Skip to main content

Questions tagged [word-requests]

Topics related to finding a word that fits a meaning.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
6 votes
4 answers
2k views

Is there a general/default word for "to wear"?

I've been introduced to 着る (for things you put on like a shirt) and 履く (for things you put on like pants) in class, but is there a general way to just say something like wear clothes? Or must the "...
atlantiza's user avatar
  • 3,467
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

What are the Japanese names of the columns in a Kana chart? (Vowels, K, S, T...)

Here is a typical Kana chart presented in gojūon order: In English, I refer to the first column in the chart as the 'vowels' and I refer to every other column in the chart with the first letter of ...
Ambo100's user avatar
  • 911
4 votes
1 answer
407 views

why ひどい神もいたもんだ means "that's a mean god"?

the english version of the material Im reading says "that's a mean god", and a friend told me that means "there is a bad god ,isn't it?" , but I don't understand why. I know ひどい神 (bad,cruel, God) I ...
Saul olmos's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the name of paper to train how to write kanji?

I'm learning how to write hiragana, katakana and kanji. What is the name of paper that has little squares to write the Japanese characters?
Pena Pintada's user avatar
20 votes
4 answers
27k views

What is the Japanese word or phrase for "to post on the internet"?

How do you say "to post something on the Internet"? Are there different words for different kinds of posts, for example: a blog entry a comment a piece of information, like a translation ...
Amanda S's user avatar
  • 7,889
10 votes
2 answers
492 views

Are there more terms similar to 上京 or 来阪 for going to Japanese cities?

I've seen that 上京する "going to Tokyo", 来阪する "going to Osaka" are used to refer to visiting these cities. What other terms are in use for visiting other cities? Which of them are commonly understood?
jogloran's user avatar
  • 6,910
10 votes
4 answers
902 views

Describing aptronyms (names that fit their owner)

I thought of this after seeing a news article about 星出{ほしで}彰彦{あきひこ}, who is an astronaut. Aptronym is a term for a name (often the surname) that fits a person's occupation or personality. A classic ...
nkjt's user avatar
  • 5,782
9 votes
2 answers
763 views

What would be the most apt word in kanji, for "Animal world"?

Okay, that may sound a little confusing, and no, not looking for the name of a zoo or theme park here XD Essentially, simply put, I'm writing a novel, and for that, building a world around it. Yes, ...
Terrornado's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

Does 同級生 mean "classmate" instead of "batchmate" despite the meanings of the individual kanji?

I was looking for the word "batchmate" (entered the same year as you/in the same school grade, i.e. in between 先輩 and 後輩), and found some answers (1,2) on this site that gives 同級生 as a ...
chesnutcase's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the Japanese verb for "to flex" (one's muscles)?

I would like to know the Japanese verb for "to flex", but I haven't found much information and the few dictionary options I have found are a bit unclear to my understanding so I think that some people ...
Grau C's user avatar
  • 149
5 votes
1 answer
1k views

What is the Japanese word (noun) that means “the bittersweetness of a brief, fading moment of transcendent beauty.”?

The article written by Emily Anthes, appearing in the New Yorker, May 12 issue under the title, “The Glossary of Happiness” wraps up with the following paragraph: Lomas (a lecturer in applied ...
Yoichi Oishi's user avatar
  • 9,555
4 votes
4 answers
508 views

What would be a correct term to describe a "cheesy" line?

I'm looking for either an adjective or a noun, that describes lines like 僕は死ぬまであなたのことを忘れない! 僕は永遠に君のことを愛してる! 僕はずっとここで待ってる! Yeah, you know, these over-melodramatic lines in dramas with sad violin ...
chesnutcase's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
960 views

How can I ask about a person's specialty?

I'm learning Japanese from a book, and it says that "specialty" is ご[専門]{せんもん}, but Japanese speakers can't seem to understand me if I use this word. How can I correctly write 「ご専門は何ですか。」 ("What's ...
Denis Steinman's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
1k views

同{おな}じ that means "same" is a noun but 違{ちが}う that means "differs" is a verb

When I asked Japanese about the opposite of 同じ, they always answer 違う. For me, it sounds strange that 同じ which is a noun has an antonym 違う which is a verb. Is there a pair of adjectives in Japanese ...
Display Name's user avatar
  • 7,509
3 votes
2 answers
393 views

Appropriate word for "fellow"

I've been wondering how to appropriately say the phrase "My fellow members" lately and I've come up with the phrase 「僕の仲間のメンバーたち」but I feel like there's a more appropriate word for it. Is there a ...
Noir Antares's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
829 views

Difference between おかあさん and ははおや

What is the difference between these two terms for the word «mother»? おかあさん ははおや Is there a difference in politeness/register in addressing someone, our some other form of difference between these ...
Jack Maddington's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
150 views

Can you call a group of people by a subgroup of 2, and if so then how?

What I understand: A way of referring to a group of people by just 1 person can be done with saying [name]-[honorific, if any] tachi. (I seem to be right based on this and this.) Eg For the group of ...
BCLC's user avatar
  • 605
1 vote
2 answers
861 views

How do you say "no!" (to stop someone)?

Suppose someone is about to do/say something dangerous/inappropriate. And I want to stop them immediately. In English and Spanish I say "no!" to them. It is an order to stop, short form of "don't do ...
Pablo H's user avatar
  • 270
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

How to say "to know how to do something"

Is there a generic formula to express "to know how to do something"? I know how to ask a question in the second person "How do you do something?", e.g. How do you write "Yasuda" in kanji? 「やすだ」...
user1602's user avatar
  • 2,957
1 vote
2 answers
174 views

What is term for the most general form of writing or text

Typing The article/text/writing was innovative in any translation software gives numerous results. After looking up the words article, text, and writing in the dictionary, I found too many options and ...
vickyace's user avatar
  • 243
0 votes
1 answer
609 views

What does it mean to end a sentence with ひとつだけ?

I came across a sentence that ends with ひとつだけ in a book and searching on jisho gave me zero results (https://jisho.org/search/ひとつだけ); nor did searching for the individual parsing of what I remember ...
Toyu_Frey's user avatar
  • 1,470
0 votes
1 answer
466 views

Is the term moai used in Japanese?

It is a group of people who get together monthly, to contribute and receive emotional assistance, advice, and financial support on a rotating basis. The term is called moai in Okinawa, but it may be a ...
Jack Bosma's user avatar
  • 6,767