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.
470
questions
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Meaning and transitivity of ゴミ袋を手に立ち上がる
While doing some translating, I stumbled upon this usage of 立ち上がる。
わたしがゴミ袋を手に立ち上がると、イツカ君とお姉ちゃんは二人一緒にわたしの所へやって来ました。
It doesn't match up with the definitions I'm familiar with, nor any of the other ...
- 564
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
what exactly is "体言止{たいげんど}め"?
There is some discussion about "体言止め{たいげんどめ}" on the internet, but it is all in Japanese. My Japanese ability is too low to be able to read it, so I need some help.
At the least, "体言止め" refers to ...
- 2,252
16
votes
3
answers
10k
views
Why are the names of plants and animals often written in katakana?
I was wondering why fruits, vegetables, animals and plants, are written in katakana? Often, there exist kanjis for those, so why aren't they written with those kanjis instead? For example:
カマキリ ...
- 511
13
votes
1
answer
6k
views
How is the "のです" working here?
目立つ事を恐れ、一緒でなければいけないという日本人が確実に減ってきているのです。
The strong feelings that Japanese have of being afraid of standing out and everybody having to do things together are starting to become less prominent.
To ...
- 10.3k
6
votes
1
answer
798
views
おる in honorific contexts
Usually, we're told that おる is a humble verb, and that mostly holds true. But sometimes I see it conjugated to a light honorific form おられる, usually when talking about someone to whom respect must be ...
- 10.5k
16
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Use of する to describe one's colour
From Japanesepod101:
象は灰色をしている。
The elephant is gray.
The meaning of the sentence is not in doubt but I've been trying to figure how する is being used here. Checking a dictionary, definition 2エ might ...
- 1,146
12
votes
2
answers
819
views
what is the name of the abbreviated writing style used in newspapers?
To make articles as short as possible in newspapers, certain conventions are used. One such convention is that when a sentence ends with サ変名詞{へんめいし}、「をする」is omitted. Another is that the full names of ...
- 2,252
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What does the word 「ぶったてる」mean?
What does the word 「ぶったてる」mean?
このドヤがいの西{にし}のはずれにりっぱな総{そう}合{ごう}病{びょう}院{いん}をぶったてること!
- 4,167
1
vote
1
answer
840
views
What does 持った mean?
If context is needed, please consult this previous question.
So, there's a bunch of verbs related to "持っ" but how can any of them evolve to 持った?
- 287
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Fun with synonyms - "to grab/catch/capture"
Here's a question for you experts. I've actually asked this to my Japanese friends, but I want to see how you guys answer too.
Explain the differences in the following verbs and which one(s) appear ...
- 43.5k
9
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What are the differences between 女子{じょし}, 娘子{じょうし} and 女{おんな}の子{こ}?
Apparently there are many ways to say "girl / young woman" in Japanese.
I've learned the differences between 女の子, 少女 and 乙女 from other question in this SE, where 女の子 seems to be the most common way ...
- 1,483
6
votes
1
answer
259
views
What is the meaning of "超か" in this news headline?
I saw this in a news article saying that Toshiba had losses of \1T:
東芝、赤字１兆円超か
http://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S12867082.html
What is the purpose of adding か at the end?
- 2,382
47
votes
4
answers
64k
views
What do the shapes △ ◯ ╳ ◻ mean in Japanese? And are there variations in meaning, depending on whether or not the shape is filled?
I am interested in Japanese culture and the symbolism used in Japan, specifically I'd like to know what the △ triangle, ◯ circle, ╳ cross and ◻ square mean to a Japanese person.
How are those shapes ...
- 587
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is there a difference between 赤{あか} and 赤色{あかいろ}?
While studying Japanese I've met some problems with distinguishing some vocabulary.
For example we have:
赤{あか} = Red (color)
赤{あか}い = Red (adjective)
But what about 赤色{あかいろ}? Is there a ...
- 3,089
13
votes
1
answer
866
views
How do 自他 triplets of related verbs work?
I thought this had been asked before (possibly by me), but I couldn't find it. I'm wondering why for certain verbs/words, instead of just a 自他 pair, there is a triplet (or possibly more) where two of ...
- 43.5k
13
votes
3
answers
2k
views
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How to negate "べき"? (ie. "should not")
「食{た}べる」 can be negated as 「食べない」. 「美{うつく}しい」 can be negated as 「美しくない」. etc. etc.
Can you negate 「べき」as in:
「明日は受験なので、勉強するべきです。」(Since you are taking a test tomorrow, you should study.)
「明日は受験なので、...
- 2,900
10
votes
1
answer
893
views
Regarding は数あれど (or possibly just あれど )
The following sentence is from a newspaper article
メレンゲ菓子は数あれど、これほど繊細なものは珍しい。
あれど ＝ あるけど makes sense to me in the context, and this seems to be supported by my searches so far - is it simply a ...
- 5,752
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Use of かける (N5 question)
An N5 vocabulary question I'm having trouble understanding:
わたしの となりの （ ） を かけた ひとは すずきさんです。
１ くつ ２ かぎ ３ めがね ４ でんわ
The answer is 3: わたしの となりの （ めがね ） を かけた ひとは すずきさんです。
Which I ...
- 2,676
6
votes
3
answers
697
views
does anyone know of any o-words or go-words which are absolutely neutral?
Does anyone know of any o-words or go-words which are absolutely neutral (have no nuances of being polite / courteous / respectful / womanly / cute etc etc)?
The only ones I'm aware of currently is ...
- 11.7k
2
votes
1
answer
643
views
What is the term for two kanjis, that when written in the reverse order, have the same meaning?
What is the term for two kanjis, that when written in the reverse order, have the same meaning? For example, "northeast". I have seen this situation occasionally.
- 6,657
41
votes
3
answers
5k
views
How indistinguishable is blue from green really?
青 ao seems to be used very much interchangeably for both blue and green. Why is that so, and how does 緑 midori play into this?
- 5,635
29
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Are there words so bad that they aren't allowed on television?
Warning: We're all adults here, but just in case, this question may contain words, in both Japanese and English, that some may not like to read.
A long time ago, when I was working with a translator, ...
- 24.5k
18
votes
4
answers
7k
views
What is the *proper* differentiation between 来る and 行く?
In many beginning Japanese classes, 来る【くる】 and 行く【いく】 are presented as "to come" and "to go," respectively. Dictionaries generally also define them this way. However, every once in a while in more ...
- 7,569
16
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Historical differences between colors that are i-adjectives and those that are simply nouns
EDIT: Started a bounty with hope of getting more definitive and elaborate answers, e.g. timeline of when color names started being used in Japan.
In Japanese language, there are colors that are i-...
- 19.6k
16
votes
7
answers
6k
views
Are there words which consist of katakana and hiragana letters together?
Obviously many Japanese words consist of kanji characters plus hiragana since the latter are used for okurigana:
食べる
水割り
鷹の爪
Recently I'v started to discover a few words that use kanji characters ...
- 15.1k
10
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Correct use of かけて
I'm confused by the use of かける in the sentence :
雑誌の占いコーナーを読んでいたら、「日本人は占いが好きです」と、外国人の友達が話しかけてきた。
I thought かける was used to express an activity on going, which gets interrupted by something else. eg ...
- 1,466
8
votes
2
answers
693
views
Is the grammar of 心の冷たい人 idiomatic?
The phrase 心の冷たい人 (which is given by Japanese-English dictionary on OS X) looks wrong to me, but given that it's an example in a respected dictionary and confirmed by tens of thousands of Google hits, ...
- 2,104
8
votes
1
answer
813
views
Words with metathesis
What common Japanese words underwent metathesis (transposition of sounds)?
Examples.
新{あたら}しい < あらたしい
秋葉原 {あきはばら} < あきばはら
user458
5
votes
4
answers
2k
views
3
votes
1
answer
414
views
Is there any difference in meaning between 「抜け切る」 and 「抜ける」?
Actually, I cannot find the definition of 抜け切る in general sources but some of them suggest the word 抜ける instead.
Here is the sentence where I came across the word in a manga.
そいでもって くりかえすけどな...
...
- 4,167
2
votes
1
answer
526
views
Confirmation regarding Japanese colors i-adjective
I want to ask confirmation regarding Japanese colors. I understand that there are NOUN, and I-adj version of some colors.
Such as 赤＆赤い, 青＆青い, etc.
But this part below is something I cannot confirm. ...
- 1,856
49
votes
1
answer
23k
views
What is the difference between いえ and うち?
I am trying to understand the difference between using いえ and うち. I originally drew the conclusion that うち is used for your own house and いえ for others' houses, but my Japanese teacher said that this ...
- 3,377
36
votes
2
answers
25k
views
Why does 今度【こんど】 mean "next time"?
The word 今度【こんど】, though its literal meaning is "this time" is in my experience used pretty heavily to refer to tbe next time or some unspecified point in the future. For example:
今度【こんど】こそ一緒【いっしょ】...
- 7,569
28
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How is the wind related to illness?
I've seen the kanji 風 appear in several different illnesses: [風邪]{«かぜ»} (a cold), [中風]{ちゅう・ふう} (paralysis), and [痛風]{つう・ふう} (gout). Conceivably there may be others, but I haven't seen them.
What ...
- 43.5k
22
votes
1
answer
13k
views
Getting your haircut in Japan
I have been living in Japan now for the last 3 months and my hair is starting to look like it needs a cut.
But I have never been to a Japanese barbers before so as you can imagine I am a little ...
- 745
22
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Difference between the words for "feeling"
I have seen and been taught many words meaning "feeling", but what is the difference between the words, and where are they used?
I have done a bit of research myself and have come up with these ...
- 4,302
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Nuances of "give" - あげる／与える／授ける
Can someone give some good context and scenarios for using these? Not only when to use them, but when NOT to use them as well. I know あげる is kind of the most common, but I'm just not sure of the ...
- 43.5k
15
votes
4
answers
11k
views
What's the difference between いいえ and English's "no"?
In "Japanese for Busy People I" page 2 (kana or romaji edition) it says that いいえ is 'virtually the same as "no"'.
It sounds like there are some differences, but they want to omit mentioning them for ...
- 16.1k
15
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Terms for Royalty
Why are there so many terms for royalty? And I'm talking about generic words like "king", "queen", etc. I seem to remember from my studies that certain terminology was used specifically for Japanese ...
- 43.5k
14
votes
2
answers
819
views
Different conventions for animal meat
After reading this awesome question, I got to thinking about different animal meat. Upon researching a little, there seems to be different conventions in referring to different meats.
Using 訓読み
（...
- 43.5k
13
votes
1
answer
424
views
Using くれる for doing something bad
Today I heard the phrase なんてことしてくれた, as in:
君！なんてことしてくれたんだ！
which I learned means "Look what you've done". I thought くれる was only used when someone does something nice for you. Is this just a ...
- 7,068
11
votes
2
answers
766
views
Rare/Obsolete verb forms
I have noticed that some verbs have this "rare" or old form that is no longer used much (if at all). Here are some examples.
おそる： おそるべき者 → One who is feared
ほむ： ほむべきお方【かた】 → Seen often in my ...
- 43.5k
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is it true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで?
I've been thinking if it is true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで. In other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance?
1) 彼は日本語を20年も勉強しているが、その彼にしたところで、...
- 11.7k
9
votes
4
answers
5k
views
"Opposite" of `和製英語`
Is there an "opposite" of 和製英語 (meaning Japanese words/phrases invented by English speakers)? Maybe like {英・米・欧?}製日本語? Because I always see/hear Japanese words in English and they drive me nuts!
...
- 43.5k
9
votes
2
answers
902
views
Origin/etymology of こころ～ words
There are three unique words that begin with こころ～:
快い （こころよい）、 試みる （こころみる）、 志 （こころざし）
What is the origin of these words in relation to "heart/spirit/mind", if any??? Or is this just something ...
- 43.5k
7
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can a two Kanji character word ever have the same meaning if written in reverse order?
I am asking this question because it might be possible for two Kanji characters, if written in reverse order, could have the same meaning. Thank you very much.
- 6,657
7
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Meaning of 「これはこれで」, and the difference between it and 「それはそれとして」
I came across the following lines.
・・・俺としては、下駄箱の中に手紙が入っているみたいなほうが好みだった。でもこれはこれで、少なくとも相手が積極的だってことはわかる。
I am wondering about the meaning of 「これはこれで」 here. As one might expect, it does not have any ...
- 1,911
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
How to begin a reply to a question?
During Q&A in English, "well" and "uhm" are two ways to begin a reply.
If you known the answer, you begin the reply with "Well... ". This creates a pause such that the speaker can arrange his ...
- 2,900
5
votes
3
answers
763
views
善くも as opposed to よく
I found this line in the song,”三年目の浮気”:
よくいうよ 惚れたお前の負けだよ
How can you say that...you fell for me and lost
At first I thought it was the よく meaning often, but someone told me it was an ...
- 10.3k