Questions tagged [usage]
用法・使い方. How to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.
6
votes
2answers
422 views
Why is “language” represented by 言葉【ことば】 instead of 言語【げんご】 in this book for learning Japanese?
In みんなの日本語初級I book, the word 「ことば」 is used to mean "language" (English, Japanese, Russian, etc.)
However, I found 「言語」 as the most proper word for this type of language. The first variant (which ...
3
votes
2answers
174 views
What’s the difference between “tabun” (たぶん) and “desho” (でしょう)?
What’s the difference between “tabun” (たぶん) and “desho” (でしょう). Both mean “probably”, but when would you use one over the other? Please explain by referring to the following examples:
Example 1
...
5
votes
2answers
643 views
Distinction between 地平線 【ちへいせん】 and 水平線 【すいへいせん】
This sentence comes from goo here:
https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/en/見える/
地平線上に一隻の船が見えてきた。
A boat appeared on the horizon.
When I was attempting to assign the characters their correct ...
2
votes
1answer
104 views
Can verbs simutaniously use the volitional form and negative form? [closed]
I came across the following sentence in a book:
身体を起こし、手足がこれといった支障もなく動くのを確かめた。
and searched on Jisho.org for 障もなく. It sent me to https://jisho.org/search/障む, saying that "障もなく is the negative ...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Issue with figuring out what [どう+なの] correctly translates to in the following sentence
I have translated most of the following sentence on my own, but I am having great difficulty in understanding then translating the ending of どうなの.
教え子の名前ぐらい、もう少し考えたらどうなの？
According to nevan king ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
Unknown Japanese saying: 世に孵ることを拒む卵はなく、 芽吹くことを拒む種子もあり得ない
I'm having some issues translating the first part (bolded) of this metaphor/saying(?) into English.
世に孵ることを拒む卵はなく、 芽吹くことを拒む種子もあり得ない.
How does the verb 孵る work on the こと part of the sentence, and ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views
What is the meaning of 七五三 in the sentence, 七五三のしゃしんです。
I was looking at the following sentence under a picture that I unfortunately cannot provide:
七五三のしゃしんです。
I believe the sentence reads "It's a picture of 753"... which doesn't make sense.
I know ...
1
vote
1answer
154 views
Translating あくまで一応ですけどね
Translators say:
あくまで means: doggedly、insistently、persistently、stubbornly、to the bitter end、to the end、to the last、to the utmost
一応 means: tentatively、for the time being、in outline、just in case、once、...
1
vote
2answers
56 views
~ことがある for more than one thing
In the Genki II textbook, there is a phrase that goes like this:
うめぼし，のりなどを見たことも聞いたこともありませんでした。
Now, I understand that this roughly means that "I've never seen or heard of pickled plums or nori ...
2
votes
1answer
152 views
What does ことがないように express?
I've come across this sentence quite a few months ago, but I never understood the meaning of "ことがないように", I've searched and found about ことのないように, but I think it has not the same meaning.
This is the ...
3
votes
2answers
88 views
彼は瞳をキラキラさせながら言った。
I think that it is "He said with shining eyes", but what a word "させ"? Why "させ+ながら"? Why not "しながら"?
12
votes
1answer
2k views
Can I use English in place of katakana?
A habit that I have is replacing certain words with how I'd say them in English. For instance I'd write something like this: 私はイングランド人。 私はイーストアングリアに住んでいます, but say something like this: 私はEngland人。 ...
5
votes
1answer
78 views
Meaning of 以上 and 以下 according to water depth level
Reading a text like:
海の深さが200m以上{いじょう}
The first thing that came into my mind was:
Above a level of 200m depth
But then I realized that my understanding can be wrong and it may mean something ...
3
votes
1answer
641 views
What do all the different たすける's mean?
Today I noticed during practicing kanji that lately I've been going through a lot of kanji that all mean help / save / assist :
助ける
扶ける
救ける
援ける
輔ける
and I found two more that I had yet to learn (...
2
votes
1answer
98 views
Using 言う and ても to mean “even if you say”
I was trying to say something similar to "even if you tell me to not look, I will look", so my initial guess was something along those lines:
「見ないで」と言っても見る。
I was under the impression that Xて-form + ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
さむいのはきらい vs さむいがきらい
I always thought that with construcions I like/I hate I should use noun +が + adjective +です, for example: ねこがすきです。
But lately I have heard in some japanese podcast above sentence with that のは ...
8
votes
1answer
171 views
What is the difference between 中国人, 華人, 漢人, and 唐人?
I looked at the dictionary definitions of 中国人, 華人, 漢人, and 唐人, and it appears that all of them mean "Chinese person".
Questions:
What is the difference between them?
Why are there so many ways of ...
1
vote
1answer
75 views
Utilising というのは
I am trying to write an ambiguous/evasive sentence.
The sentence is:
[PERSON A]，もしかして，あの人は一緒に，というのは，[PERSON B]ー
To the effect of "Person A, is it possible, that you and that person, that is to say, ...
2
votes
0answers
67 views
Please Explain the Grammer Pattern and use of 見てんの [duplicate]
Studying Terrace House subtitles. In Episode 1, someone says:
どういう気持ちで見てんの？
(please correct the following assumptions in case I'm wrong)
I understand どういう to be どう言う or "What would you say of"
気持ちで ...
1
vote
1answer
81 views
How can I express “a particular/a certain” thing?
I am studying vocabulary and I came across the word 然る, either read as さる or しかる (usually written in Kana) and means "A Particular/A Certain" noun. However, there was only one example sentence on ...
4
votes
1answer
113 views
Is その彼女/彼 correct in speech?
その人 is a common thing to say but その彼女 feels off. If it's always incorrect, what about そんな彼女?
0
votes
0answers
35 views
How is ように used in here? [duplicate]
準備ができたら呼びに来るように.
What does this sentence mean? I mean how is ように used here. ように is found there at the end of the sentence.
3
votes
1answer
77 views
Parsing the sentence 書く人物の顔が頭に入っていないと効果はない
This sentence is from Death Note, specifically on how to use it.
This sentence is written in-universe using English. It states, “This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s ...
3
votes
1answer
104 views
Can a clause ending in ば be translated to “when”?
My question stems from item 4 and 5 in this picture, which is taken from a textbook of advanced Japanese reading. These two items fell into the normal present tense in English. In English, it would be ...
7
votes
1answer
229 views
How to express the subjunctive mood in Japanese
I recently learned the Vばよかった construction, which roughly means "it would be better had I done V". This got me curious about how to construct a sentence in subjunctive mood in Japanese, or even if it ...
2
votes
0answers
97 views
Why is “でしょう” the norm in weather forecasts?
In weather forecasts on the radio or on TV, I frequently notice the announcers suddenly starting to add "でしょう" to almost all their sentences. Now I know this is used to indicate uncertainty, which ...
9
votes
1answer
127 views
Difference between たっぷり and たくさん?
I understand that たっぷり and たくさん means "a lot" but how can you tell apart the right time to use one or another.
Please point me a couple of examples.
Thanks
まいど ありがと
1
vote
2answers
119 views
Difference in nuance between 元気 and 丈夫?
As I understand it, both of these approximately mean healthy or robust. I originally thought that 丈夫 was more appropriate for inanimate objects and 元気 for living things, but now I get the impression ...
1
vote
0answers
25 views
Why use で instead of とhere? [duplicate]
冬休みは家族でイタリアやイギリスへ行きました。
This sentence is very simple but I don't understand why で is being used instead of と here.
0
votes
0answers
95 views
Do I need to reply in this situation?
(In a game) I am a newbie(Lv29), and I saw B(lv100+) having filled his room's wall with numerous super-super-rare(SSR) posters, which can be only be earned with enormous effort. (I don't have any)
I ...
2
votes
1answer
148 views
Difficulties with an ambiguous sentence
新しく首相に就任した安倍晋三氏は、その著書『美しい国へ』（文春新書）において次のようなことを書いている。人は、自分が育った郷土に対して素朴な愛着をもつが、それはどこからくるのだろうか。それは、その国の歴史や伝統、文化などに接しているうちにはぐくまれてきたものである。だから「自らが帰属する国がつむいできた歴史や伝統、また文化に誇りをもちたいと思うのは、だれがなんといおうと、本来、...
1
vote
1answer
174 views
What is the usage of these 12 kanjis (彁, 墸,壥,挧,暃,椦,槞,蟐,袮,閠,駲,妛)+18 more in modern Japanese? How to read it?
I read from this interesting article that it's included in 幽霊文字 (yuurei moji/ghost kanji (character). I tried to look up each of those kanjis:
I use these sites to look up those kanjis:
a.jisho.org
...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
「に」used to signify addition? [duplicate]
There are several instances where I noticed people use に to mean something along the lines of "and". Here's an example: https://youtu.be/3cjyUg-XjjU?t=24
I think the narrator says, "修理人が使う道具は、牛の皮、...
3
votes
1answer
65 views
Meaning of 掃き溜める
Context: a boxer is telling another one that he is too weak to participate in a tournament.
潰し合いさせられるトーナメントに浮かれてんの出場者ん中でお前だけだぞ？掃き溜められたコトにムカつくけどよ… お前みてェな甘ちゃんと肩並ばされんのはもっとハラが立つ。
Looking in the ...
5
votes
2answers
104 views
What's the difference between 母方 and 母系? The same question goes to 父方 and 父系
I saw these words a while ago but just now I decided to ask it here because I didn't find the answer anywhere.
As the title says, I don't really know if there is a difference between 母方【ははかた】 X 母系【...
4
votes
1answer
105 views
Usage of デーハー in daily life or conversation as 'slang'
When I was looking for an equivalent word for 'loud' in Japanese, I stumbled on this word:
デーハー:
Slang
Na-adjective, Noun
showy; loud; gay; flashy; gaudy It also says: See also 派手 はで (...
0
votes
0answers
94 views
Why are some words (e.g., 処方箋) sometimes partially written with hiragana? [duplicate]
Some words with complex Kanji are sometimes written in a mixture of Hiragana and Kanji. For example 処方箋 (prescription) is often written as 処方せん in pharmacies. This is used by native speakers that have ...
8
votes
1answer
233 views
Saying “I have no need for 'that'” ('that = insert any phrase') in three different circumstances and in various degree of politeness
Situation1: My close friends offer me 'something' that of no use for me. So I want to reject it by saying 'I have no need for 'that'.
(Situation 1-1: I want to sound really rude to my close friend as ...
3
votes
1answer
626 views
Is 「〜られたくない」 in present or past form?
I've come across these two sentences and have been trying to wrap my head around them for a while.
「出られたくないんだよ」and 「縛られたくないんだよ」
Both use the potential verb form and 「くない」
When I look up the ...
4
votes
1answer
79 views
Should I use と or たら in that case? [duplicate]
I've got a task in uni today to put either と or たら. And there's a sentence I can't comprehend:
箸で食べて（みると、みたら）どうですか。
I don't quite understand which form I have to use here, so it would be great if I ...
3
votes
1answer
90 views
立ってそばを食べる vs 立ちながらそばを食べる
I have a question about grammar and usage. Please help.
たち食いそば屋は、座らないで「？」そばを食べる店です。
The question is what grammar form should be inserted there. My book answer is 立って not 立ちながら.
But what is wrong ...
4
votes
1answer
417 views
Time between meetings and use of 久しぶり
Generally speaking, how much time needs to go by before it would be natural to use 久しぶり?
Is 2 weeks too short? A month? Where is the line?
Does frequency affect the usage of 久しぶり? As in, you meet ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
How does one say “bye” to a stranger they just met?
When one starts out learning Japanese, they're always taught to use the phrase “さようなら” to mean “goodbye.” However, it's now known that it's not that commonly used as people regard it as a kind of “...
2
votes
1answer
151 views
Why use the kanji 伸 for “no” instead of the hiragana の, and the kanji 手 for “te” instead of the hiragana て?
In an anime opening song, at 0:08, I read the following sentence:
omokage no naka te wo nobasu no
おもかげのなか 手を伸ばすの
Please, can you tell me:
for "no", why is the kanji 伸 used instead of the ...
0
votes
1answer
153 views
desu vs. arimasu (or imasu) when declaring existence
The difference between arimasu and imasu is clear, but how do I decide when to use desu and when to use arimasu (or imasu) when stating that something exists?
Consider this example sentence:
There ...
1
vote
0answers
55 views
Difference between 防衛相, 防衛大臣 and 国防相
Reading a NHK NEWS article, I stumbled over three different expressions for minister of defence. Is there a difference between 防衛相, 防衛大臣 and 国防相?
3
votes
0answers
65 views
Why does ―・appear on Japanese dictionary? [duplicate]
For example this definition of 臨む: 風景・場所などを目の前にする。向かい対する。面する。「海に―・んだ部屋」
Why does ―・appear instead of the word itself? What's the reason behind it, how do I call it and why that only exist in a ...
3
votes
2answers
118 views
How to use と with three or more nouns?
I just started learning Japanese and I recently learned something like:
このかめらと、あのらじおをください。
(Please give me this camera and that radio.)
Note that I have not learned Katakana yet so sorry for the ...
3
votes
0answers
79 views
っつー at the end of a sentence [duplicate]
What does っつー at the end of sentence mean, I get that its a form of と言う/っていう, but still don't quite understand use of it. And it isn't quotation.
some of the sentence I came across using them
...
3
votes
1answer
246 views
Confusing sentence using ~わけではなく and other forms
Note: I already reviewed many topics here regarding the use of わけ, but I still struggle to properly translate the sentence below. It's from the introduction to the book 日本語文法ハンドブック (a book for ...
