Questions tagged [written-language]

書き言葉. Words and language generally used in writing rather than speech.

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なるのではないか/なるのではないだろう meaning

もっと人間関係を大切にすれば、100年前と同じような心豊か生活が送れるように _______ と思う。 なるのではないか なるのではないかな なるのではないだろう なるのでないでしょう 1 is the correct anwser but I can't figure out why. I guess 4 is incorrect because it uses the です form. ...
Bronwyn Young's user avatar
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-である form in written Japanese

I have a question about the following example sentence: これは日本の会社のだ(である)。だが、 タイで作られた。 From what I understand, である/だ and ます/です should not be mixed, and である is used in written language. However, is ...
Bronwyn Young's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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When years are (or were) written using kanji numerals, what are the usual variants/options?

I believe that these days, years would be written almost always using western/Arabic numerals in either the Japanese era or Gregorian calendar. But it must sometimes be written using the kanji ...
hippietrail's user avatar
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1 answer
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Symbols in classical literary texts

Starting to read classic literary texts, mainly in Aozora Bunko, I am encountering symbols like /″\, /\, ――, ○○ (above a word) or ```````` (above a word), which I don't know what they mean. For ...
Rick's user avatar
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Japanese people using a "?" (question mark) after making a statement (not question) ending in "よ"?

I've encountered this a number of times, where, in Japanese, a question mark (?) is used when someone is clearly making a statement, not when posing a question or hypothetical or any such thing. It ...
chausies's user avatar
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2 votes
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What is the best way to express regret at something that didn't happen? (informal)

I'm trying to write a postcard to a Japanese friend that I didn't manage to meet the last time I visited. I'm not sure if I should start the sentence with something like 残念ながら or 残念なことに (and in that ...
Ephel's user avatar
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How inteligible is Japanese used in Buddhist texts?

I have started learning Japanese some time ago, but I still can't understand the sutras and chants that are used in Zen ceremonies, such as Takkesa Ge, Maka Hannya Haramita Shingyo, Fu Eku, Jin Ho San ...
Ergative Man's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
359 views

Differences of words like 先輩 between Japanese, Chinese, and Korean?

I understand the history of Japan's origin coming from China, which is why Japanese involves Chinese characters. However, I recently realized that there are some words in Japanese that are actually ...
leguchi's user avatar
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Quotation marks 「」 only sometimes being used for lines that are made in the first person?

For direct quotes (e.g. He said "_____", 彼は「___」と言った), the quotes are seemingly always used. But in Japanese, it's also quite common to voice thoughts and feelings as if they are quotes ...
chausies's user avatar
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重用 - Reading Preference

Reading some 読解 Material I stumbled upon the word 重用. I read it as じゅうよう without much attention, only to notice that the furigana on top read "ちょうよう". Searching a bit on dictionaries I saw ...
悪戯猫's user avatar
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What does ~てくる mean here?

紅緒に歩みよってきた少尉は、かがんで手をさしのべた。 I don't understand what kind of ~てくる it is. Does it mean that he got closer to her more and more? Or does it mean that he got closer to me, here, like the author wants me ...
Haragurodanshi's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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Usage of の検索結果 in a sentence that split on 2 lines

Is it OK to use the phrase, say, "Keywordの検索結果" that should be split on 2 lines like the following: の検索結果 KEYWORD or it should always be KEYWORD の検索結果 This is for a multilingual webpage ...
Gorden's user avatar
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How should I write my name - Shivam Mukherjee - in Katakana? [closed]

I'm being asked to fill my name in Katakana in an application form for a language school in Japan. I'm currently going with シワム・ムカージ since: The ワ sound is closest to the inflection on the -v sound so ...
Vivraan's user avatar
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「2日」をひらがなで書くと「2つか」?それとも「2か」?

「2日」・「二日」が標準の書き方で、全部ひらがなで「ふつか」と書く場合も、もちろんありますね。数字とひらがなを混ぜて書く場合は日付をどうやって書きますか? それとも、ひらがなで書くと必ず数字と混ぜない決まりはありますか? 例えば子供がひらがなで日記を書いたら日付をどうやって書きますでしょうか?
Mentalist's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is this a good response to an email for interview request? [closed]

I just received an interview request written entirely in Japanese. But the email mentions to inform them if I have difficulty communicating in Japanese and is asking what would be good interview dates....
StackMatch's user avatar
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1 answer
108 views

Does anyone recognize these characters? [closed]

Does anyone recognize these? I have a hard time recognizing more calligraphy-esque characters. Thanks in advance.
Phill's user avatar
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1 answer
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Conjunctions using stems, and its conjugation

While working through the Tobira textbook, I came to a grammar point Chapter 1 - #5. This stated verb stems and adverbial い-adj form could be used to combine sentences as in: 昨日は友達とレストランで晩ご飯を食べ、その後、...
katatahito's user avatar
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1 answer
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I've seen 待つ in the te-form as both 待て and 待って; the latter should be correct. Does meaning/pronunciation change and why it would be written this way

My example, as like many of my recent ones is from {{JP:灰と幻想のグリムガル}}, and is as follows: {{JP:「・・・・俺も行こっかな」と誰かが。男の声だ。「ま、ま、待てってじゃあオレも!」}}. The text itself seems simple enough to understand, I ...
z.karl's user avatar
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How to express “X (and parenthetically Y)”?

When writing in English, quite often I'll want to express a connection between two noun phrases as “X (or Y)” or “X (and Y)”, where the punctuation adds a notion of “Y is a little beside the point, ...
Lynn's user avatar
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In Doraemon what is Big G's (Takeshi Gouda) dialogue style?

In some written English translations Big G doesn't sound like he has a very standard accent. He can go from sounding almost like a hickish American to dropping British ghetto slang terms. I'm not sure ...
Mou某's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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漢文・古文-type expressions that survive in modern Japanese

I was translating an academic paper that quoted some articles that were written before WW2, and I came across the expressions [noun]+たらしむべく and きたらしめる (from 来る) for the first time. Thanks to these ...
tabidots's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
121 views

Spelling out over the phone [duplicate]

If a native Japanese does not know how a kanji is pronounced and want to ask about its reading over the phone, how would he 'spell out' the kanji? Maybe this is why faxes are still popular in Japan, ...
Quora Feans's user avatar
-3 votes
1 answer
275 views

Do you guys write the date in year/day/month format? [duplicate]

As I seen 2019/10/10 written in Japan. Does that mean Japanese write it as year/day/month format and why did they write the date like that?
user's user avatar
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How can I differentiate if a word is (either fully or preferentially) used for spoken or written language?

Sorry if this has been answered before, but I couldn't find it. I understand that when the on'yomi reading is used, this is associated with words with a more "literary" feeling or with written usage. ...
JPB's user avatar
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2 answers
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Why is katakana considered its own character set while the Latin capital letters aren't?

Everyone has agreed upon that Japanese has three sets of characters - hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Yet the Latin alphabet is considered to be one character set, even though the capitals and ...
Vena's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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How do you say "some", "many", "a few", and "few" when referring to people?

So, of course, I know words like 多い, たくさん, 少ない, 少し, and 何+[counter]+か to express "many", "few", "a few", and "some" in most contexts. However, I have absolutely no idea what are the Japanese ...
Ranquil's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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Are there general guidelines regarding the length of sentences in Japanese written text for the sake of readability?

Inspired by this question, I'm curious as to whether there are similar guidelines for the length of Japanese sentences (Maybe in Japanese clauses are more relevant?) to maximize readability, whether ...
Ringil's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
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Why are Japanese fonts different to Chinese?

I’ve noticed that Japanese and Chinese writing tends to use different fonts. Japanese fonts tend use wider lines and more curves. Chinese fonts tend to use narrow angular lines and there are ...
Tom Kelly's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
247 views

Why use the kanji 伸 for "no" instead of the hiragana の, and the kanji 手 for "te" instead of the hiragana て?

In an anime opening song, at 0:08, I read the following sentence: omokage no naka te wo nobasu no おもかげのなか 手を伸ばすの Please, can you tell me: for "no", why is the kanji 伸 used instead of the ...
JB-Franco's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Japanese reports

I have a question about Japanese reports. I am studying at a university in Japan. And when I came here, I found out that Japanese people use ~だ instead ~です, ~たinstead ~ます and so on. And it seems rude ...
へびひめ's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
451 views

Presumptive form and 居ろう

I have a couple of questions about the presumptive form. 「それは誰が定めたの?」 「フュシィアに決まって居ろう。」 Above are some lines from a game that got me pondering about this: Am I correct in that the V+おう form could ...
Yuri Kotsar's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
9k views

Is there any difference between vertical and horizontal writing?

This might be a fairly easy question. But I am new in learning Japanese and I didn't see this question anywhere (although there are some about writing vertically). Is there any difference between ...
dekio's user avatar
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1 answer
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How do you use comparatives for Japanese adjectives?

I am currently writing a section about the Japanese writing system. I have previously stated that Japanese was originally written completely in Kanji. However, people found it very difficult. ...
Thunder17's user avatar
49 votes
5 answers
16k views

If Kanji are necessary to disambiguate homophones, how come it's still used, being that Japanese people seem to know the difference when speaking?

I'm a beginner. People argue for Kanji being that it helps disambiguate homophones in written Japanese, but in spoken Japanese, kanji (or any other visual aid) are not available, yet people seem to ...
Matcha's user avatar
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How to say that a proposed date/time is OK without sounding condescending?

In a very formal context, how to answer properly when an unknown person who is hugely higher than you in the hierarchy (a recruiter, an N+3, an official, etc.) invites you to some unexpected event/...
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5 votes
2 answers
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Farewell letter in Japanese to a little sister

I am going to leave Japan soon and I need to say farewell to many people. One of the people I know is a little girl who is about 6 years old. She is very cute and very close to me during the time I ...
The Lazy Log's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
534 views

Does Okinawan have syllables Japanese doesn't?

I know Okinawan is usually (nowadays) written in katakana. However, katakana only has a limited number of different syllables, fewer than can be produced in, say, English (e.g. th). Does Okinawan have ...
kuwaly's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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また as moreover?

I was trying to read this wikipedia page a little while ago and came across this sentence : またその娘であるイラストレーターの藤森玲子はいとこにあたる。 Here is the link for more context, it's at the end of the first paragraph ...
dobondobondo's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
5k views

How to address a family?

I am sending a gift to a Japanese family (friends of ours). Rather than address the gift to one individual I want to address it to the entire family. How do I write The Tanaka Family in Japanese?...
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Difference in ambiguity between written and spoken Japanese?

Beginner here. I understand that Japanese has a large number of homophones, and that kanji help readers distinguish between them. Of course, kanji are not available in spoken Japanese. On the other ...
python dude's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
212 views

ひとつでもいいからだめな例が当てはまらないものさえほとんどない。-- Deciphering -- triple-negative?

私は仕事柄、米国系企業のプレスリリースやプレゼンテーション資料の翻訳をよくするのだが、 ひとつでもいいからだめな例が当てはまらないものさえほとんどない。 When you read this part (above) and nothing else, does it sound like he (the author 私) is saying that the American ...
HizHa's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
617 views

Why use kana rather than kanji (and vice versa)

I hope this question actually has an answer and is topical to this site. I was wondering if anyone could explain why (in general) an author might choose to use kana/kanji in circumstances where kanji/...
G-Cam's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
304 views

General rule for writing simple kanji as hiragana in newspaper articles sometimes?

The second line of LINEのメッセージで“株”暴落! reads: ハンドルネーム「やさ夫」さんが、テレビをみながらうたた寝をしていたときのことです。 why wasn't is written as: ハンドルネーム「やさ夫」さんが、テレビを見ながらうたた寝をしていた時のことです。 The later helps with readability. In ...
Just Someone's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
115 views

Can「箱の中を手で探った」be shortened to 「箱を探った」?

By using default meanings, couldn't the title be shortened to: 箱を探った。 Isn't の中 so obvious, it is assumed to be the location you searched? If I were to search under the box, then I would write の下?...
konishiki's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
633 views

Deciphering Kawaii Writing

I was wondering if anyone knew how to read Kawaii writing and if there is any guide to help us read them? For example the following is I believe an omake or bonus page and it's not the first time I ...
Seishin Kan's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
650 views

as mentioned .... to the right?

In English written speech, we often refer to what we have said, using the phrase "as mentioned above"; or to something that is coming later on with "see below for further explanation&...
saidy's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

「上のごとく」対「上述」:現在では「〜のごとく」は使わないほうがいいですか。

Japanese 前書き 2ヶ月前、私は国内会議で発表しました。そのときは、まだ日本語のミスがたくさんある原稿を使っていました。今、文学の博士課程の友人に修正してもらっています。もちろん、これは勉強になります。修正された部分は、たいてい(私の言おうとしている意味に)的確だとわかりますし、なぜそう修正されるのかわかるのですが、ときどき私の使った表現が古かったせいなのだろうかと思うことがあり、...
virmaior's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
323 views

であるので and であるのだ vs なので and なのだ

In these pairs, are the ones containg である simply more formal? I think I've seen both in writing.
Angelos's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
9k views

Thank you note to Japanese professor

I just finished an introductory Japanese class, and the class bought a small gift for the professor. I'm planning to drop the gift off at the professor's office, so I need to write a brief tag saying ...
anomaly's user avatar
  • 177
12 votes
2 answers
739 views

What do I do when I encounter "Written Japanese"?

I have read in grammar dictionaries some words/phrases that are labelled as "Written Japanese" and should not be used in normal speech. Let's take for example the sentence-ending こと ...
Flaw's user avatar
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