Questions tagged [word-usage]
語法. The usage of the words.
258
questions
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1answer
32 views
The difference between ありきたり and 平凡?
Both of them are Na-adjectives and both mean "ordinary, common". Are there any differences?
I saw a sentence:
そんな平凡でありきたりなことじゃないのかも
Why "平凡" and "ありきたり" are both used here?
0
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1answer
46 views
What's the difference between 「軽い」and 「身軽」?
Hellow everyone!
I would like to know what's the difference between 「軽い」and 「身軽」? When is good to use each one? Could you give me an example?
Thank you!
3
votes
1answer
67 views
Specific meaning of 屋上
Coming from a place that gets lots of snow, I think of roofs as being slanted and inaccessible. For me, the word 'roof' does not conjure an image of usable space. However, from the looks of it, the ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
Use of その 結果 as "as a result'
I would like to know the use of その結果 "as a result"
Is it formal ?
Use in written language ?
Could it be replaced with some other expressions like "それで” ?
三ヶ月ダイエットを続けた。その結果、５キロやせた。 I continued my ...
0
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1answer
53 views
Use of かと思ったら / かと思うと (in the context of as soon as, just when)
かと思ったら / かと思うと mean "just when; no sooner than" but what is their use
(oral/written, formal/normal) ?
Do native use that construction naturally or is it replaced by another one ?
And I am also ...
0
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0answers
32 views
Difference between はもとより and はもちろん and their respective usage
I would like to know if there is some difference between はもとより and はもちろん in the sense of "let alone" , "not only ... but also".
On a side note, I would like also to know their respective usage (oral/...
0
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1answer
77 views
Meaning of 付いてくる and 付いていく
While it may appear as possible duplicate
The difference between "follow" using についていく、「あと？」をつける、「あと？」をついていく
, the specificity here is a school/training context which was not discussed ...
0
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1answer
79 views
What is the meaning of 地道 in this context? [closed]
it usually means "steady; honest; sober; straightforward" but it appears to have a different meaning in the following sentence:
地道な勉学にはあまり向かなかった、性格が明るく、多くの人に好かれた。
Source: it is a novel from Mr ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Meaning of 抱える other than “hold or carry in the arms”
I found some sentence and I am a bit perplexed by the 抱える, whose first meaning is “hold or carry in the arms”
I found it also meant : to have problems but how did it acquire its second meaning ?
...
0
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1answer
45 views
Meaning of 扱う in a context of 'deal with someone'
I know that 扱う means "to handle,to deal with".
But I cannot understand it in the following context
story: a new recruit arrives to the police department and is embarked on a case as soon as she ...
3
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2answers
114 views
How is 所載 used?
WaniKani taught me 所載, for which it offers the meaning "published".
On jisho I see: 1. printed; published; noted or mentioned (in a publication), but it is listed as a noun. And it definitely looks ...
4
votes
2answers
180 views
What is the difference between 振る and 揺る?
Both of these words seem to mean "to shake". From what I got:
振る is "higher frequency" shaking.
揺る is more like a swaying or rocking motion, "lower frequency".
Is this correct? An explanation would ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
笑っちまう程 translation in context
I'm a beginner in Japanese. I don't completely get what
笑っちまう程 立場が 変わるぜ
means in the context below. Is it something like "The more I laugh the more the situation changes"? It makes no sense to me....
2
votes
2answers
69 views
What is the difference between 補う vs 埋め合わせる
Both words are defined as "To make up for". What is the difference and in what contexts are these words used?
Thanks in advance.
3
votes
2answers
158 views
Can 集合 be used to refer to a meeting between 2 people only?
Not a lot of context is necessary I think, just this line a person said to their friend: じゃあ、今からいつもの場所に集合ね
I'm not sure if this 集合 implies a group gathering between friends (more than 2) or if it ...
0
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1answer
135 views
When is it good to use “ダサい”? [closed]
When is it good to use "ダサい" (out of fashion, boring)? Is it an everyday word?
0
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1answer
72 views
Which situation for using 併せる and 合わせる and 組み合わせる? What is difference between them?
All of them are the same meaning, but I think in few situations, should only use one of them.
3
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3answers
147 views
What does 勝ったな mean?
I’ve stumbled upon the phrase 勝ったな and it was translated there as “he will win” but what conjugation is that?
3
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1answer
126 views
What is the difference between 祖先 and 先祖?
From my dictionary, both mean ancestor so I am wondering about what is the difference between them.
Is the difference in politeness ? For example [息子]{musuko} and [子息]{shisoku} both mean son, but the ...
2
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1answer
134 views
What does 本当たりえる mean
I am playing the eroge Tsui no Sora and have come across a passage containing this word:
当たり前だがノストラダムスの大予言なんて出来の悪い妄想だ。
まともに考えれば小学生にすらわかる事。
だがそんな事は重要じゃない。
[Nostradamus' prophecy is an ...
2
votes
1answer
90 views
じゃor じゃあ for meaning “well then”
Both of these translate to "well then", for example, both would be valid:
じゃ、またね！
Well then, bye!
じゃあ、パンをください。
Well then, the bread, please.
They are both more casual than でわ for example:
...
1
vote
1answer
169 views
Is あの兵に plural or singular?
Full sentence:生者は死なないあの兵士に意味を与えるまで
I read it as : The living won't die until those soliders are given meaning
Is it okay or is it about a single solider?
0
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1answer
107 views
Use ございます out of fixed expression
How common is using ございます in spoken Japanese, even in formal polite uses, outside fixed expressions like おはようございます or ありがとうございます
3
votes
1answer
290 views
What does 「選挙を追った」 mean here?
選挙カーも走らない静かな選挙戦だったが、投票率は何と８９・４１％。
飛び地の村の不思議な選挙を追った。
Source: https://www.sankei.com/premium/news/191209/prm1912090002-n1.html
An enclave town with a quiet election campaign without any cars ...
8
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2answers
1k views
Is there any difference between 旅行者 and 旅人?
Is there any difference between the words 旅行者 and 旅人? Which one is more frequently used?
3
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2answers
135 views
6
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2answers
257 views
Should I include my step-siblings as 兄弟?
If I'm asked, "兄弟がいますか。" and my only siblings are a younger step brother and younger step sister, should/can I respond "はい、いもうととおとうとがいます。"? Do I need to specify but still answer in the affirmative? Or ...
4
votes
1answer
208 views
Why is はじめ written with the kanji 初 as opposed to 始 to convey “the beginning”?
I frowned upon my textbook when I saw the word 初【はじ】め (the beginning) for the first time (no pun intended). The reason is that so far, I understood the idea of "start" are conveyed by 始, whereas the ...
2
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1answer
249 views
Honorifics in Japan
I learnt alot of korean and also the fact that a younger girl would call an older girl 'eonni' or and older boy 'oppa'. Also a younger boy would say Noona (older girl) or hyung (older boy). Do ...
1
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1answer
199 views
Can “genki desu ka” also mean “Am I well?”
I learnt that how are you is “genki” or “o genki des ka”, but there is no anata, so how do you know that that’s not “Am I well?”. In other words how do you distinguish 1., 2., and 3. person when no ...
2
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0answers
86 views
「～について説明する」と「～を説明する」は どう違いますか？
「～について説明する」と「～を説明する」は どう違いますか？ 私はベトナム人ですので日本語で説明したら良かったです。英語で説明したらちょっと難しいですが頑張ります。よろしくお願いします。
0
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1answer
220 views
How to say animal feed in Japanese? Is there a particular verb for eating when the subject is an animal?
Is the verb 食【た】べる used for animals that are eating?
Is animal food called 食事【しょくじ】?
I was having a conversation about a cat. I wanted to know what the cat was eating and the conversation came off ...
2
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1answer
78 views
Differences between 場所 and どこの場所
In a short story the protagonist says this sentence:
そして僕は突然、自分が知っている誰からも、自分が知っているどこの場所からも、信じられないくらい遠く隔てられ、引き離されているんだと感じる
I was wondering: why 自分が知っている**どこの場所** instead of just 自分が知っている**場所**.
1
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1answer
168 views
Different ways to ask help from strangers
1) Offering help to strangers in Japanese is te form shimashouka ( o tetsudaishimashouka- Shall I help you / Do you need any help ?)
2) What are the different ways to seek help ( one I know is eki no ...
6
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1answer
170 views
How best to respond to 「ご無沙汰しています」
I just received an email from a good friend in Japan, who has notably over the past few months been instrumental in connecting me to various people, for some research interviews I've been conducting.
...
2
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1answer
72 views
Word choice between 並々ならぬ and 並外れた
When I asked a Japanese about the difference between 並々ならぬ and 並外れた, he gave me a couple of examples how he uses the words:
並々ならぬ身体能力（✕） 並はずれた身体能力（〇）
並々ならぬお世話 （〇） 並はずれたお世話 （✕）
I also consulted the ...
6
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1answer
238 views
What is そんでもって?
According to コトバンク, it is the exact same as two different definitions of それで。
Then there is this ベストアンサー which gives many usage examples. Again, it seems to be a very casual filler word meaning それで。...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
二つ下のいとこ instead of はとこ
I'm trying to understand the usage of 二つ下 in the following sentence.
シンちゃんは私の二つ下のいとこです
When I read it without 下 it sounds like:
Shin-chan is my second cousin or something along those lines.
The ...
3
votes
1answer
178 views
Do the terms 紅葉{こうよう} and 紅葉{もみじ} mean the same thing?
What is the difference between 紅葉{こうよう} and 紅葉{もみじ}?
I want to chat about the autumn colors of leaves and I found these terms in Jisho. The definition reads only こうよう or only もみじ which is confusing ...
0
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1answer
163 views
How do you differentiate saying vague words in Japanese that have multiple meanings? E.g. tokei, koshi
I'm not talking about homonyms that have very different meanings to be able to make it abundantly clear from context alone like hana (nose, flower) or kami (hair, god, paper), but like tokei(watch, ...
2
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1answer
95 views
What is the meaning of 「一人」in the following sentence?
今、女性一人が生む子どもの数が減ってきている。つまり、少子化が進んできている。 Now, the amount of women that give birth to a child is decreasing. That is to say, the declining birth rates are advancing.
What is the role of 「一人」? To me, ...
7
votes
3answers
936 views
What is the meaning of 「ほう」in the following sentence?
日本の労働時間は世界でも長いほうだ。
I guess the sentence means something along the lines of "Even within the [whole] world, the working hours in Japan are long". But I think it could be expressed simply without the「...
5
votes
2answers
268 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,"...
2
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2answers
129 views
At what age is a person considered to be シルバー?
I read this term in an online article and it was referring to people. I assume it means elderly people. Is there an age that one must be to use this term?
2
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1answer
83 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} : ...
5
votes
2answers
566 views
Which is the correct phrase to say saving money?
I like to tell that I am saving money to buy Mac Book . So two sentence come to my mind , which one is more suitable to use ..
僕はMACBOOKを買うためにお金を貯金しています。
僕はMACBOOKを買うためにお金を節約しています。
0
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1answer
89 views
How is it written deposit money by coin? [closed]
Recently I want to change my massive coin into money . I heard about I can change coin to bank account money at ATM in Tokyo , so I went to bank ATM . But I couldn't choose English language on screen ...
1
vote
1answer
249 views
Which honorific is correct, oshumi or goshumi?
I want to ask a person about their hobbies. Go/O shumi ha nan desu ka? 趣味
3
votes
1answer
274 views
How to order an individiual item instead of a set?
I say 「セット」 when I order a set, and I say 「これだけ」 when I just want to order an individual item.
Is there any common way to order an individual item instead of a set?
-1
votes
1answer
258 views
でようか slang for で良いか? [closed]
This is the sentence I heard in an anime.
コーヒーでようか or コーヒーでよか.
I definitely did not mishear it for yoi 良い. Is this some slang for yoi? If so, which is the correct one? Stress or no vowel stress.
