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.
2,363
questions
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1answer
40 views
Can さくじつ and きのう be used the same way?
Can さくじつ and きのう be used the same way? I know the terms mean yesterday. Thank you!
4
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1answer
85 views
What is the difference between 傲慢, 横柄, 威張る?
All these words can be translated in English as "arrogant", but I would like more explanation as to which context each would be used in.
For example, I can't tell the difference between these ...
2
votes
2answers
140 views
Why was し used instead of から？
通訳の仕事は視野が広がるし、自分自身も成長できるよね
In this message why is し used instead of から？I thought し was mainly for when there’s multiple reasons for things. Is there another use or reason for it or is it kinda like や,...
2
votes
3answers
131 views
Difference between 絶滅, 消滅 and 滅ぶ
My vocabulary textbook lists the three following words:
滅び行く種族
Endangered species
種族の絶滅
The extinction of species
消滅した種族
Extinguished species
(Hope the English ...
4
votes
1answer
189 views
How to say monologue?
What’s the difference between 「[独]{ひと}り[言]{ごと}」 and 「[独白]{どくはく}」? They both mean ‘monologue’?
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1answer
72 views
2
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1answer
352 views
What does 待ってるから mean?
I know what both words mean but I'm not sure what's implied here.
Context: I'm reading this from the manga, 五等分の花嫁。A girl said this to a boy after she asked him to dance at a campfire with him, ...
5
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2answers
186 views
What is there a difference between 数学 and 数理?
I noticed that both terms referred to mathematics. Is one term used more frequently than the other?
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2answers
71 views
「所定」と「固定」の違いは何でしょうか？
Google translate gave be result below
所定 = Predetermined
固定 = Fixed
Which word is used when?
3
votes
1answer
524 views
How is this sentence “working” after として?
I came across the following sentence in a manga I was reading, 急いでるみたいだけど間に合ったとして赤点回避なんてできると思ってるの.
A boy is being accompanied by a group of girls and they are hurrying to school so they can make it ...
20
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1answer
17k views
How to differentiate friend levels in Japanese?
I sometimes have difficulty differentiating friend levels when explaining something to a Japanese person. For example, when I am telling a story about a friend, I want to specify the level of ...
4
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3answers
298 views
How do you say “some”, “many”, “a few”, and “few” when referring to people?
So, of course, I know words like 多い, たくさん, 少ない, 少し, and 何+[counter]+か to express "many", "few", "a few", and "some" in most contexts. However, I have absolutely no idea what are the Japanese ...
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0answers
42 views
How would I say homey in Japanese? [duplicate]
A person is my homey! Like a real close friend/bro. How would I say homey in Japanese? The closest words that I can find are tomodachi and yuujin, but this may also be a slang term in Japanese too.
2
votes
1answer
299 views
Is there a difference between 嘘つき and 嘘つけ ？
Any subtle differences in meaning or respect? Which is more common?
Or is it just another one of those words like やはり/やっぱり/やぱり, しょうがない/しかたない、あんまり/あまり etc. with no difference at all other than ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
What’s なく after a verb for?
Given the following text:
東京都のある女性が、2017年10月23日から連絡が取れ[なく]{LL}なり、[行方]{«ゆくえ»}[不明]{ふ・めい}になっていた。
What’s the grammar for 「なく」after「取れ」? (e.g passive form or negate form, for further googling)
Also, ...
5
votes
1answer
28k views
What is a word meaning “to ask”?
I've needed to use a word "to ask" recently, and the word I decided on was [尋]{たず}ねる. But I have strong doubts that this is actually the right word to use in a situation such as this:
I would like ...
5
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7answers
1k views
2
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1answer
87 views
What is the difference between 「運転手【うんてんしゅ】」 and 「車掌【しゃしょう】」?
According to the dictionary, 運転手 means driver and 車掌 means conductor. So, 運転手 would be any person at the controls/steering wheel of any vehicle, while 車掌 would be someone who "is in charge of a train ...
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1answer
1k views
What is the difference between 「名前【なまえ】」 and 「名称【めいしょう】」？
I am learning the word 「名称【めいしょう】」. According to the dictionary, it means "name", but so does 「名前【なまえ】」. What are the differences in terms of meaning and usage between both words?
I noticed that the ...
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2answers
143 views
What is the kanji term for a leaf blower? [closed]
What is the Japanese word for a leaf blower? I am searching for a kanji term.
10
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1answer
3k views
必要{ひつよう} vs 要{い}ります
It should be mentioned I can't read kanji, so please keep that in mind when answering
I've just encountered the verb [必要]{ひつよう}, in the Rosetta Stone sentence
[私]{わたし}はチケットを[二枚]{にまい}[買]{か}...
5
votes
1answer
121 views
What is the difference in usage between 闘う and 戦う?
I would like to know the difference in usage between these two godan and intransitive verbs :
闘う{たたかう}
戦う{たたかう}
When is one chosen over the other? Is 戦う more related to the war and 闘う to the ...
4
votes
1answer
134 views
What is the difference between「家族【かぞく】」and「家庭【かてい】」?
Aside from "home" or "household", I understand that 家庭 can mean "family" as well. In such case, is there any difference in terms of usage or nuance between 家庭 and 家族? when is it more suitable to use ...
2
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1answer
132 views
What is the difference between 「いろいろ」and 「さまざま」?
According to the dictionary, they both mean "various". What is the difference between both words?
2
votes
2answers
183 views
difference between お世話になっております and お世話になります。
Need a clear explanation about the difference between お世話になっております and お世話になります。
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vote
1answer
126 views
Causation used with もらう、くれる、あげる
I recently started learning the causative form of a verb combined with the もらう or くれる. I am a bit confused on this and would like further clarification as to whether my understanding is correct.
The 「...
5
votes
2answers
208 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
2answers
117 views
Confusion on してもらって and the subject of this sentence
Here is my sentence, この前の俺と一緒にしてもらっては困る.
I'm having some difficulty figuring out it's meaning. This sentence was said aloud by a male character to a female character. Just before he said this, he ...
3
votes
2answers
155 views
What is the difference between 限る and 限定する?
I'm pretty sure that there's a lot more you can do with 限る than there is with 限定する, (When I looked up 限る, I saw a lot of different usages, such as it meaning "is the best," or "nothing is better than,"...
3
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1answer
77 views
How is に used in にできる here? [duplicate]
Slight disclaimer. I did read the following post, Meaning of に in ～にできる , but did not see it's reasoning directly translating to my sentence.
Here is sentence in question:
「...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
English for 会心 as a stat in an online game
Simple question, Google Translate and rikaikun translate 会心 as "Satisfaction" or "Congeniality", although if it is in an online game where it is a stat attribute, what do you think would be the best ...
6
votes
1answer
660 views
How to describe the inside of one's mind?
On one page in my book, I came across 3 different phrases for, what seems to me, subtly different ways of saying the same thing.
The first was: 頭の隅に
Then: 脳裏に
The information I was able to find ...
3
votes
0answers
58 views
What is the common reading of the word 外海?
外海 has two readings がいかい and そとうみ. What is the difference of the two? Personally, I am under the impression that がいかい is the common reading because of its similarity to the word 外国【がいこく】. However, I ...
7
votes
1answer
430 views
もっとも: distinguishing between 尤も and 最も
I found a page in Japanese with title "世界でもっとも汚染された10の都市". Having encountered the phrase 「もっとも」 for the first time, I looked it up on WWWJDIC and found two entries:
尤も 【もっとも】 (adj-na,adv,conj,n) ...
6
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1answer
226 views
Difference between 沸騰する and 沸く
I don't really get the difference since the two of them seem to be translated as "boiling". Do we have to use them in different situations?
6
votes
1answer
274 views
The difference between transitive verbs 窮める, 極める, 究める and intransitive verbs 極まる, 窮まるand 谷まる?
I'm sorry if this question has been answered before, but I did not find a suitable answer. Please provide reliable link if that is the case.
I would like to know the differences between the ...
18
votes
3answers
4k views
What is the *proper* differentiation between 来る and 行く?
In many beginning Japanese classes, 来る【くる】 and 行く【いく】 are presented as "to come" and "to go," respectively. Dictionaries generally also define them this way. However, every once in a while in more ...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Is there a difference in usage between 賃銀 and 賃金?
I was looking into a novel and I found the word 賃銀. According to my dictionary, this word has the same meaning as 賃金, which is wages, the money a person receive for a work/task.
They have the same ...
21
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2answers
2k views
Adjectives functioning both as イ- and ナ-adjective
This question has made me think about the class of adjectives, which can function both as イ- and as ナ-adjective, e.g.
大きい 大きな
小さい 小さな
真っ白い 真っ白な (etc.)
細かい 細かな
暖かい 暖かな
四角い 四角な (etc.)
柔らかい ...
2
votes
1answer
72 views
About the differences between 貯金 and 節約
As the title says, I would like to know differences between 貯金{ちょきん} and 節約{せつやく}.
Both mean "saving money" and have the irregular する verb ending:
貯金する{ちょきんする} : To save money
節約する{せつやくする} : ...
15
votes
1answer
1k views
When are 止める, 停める and 留める read as とめる, やめる or とどめる?
When are 止める, 停める and 留める read as とめる or とどめる (and in the case of 止める, やめる)?
I think 止めてください could be read as both やめてください and とめてください, which I think could maybe be translated as "cut it out" and "...
0
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0answers
39 views
〜たことある/ない vs 〜たことあった/なかった
I see these as example sentences on sites, and I cant figure out the nuances between both. When would you use the past form of this phrase?
0
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1answer
94 views
3
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1answer
106 views
What is the difference between ending a question with んだ？and の？
I thought の when used in questions is for when you’re asking for an explanation or to have a curious tone, but んだ is also for explanation and I’ve seen both used to end questions so what are the ...
0
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1answer
88 views
So that + adjective? [closed]
How would you translate something like “so that you are/can be X”?
I bought this so that he’ll be safe.
I want to do this for you so that you’re happy!
2
votes
1answer
88 views
左に曲がる/右に曲がる v/s 左折/右折
That's it, essentially. What differentiates these two ways to indicate a turn?
So far, I had only heard 左に曲がる/右に曲がる, but recently I heard 左折/右折 in the GPS of a car. At first I thought that the latter ...
2
votes
1answer
187 views
Examples of when to use ではありません、ではない、じゃありません、 じゃない
I'm looking for example situations of when to use each level of politeness. I know they all are the same but when situational wise to use each one is where I am having confusion. Thank you.
-3
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1answer
159 views
Can the term kaiwa no heya be used to mean an actual location/room to chat in?
I know that the term chattorumu is used for online chats. What term would be used to denote an actual room for this activity? A room to chat in.
-1
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1answer
201 views
Can the term お姉さん be used to address female strangers politely? [closed]
Can the term be お姉さんbe used to address female strangers politely?
8
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1answer
273 views
What is the difference between キャリアウーマン, OL, and ビジネスウーマン?
When I come across the titles キャリアウーマン, OL, and ビジネスウーマン, I seem to have a difficult time picturing what their position is or what they do. I'm wondering if anyone can elaborate on how they are ...
