Questions tagged [spoken-language]
音声言語（話し言葉）. Language that is more typical of speech than writing, including contractions, omissions, and other verbal mechanisms characteristic of speech.
137
questions
3
votes
1answer
204 views
How to address / refer to a specific kanji in speech
Original Question
When talking about kanjis or trying to explain a certain kanji, how do Japanese people usually refer to that specific kanji in speech without having to write anything or point to ...
6
votes
1answer
420 views
Saying い adjectives without pronouncing the い
As the title above, why do japanese locals remove theいfrom the いadjective when speaking. For example, I have heard words like 早、やば、高 being used when speaking. Is this only used amongst friends (very ...
13
votes
1answer
7k views
What to say at the cash register in the convenience store
I just came back from Japan, it is my first time, so I found myself in the situations, that I wasn't prepared for.
At the convenience store I noticed natives tend not to say much to the staff at all, ...
1
vote
1answer
87 views
Asking informal questions with 何
how do you form informal questions with 何 and without ですか？
would 何 just go at the end?
「あなたの大好きな季節何？」
and is it appropriate to leave off です or だ with な adjectives and nouns? i’ve seen 〜なの？used, but ...
1
vote
2answers
301 views
5
votes
1answer
679 views
What does こういうの refer to in こういうのって天然が一番怖いのよ
どこまでドジっ娘なのよ、あの子
あはは…ま、まあ、わざとじゃないんだし
こういうのって天然が一番怖いのよ
context: あの子 forgot something back in her room that they need and is in the process of going to get it and the other two then begin to ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
の and のです. What’s their semantic purpose and meaning?
So, I've reached a spoken language topic and encountered difficulties with understanding those particles that are used in spoken language. Particularly with の. My book says that, for example, の ...
19
votes
5answers
3k views
How do Japanese speakers transition from polite to plain form amongst friends?
When you first meet somebody, polite language is, on the whole, the most commonly used form of Japanese. Children may differ, and I understand that not everyone will use plain form, but regardless a ...
6
votes
2answers
3k views
2
votes
2answers
793 views
わからない vs わかね in My Boss My Hero
I was watching My Boss My Hero, and I could have sworn he said わかね instead of わからない. Is this feasible? Is there some dialect that drops off ない for ね?
3
votes
1answer
4k views
The usage of いや in response to questions
My question is about the usage and meaning of いや in response to questions. Take, for example, the 2 examples below.
1)
「僕たちは、もっと親睦を深める必要があると思うのでござるよ」
「いきなりどうしたのよ、何か思うところでも？」
「いや、...
4
votes
2answers
165 views
Translating “you” as 君 when giving a definition
I am trying to define the word "deceive". In English, I would say something like this (regardless of whether or not it is a good definition):
To deceive someone means that you lie to someone, and ...
2
votes
1answer
107 views
understanding what sounds like 「だけどお値段はもっていません。」
西友 CM 盛ってます編
懐中電灯盛り。 The flashlight style.
角ハンガー盛り。 The corner hanger style.
延長コード盛り。 The extension cord style.
ジャポニカ学習帳盛り。 ...
2
votes
3answers
121 views
Use of の + how to construct a phrase without it
First, this is my very first post here, and I am a complete newbie when it comes to the Japanese language. I have, however, been very interested in the Japanese language and culture: I have been doing ...
4
votes
0answers
134 views
Difference between “foot” and “leg” in spoken Japanese [duplicate]
After going on a long run, if you want to say, "My feet are sore", I would imagine that in Japanese you would say 「足が痛い」. If you want to say, "My legs are sore", I imagine that would be 「脚が痛い」.
How ...
1
vote
2answers
99 views
Adverb Word Choice
I was writing the following message to an exchange friend and I struggled to find adverbs to pair with the verb 遊ぶ, and now I'm wondering a broader question about adverbs in general:
兄はカリフォるニアから来ました。...
2
votes
0answers
109 views
Thank you speech for schools and city officials [closed]
I have to give speeches for a group of 5th grade students and their parents that thanks the schools and cities for hosting us and showing us around. since i am the only parent that somewhat knows ...
12
votes
3answers
465 views
Do people actually ever say みょうにち?
I've heard people using あした (the common one) and あす (rather uncommon) to refer to "tomorrow".
I was wondering does anyone actually uses the reading みょうにち ?
8
votes
4answers
14k views
How do I spell “So! So! So! So! So!”?
I've heard people say "So! So! So! So! So!" (or possibly "Sou! Sou! Sou!" or maybe using "z" instead of "s" - I'm bad at hearing) when laughing in agreement.
When middle-aged women speak Japanese ...
0
votes
1answer
197 views
手に入る how to know proper reading
I have noticed that 手に入る can be read in two ways: te ni hairu or te ni iru
Jisho accepts only the first option
But most (phonetic) keyboards allow to write it using the second form and I have an ...
6
votes
2answers
234 views
Distinguishing between んな/な, んの/の, etc
I'm learning Japanese, but I'm still very early on in my education (Rosetta Stone, some books and a Japanese-speaking friend). I'm pretty sure I'm grasping the basic concepts okay, but I'm having ...
2
votes
0answers
30 views
Reading/speaking of 「市場」, which one can I use kun'yomi or on'yomi? [duplicate]
I came across the word [市場], which means market. In google translate the reading is 'Ichiba' but when I played the sound it gave me the sound 'shinjyou'.
I am aware that there are two readings for a ...
2
votes
1answer
323 views
How do I address a young lady properly in person?
In real life, if I were to meet a stranger who is a young woman around my age in Japan, how would I--a man--call her without knowing her name? For instance, how should I say, "Excuse me, miss, you're ...
5
votes
2answers
164 views
Translation of ～てどうか
I recently had a major error on my translation for an agency, and am still confused.
The wider context is that this person doesn't like dealing (being seen) by staff when borrowing money, so prefers ...
2
votes
1answer
230 views
Help me understand spoken Japanese
I don't understand this whatsoever:
やれやれ
だから言わんこっちゃない
especially the bolded part. What real words does that come from?
Context is that the main character got a cold from staying outside all ...
0
votes
1answer
122 views
what is grammar pattern for やさしくった
I watched a series. There is a scene, while subtitle text is written as 優しく言ってあげた I heard something like やさしくったあげた。 so I did some search to check if this usage exist in real world. In google I found ...
4
votes
2answers
206 views
Meaning of 一度や二度じゃ、とうてい伝えきれないくらいに
その返事と、その笑顔が、一番たまらなかった。
一度や二度じゃ、とうてい伝えきれないくらいに。
My main confusion is with the 一度や二度じゃ part of the above. The character just confessed his feelings to someone and after hearing her response we ...
1
vote
1answer
150 views
“What about X?”, one more meaning
In English I can say "what about X?" to mean "why did you mention X?", "what were you going to say about X?", "what does it have to do with X?" and so on.
How can I ask the same thing in japanese? ...
3
votes
1answer
138 views
Using Japanese with my child
I have been learning/using Japanese for the past 16 years and now that I have become a mother to my 3 month old son, I would like to bring him up exposed to both English and Japanese. I haven't had ...
3
votes
2answers
397 views
How to use the emotional って？
That comes from Ranma 1/2. Ranma asked Akane to wake up him up, and she did that by throwing water on him.
He then said:
何しやがるんだ！
What the hell are ya doing!
When she left, he then thought out ...
2
votes
1answer
269 views
What happened to original, pre-Kanji, Japanese words?
Some of the most common words in Japanese seem to have their origin in Chinese:
会議、日本、世界、先生、。。。
The evidence for this is, as far as I know, the fact that these words are written with characters, ...
3
votes
1answer
212 views
Why だからよ is considered “girly talk” and だからね is not?
So I was talking to a friend when he told me, as the title says, that:
だからよ is "girly talk" but だからね is correct
for instance:
昨日は楽しい、お酒を飲んだからね (according to him, totally ok and natural)
...
0
votes
1answer
151 views
Can't understand this spoken sentence
I can't quite tell what the person is trying to say here:
今日は酒____悪いなー！
Something about the sake is bad but what? It almost sounds like he is saying ぐせ悪い but I can't find a word that would match ...
2
votes
1answer
569 views
What's the difference between って and って言ってた
I'm guessing it's a matter of direct vs. indirect?
兄は「１分だけ、くださいね」って
My older brother said "Just a minute, please"
兄は１分だけと言ってた。
My older brother said just a minute.
12
votes
2answers
680 views
What do I do when I encounter “Written Japanese”?
I have read in grammar dictionaries some words/phrases that are labelled as "Written Japanese" and should not be used in normal speech.
Let's take for example the sentence-ending こと indicating a ...
1
vote
1answer
114 views
Any common, noteworthy changes in speech when a 日本人 is totally wasted?
Now, I've never met a Japanese person who's gotten hammered, much less creepily observed their speaking patterns. Thus, I must ask: are there any common or noteworthy changes in how people speak while ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
What is the meaning/usage of あのね/あのな at the start of a sentence?
によによ
によによ
ちょ、なによ、その顔{かお}？何{なに}か言いたい{いいたい}の、二人{ふたり}とも？
何{なに}もありません。ただ、今{いま}はこういう反応{はんのう}をすべきかと思いまして{おもいまして}。
俺{おれ}はサイエに自分{じぶん}と同じ{おなじ}顔{かお}をしろと言われて{いわれて}な。
で、この「によによ」に、なにか意味{いみ}...
2
votes
3answers
791 views
2
votes
1answer
6k views
How to say “I told him that XXX”? [duplicate]
I have a question regarding the word "tell/told"
I want to say "I told him that XXX"
After some research, this is what I came up with.
彼に「XXX」を伝えた。
彼に「XXX」を言った。
I was wondering if they both ...
5
votes
3answers
7k views
Proper way to say “it looks good”
Let's say you're at the barber shop and he's using his mirror to show you how your hair looks like after he's done cutting it, what would be the appropriate and natural way to say "It looks good (...
7
votes
1answer
486 views
Is んですから/ので/… grammatically correct?
I've been told by my teachers not to use んです and から/ので together, but I encounter them sometimes, both by sight and by ear. When I try to use it myself, it's always marked wrong.
For example, I am ...
0
votes
2answers
128 views
When へ is used as a response, to something someone has said, what does it mean?
I have heard the expression used, but can't find its correct spelling or usage.
4
votes
2answers
1k views
What does やっぱり mean in [そこまでなんだって、思っちゃうもん……やっぱり]
「もうみーくん、またそういうこと言って」
「駄目ですか？」
「ううん、それも嬉しい、ドキドキする」
「そこまでなんだって、思っちゃうもん……やっぱり」
I'm a bit confused as to what this やっぱり is doing in the sentence above.
4
votes
1answer
307 views
Speech impediment - slurred speech
Is there a name for a speech impediment like this where, for lack of a better description, it sounds like you're talking after you've bitten your tongue?
「いだだきまあず」 → いただきます
「ごぢぞうざまでぢだあ」 → ごちそうさまでした
...
-1
votes
1answer
81 views
What is the last word being spoken in this audio clip/sentence?
I'm translating an anime episode, and it's pretty much done, save this part and another line. I've tried asking a few people, I've been on reddit, I'vve listened to it one way too many times, but it's ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
3
votes
3answers
869 views
Why deshou in casual speech?
I often see "deshou" instead of "darou" in text where only plain, casual verbs are being used, that is, a converstation between friends, for example. Why is that? Why not darou?
2
votes
1answer
452 views
Term for “maybe” when answering a question in conversation
If someone asks you a question, for example:
明日、一緒に行く？
What is a natural way to say "maybe"?
I am familiar with various ways to express uncertainty:
多分
だろう
かもしれない
However I think none of ...
0
votes
2answers
959 views
What is the Japanese word that sounds like English word “Nonsense” and what is its meaning?
I just heard a Japanese man say what sounded like "Nonsense" said with American accent immediately followed by Japanese "ka ne". Assuming he didn't throw a single American English word in his speech ...
4
votes
1answer
329 views
Is “うん” really used to mean “You're welcome” by children?
In a book about Japanese manners for children (written in Japanese) there is a section which has basic "言葉のマナー", and two versions of several phrases: normal and more polite.
It says that in response ...
