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.
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How to Use a Relative Clause with か in this sentence?
I am currently writing an essay for JPN 401 and I am trying to say this:
While my parents planned on how to take me to college, I was just doing things like watching YouTube videos, and just not ...
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Novel, novella, short story -- how to distinguish
Even for English speakers, the lines between novel, novella, and short story are not clear-cut. Wikipedia has 17,500 to 40,000 words as a novella, and 7,500–17,500 as a novelette; anything shorter is ...
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How to use the various Japanese words involving effect
効果, 有効, 効き目, 効力, 効能, 影響, and 作用 all have meanings than can roughly be translated to "effect" or some variation of the word.
My understanding is:
影響 and 作用 are the only ones that aren't ...
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What is the difference between (ない)わけではない and (ない)ことはない?
As I understand, they are both very close in terms of meaning.
E.g.
私は歌を歌えないわけではないが、人前で歌うのは恥ずかしい。
私は歌を歌えないことはないが、人前で歌うのは恥ずかしい。
Both sentences would mean: "It's not that I cannot sing, it's just ...
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青銅 versus ブロンズ, which one should I use?
I am trying to write something along the lines of 'the Daibutsu is made out of bronze.' I am using です・ます体. In this case, which word would be more appropriate to use? Is there even a difference?
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What does this もまた mean?
What is the difference between も and また?
Context: 山田もまたパーティーに 来ます。
So, も means "too" and the one meaning of また is also "too". What's the difference between these two words and why ...
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How would I express that I'm an American with Indian heritage?
I'm an American citizen, born and raised here, who speaks English as my only native language. Both my parents are Indian and I look Indian. What is a natural way of conveying all this? Saying just ...
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What is the difference between "花が開きます" and "花が咲きます"
What is the difference between "花が開きます" and "花が咲きます". I think it's all about flowers blooming
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What is the connotation of まぐわう (referring to intercourse)?
I understand that まぐわう essentially refers to the act of sex. But I'm trying to get some idea of the connotation. In Yofukashi no Uta, it's translated/localized as "copulate", which has a ...
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What is the difference between 応える and 応じる?
What is the difference between 応える and 応じる? I know they both mean 'answer' but is there an actual difference?
このタイ料理の店は客の好みに応えて味や量を調節してくれる。
can I use both or just one (why?)
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What is the different between "~なのですが" and "~ですが"?
Context:
今日は仕事が終わってから、友達と夜ご飯を食べに行きました。ステーキのお店なのですが、食べ放題のパンも美味しかったです。食べ過ぎました。
I guess "のです"+"が" mean "although" or just "and then" here, and "～のです/～んです&...
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What is the difference between “(Noun) + 側” and “(Noun)”?
This is a question that I have been trying to figure out. I have two sentences (as well as variations and translations) that I would like to cite, but before I do so, I should provide the context ...
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Nuances between the various words for direction
There are 方, 方向, 方面, 向き, 方角, and 方位.
My current understanding is:
方位 specifically refers to the points on a compass
方角 refers to east/west/south/north
向き refers to an orientation/direction of an ...
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「だいたい」と「くらい」の違い [closed]
I've searched online and all that I can find is that they both mean "around". What do they mean? When do you use だいたい? When do you use くらい?
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かのように・かのようだ meaning ほど
かのように and ほど translate to seems, or look like. I'm confused about the meaning or how to use it, when to use it.
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Why choose の over が?
What is the difference between using の and using が in these two expressions?
興味がある
興味のある
The full sentence:
それは学生にとって興味のある問題だと思う。
I understand the meaning, but it seems to me you could replace that ...
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Is there considered to be socio-cultural gender in japanese language and do job title variations exist?
Feminist linguistics partly revolve around a concept of with job titles associated biological gender.
In English and German one would associate the neutral word "doctor" with a man: it is ...
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Difference between ない（もの）でもない and なくはない・なくもない
I would like to know if both structures ない（もの）でもない and なくはない・なくもない are completely interchangeable or if there is any difference between them. It seems that both of them have the same meanings (1: it ...
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What is the difference between 楽しい, 愉しい, and 娯しい?
Recently I've been trying to understand the difference in nuance between the words 楽しい, 愉{たの}しい, and 娯{たの}しい, but I'm still confused after reading a few different explanations on chiebukuro and other ...
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Why is ある required in あるはずない?
From the first episode of Death Note, the main character utters to himself that something can't be possible:
ふん、まさかな…そんなわけあるはずない
Question: What is the ある doing in this sentence? If はずない is an i-...
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Nuances when using とはいうものの
I'm studying とはいうものの when used after a full stop in this way.
"......。とはいうものの、......。"
According to the very few examples I could find about this grammar pattern used in this way (after a ...
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Difference between ～として～ない and ～たりとも～ない
I would like to know if both expressions ～として～ない and ～たりとも～ない are completely interchangeable or if there is any difference between them.
According to several grammar websites, ～として～ない and ～たりとも～ない ...
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Difference between ようだ、見える and 見えます。
Difference between ようだ、見える and 見えます。
I'm trying to say my dog looks like a cow.
All I've got so far is わたしの犬は牛
I've searched online and can't find a correct answer.
Thanks.
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Is using 賜る correct when listening to or accepting a condition?
From ひぐらしのなく頃に。The 園崎 clan (sort of mafia, no spoilers please!) are negotiating the handover of a scrap book to the police, in return for the police cancelling a search/raid of a building.
刑事「（...）...
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Different words for "management"
What exactly are the differences between 経営, 運営, and 管理? I believe 経営 can only be used for private businesses, but are there differences beyond that?
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Is there a difference between 記憶 and メモリー?
Is there a difference between 記憶 and メモリー ?
Both words mean "memory".
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how can you use が on ある in 没までは まだあるが 出発するつもりか？
I saw this sentence in an episode of attack on titan a person is surprised that his captors seem to be having a frantic conversation about moving him and leaving from where they are located earlier ...
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What is the difference between あそこに学校がある and あそこは学校です
What is the difference between あそこに学校がある and あそこは学校です
I think that both phrases mean the same. Or I am wrong?
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What's the difference between お調子者 and かっこつけ?
What's the difference between お調子者 and かっこつけ? Please give me examples.
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When is 早く寝てろ used as opposed to 早く寝ろ?
This question is about idiomatic usage of language. The grammatical side of the difference between 寝ろ and 寝てろ is clearly explained here. But I think there is another part of this question: in what ...
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What's the difference between 防止法 and 禁止法?
As the title says. I was trying to search for the Japanese name of the Minor Drinking Prohibition Act but when I couldn't find anything, I just took a shot and typed in 未成年者飲酒防止法. By luck, I managed ...
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What are the differences between だんだん and ますます in the context of the following sentences?
Context
According to my knowledge so far:
だんだん indicates that a state changes gradually or little by little.
ますます indicates that something happens to an even greater (or lesser) degree than before.
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死にたい人 - People that want to die vs People I want to die
In Attack on Titan, I heard 死にたくない人 mean "People who don't want to die", but I'm curious how can we make this into "People I want to die" or "People I don't want to die". ...
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遠くに vs 遠方に for physical distance. Interchangeable in practice?
I thought I understood this but suddenly I felt confused looking at Jisho's example sentences.
私達は遠くに船を 見つけた。
We caught sight of a ship in the distance.
彼は遠方に船を見つけた。
He caught sight of a ship in the ...
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How to ask about an explanation how something “functions”?
I struggle with expressing my desire for an explanation how a particular physical thing works?
E.g. How does this clock work? How does a refrigerator function?
Best thing I can come up with is 「動き方」
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Nuances between the various words involving production
What are the full nuances between 生産, 制作, 製作, 作製, and 製造?
I understand that 制作 and 製作 are associated with movie/television production, and 製造 sounds like factory production, but beyond that, I don't ...
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Nuances between 本人 and 当人
According to Goo's thesaurus
1.「本人」は、他の人ではなく、その人自身という意味で使われる。
2.「当人」は、そこで問題になったり、話題になったりしている当事者であるその人という意味で使われる。
I don't really grasp the nuance between these two, and the example sentences continue ...
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Whats is the difference between 開発途上国 and 発展途上国?
What is the difference in the usage of these 2 words?
I get the difference between 開発 and 発展 and my interpretation would be that 開発途上国 could refer to a developing country where the standard living ...
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Difference between 芽生える{めばえる}・芽{め}が出る{でる}／芽{め}を出す{だす}
I encountered the following multiple-choice question in an unofficial JLPT N3 vocabulary practice test:
先週、スイカの種を植えたばかりなのに、今朝見たら、もう芽が（ ）いた。
１ なって ２ 出て ３ 散って ４ 生えて
I chose 「４ 生えて」, but the ...
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という/っていう - a few of questions
I’ve scoured this website and elsewhere to get to the bottom of this and I think I’ve cracked most of all of the という usages and meanings. But I just have some few questions I hope you can help with.
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Context for わたくし and われ
Spoilers from the fourth episode of Utawarerumono - Futari no Hakuoro (since it's airing now).
In this episode a princess just returned from another country with a memory loss; the country she ...
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Why not use the past tense 知った in もうお前が知る俺らは いねえんだぞ
I saw this sentence in an episode of attack on titan
もうお前が知る俺らは いねえんだぞ
the subs translated it to
The people you thought we were no longer exist
I don't understand since in this case the speaker is ...
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Nuances between 思わず, うっかり, つい, and 知らず知らず
I've looked at things explaining the differences between the 4 words (思わず, うっかり, つい, and 知らず知らず), but I still end up confused with the explanations and examples. I get that 知らず知らず is more of a thing ...
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Complicated/complex/difficult: How different are 複雑 (fukuzatsu) and 大変 (taihen)?
In the anime adaptation of the manga The Quintessential Quintuplets, as well as the corresponding manga, there are these 2 scenes:
Scene 1: (S01E04) Miku Nakano (a member of identical and the ...
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Why do people say くそが?
なんだおまえ！くそが！
Why が? What exactly does くそが mean because it seems to mean something different from くそ. And I can't think of anything the might be omitted from the utterance.
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Difference between saying 外国の人 and 外国人?
I don't understand the difference in nuance. Is it like saying "person from another country" vs "foreigner"? Is the first one less formal?
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'yofukashi' in yofukashi no uta?
So there's this new anime adaptation of a manga called Call of the Night aka Yofukashi no Uta. In Wikipedia, the Japanese is given as just よふかしのうた. Wiktionary gives 2 possible meanings
夜更かし
夜更し
What'...
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Definiteness and Plurality Strategies
According to https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/08/definite-indefinite-articles.html 猫の耳 can be translated as any of the following.
Cat's ear.
A cat's ear.
The cat's ear.
Cats' ear.
The cats' ear.
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年々 is 【ねんねん】here, right?
Someone else already asked here
How do you read these kanji 年々?
(I am just making sure that I understood.)
In the following sentence, 年々 is read【ねんねん】, correct?
小学校入学【しょうがっこうにゅうがく】を控【ひか】える子【こ】...
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When I need to use 先 to mark a place?
So I bump up in the following example and I struggle to understand the usage of 先. In this example, a boy meets his mother and he is angry about what she did.
勝手に俺の履歴書使ってパート先のスーパーに出しただろう
Form this ...
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