ニュアンス. Subtle differences between two seemingly interchangeable expressions.
3
votes
0answers
51 views
っつー at the end of a sentence [duplicate]
What does っつー at the end of sentence mean, I get that its a form of と言う/っていう, but still don't quite understand use of it. And it isn't quotation.
some of the sentence I came across using them
...
2
votes
0answers
45 views
〒の言い方は何ですか？ How is 〒 pronounced? [duplicate]
誰かに住所を言いたければどうやって郵便記号の文字を言いますか？
例えばこの郵便番号「〒153-0061」の言い方は「何々イチゴサンゼロゼロロクイチ」です。
6
votes
3answers
144 views
What's the difference between 豪華 and 贅沢?
While reading a scene about some people checking out the luxurious hot tub that is in their building, one of the character remarks:
ご、豪華すぎるほどじゃないが、何とも贅沢極まるというか。。。
which I understand as meaning ...
9
votes
3answers
175 views
The difference between へとへと and くたくた
I am studying Japanese オノマトペ and I came across two that are very similar. The definitions I found online, and the examples sentences in the book don't align, so I am confused about the 使い方。
On this ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
How can one determine the appropriate meaning of 伺う in formal speech?
Is it based on the particle connecting the object of the verb?
For example,
に/へ伺う
to go
vs
を伺う
to ask
Is it purely based on the context of the sentence for distinguishing between ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
Examples of when to use ではありません、ではない、じゃありません、 じゃない
I'm looking for example situations of when to use each level of politeness. I know they all are the same but when situational wise to use each one is where I am having confusion. Thank you.
-1
votes
1answer
99 views
Can “suru” be also added to japanese verbs?
I thought that "suru" was used with english verbs to create japanese verbs
(ie ドライブする) or with japanese nouns to create japanese verbs
(ie denwa suru 電話する)
Can "suru" be also added to japanese ...
5
votes
2answers
112 views
What is the difference between 設問 and 質問?
The two words appear to both mean the English word question. Are they completely interchangeable?
2
votes
2answers
135 views
衰えるという言葉の由来は何ですか?
For instance, とじる and しめる.
とじる means an activity or a show has finished so "the door is closed". This word is used in ending or closing something like 傘をとじる, 本をとじる.
しめる means to tie the bag tight ...
4
votes
3answers
150 views
-ています / present continuous form not used in habitual action
I have read this sentence in my book :
山田{やまだ}さんは毎朝{まいあさ}６時{じ}に起きます{おきます}。
Why isn't the present continuous used (起きています) since it is obviously a habit for Yamada-san to wake up at 6 every morning?...
7
votes
1answer
87 views
I could use help with the finer nuances of 節、柄、and 様。
Why is it 節 that goes in __ in the following, not 様 or 柄？
部長は、毎日残業するのを当たり前だと思っている__がある。
This is a question in a textbook I'm using to prep for NI JLPT, and 節 is given as the answer.
3
votes
1answer
283 views
Differentiating between the many words for bullying, teasing and tormenting
In the course of my study I've come across several words which all seemed to have a high degree of overlap, in that they all essentially meant 'to tease, to bully, to torment'. If possible I'd like to ...
6
votes
2answers
159 views
What is the more natural way of saying: “I will be busy this Friday.”
I only know hiragana and katakana at this stage, so pardon the long sentence; I'm learning from the "Japanese From Zero!" books. In the book, the answer it gives for "I will be busy this Friday" is:
...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
What is the difference between 役割 & 業務タイトル?
Both of these terms are found in the same 職務経歴書.
After attempting to translate the terms used in an example,
I've come to the following hypothesis:
業務タイトル - Department in a company
役割 - One's ...
4
votes
1answer
72 views
Nuance of ないようにしないと and a potential relative clause
I have a following line from a manga
せめてお願いをする / あの子たち以外には
できるだけ迷惑をかけないようにしないと
which of course means punctuation is lacking, hence / to indicate where a line break was, which might indicate ...
2
votes
0answers
53 views
Contradictory Usage of だろう・でしょう [duplicate]
I continue seeing sentences that (based on my knowledge) seem to contain conflicting usages of だろう・でしょう.
「妻はルイヴィトンのバッグを欲しがっているんだけど、そんなもん、買えるわけないでしょう！ 」
To my understanding わけがない is an expression ...
3
votes
2answers
67 views
Is a negative nuance possible with しっとり when used to describe moisture of an object?
じっとり always has a negative nuance to it when used, such as when describing perspiration.
しっとり has several meanings, but in this context it is used to describe the dampness of something.
An example ...
4
votes
2answers
223 views
What does it mean when someone says ”話を大きくしてる”
I know the literal meaning is "to make the conversation/talk larger" but in terms of nuance of actual meaning in English I am confused. How would you say this in English?
7
votes
3answers
204 views
Why is 温かい used instead of 熱い when ordering a hot drink?
In English, "warm" and "hot" are usually interchangeable when ordering a hot drink. In my experience, "hot" is more frequently used.
I was corrected with 温かいコーヒー when asking for an 熱いコーヒー so I ...
6
votes
1answer
72 views
What is the difference [一瞬]{いっ・しゅん}, [一刻]{いっ・こく}, and [(一)刹那]{(いっ・)せつ・な}
They all mean something like an instant or a moment.
When are they (and when are they not) interchangeable?
Is any more (in)formal/literary than the others?
Do they represent the same amount of time?
...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
Nuance when the subject is moved to the end of the phrase
I've been plugging away on novel translations for years now and figure I should ask more questions about it around here, since the freelance life does not make it easy to network with people.
My ...
2
votes
1answer
79 views
Where? Variations and usages
I have come across three main ways to indicate the idea of "where" in Japanese:
どこ
どこに
どちら
Can anyone shed light on when one is used or preferred over another? Or with what combination of word ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
Interpretting お世話になる職場の方
I have a following sentence:
娘がお世話になる職場の方として
ご近所の母親友達として
母子共々よろしくお願いします
Context: Person A is mother of a daughter working (recently joined) in the same organization as the Person B this ...
6
votes
1answer
108 views
Difference between ものだ, ことだ and ものがある?
Note that this is not a duplicate of this. I am taking about the ものだ and ことだ that expresses exclamation and strong feelings.
My textbook says that 〜ことだ means:
本当に〜だ（驚き・感動・皮肉などを表す）
and 〜ものだ means:
...
4
votes
1answer
76 views
Difference between 出産 and お産
Based on the dictionary definitions listed on WWWJDIC (which I cannot link due to the design of the website), the two terms have similar definitions.
I am wondering if there is any difference between ...
2
votes
2answers
143 views
Does 同棲 always have a romantic connotation?
Take for instance the noun,
同棲組 which roughly means a group living together.
Does 同棲 always have a romantic connotation, or is it possible to use it in a non-romantic sense. For example, to ...
8
votes
3answers
188 views
番組のタイトルに「踊る」、どういう意味を表していますか？
踊る大捜査線
踊る！さんま御殿
この２つのテレビ番組だけかもしれませんが、タイトルの最初の言葉として、また、意味的に一見つながっていないようにも思ってしまうこの「踊る」は何を表していますか？そのまま踊ることではないことは間違いなさそうです。
私の推測としては、さんまの番組の場合、賑やかさを意味していると思います。しかし、踊る大捜査線の場合は違う気がします。...
2
votes
1answer
170 views
て form at end of phrase but not being used for requests
Sometimes I come upon phrases like this:
俺旅芸人の一座にいたんだけどそれがあの盗賊どもに襲われちゃってさー
Where the て form is used at the end but not for a request. It doesn't seem to be one of those cases where the order of ...
8
votes
1answer
293 views
Difference between 仮、一時的、臨時 when expressing “temporary”
All of these words express "temporary" but I can't understand the difference and in which contexts each are used.
For example:
仮の包帯 A temporary bandage
一時的な住宅 A temporary residence
臨時列車 ...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
Use of の in colored objects [duplicate]
It seems to me that some colors need の when describing an item, yet others don't.
For example:
黄色のくつ (Yellow shoes; has の)
赤いくつ (Red shoes; no の)
オレンジ色のくつ (Orange shoes; has の)
青いくつ (Blue shoes; no ...
0
votes
1answer
112 views
Can anyone help identify this character 僮?
I found this character on a website and the only associated meaning was "child, servant." Can anyone elaborate on when it may be used and why?
6
votes
2answers
548 views
Issues translating “get an ultrasound.”
Talking about pregnancy with my Japanese friends has been a challenge because I have struggled to translate some English concepts.
Ultrasound is one of those words.
超音波｛ちょうおんぱ｝ is the word I find ...
9
votes
2answers
200 views
Difference between 自己 and 自分
I am wondering if there are any differences in the usage of 自己 and 自分, or are they simply synonyms?
It seems that the two are interchangeable with nouns stemming from them.
I.e, 非自己 and 非自分 also ...
2
votes
2answers
80 views
「希望」の使い方・意味、類似表現
can anyone explain how do i use kibou in a sentence.
I wrote this sentence in my assignment.
私は卒業したあと、やりたいと思う仕事を見つける事を希望しています。
My teacher corrected this sentence as
私は卒業したあと、やりたいと思う仕事を見つけたい。
I ...
1
vote
2answers
98 views
Meaning of お世話になる vis a vis place of work or place where someone is being trained
I am aware of the usual meanings of the お世話 in reference to someone helping, taking care of someone. But recently I ran into sentences where it was used to describe a place where someone is being ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
What is the difference between 織機(しょっき) and 機 (はた)?
Does 織機 mean the device, while 機 means the concept?
Or maybe one of them is more formal than the other?
5
votes
1answer
84 views
被害 vs 害; 被害者 vs 害者
I was reading NHK NEWS WEB EASY and came across the word "被害". When I encounter a new word, I try to break it down and understand each part.
And then it looked to me like 被害 and 害 have the same ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
Difference between 今晩 and 今夜
夜 - night
晩 - counter for nights
Is there a difference in time reference, i.e., is 今晩 earlier/later than 今夜?
Is there a difference in style, i.e., is one more reserved than the other?
If so, which ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Is there a contradiction in these sentences?
Context: after being defensive for the whole match, a boxer finally decides to fight with all his power out of respect for his opponent. These are his thoughts:
選手生命を捧げているキミにとってボクシングの存在 ...
3
votes
1answer
76 views
use of しゃれ vs 冗談
I'm studding for the JLPT and found a phrase よくしゃれを言う人。After I looked up the definition of しゃれ I assumed the phrase meant "jokester". But what is the difference between しゃれ and 冗談？
I kind of got the ...
2
votes
1answer
85 views
Kanzen Master N1 Question Help - ほどのことではない vs ほどには当たらない
So I'm working my way through the Kanzen Master N1 book, having used it for all the other levels and, generally, it's a great textbook. It's one flaw is that it never has any explanations for the test ...
3
votes
1answer
134 views
What does だからここでもただ先生と書くだけで本名は打ち明けない mean exactly?
だからここでもただ先生と書くだけで本名は打ち明けない。
From my own comprehension, it literally means ...
That's why, even here, I only write sensei. His real name is not revealed/confided.
Have I interpreted it correctly?
4
votes
1answer
84 views
“あの星があなたで” and “あの星はあなただ”, between those two, what's the difference?
Both have the same meaning: "That star is you."
But what makes them different? If it's the nuance, what exactly is it?
Context:
It's from a song's lyrics, the first one get sang first, whilst the ...
4
votes
1answer
236 views
それで, それと, それから, あと(は), and そのほかに: The difference
I'm doing a practice book that tends to oversimplify things for the sake of... simplicity. In one of the questions, the following sentence is given:
柿をください。それと、イチゴも。＿＿、ドリアンも。
The provided two ...
8
votes
1answer
206 views
What does よ bring in 「〜ないでよね」？
I sometimes hear or read sentences such as:
行かないでよね！
聞かないでよね！
I get 「行かないでね！」and 「行かないでよ！」 but I wonder what nuance is added when both of them are used like in these examples.
I have the feeling ...
2
votes
1answer
77 views
The Japanese term for “synonym discussion”?
In English, when I want to know the subtle differences in meaning between similar words I consult a thesaurus's synonym discussion. To give an example of this, see halfway down Merriam-Webster's ...
4
votes
1answer
133 views
What is the difference between するはずだった andしたはずだった
I have confusion with the past tense of verb combined with the past tense of はず したはずだった
From what I understand:
するはず - Supposed to do verb at some point in the future (don't know
outcome yet)
したはず -...
6
votes
1answer
125 views
What is the difference between きつい and 辛い（つらい）?
They both have the same meaning of "hard, difficult, tough"
Can someone please explain the difference and give examples of when both are interchangeable and when it is not?
For example:
きつい仕事 or ...
2
votes
1answer
126 views
Difference between からして and からすれば
今のロンドンの成長率 _______ 、この先の二十年で彼の資産価値は十倍以上にふくらむだろう。
a) からこそ
b) からには
c) からして
d) からすれば
からすれば is the proper answer. According to a post I have found it seems to be used when judgment is based on ...
2
votes
1answer
55 views
About って in the following sentences
って has many meanings in spoken Japanese. Although I have looked it up in the dictionary, I am still confused about it. Please tell me the following usage.
①いいかげんに早く寝なさいだって(please tell me the ...
