10
votes
Accepted
Understanding 軍服に着られた
It is a rhetorical use of passive voice. 服に着られる basically means the person in the clothes gives a funny impression, e.g. the size is too big, it simply does not go well, etc.
(Added) It is less common ...
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6
votes
Accepted
Is '櫓三年に棹八年' a playful saying?
This is funny simply because 櫓三年に棹八年 is an extremely rare proverb known to only a few Japanese speakers. An avid learner may know 桃栗三年柿八年, which is a much more common equivalent of this proverb. ...
- 287k
6
votes
Accepted
気が合う人 is correct but why can't I say 気が合える人？ Why is using the potential form wrong?
(According to web searches,) there is a distinction called 意志動詞 and 無意志動詞. The former denotes the verbs that express voluntary actions.
The rule is that there is no potential form for 無意志動詞, which 合う ...
- 28.2k
4
votes
"sounds familiar" or "it rings a bell" phrases but a Japanese version
(Posting as an answer rather than a comment)
I think 「（名前くらいは）聞いたことがあるような」 may work, 'I feel as if I've heard of [the name] before'.
- 10.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Addressing people in the Japanese Christian/Catholic Church
I was a missionary at a Japanese non-denominational Christian church in Osaka. In my experience—mostly limited to my own church, though I was able to visit several other churches, and attend a couple ...
- 43.5k
3
votes
Addressing people in the Japanese Christian/Catholic Church
Here are the basic rules:
神父【しんぷ】 refers to Catholic priests or "Father". Add 様 when addressing them (神父様).
牧師【ぼくし】 refers to pastors in Protestant churches. Add 様 when addressing them (牧師様)...
- 287k
3
votes
Accepted
What does 売りに mean here in this sentence?
This is an idiom that you can find in any dictionary: https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%96%A7%E5%98%A9%E3%82%92%E5%A3%B2%E3%82%8B-491468
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3
votes
What is the cultural and grammatical meaning of 門を同じくして戸を異にす?
Meaning:
Those of the same clan/house (門) go through different doors (戸). The idea is that different members of the same family will not necessarily have the same talents. This idiom is also similarly ...
- 836
2
votes
"sounds familiar" or "it rings a bell" phrases but a Japanese version
I think that a potential match for what you are looking for is the following:
ピンと来る
The third or fourth definition linked is probably what you are looking for.
ピンと translates to 'intuitively', and ...
- 7,061
2
votes
Accepted
Explain the meaning of “いくら...とはいえ”
Your understanding is correct.
From 大辞泉:
［副］（あとに「ても」「でも」を伴うことが多い）量や程度のはなはだしいさま。どれほど。どんなに。「―捜しても見つからない」「―子供でもわかるだろう」
So No matter how much you are my friend should be a literal enough translation.
...
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2
votes
What does 馬になる mean
This is a catchphrase of this YouTuber. He became famous around 2019 for his videos in which he cooks while imitating the voices of anime characters and using a lot of wordplay (オヤジギャグ) including ...
- 287k
1
vote
Addressing people in the Japanese Christian/Catholic Church
Not Christian, but I know 神父(さん/様) is used in at least some contexts for priests, and I think I've heard 兄弟 for 'brother'.
- 10.5k
1
vote
Accepted
Why does 「割引がもらえる」 mean "able to receive the discount"?
Key point
Verbs of potential in English describe a property of an actor: that person is able to [VERB].
Verbs of potential in Japanese describe a property of a thing: that thing is [VERB]-able.
The ...
- 35.5k
1
vote
Accepted
What does ヤキ入れ here?
焼きを入れる is an idiom meaning to torture, to punish. It apparently derives from blacksmiths putting metal in fire to harden it.
It often has the connotation of lynch done by delinquent kids or mafia.
...
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