New answers tagged word-choice
5
包丁 should be a larger knife which is used for cutting vegetables or meats. So, it is used to prepare large meals. (especially suitable for eastern Asian cuisine)
ナイフ should be a smaller knife which is used for cutting fruits or cakes. So, it is used to prepare desserts or something not so large. (especially suitable for western cuisine)
In addition to food ...
3
You can say either
[好]{す}きになった。
or
[今]{いま}は[好]{す}きだ。
[好]{す}きに in the first sentence is the adverbial form of the な-adjective [好]{す}き, and なる is a verb that means “to become”. It is closer in construction to “I have become fond of it” than to “I like it now”.
The second sentence is a more literal translation of “I like it now”.
I used the plain style ...
1
I know it was taken from an NHK site but 気をつけているなら doesn’t sound too natural to me.
I would say:
ウイルスがうつらないように気をつけていれば、店を開くことができます。
The article is deliberately written in easy Japanese so non-advanced learners or foreign residents can understand. Maybe れば is not considered easy enough.
Besides, it is not very natural to understand 気をつけているなら as referring to ...
1
It's a matter of BEFORE / AFTER.
なら is like BEFORE you do Y, the precondition X must be met. I tell my kids, おそといくなら、くつはこうね！ "Before you can go outside, you have to put shoes on!"
たら is like AFTER you do Y, you must do Z. I say to my kids, ごはんたべたら、はをみがこうね。 When you are done eating dinner, brush your teeth.
2
Chess is always called チェス in modern Japanese. 西洋将棋 would simply sound confusing. Someone who heard 西洋将棋 may wonder if you are referring to something other than that chess everyone knows. According to 青空文庫全文検索, チェス was already the default word 100 years ago.
As for xiangqi, this game itself is little-known, so I can say almost nothing from my personal ...
5
買い込む is the most neutral of the three. It simply refers to the act of buying something in large quantities for future use. It may be for normal consumption and the stock may last only for a few days.
買い溜め is usually used in this noun form, although the verb form 買い溜める is also possible. It refers to the act of buying something in large quantities and keeping ...
2
そうだ can describe a subjective "hunch" about the future based on non-visual or vague information. From this page:
様態の「～そうだ」は主として視覚的印象（外見からの判断）を述べる助動詞ですが、(snip) 視覚でとらえられない動詞について漠然とした予想・予感の世界を表すようになります。(snip)
まだ会議は始まりそうもないから、コーヒーでも飲んできましょう。
戦争はまだまだ続きそうですねえ。
ああ、寒い。風邪をひきそうだ。
この仕事は今日中に終わりそうです。
In such cases, there doesn't have to be objective ...
1
たまたま通りかかった日本人です。
ええっとですね皆様、気持ちよくわかります。なぜ、どうして、なんで の話。
【どれを使ってもいい例】 [examples you can use them interchangeably]
なぜそうなるの？どうしてそうなるの？なんでそうなるの？
【きちんと使い分ける例】[examples where one is clearly better than others]
"being here somehow lets me calm down for some reasons."
GOOD! ここにいると、なぜか自然と気持ちが落ち着く。
okay ここにいると、どうしてか自然と気持ちが落ち着く。
weird ここにいると、なんでか自然と気持ちが落ち着く。
...
2
V(masu form)+そうだ means "one's own guess". V+ようだ means "an event or action that will happen with high probability because of very reliable information".
For example, you can say 雨が降りそうだ when you see the cloudy sky, but it's only your guess. On the other hand, you can say 雨が降るようだ and you have already gotten the information from the weather ...
1
「頑張りましょう」→「頑張る」＋「ます」＋「う」
「頑張ろう」→「頑張る」＋「う」
「頑張りましょう」≒「頑張ろう」
「頑張りましょう」という表現は敬語（honorific or polite form)です。
「ます」が聞き手に対して丁寧な印象を与えます。集会などで、一人の人間が全体に対し話をするときは、多くの場合丁寧語（polite language)を用います。すごく親しい仲間内では「頑張ろう」という表現を用いることが多いと思います。
※「う」＝“will” （auxiliary verb)
1
The meaning is essentially the same but I would say that 少し has a slightly more formal feel to it. ちょっと is a little more casual and more appropriate for spoken conversation as opposed to written - It is by no means impolite to use the word ちょっと though. When chatting with friends I would use ちょっと, when submitting a written self-introduction for a job or ...
0
THis is a hard one to translate. Answering specifically to the case you raised where you are the customer, it's just the business telling you that they acknowledge that you may have been in a physically demanding situation. It's a routine greeting. Take for instance, in a long-haul plane ride, JAL or ANA captain might tell you, 長らくのご搭乗、お疲れさまでした。
3
なんかこれ変。
The statement "今日は大学の講義で日本状の経営について学んだ。" just doesn't sound right to me and I'm a native. I can see what it wants to say, but it just isn't right. Is this on some sort of textbook? Where is this from? At least it certainly isn't something a Japanese person would write. You are right to suggest 式.
Alternatively, 流 (ryu) would work too.
...
7
One sounds formal and it is kosher with most dictionaries, Utagau, while the latter, うたぐる, is more casual and actually two words put together in a slang-y way. I guess I could pull "Guesstimate" as an analogy - where Guess and Estimate are lumped together for a funny, casual effect. The same thing is going here. うたぐる is うたがう and かんぐる (go on a limb ...
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