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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What is the difference between 文本 and 本文 in Japanese?
It seems both of them are referring to "text".
Can somebody give further explanations of the two similar words?
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What does 何一つ mean in positive phrases?
In negative sentences it means "nothing", but what does it mean in positive ones?
I found it in this sentence from a song(立ち入り禁止 by まふまふ) and I was wondering what it meant here.
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Pronouncing while loops in programming
I am wondering how Japanese developers read aloud a piece of computer code to other developers. Take the following C/C++ code for example
int i = 0;
while (i < 10) {
foo(i);
i++;
}
What is ...
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Grammar question about song lyrics
I'm learning a song from the pillows
One Life, The first couple lines go:
青い芥子の花びらが 風もなく揺れてたら
Aoi keshi no hanabira ga Kaze mo naku yurete tara
If the blue poppy's petals sway without the wind...
...
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What is the difference between 感触 and 触感
From my limited research both mean "tactile sensation". 触感 strictly means "tactile sensation" while 感触 can have a broader meaning closer to 感覚 and 印象. Also according to Anime, ...
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Using 単一 in Place of ある
So I'm working through a text book and wondering why I can't make the sentence "山田さんは、私の単一の友達." According to my colleague, you can, however, say "山田さんは私のある友達だ." Is it really ...
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Does the Japanese word "akasuki" means "bright improvement" in English?
We are an outgoing college students, we've decided to choose a Japanese name for our class. We want it to be meaningful, it should represent our ambitions to grow and further improve ourselves. We ...
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What is the difference between 五大 and 五行?
Furthermore, is there a sensible way to combine either of the above with 龍 or 竜 to form a plausible given name (one that a native speaker would not find out of place) with a meaning akin to "...
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Why is 人たち preferred over 人々 or 人 in the following sentence?
I have carefully read the following related Q&A:
What is 「々」 and how does it affect meaning and pronunciation?
What is the difference in usage between a plural using (a) the kanji repetition ...
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Can I substitute の中で with only で?
Do these pairs of sentences mean the same?
あの男の人の中で誰が一番かっこいいですか。
あの男の人で誰が一番かっこいいですか。
日本の中で札幌が一番好きな町です。
日本で札幌が一番好きな町です。
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In the Japanese dub of Frozen, Anna says 'unmei' (fate/destiny; the late Sayaka Kanda) instead of 'true love' (Kristen Bell)?
In frozen Japanese dub, Anna, voiced by the late Sayaka Kanda, says unmei (運命 , うんめい) instead of 'true love' as it was originally said in Kristen Bell's portrayal.
Is 運命 just treated synonymously as, ...
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How can I say "I would like to know how to do something"?
I am practicing to compose an inquiry. I read that saying "I would like to~" is させていただきます. There are similar questions about "to know how to do something" but expressing your ...
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Difference between として (toshite) & ように (youni)
I Can't understand the difference between として and ように.
What is the difference between these word?
examples:
として：
私は君を友達として愛している。
I love you as friend.
ように：
私は君を友達ように愛している.
I love you as friend.
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What is the meaning of 付きっきり?
What is the meaning of 付きっきり?
I usually see it used in the sense of "babysitting" is this the only meaning?
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Is tachi disrespectful?
If there are only two people concerned but you say for example " John tachi ga" does it imply the other person is less important? Shouldn't it be used for a larger group of people?
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Best word for "owner" of a business/restaurant: 経営者, 事業者, オーナー?
Just as it sounds in the question. A friend wants to own a restaurant as a goal, and I'm not sure what the best words are for translating that into Japanese.
"Owner": I've seen entries in ...
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よね and じゃん: めっちゃ褒めてくれるじゃん
Going off of my last question, I put some thought into the difference between よね and じゃん and I still find it confusing, feeling iffy about choosing one over the other.
めっちゃ褒めてくれるじゃん
@aguijonazo ...
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Difference between 抜きにして and 抜きでは
In my JLPT N2 book I'm learning the grammar point 抜きにして. I'm trying to understand the nuance between using 抜きにして and 抜きでは when discussing not being able to do something without a person.
One of the ...
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Why is に used here? [duplicate]
Just wondering why the second に is being used here
現行犯逮捕以外に僕に何ができる？
My rough translation is:
What can I do other than catching them in the act?
I understand the reasoning for the first に but the ...
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誰にも優しくしてるよね、誰にも優しくしてあげてるよね、誰にも優しくしてくれてるよね
In a recent conversation with someone who is in the same loosely connected group as me, I tried to tell them that they have been a crucial member in the group. We are comfortably on ため口 terms. I tried ...
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Are 片隅 and 隅 synonymous?
I've seen them both used in the same context, for example, テレビは片隅にあります
In that sentence, would 隅 have the same meaning, or is there some nuance to the two words?
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What is the difference between 〜してんじゃねえ and するんじゃねえ?
「糧食、エナジーパック、弾薬、修理部品は所定数を確保済み。ああ、どっかの馬鹿戦隊長のために、足回りの修理部品は多目に用意しといたぜ。おめぇ、簡単な修理は出来るんだよな」
「ええ。よく壊すので」
「しれっと返してんじゃねえよこのクソガキ。……持ってけるのは一機だけだ。同じ調子で戦うんじゃねえぞ」
86─エイティシックス─
安里アサト
I notice that both 〜してんじゃねえ and ～...
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Nuances between するする vs すらすら
Here is a question from 新完全マスターN1:語彙.
彼女は筆を持つと、( )と自分の名前を書いた。
The answer is すらすら, but するする is also an option.
The brief definition of するする is 「滑るように」which I take to mean in this context as a "...
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Differences between 栽培する, 作る, and 育てる for "grow"?
I'm trying to find the best word for "grow" something in a garden. This includes the transitive: "grow potatoes", "grow my own tea leaves" - and also the intransitive, &...
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What are the differences between 出身地 and 故郷{こきょう}?
I can't figure out the difference between 出身地 and 故郷{こきょう}, both meaning "hometown, birthplace", despite having done some research of my own in the internet as well as in this site.
There is ...
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Difference between んやったら and すれば
It seems like you can use 「んやったら」to say "if", so what's the difference between this expression and words like 「したら and すれば」
What would be the difference between:
そのビザがあるんやったら...
And
...
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です vs ありますwhat is the difference between the two? Can they ever be interchangeable?
Q: 日本語の授業は毎日ありますか。一日に何時間ですか。
A: 日本語の授業は毎日あります。一日に二時間あります。
I have questions about the difference between “です” and “あります” regarding the above sentences taken from my textbook. Why is that “です” was used ...
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どこ vs なん which one is better in the sentence?
Q: あの立派な建物は何ですか。／あの立派な建物は何処ですか。
A: あの立派な建物は留学生食堂です。
Which of the question sounds more natural in the given context?
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現実化する versus 現実になる
その悪夢が現実化した。
The nightmare became a reality.
This sentence sounds to me like the nightmare has animacy. It is realising itself, where 'itself' is the implied object of する. It all sounds rather ...
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Understanding the nuances between the various words related to manners and etiquette
There are quite a few words related to this. Specifically, 礼儀, エチケット, マナー, 作法, and 行儀. There is a GOO thesaurus page for this, but it is confusing me. The definitions, as I understand them, seem to ...
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How to choose between 均衡 and 平衡
Both 均衡{きんこう} and 平衡{へいこう} express equilibrium or balance. Both can be used with the verb 保{たも}つ.
When is one more appropriate than the other?
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Nuances between 道徳, 倫理, and モラル
From the goo thesaurus, it defines the difference between 道徳 and 倫理 as:
「道徳」は、人間が社会の一員として守るべき行為の基準となるものをいい、「倫理」は、社会的な行動の規範となるものをいう。
While モラル covers both.
Unfortunately, I don't really understand the ...
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The difference between ぐらい and ばかり
I want to know more about the difference between ぐらい and ばかり, and when either should be used. For example in the 2 sentences below. I think either of them can be used.
駅まで2時間ぐらいで着くと思います。
...
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What's the difference and when it should be used between 操作、動作、作動、運転、作用
I work as an engineer, and inside the heap of documents that I have been going through.
As an example, there's a lot of sentences that describing how the machine operates, or operation behaviour.
In ...
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Nuances between the various words for "member"
What are the nuances between 一員, 会員, 成員, and メンバー? There is a goo thesaurus page, but it didn't really help me actually distinguish the differences.
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Expressing subtext of story characters
Context:
A gets B to go to eat at a restaurant for the couples-only item in the restaurant, stating that A themselves don't know anyone else that can pretend to be a couple with them. However, B ...
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Would you ever use 親友 to refer to your romantic partner?
My understanding is 親友 (shinyuu) is the closest equivalent to English "best friend." In English, some people might say things like "My husband/wife is my best friend." Would using ...
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What is the difference between 妥協 and すり合わせ
I have trouble understanding the difference between these two words.
Based on my understanding, 妥協 is when two parties reach a mutual agreement by sacrificing some of their needs or wants that oppose ...
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Why である instead of でいる？
One solution that I heard is aru can be used for people you're not close to and iru for people you are close to, so like a humble thing, but, I don't know if it's actually said, and aru is for ...
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Use of 類 as a suffix
Specifically, I was trying to understand the difference between 酸 and 酸類.
I'm guessing that adding 類 changes it from a specific acid to the class of all acids, but I really have no idea.
More ...
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Difference between とても and なかなか
I am having difficulty understanding the difference between とても and なかなか.
The English meaning is the same, so are they interchangeable?
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Differences between 知った and 知っていた
There's this song from LiSA that I've been trying to understand the lyrics. However, there is something that is bothering me right at the start.
The first verse of the song reads as
強くなれる理由を知った
and ...
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How do you express "have to" in order to talk about a non-obligatory, but obvious course of action?
In English, "has to" and "have to" serve to express obligations (as in "must", like in the classic example of having to do homework), and also work for when one wants to ...
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How do I write "Yoshimeatsu" in Japanese characters?
I am doing a study on a Japanese Yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant named "Yoshimeatsu" and wanted to ask how to write it in Japanese characters? The name was a play on words using Ashikaga ...
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Differences and similarities between 近寄る, 近づく, and 迫る
I've come across these three different words, 近寄{ちかよ}る, 近づ{ちか}く and 迫{せま}る, which seemingly have similar definitions on the dictionary. Namely, in the sense of approaching, or drawing near.
I was ...
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だとよ at the beginning of a sentence
I watched a show in which person A tells person B they want them to come back. After it's said, person C said " datoyo." I don't understand it. Da to yo is used to quote things but why would ...
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What is the right expression to say "I expose myself to life". Would it be 露呈{ろてい}, 露見{ろけん} or something else?
I tried to write the expression "to expose yourself to life". I would like to express "to expose" like as in "I expose myself to live, with all things, bad and good, that ...
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About the meaning of による (cause or dependency?)
I usually see による used as a way to express the cause of something:
震災によってたくさんの人の命が失われた。
There were many people who lost their lives due to the earthquake.
But in some places I see it being used as a ...
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What is も purpose here?
I'm not certain what purpose も is serving here. I've seen its usage as "also," etc. but I am not certain if it is being used in the same manner here or being used with a different meaning.
「...
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Difference between 記憶 and 記憶力
What is the difference between 記憶 and 記憶力? I guess latter is more like 'power of recollection'. Are both the following sentences equally natural?
彼は記憶力がいい。
彼は記憶がいい。
He has a good memory.
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