19
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What is Bowser saying in Super Mario RPG? よって！ (includes picture)
This よって is the te-form of よる, which is an auxiliary verb that expresses disdain. Compared to やがる, よる sounds relatively old or dialectal. See this and this.
The te-form is sometimes used with an ...
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15
votes
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Why is ostracism called 村八分【むらはちぶ】?
During the Edo period, villages traditionally had 10 communal activities:
冠 - 成人式 - coming of age ceremony
婚 - marriage
建築 - helping with building/repairing
病気 - helping when sick
水害 - ...
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14
votes
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Meaning of 見る in 「１日から２日は見て」
取り寄せるのに１日から２日は見ておいたほうがいいからね。
You know, (expect) it takes at least one day or two before the product arrives (to our office/department).
This 見る is "to expect", "to estimate", etc. See the tenth ...
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13
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Why can't I say 「電車に遅刻する」?
To be fair, if you Google that phrase you can actually find a small number of examples of seemingly native speakers using it. They may be using it as a slightly more formal variant of 遅れる, and it is ...
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12
votes
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ガードがばがばになっから meaning
バカが: "You fool!"
が: not a subject marker but a vocative-like particle; see this
ガード: [noun] "guard" (in this context, refers to psychological defense or skepticism against the seducer)
がばがば: [...
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11
votes
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How to say "weeaboo" in Japanese?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It depends on how you want to use this word.
ウィアブー or ウィーアブー is not something an average Japanese speaker would understand, and that's why it's not on jisho....
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11
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What does Ukiyo (浮世) mean?
うきよ was originally 憂き世 ("this melancholic/miserable world") but reanalyzed as 浮き世 ("this transient/fleeting world") around the Edo period. It was associated with sadness and ...
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10
votes
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Relation between 大学, 学校 and 大学校
"What is 学校" is not an easy question; there are many definitions of it. but here's the summary:
Legally speaking, "the narrow definition" of 学校 (aka 一条校), as defined in the first clause of the law ...
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10
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What does ウ○ク mean in ウ○クの方の、中○、韓○嫌いは異常。?
It's 「ウヨク」,「[右翼]{うよく}」 "the right wing".
ウヨクの方の、中国、韓国嫌いは異常。
"The right wingers' hatred toward China and Korea is unusual/insane."
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9
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Unknown word and strange use of えと
[長]{なげ}え is a colloquial, masculine and a bit vulgar way of pronouncing [長]{なが}い.
(Compare: うるさい→うるせえ, しらない→しらねえ, たべたい→たべてえ)
The と in 長いと is a 接続助詞(conjunctive particle), meaning "if~~" or "when~~".
...
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8
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What's the difference between 記号 and しるし？
記号 ("symbols") on a map typically look like this (See List of Japanese map symbols):
We also have 数学記号 (math symbols), 星座記号 (zodiac symbols), 錬金術記号 (alchemical symbols) and so on. So each 記号 has been ...
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8
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Why can't I say 「電車に遅刻する」?
You have some good answers to your exact question with your exact sentences at HiNative and Đáp Án. I'll quote them here.
HiNative (translation from Japanese and emphasis mine):
「授業に遅刻してすみません」is ...
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7
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What are the differences between 田{た}, 水田{すいでん}, and 田圃{たんぼ}?
田圃 is usually written in 田んぼ or たんぼ, and it's the word usually used in conversations.
水田 is a Sino-Japanese word (漢語), and it sounds more technical/formal, as usual. See: Are 漢語 always more formal ...
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7
votes
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Meaning of はいてなかったり?
This is a very, very context dependent question. Not just a matter of a few sentences, but over volumes of the comic. I have never read it myself, but the みつどもえ fansite contained enough circumstantial ...
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7
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"To be satisfied/content/fulfilled": Differences between 満ち足りる、心ゆく、気が済む、満足がいく?
These Japanese phrases are different, but they don't really map to your categories.
心ゆく: This is almost always used in the set phrase 心ゆくまで "to one's heart's content". It's used almost ...
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7
votes
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Are コミュ症 and コミュニケーション障害 informal/slang words in Japanese?
It's safe to say コミュ障 (or コミュ症) is 100% slang. As far as I remember, it has always been used in this short form since it began to be used a few decades ago. It's never used in serious medical contexts....
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6
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Does ''脅しじゃねえぞ'' mean ''not a threat''?
I think it means, "I'm not joking you".
This link mentions that 脅｛おど｝しじゃない means that it is not just a threat and that they really mean it.
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6
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Is "速読" somewhat a different reading technique, or is it just "reading really fast"?
Contrary to your expectation, 速読 in Japanese usually refers to a very special technique like this — to read and understand super fast. https://youtu.be/yBrmYDkubhI?t=35s
"Trained" 速読 readers ...
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6
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Meaning of "少し外す"
In this context, 外す means "to leave (for a moment)", "to step out", "to go away from keyboard", etc. See the third definition on jisho.org:
席を外す is a common set phrase.
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6
votes
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When is 事業 read as じぎょう and when as ことわざ
I'd like to add onto samhana's answer.
Background about the term and reading
The ことわざ reading for 事業 is valid, but it is also ancient. This reading is not used in modern Japanese.
The ancient ことわざ ...
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6
votes
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もう for "already" and もう for "another"
もう meaning "another" does have a low-high pitch accent and is used like this:
もう【LH】3分
another three minutes
もう【LH】1回
once more
もう【LH】少し
a little more
もう【LH】片方
the other one (of a pair)
もう ...
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6
votes
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What does 作文 actually mean?
作文 is closer to "composition", and it primarily refers to writing assignments such as those given as homework to elementary school or middle school students. The subject is not limited to ...
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5
votes
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For natives, is 署名 beginning to supersede 判子 with regard to signing official documents?
Not yet. Hanko is still required for LOTS of documents in both public and private sectors.
I guess, for most of the cases, hanko is not legally required and it's just a common practice for those who ...
5
votes
Meaning of 運動神経が良い
In this context it does not have much to do with reflexes or nerves.
It just means "good at sports".
References:
運動神経が良い 【形】 sportistic
運動神経: スポーツや技能などを巧みにこなす能力
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5
votes
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Differences Between 蘇生する and 蘇る
蘇生する can be used both transitively and intransitively. Basically it only means resurrecting dead people/animals. 蘇生 is also a medical term for (cardiopulmonary) resuscitation.
死者が灰から蘇生する (...
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