Questions tagged [usage]
用法・使い方. How to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.
1,254
questions
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20 views
Meaning of 産んだげる? [duplicate]
So I came across this word in a manga and for the life of me, I can't find any sources on what this could mean.
The context is a woman talking to MC that she will give birth to MC'c child. The full ...
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0answers
55 views
I can't recognize which conditional form to use? [duplicate]
so as you know there are varieties of conditions forms in Japanese...(と, …ば, …たら, なら)
and 大変ですね？
so my problem is, I may be able to recognize them in a test but while speaking, I have no idea which to ...
-2
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0answers
84 views
What does it mean when someone just says “Onegai Shimasu” by itself?
I was watching a scene from one of my favorite shows and at one point the main character just said “Onegai shimasu” to another person without adding anything extra. It was just said by itself. Can ...
4
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1answer
134 views
Two perceptions of 以上で
Please correct me, is it right that restaurant waiters ask 以上で? to mean "is that all" after you order?
If so, I can see two opposite logics behind it:
First logic: The basic meaning of 以上is "beyond,...
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1answer
65 views
What does the verbal contraction/suffix -kkya or -kya at the end of a clause mean? [duplicate]
I seem to hear and read this construction often, but can't seem to find any information about it on Google (or other search engines), as well as other sites I've checked. I've tried several different ...
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33 views
Difference between はもとより and はもちろん and their respective usage
I would like to know if there is some difference between はもとより and はもちろん in the sense of "let alone" , "not only ... but also".
On a side note, I would like also to know their respective usage (oral/...
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2answers
110 views
3割引 ＝3 %? 33.3 % ? 30 %?
The sentence is:
あの店は今、3割引のセールをしています。
I suspect it means 30% , but maybe it means 33.3% which is 1/3?
In any case I don’t understand the logic behind this.
How would you say if the discount rate ...
4
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2answers
214 views
What is the difference between the words 状態 and 状況?
Actually, I want to write an email to a person asking about her current situation in life, understanding by "situation" if she got married, if she changed companies, if she's happy, etc. I remember ...
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1answer
58 views
Can I always use が to mark the subject when talking about phenomenon [closed]
I understand that が can be used to describe a phenomenon.
雨 が 降って います。
But in Japanese, there are always many exceptions.
So, does this have any exceptions?
Like I can use は or を?
雨 は 降って います。
...
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1answer
70 views
What is the difference between あまつさえ、しかも and それに?
あまつさえ、それに and しかも (and maybe a few more words like そのうえ perhaps) vaguely express the idea of 'moreover/besides/in addition'. Are there big differences in the way they are used?
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1answer
72 views
Difference between “行くんスカ?” and “行くんですか” [duplicate]
I think both of them have a similar meaning but the use of んスカ is puzzling, like what is the literal translation of it?
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3answers
245 views
How do I apologize for my bad Japanese?
I am writing a short letter in Japanese. I will doubtless make many mistakes. What is a nice way to acknowledge this to the recipient?
I apologise for using the forum incorrectly. With the help of ...
4
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1answer
126 views
What exactly makes a relationship どろどろ?
What I understand from dictionaries is that there are somehow complicated feelings involved (Daijirin: 感情などが、複雑に絡み合って、すっきりしないさま。), but I still don't quite understand what kind of relationship would be ...
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3answers
132 views
What’s the difference between サクサク and パリパリ
I have a question about Japanese onomatopoeia (擬態語). What is the difference between サクサク and パリパリ? Are there situations where using one instead of the other is incorrect? As I understand it, they both ...
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2answers
162 views
Can we use やばいぞ instead of やばいよ?
Does "ぞ" make it more masculine-sounding or is it a different dialect?
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2answers
99 views
How to say “unless…?” in the context of “but what if”
In the context of the phrase "Just kidding... unless...?", how would the word "unless" be translated? Here, "unless" has sort of a connotation of "what if...?" as well as "unless you want to?"
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4answers
2k views
How can I say “to be tired of verbING” in Japanese?
How can I say "I'm tired of waiting", "I'm tired/bored of staying home all day"?
Can I use て form + 疲れる?
What is the difference among 疲れる、飽きる and うんざりする?
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1answer
672 views
Absence of て in お気をつけください
I’m uncertain about the phrase お気をつけください, which I found where I would have expected お気をつけてください. Assuming it’s not a typo is it 尊敬語？ Should I understand the honorific お as qualifying 気 only or the ...
2
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0answers
67 views
Mixing of non-past/past in narratives
In the ASK Graded Readers, which present beginner-appropriate short stories, there is a frequently occurring pattern of writing with ~ます during the 'setup' of the story, and then switching to 〜ました ...
5
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1answer
894 views
I want to know the difference between of 入れ歯 and インプラント
I want to know different usages between 入れ歯{ば} and 歯のインプラント .
Is this two words mean the same or any other different !
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85 views
Is 情けねえ the negative form of 情け? [duplicate]
And if so, how is this negative (情けねえ) different from 情けない?
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1answer
46 views
The もの in 再生したもの
How would you understand this sentence:
これはペットボトルを再生したものです。
“This is the tool that fixed the PET bottle”? Or, “this is an object made from recycled PET bottles”?
I typed it into Google ...
2
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1answer
87 views
ようにして usage in a sentence
上手く立ち回って、退学にならないようにしてね。
ようにする: 1. (following a verb) to be sure to; 2. to do (something) so that; 3. to make sure to; 4. to try to. (according to nihongomaster.com)
I was just wondering is it proper ...
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1answer
91 views
Is there any difference in meaning between 野外 and 屋外?
In the sense of “outdoors,” is there any difference in meaning between 野外 and 屋外? Neither Nelson’s character dictionary nor Jisho.org indicate any obvious difference beyond the following second ...
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0answers
47 views
What does [で] mean in [前は花屋で]…?
隣にパン屋があります。前は花屋で、花屋の隣は魚屋です。
Is it simply used as a connector? Is it simply used to avoid making 2 sentences e.g."前は花屋です。花屋の隣は魚屋です。"?
I previously thought this was only done for Na adjectives to ...
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0answers
43 views
What does the いうの do in this sentence? [duplicate]
I have this sentence:
一体 何をしようというのですか？
which I understand to mean:
What in the world are you trying to do?
However I cannot understand what というの means or functions as doing.
From my own ...
3
votes
3answers
149 views
What does 勝ったな mean?
I’ve stumbled upon the phrase 勝ったな and it was translated there as “he will win” but what conjugation is that?
4
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1answer
165 views
Difference between やめろい and やめろ
What exactly is the difference between やめろい and やめろ?
Is this い the same as the one used to strenghten assertions and statements like the い used in the sentence-final かい, だい, and がい? Can it be used ...
2
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1answer
96 views
行く 帰る 来る + time expression - how it works
Phrases like 5[時]{じ}に[帰]{かえ}ります or 3[時]{じ}に[行]{い}きます or 8[時]{じ}に[来]{き}ます are the very basics one can find in a beginner's book. And despite that, I have yet to see an explanation what exactly they ...
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1answer
127 views
Another meaning of 回{かい}転{てん} in phrase 回{かい}転{てん}寿{ず}司{し}チェーン
回転 means rotation. How to understand this phrase: 回転寿司チェーン ?
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118 views
Differences between ways to express obligation?
1) I know that, to express something that you must do, you can use 方{ほう}がいい and, for a stronger feeling, べき.
2) I am also aware you can use conditionals like 〜なくちゃ、〜なきゃ、〜ないと to express that you need ...
2
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2answers
58 views
What is the difference between 技能 and 技術 in terms of 業務内容
I have a form for a medical check-up that asks what category best describes the 業務内容 of your occupation.
One of the choices is 技術・研究 and another is 生産・技能.
A monolingual dictionary is of no help ...
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1answer
71 views
What would 箆深い (のぶかい) mean?
While 深い (ふかい) means "profound; deep; dense", 箆 (へら, の), as a noun, means "spatula; arrow shaft" in japanese and, originally, "fine-toothed comb" in chinese.
This word is used adverbially in this ...
3
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1answer
103 views
A little help with the usage of 「……わけだよ」
I came across the following sentence in my dictionary :
下手なわけだよ，習い始めたばかりなんだから
Because of the absence of context, I imagined one by myself. Suppose I ‘m cooking unskillfully and a friend who sees ...
2
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1answer
169 views
How can this sentence be understood?
I'm reading 仮面の告白 by Mishima Yukio, and I came across this sentence:
そのほか に縄目は見えず、青年の裸体を覆うものとては、腰のまわりにゆるやか に巻きつけられた 白い粗布があるばかりだった。
I would like to understand how is this sentence made by the ...
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2answers
137 views
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1answer
105 views
How to parse the following から and is the もとで a noun?
The following sentence appears on a page in my book:
悪夢から一夜明け、アインのもとで訓練を重ねる日々が始まった。
I think the above から has the meaning of "after"; but the suspicious possibility of the から being a questioning か ...
6
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1answer
627 views
How to say “Why I started studying Japanese”
I have a Japanese assignment that requires me to write about anything I want. I decided that I wanted to write about why I want to learn Japanese. I think the title should be "Why I want to study ...
2
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0answers
122 views
What are the differences between うちに、間に、同時に, ながら & ついでに
These all generally mean whilst & during but I still (after ages of trying) make mistakes on where to use which one.
For anyone who knows the ins-and-outs of these grammar points, please explain ...
3
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1answer
115 views
Connotations and use of 日本晴(れ)
I know that 日本晴れ （にっぽん・ばれ）(it can be にほん, but is most commonly にっぽん) literally means "sunny Japan" and gives the sense of a clear sky, but I was wondering: are there any other connotations of this? I ...
3
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1answer
146 views
Difference between “doko desu ka” and “doko ga”
I've read: Difference between Xはどこ and どこがX.
I understand the top answer but I'm unsure of the "why" for why those two statements mean differently.
A) 「病院はどこですか。」
B) 「どこが病院ですか。」
They say that ...
1
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1answer
95 views
Which verb can I use with the word “散文”?
So basically, what I want to say is something along the lines of, "He begins his story with a rhyme" or, "He tells a poem and begins his story". What's the word for "tell" here? Is there a verb phrase ...
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0answers
57 views
What is the meaning or usage of the に at the end of the following sentence?
あなたもできる対処法とは? 不安から日常安心できる生活に 。
So what does the に here refer to? Is it になる?
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1answer
90 views
What is the meaning of 出るべきところ here?
首から下に目を向ければ、すらりと伸びきった四肢や、引き締まっていながらも胸や腰など出るべきところはきちんと出ているメリハリの利いたグラマラスボディ。
What does 出るべきところ mean here ?
Also what does メリハリの利いたグラマラスボディmodify here?
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1answer
62 views
What is the meaning of うなじや in the following passage?
雪乃の汗で濡れ光っている白いうなじや、上衣の合わせ目から覗くほっそりとした鎖骨は、清楚な容貌とは裏腹に淫靡な色香を漂わせている。
what does うなじや mean here ?
清楚な容貌とは裏腹に淫靡な色香を漂わせている。
Also what does 裏腹に refer to in this context?
2
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3answers
739 views
What is the meaning/usage of に in the following sentence?
ある事柄について感じた事(が、発表できる程度にまとまったもの)。
So, I understand the first sentence, but I'm a little confused about the second one.
My translation is: to have a feeling about a certain matter to the extent of ...
2
votes
1answer
160 views
What is the meaning of 何をどう?
Context: the narrative character is attempting to find a reason explaining his past behavior.
あの時、何をどう考えて行動したんだろう？
I understand the gist of the above sentence (as seen with my translation attempt ...
2
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0answers
105 views
Is 〜であるものか construction allowable?
In 新完全{しんかんぜん}マスター文法{ぶんぽう}N2 page xi the formation rules for 〜ものか are
普通形{ふつうけい}（ナ形｛けい｝だ-な・名｛めい｝だ-な）＋ものか
These rules seem to preclude the form 〜であるものか.
There is also this note at the bottom of ...
4
votes
1answer
105 views
In the sentence 雑誌のほうは彼に渡してくれ, what does のほう mean?
I found this sentence in an anki deck, which gives its translation as "Give him the magazine" or something to that effect. I understand the rest of the sentence but I'm not sure why it has ほう in it, ...
3
votes
2answers
154 views
Please illustrate the differences between 数 and 量. Also 番号？
数 refers to something's corresponding number. For example, a reading on a monitor.
量 refers to an amount, something that can be measured.
However, if you wanted to say that the number of something ...
