All Questions
28,865
questions
20
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4
answers
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Are there cases when two or more particles will occur next to each other without intervening lexical words?
Most particles seem to be postpositions but I'm sure I've seen say a noun followed by a location particle followed by "wa" or "ga" or possibly "wo" but when I've tried to use it I've only confused my ...
- 15.2k
18
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Using な particle after common nouns (non na-adjectives)
Is な particle allowed to be used after common nouns (i.e non na-adjectives) for whatever reasons, e.g. cuteness, trendy, humor etc?
Dictionary@goo website seems to use (normal noun)+な in a couple of ...
- 19.8k
35
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Where does "もしもし" (moshimoshi) for answering the telephone come from?
Does the term "もしもし" (moshimoshi) predate the telephone? Does it have any use besides answering the phone? Where does it come from, is it just a reduplication of "もし" (moshi) "if", and if so how does ...
- 15.2k
17
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Are there any common Japanese words which were borrowed from Ainu or other indigenous languages?
I know plenty of Japanese words that came from English and a few from other European languages (obviously tons from Chinese), but what about words from Japan's indigenous languages such as Ainu? Also ...
- 15.2k
26
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can we optionally include (or exclude) an を particle in between the noun of the する-verb and the する itself?
When we have a する verb (e.g. 支{し}度{たく}する、案{あん}内{ない}する、心{しん}配{ぱい}する), is it true that we could optionally insert an を particle in between the noun and the する?
Because in the example sentences here and ...
- 11.8k
24
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How are 化け物, 妖怪, 幽霊, etc. related to each other?
In the past few years, reading light novels and the like, I have come across many different terms for ghosts, spirits, monsters, etc. in Japanese, and I'm wondering how they relate to each other. What ...
- 7,589
14
votes
1
answer
5k
views
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
13
votes
1
answer
611
views
What do the question marks on these gas station signs mean?
ハイオク： １４８？
レギュラ： １３７？
軽油： １１５？
What meaning do the question marks have?
- 872
23
votes
2
answers
14k
views
How does ほど work in the 〜すれば〜するほど construction?
I understand that 〜すれば〜するほど is used to mean "the more you do ~ the more ~".
However, I don't see how this meaning is derived from this sentence pattern. I assume the ば is from the ...
- 6,708
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is ～がる suffix limited to specific adjectives only?
I noticed that there are some adjectives that have ～がる suffix to make them into verbs. Some examples from WWWJDIC:
ほしがる
こわがる
いたがる
くるしがる
さびしがる
うれしがる
Apparently ～たい form also can take the ～...
- 19.8k
10
votes
2
answers
8k
views
How is 〜んじゃない different from 〜じゃない?
Is it possible to say ～んじゃない？ If it is, how it differs from ～じゃない？
In what situation I should use ん/の for it, and what does ん/の express?
Examples:
[~い + ん]
いいんじゃない
行きたいんじゃない
吸えないんじゃない
...
- 2,213
11
votes
1
answer
331
views
How can [数]{す}[寄]{き}[者]{しゃ} both mean a tea ceremony master and a "lewd man, a lecher"?
I would like to understand better the etymology or the cultural context surrounding
数寄者
If I believe wwwjdic, this
compound is used to denote
a tea ceremony master (with a reference to a style ...
- 1,077
8
votes
3
answers
943
views
Are there inflections/endings that can be applied to verbs but not i-adjectives? (or vice versa)
After reading in an answer to another question that Japanese adjectives are less inflected than Japanese verbs I'm wondering if there are inflections that can be applied to verbs but not i-adjectives? ...
- 15.2k
11
votes
2
answers
10k
views
way to use さっぱり (sappari) and すっかり (sukkari)
Maybe it's just me, but I keep mixing up
As in
すっかり忘れてた
I've completely forgot
and
さっぱりわからない
I haven't the faintest idea / I really don't know
are there other expressions to use them?
- 797
24
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Is Japanese really an agglutinative language?
In the linguistics topic of language typology, Japanese is often included in lists of agglutinative (or agglutinating) languages, but when learning or reading about Japanese grammar exclusively this ...
- 15.2k
19
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why is 五右衛門 read "goemon"?
Why is the name 五右衛門 read as ごえもん?
How can the three kanji 五右衛 be read with only two syllables?
- 5,625
9
votes
2
answers
452
views
What's the difference between 迷う and 紕う?
I was looking in a dictionary, and both were listed as being defined as "to lose one's way, to hesitate, or to waver," but I don't understand why there are two different kanji for the word.
9
votes
3
answers
5k
views
What does the "〜やしない" conjugation mean?
In episode 76 of Fairy Tail, Gildarts said this to Natsu:
本気でそう思ったら、止めやしないよ。 (honki de sou omottara, tomeyashinai yo)
Which was translated in the subtitle as:
If that's what you honestly ...
- 19.8k
1
vote
0
answers
141
views
Usage of ～じゃん for verbs [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Usage of ～じゃん (～じゃない)
usage of ～じゃん for verbs
Sometimes when i talk to a japanese, they use a lot this. I dont know if there's a rule for it, and when i can or cannot use it. ...
- 2,213
6
votes
2
answers
364
views
What's the difference in the nuances that 呪縛【じゅばく】 and 呪い【のろい】 convey?
Is 呪縛 usually used to refer to a good spell or a bad one (like a curse)?
I mean the dictionary writes the english meaning as: spell/curse but I was wondering what sort of nuance would be attached to ...
- 11.8k
25
votes
3
answers
31k
views
Usage of ～じゃん (～じゃない)
I'd like to know if I can put ～じゃん at the end of every adjective, if there are any exceptions to that usage, and if it's different from ～じゃない.
Adj (na) + じゃん
便利じゃん
便利だったじゃん
便利じゃないじゃん
...
- 2,213
14
votes
2
answers
521
views
How are the giongo/gitaigo double form and tto form related (きらきら vs. きらっと)
With many 擬音語 (ぎおんご, onomatopoeia) and 擬態語 (ぎたいご, mimetic words) there is a double form, where the word is repeated, and a form with っと at the end. For example:
きらきら -> きらっと (sparkling)
ぴかぴか -> ...
- 7,058
15
votes
4
answers
13k
views
To not have: 持っていません or ありません？
Whenever I go to the Life supermarket near my house, they ask me at the check out:
ライフカードを持っていますか？ (Do you have a Life
[members] card?)
I always respond with something like:
いいえ、持っていません。
...
- 24.6k
11
votes
2
answers
638
views
Pronunciation and meaning of [closed]
I just received an email ending like this:
是非是非また誘って
How to read the ?
Zero results on Google.
As for the meaning, is it equivalent to よ ?
- 8,640
7
votes
3
answers
740
views
低い鼻 vs 短い鼻 and 高い鼻 vs 長い鼻 ?
After reading this thread: When would you use 低い【ひくい】 vs 短い【みじかい】, I'd just thought of something.
I once heard that a long nose (witch / Pinocchio) is called 高い鼻 and not 長い鼻 whereas the opposite (...
- 11.8k
8
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Can I help you?
In English, the word "help" can be used for any of these cases to ask somebody for help or to give a help to someone:
In a store, when a clerk (store worker) says:
Can I help you, sir?
With ...
- 2,213
17
votes
4
answers
37k
views
How can I say "some X " in Japanese?
I was thinking, and I can't express the word "some" in Japanese.
Examples:
There were some fruits on the table. (I would say "テーブルの上に果物があった）
Maybe 少しあった - but then I would translate as "there were ...
- 2,213
46
votes
4
answers
65k
views
What does the little っ (tsu) signify when at the end of a word?
The small っ (tsu) is usually used before a consonant to indicate gemination, less technically known as doubled consonants, which is how they are transliterated in romaji.
I have seen it at the end of ...
- 15.2k
7
votes
2
answers
476
views
Reading 男 or 女 as ひと
Why is it that in Japanese sentence one sees 男 or 女 with furigana that says ひと? Furigana is supposed to help clarify the meaning of a kanji character, but using ひと doesn't seem to help clarify ...
- 5,035
20
votes
1
answer
9k
views
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
Are they always/often/seldom interchangeable?
- 11.8k
30
votes
6
answers
18k
views
Why the "H" is pronounced as "Sh" in some cases?
My first question is about the rules of pronunciation of the letter "H".
Some people pronounce the "H" as if it were "Sh". For example, "Shijutsu" instead of "Hijutsu", or "Shiyori" instead of "...
- 413
19
votes
2
answers
3k
views
When and how did USA and UK come to be written as [米]{べい}[国]{こく} and [英]{えい}[国]{こく}?
I know of four countries with a specific kanji besides Japan: China, the Netherlands, the USA and UK. The last two must be quite recent (I presume 19th century) but I wonder on the details and context ...
- 1,077
33
votes
7
answers
9k
views
What is the most natural way to refer to someone when you don't know their name and don't have a close relationship with them?
I wanted to mention to a female staff member in a shop that I visit every day that I had seen their photograph in the Shibuya shop. I was going to say:
渋谷店であなたの写真を見た。
..but あなた seemed too intimate. ...
- 602
40
votes
3
answers
12k
views
What is the difference between -さ and -み suffixes to make a noun out of an adjective?
For example, both 悲しさ and 悲しみ are glossed as “sadness” in JMdict. What's the difference?
According to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, 〜み “is more emotive and concrete characterization of some ...
- 401
14
votes
4
answers
644
views
History of 十干（じっかん）and modern uses
As I was studying vocabulary today, I happened to come across the titular 十干 which are as follows:
[甲]{こう} • [乙]{おつ} • [丙]{へい} • [丁]{てい} • [戊]{ぼ} • [己]{き} • [庚]{こう} • [辛]{しん} • [壬]{じん} • [癸]{き}
...
- 43.9k
18
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How did 革 "leather" come to mean newness?
How did the character for "leather" - [革]{かわ ／ カク} - come to also convey the meaning for "newness"? 広辞苑 lists one of the definitions (under かく) as あらたまること, あらためること, and we can see this in some of its ...
- 43.9k
11
votes
3
answers
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Can とても be used with [大好]{だいす}き or [大嫌]{だいきら}い?
とても means "very"
[好]{す}き means "like"
[大好]{だいす}き means "like very much"
If I really like something can I use とてもとても大好きです ?
11
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3
answers
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What's the difference between ～てください and ～ていてください?
This question has come up on the side of at least a couple of other questions, but I don't think it's been definitively answered, so let's see if we can come up with something solid.
After going ...
- 24k
10
votes
2
answers
387
views
sometimes だけ gets mildly confusing..
If someone says それだけ、食べないでください, does it mean:
Please don't eat only that [eat other things too!]
or
[You can eat anything you like but] only that, please don't eat it.
What about それだけ、たべてください? ...
- 11.8k
7
votes
3
answers
981
views
Is 日語 a good two-kanji stand-in for 日本語 ("Japanese language")?
This is a bit of an ad hoc question, but still should be well within the scope of JLU, so here goes:
While trying to come up with ideas for our new logo in the meta group (subliminal message: go and ...
- 8,989
9
votes
2
answers
939
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 ...
- 43.9k
4
votes
1
answer
2k
views
～まくる as a suffix, what does it mean and how is it used?
I found this phrase 「家族に突っ込まれまくった」 and I believe it means "[my] family really stuck it [to me]" but I'm not familiar with the suffix まくる.
Any examples and clarifications would be appreciated.
- 4,375
129
votes
1
answer
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views
What is the difference between the nominalizers こと and の?
As Derek mentioned in his postscript, both こと and の are nominalizers that can turn a verb into a noun.
ピアノを弾く【ひく】。 I play the piano.
ピアノを弾く【ひく】のが好き【すき】です。 I like playing the piano.
ピアノを弾く【ひく】ことが好き【すき】...
- 3,197
18
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Is Japanese particularly good for punning/spoonerisms? If so, why?
Today I was laughing my heads off reading puns at 言いまつがい, which is a collection of user-contributed accidental puns and other mistakes.
It struck me that I never experienced this kind of ...
- 6,692
8
votes
2
answers
250
views
What is the meaning of かい and き in Google's Summer Solstice Doodle?
I was wondering what the meaning of かい and き is for the Google Summer Solstice Doodle pictured here:
I'm guessing it has some relation to summer, but what?
- 183
26
votes
2
answers
5k
views
What is the usage of 〜げ and how does it differ from 〜そう or 〜っぽい?
How do these two differ, for example:
寂しそう vs 寂しげ
楽しそう vs 楽しげ
言いたそう vs 言いたげ
大人げ vs 大人っぽい（...？ Not sure if this one works.)
- 6,708
5
votes
1
answer
109
views
Difference between で and の when referring to "usage"
Simplest example would be when you are getting a coffee and ask for a paper cup. It seems that both 紙の and 紙で are acceptable. What are the differences?
- 1,282
9
votes
1
answer
430
views
can we use ねー as a question?
I've read that people usually change ない to ねー to make it more manly, like:
したくないよ becomes したくねーんだ
So basically i often heard questions ending with ない but have not heard anyone end a question with ねー
...
- 11.8k
17
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Appropriate ただいま-like greeting for a neighbor?
I frequently pass by an elderly neighbor who lives in the same apartment when coming home from a dog walk. He's kind of an in-house carpenter for the building and is frequently seen around the garage. ...
- 6,692
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How can you input and display a radical in a computer text document? [closed]
(I apologize if this question is off-topic on Japanese.SE or is more suitable for SuperUser).
I like to write computer notes about what I learn in Japanese. From time to time, I would like to be able ...
- 1,077