Questions tagged [word-choice]
使い分け. The differences between two or more words or phrases and how to select the best one for a given situation.
2,744
questions
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1answer
252 views
When people use ざっくり？
I recently heard my colleagues use ざっくり which I haven't heard before. When I look it up in dictionary it translates to 'roughly; approximately; loosely' or 'deeply (cut or split)' - very different ...
5
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1answer
528 views
頭【かぶり】を振る and 頭【かしら】を横に振る, why the change in pronunciation?
As the title suggests, why is there a change in pronunciation between 頭【かぶり】を振る and 頭【かしら】を横に振る? As far as I can see, there is no difference between the meanings of the two—デジタル大辞泉 even lists the ...
1
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1answer
58 views
どこからか、バイオリンの(a.音色 b.コーラス)が聞こえてきた。
I am learning Japanese N1 and found this question
どこからか、バイオリンの(a.音色 b.コーラス)が聞こえてきた。
Which one do you think is correct ? a or b ?
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1answer
167 views
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2answers
1k views
What is the diference betwen 電気製品 and 電化製品?
On Google Translate, both of them are 'electrical appliances'
1
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1answer
97 views
別に meaning as opposed to directly saying “no”
What's the difference between saying 別に and directly saying no.
For example:
A: 行きたいの？
B: 別に （as opposed to saying 行きたくない）
I think they both mean "no, I don't want to go". But please ...
1
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2answers
131 views
Why is あやまち written 過ち and not 誤ち?
What's the reason for writing あやまち 過ち and not for instance 誤ち ?
Wouldn't that make more sense since it means to err, be incorrect...? I can see how one would get from exceeding/overdoing a mistake, ...
2
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2answers
244 views
といったらなかった meaning
I came across the following sentence in a novel:
フランツ司祭が体調を崩して寝たきりになってからの村の連中の態度といったらなかったよ。
As for some context, フランツ司祭 is someone who had passed away recently, and the villagers were not incredibly ...
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2answers
226 views
Use of the "きた” form before するnoun
During my research, I came upon two forms to express the fact of moving to a new house:
ここは 三月前に引っ越ししてきたアパートです。
ここは 三月前に引っ越ししたアパートです。
I don't understand the difference between the two, does the one ...
3
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1answer
58 views
かと思った vs と思った difference
For example, what's the difference between:
行くかと思った
行くと思った
They both mean "I thought I want to go"
Or another example:
猫だと思った
猫だかと思った
They both mean "I thought it was a cat"
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1answer
54 views
What's the difference between のろう (呪う) and まじなう (呪う)?
How should I know how to read it if the context is the same for both the readings?
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1answer
49 views
Difference between 勝る, 優れる, 秀でる, and 抜きんでる
The title pretty much says it all; I am wondering what are the differences between those 4 verbs.
From what I've gathered (and I haven't gathered much):
優れる is used when talking about something that ...
3
votes
1answer
86 views
今でも vs 今も in a sentence
What's the difference in using でも and も
Example:
1年前からも、今でも、変われない自分が嫌い
1年前からも、今も、変われない自分が嫌い
They both probably mean "Ever since last time, and even now, I hate the me who can't change"
3
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2answers
217 views
How to talk about completing a series?
I was wondering how to convey "today I've completed reading a manga series" or "I've completed watching a TV series". Does "Verb(ます stem)+終わる" sound wrong? Should I use &...
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2answers
111 views
How to say “cannot compare/compete with him?”
How do you say these. E.g. I cannot compare/compete with him。 彼と比べらはできない/彼と比べられない/彼と叶わない?
Not sure if 比べ is too literal for comparing to use in this case.
What about "This is no contest."
...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
When to use 結構 (けっこう）vs なかなか vs かなり?
From what I understand, all three mean "rather", "quite", or "somewhat". When should I use each one?
2
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1answer
159 views
What's the difference between そして and そうして?
What's the difference between そして and そうして? Both mean 'and', 'and then' and are written with the same kanji. そして I've seen more often in texts, but そうして - only a couple of times. Is the difference ...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
How do the Japanese refer to passage of time in pregnancy?
Though my wife's two pregnancies, I've struggled to describing how much time has passed. Usually, I just revert to just saying how many months she's been pregnant, but in English there are other ways ...
1
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2answers
162 views
How would one call something negative interesting?
This seems like it is very basic, but it was never resolved in the past, so here I am.
This was in a Reddit post recently, but it never received a good answer; most of the answers were along the lines ...
2
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1answer
119 views
What's the difference between 嫌い and 憎い?
The two words kirai (嫌い) and nikui (憎い) seem to be placed similarly in sentences and the definitions I've seen range from similar to almost identical, depending on the source. It's a bit confusing, ...
1
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1answer
48 views
Difference between 点 and 要素?
I understand that they both mean "element" or "aspect" in some way. What's the nuanced difference between the two?
0
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1answer
78 views
How to express lack of preference
What would be the most natural and polite way to express a lack of preference, for instance, when being asked by a waiter if I prefer a seat at the counter or a separate table?
I've searched Google, ...
2
votes
1answer
281 views
What's the difference between どうやら and 何とか?
「どうやらここで間違いなかったようですねえ。」。
For どうやら, my dictionary says to see 何とか and it means "something" or "barely", "hardly". Someone says it means "apparently", "...
0
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1answer
96 views
Three dots in the middle (…) [closed]
"両方…だ" , "両方…やるぞ"
The speaker pauses before the words of affirmation,would you say it's because he doesn't really want to do "both" ?
( context: the speaker is at a ...
3
votes
1answer
123 views
replacing よう with みたい
Is it always possible to replace よう with みたい?
For example in this sentence:
思うようにはいかないものだ。
Would
思うみたいにはいかないものだ 。
work as well?
I've read many times that these two can be interchangeable, but it ...
0
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1answer
68 views
How to say that you need to do something?
What's the best way to say that someone needs to do something, as in "5 English slangs you need to know"? I found some ways
知る必要があるの5つ英語のスラング。知らないといけないの5つ英語のスラング。知るべきの５つ英語のスラング。
Which is ...
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votes
2answers
135 views
Does this seem like an accurate translation?
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, I'm trying to translate a short comic that's only in Japanese, and wanted to check whether or not I'm doing alright
1: 夢野ちゃんはさ
1: いつまで魔法使いでいるのか？
2: なあ?
2:...
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0answers
40 views
～なくもない vs ～なくはない [duplicate]
自信がなくもない
自信がなくはない
What's the difference here? I understand that both constructions are basically double negatives that cancel themselves into positives, with は sandwitched there to emphasize the ...
1
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1answer
207 views
Difference between ''ato'' and ''mo'' to mean more/another
I learned that ''another bottle (of beer) please'' is ''ato ippon kudasai''.
But I heard someone say in a Japanese drama ''mo ippon kudasai''.
I know ''mo'' from ''mo ichi do''.
What is the difference ...
0
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1answer
53 views
Would removing the すること turn クリア back into a noun?
Hypothetically speaking, if こと is being used as a nominalizing suffix in the following sentence:
その時々の課題をクリアすることに、全力で取り組んでいる間は、何も思い悩んだりせずにすむ。
would the above sentence be able to be re-written as the ...
1
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1answer
70 views
Difference between 「鳴く」and 「鳴る」?
From what I've seen, 「鳴く」refers to a cry different from 「泣く」, ie crying out in fear/anger/frustration and not a baby crying. I've also seen connotations of animal sounds (barking, roaring).
I've also ...
2
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1answer
74 views
What is the difference between 近代 and 近代化?
I've seen 「近代化{きんだいか}」or「近代化する」used to mean "modernization". I've also seen "近代" used to describe someone as "modern" (e.g. "近代的な人"). Obviously both words have ...
0
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1answer
83 views
How to differentiate between the usage of the words 'yobi'「曜日」and 'nichi'「日」?
I know that yobi means 'day' of the week and 'nichi' means 'date'
I want to translate->
What day is it tomorrow?
Which is the correct translation? ->
Ashita wa nan yobi desu ka?
Ashita wa nan ...
5
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1answer
406 views
Using 聴く instead of 聞く to mean “ask”?
I am reading this article on NHK, but I am having a hard time understanding the title...
緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる 専門家に意見聴く
for the first part 緊急事態宣言出すのを前に諮問委員会始まる
I am having a hard time parsing this. I ...
0
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1answer
57 views
What's the difference between 好きな食べ物 and 好物?
好きな食べ物は食べた
好物は食べた
Which is more natural or common in writing or conversation?
Converted into English, is this the same difference between "favorite thing to eat" and "favorite food&...
2
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0answers
71 views
The different ways to translate “when”
This is more an observation on English, than Japanese, but the word "when" is used in quite a few different ways. And I've been wondering how to translate these different meanings into ...
2
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1answer
63 views
How to talk about your own abilities?
Say I want to talk about my own ability in some area of expertise or at some activity. What would be the appropriate word choice? Assuming a casual to polite context.
Would 「できる」 sound pretentious?
...
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2answers
122 views
Can I say na, nano, nanu as “seven” instead of nana?
On my kanji dictionary, below 七, there are several kunyomi among the common ones (nana, nanatsu), they are: na, nano, nanu; it's written that they are nouns themselves and it's the same for the other ...
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1answer
46 views
What is the nuances between the different ways to refer to the elderly in Japanese?
Because of Japanese culture, I'm guessing this is pretty important to know, and I really don't want to risk offending anyone.
I mean obviously in English we have,
Elderly,
Old people,
Senior,
...
2
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0answers
87 views
Using に対して to express “for,” “for the purpose of,” or “for verbing”
日本語で一番難しいのは、一つのことに対してたくさんの言い方があることです。
Everything I can find on に対して says it means towards, against, regarding, in contrast to, etc.
In the above example sentence, it seems to mean something like &...
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2answers
94 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
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1answer
151 views
Difference between 発芽 and 萌芽
What better way to celebrate Christmas than to ask yet another nuance-ish question on here right?
This time the the reason of my confusion stems from the kanji for bud/sprout 芽
One would think, ...
3
votes
1answer
60 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,...
2
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1answer
104 views
Difference between 経費 and 出費
Could someone explain to me the difference between 経費 and 出費?
They're both translated as expenses, however they don't seem entirely interchangeable.
経費 seems to be used when talking about deductible ...
2
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0answers
41 views
What is the difference between キミ and キミの事? [duplicate]
In songs and anime (yes, I know that they're not always good representations of normal spoken Japanese) I see キミの事 used (for example キミの事が大好き), and I'm pretty sure that it doesn't mean the literal ...
3
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1answer
167 views
Difference between two grammars, ろ and るんだ?
やめろ and やめるんだ both can translate as "Stop" as a command, but what is the difference?
From the last answer on this post: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/15800/what-is-the-...
4
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1answer
155 views
What's the difference between 不可能 and 不能?
What's the difference between 不可能 and 不能?
Both mean 'impossible', but '不能' also means 'incapable'. Aren't they synonyms?
Feel free to provide example sentences.
4
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1answer
334 views
Difference between 「ピカピカ」 and 「キラキラ」
「キラキラ」 appears in the famous song 「Twinkle Twinkle Little Star（きらきら星）」:
きらきらひかる お空の星よ
While 「ピカピカ」 appears in Christmas Song 「Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer（赤鼻のトナカイ）」:
暗い夜道は ピカピカのお前の鼻が役に立つのさ
I ...
2
votes
2answers
137 views
興業{こうぎょう｝ (kougyou) vs. 工業{こうぎょう｝ (kougyou)
i just came upon 興業「こうぎよう」with definition given as “industrial enterprise”. I can’t determine the difference with 工業 (same pronunciation and also meaning industry) but don’t think they’re variant ...
2
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1answer
63 views
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, ...
