Questions tagged [usage]

用法・使い方. How to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.

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~といい Grammar point with 評価 as an implication

During my class today we were studying N1 Grammar といい. In our textbook there was the question: 水泳といいテニスといい、(x)。 a) スポーツはみな楽しい b) 私はお子様に習わせている c) 私はやったことがない So I understand that a) is a correct ...
Blue's user avatar
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What are the differences in usage? - ~あげる and ~あがる?

~あげる and ~あがる mean "finish." But what are the differences in usage? Should あげる strictly follow 他動詞? For example, この本を読みあげた。 Should あがる strictly follow 自動詞? For example, さっき走りあがった。
vincentlin's user avatar
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2 answers
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Any help with this phrase? [duplicate]

ジョンさんは日本語を上手に話します。 The thing is that I don't understand why 上手 has the particle に. I'm reviewing an examination sheet, and this is the answer to one of the questions. The only possible thing that I ...
Ricardo Lizarralde's user avatar
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1 answer
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Prepositional phrase with に and verb 感じられる

"界王神界にまでエネルギーが感じられるほど強大な力を開放し" In this phrase, would it to be correct to say the prepositional phrase "界王神界に" connects to the object of the verb "エネルギー" or the subject of ...
eren_my_beloved's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
86 views

When writing みやこ, how to choose between 京 and 都?

Dictionary states that the word みやこ can be written as either 都 or (less often) 京. What factors (nuances of meaning, context, etc.) determine which of the two kanji is more appropriate?
max's user avatar
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2 votes
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107 views

How to say "must be" in the sense of making an affirmative guess?

Sorry if the question isn't clear enough. In English, we can make an affirmative guess based on prior information we received from someone/something by saying "X must be Y". Some example ...
Mania's user avatar
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Meaning and reading of 益し加える

Reading in a book by 落合淳思 I wonder about (what looks like) the compound verb 益し加える in the sentence 「自は鼻の象形であり、それに声符を益し加えた繁文である。」 (繁文 is used by Ochiai as a technical term for the modern shape of a ...
hurdsean's user avatar
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1 answer
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I want to learn a lot about Japanese names for my stories [closed]

The title is pretty catchy on its own, but I'm already familiar with creating good Japanese names. I know about kanji and their meanings, but I'm at a loss. doubts about a few things. first of them: ...
MindfulTraveler's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
714 views

Saying "of course," "naturally" in conversation

In conversation, we use "of course," "naturally" "as you know," etc. to announce "I'm about to say something that you know and is obvious; but I need to say it as ...
Bob41's user avatar
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114 views

Use of くれる among 外

For giving/receiving among people other than me, my family, my friends or anyone I am close with (外->外), the book says to use あげる. もらう can also be used for anyone->anyone. Is it wrong to use くれる ...
joan doe's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

Question about the expression 日和: Can it be used with any activity or just with certain set expressions?

So I was watching a podcast for japanese learners and they gave 行楽日和、お散歩日和、お洗濯日和..as examples. So now I am asking myself, can I attach 日和 only to certain things or to anything that fits the context? ...
Alex's user avatar
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What does かけ mean in かけ戦った or in かけ争い?

In the intro of the Game Boy Advance game titled "Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi" there are a few instances in which かけ is used before a verb, and I don't seem to be able to grasp the nuance ...
Juan Martín de Iparraguirre's user avatar
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2 answers
90 views

Can you use 観にくい( 観る+にくい) to say that something is hard to watch in the sense of that the topic/images might be hard to stomach?

Example would: この第二次世界大戦についてドキュメンタリーはちょっと観にくいけど、本当に面白いと思う。work to say: This documentary about WW2 is a bit hard to watch (hard to stomach) but it is very interesting.
Alex's user avatar
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The usage of 当たり前 as subject

As far as I know, 当たり前 is an adverb. How come in the following instances it's used as the subject? あの日見た夕日 あの日見た花火 いつでも君がいたね 当たり前が幸せと知った ー「合唱曲・群青」 君がここにいなくなって 当たり前がいなくなって ー「君の抜け殻」 I am a little ...
dvx2718's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
105 views

Negative-imperative for 形容動詞 and 形容詞

For verbs, we can use it's te-form to make imperatives and negative imperatives, such as: 走って! 走らないで! Run! Do not run! Of course there's also 走れ! and 走るな! For 形容動詞 and 形容詞, however, I realize that I ...
dvx2718's user avatar
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田中さんはこの小説を読んだ(そうだ)- do we need そうだ all the time if we did not actuality get the info from the person?

Example 1 Me: 明日は先生が来る(そうだ)。 Example 2 Me: 田中さんはこの小説を読んだ(そうだ)。 Assume both Examples 1 and 2 are the information I heard from other people, not from 田中さん or 先生. Can I say the Examples without そうだ? ...
vincentlin's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
68 views

Can かなり be used with ーそうだ?

I want to make the sentence, "You two seem pretty close." and I've come up with 二人はかなり仲が良さそうだ。 Now I'm wondering if かなり is correct or natural to use here with そうだ and if it's even necessary. ...
Jet's user avatar
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雛たちとはなんの意味でしょうか?

中島みゆきさんの「銀の龍の背に乗って」の歌詞の中、こういう言葉が見つかります: まだ飛べない雛たちみたいに 「雛たち」とはなんですか。「雛形」の意味しますか、ここで「まだ飛べないちっちゃい龍」のことを指しているのですか。
dvx2718's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
660 views

Why was this usage of ところ incomprehensible?

I am an intermediate-level student, studying in Japan. All teachers are native Japanese speakers. I was asked to write an example sentence using "ところ", using it to express a temporal concept ...
auspicacious's user avatar
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2 answers
99 views

What is the appropriate way of using 自分 with respect to the referent?

妻は私が自分を今でも愛していると信じている (Tsuma wa watashi ga jibun o ima demo aishite iru to shinjite iru.) My wife believes that i still love her. In the book it is said that: When a reflexive pronoun jibun is used, ...
Hejaj's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
440 views

If you want to refer to a person as beautiful, would you use [綺麗]{きれい} or [美しい]{うつくしい}? What's the difference?

I'm a little confused on the difference between 綺麗【きれい】 and 美しい【うつくしい】. When is it appropriate to use either word to refer to a person? For example, if I wanted to refer to a woman as beautiful, would ...
Kramernator's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
133 views

Why is "お前" and "あたし" used in Spirited Away?

I was watching the animated film by Hayao Miyazaki named "Spirited Away" in Japanese (I'm still a beginner) and I noticed that Yubaba and Zeniba use "お前" as second person singular. ...
Ergative Man's user avatar
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1 answer
225 views

Don't understand fully how "なきゃよかった" means if ___ hadn't or if I hadn't ___

Is the なきゃ like referring to there not being something presently or something? Or is it more like [the hypothetical idea of not doing something][was good]...though even if it was that I don't think I ...
leren's user avatar
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1 answer
153 views

What's the meaning and usage of って言うんだ in this case?

How does って言うんだ affect the following question. こんなことして何になるって言うんだ‌ I think it makes sense to me without it so I can't tell what it does and I don't think it's the normal "X person says" という ...
Abraham Linkin's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
104 views

The fuction of を in this specific sentence [closed]

I was reading this short 小説 about a difficult love relationship bewteen a man and a woman, and this sentences show up. 叶わない恋は存在するとは思います。 でも、二人が望んでいるなら、 超えられる事を多くあると信じています。 So, despite be able to ...
Jacopo Ziroli's user avatar
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1 answer
345 views

The different ways to say "forever"

皆さん、こんにちは! I have a somewhat basic but intricate question about the way the Japanese say forever or something close in concept (sayings, expressions or poetic ways would work too). The context is that ...
Ryoryo's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
91 views

Could someone please explain to me the meaning of もち in the following sentence?

私たちは自然の流れとは別の生活リズムをもち始め、次第に自然との調和を失い始めたのです。 I searched but couldn't find an answer.
Caroline's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
222 views

Translating a combination of superpower/special talent - does 異能殊才 work? [closed]

I am attempting to combine 異能 (i nō - supernatural power) with 殊才 (koto sai - special talent), with the finished phrase being written as 異能殊才. With various engines (I'm RomajiDesu for this specific ...
Connie's user avatar
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1 answer
179 views

Meaning and usage of ~ど/~ども

What do the structures ~ど/~ども exactly mean? How are they used? I have seen these structures in this site: https://nihongonosensei.net/?p=7938 but I don't understand very well the explanation, apart ...
Rick's user avatar
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1 answer
118 views

Meaning and usage of ~かとなれば

I've found the grammar pattern ~かとなれば in this site: https://www.vnjp.org/grammar/detail/293 https://www.vnjp.org/grammar/detail/294 and I would like to know what does it mean as well as its usage. ...
Rick's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
72 views

Correct interpretation of "桁1個上へ" in following context

Reviewing the lyrics of a song I found a really confusing phrase: "大切片手に桁1個上へ". As far as I know, "大切片手" is refering to one/a presious hand. Most likely the one the author is in ...
javeowl's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
938 views

What is "ぷれせんとふぉーゆーさん" exactly referring to?

I was looking at the lyrics of a song and there's a part of it that says the following: いびつな形でもつたわるかい? 昔からかわらない愛 きっとかわりはしない ぷれせんとふぉーゆーさんたから そんなの信じてたんだなー 「まま」はいなくて 「ぱぱ」だけぱぱすき なんてゆあないだけ I know ...
javeowl's user avatar
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0 answers
69 views

What is the meaning of "良いん in this sentence?

”あと何センチ近づけば良いんだろう” What is the meaning of "良いん” in this sentence? I know that it means "good", but this sentence is translated as: "How many centimeters closer should I get?" ...
Edward's user avatar
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3 answers
154 views

What does the "なん" mean in: "君なんだよ"? [duplicate]

In the song "光るなら" there is a lyric that is: "君だよ、君なんだよ" When I translate it, it translates to: It was you, It was you! Another example is in this lyric from the song "...
Edward's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
94 views

Is 年 used commonly as a Japanese era marker?

I've just imported a car from Japan. There are a number of stickers on the car that I don't need and so I am pulling them off one-by-one. Even though I may not need to keep the stickers, there may be ...
Douglas Held's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
186 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
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Addressing people in the Japanese Christian/Catholic Church

In English, in a Christian/Catholic settings, people could address each other with the term "brother" or "sister", and it does not signify any biological relationship, but a ...
dvx2718's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
325 views

Different combinations of せっかく, their meanings and examples

As of today, the vast majority of times I've come across せっかく, I've ended up understanding it in a somewhat blurry way and guessing the meaning from context. However, I would like to finally structure ...
Rick's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Is あり得ない a good translation for "It can't be!"?

I know that a more common translation for あり得ない is "Impossible!" or "That's impossible!", but can あり得ない be used for expressions like, "It can't be!" or "This can't ...
Jet's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
73 views

Nuance between 技法、手法、方法、テクニック、 etc

Basically just wanting to know if there's a clear difference between these words. I get the feeling that テクニック is more like one person's own specific technique for doing a thing (entirely guessing ...
bella's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
96 views

Is the copula verb だ a good translation for the article "The" when the sentence is just "The + noun"?

I was curious, for sentences that are just "The + noun", if the copula verb だ a good translation for the article "The" in these sentences. For example, "The bus." is it ...
Jet's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
62 views

Usage of 消す in this context?

My question is that can 消す be used for wanting to get rid of something? For example, "I really need to get rid of this weird feeling." この変な感じはどうしても消さないと。 Is 消す an acceptable verb to use here ...
Jet's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
58 views

Usage of the verb 取り組む

My question is can 取り組む can be used as a general term for working on something? Like as in "I'm working on something important." 何か重要なことに取り組んでいる。 Or does 取り組む carry too strong a connotation ...
Jet's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Translation of くらい in this sentence?

I'm looking at this sentence, ここに一日中いてもいいくらいだ。 And I'm struggling to think of what "くらいだ" means here. A bunch of translators are telling me it's like "could" as in, "I could ...
Jet's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
110 views

Use of the pronouns 彼/彼女 and あなた/君 in fictional media

From what I've studied, pronouns like he/she and you are not really common in everyday conversational Japanese, but I see them used more often in media like manga or video games, like a character ...
Jet's user avatar
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1 answer
56 views

A question about what seems to be れいせい & its usage

What is the context of the video below (from 1:18 to 1:26), especially the word 「れいせい」's meaning in it? https://youtu.be/ehSCmkVVjlg?t=78 (try using a VPN if you can't load the video) For the time ...
Thuan Khang's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
72 views

Difference between ラジオ and 無線?

I've seen both used fairly often, but I've unsure if there's a difference in nuance/usage. Is 無線 more like an actual radio and ラジオ more like a car's radio?
Jet's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
109 views

遅刻している vs 遅刻する for saying "I am late."

I'm trying to figure out if I should use 遅刻する or 遅刻している for expressing "I am late to..." For example, I was thinking, 仕事初日に遅刻しているだけじゃなく、迷子になってしまった。"Not only am I late to my first day on ...
Jet's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
61 views

What is つい doing in the middle of this sentence? [duplicate]

What is the purpose of つい in this sentence? うんうん、楽しくてついエキサイトして、熱くなっちゃった And does エキサイトして just mean "getting excited"? For context they were talking about a game they played.
ujp1800's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
123 views

Translation help, 思う vs 思っている when the subject of the sentence is the speaker

I'm working on a translation for a comic and I'm kind of stumped on this one line. The specific context is the character talking to herself and musing about what someone else thinks of her, the line ...
Jet's user avatar
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