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.
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How can I differentiate between 「もう」 that means "already" and 「もう」 that means "more/additional"?
I noticed that 「もう」 can mean both "already" and "additional", such as the following sentence:
もう二本飲みましたよ。
Can mean either one of:
I already drank two glasses.
I drank additional two glasses.
How ...
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加える/増やす and 加わる/増える or even 増加する/殖/足, various kanji for "adding things"
I'm a bit confused regarding the choice between the 加 and 増 kanji for any meaning related to "adding one thing to another".
I assume that, as usual, the suru-verb combination 増加する is somewhat more ...
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How would I know whether a word existed and was commonly used N years ago?
Suppose I'm writing a novel that takes place N years ago, say N = 80. Given the dramatic increase of loanwords in the past century, especially from English, what would be the best way (if there is any)...
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What's the difference between 触る and 触れる?
These two seem to overlap almost completely. The only thing I can really tell is that 触れる seems that it can also be used in a metaphorical sense ("touch on" something; feel; perceive). I'm ...
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What is the meaning/usage of いざ?
Will someone please explain what this word いざ means? I've found several definitions, but I'm very unclear on what it really means and its usage. I've heard it mostly in the following ways:
～（は・...
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Does 韓国 mean "South Korea" or "Korea as a whole"?
When I type in 韓国 in Google, I find South Korea. But when I use Google Translate, I find just Korea. I recently read a Japanese news article where they refer 韓国 as South Korea (I think).
So what is ...
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Difference between 創立、設立、樹立
Can anyone explain the difference between the words 創{そう}立{りつ}, 設{せつ}立{りつ} and 樹{じゅ}立{りつ}? They all basically mean "to set up / to found", and from what I've researched, it's all very 微{び}妙{みょう} to ...
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what's the difference between 返事 and 答え？
both have the similar English of "answer," but when do you use one over the other?
user430
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When is it appropriate to refer to yourself by これ?
I have occasionally heard and read instances, where a person has referred to themselves as これ. My Japanese dictionary also lists "Me, I." as a definition of これ.
Now, this obviously isn't used as ...
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Did the Japanese have a concept of "Asia" apart from the Eurocentric definition?
Japan had contact with China, India and the Mongols, among others. Is there a term they used for Asia (in the sense of "land mass where China is" or such) before "アジア"?
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Fun with synonyms - "eternity"
What are the differences among the following two-kanji words that seem to mean "eternity":
永遠 {えいえん}
永久 {とわ}
永世 {えいせい}
永代 {えいたい}
永劫 {えいごう}
永永 {えいえい}
久遠 {きゅうえん}
悠久 {ゆうきゅう}
恒久 {こうきゅう}
恒常 {こうじょう}
長久 {...
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What does とな mean (and how do I use it)?
I came across this on Twitter, it seems to be mostly a question but sometimes an exclamation. Is it とは, or maybe とか? How do you use it? My dictionary has a とな as word that come at the end of a ...
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ならば vs なら. both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
is it true that なら is merely a short form of ならば and as such, both are totally interchangeable without affecting the nuance of the sentence?
Also, a second question is is ならば more "formal" than "なら" ?...
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Is it rude to refer to a person as 古い?
Objects, you can refer to as 古い with impunity. But I have never once heard a person referred to as 古い, so for a long time I thought the word just didn't apply to people. Still, searching 古い男 on Google ...
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Younger uncles and aunts
If you are older than your uncle or aunt, do you still address them as 叔母さん or 叔父さん? I see no reason why you wouldn't, but I recall once seeing a description saying that family titles are only used ...
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The difference between 書店 and 本屋
What is the difference between:
書店 and 本屋
Are there any specific places where you can use one over the other? Or is it simply like the English Bookstore/Bookshop, and are perfectly interchangeable?
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What's the difference between 根気【こんき】, 我慢【がまん】, 辛抱【しんぼう】 and 忍耐【にんたい】
Recently i found these four words and have no idea what's the difference between them. They all mean "patience" and "endurance". Here are some sentences:
僕【ぼく】は、あいつには我慢【がまん】できない。
...
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What is the difference between jibiki and jisho?
I see both of these words used to describe dictionary.
Can someone tell me the difference between these two?
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天気 vs. 天候, what's the real difference? [duplicate]
What's the real difference between 天気 and 天候? In at least one of my dictionaries, 天候 just redirects to 天気.
I've always thought (read: "felt") that 天候 is the general "concept" of weather, or even ...
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"看護師" vs. "看護士"
Good afternoon all,
I was wondering is it true that
"看護師" is a gender-neutral way of referring to a "nurse",
Whereas "看護婦" implies that it is a girl,
And "看護士" implies that it is a guy?
Initially ...
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What do we call things that are neither kana nor kanji?
I was wondering Is there a Japanese name (or term) for written stuff that are neither kana nor kanji?
By that, I mean stuff like:
゠ (ダブルハイフン, for indicating the dash in foreign words)
・ (ぽつ, for ...
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Do people actually ever say みょうにち?
I've heard people using あした (the common one) and あす (rather uncommon) to refer to "tomorrow".
I was wondering does anyone actually uses the reading みょうにち ?
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The different meanings of "life"? 生気／生活／ライフ／生命／一生／人生／命
I was looking through a dictionary and came across 生活. My original question was
Is this the difference between 生気／生活?
生気 would be like an idea of life. more abstract
生活 would be concrete. ...
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What's the difference between [電光石火]{でんこうせっか} and [疾風迅雷]{しっぷうじんらい}
They both seem to mean "quick as lightning". What are the nuances between them? In what sort of context would they be used? Are they interchangeable? etc.
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Counter intuitive meaning of お開き
Apparently 開き means "opening" but お開き means "closure", which seems very counter intuitive. What is going on here? Are there any other similar cases in Japanese language?
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Why does 一体 mean "what the heck?"?
the definition for 一体【いったい】:
Adverb :
...the heck (e.g. "what the heck?"); ...in the world (e.g. "why in the world?"); ...on earth (e.g. "who on earth?");
—Before an interrogative, forms ...
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What is the difference between 語{かた}る and 話{はな}す?
What is the difference between 語{かた}る and 話{はな}す?
I know that I can say #1, but it's correct to say #2? If it's ok, sentence 1 and 2 have the same meaning?
1.私{わたし}は日本語{にほんご}を話{はな}す。
2.私{わたし}は日本語{...
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What is the meaning of しも?
In a recent class, my Japanese teacher taught me the use of しも as something akin to a formal version of でも as in the following sentences:
いつでも暇{ひま}じゃないんですよ。
いつしも暇{ひま}じゃないんですよ。
I was told the above ...
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Difference between 自分 and 自分自身 and how to reflect their difference in English
Consider:
自分について書きたいことがあります。 = There are times that I want to write about myself (lit: things concerning me)
自分自身について書きたいことがあります。
What is their difference?
I think the second sentence has more ...
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What's the difference between 値段 and 価格
They're both "price", but I don't see the difference. Even the Kanji appear to suggest similar meanings. Thanks for any advice!
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Relation between 大学, 学校 and 大学校
These are the specifications, that I do already know:
[学校]{がっこう} = school, including [小学校]{しょうがっこう}, [中学校]{ちゅうがっこう}, etc.
[大学]{だいがく} = university (used frequently)
[大学校]{だいがっこう} = university (not a ...
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What's the difference between 変態 and 痴女 (or 痴漢)?
In the Dead Tube manga, a girl is being accused of being a 痴女【ちじょ】, at which she replies:
私変態だけど痴女じゃないもん！！
What's the difference between the two words? Is 変態 just a pervert and 痴女 someone that ...
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What is the difference between 特殊 and 特別?
I've got two questions. Firstly, what is the difference between 特殊{とくしゅ} and 特別{とくべつ}?
Secondly, is it true that all these grammar forms are correct:
特殊{とくしゅ}な ＋ [noun]
特別{とくべつ}な ＋ [noun]
特殊{とくしゅ}の ＋...
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Nuance between いっとき and いちじ as a pronunciation of 一時
I am writing a flashcards deck to memorize Minato-ku's list of 防災-related words.
Excerpt:
一時集合場所 いっときしゅうごうばしょ Temporary meeting places
一時滞在施設 いちじたいざいしせつ Temporary stay facilities
As you see, ...
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What is the difference between お手洗い and トイレ
Is one more polite than the other? Is there some situations where you'd use one or the other? Would different people prefer one?
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Is しまった an appropriate translation for "Oops"?
In the course of localising an app for the Japanese language I have been tasked with translating the Google-style error string "Oops", which will presumably be used as in
Oops
Please check your ...
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What is the name of the writing that appears on the screen when watching television?
When watching the news and other shows on television, I often see various written content displayed on the screen for brief periods of time, usually on the bottom, but sometimes on the right. I just ...
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words for snail
I have seen かたつむり and でんでんむし and ででむし listed as "snail." What are the differences between these words?
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Describing aptronyms (names that fit their owner)
I thought of this after seeing a news article about 星出{ほしで}彰彦{あきひこ}, who is an astronaut.
Aptronym is a term for a name (often the surname) that fits a person's occupation or personality. A classic ...
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Strange phrase? 「お切らせ願います。」
I was translating a song (full lyrics: http://vocaloidlyrics.wikia.com/wiki/反芻の印象_(Hansuu_no_Inshou) )
and found this phrase which I am very confused about:
「お切らせ願います。」
"Please make (let) it cut" is ...
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What are the nuances between [死亡]{し・ぼう} and [死去]{し・きょ}?
Will someone explain the finer points between these two words? With the tragic death of Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington last week, almost every Japanese tweet I saw used 死去. Until then, I'd ...
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How to define 羨ましい?
羨【うらや】ましい!
You're so lucky!/ I envy you!/ I'm jealous of you!
As I learned it, 羨ましい as an exclamation does not carry much of a negative context, so perhaps a combination of these three ...
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Difference between 学生・生徒・児童
As the title says^^ I think 生徒 is for elementary school, what about the other two?
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「悪気があっての答え」 vs 「悪気がある答え」
Hi all I was wondering what is the difference between these two sentences:
「決して悪気があっての回答ではないです。」
「決して悪気がある回答ではないです。」
I can't really make out the gist of the meaning of 「あっての」.
WWWJDIC's ...
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What is a grammatical terminology to describe the group of the refrain of two syllable words like pera-pera, don-don, iki-iki?
Japanese language have a special group of words which repeat mostly two syllable word like pera pera, para para, jito jito, suku suku, aka aka, zuki zuki – you can name it, that are used adverbially.
...
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What would be the most apt word in kanji, for "Animal world"?
Okay, that may sound a little confusing, and no, not looking for the name of a zoo or theme park here XD
Essentially, simply put, I'm writing a novel, and for that, building a world around it. Yes, ...
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Oceans ー Thick or Big?
Straightforward question. The Pacific Ocean is 太平洋【たい・へい・よう】 and the Atlantic Ocean is 大西洋【たい・せい・よう】. What was the reasoning in using a different character for the たい in each? And why 太 for Pacific ...
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Can "響く" have the meaning of "to come (home); to remain (with someone)"?
I looked up 響{ひび}く on jisho.org, where I found the meaning "to come (home); to remain (with someone)" under definition 3. I was curious and checked a few monolingual online dictionaries, but none of ...
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Terms for Japanese/Western name order
Does anybody know of a standard term to describe Japanese and Western name orders (for example, when filling a form):
John Somelastname ← "Western name order"
Somelastname John ← "...
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The difference between 初めて, 最初に and 最初
初めて日本に行った時、友達のお母さんが伝統的な和式朝食を作ってくれました。
The first time I went to Japan, my friend's mother made me a traditional Japanese breakfast.
If I wrote the opening of the sentence in the following manner, how ...
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