Questions tagged [phrase-requests]
Topics related to finding a phrase that fits a given context or meaning.
19
questions
11
votes
2answers
452 views
Proportion and Rate
How do I form a sentence pattern for:
The more/less X happens, the more/less Y happens
E.g. The more you stir, the faster the salt dissolves.
The colder the weather, the more ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
How to invoke God/spirits in Japanese
No, this is not about any Buddhist chant or mantra that can be used to call forth Japanese gods or heavenly spirits, but rather about any specialized words or interjections that attract attention of ...
7
votes
3answers
23k views
How to say “no thank you, I don't want / need it”?
Sometimes I am offered something but because I'm just a beginner I don't know what verb they used.
I know the proper way to say "no" is to answer with the negative form of the verb the other person ...
18
votes
3answers
13k views
How do you ask for “the bill” at a restaurant?
This is probably a bit of a silly question, but what do you say in Japanese when you're asking for the bill in a restaurant? Or is it unusual to say anything at all?
When I was in Japan I could never ...
5
votes
1answer
2k views
Openings and Closings (Salutations and Valedictions) When Writing a Letter/E-mail
This question came to me because I am writing a personal thank-you letter to a friend's family who hosted me in their home over the holidays. What is the proper way to address the entire family? For ...
8
votes
2answers
8k views
Is there a form for “I have never heard of”?
Some examples of what I'm trying to convey:
I have never heard that song before.
I have never heard of Miyazawa Kenji
I have never heard of that before?
I've never heard of that store?
What verb ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
How do you say “If only things were different”?
Context: Bob is angry that event X happened today. A series of unfortunate events throughout his life led up to this crappy day, and thus he thinks to himself, "if only things were different". How do ...
6
votes
1answer
5k views
How to express “X sounds like Y”
How can I express the idea that one word sounds like another?
As a concrete example, I wanted to say, 「フライアー」sounds like 「fryer」.
Looking in dictionaries (wadoku/jisho) for "sound like" turns up 「...
11
votes
3answers
7k views
How do you say “You have gotten better at X”?
I was just reminded on another site that "being good at something" is expressed as [上手]{じょうず}/[上手]{うま}い, not いい. How do you tell someone they "have gotten better at something"? Xさん, 料理することがもっと上手いですね。 ...
9
votes
3answers
918 views
How would you say “for all I know” using 限り/限る in Japanese?
The best I can think of is 僕が知る限り + fact + とは限らない. Does this work, are there better alternatives?
5
votes
1answer
750 views
Japanese equivalent of “caught red handed”?
Is there a colloquial phrase in Japanese that would be the same as or similar in meaning to the English phrase "caught red handed"?
7
votes
5answers
65k views
Question about supposedly a Japanese proverb
I came across to this sentence:
The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the
world. The second face, you show to your close friends, and your
family. The third face, ...
7
votes
4answers
13k views
How to say, “things like”
If you want to say "things like" you can use とか、など、and し。
What if you don't want to list out several things. You want to say, "things like A." Then what do you do?
6
votes
2answers
22k views
How to say “See you soon” when meeting up with someone
I'm just wondering a simple way to say "See you soon" when the context is that you are talking to your friend remotely (via phone/messaging) and you plan to meet up with them in the very near future (...
6
votes
3answers
5k views
How to say “You are lying!”
How do I say "You are lying!" in a joking way?
Can I say:
嘘{うそ}だよ
or is there a friendlier way to say it?
3
votes
4answers
2k views
What's the polite way to invite someone to do something?
For example: "If you want to practice English, feel free/you are welcome to message me". How do you carry the nuance of "you are welcome to but don't feel obliged?" If I said 英語を練習したいならメッセージしてください ...
14
votes
4answers
2k views
Is はじめまして only suitable for the first contact?
When I'm contacting a colleague for the first time and we're communicating online, I can use はじめまして as part of my greeting. Likewise, if I'm meeting someone for the first time and it is an in-person ...
5
votes
4answers
14k views
How to thank somebody for their hospitality?
Having been on the receiving end of Japanese hospitality quite a bit in the past week, I'd like to know the best way to thank people for it in Japanese.
I've found several words for "hospitality" but ...
1
vote
2answers
155 views
How to ask if someone wants to continue farming a boss in game / Interrupt to leave
My attempt at both:
A: ボスと戦い直したいか？
Do you want to keep going? (Fight the boss again?)
B: ちょっと・・・
Well... (I don't think I can)
But if I have to leave because of an emergency or about to go ...
