Questions tagged [usage]
用法・使い方. How to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.
1,333
questions
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1answer
39 views
difference between 姻族 and 姻戚
What is the difference between 姻族 and 姻戚？
According to the definitions in the dictionary, they are pretty much the same. Would there be a time where I use one over the other?
If I look it up on Jisho:
...
1
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1answer
47 views
Is there a situation where 造語 such as “ググる” could be used with the “ます” ending?
I ask this out of pure curiosity, but would there be any situation where you could reasonably say something along the lines of, "はい、今はそれをググります。"
What I've seen/thought of Katakana+る words ...
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0answers
14 views
what is the purpose ot the 行ってたな? [duplicate]
I am sorry if this kind of question has been resolved but I admit I could not find anythig about it.
My question is the following.
What is the purposes of adding a た after a verb in its て form.
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0
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1answer
130 views
When to use 良い夢を
I know that おやすみなさい。良い夢を❣️ means "goodnight. sweet dreams!"
I also know that 良い夢を is not something regularly used in Japanese. Right? Is this a normal thing for a Japanese man to write to a ...
3
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1answer
81 views
Is ～がる used to speak about animals?
Does the practice of not speaking directly about others' minds, but using ～がる to be indirect, apply to animals? i.e., would you ever say something like "犬は外に行きたがっている"? If so, does this vary ...
4
votes
1answer
125 views
Difference between 会いに vs 会って
What's the difference between these two ways of saying "I'm driving to meet a friend"?
俺は友達に会いに運転している
俺は友達に会って運転している
Is this the difference between between V-stem and V-te conjunctives, ...
2
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1answer
109 views
「が分かるようにできる」についての質問
日本語
32変数のd次方程式って32個があったら大抵変数を分かるようにできます。
この文を書いてたんですけど、間違えてたと思います。「何々が分かるようになる」を使えるのは分かりますが、「何々を分かるようにする」ってあってますか？僕の原因でそのことが分かるようになったみたいなことを言いたいです。
英語
First, for accurate context, a mathematically ...
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1answer
92 views
“見てみて” , why is the second 見て in hiragana?
Apparently it's a common way to write this phrase, at least on the web.
見てみてください
What's up with that?
I first encountered it on weblio
https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/%22%E8%A6%8B%E3%81%A6%E3%81%BF%...
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0answers
51 views
What's the meaning of “からねぇ” used in the end of a sentence? [duplicate]
I frequently saw or heard the word "から" in some Japanese TV shows, I know the word basically means "since" or "from", but it seems can't always be translated like that.
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108 views
*one piece ch 1000 spoiler* what does チャキ mean?
I just read this chapter and was wondering what this sfx meant.
for context; luffy is passing big mom & kaido while zoro is observing what he is doing.
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2answers
90 views
About addressing people by -San, -Chan and -Kun
I understand that -San is a formal way to address somebody. A unisex way of both Mr. and Mrs. Kun is a way to address males, but it's used with friends? I'm wondering about that. Now, Chan is very ...
3
votes
1answer
66 views
のける after て form
I was reading モンスター while learning verbs and read this:
「君は院長のために、あのオペを絶対に成功させなきゃならなかったし、期待にこたえて見事成功させてのけた。」
On Jisho it says that のける can be used as an auxiliary verb behind a て form meaning 'to do ...
3
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1answer
58 views
How to write and sing Shigin (Japanese way of chanting poem) properly?
1, Should Shigin be written in Yamato (old Japanese language)? Or an even older version of Japanese? Can I write it in modern Japanese?
2, Are there rules for Shigin? Such as setting rhythms, melodies,...
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0answers
33 views
Using か within a sentence [duplicate]
I want to make a question within a sentence using か, but it’s weird for me.
I don’t want to use か at the end of a sentence. もう知ってる
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2answers
108 views
Usage of かしら as a standalone phrase
In the anime 少女革命ウテナ (Revolutionary Girl Utena) one of the shadow girls often says
かしら、かしら。ご存知かしら？
which is translated in the subtitles as "I wonder, I wonder. Do you know what I wonder?".
...
9
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1answer
703 views
What's the difference between 「お昼前」 and 「午前」?
Is there any difference between 「お昼前」 and 「午前」 in both meanings and the circumstances used?
The same question for 「お昼過ぎ」 and 「午後」.
Thanks in advance.
7
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2answers
191 views
The difference between お金 and 金
As far as I know, theoretically お in お[金]{かね} is optional, but in practice it's almost never omitted, and if done otherwise it'd be frowned upon.
I'd like to know the sociolinguistic explanation of ...
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0answers
73 views
How does [発見]{はっけん} function here? [duplicate]
I couldn't find any explanation online anywhere, and I see it being used a lot as such an expression "[something] [発見]{はっけん}", like "shield is found." in Apex Legends game for ...
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0answers
79 views
Do any of these names/kanji have any negative connotations?
A martial arts (Aikido) organization I am part of wants to make an in-house newsletter. Our sister organizations have typically names relating to zen or martial arts, and we found the following ...
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1answer
129 views
What's the difference between である and の in this sentence?
I'm reading berserk currently and came across this sentence
人は自らが人で在ることを忘れがちです
I read this usage of である the same way I would read it as if it was の (人のこと). Are they interchangeable here? If not what ...
2
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1answer
61 views
静かにさせてくれ to mean something like “let me have peace”
This question is about the usage of 静かにさせてくれ. At first I would have thought this to be used to ask someone to have someone else be quiet e.g. someone asking a parent to have their kid be quiet. But I ...
2
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0answers
71 views
Why can't により be used with “concrete, tangible objects”?
According to "A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar" p. 297, により/によって can be used as "a particle that indicates means"
その問題は話し合いに{よって/より}解決出来るはずだ。
We should be able to ...
1
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1answer
118 views
Is “悪くならない” an okay replacement for ”日持ち”?
Would "悪くならない” be used correctly if we're referring to food and how it won't go bad as fast because of preservatives and can it be used instead of using "日持ち”? I know that "...
7
votes
2answers
249 views
Oneself words difference : 自分, 自身, 自ら, 自分自身, 己, 自己, 自力
I know it's a huge topic, but I can't understand the differences between all this ways to say oneself, and by extension yourself, himself, herself ...
If anyone can help me to have a picture of the ...
0
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1answer
67 views
Passive voice and complex or connecting sentence
Imagine a situation where you've been informed by Mr. Rentarou that on Wednesday you will have an interview with Ms. Suzuki. Then, you've decided to confirm the information directly to Ms. Suzuki.
I'...
7
votes
1answer
560 views
When would you use 30分 versus 半 for telling time?
I know telling time in English, you can say "It is 3:30" or "It is half past 3" and they can be used interchangeably.
When telling the time in Japanese, is this still the case? Can ...
0
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1answer
97 views
Different ways of enumeration
Japanese seems to have multiple ways of enumerating sequences. The basic one is ordinal numbers:
Arabic (Indian) numbers like in English: 1,2,3
classic Chinese numbers: 一、二、三 etc.
special legal ...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
Differentiate between usages of 全部: all or completely?
Relatively new learner here. In a forum on Duolingo, as the app itself only teaches by example, there's a discussion regarding translating this phrase:
窓{まど}は全部{ぜんぶ}閉{し}まっていますか？
Without「全部」it seems ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views
Confusion about the use of active and passive voice
Here is a sentence from a textbook:
「どちら／どっち」は、二つのものから一つを選択するときか、2人の中から１人を選択するときに使われます。
Passive voice makes sense here because the actor is irrelevant, but then there's this sentence on the same ...
4
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1answer
144 views
Is there a rule or pattern to figure out whether を or に should be used with 我慢する?
The verb 我慢する means "to endure", "to put up with something or someone". According to my textbook, it is used with either に or を, but no further explanation is given.
I've been ...
3
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1answer
78 views
Using honorifics when talking about others with friends (indirect speech)
I couldn't find the question already being asked, so please redirect me if it was already answered.
The honorific suffix －さん is always used when directly speaking to another person. It is also used ...
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1answer
119 views
please help me understand the meaning and structure of this sentence
流行りものとは突き放すことはしないまでもある程度距離を置く
The most confusing part for me is understanding the しないまでもある程度 part. Another thing I’m not so sure about is the first と particle.
Is it in this case modifying (?) the ...
1
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1answer
71 views
Can you drop the "の方” in the AよりBのほうが… construction
Can you drop the "の方” in the AよりBのほうが... construction? I'm asking because I heard this line in a song I was listening to:
野菜よりお肉が食べたい
Thanks in advance.
0
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1answer
102 views
I don't understand な in this sentence
まだ何度でも食べたいと 欲張ってしまうな
So I know an imperative negative like 飲むな means don't drink, but in this case the speaker is talking about himself and his inability to not stop his own desire. why is this not ...
3
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1answer
215 views
How do you use (何, 誰, etc) + the verb in ようform + と
I was reading some sentences in japanese to practice and I came across this sentence:
何を好きになろうと、誰と話そうと
According to google traslator it means something like: "no matter what you like or who you ...
5
votes
1answer
135 views
Cases where として and にとって are overused/ cannot be used
I've been reading through Imabi, and one of the notes on the site was about inappropriate use of として and にとって in contexts of contrast and although phrases. These three were listed as examples of ...
0
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1answer
126 views
I need help with the translations of the word Seido 精度
I am planning to start a small business in the art industry in the UK. I was brainstorming ideas for business names some time ago and I started typing in translations of English words I found relevant ...
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1answer
85 views
Who does ヤツ in this context refer to?
The main character (A) is randomly accosted by some guy, who is allegedly working for some kind of organization aiming to make the city greener, on the street to sign his petition with the main ...
2
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2answers
118 views
Can someone help me translate “she's my person”?
I'm not quite sure if this is right.
彼女は私の人です
Kanojo wa watashi no hitodesu
I'm a little confused on the word for "she" as it can also translate to "girlfriend." I've read that ...
5
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1answer
187 views
is Vてはじめて it's own grammar construction or simply something made up to help Japanese learners?
The Vてはじめて、construction is generally taught as its own grammar point to mean "not until X", "only after X". However from what I've been told by other learners as well as natives, ...
4
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1answer
112 views
I don't get what ''元気よくとはいかない'' means
''~とりあえず、新学期。まぁさ、元気よくとはいかないけど、でもこんな天気もいいし、桜も咲いてるし、もう少しだけ愛想が良くてもいいんじゃないかしら？''
What はいかない is? is it like てはいけない (must not/don't have to)? If so, why はいけない and not はいかない?
Could you break '''元気よくとはいかない'' ...
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0answers
32 views
金曜日の予習に第4章を読んでおくこと, The function of こと [duplicate]
The translation given for the sentence was "Read chapter 4 for Friday." Is the こと used just to make the sentence a bit more respectful or is it just missing some context? I feel like i'm ...
1
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1answer
73 views
Would using “たら” make sense in this type of sentence?
So recently I've met a Japanese person whilst playing League and we started to talk a bit over the group voice chat. Although my Japanese is still at a very basic level we understood each other pretty ...
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1answer
79 views
What does 「Nounを笑え」 phrase mean in this sentence?
Oh! KAREN 浜辺の濡れた砂の上で
抱きあう幻を笑え
It's from a song 「恋するカレン」by 大滝詠一. Lyrics here.
Based on my understanding, here's my translation:
Oh! KAREN I laugh at my dream of embracing you in my arms on wet sand on ...
0
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0answers
60 views
japanese adjectives [duplicate]
赤のボウル
赤ワイン
赤いセーター
What is the rule here?
When do i use の particle, when i use nothing and when do i make い adjective(if i understand it correctly)
Someone explain please.
3
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1answer
113 views
What's the significance of this female character's use of おまえ?
I'm accustomed to thinking of おまえ, in modern Japanese, as a second-person pronoun and form of address that is used by men and boys with their inferiors or equals. But in 『少年と犬』, by 馳星周, there's a ...
1
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1answer
152 views
Why is 及び being used to mean “a.k.a.” in this sentence?
So this sentence in a Vtuber video (which has English and Chinese translation available) caught my interest:
今回の事件ははあちゃま及び赤井はあとがデビュー当初から秘められし能力を封印していたこと原因であり、すべてははあちゃまの責任です。
I initially went into ...
2
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1answer
134 views
I want to be able to speak more casual Japanese. I just wanted to know if it was possible to drop です out of a sentence. example: これは犬
Could I drop です out of a sentence? I want to be able to speak more casual Japanese. I just wanted to know if it was possible to drop です out of a sentence. example: これは犬
2
votes
1answer
94 views
Can the ~てくれてありがとう form be used to thank someone for more general actions?
If I would like to thank someone for their work (in the context of "wow! what a lovely sculpture! thank you for your effort/for letting us see this!" or "thank you for writing about ...
1
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1answer
170 views
Meaning of うちの上 in phrase
Context: A, B and C are all students. A and C are friends who study in the same school. B wears a different uniform than them, though I don't know if this means she is from a different school or a ...
