22
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19
votes
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"As in" in japanese
You can simply use の:
今日は「評論」の「評」の漢字を覚えました。
ブラボーのB、デルタのD
「服を着る」の「着る」じゃなくて、「髪の毛を切る」方の「切る」です。
- 288k
18
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What does 今日という日 mean?
今日という日 (literally "the day called today") is just an emphatic version of "today", or "this very day". This expression is commonly used in formal greetings and poems. (I tried jisho.org but got nothing ...
- 288k
17
votes
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Japanese term for weight gained in a loving relationship?
Perhaps you're looking for 幸せ太り (pronounced as しあわせぶとり due to rendaku).
This word is not particularly positive nor negative/derogatory. Gaining weight itself is not a desirable thing, but some people ...
- 288k
15
votes
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What could a phrase like アルコールはダメなんだ possibly mean?
It means "I'm not good with alcohol" or "I don't like alcohol". Of course it can also mean "Alcohol is not good (for your health)" and "Alcohol is prohibited (in this event)", depending on the context....
- 288k
15
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How would a fluent speaker understand ありがとうございません?
It's not common at all and I don't remember whether I've heard it in my entire life, but ありがとうございません is not gibberish, and it could pass as a meaningful wordplay to describe ありがた迷惑 if used in an ...
- 288k
13
votes
I'm called and I think -- the same?
"と申します" (to moushimasu) is a more formal way to say "と言う" (to iu), which both mean "to say". As you say "name + to moushimasu" is one way to introduce yourself.
Keep in mind while this can translate ...
- 5,992
13
votes
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Break down the phrase "[失礼]{しつれい}しなければならないんです"
失礼{しつれい}しなければならない
失礼 (shitsurei) is "rudeness".
失礼する (shitsurei suru) is "to be rude"
失礼しない (shitsurei shinai) is the negation "to not be rude".
失礼しなければ (shitsurei shinakereba) is a conditional ...
- 28.5k
12
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Accepted
How would you say "x says hi" in Japanese?
"Bob says hi by the way."
「ところで、ボブがよろしくって。」
「そうだ、ボブがよろしくって。」
or
「ところで、ボブがハローって。」
or something similar.
The above sentences are a casual way of saying the first sentence below:
ところで、ボブが「よろしく」...
- 7,311
12
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Accepted
How would you say "I changed my mind" in Japanese?
I think I understand your feeling, it sometimes happens that an expression that we are so used to using in English just doesn't exist in Japanese and it can be frustrating.
The closest you will get ...
- 5,621
12
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Break down the phrase "[失礼]{しつれい}しなければならないんです"
① Grammar pattern
The grammar pattern used here is:
V(ない form, and drop the い) + なければならない
which means "must V", where V is any verb in the plain negative form (ending in ない) . First drop ...
- 5,058
11
votes
How do you say 'it'?
There is no word for 'it'. Japanese is a very contextual language and the 'it' will be inferred from context.
To take some of your examples, if you are walking down the street and you say "it's cold" ...
- 28.5k
11
votes
How to say "One day at a time" in romaji
I think a simple one is 一日一歩｛いちにちいっぽ｝ which in romaji is ichinichi ippo. This literally means "one day one step" and it bears the meaning of "one day at the time" in English.
There is as well another ...
- 7,796
11
votes
What is the meaning of なめた口?
舐（な）める has a broad meaning such as (1) to lick (a stamp), (2) taste (Popsicle / whisky), (3) experience (hardships) and (4) look down on / make light of (a person).
舐めた is an adjective form of ”舐（な）...
- 9,475
11
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How would a fluent speaker understand ありがとうございません?
While it’s not impossible to interpret, it is unusual (far more than “thanks, but no thanks”). This is mainly because the grammatical construction of 〜うございます is mostly no longer productive and ...
- 15.5k
10
votes
Accepted
What does 「花に育てる編集」 mean?
まだ固いつぼみを見つけ出して、これにあたたかい春の風を送り、花に育てる
The direct object of 育てる is left out. It's これ, i.e. まだ固いつぼみ, "firm buds".
It's 「（これ(=まだ固いつぼみ)を）花に育てる」, "bring up (firm buds) into flowers".
そこへゆくと、［...
- 62.2k
9
votes
What is the polite way to say, "move?"
そこ literally means "there" so you can't just add ください to it. For "move", I think you would say:
どいて。(informal)
どいてください。(polite form of どいて, but still sounds informal)
(ちょっと、)そこ、あけて。 (Lit. Make ...
- 62.2k
9
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I'm called and I think -- the same?
～と[思]{おも}います (to omoimasu) <-- I think
～と[申]{もう}します (to moushimasu) <-- I'm called
These just sound really similar because they are same letters/sounds.
- 4,027
9
votes
背中を押す Phrase Meaning
背中を押す means "encourage someone to do something." It's a figurative expression meaning "to motivate someone to go ahead by pushing his / her back."
For example:
...
- 9,475
9
votes
Accepted
How to reply to 「いま、すごく幸せです？」
I guess he is asking me about my well being.
In fact, I don't think so. 幸せ usually doesn't mean normal well-being but only the full-of-joy state, that like whoever has their child. It's not a word ...
- 49.7k
9
votes
Accepted
Is 何それ a rude phrase?
何それ? is not necessarily rude, but it is certainly informal. As such, it should probably only be used with friends or family or in an informal environment. Using it outside those boundaries might risk ...
- 11.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Does saying "私は次男坊です" in self-intro sound humorous? why?
You could have said 兄が1人います, which is fairly neutral. Or 私は次男です should have been better than 私は次男坊です at least a little.
次男坊 is indeed a nuanced word with a certain connotation related to the old ...
- 288k
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