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.
1
vote
0answers
31 views
Till what age can an infant be called akachan
Till what age can an infant be called akachan. When can we use musuko-chan till any particular age or till he is able to walk. Please clarify
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Help translating English idioms
Can someone use 涙ぐむ in a way to say "could bring a man to tears" or something along those lines?
Wanting to translate some English phrases or sayings into Japanese in a way that could be either ...
3
votes
1answer
92 views
Meaning of ですかね in a response
I feel like this is a basic question, one whose meaning I don't think I fully understand. I'm watching a サンドウィッチマン コント on YouTube where 伊達さん is asked
"How many women have you been out with before?"
...
0
votes
1answer
137 views
Shigeru Miyamoto interview
I always have difficulty understanding 宮本 茂. His Japanese is like the hardest to understand. I can watch whole anime's with no problem, and read through lots of text in video games and manuals, but ...
3
votes
1answer
139 views
Tense of なる when used with おそい
すみません、 おそくなって。ずいぶんまちましたか。
I thought the meaning was :
Sorry I am running late. Did you wait long?
But when I googled it, the おそくなって means "I'm late." Is this one of the usual phrases used in ...
1
vote
1answer
73 views
How do I make my translation less stilted or flow similar to the original Japanese?
I'm translating the following line of dialogue spoken by Character A to Character B.
「怖がらなくてもいいわ。もう襲ったりしないから」
The translations I made are the following:
"There’s no need to be afraid. Because I ...
3
votes
0answers
63 views
あいだ, ところ、しまった in a sentence
トイレに行っているあいだに電車が行ってしまった。
The choices were either あいだ or ところ but the answer is あいだ.
Google translate it :
The train went while I was in the bathroom.
I thought it meant :
I was about to go in ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
What's the difference among 夜中, 真夜中 and 夜?
I've found 3 words with the definition of the night/midnight.
But some difficulties appeared. This is the answer have found:
Is 夜中 or 真夜中 is more correct for exactly midnight? At about 00:00. ...
2
votes
0answers
81 views
Difference among evening words 夕方, 夕べ, 晩, 夕?
I've found several words in the book, which means evening. What's the difference among them?
I've found only this information:
夕 - 5pm to 7pm
晩 - 7pm to 10pm
夜 - 10pm onwards (night, late evening)
...
1
vote
1answer
93 views
Difference between 帰宅{きたく}する and 帰{かえ}る
Is there any difference between 帰宅{きたく}する and 帰{かえ}る (return home) or are they just exact synonyms?
For example, in that sentence from Tatoeba :
夜{よる}になったので、帰宅{きたく}した。
Can 帰宅{きたく}した be replaced ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
What does ひと匙 mean in this manga and has it been used colloquially?
I’m reading this manga and I came across this scene that the character is describing the new member of the school team that
音駒【ねこま】にあとひと匙【さじ】 欲しかった決定力になり得る存在
*Note: 音駒 is the highschool name.
For ...
3
votes
2answers
94 views
さあていくわ vs さあ行くわ
Eat Mom's Breakfast
Toast, Jams, Milk of おいしい牛乳
さあて行くわあたし happy happy girl!
From the intro of a song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS2t7l89Lm0)
The English words are being sung in ...
2
votes
1answer
113 views
するだろうな wonderment or a question?
If a person says " レイどんな顔をするだろうな"
Is it more correct to translate it as:
I wonder what face Rey would make.
Or
How do you think he will react?
4
votes
2answers
151 views
Counters for animals: 匹 vs 頭: roughly how big is “big” and how small is “small”?
I find the distinction between 匹 and 頭 is rather tricky, because it is based on the size of the animal in question, and size is very relative and varies greatly among animals, even within the same ...
4
votes
2answers
135 views
What is the difference between 相棒 and 相手?
I’ve been playing Ace Attorney lately and I’m curious about the differences in the localization compared to the original.
For this one, I’m curious about Edgeworth’s choice of words for “partner”. In ...
4
votes
1answer
178 views
So I understand 人外 is an anagram of 外人, but does 外人人外 mean evil foreigner?
Title says all. This is purely 100% out of curiosity and by no means meant to offend anyone. Problem is, I very rarely see 人外 used anywhere.
3
votes
0answers
93 views
Nuance differences between the kanji for ぐあい, 具合 and 工合
Usually I read ぐあい as 具合 but recently I was reading a some Japanese literature and the 工合 version of the kanji was used.
For reference the literature:
脳味噌の中心にヒリヒリと焦げ付く位である。それでいて、あとから考えるとその興味の焦点と、...
7
votes
2answers
702 views
What is the difference between 仮定 and 想定?
I see a lot of different explanations online but I'm not sure if I understand the nuances correctly
From what I can gather:
仮定 is used when a situation is unclear and an assumption is made based on ...
3
votes
1answer
68 views
What is the difference between 扱う、捌く、 解決する and 処理する
These words have similar meanings along the lines of:
"deal with" "take care of" "settle" "manage" "handle" "process" some issue or something
For example what are the nuances of these sentences?
...
5
votes
2answers
153 views
When is it appropriate to begin referring to 明仁 as 平成天皇?
The upcoming abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne, the enthronement of [徳仁]{なるひと} and the start of the [令和]{れいわ}[時代]{じだい} presents a specific and unusual conundrum:
It has become customary to refer ...
2
votes
1answer
283 views
How would one say “Grandma died, I really miss her”?
Does 懐かしむ suffice? Can it convey the sadness of losing someone close to you? If not, how would one express such a thing?
I'm having trouble dealing with this, as there are plenty of uses "miss" in ...
1
vote
2answers
189 views
What is the better way to say 'Asian Studies'?
I've heard two variants, 東学 and アジア研究. Is there any difference between them?
9
votes
3answers
602 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 ...
8
votes
1answer
326 views
What's the difference between 違法 and 不法?
Looking up the translation for "illegal", I found 違法｛いほう｝ and 不法｛ふほう｝. These words seem to be quite similar. Judging from what I have found online, it seems 不法 is mainly used to refer to illegal ...
5
votes
2answers
90 views
What is the difference between Tsuite kuru (ついて くる) and Tadoru (たどる)?
In my Japanese phrase book it says:
Tadoru - To follow.
But then later on it says
Watashitachi mo soko ni ikimasu desu node, tsuite kite kudasai - We are
going there, so you can follow us.
...
4
votes
1answer
129 views
Difference between 見覚える / 覚える / 思い出す
I saw this sentence in a show 見覚えあるけど
and I got confused with the differences between 見覚えある / 見覚える / 覚える / 思い出す?
I saw this answer that explained the difference between 覚える and 思い出す but not the rest....
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Difference between 癒せ and 癒せる
From the Japanese tangled song ("Healing Incantation"), the lyrics go like
“傷を癒せ、運命の川”-Heal wounds, river of fate
I don't understand why 癒せ is used instead of a proper conjugation, is it a colloquial ...
8
votes
1answer
144 views
What's the difference between 解く【とく】and 解く【ほどく】?
From what I infer from searching online, 解く【とく】refers to "untying" or solving abstract concepts such as math problems. 解く【ほどく】, on the other hand, relates to untying physical objects like one's ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
How would you translate “more” for use as an interface button?
I'm working on an interface that includes several tabs to organize information about a topic. In the English version, the last tab is labeled "More", and it shows additional details about the topic.
...
0
votes
0answers
58 views
shokuhin vs tabemono [duplicate]
How would you describe the difference between these 2 words?
Thank you.
7
votes
3answers
140 views
How is 修業 different than 練習 or 訓練?
In my understanding from this post, 訓練 is a training you do when you start learning something, vs. 練習 which you do to improve continuously. How does 修業 compare to these? I think they're all translated ...
1
vote
3answers
181 views
How to say “give some space”
How does one say "if you need some space, that's OK"?
Looking through ALC, もし考える時間{じかん}が必要{ひつよう}であれば、大丈夫{だいじょうぶ}ですよ。 Which translates as "if you need time to think, that's OK", is there an expression ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
Is it legitimate to say「意味する」to mean “to mean”?
So like the title asks, I'm wondering if it's legitimate to say 「意味する」 to mean "to mean". I know 意味 is meaning, and I was wondering what the verb version of 'to mean' would be. An example sentence ...
0
votes
1answer
82 views
What Is The Difference Between 「好きじゃないです」and 「好きではないんです。」?
I understand that they both mean I do not like, but I'm not sure what exactly 「好きではない」means. Moreover, does the particle 'では'make a difference, or could you have just used 'は'?
Thank you
1
vote
1answer
117 views
What is the difference between ぶらつく and ふらつく?
Looking at the デジタル大辞泉 definition for ふらつく, it gives as a synonym ぶらつく. They seem very related, but is there any usage difference between them perhaps due to differing etymology?
3
votes
1answer
142 views
What is the difference between [上手]｛じょうず｝ and [上手い]｛うまい｝?
I've read that [上手]｛じょうず｝ is formal and [上手い]｛うまい｝ is casual... nothing else?
3
votes
1answer
276 views
Distinction between 早速 and さっさと
Both 早速【さっそく】 and さっさと are adverbs with the meaning "immediately, quickly, at once." What distinction in connotation or usage exists between the two terms?
1
vote
1answer
83 views
Difference between てもらう and てくれる
I'm trying to figure out the difference between the two. I think てくれる can be used when talking about others but then why not just use てあげる for others and てもらう for yourself
-1
votes
1answer
101 views
What would be the correct way to say “Moose” in Japanese? Ty in advance [closed]
I go by “Moose” as my online alias or online name in video games and have friends that call me moose as a nickname. I recently decided that I want to get a tattoo of the word “Moose” on my wrist but ...
1
vote
0answers
67 views
How to convey the image of the surrounding L.A. desert via translation of 愕然?
I'm trying to find a suitable word/phrase in English that will convey the image shown below while also being suitable for a translation of 荒野, as I want to properly convey the image of a.... rather ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
What’s the difference between “用” (you) and “使って” (tsukatte)?
What’s the difference between “用” (you) and “使って” (tsukatte)?
Both mean “to use”, but when would you use one over the other? Are they interchangeable?
Please explain by making reference to the ...
3
votes
2answers
154 views
I need help with locating nuances in translation for the phrase 錆の浮いた
I'm trying to translate the following sentence, and I need some help with locating and understanding possible nuances for translating 錆の浮いた.
The two best possible translations of it ("become loose" ...
5
votes
1answer
95 views
Are there more casual ways to say “flowery speech/language” aside from 美辞麗句?
I came across a situation where I wanted to use a phrase like "flowery language" or "flowery speech", I looked it up and found 美{び}辞{じ} online.
-
I did a little research:
Initially I looked for ...
2
votes
2answers
103 views
How does さっきまで = “as before” in さっきまでと同じ部屋
As the title explains, how does さっきまでと in
さっきまでと同じ部屋 .
mean "as before" in English?
(I know that all together from the context of the sentences that come before and after さっきまでと同じ部屋 that the ...
4
votes
1answer
132 views
What is the Japanese word for a judge in a court of law?
I have looked up judge, but I am finding a number of words and am not sure how they are different. Is there a general word that is most common?
Words I found include:
saibankan 裁判官
saibannin ...
2
votes
2answers
159 views
Is there a rough variant of 飲む{のむ}?
Just as there are so-called rough synonyms for 食べる{たべる}, namely, 食う{くう}, 食らう{くらう} and 食む{はむ}, to represent eating with different nuance, are there any known variants of 飲む{のむ} for drinking?
0
votes
1answer
128 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 ...
5
votes
1answer
108 views
What's the difference between 時間がいる and 時間が必要?
In this thing I'm reading, I see the following sentence:
心の傷だって、治るには時間がいるでしょ
The speaker is talking about a long standing problem that the protagonist has. It seems like it's 時間が要る, but is there ...
5
votes
0answers
79 views
Usage of 手伝う and お手伝いをする
I want to say "If I can help with your English studies ...".
I thought of three ways, none of which I'm sure is natural:
英語の勉強を手伝ってあげられたら...
英語の勉強のお手伝いをしてあげられたら...
英語の勉強のお手伝いができたら...
I looked up ...
5
votes
3answers
160 views
Is it possible to express the difference between the English phrases “I don't want to do that” and “I don't want to have to do that”?
Is it possible to express the difference between the English phrases "I don't want to do that" and "I don't want to have to do that"?
Where I don't want to do that can simply be それがしたくありません。
I don't ...
