59
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What do the shapes △ ◯ ╳ ◻ mean in Japanese? And are there variations in meaning, depending on whether or not the shape is filled?
○ まる
OK; correct; yes; supported; available (like ✔; note that the check mark usually means "wrong" in Japanese examinations)
masked/censored character (like * in English used to mask ...
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21
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Meaning and usage of やっぱり (矢っ張り)
やっぱり is a colloquial/casual version of やはり.
やっぱり/やはり has several meanings/usages. For example...
"as expected; as (one) would expect"
やはりそれは本当だった。It was true, just as I thought/expected/...
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20
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このとおりよ as an expression
I think the この通り means (or, comes from) something like 「この通り、謝ります（だから許してください）。」 "I'm apologizing like this / as you see (so please forgive me)" or 「この通り、お願いします（だから頼みを聞いてください）。」 "I am begging you like ...
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19
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Difference between にとって and として
In my head, it basically works like this:
X として = As X
X にとって = For X
They can sometimes be interchangeable in the sense that they both make sense, but the meaning is a little different:
親として、...
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19
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Can を used with だ/です? 君沢さんを犯人だと思い込む
AをBだ in isolation makes little sense (although there are minor exceptions). This ～を～だと is a common pattern which appears along with various verbs for assuming, regarding, etc.
AをBだと見なす to regard A as ...
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19
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Can I use English in place of katakana?
I think it matters a lot and that it's best to break from the habit if you intend to speak Japanese long-term. I think for place names it's somewhat understandable because the Kana is obviously there ...
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18
votes
In Japanese, can we say an object asks a question?
In English, it's common for an inanimate object to serve as the subject of a sentence, almost as if they have its own will. In Japanese, this construction is much less frequently used, making some ...
- 307k
18
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Difference between もっとも and 一番
Simply, 一番 is colloquial/casual, and 最も is formal/technical. Oh, this is one of the rare cases where 漢語 words are more informal than the 和語 versions.
In addition, 最も can only function as a modifier, ...
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18
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What's the meaning and usage of ~マシだ
It means "better than something", but there are extra nuances that both choices are bad ones.
If you want to say "A is better than B", you can say "BよりAの方が良い" or "BよりAの方がマシだ". Both make sense and ...
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17
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Difference between「と思います」and「かと思います」?
There's a difference in meaning between 〜かと思う and 〜と思う.
Rhetorical usage:
心臓が止まるかと思った
"I thought my heart was going to stop!"
心臓が止まると思った
"I thought my heart would stop."
(I changed the ...
15
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Difference between チケット, 切符 and 乗車券
チケット: Tickets for theaters, amusement parks, sport games, etc.
切符: Tickets in general used for trains, buses, etc.
乗車券: An official term used by railway companies for a type of 切符. 乗車券 refers to a ...
- 307k
15
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when do I have to use naru hodo, and when do I have to use wakarimashita?
Both "naru hodo" and "wakarimashita" mean "I understand," but there is a difference in the usages and nuances between those two words.
"Naru hodo" means "...
15
votes
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What is the difference between ayumu, sanpo and aruku?
Difference between ayumu, sanpo and aruku
aruku (歩｛ある｝く) is a general term for to walk.
ayumu (歩｛あゆ｝む) is a little old-fashioned expression for to walk, especially to walk step by step, and it ...
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15
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What's the difference between 「お昼前」 and 「午前」?
午前 (=a.m.) refers to 12 hours from midnight to noon. Likewise, 午後 (=p.m.) refers to 12 hours from noon to midnight.
お昼前 refers to a short period before noon. When お昼前 starts is not strictly defined, ...
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14
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Differences between words for "idiot"
馬鹿 vs 阿呆 is an interesting theme on linguistic geography. In fact it's once been thoroughly investigated by a TV program, followed by academia. Here is the full map of local vocabulary for "fool/idiot"...
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14
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How to use ～先生 properly with co-workers?
This question is largely about culture but a place where culture and language interact.
I work at a university in Japan and both on and off campus, we call each other 苗字 (family name)-先生. There's one ...
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14
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How to read 24-hour clock format
You can read the time of day in 24-hour format using the pronunciation for the numbers 13–24 as for the numbers 1–10 followed by 時【じ】, e.g.
15:40 = 15時40分 = じゅうごじ よんじゅっぷん
19:20 = 19時20分 = じゅうくじ ...
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14
votes
What do ー, 「, and 」 mean?
The latter are quotation marks, equivalent to " " in English. For example, the sentence:
Mr Tanaka said "Good morning".
could be written as something like:
たなかさんは「おはよう」といいました。
The former may ...
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14
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Function of と when used with 続く
This と before 続く is a "friend" of quotative-と. If I have to choose one, it corresponds to this definition of デジタル大辞泉.
（文や句をそのまま受けて）動作・作用・状態の内容を表す。引用の「と」。
It says と can broadly mark "the ...
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13
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Do you also say 「もしもし」 on Skype?
もしもし is like "Hello" and it's used in two kinds of situations:
As the very first word of the call ("Hello, this is Tanaka speaking.")
As the word to check if the other person can hear you, when the ...
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13
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What is the meaning of しも?
I'm afraid to say that いつしも is very rare, and you can use it naturally only in literary sentences. ～しも was a grammatical element in archaic Japanese (it was a kind of intensifier similar to nothing ...
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13
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Difference between yamero and yamete
Of the two やめろ (yamero) is the bossier one. やめて (yamete) comes across a bit softer; it's basically やめてください (yamete kudasai) minus the ください (kudasai). やめろ (yamero) is actually the imperative form of ...
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