter (how much)” structures: としても, ところで, ~ようが/と
I've encountered several forms that mean both "even if" (might be used for example with たとえ), and "no matter (how much)" (used with どんなに, いくら, etc).
~ても
~としても
~ところで
~ようが/と
The only difference ...
1
vote
0answers
60 views
Question about おきます [duplicate]
In the following sentences, what is the use of 'おきます'? And what is the difference in nuance if the sentences end without 'おきます'?
実家にいるうちに、母の料理をたくさん食べておきます。
お金があるうちに、ほしいものを買っておきます。
3
votes
2answers
170 views
How do you say “some”, “many”, “a few”, and “few” when refering to people?
So, of course, I know words like 多い, たくさん, 少ない, 少し, and 何+[counter]+か to express "many", "few", "a few", and "some" in most contexts. However, I have absolutely no idea what are the Japanese ...
1
vote
1answer
140 views
おはよう written as おはよ?
Playing through the intro of Let's Go Pikachu, I came across what looks to me like the greeting おはよう, but written instead as おはよ.
Is this a known alternate spelling, or perhaps a simplification aimed ...
2
votes
1answer
268 views
What is the difference between 反日 and 日本たたき?
I apologize in advance if I cause offence with this question, but I am curious about these two terms.
反日 can be translated as “anti-Japan(ese)”. I have seen one example of this term being used to ...
1
vote
1answer
87 views
What is the difference between 考え、アイデア、発想 and 着想
These are all translated as "idea" in English.
But I don't understand which context I should use each one in.
If I had to guess:
考え means an imagining of a solution or an understanding of something,...
0
votes
1answer
106 views
What does “水着勿体ないんでよかったら今度のお休み” mean here?
水着勿体ないんでよかったら今度のお休み
Context: this girl sent this guy a picture of her in her swimsuit while she lay in bed because she just bought it and thought it was cute and just found out that her vacation ...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
Help translating English idioms
Can someone use 涙ぐむ in a way to say "could bring a man to tears" or something along those lines?
Wanting to translate some English phrases or sayings into Japanese in a way that could be either ...
3
votes
1answer
174 views
Meaning of ですかね in a response
I feel like this is a basic question, one whose meaning I don't think I fully understand. I'm watching a サンドウィッチマン コント on YouTube where 伊達さん is asked
"How many women have you been out with before?"
...
3
votes
0answers
97 views
Usage of ところ to represent time with に and で
I am trying to understand the grammar of using ところ with に and で when using ところ to represent the time that actions have happened.
These are (ungrammatical) sentences I made up:
1) ...
0
votes
2answers
258 views
Shigeru Miyamoto interview
I always have difficulty understanding 宮本 茂. His Japanese is like the hardest to understand. I can watch whole anime's with no problem, and read through lots of text in video games and manuals, but ...
7
votes
1answer
197 views
Three ways of saying 'mother': 母, お母さん, 母親
お[母]{かあ}さん is used to address one's mother and [母]{はは} to talk about her (related: Titles for family). Since [母]{はは} already means 'my mother', is 私の母 redundant?
And when/how/why is [母親]{ははおや} used?
1
vote
1answer
94 views
How do I make my translation less stilted or flow similar to the original Japanese?
I'm translating the following line of dialogue spoken by Character A to Character B.
「怖がらなくてもいいわ。もう襲ったりしないから」
The translations I made are the following:
"There’s no need to be afraid. Because I ...
1
vote
1answer
91 views
Different ways of saying “single”?
I am trying to translate basic combat to Japanese, but find myself struggling as to which form of "x of this" to use.
I am currently trying to figure out how to say "single," as in "single punch," ...
3
votes
2answers
102 views
さあていくわ vs さあ行くわ
Eat Mom's Breakfast
Toast, Jams, Milk of おいしい牛乳
さあて行くわあたし happy happy girl!
From the intro of a song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS2t7l89Lm0)
The English words are being sung in ...
4
votes
1answer
114 views
What is the nuance between 内に and 間に in these sentences?
This will be a long question.
I referred to the other questions that were already answered,
Difference between 前に and うちに
When describing time span, are 間 {あいだ} and 内 {うち} interchangeable?
What'...
4
votes
1answer
207 views
Why are weather verbs 曇る and 晴れる treated differently in this sentence?
In this sentence:
どうやら今日の天気は曇るようだ。× It seems that today's weather is cloudy.
This uses the weather verb 曇る
But when asking native speakers, this does not sound natural and I don't understand why.
...
3
votes
0answers
102 views
Nuance differences between the kanji for ぐあい, 具合 and 工合
Usually I read ぐあい as 具合 but recently I was reading a some Japanese literature and the 工合 version of the kanji was used.
For reference the literature:
脳味噌の中心にヒリヒリと焦げ付く位である。それでいて、あとから考えるとその興味の焦点と、...
2
votes
1answer
352 views
How would one say “Grandma died, I really miss her”?
Does 懐かしむ suffice? Can it convey the sadness of losing someone close to you? If not, how would one express such a thing?
I'm having trouble dealing with this, as there are plenty of uses "miss" in ...
0
votes
2answers
73 views
Why まで in this sentence?
In this sentence (from here)
このビルは２０階建てで、地下は２階まであります。
the building has 20 floors. Are there 2 basements (perhaps in addition to the 20 floors), or is it that floors up to (まで) the second one are ...
4
votes
2answers
203 views
What's the nuance behind using を要らない as opposed to が要らない?
I was reading the lyrics of a song and found the following line:
あの人あたしをいらない
From the original English song, I can tell that the meaning is that "that person no longer needs me", but why does it ...
4
votes
1answer
323 views
Is '大勢の人' redundant?
According to jisho.org, [大]{おお}[勢]{ぜい} means 'crowd of people; great number of people'. Yet I have seen '大勢の人' several times: is it redundant?
7
votes
2answers
310 views
Why あります instead of です in this sentence?
In the following sentence (from here),
北海道札幌市の円山動物園に、ミャンマーから来た３頭の象をみんなに見せるための広い場所と建物ができました。[...] 広さは５０００m²以上あります。
I would have expected です instead of あります: 広さ = ５０００m²以上.
2
votes
1answer
142 views
What are the nuances between the use of 訊く instead of 聞く in the following sentence?
I know that 訊く is another way to write 聞く, so now I'm curious as to why the author of the book used it here instead of 聞く, which has been used for all previous instances in the book.
こちらから訊くより先に、...
5
votes
2answers
198 views
what's the difference between 痛い and 辛い?
Online dictionaries give 痛い and 辛い the meaning "painful" and among others:
痛い (itai): sore
辛い (tsurai) bitter, heart-breaking
In what contexts one of them can be used while the other can't?
...
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Difference 記念日 vs 周年
What exactly is the difference betweekn 記念日 and 周年? I found both to mean "anniversary".
Thank you in advance.
2
votes
1answer
180 views
How to say “Some” in Japanese
I need to communicate that I am allergic to some sunscreens (but not all).
I know that 'some' is a difficult concept to get across in Japanese, so how would I say it in this specific case?
ie. "(...
3
votes
2answers
158 views
I need help with locating nuances in translation for the phrase 錆の浮いた
I'm trying to translate the following sentence, and I need some help with locating and understanding possible nuances for translating 錆の浮いた.
The two best possible translations of it ("become loose" ...
5
votes
1answer
110 views
What's the difference between 時間がいる and 時間が必要?
In this thing I'm reading, I see the following sentence:
心の傷だって、治るには時間がいるでしょ
The speaker is talking about a long standing problem that the protagonist has. It seems like it's 時間が要る, but is there ...
3
votes
0answers
166 views
来た2日後に vs 来て2日後に vs 来てから2日後に
日本に来た2日後にこの本を買った。
日本に来て2日後にこの本を買った。
日本に来てから2日後にこの本を買った。
I created these sentences from similar-looking examples I found on Google. Are they all grammatical? These all mean "I bought this book two ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Does しかたない imply disappointment?
From the context of the original Japanese text, is seems that しかたない does not imply a negative feeling such as disappointment or dissatisfaction. Instead, it seems to mean "That's just the way it is" ...
1
vote
0answers
72 views
Multiple words with same definition
I am seeing pairs of words with similar meanings (where one of the words has a single kanji and the other has two kanji).
Examples include:
豊か、豊富
保つ、保存する
防ぐ、予防する
Do these pair of words share the ...
5
votes
3answers
180 views
Meaning of 寒くなる vs. 寒くなっています
Today it crossed my mind how I could translate this, and some confusion arose with the verbal forms to use.
If I wanted to say "I got cold", I would say
寒くなった
However, for "I'm getting cold", I ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
Polite form of apology with tense form?
After missing an appointment, which would be more appropriate for asking for forgiveness or apologizing?
ごめんなさい でした
or
本当にごめんね。ほんとうに ごめんね
In particular, considering the difference between the ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
Nuance between AやB and AやBなど?
AとB is an exhaustive list, whereas AやB and AやBなど mean A and B and more. (And AとBなど feels inconsistent.) But is there a difference between AやB and AやBなど?
Aなど means 'something like A' or 'A and the ...
3
votes
1answer
103 views
忙しいところ vs 忙しいなか
I've been preparing for an interview, and I've seen both of these phrases used when introducing yourself and thanking someone for their time or when support is being given. For example:
...
4
votes
1answer
144 views
ものだ expressing ambiguous emotions/concern?
This article lists many examples of using ものだ to articulate "deep concern." The author of this article explains that when you connect words which indicate desire like …たい and 欲しい with ものだ, your speech ...
4
votes
1answer
226 views
How to say “to work for”
I would like to say "I work for" company X.
I have found two ways of saying that:
仕える -> company-name に仕える
勤める -> company-name に勤める
But I can't find which one is correct or where to correctly use ...
