Questions tagged [word-usage]
語法. Word usage. 単語の使い分けと単語の使い方 This tag should be used for questions about how specific words are used in speech or writing.
378
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71 views
Usage of ちまう (not "sense of regret" or "accidently do" usage) [duplicate]
I am familiar with the different variations of ちまう, じまう, しまう, ちゃう etc.
I am mostly familiar with the "sense of regret" or "accidently do" usage, but I am confused in sentences like ...
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1answer
163 views
What's the difference between わけです。 and はずです。?
実験のやり方を変えてみたんです。今度はきっと成功するはずです。期待していてください。
vs
実験のやり方を変えてみたんです。だから、こんなにいい結果が出たわけです。
Can someone explain what the difference between these two sentences above is? Mainly the difference between はず and ...
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0answers
68 views
Difference between と共に and と当時に? [closed]
From what I know they can both mean "at the same time" or "together". Is there any difference or nuance between the two?
2
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1answer
339 views
Meaning of せん in そのすべてに感謝せん
大地の精霊よ
イシの村にもたらす恵み
そのすべてに感謝せん
I am wondering if this is perhaps a shortened version of an expression like 感謝の言葉もありません or something like that?
I've tried looking in jisho for せん but it is still ...
2
votes
1answer
303 views
When do you use forms of 歩く as a verb to talk about walking?
I've come across different usages of 歩く as a verb and was unsure in which scenarios they would be most appropriate to use.
Is 歩く used with 来る?
東京タワーまで歩いて来ます。
Or is it used with 行く?
東京タワーまで歩いて行きます。
...
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vote
1answer
127 views
Translating to english a Japanese word that phonetically sounds like "Ish" or "Hish" or "Yish" etc
I have been watching some old Japanese movies and anime with sub titles. I don't speak or under stand Japanese and rely totally on the English subtitles.
I have seen a word used a couple of times that ...
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2answers
88 views
歓迎しましょう vs 歓迎します vs ようこそ
What is the difference between:
歓迎しましょう (Kangei shimashou)
歓迎します (Kangei shimasu)
ようこそ (Yōkoso)
They all mean "welcome" but in which occasions should we use which more appropriately. ...
3
votes
2answers
214 views
Is 領外{りょうがい} a common translation for "out of bounds"?
I think I've heard the word 領外{りょうがい} used several times to mean "out of bounds" (as in physically out of bounds, for instance outside of the playing field for sports).
But, when I try ...
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vote
0answers
80 views
How should I complete the sentence? [duplicate]
I have the following sentence:
会社は（ ）ですか。...パワー電気です。
I guess you it should be translated as "What is this company? It's the Power Company"?
A classmate suggested:
会社は どこ ですか。...パワー電気です
But ...
11
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2answers
1k views
Could 家族 be used for really close friends?
My family has a very good relationship with a Japanese family since many decades ago. When I was a kid, I used to play when their sons, and I visited them once and stayed at their home for a month. ...
2
votes
1answer
117 views
Understanding 分?
今週は大学のオリエンテーション。要は、これから一年受ける講義を選ぶための説明、及び体験期間である。自分の興味のある科目や必修科目を、進級・卒業に必要な単位の分、バランスよく選ばなければならない。
What is the function of the bold 分? Is it like 一年間の休職の分だけ、仕事がたまっていた。?
2
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1answer
105 views
What's the difference between ぞわぞわ and ぞくぞく?
Both ぞくぞく and ぞわぞわ seem to refer to trembling/goosebumps caused by intense emotions or coldness. Is there any difference between the two, though? My intuition is that ぞわぞわ refers more to goosebumps ...
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2answers
111 views
Are verbs of movement typically used in compounds?
I've been reading a lot of graded readers lately (targetted at JLPT N4/N3 level). I recognize that these are not "pure authentic native Japanese", but I also don't believe they are ...
7
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1answer
221 views
Why is 株 used as variant for viruses, e.g. デルタ株?
I've noticed that Delta variant and so forth is translated using 株.
I've always understood this kanji to primarily deal with things regarding stocks, business, and so forth.
I also see from my ...
4
votes
2answers
132 views
Difference in usage between 嬉しい and 幸せ
What is the difference between [嬉]{うれ}しい and [幸]{しあわ}せ for "happy" or "happiness"? Are these interchangeable or are there cases where one should be used over the other? If so, ...
3
votes
1answer
107 views
What does "天然記念物" mean in this context?
The dictionary I have defines this as "natural monument" and "protected species" and I don't see how it relates to the conversation at hand. Based on the context though, since the ...
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vote
1answer
135 views
Why are there so many words that mean "first" (and other ordinal numbers)? What are the differences?
Here are the words that roughly mean "first" that I'm aware of, but feel free to add more:
最初
一番
一番目
一次
第一次
第一
第一位
一位
首位
What are the differences (if any) between all of them?
3
votes
1answer
139 views
Difference between 監督 and 管理 for "to control"?
So I think both 監督（かんとく）and 管理（かんり）are different from 経営（けいえい）in that 経営 refers to managing a business. However the word "control" can be used for many things in English:
To have control ...
4
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1answer
244 views
Difference between 表立つ and 表沙汰する?
From what I understand, they both have the meaning of going public or becoming public knowledge. Is there a more nuanced difference between the two?
4
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1answer
165 views
Word Usage: ほがらかな vs 人懐っこい
I am doing some JLPT prep, and I'm struggling with the differences between ほがらかな and 人懐っこい。
私は、誰にでも抱っこされる（ ）赤ちゃんだったらしい。
A「ほがらかな」 B「人懐っこい」
The given correct answer is 人懐っこい which I can understand as ...
3
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2answers
692 views
Should I use -Sensei (先生) to refer to a teacher if they aren't my teacher?
Does it make a difference whether they teach at my school, even if they don't teach my class?
3
votes
1answer
68 views
When is 請じる used?
I read a novel, with the following sentence :
社会部記者と称する男は、快く支配人の部屋へ請じられた。
According to jisho.org,請じる means "to invite; to show (someone) in". I searched online for examples of sentences ...
2
votes
1answer
168 views
Why would there be a (笑) after 汚点?
I'm reading through a book put out by a manga publisher (Tosuisha/冬水社 if it's relevant) in 1998 that's a compilation of interview questions given to different manga characters. One of the questions ...
3
votes
1answer
80 views
What is the difference between 受け継ぐ、引き継ぐ，and 継承する?
I know these words roughly translate to "to inherit", "to take over", "to succeed", etc, but what is the difference between these words? These words were used in Attack ...
1
vote
1answer
85 views
What is the difference between ギャンブラー, 博徒, and 博奕打ち?
I was looking up a character from a Japanese game whose profession/specialty was gambler and saw that the word used in Japanese was ギャンブラー. My general distaste for katakana-English inflamed, I looked ...
2
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2answers
89 views
What does 送る mean in this sentence and is it similar to 生活を送る?
幻聴？あたし妄想見やすいタイプなのかな？父親の愛情なき幼児体験おくってっからな…
(first sentence for context)...because I experienced childhood without my father's love.
Would it work to also say 「幼児体験で育ったから」?
I'm also wondering if it is ...
1
vote
1answer
165 views
What would be the difference between 書こう and 書きよう when used in this sentence?
EDIT: Apparently I read the answers wrong, and the correct answer is actually the one I chose, i.e. 書こうにも.
Then my question would be focused on the difference between these two forms. I guess in this ...
2
votes
1answer
112 views
Usage/difference between ーみたい、－そう、and っぽい [duplicate]
So I know that these words would have the same-ish meanings, however the usage confuses me.
For example:
A:「この歌の歌手はBさんの声________よ。」
B:「本当ですか？ありがとう！」
Which would be used in a sentence like that? Why?
3
votes
1answer
101 views
What is the usage of そこはそれ?
と、先ほどよりだいぶ気安い調子で言ってみる。が、真士はすぐにむうとうなった。
確かに自然にはなったけれど、これではいつもと変わらない。別に真士は、澪と二人で出かけたことがないわけではないのだ。……いやまあ、二人きりで出かけるのとデートがどう違うのかと言われれば答えに窮してしまうのだが、そこはそれ、澪に『真士とデートしている』と思って欲しいのである。
I know probably it is ...
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1answer
52 views
What's the difference between 「殺人者」「殺戮者」 and 「大量殺人者」?
Is it a matter of the degree of the crime like "satsurikusha" is worse than "satsujinsha" and "tairyousatsujinsha" is worse than "satsurikusha"? Or are "...
1
vote
1answer
120 views
Why is the verb conjugated to え-form?
選べなかったら俺ん家来れば？
Translation:
If you don't like your choices, why not live at my place?
What I'm particularly confused about is the verb being in え-form. As far as I know, one usage of it is to give ...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
What is the meaning of 礼楽?
I was checking the definition of 堂 in my online dictionary (大辞林) when I came across the word 礼楽 in:
堂 → 客に接したり，礼楽を行なったりする所。== Hall → a place where you can interact with customers and perform ritual ...
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2answers
120 views
What would be the meaning of the 「筋」in 「親戚筋」?
「もちろん偶然苗字が一緒だっただけとか、名前を騙ってるだけって可能性もゼロではねーですけども、何らかの関わりがあるという前提で考えるのなら、私や兄様の親戚筋ってところですかね？少なくとも、私や兄様と面識があるみてーですし」
What would be the meaning of the 「筋」in 「親戚筋」? Are there any other examples of this ...
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1answer
104 views
Why does this sentence has a negative connotation and what does 外れ mean in this context?
I came across this sentence "予報外れの雨が降った" in a manga, and it's translated as: " It rained despite the forecast for today". Few things I want to ask:
First, a look up in the dict ...
3
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1answer
133 views
Is 「謙譲 」really used as a standalone word different than 「謙譲語」？
When I started studying Japanese, I learnt the word 謙譲語 which means "humble language" (one type of 敬語). At that point, I looked up the word 謙譲 at the dictionary jisho.org and found out that ...
0
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1answer
38 views
A & B don't/doesn't exist translation [closed]
How to say or write
"A & B don't exist" in formal and informal form with involving the word 存在 ?
0
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1answer
128 views
How do I understand いいかしら
My guess is that it's asking whether something is good or not, similar to saying いいですか.
So my question is what form is this and what does it stem from?
2
votes
2answers
221 views
What is the pronunciation and meaning of 乙って?
I was in the middle of reading a light novel, and I've come across "乙って" at least twice so far. I can't really figure out what it means nor how it's pronounced.
I found it in this sentence ...
2
votes
2answers
140 views
「あと3日だな」 means what exactly?
This is based on a listening exercise I'm trying to understand.
In this exercise, we don't know what day it currently is, but an event is planned for Saturday.
One speaker says:
あと[3日]{みっか}だな…
My ...
0
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1answer
82 views
what is the difference between 均等 and 平等 and 等しい？ All of them can be adjectives
What is the difference between 均等 and 平等 and 等しい？ All of them can be adjectives. Could you make some examples to show the difference?
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1answer
75 views
Use of どうか in this sentence?
I'm having some trouble parsing this sentence:
ピーターのことを、どうかよろしくお願いします
The translation by my interpretation is something along the lines of "As to Peter I will leave it in your hands" (i.e. ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
The various uses of 気 in isolation
The expressions/phrases that involve 気 (ie: 気になる, 気にする, 気がついた, etc) are pretty well documented online. However, it seems difficult to find how to use 気 outside of these. For example, I recently ...
2
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1answer
66 views
Can フラれて be used in any non-romantic sense?
Something like “shocked” or “deceived”. Or rejected by friend, not by lover. Or in the situation where the person ignored someone’s problem.
Really, any non-romantic meaning, even it’s not common.
2
votes
1answer
123 views
What's the difference between 閉じる and 塞ぐ?
So i was doing Kanji Quiz, and i stumbled with 塞ぐ Kanji. I know 閉じる is used for eyes,etc. But 塞ぐ also has the same definition with 閉じる.
Here are the definitions.
Definitions
塞ぐ
to stop up; to close ...
5
votes
1answer
196 views
Parsing ふりする in song lyrics
I recently started watching 宇宙よりも遠く場所 on Netflix and there's a catchy reoccurring insert song that gets stuck in my head. Looking at the lyrics, I'm confused by the second to last line:
...
1
vote
1answer
275 views
When people use ざっくり？
I recently heard my colleagues use ざっくり which I haven't heard before. When I look it up in dictionary it translates to 'roughly; approximately; loosely' or 'deeply (cut or split)' - very different ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
Can I use "dou" to offer something?
I understand that "dou" means how, and for example おちゃはどうですか means that I'm asking how is the tea? But, in Busuu app it says that I can use the same question to offer something, as if I'm ...
1
vote
1answer
115 views
別に meaning as opposed to directly saying "no"
What's the difference between saying 別に and directly saying no.
For example:
A: 行きたいの？
B: 別に （as opposed to saying 行きたくない）
I think they both mean "no, I don't want to go". But please ...
1
vote
2answers
274 views
Use of the "きた” form before するnoun
During my research, I came upon two forms to express the fact of moving to a new house:
ここは 三月前に引っ越ししてきたアパートです。
ここは 三月前に引っ越ししたアパートです。
I don't understand the difference between the two, does the one ...
4
votes
2answers
281 views
How to talk about completing a series?
I was wondering how to convey "today I've completed reading a manga series" or "I've completed watching a TV series". Does "Verb(ます stem)+終わる" sound wrong? Should I use &...
