Questions tagged [nuances]
ニュアンス. Subtle differences between two seemingly interchangeable expressions.
1,362
questions
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23 views
Why can places get a さん suffix when they are not a person?
For example:
薬屋さんに行った。
初めてくるお風呂屋さんは楽しい。
講堂さんにてライブがあります。
First, what nuance is added by adding a さん?
Second, can this be done with any place?
Third, it seems like the frequency of usage varies a lot ...
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0answers
22 views
What are the differences between 間中{あいだじゅう} and 間{あいだ}?
I recently learned different usages of both kanji and I saw it is possible to use the combination of both. It seems to me that 間中{あいだじゅう} isn't a new word. (The other readings don't matter now.)
Here ...
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0answers
36 views
A question regarding the usage of 代わりに？
I sent the following sentences to some Japanese friends of mine and all of them seem to agree that the second one is more natural here. This left me wondering why 代わりに does not work in this situation ...
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2answers
103 views
Ways to express "change" in Japanese
It seems that in Japanese, there are two kanji that are commonly used to indicate change:
「化」
温暖化{おんだんか}: global warming, change in temperature
悪化{あっか}: worsen, change for the worse
「転」
転校{てんこう}: ...
1
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1answer
36 views
What is the correct usage between 咳止め and 咳薬
I was playing around with some words on Google Translate trying to see if I can form a sentence while learning some new words. I came across this translation -
咳 translates to cough
止め translates to ...
3
votes
1answer
61 views
Usage of 方(ほう) in these sentences
I know that 方 (ほう) can mean direction or way but that meaning seems to change a bit in the following sentences:
佐藤くん、 英語は得意な方(ほう)かな?
Sato, are you good at English?
これは割と使ってる方(ほう)です。
This is ...
5
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1answer
143 views
畑 vs 分野 when referring to an abstract "field"
I know that 畑 can refer to a physical field while 分野 can't, but what is the nuance when 畑 is used in the abstract sense? For example, what is the difference between:
教育の分野 and 教育畑
言語学の分野 and 言語学畑
...
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0answers
69 views
RELATIVE TIME EXPRESSIONS + で [duplicate]
A) 休みは明日で終わります。
The vacation will be over tomorrow.
B) 彼がこの家を買ってから今年で四年になります。
It's been four years this year since he bought this house.
Would the meaning change at all if we got rid of で?
One of ...
3
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1answer
71 views
Difference between NOUN + から, NOUN + で and NOUN + だから to indicate reason
A) 彼女は疲れから病気になった。
She become ill from fatigue.
B) 病気で仕事に行けません。
I can't go to work due to illness.
C) 明日は休みだからどこかへ遊びに行こう。
Tomorrow is a holiday. So let's go somewhere to have fun.
By using から in ...
3
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1answer
116 views
Nuance between して遊ぶ and just する
When you have a する verb for something that is a game, it seems like you can alternatively have して遊ぶ. What I want to know is what nuance this has. For example, what is the difference between:
トランプをする ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
What is the difference between 背 and 裏 for the backside of objects?
I know that 背 can also mean height, and also refers to the spine of the book when used with books. I also know that 椅子の裏 refers to the bottom of the chair while 椅子の背 refers to the back of the chair. ...
4
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1answer
100 views
Nuance between 焼く and 燃やす
I am referring to specifically when they are used for the purposes of physically burning an object without the purpose of eating it afterword. For example, the two example sentences on goo:
枯れ草を焼く
...
2
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1answer
91 views
"Binding" order of adjectives
Related: Order of multiple nouns and adjectives modifying the same noun
I've come across an instance of the adjective ambiguously belonging to a noun in songs, but I'm never sure which is the correct ...
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4answers
1k views
What purpose does adding 色 to colors achieve?
Like the title says, I don't understand the purpose of adding 色 to color words. For example:
緑のドレスを着ている vs 緑色のドレスを着ている
赤い車を運転した vs 赤色の車を運転した vs 赤の車を運転した
I know both styles are common, but in what ...
4
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2answers
180 views
Help with monomorphic, polyphonic verbs
OK, I kind of invented that term. But I'm referring to verbs that have identical kanji and okurigana; have nearly identical meanings; but have different readings. I'm sure there are many others out ...
6
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3answers
701 views
Difference of usage between 普通, 普段, 通常, 平常, 正常, いつも, and たいてい
I'm curious about the nuances/differences between these words when used for the concept of "normal" or "usual." Every time I think I understand the difference between these, I get ...
1
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1answer
68 views
Use of まま in Japanese
I was watching an anime and the character said something along the lines of "私{わたし}は、このままでいいの". This translated into something like "Do I really want things to stay like this?" But ...
3
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1answer
61 views
What is the purpose of だろう in expressions such as 何をしてんだろう or なんてかわいい犬なんだろう or 何でだろう
The first one is the most confusing one, because I have heard people say it usually when they are upset. The other two examples to me sound a little softer with だろう/でしょう. Therefore, I suppose the ...
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2answers
128 views
Can いそがしい mean busy as in 'crowded'
I know 'いそがしい' means busy as in 'having important things to do', but can it also mean busy as in crowded like 'busy street'
2
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1answer
77 views
Are 新規入国 and 再入国 mutually exclusive?
This is maybe not strictly a language question, apologies.
Is each time a person enters Japan considered a 新規入国 regardless if the person has the status of being able to 再入国 (permanent residents, etc.)?...
2
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1answer
103 views
得意{とくい} vs 上手{じょうず} and 下手{へた} vs 苦手{にがて}
I was doing some pre-made flashcard by others and was wondering what the difference between 得意{とくい} and 上手{じょうず} is and the difference between 下手{へた} and 苦手{にがて} is since they all mean good at or bad ...
2
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2answers
121 views
What does でしかない mean in this sentence?
As far as I know, でしかない means: no more than or merely, but in this sentence that meaning doesn't seem to fit.
• それを専攻をするのは天才でしかないよ！
So, what exactly does this expression mean in this sentence?
3
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1answer
89 views
What nuance does ひょっとしたら add to かもしれない?
When you add ひょっとしたら to a sentence with かもしれない, how does the meaning of the sentence change?
What would be the difference between:
• アリスはひょっとしたら来るかもしれない。
/ アリスは来るかもしれない。
• ひょっとしたら勝つかもしれない。
/ 勝つかもしれない。
...
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2answers
100 views
Using the 〜ている form when referring to an action not done by the speaker
I was speaking to a parent's friend at dinner, and when he asked me a question I replied by saying:
正しく推測しました
to which he then corrected me by saying that the correct response would have been
...
2
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2answers
121 views
What does か do in a rhetorical question?
From 『スーツ』
A: ど…どうしたの？(Seeing B is unhappy: "What's going on with you?")
B: どうしたのかって？人が死んだ。("You know what's wrong! Someone died!")
What I usually hear is that the part before a ...
4
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2answers
154 views
Verb-て + V-ないこともない
In an anime I heard this sentence:
屍鬼は通常の食べ物は受け付けないが水分なんかは取って取れないこともない
I kinda understand it (I think), but I'm not sure about the actual grammatical construction (if it's a specific construction at ...
2
votes
2answers
141 views
言うか？言わないか？どちらでしょうか？Why do 馬鹿を言うな and 馬鹿を言え have similar meanings?
It seems to me 「馬鹿を言え」 and 「馬鹿を言うな」 are pretty much interchangeable. Corresponding expressions in politer form also exist, 「馬鹿を言いなさい」 「馬鹿を言いなさんな」 So what nuances of meaning do they each have? And what'...
2
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1answer
74 views
What is the difference between 新規 with 新しい and 新た?
I know 新しい{あたらしい} and 新た{あらた} and I understood that the latter is usually used in newspaper because it brings more politeness/formality.
However, I encountered 新規{しんき} in a newspaper article:
...
1
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1answer
85 views
Nuances between the various words for "head" and how to write them
The ways I have noted are:
あたま, which can only be written 頭
かしら, which can be written as 頭, 頁, or 首
こうべ, which can be written as 頭 or 首
かぶり, which can only be written as 頭
おつむ, which can be only ...
2
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0answers
63 views
Difference between どれだけ and どのくらい and どんなに
It seems that どれだけ can be used interchangeably with どのくらい and どんなに, but is there any difference in nuance?
For example:
(どれだけ/どんなに)聞いても意味が分からない
(どれだけ/どんなに)説明しても、あの人はわかってくれない
彼の身長は(どれだけ/どのくらい)ですか。
...
2
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1answer
68 views
What are the differences between 救う, 救助する and 助ける?
From my understanding, 助ける{たすける} is used when helping someone with a task, 救助する{きゅうじょする} and 救う{すくう} can be used to save someone/something from a dangerous situation. However, 救う can also be used for ...
2
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1answer
112 views
Nuances between できる and 作られる when used for "to be made"
As the title suggests, I'm curious what determines which word is used for "to be made."
For example, what are the nuances between
法律ができた
and
法律が作られた
1
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1answer
698 views
無事かい, asking if the person is safe or the opposite?
In this scene I was a little confused because he got attacked by a weird looking figure like that literally just before this part, so I expect him to be concerned about himself more than this weird ...
1
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1answer
146 views
Can 追撃 be used as following attacks?
Here 追撃 seems to be used as follow up attacks, or combo. According to the kanjis, it would definitely make sense, but every dictionary I'm looking at is translating it to "chase" or "...
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0answers
54 views
Nuance of まま in expressing lack of change
I understand that まま can be used in order to convey that something doesn't change, or to express lack of change, although in this sentence, I'm not quite sure what it is trying to convey.
...
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0answers
29 views
Point of view in Japanese writing, verb tenses and temporal location? [duplicate]
A little while ago, I asked this question about the Japanese point of view: How do you identify the point of view in Japanese (for novels)? The answer seemed to be that you need to watch for the ...
2
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1answer
123 views
Nuance between using 飲む and 吸う for smoking
I know one can say タバコを飲む or タバコを吸う from seeing both uses in the dictionary. What are the differences between the two?
0
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1answer
77 views
Nuance between 氏名 and 姓名
On the Goo thesaurus page, it says:
通常は「氏名」が使われるが、名前のつけ方そのものを問題にする場合は、「姓名」を使う。
I'm not really sure what 名前のつけ方 is referring to here. When exactly should one use 姓名 over 氏名?
0
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1answer
124 views
Qual o significado de ようで e ような na seguinte frase? | What is the meaning of ようで and ような in this sentence?
Estou analisando a letra de uma música chamada 君が好きだと叫びたい. Cheguei em um ponto de dúvida na frase 恋をしているようで 躍らされてるような.
Mais especificamente eu gostaria de entender o conceito por traz de ようで, o ...
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2answers
121 views
思い vs 考え vs 思考 vs 思索
I was reading this goo thesaurus page on the nuances between 思い, 考え, 思考, and 思索, and I got confused by how the example uses related to the nuances given in the explanation. The explanation stated that ...
0
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1answer
69 views
What do きゃるん、きゃるーん、きゅるん、きゅるるん and related words mean?
In the anime Saiki K. S2 E10 (image link), きゃるーん appears as a sound effect, where I would rather expect じゃーん or the like. Googling various Japanese forums has led me to conclude that the other ...
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0answers
71 views
Why is こと written in katakana in this sentence?
I was reading a webtoon and came across this sentence:
傷つきそうなコト言わないでね
I'm aware of the meaning of this sentence, but I'm confused as to why it uses katakana here. I know that katakana is sometimes ...
2
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1answer
78 views
How do I colloquially say "The restaurant was empty" in Japanese
More specifically I want to know the difference between 空（す）いていました and 空（そら）でした
For example, which one of these is better / what is the difference?
レストランは空いていました。
レストランは空でした
Is there an even better ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
Difference between Verb (ない stem)+ ずに and Verb (ない form) + で 2nd action
Even after looking at example sentences, I can't seem to figure out the difference between the two. They both seem to mean "without doing ~". I gathered that ずに is a written form, but I've ...
4
votes
1answer
480 views
Who can we talk about when using 「そのスジの人」?
The sentence is taken from Volume No. 5 of「 波よ聞いてくれ！」
The radio-host Minare is interviewing the spokeswoman of an underground cult. When she introduces her as a member of a cult the spokeswoman claims ...
1
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1answer
59 views
Is there any difference between わけにはいかない、～てはいけない and ～てはならない？
From what I understand, they all mean the same, but maybe the nuance is different or it could be something else.
2
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0answers
51 views
How does 見ての work here? [duplicate]
I found this sentence and I don't know how the grammar works here:
俺たちを見ての反応。
Why is the verb in its て form? and is it different from saying "俺たちを見た反応"?
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2answers
605 views
Usage of 受ける in 日本の大学を受けたいです。
A book I am studying has 日本の大学を受けたいです。translated as "I want to apply to a Japanese university."
Finding it a little confusing to nail down what sense of 受ける is being used here.
1
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1answer
110 views
The nuances between さて and さ/さあ
Is there any difference between the two? I think さて is more formal than さ/さあ, but is that true? And are there any other nuances?
3
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1answer
90 views
What’s the difference between 始まっている最中に and 始まろうとしているとき in this context?
I am currently studying for the JLPT N2, and I am confused about the answer for this particular practice question:
会議が（ ）リンさんが慌てて入ってきた。
I put 始まっている最中に as the answer, but my textbook tells me that ...
