Questions tagged [phrases]

句. More than one word in a row. In linguistics, this term is used for a string of words that forms a syntactic constituent, generally with a head and zero or more dependents, above the word level but below the clause level. However, on this site, the tag is used with the simple definition non-linguists are more likely to be familiar with; linguists can understand this definition as "strings of more than one word".

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What does 「連中の宣伝にならんだろ」mean in this sentence?

From Persona 5 テレビ観ました? 会社がハッカーに狙われるかも・ウチみたいな零細、相手にするかよ。 連中の宣伝にならんだろ。 What does 「連中の宣伝にならんだろ」mean in this sentence? At first I guessed that it means "it's not good publicity (宣伝) for them (連中),&...
SIREN's user avatar
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What did my friend mean? (Fukuoka Dialect)

I was talking to my friend at school today and I said her chicken she bought looked good. She replied with 「美味しいよとたい!」or 「美味しいよとだい!」possibly 「美味しいよ取ったい」or something along those lines. We live in ...
grocerystorecarrots's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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Does とみに here mean intensely?

サトルは正義感がとみに強い男ではあるが、それをいいことに利用しようとすりよる輩も存在していた。 The 広辞苑 dictionary lists とみに to have the meaning of しきりに : しきりに。「老眼が―進んだ」「国運―衰える」 which on of its meanings is "intensely".so, does とみに here ...
goldenlight's user avatar
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Is this なことには here functions the same as 不思議なことには?

さらに重要なことには、これほどの美女がネズミを駆除するなど誰も信じない i encountered this sentence on the witcher3 . Is this なことには here functions the same as 不思議なことには?
goldenlight's user avatar
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100 views

Are there any rules for determining accent phrases?

Recently, I've been doing Japanese language processing. As far as I know, Japanese is a tone language and there is only one accent nucleus in an accent phrase in most cases. So, basically, there are ...
Sophiefy's user avatar
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How is 「相手」being used here?

From the ”上級で学ぶ日本語” N2 level book, page 51, ローソク島 reading, 2nd to the last line of the 2nd paragraph. In the story the author is convinced to go visit "Candlestick Island" by the employees ...
Mark Bradt's user avatar
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1 answer
80 views

When are good situations to use the phrase "見事にやられた"?

When are good situations to use the phrase "見事にやられた" ? In the language guide book "Shadowing," the authors use it to refer to doing very badly on an exam. Thank you.
Conan Wong's user avatar
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The usage of 議論の余地

I can't figure out if the phrase 議論の余地 is used to convey the meaning of "there is no room for arguing about that" or what else it conveys. Also, is it weird to use it? I couldn't find many ...
Asaf Ayalon's user avatar
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What is the implied subject in 夏から秋にかける?

Consider 夏から秋にかけて台風がよく来ます。 Typhoons frequently come from summer to autumn. I know that 夏から秋にかけて effectively means "from summer to autumn". But more literally I assume it means "from ...
George's user avatar
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What does 「やっぱり申告制でひとつ」mean in this context? [duplicate]

Context: MC is asking 2 of his subordinates about their desired salary/ allowance, which he will pay for them. Since he has been isekai'd , he doesn't know about the average salary/ income or ...
goldenlight's user avatar
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why using た in これからはどうしたものか? [duplicate]

The phrase 「これから」 refers to the future, while 「た」 refers to the past. Why can they be used in this way?
shepherd's user avatar
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Understanding 気分任せの足跡

I'm translating the song “はだしの軌跡” from Final Fantasy X-2: Vocal Collection - Rikku. 気分まかせの足跡つけて新しい地図 描こう I’m translating this lyric from right to left, reading as “Let’s draw a new map by...” ...
A.T.A.'s user avatar
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What does ばかりで in "愉快な仲間ばかりで頼もしいぜ" mean

愉快な仲間ばかりで頼もしいぜ I can not understand the ばかりで in this sentence. Are ばかり and で stand together or both of them stand alone?
Kei's user avatar
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Does the いは in 或いは come from any term, and if so, how is it/was it used?

I was curious about いは in 或いは because ある is in its plain form however I can't find anything on it. I don't have any physical dictionary, either nor knowledge of if this is archaic Japanese
Star Peep's user avatar
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What does 気持ちの余裕 mean here?

唐朽さんと別れた後、仕方が無いのでトイレで着替えを済ませることに。 肌は若干ベタつくものの、服が濡れているのと濡れていないのでは気持ちの余裕が違う Context: a character's thought after he dived into a lake, and helped a girl retrieved her handkerchief . Now he had to ...
goldenlight's user avatar
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Can anyone explain こんなもんよ?

This is a phrase I came across while watching Pokemon in Japanese. The fan subtitles have it translated as "How are you doing now?". However, from looking at a Japanese dictionary, that does ...
Joeyy14's user avatar
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Are (Verb+べく) combos considered to be adverbial phrases?

In sentences that involve (Verb + べく) combinations, as in: 身近な人間は(なるべく)避けたほうがいいな… As for people close to me, (as much as possible) it's best to avoid them.. (勉強すべく)図書館に行った。 I went to the library (in ...
George's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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How would you ask for help for someone else?

I'm trying to figure out the best way to ask for help on someone else's behalf, like in "Could you help my friend with the elevator?". For myself, I would think that something like "...
Biopanda's user avatar
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1 answer
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Meaning of idioms difficult to translate

I have to understand two japanese idioms and I am having a very hard time finding a meaning for them (on a dictionary I mean). Can someone explain them to me 机上 as in 「机上実行」 related to the execution ...
KansaiRobot's user avatar
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Can anyone help me fill in the blanks of a kid's rhyme?

My 4 year old has been going to a Japanese preschool for a few weeks and has picked up a rhyme/chant that all the kids say before they eat. I'd love to learn it too so we can say it together at home, ...
Meecho's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
168 views

Why does ごめん or すみません with て form make the sentence, Sorry for (...)?

I learned that て form is used to combine with lots of things, but when putting て form with one other thing, it normally means ... and .... So why does putting て form with ごめん or すみません make it sorry ...
Infernoboy's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
201 views

How to analyze たこともある?

In Tobira chapter 11 grammar, one of the examples is 奈良は京都と並んで、古い歴史のある町で、日本の首都だったこともある。 I don't seem to find any information about たこともある on the entire web. I understand there is no difference between ...
joan doe's user avatar
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1 answer
62 views

Understanding 「難しいのと簡単なやつ」

In 難しいのと簡単なやつ、どっちがいい? Do you want the hard ones or the easy ones? Just confirming that の is nomalizing 難しい (i.e. 難しいの is equivalent to 難しいのこと here)? Is the と here "and"? (As in: is this ...
George's user avatar
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How to translate "the movie deserves better than what it got at the box office", specifically the "got" part in Japanese

I'm trying to explain this english phrase in Japanese, specifically the "got" part of this phrase. I'm a native English speaker, but I'm not a teacher so it's difficult to explain this ...
James Halim's user avatar
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1 answer
65 views

What does "なくす" mean in this phrase?

カメラで人を見つけて踏切の事故をなくす I don't know a meaning of "Nakusu" in this phrase. Can someone help me with this?
Sakanadeバンジーガム's user avatar
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2 answers
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Help with understanding roles and meaning of this phrase: 脳が処理をしないかのどちらかなんだ

The phrase is part of this following line: 普段の生活の中に埋もれている何気ないことなど気にも留めないし、知覚したとしてもすぐに忘れるか、脳が処理をしないかのどちらかなんだ。 Actually I'm also unsure about the role and meaning of the か in the second to last clause ...
Gianni Trattore's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
80 views

Meaning of the "Ni Naru" in this phrase

14年前に秋葉原で7人が殺された事件 男が死刑になる Does anyone know what's the translation? i'm unable to translation because of "ni naru". i know "ni naru + noun" means "to became", but i don'...
Sakanadeバンジーガム's user avatar
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1 answer
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Help breaking down this sentence: 配役も、今やったので良かったと思う

Context: Rui: それで——みんな、(ショーは)どうだい? 軽くとおしてやってみたけれど Tsukasa: うむ! 申し分ないと思うぞ! シチュエーションも場所に合っているしな Nene: 配役も、今やったので良かったと思う I can understand each word's meaning, but I'm a little confused as to what to ...
Marie OP's user avatar
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「予習」はどういう意味ですか。 [closed]

what is the usage of the word [よしゅう] in Japanese. What is the best answer out of these four answers given.
charitha priyankara's user avatar
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1 answer
84 views

How do you build the equivalent of an English noun phrase in Japanese?

For example, if I wanted to say "the fear of drowning" or "the desire to do something" in Japanese, how would I do that? 溺れるという恐怖? 何かしたいという気持ち? These two sentences sound correct ...
Barcia's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
437 views

傷つけるような真似する meaning?

I'm stuck on what this could mean. the context is: おい、庭園や屋敷を傷つけるような真似するんじゃねえぞ? Is the speaker implying that damage has been done by the other person before? Is this some sort of saying? I'll leave ...
Marie OP's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
236 views

"これが喜ばずにいられると思うかい?" meaning?

I'm working on a translation and am having trouble making sense of this phrase. I tried looking up the meaning each individual word and putting the phrase through Google Translate, but something doesn'...
Marie OP's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
81 views

まさかこれから毎回ここまで来て言うのか?

So I'm making a translation for a scene from a video game, and stumbled upon this phrase. I understand every word individually, but I'm struggling to make sense of all those words together. The ...
Marie OP's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Can I say 無理しないでください when asking someone to not bother too much?

Can I say "無理しないでください" to someone who wants to bring me a gift, but I want to tell him that something small is ok and not to bother too much? Or is there something else that would sound ...
Sveta's user avatar
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1 answer
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Understanding 「同居している25歳の女性に暴行を加え殺害したとして」

I'm having trouble understanding the bolded parts from a sentence from the first episode of Death Note: 本日正午過ぎ東京都渋谷(しぶや)区で⸺同居している25歳の女性に暴行を加え殺害したとして Questions: I'm assuming the single verb "...
George's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
255 views

What does 一生やってろ exactly mean?

I’ve seen this phrase being used and it just confuses me. I wanted to see if I could find an explanation for the phrase. A direct translation would be something like "Do it for the rest of your ...
wquisndjf's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
135 views

Verb in て-form before a noun

I came across this sentence: 「東京」は、京都から見て東の京(首都)という意味です。 I don't understand why there 見る is in て-form. I've never met uses of て-form before a noun. To me it looks like a typo. Do I miss something?
user144765's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
458 views

Masculine/ Dominant voice in Japanese:

I am an early 30s male with upper intermediate – advanced Japanese and I had some questions about the masculine voice. I do not use the common feminine words (かしら、statement〜なの、using my name in third ...
UnderscoreEX's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
266 views

What does「やや巻きで進行中」mean?

What does「やや巻きで進行中」mean? "やや" literally means "slightly" and looking up "巻き" I keep getting "roll", which is probably not the intended meaning here. So by ...
greenMaven's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
149 views

よりほかはない ほかしかたがない

I am pretty sure I have heard native speakers say things like あの大事故の中で、けが一つなかったのは奇跡と言うほかありません My question is can I use this construct or the similar usage ほかしかたがない to describe something decidedly ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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Different ways to express the idea of something being "concrete" (see provided English example) in adjective form using Japanese?

In English, the noun "concrete" can be used as an adjective to describe other nouns. This usage implies something like "physical", "tangible", "legitimate", or ...
87sadao's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
75 views

Understanding と勝手が違っていけねえや

スカーフの下のレイドデバイスを外そうとして、後部箱型荷台の整備クルーから知覚同調で通信が入る。 『──ノウゼン少尉』 「伍長、無線のスイッチが入ったままだ」  知覚同調と無線の双方から同じ舌打ちが一つ。 『いけね、そうでした。どうもこの、知覚同調ってのは無線と勝手が違っていけねえや。何でじゃじゃ馬に加えてこれまでうちの隊で実験するんだか……と。弾薬の補充、...
chino alpha's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
300 views

In the Japanese dub of Frozen, Anna says 'unmei' (fate/destiny; the late Sayaka Kanda) instead of 'true love' (Kristen Bell)?

In frozen Japanese dub, Anna, voiced by the late Sayaka Kanda, says unmei (運命 , うんめい) instead of 'true love' as it was originally said in Kristen Bell's portrayal. Is 運命 just treated synonymously as, ...
BCLC's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
1k views

Kaguya-sama: Does maji manji (マジ卍) really translate to based or dope A.F.?

Related I guess: Japanese slang - まんじ、マンジ、卍 From Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: In S02E09, specifically Chapter 82, when Yu (Ishigami) praises Kaguya by describing Kaguya as 'maji manji', the translation ...
BCLC's user avatar
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1 answer
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How can I say "away at lunch" (e.g. on a sign)?

How can I say "away at lunch" (e.g. on a sign)? I thought I might be able to just write 「昼食中」 - is that correct?
ineedham's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Understanding 策に出る

〈ジャガーノート〉の主兵装は、敵のそれとは比べるのもおこがましい貧弱な五七ミリ砲、堅牢を極めた重戦車型の装甲など前後左右、どの位置からでもいかな近距離でも撃ちぬけない。有効な攻撃箇所はただ一点、そこを狙える位置まで接近するため、まずはその巨体の死角を外から補う目を潰し、付け入る隙を増やす策に出た。 86─エイティシックス─ What does に出る mean here? Does 策に出る ...
chino alpha's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
256 views

Is the '最高の女' (saikou no onna?) the thing that 'best girl' memes/terms are based on?

I'm kind of an anime/manga n00b, but I notice people on forums always talk about like who is 'best girl' (or 'best boy' or 'best guy' Idk) in any particular anime/manga series. Then I noticed in this ...
BCLC's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
85 views

Why "We've worked" can't be in the past?

On Duolingo with the phrase "We've worked at this bakery since twenty eleven." It doesn't accept 私たちは2011年からこのパン屋で働いていました. It says the correct answer is 私たちは2011年からこのパン屋で働いています Why can't I ...
user5507535's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
152 views

Understanding と変わらない

「……いずれにせよ、砲撃にあたり前進観測機が必要なのは長距離砲兵型と変わらない。今のところ砲自体も沈黙したままだ」 86─エイティシックス─ 安里アサト Does the と変わらない mean "the same as" here? If not, how should I interpret it more accurately?
chino alpha's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
4k views

What's the difference between Kaguya's 'O kawaii koto' and Miyuki (Shirogane)'s 'O kawaii yatsu-me'?

From Kaguya-sama: Love Is War: As you know (Gasai) from memes, Kaguya often says (either actually or in Miyuki's imagination) 'お可愛いこと' (o kawaii koto). You can even see like a compilation here. ...
BCLC's user avatar
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