Questions tagged [word-usage]
語法. The usage of the words.
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Meaning and use of 悪くないか
悪くないか
Scenario 1: a young boy comes home and says (to his sick mother)「母さん悪くないか」。
Scenario 2: two men are moving a tv and one thinks 「なんかバランス悪くないか？！」。
I’m not following the meaning of it
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2answers
278 views
What is the 中 in ダウンロード中？
I was downloading an update for a phone game I set in Japanese and on the screen it said 「ダウンロード中」and I don’t understand the use of 中. Middle? In the middle of downloading?
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60 views
暮らし and 生活: meaning and usage [duplicate]
Are 暮らし and 生活 interchangeable? For example:
日本での暮らし （is 日本での生活 OK?）
日本の生活に慣れた。（is 日本の暮らしに慣れた OK?)
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1answer
68 views
Difference of 減量 and 減少
What is the difference between 減量 and 減少? What about 増量 and 増加?
I found these following examples on my workbook, but there is no explanation whatsoever about how to use them.
人口が減少する。
...
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Which is more common for “I miss you”: 会いたい or 寂しい？
When saying “I miss you” which of these is more frequently used? Do they have different nuances?
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1answer
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Comparing the usage of というのは and ということは
As far as I know, both というのは and ということは can be used to give definition/explanation.
留学するということは、海外で勉強するということだ。
ユートピアというのは理想郷の意だ
And are also used to make inferences.
ご意見がないということは賛成ということですね。
...
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2answers
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What are some special ways to use よく besides “often” and “well”?
I’ve seen よく used in a variety of contexts outside of the basic “often” and “well”.
「よくよくのことがないと実家には帰らない。」
「よく聞いたら試験は、明日だった。」
「よく言うよ！」
Just a few examples. What are some different ways it can be ...
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0answers
60 views
Are です and あります／います ever interchangeable?
I feel like （私は）彼の前です。 means the same thing as （私は）彼の前にいます。 (I am in front of him.)
Also 本はどこですか。 and 本はどこにありますか。 (Where is the book?)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is there a rule for determining ...
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How to use the colloquial word 「アリ」？ [duplicate]
Recently I saw it used and I don’t quite get it. The only source i found said it was like asking if you would do something or if it’s normal to do something? Please help!
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Why is こと used in 「私に何かできること」？
How does it turn this into a noun clause? All I get from it is “I can do something” but I don’t see where こと fits in.
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1answer
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Meaning of とか and こう in context なんかお店とかに、こう歩ってて
なんかお店とかに、こう歩ってて、なんかっす、こう、スベッ、スベッて転んだことが。痛い！
What is the meaning of こう how it’s used in this context? And what is the purpose of とか？I know なんか is similar to “like” and っす is short for です so it seems ...
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やっぱり to mean “after all” + other uses? [duplicate]
i just saw やっぱり used to mean “after all” and another place it was translated as “definitely”. later on was the sentence 「やっぱりこういう風になると」and the translation was “But, when you became like this”
...
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How often are です and 〜ます used among friends?
since they are polite forms are they ever often used in informal settings among friends? or would people think you’re being overly polite?
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2answers
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Difference between 〜といい and 〜ように for “I hope…”
I've learned that both of these can be used to mean “I hope that...” or “I wish that...” but what is the difference in meaning?
「明日晴れといいな。」vs 「明日晴れように。」
Do these have the same meaning?
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1answer
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Uses of 「四つ角」in quizlet as intersection？
I am making my way through a very large quizlet flashcard deck that has already had a few mistakes that I have caught. I just came across[ 四つ角]{よつかど} which it lists as intersection and shows a picture ...
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2answers
862 views
Use of さ as a filler
how often is さ used as a filler like our “like”? is it very common?
for example, could i say 「私さスタバへさ行ったさ…」？
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1answer
76 views
Using ダメ with なくては？
I read that しなくてはダメ means “to have to do something” but someone said ダメ cannot be used with なくては to mean “have to”. I get different answers from different sources, both being Japanese speakers. What ...
4
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1answer
382 views
Meaning of「〜てみたいと思います」
I've gathered that と思う means to think about but isn't it a little redundant to add the みたい？
彼らに聞いてみたいと思います。
The みたい adds the sense of looking like or seeming but so does 思う so I don't quite ...
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Difference between なきゃand なくちゃ [duplicate]
i understand that they’re short forms of なければ and なくて but i don’t understand the different nuances between them. thanks!
ex.
勉強しなきゃ。
vs
勉強しなくちゃ。
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2answers
172 views
What does らん in 「強からん事を祈る」 mean?
I came across this sentence while reading Osamu Dazai's Ningen Shikkaku. The sentence is pretty long, so I have only included the relevant part.
あまりに人間を恐怖している人たちは、かえって、もっともっと、...
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1answer
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Sentences without topic particles?
how common is it for there to be sentences like 「私、死んでるよ！」or 「これ、怖い」？ is it super informal? any guidelines on when to speak like this?
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2answers
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Usage of こいつ, あいつ, etc
When can I use こいつ, あいつ, etc?
I’ve seen that they can mean he/she/this/that in various contexts but when is it appropriate to use them versus 彼 or 彼女？
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1answer
110 views
Reason for using じゃないですか in this sentence?
「えとー、隣に人乗る時ありますけど、なんかこう前が壁じゃないですか。」
The translation in the subtitle was “Because, sometimes people do sit next to me but there’s a sort of wall in front of you.”
I don’t understand where the じゃない ...
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1answer
60 views
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What does のそ mean in this picture?
What does のそ mean in this picture?
A friend of mine said that it was "a moment later...", but I'm not really sure if that's the real meaning. What does this annotation mean?
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1answer
92 views
Help translating English idioms
Can someone use 涙ぐむ in a way to say "could bring a man to tears" or something along those lines?
Wanting to translate some English phrases or sayings into Japanese in a way that could be either ...
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1answer
208 views
Sentence order: Where to put もう
This is the sentential question I found in Sou Matome :
母親「さあ、もうねなさい。」 こども「この_ _ * _ ちょっとまって。」 A. おわる、B. もう、C. ゲームが、D.まで
I answered: ゲームがもう終わるまでちょっとまって。
but the answer is :
...
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1answer
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What's the difference among 夜中, 真夜中 and 夜?
I've found 3 words with the definition of the night/midnight.
But some difficulties appeared. This is the answer have found:
Is 夜中 or 真夜中 is more correct for exactly midnight? At about 00:00. ...
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1answer
135 views
Difference among evening words 夕方, 夕べ, 晩, 夕?
I've found several words in the book, which means evening. What's the difference among them?
I've found only this information:
夕 - 5pm to 7pm
晩 - 7pm to 10pm
夜 - 10pm onwards (night, late evening)
...
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2answers
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What does ひと匙 mean in this manga and has it been used colloquially?
I’m reading this manga and I came across this scene that the character is describing the new member of the school team that
音駒【ねこま】にあとひと匙【さじ】 欲しかった決定力になり得る存在
*Note: 音駒 is the highschool name.
For ...
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1answer
189 views
So I understand 人外 is an anagram of 外人, but does 外人人外 mean evil foreigner?
Title says all. This is purely 100% out of curiosity and by no means meant to offend anyone. Problem is, I very rarely see 人外 used anywhere.
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0answers
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Difference in reading 下に: When to use しも.に or した.に [duplicate]
As I observed, 下に can be read in two ways: しも.に and した.に.
As far as I know, した.に can be used to indicate objects spacial arrangement.
How about しも.に? Dictionary says that it also means down; below; ...
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1answer
88 views
What does 微温い mean in this context?
I read a line in a book where the speaker is berating another party.
悪く言われてるのは、誰のせいだと思ってやがる。お前が微温いこと言ってるからだろうが
I can't figure out the appropriate way to parse this without understanding the ...
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1answer
108 views
Why sometimes the same words are used in hiragana and katakana?
I saw on some restaurants ramen is written like ラーメン, but sometimes like らーめん. Seems like both are correct, but I'm confused which variant should I use when I write about this meal. Does it depend on ...
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3answers
615 views
Why is “language” represented by 言葉【ことば】 instead of 言語【げんご】 in this book for learning Japanese?
In みんなの日本語初級I book, the word 「ことば」 is used to mean "language" (English, Japanese, Russian, etc.)
However, I found 「言語」 as the most proper word for this type of language. The first variant (which ...
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1answer
156 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 ...
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1answer
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Meaning of おまちする
From: https://www.serebii.net/blackwhite/subwaymaster.png
Context: The character who says this to you (the player) is on the subway along with you. They are also about to battle you.
ようこそ ...
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0answers
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The meaning of 以外 in this sentence? [closed]
すぐにそのことに思い至らなかったのが自分でも以外だった。
Is he saying that he is surprise by the fact that EVEN to him, not realising this immediately was/is something bad?
Noun + 以外 : with the exception of; excepting
Is ...
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1answer
80 views
What is the difference between 「どんぶり」and「ちゃわん」
I understand both are some kind of bowl but I would appreciate if someone could explain about the uses for each one.
Can a "ちゃわん" be used for cooked rice?
Can a "どんぶり" be used for ramen?
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2answers
117 views
Difference between 泊まる and 留まる [duplicate]
I'm just studying Japanese, and i know that 泊まる is like you Staying a night like hotel / some place that temporary , but i just found 留まる is also meaning stay/staying too in Basic Kanji book , but i ...
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2answers
125 views
Is there any difference between 速さand 速度?
From what I understood, both 速さ{はやさ} and 速度{そくど} means "speed". Some say that they are synonyms (just like speed and velocity in English), but I guess there is a nuance between them, isn't it ?
速さ{...
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1answer
78 views
What is the difference between 検事 and 検察官?
I found the same translation for 検察官 and 検事 : "public prosecutor". But I guess there is a reason for the two words to exist. Is one of them more formal ?
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Difference between つま and おくさん [duplicate]
Going through my Genki textbook I noticed two words for wife. Where should I use each one
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137 views
How should I call someone in street?
Let say some thing have fall from the someone who walk in front of you in street ! Can I call him/her anata or sumimasen to notice ? In my country we usually say brother to boy and sister to girl .
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1answer
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What is the あと in 努めてあとを濁さないように
水面から飛び立つ鳥は努めてあとを濁さないように。
Sentence from jisho for 努めて.
Can anyone help clarify what the あと here means?
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1answer
156 views
Why is “移民” labelled as a sensitive word in the dictionary? (in relation with or without the history behind the word)
I stumbled again on a word that is labeled as sensitive.
This time it's 移民 which means:
Noun, Suru verb, No-adjective
emigration; immigration [sensitive] (only the suru verb is labeled ...
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2answers
241 views
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1answer
628 views
How to say, “I major in computer science” or “I'm studying computer science”?
”私はコンピューターサイエンスを勉強してます。” Do they use the term "computer science" in Japanese or is there a formal term for this?
