All Questions
28,823
questions
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Is "で一発だ an expression?
こりゃたまげた! あっという間に見つけちまうんだね
I'm shocked. You found the food in an instant
And his reply
ああ? 食い物なんて匂いで一発だ
From context I can gather it seems to be akin to ... I found it asap because of the smell but ...
- 841
0
votes
1
answer
34
views
Casually asking whether something particular is the reason
Up until now, I've been under the impression that it's acceptable in casual texting or speech to say ○○から？？ when you're asking whether ○○ is the reason for whatever the topic of conversation is.
For ...
- 832
3
votes
1
answer
821
views
Is 片付きます a word?
In the first lesson of みんなの日本語初級II (lesson 26), the word 片【かた】づきます shows up as "be put in order, tidy up." I looked in a couple of dictionaries, and can only find 片【かた】付【づ】けます, which has the ...
JNat♦
- 1,012
-1
votes
0
answers
36
views
Using AI to learn Japanese [migrated]
I've been using ChatGPT to learn Japanese specifically in getting vocab. My prompt is:
Always answer in this format for Japanese Word
Kanji(furigana)
JLPT level:
Commonness:
Formality:
Usually ...
- 73
2
votes
1
answer
288
views
What does 休まないでください mean in the given contex?
I'm going through listening comprehension examples, and though, I can recognise separate words (well, most of them), particles, grammar and so on and recall their meaning, I still have trouble with ...
- 123
3
votes
1
answer
789
views
What is the meaning of けっこういらっしゃる in the following context?
I came across the following sentence while watching the video JLPT N3 LISTENING PRACTICE TEST 12/2023 WITH ANSWERS #5, at the timestamp 10:50:
食事がすんでいるのにずっと帰りにならない方がけっこういらっしゃるのが気になります
I heard the ...
- 33
0
votes
1
answer
72
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is verb ばいい + same verb ば some kind of grammar?
Over being asked "Will this work to measure the thing?" The character answers this:
知らねえ!
測れてりゃいい 測れてりゃ
Will the first one seems to be a ばいい, I'm unsure on how the second one is being used....
- 841
1
vote
1
answer
106
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Reporting on the emotions of another person in a relative clause?
I just yet made the sentence:
その場所の日本人はさすがに外国人が日本語を学ぶのを手伝いたがる人なんだ。
I used “〜たがる” instead of “〜たい” on the rule that “〜たい” can only be used to ask, conditionals, or in cases where one can report with ...
- 607
0
votes
1
answer
67
views
What does「お金どころじゃなく出てきた」mean?
I don't get the meaning of お金どころじゃなく出てきた below:
お義父さんは別れる半年前に事業に失敗して借金を抱えてた。イライラして暴力を振るうようになって最後はもうお金どころじゃなく出てきたんだ。
I interpreted it as "[we] no longer have financial security..." I am ...
- 687
2
votes
2
answers
254
views
Trying to understand ツッコミ and 突っ込まない and similiar
The character is walking around Tokyo with her boyfriend from the country. The boyfriend notices she's tired and tells her this:
少し 休んでいくか? 丁度いい所に休憩可能なホテルがある
"Should we rest a bit? Just at the ...
- 841
0
votes
1
answer
49
views
What is the function of では in this context?
I was trying to translate this text and I didn't understand the use of the では particle. I thought it might be something like “with this body without feet, hands and wings I am the serpent of the world”...
- 25
0
votes
1
answer
33
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Meaning of やって in 方法をやって見せ
次にマダム・フーチは箒の端から滑り落ちないように箒にまたがる方法をやって見せ、...
Next Madam Hooch showed them how to straddle the broom so they didn't slide off the end, ...
I don't understand what やって is doing in this sentence.
Not sure ...
- 29.4k
1
vote
2
answers
180
views
Is 夜だから some kind of idiomatic expression?
In the following dialogue from a manga:
A: 漫画かよ…！
B: わははどうしたみつや、寝ぼけてた？
A: …別に、なんで泣いてんのって思って
B: うーん、あー、夜だから？
A: 何ソレ
The character wakes up and tells his friend who was crying over reading a manga &...
- 451
1
vote
0
answers
36
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Stating that the above terms are "open to discussion"
I'm writing a business message that outlines a proposed resolution to an issue/dispute - e.g. Party A pays Party B $X, Party B pays Party C $Y and does this and that.
I want to end the message saying ...
- 357
1
vote
1
answer
62
views
Understanding ドッキリにかけられている
A guy confessed to a girl he likes and she accepted it but he asked her if she is serious or not. His inner monologue went like this:
こんなに疑心暗鬼になるのは実は「告白」にトラウマがあるからだ
だから今の状況はドッキリにかけられているみたいで
I don't ...
- 687
2
votes
1
answer
73
views
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. ...
1
vote
1
answer
84
views
Can adjectives follow the に particle?
https://guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/verbparticles lead me to believe that the に particle should be used with a verb. However I have been reading some sentences that have noun + に + adjective.
...
- 13
0
votes
1
answer
45
views
-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 ...
4
votes
2
answers
311
views
How does たり + される work?
In a particular story, one character is getting tortured, and his friend, who was betrayed by him, says this:
普通敵にしたりされるようなことを友達にされるってのはどんな気分だ?
I can infer that the speaker is saying something along ...
- 841
1
vote
2
answers
145
views
What does nameはnameで mean?
井上は井上で待つだけじゃなく。自分から彼に話しかければいいじゃないか
I understand he's basically "You shouldn't just wait. Approach him on your own"
But what does the repeated noun here adds?
- 841
0
votes
0
answers
14
views
How does filtering in Shirabe Jisho work? [migrated]
I’m trying to filter out uncommon words in my dictionary searches. Here I’m expecting to see 語, yet I’m getting the tag name in my results. What am I doing wrong?
2
votes
1
answer
85
views
What does じゃなくない mean? Is it a positive?
In a particular story, one character says:
ここへは 結局 身内しか呼んでおらぬ。そう気をつかうな
Which means "We only called relatives here. So don't worry".
Then, another character, who doesn't know he's related ...
- 841
2
votes
1
answer
63
views
これでこそ vs これだ use in this sequence
I'm stumbled on the actual nuance of this sentence.
In the top sentence, the character says that if しき is not with them then it's not "everyone".
To which the third character adds これだよ.
Then ...
- 451
0
votes
1
answer
50
views
What does いけると mean?
泊まってもいいですか? まだ離れたくなくて。。
"It's ok if I stay over? I don't want to be separated yet..."
To which the other character thinks
(そう言えばいけると思ってるな いいけど。。。)
I don't understand how いける is being used ...
- 841
1
vote
1
answer
121
views
Are there standards for transliteration into Japanese?
There seem to be some inconsistencies, for example, "t" becomes "tsu" in スーツケース, but "to" in メトロ. "eer" becomes "iiru" in ビール, but it seems like in ...
- 113
0
votes
0
answers
48
views
Help to translate Chinese Calligraphy [closed]
I recently purchased this scroll from an auction, can anyone translate what is says please? Thank you in advance for reading.
Brandee Lawther
1
vote
1
answer
147
views
Japanese term for homography such as that in 一行{いちぎょう}一行{いっこう}?
I was wondering if there was a word for such a situation, in which different readings for the same word assume different meanings also.
Since the term 同音異義 exists for homophones, I was wondering if it ...
- 197
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
Difference between 抑制、制御、控える、掌握、抑える、操作、支配、統制 for 'control'
When trying to find the word for 'control' a whole heap of answers came up, a lot of them having similar meanings and usages.
I've summarised the main ones I'm having difficulty understanding the ...
2
votes
1
answer
118
views
Does the signature in the following Kannon statue mean "Made by Kutani Kubikin"?
I bought a Kannon (Guanyin) statue at a flea market. There are Japanese characters on the underside, which I was able to translate halfway thanks to Google Translator: "Made by Kutani Kubikin&...
1
vote
1
answer
95
views
Help breaking down えむさえいけそうなら
In the script I'm translating, Emu and Tsukasa are practicing a scene for a play where Emu has to jump from a tree to a window. After the rehearsal, Tsukasa says
とはいえ、やはり高さがあると緊張感が違うな。
えむさえいけそうなら、...
- 155
1
vote
1
answer
49
views
Need help breaking down some grammar
In a script I'm translating, Character A is telling Character B how Character C isn't afraid of performing difficult stunts. A proceeds to say:
……多少は危ないことに危機感を持ってほしいというか、あの無謀さは少々どうかと思う時もあるが——
I have ...
- 155
0
votes
1
answer
70
views
Understanding this usage of も
I have uncertainty interpreting も in the below sentence.
なんなら自分自身も、ゲームのプレイヤーキャラ位に思っていて、どことなく他人事のように考えている。(source)
I thought も marks 自分自身 as a subject but that will make 他人事のように考えている nonsense. So I ...
- 687
2
votes
1
answer
144
views
How can I tell how much って is quoting?
When you use って, how do you differentiate who is part of the quote from who made the quote?
For example:
彼女はかわいいって/She said かわいい or
彼女はかわいいって/someone said she's cute
- 25
1
vote
1
answer
148
views
What is 家ーーーーー！！ supposed to mean here? [FFXIV video game slang]
In an FFXIV music video, they got cheeky and showed a funny hypothetical chat-log during a Raid.
I basically understand all of it, except for the "家ーーーーー！！" exclamation in the beginning. ...
- 1,382
3
votes
2
answers
449
views
How to parse上で話し合い
The below example sentence
論点を明らかにした上で話し合いをしないと、時間を無駄にする事になります。
is translated (by bunpro) as
If we don't clarify the points of discussion beforehand, we will end up wasting time in the conversation
...
- 363
2
votes
1
answer
91
views
Understanding 大事なコミュニケーションだと言わんばかりの潔さ
I have trouble understanding the bold part below:
人に迷惑を掛ける事へ一切の躊躇がない。人に迷惑を掛ける事そのものが、大事なコミュニケーションだと言わんばかりの潔さ。そうだ、アイはこれだった。(source)
In particular, I don't understand the meaning of the word 潔さ. It ...
- 687
2
votes
2
answers
134
views
Do both "白の女王" and "白き女王" mean "White Queen"?
There's this Japan-only game called Grimms Notes, and it has 2 characters called "白の女王" and "白き女王". The former is based on the White Queen from Alice in Wonderland, and the latter ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
406
views
What does 浮く mean here?
A high-schooler was thinking about what to do during lunch
大人だったら別に一人メシなんて普通なんだけど...高校ジャやっぱ浮く...よなぁ
I am uncertain what 浮く means here. I think it means in high school, there are many ways to eat?
- 687
2
votes
1
answer
342
views
Why is すごく almost always pronounced with an accent on the second mora (instead of the first mora)?
From my experience, there are many speakers who say すごく{LHL} even though they say はやく{HLL}, うまく{HLL}, etc.
I am aware that there are two "accent types" for the conjugated forms of downstep-...
- 231
2
votes
1
answer
133
views
Meaning of き in 唾をぶっかけて.き.やがるからな。
If I am correct, then ぶっかける and やがる are verbs but what is the き doing in between them?
Full sentence:
~
この辺では、言葉に気をつけた方がいいぜ。町のこちら側に住んでいるやつらは、口笛を吹いただけでも顔に唾をぶっかけてきやがるからな。
~
You have to be careful about ...
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Why do we use が instead of を with a 他動詞 in the expression 車が止めてあります?
I was studying てあります and ています in the context of 他動詞 and 自動詞 with my Japanese teacher. I had to choose between 止める and 止まる in the following sentence:
学生：こんにちは。先生、お迎えに来ました。家の前に私の車が＿＿＿＿。どうぞお乗りください。
...
- 83
1
vote
1
answer
111
views
Clarifications on using ていく with verbs - using 着る as example verb
I'm finding the application of ていく (and by extension てくる) difficult to understand, so I want to use an example with the verb 着る to ask some questions on it:
If someone wore their jacket and left me (...
0
votes
1
answer
114
views
"I hate him" = 彼が嫌い or 彼は嫌い? Ambiguity regarding the target of the sentence
I apologize if this is a dumb question. I think I'm having a total brainfart here, but this is something I've been wondering since some time ago now.
If I wanna say, "I hate him!", which one ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
110
views
what is this confusing use of を?
その後ろ姿を、コートをかけられたエルメスがフィールドの出入り口で見ていた
google and deepl translate this as
"Behind him, a coated Hermes watched from the doorway of the field."
And that makes sense from the context too. But I ...
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
82
views
past verb + ところだった= Major difference from るところだった?
おや もう到着ですか
空想を楽しんでいたところだったのに
How does たところだった here work?
I understand
るところだった is "I almost did x" but how does it work with the past version then?
https://nihongonosensei.net/?p=12827
This ...
- 841
0
votes
1
answer
74
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As "red", what's the difference between 紅{くれない}, 紅{べに}, 紅{こう} and 紅色?
On Weblio, the same dictionary says 紅{くれない} means "crimson" (deep red) and 紅{べに} means "vermilion" (bright red). Another dictionary says 紅{くれない}, 紅{べに}, 紅{こう} are all nouns, but I ...
- 883
1
vote
1
answer
99
views
What does AをBにしたら mean?
In the manga strip below, the character says:
艦長も芽依先輩をラーメンにしたら絶対おいしいと思うでしょ？
What does 依先輩をラーメンにしたら exactly mean here? The only にしたら structure I could find was Noun + にしたら, which means something like ...
- 37
1
vote
1
answer
356
views
What does いくつになっても exactly mean?
いくつになっても「いい子」が上手いな!
A is angry at B for being kind to somebody and says that. They are both young adults.
It should mean "No matter the age, you are good at being a good boy!", but I don't ...
- 883
0
votes
0
answers
79
views
Why are there multiple ways to say hello in Japanese and how would I use them?
I have been learning basic sentences in Japanese, but I want to know what to use when I meet somebody and why. the three I know are:
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Konnichiwa.
Hajimemashite.
What would I ...
user58053
0
votes
2
answers
55
views
Does た+ "ところで" always mean "No matter what", "Even if?"
よし
後ろ盾を得たところで
さっさく調べちまおう
"後ろ盾を得た" is a way of saying that means "To obtain one support". The character proposed an hypothesis about the situation and his partner agreed, which ...
- 841