Questions tagged [words]
言葉. Any question that does not deal specifically with grammar or pronunciation. Includes questions about prefixes, suffixes, compound words, loanwords, dialectal differences, pragmatic usage, etc. In other words, phenomena that occurs at the level of the word.
46
questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
16
votes
2answers
1k views
How has Japanese kanji and kana usage changed since 1945?
How has the percentage of writing using each script changed since 1945? With script reform, increasing influx of loanwords, and stylistic choices, several factors affect how much certain parts of the ...
6
votes
1answer
353 views
What does ギスる mean?
Conversation goes:
A: まだひきずっていたのか
B: え、お前忘れたの？ギスってたの俺だけ？びっくりする
B: 次はねぇぞ
The ギス I know means having a cold atmosphere or strained relationship. But here, I am not sure I get what it means.
3
votes
0answers
74 views
感じ and 風 to talk about how to do something
I see that the nouns 感じ and 風 (also written ふう) are sometimes used to indicate how to do something. Some examples:
こんなふうに書いてください。
こんな感じにカットしてください。
This is a dialogue about how to golf:
A: アドバイス？...
3
votes
0answers
119 views
Fun with synonyms - “shine/sparkle/glitter/glimmer/glisten/gleam/twinkle/flash”
Been thinking about these for a while. I see that we already have Difference between 光る, 輝く, and 光り輝く?, but I'm including a lot more. What are the differences in meaning (ignoring conjugations) of ...
3
votes
0answers
78 views
Is there any difference between 「精々」 and 「たかだか」?
Like mentioned in the title, I would like to know if there are any subtle differences between 「精々」 and 「たかだか」.
As an example, are all these sentences grammatically correct? Is there any change in ...
3
votes
1answer
431 views
「いくらか」と「若干」の使い分けを教えていただけないでしょうか。
「いくらか」と「若干」の違いは何ですか。ただ「いくらか」は話し言葉で「若干」は書き言葉ですか。正しいですか。もし、正しかったら、他の違いがありますか。
2
votes
0answers
91 views
Synonym for「として」
I remember using a word that means "as (a role/identity)", roughly synonymous with 「として」. It was a word/phrase that I learned from writings that I had seen occasionally and adopted in my own ...
2
votes
0answers
93 views
Why are some terms for relative time irregular?
For current time the Kanji 今{いま} for "now" can always used. Why is it that Kanji for previous (去 / 昨 / 先) and next (来 / 明) times are different and have irregular readings? In some cases it ...
2
votes
0answers
91 views
Difference in words for saying “how + adjective”
I would like to know which is the difference between the structure いかに～か and｛どんなに／いくら／どれだけ／どれほど／なんと｝～か?
I know that いかに is the old version of どんなに, but what about the rest of words?
Could I say the ...
2
votes
0answers
84 views
Polar connotations in the same word: 断り and 惜しい
Recently I bumped into two words「断り」and「惜しい」.
Accordingly to Jisho:「断り」can mean permission; consent but it also can mean rejection; refusal; nonacceptance; declination; declining...
As for「惜しい」 ...
2
votes
0answers
118 views
Does 逆さまにする ever mean rotation on the Y-axis? a twist?
I've thought さかさま to mean to rotate 180" over the X-axis. In dictionaries, I see the definition "to invert, upside down; to flip" ok.
But "to reverse, back to front" is also included in some ...
2
votes
0answers
167 views
What is the point of 一名 in this sentence?
(Taken from ジョジョ６部)
「女性受刑者が一名頭部を砕かれ変死をとげたというのに…」
I don't really get the point behind 「一名」in this sentence.
My guess is that the sentence (badly) translates to something like: "And although one/a ...
2
votes
0answers
106 views
Expressing “huh” tag?
How would you express this type of tag?
For example:
Lovers, huh? That’s what you think they are?
Would って work?
恋人って？そうと思う？
2
votes
1answer
1k views
っていうことになったんですけど - meaning?
I had just received a somewhat rushed 'transliteration' of a 1 minute video. To me, Shigeru Miyamoto speaks in a way which is extremely difficult to understand. I am adding the full transcript just ...
2
votes
0answers
121 views
Why are the South China Sea and East China Sea still referred to as “南シナ海 ” and “東シナ海” when “シナ” is considered derogatory when referring to China?
If China is usually referred to as [中国]{ちゅうごく}, then why do the names for the seas still use the old Japanese name? Is there a reason?
2
votes
1answer
130 views
What is the correct reading of 心底?
The word 心底 has 2 readings which are しんそこ and しんてい. Both seem to be interchangeable with one another. Searching online has this page popping up. https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/...
1
vote
1answer
140 views
What does 付き合い悪くて mean?
Translation: I'm a busy man
I got this from the manga "Blue Period". The translation provided above is from the official translation. From my understanding, 付き合い indicates a relationship, ...
1
vote
0answers
75 views
The different ways to translate “when”
This is more an observation on English, than Japanese, but the word "when" is used in quite a few different ways. And I've been wondering how to translate these different meanings into ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
What does the word 「でやんして」mean?
I also would like to know if it relates to any dialect.
A: またそんなことでこそこそやてるのか。
B: なんせ 我々にとっては重大{じゅうだい}問題{もんだい}でやんして...
1
vote
0answers
74 views
襲名 - Successing to your own name?
Sorry if I'm asking too many questions here (I do wonder, is there a place where one could ask simple questions like these without having to open a new thread everytime? - I feel kinda stupid ;)
To ...
1
vote
0answers
109 views
Question about the kanji 兵
When I was sixteen I got my first tattoo and I choose this kanji " 兵 " because I saw that stands for warrior. A couple of years after, I saw that the kanji stands more for "soldiers" than "warrior" (...
1
vote
0answers
118 views
What does 測る mean here?
前に「知るタイミング」みたいなこと言ってましたよね、それってどうやって測ればいいんですか。
I can't understand what 測る means here. I know its dictionary definition is to measure or to weigh, but it seems to have another meaning in this sentence.
1
vote
0answers
71 views
The meaning of 一時期繁く
I've been reading a book and met a phrase I don't understand.
I have translated it like that:
一時期繁く通った程度のことらしいが、そこに居を定める人間に出会ってみると、懐かしくなったものとみえる。
It seems to a degree of being there for one hour ...
1
vote
0answers
83 views
Multiple words with same definition
I am seeing pairs of words with similar meanings (where one of the words has a single kanji and the other has two kanji).
Examples include:
豊か、豊富
保つ、保存する
防ぐ、予防する
Do these pair of words share the ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
Do 最愛の人 and ダーリン mean the same thing?
I looked up for the word "darling" and got two different answers and I just want to know if they both mean the same thing.
1
vote
0answers
72 views
1
vote
0answers
101 views
When is 下 alone read げ outside of a handful of idiomatic usages (if ever)?
Dictionary definition:
１ 程度・価値・等級・序列などが低いこと。標準より劣っていること。下等。した。「中の下の成績」⇔上 (じょう) 。
２ 書物や文の章段などで、二つまたは三つに分けたものの最後のもの。「下の巻」⇔上 (じょう) 。
Edit:
I think 巻 is not read かん, but まき. Sometimes, a word ...
1
vote
0answers
192 views
それぞれ and ずつ use and differences
I'm a bit confused by それぞれ and ずつ.
What would the difference be between these three sentences:
それぞれの生徒にオレンジを二個ずつあげた
生徒にオレンジを二個ずつあげた
それぞれの生徒にオレンジを二個あげた
1
vote
0answers
168 views
What is a term for an attitude/life that eschews luxury or comfort?
A while back I had read an article (in English) online about an Japanese ceramics artist and his work, with the writer describing the artist's rather spartan furnishings as a result of his attitude or ...
1
vote
0answers
131 views
Is there a school definition of the word ミスター aside from “mister”?
The manga I'm reading is set in school. And the girls, who are looking at their crush (who is at that moment playing soccer) said: "さすが去年のミスター!".
If I'm going to translate this, it will be: "As ...
1
vote
1answer
293 views
How to say “unless…?” in the context of “but what if”
In the context of the phrase "Just kidding... unless...?", how would the word "unless" be translated? Here, "unless" has sort of a connotation of "what if...?" as well as "unless you want to?"
1
vote
1answer
128 views
Which name does the -san go behind surname or given name?
when addressing a Japanese man in business, Which name does the -san go behind his surname or his given name?
1
vote
1answer
118 views
Exact definition of 針千本 in the 指切り idiom
I'm trying to learn more about idioms and expressions, and I came across this (which is apparently said when making a [pinky] promise):
指切拳万{ゆびきりげんまん}、嘘ついたら針千本{はりせんぼん}呑ます
Casting the first part ...
1
vote
1answer
399 views
Questions about の→ん contraction, でござる→でございます shift
【原文】Original version
各これらの語の特徴はいつからなの？何時代ですの？
第一、「のです」と「なのです」を書いて「んです」と「なんです」を書かなかったことはいつからなの？
第に、「でござる」を書いて「でございます」を書かなかったこともいつからなの？
私の日本語がよくないですと、すみません！
Edited version
I have two questions ...
0
votes
0answers
52 views
What are the phonotactic rules of 促音 in lexical items?
In comparison to 連濁, finding rules on 促音 seems much harder. If possible, I would like to figure out what the rules are, that is, in which positions 促音 can occur, and in which positions 促音 is likely to ...
0
votes
0answers
79 views
How to politely ask if a specific person (by name) is available in a professional setting/store
I couldn’t find the right search terms to trigger an existing answer. I often go to a store where I have somewhat of a regular relationship with one of staff members. Sometimes they’re in the back, ...
0
votes
0answers
38 views
a question about お預かりいたします
また、通常の売買の際にも、釣り銭があるような場合に、「お預かりいたします」が用いられるようです。このような場面でも、受け取った金銭のすべてを所有するのでないという意味から、「いただきます」「頂戴します（頂戴いたします）」に替わって使用されているものと考えられます。
ご指摘の「○○円からお預かりいたします」という表現は、文字どおりには「○○円から幾らかを一時的に保管します（...
0
votes
0answers
66 views
Meaning of こそすれ
Could somebody tell me the meaning of こそすれ?
I've searched it on Google, but I still don't understand what does it mean or what function it has. Sometimes the meaning of こそすれ seems to be "to do ...
0
votes
0answers
63 views
Word for the boundary between multiple kanji in one word?
I'm not sure what this word is, but like 私 has one kanji but 発音 has two kanji, and there is like a boundary between the two kanji for the 読み方、a boundary between はつ and おん. and this can affect the way ...
0
votes
1answer
155 views
Is it right say 一人の人魚?
I composed one sentence.
一人の人魚は「彼は動いていない，死んだでしょう」と言いました。The mermaid said 'It seems he isn't moving, maybe he is dead'
Is it right to say 一人 about mermaids? If they are not humans, should I use special ...
0
votes
0answers
57 views
in this sentence what function does と take
here is the sentence i know と can have multiple functions
ごめんね 私さごめんね 人に合わせないと不安っていうか
0
votes
0answers
79 views
Understanding the meaning of 事情がわって
First, I would like to yet thank all the community for your great exchange work ! I wish I can participate one day when I get a better understanding of japanese language.
I am learning japanese as an ...
0
votes
1answer
192 views
“自然な流れ” and “サボろう” mean
In this sentence "自然な流れでサボろうと思ったのにちょっと言い過ぎたかな" ,there are
two phrases i don't know the meaning "自然な流れ" and "サボろう" . "自然な流れ" I think it means "natural flow" but what is " natural flow". Also, "サボろう" ...
0
votes
1answer
437 views
Is しごと pronounced as 'shingocto'?
I downloaded Genki and the CDs that came with it. しごと was pronounced as 'shingocto' instead of 'shigoto.' Why is that?
0
votes
1answer
348 views
How would I ask for a persons Age, Sex, and Location (ASL) in Japanese?
The abbreviation means age, sex and location, and is used frequently in English speaking chatsites during introductions. Is there a similar term used in Japanese chatsites?
-2
votes
1answer
618 views
How do you say “ 14 days left and will finish the vacation ”?
I'm a little bit confused , I tried to find a good answer of how to say 2 days left +verb
like 2 days left and will start dieting
or
2 minutes left and will be ready
or
14 days left and will ...
