Questions tagged [particles]
助詞. Non-inflecting function words which follow words, phrases, or entire sentences.
1,171
questions
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30 views
Does ~のは…ためです make sense?
There's a sentence in a Japanese grammar book describing the differences between transitive and intransitive verbs.
自動詞: XがVi
他動詞: YがXをVt
... 一方、そうした違い [a general difference described in a previous ...
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17 views
What nuances do ~というところにあります and ~のであって add?
There's a long sentence describing the differences between transitive and intransitive verbs in a Japanese grammar book:
自動詞と他動詞の違いは、自動詞の場合は、自然力の影響などで出来事が起こったのであって、そこには人間などの意志 (意図) は含まれていない、...
4
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1answer
149 views
Unknown string of kana “-始めようとしていたなかで-”?
The above image is screengrabbed from the intro to ロンドン精霊探偵団, a story set in 19th century London. This is a line from the prologue. It reads:
その予感が
人々の中に芽生え始めようとしていたなかで
きままに暮らす ひとりの少年がいた……
I have ...
2
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1answer
158 views
How to say “All [sth.] says is …”
I'm working on a project for my Japanese class. I'm writing about Sweden's right of public access (allemansrätten) (yes, I had to look up a lot of vocabulary) and trying to say "the constitution ...
2
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2answers
73 views
Double negation sentence in manga
だけど...
冷えるんだったら スカートじゃない ほう が いい ん じゃないのか?
I just don't understand this sentence.
I'm not keen on if ん is の(?) in both cases and I assume ほう（方）simply indicates an action and there's a double ...
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2answers
135 views
Question about some grammar structures in the sentence
While I was learing Japanese through 小1くちばし音読・授業・クイズ2, I came acorss sentences at at about the 7 minute mark (thanks to @Leebo) as this:
正解ですね、ここの部分なんですね、この羽がさ頭の部分からぴょんと違う方向に出ているでしょう。これのことを「冠羽」...
2
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1answer
86 views
は after words like 何か or 誰か
So I know you can't use は after an interrogative word like 何 or 誰. However, if you add a か after them, they're no longer interrogative words, right? So I should be able to say something like:
...
2
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2answers
74 views
What is な’ｓfunction in this sentence?
I have not seen な used with a noun in this manner before (I know it can be used with な "nouns" but I do not believe that 日曜日 is one of these) and was wondering what is the exact effect of な ...
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1answer
62 views
Passive voice and complex or connecting sentence
Imagine a situation where you've been informed by Mr. Rentarou that on Wednesday you will have an interview with Ms. Suzuki. Then, you've decided to confirm the information directly to Ms. Suzuki.
I'...
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1answer
43 views
のだとしても vs としても What’s the difference?
そもそも七罪は、士道に霊力を封印される前に、士道や精霊たちを巻き込んで事件を起こしてしまっていたのだ。皆、そのときのことは水に流してくれてはいたのだが……1人くらい、皆に同調したように見せかけて、七罪への恨みを残している者がいてもおかしくはなかった。
しかもそのとき七罪が化けていたのは『よしのん』……四糸乃の無二の友だちなのである。士道や他の精霊たちが学校へ行ってしまった瞬間を見計らって、...
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1answer
86 views
ご存じ how to use properly and why
I found a couple of examples using this noun; neither makes a lot of sense.
i think that ご存じ is an irregular polite form of 知る. However, if that is the case it is a bit odd as the polite form of a ...
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1answer
64 views
Resource for looking up particles for verbs,
I will give an example; 出る is a verb where its unclear what you use as the particle depending on circumstance. if you are to say something like "Bill appeared on stage." you would use the ...
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1answer
71 views
Can が be replaced by something else in this structure?
So reviewing basic grammar I've come across a structure where you use は and が to show contrast in the following way:
(私は)土曜日は暇ですが、日曜日は忙しいです。
This sentence sounds right to me, but it would sound ...
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1answer
41 views
function of に in 学業にスポーツ [duplicate]
学業にスポーツ、なにをやっても秀でいる兄と違い、原島は、何もかもが平凡であった。
I can`t figure out the meaning/funtction of に in this sentence...
I checked a page which listed several usages of に but nothing seems to fit
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1answer
66 views
Interchangeability of も and と to emphasize size
Both も and と, when used with counters, emphasize the size of the amount being mentioned. From what I've learned, も usually emphasizes how "large" it is while と emphasizes how "small&...
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2answers
103 views
how to know when to say “ha” or “wa” with は
it is going to be the end of week 3 in learning japanese and i've noticed how sometimes in sentences the hiragana は can sound like "wa" as well, why is this so? And also when do i know when ...
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1answer
63 views
Ne & yone purposes
それは最近話題の本ですね.
その 会社は 欧米に 進出しているよね。
How would each of these sentences fit in a conversation? Ne & yone are very nuanced so surrounding context would help me understand their purposes, thank you.
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2answers
120 views
Why is では used here? What does it do to the meaning of this sentence?
I came across a sentence that has puzzled me.
今度ばかりはいたずらでは済まされません｡
Why is では used here?
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1answer
84 views
Why is を used instead of が in the following sentence?
While translating Kanzaki Iori's song '命に嫌われている', I've found strange the following sentence:
...誰かを嫌うこともファッションで...
Isn't が used in sentences like "I like/hate sth"? Please explain why here ...
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1answer
45 views
となる vs になる - Grammar [duplicate]
There is a whole video describing the grammar but its in Japanese .
How would you explain the difference between:
彼がリーダーとなった
And
彼がリーダーになった
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1answer
77 views
Function of なワケ of 一体何の用なワケ?
すると、士道が話を切り出すより早く、焦れたように三人が声を発してきた。 「……で、一体何の用なワケ？こんな手紙で呼び出すなんて」
Context: In the name of 士道, a letter was sent to 亜衣, one of 士道’s classmates, telling her (亜衣) to go alone to meet 士道 in a cafe. But it ...
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1answer
85 views
に followed by nouns, what is its usage?
Most of the usages of に I've seen have it directly followed by a verb directly attached to it. (The location of existance にある/にいる, The action objective e.g 私は電車に乗りました, etc)
I know there are some that ...
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1answer
150 views
Can に be translated to “be”?
I've been trying to learn Japanese for a little over a month now which let me finally read this little tag line on a My Hero Academia poster I have 「最高のヒーローに」
Once I looked up the meaning of each ...
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1answer
93 views
Why is 毎日 placed before 家 here?
"妻は毎日家でお茶を飲みます。"
It seems so weird. I was told by a Native that in Japanese, they tend to put words for time at the start of the sentence, so putting it before 妻 makes sense to me. I'm using ...
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1answer
60 views
Interrogative/Counters with か、も、でも, but also with particles
I know that by attaching か、も、でも to the end of an interrogative word can form a new meaning, but if particles are also used, where should the position of each thing be?
Example:
Which day? いつの日？
Some ...
4
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1answer
170 views
What does 「で」mean in 「試合で 失敗しました」? Why not use 「に」?
I just did the listening Mondai 2 for Lesson 33 of Minna No Nihongo 2 (the older ver.).
And in question 5, it says「山田君は 今の試合で 失敗しましたが、次の試合で 頑張ります。」
I've learned that you use 「に」before 「失敗する」, and I ...
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1answer
139 views
Evolution of が (ga) particle: How did use as conjunctive arise from use as a subject marker
As mentioned in this post,
が started as an attributive case particle, became a subject particle, and then turned into a conjunctive particle.
and in modern Japanese it has its main uses as both a ...
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1answer
97 views
Can you add a “cause” to an intransitive verb with に
I was wondering if when you have the transitive statement
誰が窓を[開]{あ}けた？
You can make an intransitive version like
窓は誰に[開]{あ}いた？
I can't find any sources that tell if you can add the "actual&...
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1answer
39 views
Meaning of “であること” in “親子であることのむずかしさについて (…)”
There is a book called 街場の親子論 by 内田樹, and I'm trying to read its preface on the author's blog. There is the following sentence:
ここでは「まえがき」として、もう少し一般的なこと、親子であることのむずかしさについて思うところを書いてみたいと思います。
I ...
2
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1answer
129 views
What does と mean when it is at the beginning of a sentence？
I believe it is acting maybe as a conjunction of すると But I'm not 100% sure。Here is the paragraph for full context.
さすがに少女の落胆にも物申したいところだが、自分の不甲斐なさが身にしみていてついつい言葉が出てこない。
と,それまで彼女の肩の上で沈黙を守っていた小猫が尻尾を振りながら
...
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1answer
78 views
How to say 'also', but in different contexts? [duplicate]
I am trying to work out how to say 'Today is also my birthday', but I can think of three different situations and wondering what is the best way to say each of them in Japanese.
[Not only is it ...
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2answers
74 views
Function of で in these lyrics
I've been trying to self-translate the lyrics for Secret Base, and this line somehow confuses me.
突然の 転校で どうしようもなく
What exactly is the use of the で here? And what is its translation?
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0answers
81 views
Word Order で And に before topic
I am Slightly confused about the word order for に And で
Are both of these examples correct and the only difference the emphasis?
私は夏に公園で先生に会います: I am meeting my teacher at the park in the summer
...
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1answer
87 views
When would you use the volitional form with なんて?
Why is the volitional form being used here?
荒地{あれち}の魔女{まじょ}に張{は}りあおうなんて いい度胸{どきょう}ね (Source: Howl's Moving Castle)
Is it that なんて is functioning as a kind of quotation particle here as well as its ...
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0answers
59 views
How to use いざ…や and what it exactly means
I have problems understanding how いざ...や works in the following sentence.
たとえ部長からの文書だろうが、そんなもの(経費報告書)は認められるわけがない、と新田は思った。ところが、いざ抗議文が届くや、上司は主張を全面的に認め、そのケンカは新田の完全敗北で終わったのであった。
I'm quite sure that it ...
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1answer
74 views
は and を with Passive verb
Why does を show the nuance of the speaker being prejudiced in this ?
Example:
With は
窓は田中さんに開けられた
The window was opened by Tanaka
With を
田中さんに窓を開けられた
Tanaka opened the window [and now I am ...
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0answers
46 views
What is the difference between the conditionals なら & ば?
Examples:
なら：
みんなが行くなら私も行く
ば：
楽しくなければ、私も行かない
What is the difference between the two?
なら says it's used to represent what will happen in a given context. ば says there is no condition. I understand と (...
2
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1answer
61 views
How does the なら particle work in the sentence [地獄なら知っている]?
A recent episode of Re: Zero is titled 地獄なら知っている, when I watched the preview I could not understand exactly what it meant but when I finally saw the translation, they translated it as "I know ...
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2answers
145 views
Is there a particle dropped in the sentence お届け物いたします?
In the sign in the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service" it says お届け物いたします.
In this case is the particle を or が dropped due to informal spoken language?
Is the tacit が the person offering the ...
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1answer
76 views
Why is に used with causativeて+もらう but not causativeて +くれる?
Example:
両親が一人で日本に行かせてくれた
My parents let me go to Japan alone
And
両親に一人で日本に行かせてもらった
My parents let me go [after me asking] to Japan alone
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1answer
55 views
には agent or object of the potential form?
This sentence is translated as: "In the end I could never beat him, not even once" by JTest4You
結局彼には、一度も勝てなかった
So the agent in I which is assumed here. But I was under the impression that ...
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1answer
110 views
I need help with parsing out this one, really long sentence from a book
I'm not sure if I would consider myself advanced or n2 level just yet, but I bought a Japanese book recently (an autobiography) to get more input. I'm slowly translating words on Jisho, reading about ...
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0answers
64 views
Break down … にはならない
The context of my question is the usage of a grammar point from a JLPT 文法 textbook. It is not the grammar point itself that I am asking about, but rather the grammar used to explain the grammar point. ...
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0answers
47 views
Can もreplace へ?
Would it be OK to say
おととい は はいしゃ へ いったり, とこや も いったり しました
using とこや も いったり instead of とこや へ いったり?
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1answer
52 views
How are the working in these sentence these two: かも and or か and も
I came across the paragraph in NHK:
ただし、国内では電気自動車のシェアは現状では1％に満たず、日本自動車工業会のまとめでは、去年国内で販売された乗用車のうちハイブリッド車が147万台余りだったのに対し、電気自動車は2万台余りにとどまっています。
...
2
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1answer
131 views
I want to be able to speak more casual Japanese. I just wanted to know if it was possible to drop です out of a sentence. example: これは犬
Could I drop です out of a sentence? I want to be able to speak more casual Japanese. I just wanted to know if it was possible to drop です out of a sentence. example: これは犬
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16 views
Difference between 在留資格のある外国人 and 在留資格がある外国人 [duplicate]
In this NHK news, the title is written as
在留資格のある外国人
But in the article, the last paragraph is written as
在留資格がある外国人
From my understanding of grammar, the first one 在留資格のある外国人 is 「NのN」 and then a sub-...
0
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1answer
116 views
Fuction of 私に when someone else wants someone to do something
私の妻はこの古いよい帽子を私にすててほしいと思っている。
I understand this sentence, but when I dissect it, I realize I'm not sure why に is being used. Does anyone care to explain?
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2answers
89 views
How is と working here?
海外で目指すビジネスのねらいについて、下村さんは、「僕らは『世界の農業の頭脳』になりたい。データを集めることで、例えば、地球温暖化の原因とされるメタンガスをあまり出さない牛をどうしたら作ることができるかも提案できる」と夢を語ってくれました。
Is と working here as WITH or IF or what?
Personally I think is WITH, but I am ...
4
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1answer
360 views
How many case marking particles are there?
I'm having some trouble finding out how many case marker particles (格助詞) there are in Japanese. The answers I find range from 9 to 11, depending on the site. Almost all of the ones I've found agree on ...
