Questions tagged [suffixes]
接尾辞. Endings which can be added to the end of a word and change its meaning or function in some way. Often divided into inflectional (屈折的) and derivational (派生的), although it's not always clear which category a suffix belongs to. Suffixes and prefixes are both types of "affix". Often referred to as 接尾語.
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形 at end of verbs
I know that 形 can be used as a suffix meaning shape that I understand but I don't seem to understand what it's used after a verb like in this sentence.
とりあえず こっちでやることを 絞り それを検討する形のほうが
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どき vs じ when using 〜時 as suffix
I'm trying to figure out exactly when to read 時 as 〜どき or 〜じ, when used as a suffix, as in for example 空腹時, 食事時, as well as this sentence from a game I'm playing:
タウンメンバーの加入時に最大HP+20%
大辞林 defines とき（...
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1answer
149 views
Do friends continue to use chan/kun to refer to each other as adults or do they switch to using san?
Do friends continue to use chan/kun to refer to each other as adults or do they switch to using san?
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What honorifics do college teachers/professors use for their students?
For instance, do they address female students as (Last name)-san or -chan, and males as (Last name)-san or -kun?
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Should I use -Sensei (先生) to refer to a teacher if they aren't my teacher?
Does it make a difference whether they teach at my school, even if they don't teach my class?
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1answer
102 views
When can か振り and 振りbe used?
I know Ｖ辞書系 + 振り means "pretending to do V", as in
僕を気付かなかった振りをして、僕をただ通り過ぎた。
However, I've recently come to know the expression 知ったか振り（しったかぶり), but why is that か there? It seems to have ...
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1answer
321 views
Is 可能 a productive suffix?
I learnt the phrase 再生可能なエネルギー today. The meaning of 再生可能 is clear, but it doesn't appear in any dictionaries I've looked at. In this case 可能 is like adding the suffix '-able' in English.
I wonder if ...
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625 views
Use of 物 as a noun suffix, specifically 配達物
More pain with Duolingo. I've come across the word 配達物{はいたつぶつ}. It's supposed to mean "delivery" but it's not in Jisho, it's not in Weblio, it's not in my beginner paper dictionary and it's ...
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How would Japanese clan leaders address one another aside from the title -dono?
I'm writing a book where several Japanese clans interact with one another in both formal and non-formal settings. I was wondering a few things.
How did clan leaders greet one another? What would be ...
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What's the origin of ～み following a 形容詞?
I found a HiNative question where someone asked about the difference between [痛]{いた}さ and [痛]{いた}み. A native Japanese speaker gave this answer:
「痛さ」は形容詞「痛い」が名詞化した名詞です。
「痛み」は動詞「痛む」の連用形が名詞化した名詞です。
I ...
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1answer
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What is the meaning and pronunciation of 上 in the following sentence?
「新聞・雑誌などの編集上の一区分。」This sentence came from one of the definitions for the word 「欄（らん）」 in the "Super Daijirin" dictionary. I'm having trouble honing in on what specific meaning and ...
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1answer
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Use of ら in 博士ら、 警察官ら
Typically ら is used to form plurals or groups of people in casual situations, when it is used pejoratively, or in set words such as 彼ら. たち seems to be prefered in other situations ○○さんたち、あなたたち、 私達, ...
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What does “焼き” (sorry if i spelled it wrong) mean? [closed]
In Japanese, some foods end in "焼き". What does it mean? some examples: たこ焼き, お好み焼き, 照り焼き, etc. I apologize if I miswrote any of these because I just started learning Japanese. But what does ...
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What is the function of っ in these words ending with っこ? [duplicate]
I've noticed some words ending in こ which seem to insert a っ where it is seemingly unwarranted phonetically.
Examples are 末っ子, 売れっ子, 江戸っ子, 町っ子, etc. I don't see any phonetic issues with the 'expected' ...
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pitch accent for suffixes
I am trying to learn about pitch accent, and I have heard that there are rules for suffixes regarding pitch accent. Are there any resources where I could learn about those rules ?
I am not yet able ...
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1answer
155 views
Is it right say 一人の人魚?
I composed one sentence.
一人の人魚は「彼は動いていない，死んだでしょう」と言いました。The mermaid said 'It seems he isn't moving, maybe he is dead'
Is it right to say 一人 about mermaids? If they are not humans, should I use special ...
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Why does 子供たち mean children while 友達 can mean 1 friend? [duplicate]
たち is a pluralizing suffix. So, 猫たち means cats, 子供たち means children and 人たち means people.
Why can 友達 mean 1 friend, even though there is the word 友 meaning a friend?
(I see that 達 in 友達 is not written ...
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What is the suffix らっしせる?
A Japanese friend, a woman in her seventies who comes from Sapporo and has long resided in Tokyo, and who does not speak in a strong Hokkaido dialect, writes several times in a letter to me the -て ...
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1answer
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Reading of 上 in the sentence:じょう or うえ [duplicate]
I was reading the news when I saw the sentence with 上で (see the sentence with highlight).
I was thinking if it should be read as うえ or じょう。I am inclined to read this as じょう because it doesn't fit ...
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1answer
191 views
Usage of 性 as a suffix in 事件性
I received another tweet from 毎日新聞 this morning (quite sad actually). What bothered me, aside from the news, was the usage of 性 in the sentence:
関係者によると、事件性はないといい、23日未明に病院で死亡が確認された。
I know that 事件 ...
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1answer
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How do you say 〜て form in Japanese?
I’ve tried to google this but I end up with explanations about how to use the ーて form. I want to know how to call it in Japanese, you know, like a noun is 名詞, now do you call the ーて form in ...
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1answer
90 views
Is 方 being used as a suffix in this sentence?
I'm fairly certain 方 is being used as a suffix in the following sentence based on three things; as explained below, but I would like a secondary opinion to confirm or deny my claim.
実戦では、...
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1answer
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Suffix まい in this context
... この事がお母さまに或いは悪い祟りをするのではあるまいかと、心配で心配で...
Kazuka is wondering about if she caused a curse to happen to her mother by burning the snake eggs. I understand the general meaning but the suffix "mai" ...
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1answer
96 views
Difference between “sha” and “in” (i.e. 研究員 vs 研究者) [duplicate]
I'm on first year of Japanese study. I've found on my notes the word "kenkyuusha" (研究者) which means researcher, but while reviewing for vocabulary on the internet I found "kenkyuuin" (研究員) instead.
I ...
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163 views
Suffixes: らしき versus っぽい
I came across the following sentence recently:
バイトらしき女の子に優しく教えてくれた。
Strangely, it was my first time encountering this form of らしい and I understood the meaning immediately, but it brought to mind ...
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強がる usage and meaning
~がる is used to describe third person's feeling but today I found this word "強がる私" I don't know why 強がる is used with first person like 私.
Is it because the speaker speaks in other point of view ?
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1answer
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How does this passive sentence work?
I'm confused with this sentence.
顔はやや仰向きがち に、天の栄光をながめやる 目が、深くやすらか にみひらかれて いた。
I would like to understand how it's constructed.
I think 目 is the passive subject of みひらかれて いた as が is its particle, ...
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1answer
147 views
Use of ママ as suffix to a name?
I've seen ママ used as as sort suffix to names before.
Like here: https://more.hpplus.jp/odekake/o-news/43298/1/
彼ママと初対面
What I'm asking here is: Can I add ママ after any name and that will mean I'm ...
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What is the origin of っこない?
There's a construction V+っこない which means something like "have no way of doing V".
お前には分かりっこないでしょう。
There's no way you would understand.
Is it known what this construction originates from? ...
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1answer
150 views
Information about っちょ noun suffix
I recently encountered the suffix っちょ after a noun in a manga. According to Jisho, it is a suffix used after a noun or the root of an adjective and which means "person who is/thing that is".
Since it ...
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1answer
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The suffix くん with a girl's name
この間も『のりこくん、お弁当買いに行ってくれないか』だって。
I know that the suffix くん is used with boys' names, while ちゃん is used with girls' names. But I've just listened to a dialogue between two girls, and one of them is ...
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1answer
544 views
Usage of -shi after a name
I have noticed this other very similar question:
Naming suffix -氏 (-し) used by an otaku character in anime
Now the point is: in another anime, namely O Maidens in your savage season - which is ...
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1answer
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What are the rules of using 系 式 型 for kinds of things and methods
I am getting confused when translating from English to Japanese with "-styles" "-types" and "-kinds" of things, methods and equipment.
For sure, I know that "式"(or 方式) is applied to methods of doing ...
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1answer
79 views
What does the te-form + motion verb mean in 広がってきています?
I came across the word 広がってきています. The sentence is
日本では脱プラスチックの取り組みが広がってきています.
I believe this is the verb 広がる, to spread, in its て-form plus the continuous form of 来る. Is that right?
So, if this ...
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1answer
142 views
What does adjective + め means [duplicate]
On this informational sign in ramen shop they use -i adjectives ending with め. I can understand plain かたい, 多い and such, but what purpose does ending an adjective in め serves?
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1answer
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The use of たち in the sentence [duplicate]
Can たち mean "and the others"?
メアリーさんたちはいつ神戸に行くつもりですか。
I know that たち is a pluralizing suffix: 私たち、子供たち、etc. But I'm listening to 2 people talking about Mary and her friends. I am confused by ...
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meaning of さ after noun?
I can't figure out why in the sentence
「煙を吐き、その煙さに波香は自分で顔をしかめた。」
the second 煙 is followed by a さ. I know さ as a way to nominalize a noun. But 煙 already is one... so what function does it have ...
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What are the characteristics of the suffix ～びる?
The word 大人びた is in common use in Japanese, but I noticed that I couldn't think of another use of ～びる apart from that. EDICT lists only 大人びた and 鄙びた. Kotobank lists 田舎びた and 古びる, although according ...
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Grammatical purpose of replacing the ~る to ~れ and ~ろう, how does this affect the tone of voice?
I am wondering how this informal grammar works.
For example, 頑張る、頑張れ、頑張ろう - they all mean try hard, but how are they different in the tone of voice? In what situation should I use れ and ろう?
Thank ...
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1answer
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Naming suffix -氏 (-し) used by an otaku character in anime
In the anime Steins;Gate 0, the male otaku-character Hashida Itaru calls female characters with suffix -し.
For example:
Makise Kurisu - Makise-shi
Kiryuu Moeka - Kiryuu-shi
What does this ...
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2answers
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I need help analyzing the phrase 発音上の
I’ve been reading about sound change in Japanese and I keep coming across the phrase ‘発音上の’ as in
発音上の相違に支えられて開合の仮名遣いに区別がありました.
In the above example, what purpose does ‘上’ serve? Should I read ‘...
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1answer
535 views
Is Kanōsei a word?
I used Google translate and used the following translation provided by Google for 'possibly' in a letter I wrote
可能性もある kanōsei mo aru
Later I tried looking up the word in the dictionary, and ...
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2answers
263 views
Is there a っぱ suffix? If so, what does it mean?
I am trying to understand the lyrics to Matsumoto Bon Bon. Particularly the line in bold:
松本 ぼん ぼん
城のまち
山にみどりの 風吹けば
杉っぱ 青っぱ 青山さまが
堀のむこうから 町のつじ
どっこい じんじょ
I tried to look for 青っぱ but the only ...
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1answer
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か as a suffix to mean “a few”: Why is 何__かがVERB not allowed
Here is yet another puzzling sentence for me from a dictionary I am using:
何ページ か 欠けている。 A few pages are missing. (研究社)
My understanding is that while 何ページ ambiguously means "what/which/how many ...
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When to use the suffix “-tachi” and when to use “-ra”? [duplicate]
"-Tachi" and "-Ra" for the apprentice seem to have the same usage. When do you have to use the suffix "-tachi" and when do you have to use "-ra"? Is one more formal than the other? Are there pronouns ...
3
votes
1answer
124 views
この本は貸し出し中です What is the meaning of “中” in this?
この本は貸し出し中です
I don't know if i should understand :
Is it "not available", because it is in the "the process of~"
being already loaned to somebody else?
Or is it "to be available for loan"?
...
0
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1answer
304 views
Usage of -san in English emails
Working in a Japanese based company I often see that in written English which is (directly or indirectly) addressed to Japanese the suffix -san is attached to names.
With some basic knowledge of ...
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1answer
230 views
Meaning of っちろい
I was reading through the Lore section of a newly released item in Fate/Grand Order and came across a strange suffix/conjugation to a word.
胸を張って、弱っちろい世界のために戦え。
The translation given for the word ...
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1answer
146 views
Would someone mind checking my translation of -だか and a contrastive は?
If anyone is willing, I'd like to check my reading of the following sentence:
ところが夜だかは、ほんとうは鷹の兄弟でも親類でもありませんでした。
"However, for a number of nights, there is a lie that [he] is a family member or even ...
