Datasets:

---

p1atdev

/

japanese-stackexchange

like 3

[ { "body": "Please consider my answer to [This\nquestion](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/9379/%E3%81%AE-cannot-\nbe-used-as-a-pronoun-meaning-one-for-highly-abstract-objects-but-wh).\n\nBoth the question and my answer (and other answers as well) will redirect you\nto very interesting content and useful grammar aspects regarding your\nquestion.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-15T22:04:59.420", "id": "9451", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-15T22:04:59.420", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.260", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "12", "parent_id": "9448", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "の as a particle has the very simple function of noun modification. You might\nfind some comparisons between の and the English 's or \"of\", however these can\nbe a bit confusing once you start running into less directly translatable\nuses.\n\nFor example:\n\n * 私の車 - My car\n * 昨日の宿題 - Yesterday's homework\n * アメリカの出身 - To be from America\n * なんのため(？) - For what purpose(?)\n\nIt can also act similarly to the particle が in some sentences:\n\n * 人気{ひとけ}のないところ\n * 人気{にんき}のあるもの - Popular item (can put anything here)\n\nの as a pronoun, on the other hand, is very simple in its most basic uses,\nbeing the basic equivalent to the English \"one.\" The question that Andry links\nto addresses the nuances, but most of the time you'll be fine associating it\nwith \"one\" in English, or something similar to a possessive pronoun like\n\"mine.\" For example:\n\n * 赤いの欲しい - I want a red one \n * 暖かいの飲みたい - I want to drink a hot one\n * 私のは小さい車だよ - My car is the small one\n\nThere are some grammatical rules to it, like not ending the sentence with the\npronoun の. Grammar dictionaries are great for the nuances.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-16T04:47:27.387", "id": "9453", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-16T04:47:27.387", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9448", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "Well, \"A dictionary of basic Japanese grammar\" has a special paragraph about\nit. It gives:\n\n> 私はトムの(ペン)がほしい。 - I want Tom's (pen).\n\nIn this example トムの is the omitted form of トムのペン. Therefore it's just a\nparticle and not a pronoun.\n\nOn the other hand, a noun can't be added after の used as a pronoun. i.e.\n\n> 私は黒いのが欲しい - I want a black one.\n\nIn this case, の is not an omitted form.\n\nSaying:\n\n> 私は黒いのペンが欲しい - I want a black pen (Grammatically wrong!)\n\nWould be grammatically incorrect (The right way would be 私は黒いペンが欲しい).", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-16T22:23:51.903", "id": "9458", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-18T02:48:57.147", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-18T02:48:57.147", "last_editor_user_id": "162", "owner_user_id": "2884", "parent_id": "9448", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "To be precise, の is a particle that can fulfill different roles (mainly:\nattribution, concomitancy, substitution). So の as a \"pronoun\" is just の\nparticle substitutive use and not a pronoun.\n\nSo from your question, the main difference will be the role in the sentence.\n\n**Atribution** ([連体]{れんたい})\n\n父の車。 \nDad's car.\n\n**Concomitancy** ([並立]{へいりつ})\n\n行くの行かないの、迷っています。 \nI am hesitating to go or not.\n\n**Substitution** ([代用]{だいよう})\n\n走るのが好き。 (same as 走ることが好き。) \nI like running.\n\nThat said, there are of course more nuanced uses of の but if you can clearly\nunderstand and use these 3 roles, you made the hardest part.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T04:31:54.137", "id": "9562", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T05:17:40.147", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-24T05:17:40.147", "last_editor_user_id": "1868", "owner_user_id": "1868", "parent_id": "9448", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "Semantically, I think you can leave out \"I'm currently studying Japanese\" if\nyou're saying \"My Japanese isn't (yet) very good,\" because it's pretty much\nimplied.\n\nYour example sounds fine. You might also try things like:\n\n> * すみません、日本語はまだまだです。\n> * すみません、日本語の[初心者]{しょ・しん・しゃ}ですので、あまり分かりません。\n>", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-16T22:58:56.740", "id": "9459", "last_activity_date": "2015-05-25T02:45:07.610", "last_edit_date": "2015-05-25T02:45:07.610", "last_editor_user_id": "78", "owner_user_id": "78", "parent_id": "9457", "post_type": "answer", "score": 12 }, { "body": "The way I usually say it is:\n\n> まだ日本語が上手じゃないんですが。\n\nThe まだ expresses that you're still learning, and んですが is a more subtle way of\n\"apologizing\" for it.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-17T06:03:39.720", "id": "9466", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-17T06:03:39.720", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1575", "parent_id": "9457", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "I think you can try:\n\n * リンクを開{ひら}く\n\n * リンクを開{あ}ける\n\n * リンクをたどる (follow the link)\n\n * リンクをクリックする (click the link)\n\n * サイトを訪れる (visit a site)\n\nOf course don't forget to conjugate them into the required\nrequesting/commanding forms.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-18T09:42:53.017", "id": "9487", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-18T09:52:20.310", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-18T09:52:20.310", "last_editor_user_id": "542", "owner_user_id": "542", "parent_id": "9486", "post_type": "answer", "score": 9 }, { "body": "Just ~を見てください is possible, I think.\n\nAlso, some slightly politer forms that you might see around:\n\n~をご覧{らん}ください (please see)\n\n~をご参考{さんこう}ください (please refer to)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-18T15:26:14.717", "id": "9492", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-18T15:26:14.717", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "571", "parent_id": "9486", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "\"sinai to\" is short for \"sinai to ikenai\". She is saying that she must also\nstudy German.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-18T14:16:26.207", "id": "9491", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-18T14:16:26.207", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9490", "post_type": "answer", "score": 16 }, { "body": "This girl is actually expressing the concept of: _Must do something_. In\nJapanese grammar you can use two basic grammars to achieve this.\n\nBut remember that we are not talking about giving orders (which has a complete\nindependent form in Japanese grammar).\n\n## Quite direct and informal approach\n\nWhen you talk with a friend, this is actually the easiest way to say: _Must do\nsomething_ , intended as something needed, some sort of task to do.\n\n> (Verb:ない-Form)と ==> Must/Have to...\n\nOr, extended...\n\n> (Verb:ない-Form)といけません ==> Must/Have to...\n\nHere are some examples:\n\n> 1) 明{あし}日{た}は試{し}験{けん}があるね。勉{べん}強{きょう}しないと！ => Tomorrow I have a test. I\n> gotta study!\n>\n> 2) ごめん、スーパーへ行{い}かないと〜今{きょ}日{う}は用{よう}事{じ}があるから、遊{あそ}びはちょっとだめ！ => Sorry, I\n> have to go to the supermarket... Today I have errands so, I cannot play with\n> you!\n>\n> 3) 映{えい}画{が}って？やだよ！まだ宿{しゅく}題{だい}をしないと！ => What? A movie? That's impossible!\n> You still have to finish homeworks!\n>\n> 4) まだ下{へ}手{た}なので、もっと練{れん}習{しゅう}しないと〜 => 'Cause I am still bad at it, I must\n> train more...\n\n## Saying it a little bit more formally (but not that much)\n\nWhen you are not with friends but with adults or superiors or in a context new\nto you, you should use the following form:\n\n> (Verb:ない-Form->{drop い})ければなりません ==> Must/Have to...\n\nHere are some examples:\n\n> 1) ああ、明{あし}日{た}は学{がっ}校{こう}へ行{い}かなければなりません！ => Mmm, tomorrow I have to go to\n> school.\n>\n> 2) 昨{き}日{のう}は試{し}験{けん}があったので、京{きょう}都{と}へ行{い}かなければなりませんでした。 => Yesterday I\n> had a test, so I had to go to Kyoto.\n>\n> 3) この薬{くすり}を飲{の}まなければなりませんから、その薬{くすり}まで飲{よ}めない！ => I must take this\n> medicine, so I cannot that one too.\n>\n> 4) 強{つよ}くなりたいんですね、じゃたくさん食{た}べなければならないね〜 => So you want power... you must eat\n> a lot...\n\n## Another way...\n\nThere is another way to express this. It is actually used by kids and girls\nand it is encountered very often in spoken language (believe me, they use it a\nlot). It is the following:\n\n> (Verb:ない-Form->{drop い})きゃ ==> Must/Have to...\n\nHere are some examples:\n\n> 1) ああ、難{むずか}しいよ！もっとまじめにしなきゃ〜 ==> Mmm, this is difficult! I must go for it\n> more seriously...\n>\n> 2) あの電{でん}車{しゃ}に乗{の}らなきゃ！ ==> I must get on that train.\n>\n> 3) 車{くるま}はだめだよ！歩{ある}かなきゃ！ ==> Car is not allowed! You must go by foot.\n\n## About your question...\n\nThe girl is saying this:\n\n> 素{す}晴{ば}らしい。ドイツ語{ご}も勉{べん}強{きょう}しないとですね。 => Wonderful. I have to study German\n> too.\n\nFrom the context you provided it might sound quite sarcastic as well.\n\nThis should help you in future when you encounter other similar situations...", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-18T16:53:41.090", "id": "9496", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-19T08:01:06.077", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-19T08:01:06.077", "last_editor_user_id": "12", "owner_user_id": "12", "parent_id": "9490", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "Just to add the other two answers, ～しないとです is a very colloquial polite form,\nwhich some people consider to be corrupted.\n\n> ドイツ語も勉強しないといけないね。 (non-polite form) → ドイツ語も勉強しないといけませんね。 (polite form) \n> ドイツ語も勉強しないとね。 (non-polite form, colloquial) → ドイツ語も勉強しないとですね。 (polite form\n> (?), very colloquial at best)\n\nAs Dono explained, ～しないと is an abbreviation of the phrase ～しないといけない. Whereas\nいけない can be turned into its polite form いけません, the しないと part cannot be turned\ninto a polite form. Because of this, some people use です as a generic suffix to\nmake a polite form.\n\nAnother example of this use of です is よろしくです.\n\n> よろしくお願いする。 (non-polite form, rare) → よろしくお願いします。 (polite form) \n> よろしく。 (non-polite form, colloquial) → よろしくです。 (polite form (?), very\n> colloquial at best)\n\nRelated question: “[What does っす at the end of a sentence\nmean?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/36/what-\ndoes-%E3%81%A3%E3%81%99-at-the-end-of-a-sentence-mean)” by sartak.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-20T01:45:56.947", "id": "9505", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-20T01:45:56.947", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.260", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9490", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "Basing on my experience it depends more by the context rather than the two\ninterlocutors and their relationship. I am going to tell you my experiences,\nand what my teachers told me.\n\n### At work\n\nWhen I was at work I was the (saying it not badly) the very last one in the\nhierarchy I would say. I worked in one of the 4 biggest research facilities of\none of the biggest Communication and Technology companies in Japan. There I\nalways addressed people in my group (superiors and sempai, but not necessary\nolder) using polite style (ます-form actually). They all used the ます-form.\n\nOnce I befriended another guy who was younger than me (another university\nstudent). Like me he was having a traineeship over there. At the beginning we\nstarted with ます, but then we became friends (more) and I was allowed to talk\nwith him using first names and plain style. But when we were together with our\nteam leader or supervisors, we used ます-form with each other. The same goes for\nwelcome parties and so on. At work, when we were alone, we used plain style.\n\nMy superiors always used ます-form with me. But when we went together drinking\nand partying (something very important in work contexts in Japanese society),\nthey were sometimes quite straightforward with me, sometimes they used plain\nstyle, but after the mood got really up and easy. Back to work, of course back\nto ます-form.\n\n### At work, sport activities and recreational activities\n\nWhen I was together with my team colleagues (I was the youngest), we went\ntogether for some trips and nice activities. We used plain style there. Back\nduring work, especially during meetings, we were all using ます-form. When we\nwent for some activity which involved our superiors, we addressed each other\nusing family names and ます-form. However some superiors were really nice people\nand allowed us to be free to use plain style. They say that these people are\n喋{しゃべ}りやすい or 話{はな}しやすい => Easy to talk with.\n\nDuring that time I also used to practice sports. During those activities it\nwas me and many other people from my company and other companies nearby. All\ntogether, while playing, we were really plain! No ます-form at all. So easy and\nnice. Just straight to first names. Maybe at the beginning it was a little\nhard, but after two times together they get used to you. Consider also that\nusing plain style is quite easy when there are 外人 (gaijin: foreigners).\nJapanese people are encouraged to use plain style.\n\n### Teachers\n\nI addressed my teachers always by their family names. Knew their given names\nonly in the very last days of school ahah. Always using ます-form. I only used\nplain form when practicing it! The teacher actually started saying: \"ok, now I\nam your friend... let's talk...\".\n\n## Conclusions\n\nFrom my experience, conversation styles are driven by context, not just the\ntwo interlocutors. You can be friend with someone and talk plain with him, but\nif the contexts enlarges and embraces people higher in the hierarchy\n(especially at work), then, no matter your relationship with that person, you\nmust change the language level and adapt it accordingly.\n\n### Just one more last thing...\n\nWhen it comes to politeness using 敬{けい}語{ご} and 尊{そん}敬{けい}語{ご} (honorific\nlanguages), this is quite obvious to see for those who live in Japan. I mean,\nconsider コンビニ (Convenience stores). In those places, personnel are compelled\nto use honorific language when speaking to guests (お客{きゃく}様{さま}). Many times I\nwas paying and the desk and it happened that the man in front of me said\nsomething to his colleague. They were the same age and none was a supervisor\nor something... just normal コンビニ people probably working there as a part time.\nOften when talking to each other in front of me (one giving some advice or\nsimilar) they used ます-form and sometimes the honorific language. Rarely I\nheard them talk plain in fornt if me...\n\nHope I could be helpful...", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-18T19:30:13.103", "id": "9497", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-19T20:46:48.960", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "12", "parent_id": "9493", "post_type": "answer", "score": 9 } ]

[ { "body": "This isn't much more than a conjecture, but I believe your contextual\ninterpretation \"after a lot of fuss\" is essentially correct. I do believe that\nちる and びる are verbs -- or more specifically, 散【ち】る and ひる, in the following\nsenses (as defined by [Goo](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp)):\n\n> [ち・る【散る】](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/145556/m0u/)\n>\n> * ２\n> * ㋐ まとまっていたものがばらばらになって広がる。断片となって方々へ飛ぶ。「ガラスが粉々に―・る」「波が―・る」「火花が―・る」\n> * ㋑ 集まっていたものが別れ別れになる。散らばる。「全国に―・ってしまった同窓生」\n> * ３ ちりぢりに消えてなくなる。「雲が―・る」「霧が―・る」\n>\n\n>\n> [ひる【干る／▽乾る】](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/188639/m0u/)\n>\n> * ３ 果てる。終わる。かたがつく。 \n> 「これこれ足下のやうにものを言うては論がひない」〈滑・浮世床・初〉\n>\n\nThis is the best I can come up with, but the meaning seems to fit.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T17:53:51.907", "id": "9590", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-26T17:53:51.907", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9499", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "小学館 日本国語大辞典(第二版)によれば、島根県地方の方言で、\n\n> ちる【動】[方言]①来る。越後087 ②遊戯などでまちがう 岩手県九戸郡088 ③逆上する。のぼせる。島根県725\n>\n> びる【動】[方言]①泣く。子供などが泣く。 島根県石見723「朝から晩までびっとる」725 広島県備中「びるな」044 山口県安武郡795 ◇ひる\n> 岡山県浅口郡768 ◇びらす 島根県石見「あんまりびらすとごんごんじー(恐ろしい人)にやるど」 725 ◇びらとく\n> 島根県美濃郡益田市「いつまでもびらとくな。みとーもなー」725 ②わずかに動く。微動する。山口県大島801\n\nという使い方があるので、\n\n「ちるの、びるので」＝「怒ったり泣いたりで」\n\nではないでしょうか？", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-08-20T02:55:19.923", "id": "12593", "last_activity_date": "2013-08-20T09:22:36.380", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "3849", "parent_id": "9499", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 } ]

[ { "body": "The easy answer is that it's six in one, half a dozen in the other.\n\nThe longer answer is that having the `き` there makes it clear that you're\nsupposed to use the kun-yomi for it. See [the previous question \"What's with\nthis “On reading”/“Kun reading” thing? Is it important to learn both as a\nbeginner?\"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/6196/921) and its answers for\na good discussion on on- and kun-yomi.", "comment_count": 6, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-19T18:06:10.227", "id": "9504", "last_activity_date": "2014-03-06T04:38:12.537", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:48.447", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "921", "parent_id": "9503", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "Perhaps because it is a title, there is high degree of omission.\n\nThe full sentence could be 急停止する集団が[巣鴨]{すがも}に現れる。It means \"flash mob appears\nat [巣鴨(a place in Japan)](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%A3%E9%B4%A8)\".\n\nProbably worth noting is that \"flash mob\" is not a one-to-one translation of\n\"急停止集団\", but it gets the meaning across. 急停止 would mean \"sudden stop\" and\n急停止集団 would be \"a group of people that stops suddenly\".", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-20T10:41:55.783", "id": "9517", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-20T10:53:00.297", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-20T10:53:00.297", "last_editor_user_id": "542", "owner_user_id": "542", "parent_id": "9516", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "As it turns out 今や is actually a set phrase and can mean \"presently,\ncurrently.\" As opposed to 今, I believe it is used more for past contrast.\n\nFor the \"y\" sounds you hear during dialogue, I'd like to believe it's more of\na case of individual distinction in how they speak or possibly a case of\nslurring(?).", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-20T23:21:20.097", "id": "9520", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-20T23:21:20.097", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2914", "parent_id": "9519", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 }, { "body": "In cases 1 and 2, you have two vowels in succession: /ie/ and /io/.\n\nAssuming that\n\n 1. Your articulatory organs cannot jump from one discrete state to another.\n 2. You do not generally stop/weaken your breath between words/morae (of course once in a while you have to stop to breathe in)\n\nyou will hear the mouth/tongue moving from i->e and i->o, which is what makes\nit sound like \"ye\" and \"yo\".\n\nFor the same reason, I would say that you can't really tell if it's おみやげ or\nおみあげ, unless you know, or you ask somebody to articulate clearly, thereby\nprobably breaking assumption 2 above.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T00:15:08.793", "id": "9521", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T00:15:08.793", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9519", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "[Goo](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/14978/m1u/%E4%BB%8A%E3%82%84/)\nlists this や as being a 強意の間投助詞, i.e. an interjectory particle used for\nemphasis.\n\nThat would be definition 4-2\n[here](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/220994/m1u/%E3%82%84/), where it\nalso mentions またもや\n\nI don't think this や is really productive anymore, so I would memorize 今や as a\nword/an expression by itself.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T06:01:34.067", "id": "9527", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T06:01:34.067", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9522", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "Your method of memorizing plain and polite present forms in order distinguish\nbetween ichidan and godan verbs should suffice. Although keep in mind that it\nis only ambiguous when a verb ends in -eru or -iru, so it is unnecessary to\nmemorize both forms for all verbs. Also worth noting is that godan verbs\nending in -える or -いる are rare. Most of the time these verbs are ichidan.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T03:51:25.067", "id": "9524", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T03:51:25.067", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1575", "parent_id": "9523", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "1. All Type 2 (一段) verbs end in -iru and -eru. \nThe **converse is not true** i.e. verbs that end in -iru and -eru may also be\nType 1 (五段).\n\n 2. The conjugation for polite form for Type 2 (一段) is quite straightforward.\n\n * Remove る, append ます\n * 食べる→食べます\n * 見る→見ます\n * 変{か}える→変えます\n 3. The conjugation for polite form for Type 1 (五段):\n\n * Change final sound to the corresponding one that ends in -i, then append ます\n * 歩く→歩き→歩きます\n * 会う→会い→会います\n * 帰{かえ}る→帰り→帰ります\n\nI think the confusion is when the polite form is taken to be the starting\npoint, and it gets \"reverse conjugated\" to obtain the dictionary form. In my\nopinion, it is much more systematic to start from the dictionary form.\n\n変える and 帰る are both かえる. I suppose your method of \"remove ます + る\" test for 一段\nworks sufficiently well.\n\n* * *\n\n> I'm asking because this packet I got tells me to remember the dictionary and\n> past forms, but I don't see how this is helpful.\n\nIt is \"helpful\" because the past form is not built from the polite form, but\nfrom the dictionary form. You need to know the dictionary form in order to\nconjugate to the past form. Your course probably taught you the polite form\nfirst, so now the thought process you are going to use is probably:\n\n * polite form→dictionary form→past form\n\nWhen it is actually:\n\n * dictionary form→polite form\n * dictionary form→past form", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T03:54:34.397", "id": "9525", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T04:05:27.740", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-21T04:05:27.740", "last_editor_user_id": "542", "owner_user_id": "542", "parent_id": "9523", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 }, { "body": "Yes, you can get away with only memorizing plain and polite non-past as you\nsuggest.\n\nHowever, memorizing just the plain non-past and past would work as well, since\nif the past form is just created by removing る from the non-past and adding た,\nthen it is ichidan, otherwise it is godan. This approach might have the\nadvantage that it relieves you of memorizing the different consonant patterns\nin godan, -mu->-nda, -ku->-ita, -gu->-ida etc, separately. But then again, you\nprobably _should_ memorize those anyway.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T04:56:49.233", "id": "9526", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T04:56:49.233", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9523", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "I think the following come closest\n\n * when you realize something you didn't anticipate (or at least you pretend not to have anticipated, e.g. when you are being polite):\n\n> (あぁ) そっか \n> Of course! I never noticed!\n\n * when you had confirmed something you _did_ anticipate:\n\n> やっぱりね \n> Of course! I knew it!", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T10:05:01.023", "id": "9529", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T10:05:01.023", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9528", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 }, { "body": "I have also heard \"あった！\" used in this context. Which I assume to be a\ncontracted/casual form of \"当たり\".", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T12:31:12.267", "id": "9530", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T12:31:12.267", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1480", "parent_id": "9528", "post_type": "answer", "score": -1 }, { "body": "Some quick impressions:\n\n * そっか： Oh, is that so?\n * やはり / やっぱり： I suspected that all along.\n * まさか / まじっ： No shit!\n * あった： Yay!", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T15:07:31.273", "id": "9531", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T15:07:31.273", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1537", "parent_id": "9528", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "If some construct is common among native speakers, is it a grammatical error,\nor an artifact of a shared dialect? It's an error in the prescriptive sense,\nin that it is contrary to some preferred dialect that is promulgated by\nschools and institutions.\n\nHere is an example: using 全然 (zen zen, _[not] at all_ ), in the positive sense\n( _totally_ ).\n\n\"昨日, 全然楽しかったよ！” (Kinou, zen zen tanoshikatta, yo! _Yesterday was totally fun!_\n)", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T21:57:56.813", "id": "9537", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T21:57:56.813", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1266", "parent_id": "9533", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "I'm not sure if it is common, but I asked a [question\nonce](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/5856/%E3%81%AB%E9%85%8D%E6%85%AE%E3%81%AF%E3%81%84%E3%82%8A%E3%82%87-vs-%E3%82%92%E9%85%8D%E6%85%AE%E3%81%AF%E3%81%84%E3%82%8A%E3%82%87)\nabout something I often saw: (I think these types of mistakes are common\nthough when you mix up to words)\n\n> 環境を配慮した家 <\\-- Should be に not を\n\nUsing たり only once\n([reference](http://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/summary/kotoba/gimon/154.html)):\n\n> ×本を読んだり、手紙を書く暇もありません。\n>\n> →○本を読んだり、手紙を書いたりする暇もありません。\n\nUsing two words that mean the same thing in a row (very common):\n\n> まず初めに\n>\n> 今現在\n\nUsing 申し訳ない as 申し訳ありません or 申し訳ございません. Technically 申し訳ない is a 形容詞.\n\nなので at the beginning of a sentence.\n\nすいません instead of すみません (perhaps more of a spoken thing).\n\nこんにちわ instead of こんにちは", "comment_count": 8, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-22T00:38:03.013", "id": "9539", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-22T00:44:26.223", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9533", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "Don't know about native speakers, but I know that a commonly made mistake is\nto use a grammatical structure such as ~と思う without the necessary だ if\npreceded by a noun or な adjective.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-05-29T09:04:10.177", "id": "11997", "last_activity_date": "2013-05-29T09:04:10.177", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "3549", "parent_id": "9533", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "When I studied verbs implying remembrance and recall, I learned that there are\nsome differences. So I will write down what I know.\n\n### Remembering something learnt\n\nConsider something you learned. It can be 2 minutes ago or 2 years ago, it\ndoes not matter. When you learn something it gets inside you for the rest of\nyour life. What happens when we want to use the things we learned? We try to\nremember them.\n\nIn these situations you use 覚{おぼ}える.\n\n> だって皆{みな}、昨{き}日{のう}習{なら}った事{こと}をまだ覚{おぼ}えているのか。 => So everyone, do you\n> remember the things we learned yesterday?\n>\n> 昨{き}日{のう}は急{きゅう}に故{ふる}郷{さと}の帰{かえ}り道{みち}を覚{おぼ}えたんだよ！ => Yesterday, suddenly,\n> I remembered the way back home in my birthplace.\n\n### Recalling something\n\nConsider something you saw or heard some days ago. Consider some old memory or\nmemento of yours. When it comes to memories, to things you saw and memorized\ninside of your mind/spirit/heart you should use 思{おも}い出{だ}す.\n\nOf course this implies learning, but it is different. We learn things that\nwill turn useful in our life. When it comes to memories, they are just things\nwe store inside of us. They are not really useful (practically speaking).\n\n>\n> ええ、無{む}理{り}ですよ！その人{ひと}は子{こ}どもの時{とき}に会{あ}った人{ひと}だからさ、名{な}前{まえ}が思{おも}い出{だ}せないよ！\n> => What? This is impossible! That man is someone I met when i was a kid so,\n> I cannot recall him!\n>\n> クリスマスの時{とき}にくれたプレゼントを思{おも}い出{だ}せなくて、ごめんね〜 => I am not recalling the present\n> you gave me, I am sorry...\n\nFurthermore consider that 思{おも}い出{で} means _memory_ or _reminiscence_.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T16:41:05.603", "id": "9535", "last_activity_date": "2018-03-19T02:39:14.597", "last_edit_date": "2018-03-19T02:39:14.597", "last_editor_user_id": "9831", "owner_user_id": "12", "parent_id": "9534", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "@Andry covered the differences pretty well. But two other words you can use\nfor \"recall\" are `思い起こす` and `思い浮かべる`. AFAIK they all mean pretty much the\nsame thing, although I'm not aware of any nuances they might carry.", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-29T22:15:22.053", "id": "9871", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-29T22:15:22.053", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "78", "parent_id": "9534", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "家屋 and 家 can mean the same thing. However, 家 more often than not implies your\nown home, while 家屋 does not have this implication. Also, 家屋 has as special\nmeaning when talking about local real estate tax （[固定資産税]{こていしさんぜい}), were it\nprobably is most often used. In this situation it pretty much means _any_\nbuilding with a roof on it, including factories or warehouses, etc.\n\n住居 can be thought of differently than 家屋 or 家, as it does not necessarily\nrefer to a house, it can be thought of as \"the place where one lives\". For\nexample, many people live in apartments, etc. and this also can be consider\none's 住居.\n\nNote there are many other similar words, 住処、自宅、住宅、住まい、etc.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-21T23:43:24.293", "id": "9538", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-21T23:48:38.650", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-21T23:48:38.650", "last_editor_user_id": "1217", "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9536", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "I'll cite some dictionary entries that should give some insight:\n\n> とらえる\n>\n> (1)人や動物を取りおさえて逃げないようにする。つかまえる。 「犯人を―・える」「獲物を―・える」「密漁船を―・える」 (2)手でしっかりつかむ。握る。\n> 「手を―・える」「レンブラントの絵に心を―・えられる」「逃げて入る袖を―・へ給へば/竹取」\n\nNext..\n\n> つかまえる\n>\n> (1)逃げないようにとりおさえる。《捕》 「トンボを―・える」「犯人を―・える」 (2)手でにぎって離さないようにする。《掴・捉》\n> 「子供の手を―・える」「風を―・えるような話」 (3)その場に留める。呼び止める。 「廊下で―・えて立ち話する」「タクシーを―・える」\n\nJudging from the dictionary entries, these are basically the same, with つかまえる\nbeing in the first definition of とらえる. You may notice, however, that these\nwords have alternate kanji, and the choice of kanji can affect the nuance. For\nexample, definition 2 of つかまえる only applies to the other two kanji. So with\nthis particular kanji the two words appear to be more or less the same.\n\nSome question sites have some other interpretations from regular people,\nthough, who have their own insights about the differences.\n\nLike\n[here](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1338119548),\nfor example, where someone offers this distinction:\n\n> 「つかむ」は手で握る状態\n>\n> 「つかまえる」は手や腕なんかを使って拘束する\n>\n> 「とらえる」は縄など色んな手段を使って捕まえて逃げられないようにする\n\nBasically the distinction is that つかまえる emphasizing that you use your hands or\narms to _catch_ something, whereas in とらえる the emphasis is on the _capture_ ,\nand the prevention of escape. とらえる is stronger than つかまえる. For example, you\nwould つかまえる a bug or a small animal, but not とらえる. There's more explanation on\nthat page too. It seems reliable to me.\n\nAnd yes, 捕まる is just the intransitive verb.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-22T04:30:21.247", "id": "9541", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-22T05:16:59.760", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-22T05:16:59.760", "last_editor_user_id": "1797", "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9540", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "Like many other 漢字 \"捕\" has different pronunciations:\n\n * [捕]{と}る (passive: [捕]{と}らえる)\n * [捕]{つか}まる (passive: [捕]{つか}まえる)\n\nBoth have the same meaning of catching as in \"The cat catch the mouse.\" or\n\"The cop catch the thief.\"\n\nAs a note, とる as \"take\" is one of these verbs that has many 漢字 with nuance in\neach use. The main used 漢字 for とる are:\n\n * 取る: take in hand\n * 採る: hire someone, collect fruits\n * 捕る: catch, grip\n * 執る: take a pen, take actions\n * 撮る: take a picture\n\nOf course the line is not that clear, and some 漢字 can be exchanged with others\ndepending on the context.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-23T09:11:18.230", "id": "9553", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-23T09:11:18.230", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1868", "parent_id": "9540", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "Theoretical adding of ない:\n\n * 言う (plain)\n\n * 言わない (negative)\n\n * 言わなく・ない (negative+negative)\n\n * 言わなく・な **か** った (negative+negative+past)\n\nTherefore 言わなくなった does **not** come from another ない.\n\n * 言わない→言わなく→言わなく・なる→言わなく・なった\n\nThe adverb 言わなく modifies the verb なる in past tense.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-23T03:31:18.963", "id": "9547", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-23T03:31:18.963", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "542", "parent_id": "9546", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "> 言いたくないなら、言わなくてもいい \n> _lit._ If you don't want to say it, you don't have to say it.\n\nSome comments:\n\n * The \"don't have to\"-form is ~て+もいい, i.e. you have to form the ~て form of the i-adjective 言わない, which is the correct negative for the verb (and not 言ってない).\n * The English leaves out the verb the second time, which can't be done in Japanese.\n * なら is just one option for \"if\" (which I think fits best). Other ways to say it would be\n\n> 言いたくなければ、… \n> 言いたくなかったら、…\n\n * 言えない means indeed \"can't say\" Your (slightly corrected) sentence means\n\n> 言えないことを言わなくてもいい \n> Things you can't say, you don't have to say.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-23T06:36:13.193", "id": "9550", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-23T06:36:13.193", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9548", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "I use しまった in that context but it does feel a bit strong for your task. I have\nto check how it is written but what about the duck-like quack (or more likely\na horn) which is used in game shows to indicate a wrong answer? The opposite\nsound for a correct answer is a bell sounding \"ping-pong\". Both get used in\nconversation and if this message it given after hitting the \"enter\" key then\nit might work quite well.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-23T23:25:19.107", "id": "9558", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T05:13:40.550", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-24T05:13:40.550", "last_editor_user_id": "1556", "owner_user_id": "1556", "parent_id": "9554", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 }, { "body": "I would say しまった is very close to 'Oops', except for one provision that\napplies in your case: to me it is a word that **the person who made the\nmistake** would use, not people around (unlike 'oops', where it seems OK for\nbystanders to be using it after witnessing a blunder).\n\nUsing しまった when talking to your user, about your user's actions, might sound\never so slightly judgemental: \"You messed up!\"\n\nAs for speech level: it is of course familiar, but not rude (when applied to\noneself), although I have encountered ōbachans that would get (very) mildly\nshocked upon hearing young girls using it.\n\nAs a kid-friendly alternative, perhaps ばつ (×)... Or simply one of the many\nwords that mean \"incorrect (input)\".", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T00:25:28.507", "id": "9559", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T00:25:28.507", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "290", "parent_id": "9554", "post_type": "answer", "score": 11 }, { "body": "I agree with Dave's answer and don't feel しまった quite fits here, because the\ncomputer/device gives out the error.\n\nThere are\n\n * Billy's おっと, which I feel can be used by bystanders, who empathize with the person who made the error.\n * あらら, which is usually used by bystanders. I don't know why, but I feel that あらら is used by people, who wouldn't have made the same mistake, but are empathizing with the person who did make the mistake. あらら feels stronger than おっと. (You usually say `あらら、大変ですね`.)\n * ブブー ( _or_ ブッブー) which is the counterpart to Tim's ピンポン and is the sound associated to giving an incorrect answer. I would use ブブー for your application, since giving an incorrect password is just inconsequential and comes pretty close to giving an incorrect answer.\n\nOr you could use all three in the order\n\n * ブブー\n * おっと\n * あらら\n\nfor people who enter their password incorrectly for up to three times, which\nis quite cool, coming to think of it. (But then, I am obviously no computer\nprogrammer...)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T09:10:37.560", "id": "9565", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T09:10:37.560", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9554", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "You can find a list of compass directions on\n[wikipedia](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%BE%85%E9%87%9D%E6%96%B9%E4%BD%8D):\n\n> 1 北 N トラモンターナ (en) 0.00° 5.62° \n> 2 北微東 NbE Qto Tramontana verso Greco 5.63° 11.25° 16.87° \n> 3 北北東 NNE Greco-Tramontana 16.88° 22.50° 28.12° \n> 4 北東微北 NEbN Qto Greco verso Tramontana 28.13° 33.75° 39.37° \n> 5 北東 NE グレコ (en) 39.38° 45.00° 50.62° \n> 6 北東微東 NEbE Qto Greco verso Levante 50.63° 56.25° 61.87° \n> 7 東北東 ENE Greco-Levante 61.88° 67.50° 73.12° \n> 8 東微北 EbN Qto Levante verso Greco 73.13° 78.75° 84.37° \n> 9 東 E レバンテ (en) 84.38° 90.00° 95.62° \n> 10 東微南 EbS Qto Levante verso Scirocco 95.63° 101.25° 106.87° \n> 11 東南東 ESE Levante-Scirocco 106.88° 112.50° 118.12° \n> 12 南東微東 SEbE Qto Scirocco verso Levante 118.13° 123.75° 129.37° \n> 13 南東 SE シロッコ 129.38° 135.00° 140.62° \n> 14 南東微南 SEbS Qto Scirocco verso Ostro 140.63° 146.25° 151.87° \n> 15 南南東 SSE Ostro-Scirocco 151.88° 157.50° 163.12° \n> 16 南微東 SbE Qto Ostro verso Scirocco 163.13° 168.75° 174.37° \n> 17 南 S オストロ (en) 174.38° 180.00° 185.62° \n> 18 南微西 SbW Qto Ostro verso Libeccio 185.63° 191.25° 196.87° \n> 19 南南西 SSW Ostro-Libeccio 196.88° 202.50° 208.12° \n> 20 南西微南 SWbS Qto Libeccio verso Ostro 208.13° 213.75° 219.37° \n> 21 南西 SW リベッチオ (en) 219.38° 225.00° 230.62° \n> 22 南西微西 SWbW Qto Libeccio verso Ponente 230.63° 236.25° 241.87° \n> 23 西南西 WSW Ponente-Libeccio 241.88° 247.50° 253.12° \n> 24 西微南 WbS Qto Ponente verso Libeccio 253.13° 258.75° 264.37° \n> 25 西 W ポネンテ (en) 264.38° 270.00° 275.62° \n> 26 西微北 WbN Qto Ponente verso Maestro 275.63° 281.25° 286.87° \n> 27 西北西 WNW Maestro-Ponente 286.88° 292.50° 298.12° \n> 28 北西微西 NWbW Qto Maestro verso Ponente 298.13° 303.75° 309.37° \n> 29 北西 NW マエストロ 309.38° 315.00° 320.62° \n> 30 北西微北 NWbN Qto Maestro verso Tramontana 320.63° 326.25° 331.87° \n> 31 北北西 NNW Maestro-Tramontana 331.88° 337.50° 343.12° \n> 32 北微西 NbW Qto Tramontana verso Maestro 343.13° 348.75° 354.37° \n> 1 北 N トラモンターナ (en) 354.38° 360.00°\n\nAnd a sample of readings\n[here](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1354671953):\n\n> ① 北微西 … ほくびせい \n> ② 北微東 … ほくびとう \n> ③ 北西微北 … ほくせいびほく \n> ④ 北東微北 … ほくとうびほく \n> ⑤ 北西微西 … ほくせいびせい \n> ⑥ 北東微東 … ほくとうびとう \n> ⑦ 西微北 … せいびほく \n> ⑧ 東微北 … とうびほく \n> ⑨ 西微南 … せいびなん \n> ⑩ 東微南 … とうびなん \n> ⑪ 南西微西 … なんせいびせい \n> ⑫ 南東微東 … なんとうびとう \n> ⑬ 南西微南 … なんせいびなん \n> ⑭ 南東微南 … なんとうびなん \n> ⑮ 南微西 … なんびせい \n> ⑯ 南微東 … なんびとう", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-23T13:42:56.100", "id": "9556", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-23T14:54:42.543", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-23T14:54:42.543", "last_editor_user_id": "1868", "owner_user_id": "1868", "parent_id": "9555", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "snailplane's link says, it comes from 皮肉骨髄 \"skin meat bones marrow\" attributed\nto the Bodhidharma of Chinese Zen Buddhism. Bones and marrow came to take on\nthe meaning of essential, skin and meat became synonymous with superficial.\nFrom there, 皮肉 was also used as a word for criticizing faults/defects (which\nstems from not recognizing the true nature of sth.), which seems to be its\nprimary current usage, e.g. the JDIC dictionary entry for the derived\n[皮肉]{ひにく}る says:\n\n> 皮肉る \n> to speak cynically or with sarcasm\n\nAlthough 皮肉 is sometimes best translated to irony, as in the fixed expression\n皮肉なことに, e.g.\n\n> バイトを辞めたんだけど、皮肉なことに、年中他の仕事でずっと忙しかった。 \n> I quit my part-time job, but ironically was busy with other work all year.\n\nI think 皮肉 works best for cynicism/sarcasm or dark/pessimistic irony, rather\nthan the lighthearted variety of irony.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T10:56:38.430", "id": "9568", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T11:55:22.037", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-24T11:55:22.037", "last_editor_user_id": "903", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9557", "post_type": "answer", "score": 25 }, { "body": "皮{ひ}肉{にく} literally means \"skin and flesh\" and comes from the idiom\n皮{ひ}肉{にく}骨{こつ}髄{ずい} (\"[skin, flesh, bones, and\nmarrow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huike#Skin.2C_flesh.2C_bone.2C_marrow)\").\nThis word comes from [Chán\nBuddhism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_buddhism) in ancient China, and\nrefers to a legend about how the dharma passed from\n[Bodhidharma](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma) to\n[Huìkě](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huike).\n\nAs the story goes, Bodhidharma wanted to return to India, so he had to choose\na successor. To do this, he asked each of his four disciples to express their\nunderstanding of Chán. The first three expressed their understanding in words,\nbut the last, Huìkě, simply bowed in silence. Bodhidharma's judgment was that\nthe first three had attained his skin, flesh, and bones, but Huìkě had\nattained his marrow, and so he passed the dharma on to Huìkě.\n\nAlthough this legend has [multiple\ninterpretations](http://mro.org/zmm/teachings/daido/teisho18.php), only\n[one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huike#Interpretation) is relevant to your\nquestion: the four body parts represented a hierarchy from most superficial\nunderstanding (skin) to the most essential (marrow). From this,\n[皮肉](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E7%9A%AE%E8%82%89-611936#E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.9E.97.20.E7.AC.AC.E4.B8.89.E7.89.88)\ncame to symbolize superficiality in general, while\n[骨髄](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%AA%A8%E9%AB%84-65285#E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.9E.97.20.E7.AC.AC.E4.B8.89.E7.89.88)\ncame to mean \"essential\", \"core\". (Note that while 骨髄 means \"bone marrow\", it\nstill has the figurative meaning as well.)\n\nFor the rest of the story, please see [Earthliŋ's\nanswer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/9557/why-\ndoes-%E7%9A%AE%E8%82%89-mean-irony/9568#9568).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T15:30:07.723", "id": "9631", "last_activity_date": "2015-09-25T11:23:12.007", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.260", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9557", "post_type": "answer", "score": 20 } ]

[ { "body": "Interesting question as it brings up some Japanese particularities.\n\nFirst, please notice that 乗り越す/乗り越える and 越す/越える are different verbs (like go\nand overgo in English) and thus a little out of the scope of the question.\n\nAs a notice, I am basing the following on the 明鏡国語辞典(第二版), others dictionaries\nmight have different nuances.\n\n* * *\n\n**越す** intransitive verb ([自動詞]{じどうし})\n\npass over -place- (sharing the meaning with 越える)\n\n> 山を越す。 (Pass over the mountain.)\n\nexceed -quantity- (sharing the meaning with 越える、超す、超える)\n\n> 熱は38度を越しています。 (The fever exceeds 38 degrees.)\n\npass over -time-\n\n> 日本で年を越す。 (Pass the new year in Japan.)\n\n[敬語]{けいご} form of 行く and 来る\n\n> オフィスにお越しください。 (Please come at the office.)\n\nto move in\n\n> 山田さんは東京に越しました。 (Mr. Yamada moved to Tokyo.)\n\n* * *\n\n**超す** intransitive verb ([自動詞]{じどうし})\n\nexceed (sharing the meaning with 越える、越す)\n\n> 熱は38度を超しています。 (The fever exceeds 38 degrees.)\n\n* * *\n\n**越える** intransitive verb ([自動詞]{じどうし})\n\npass over -place- (sharing the meaning with 越す)\n\n> 山を越える。 (Pass over the mountain.)\n\nexceed -quantity- (sharing the meaning with 越す、超す、超える)\n\n> 熱は38度を越えています。 (The fever exceeds 38 degrees.)\n\nexceed -normality-\n\n> 年齢を越えた健康。 (An impressive health for the age.)\n\n* * *\n\n**超える** intransitive verb ([自動詞]{じどうし})\n\nexceed -quantity- (sharing the meaning with 越す、超す、超える)\n\n> 熱は38度を超えています。 (The fever exceeds 38 degrees.)\n\nexceed -normality-\n\n> 年齢を超えた健康。 (An impressive health for the age.)\n\n* * *\n\nConsiderations on usages\n\nこす and こえる can both be used for pass over and exceed a quantity, but こえる is\nusually preferred.\n\nFor the \"exceed a quantity\" meaning, 超える is preferred when a certain quantity\nor criteria is exceeded.\n\n* * *\n\nConsideration 越す/越える being intransitive verbs\n\nOne could legitimately think that as 越す/越える are used with を most of the time\n(eg: 山を越える。), they should be transitive verbs.\n\nBut the trick is about how を is used, in case it is used as an action marker\nthe verb is transitive, in case を is used in a non-action role the verb is\nconsidered intransitive.\n\nYou can read more regarding this topic at this\n[link](http://okwave.jp/qa/q7170044.html).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T10:15:56.440", "id": "9567", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T10:15:56.440", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1868", "parent_id": "9560", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "やれやれ is an interjection ([感動詞]{かんどうし}) that is a doubling of the やれ\ninterjection.\n\nThe main uses are:\n\n 1. When feeling relieved or deeply moved: \nやれやれ、やっと仕事が終わった。 \nAt least I have finished work. \nやれやれ、可哀想に。 \nWhat a pity.\n\n 2. When faced to a nuisance or deceived: \nやれやれ、また残業か。 \nOverwork again... \nやれやれ、困ったな。 \nIt's bothering.\n\nAnd from my personal experience, it is not that outdated but indeed more used\nby adults than by teenagers.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T05:16:28.413", "id": "9563", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T05:16:28.413", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1868", "parent_id": "9561", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "Seems that it means something like: though there is not enough\nevidence/proof/guarantee/... of a fact/matter/... , it is safe to make the\nassumption that the fact/matter/... is true.\n\nIt is a very strong assumption.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T12:17:18.287", "id": "9569", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T12:17:18.287", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "903", "parent_id": "9564", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 }, { "body": "～と見ていい basically means \"safe to assume\" or \"safe to say\" - this is why the\nassociation with an assumption is so strong. But it can also be an analogy or\na more restatement of one thing as another, as in the cases of #2 and #5.\nThere, it isn't an assumption, per se; rather it is a statement of a general\nsentiment. It becomes uncertain when followed by ～だろう as normal.\n\nMore generally, AをBと見る is just \"to view A as B\". と is a normal quoting\nparticle, and いい is used for acceptability as usual. I think the tricky bit\nhere is that 見る is being used in a way we aren't as used to.\n\nSo really, it isn't any more than the sum of it's parts. The meaning is\nsurprisingly straightforward. The literal approximation suggested in [your\ncomment](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/9564/384#comment20025_9569), is\n`viewing __ as ～ is acceptable.` works just fine.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T22:19:22.183", "id": "9592", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-26T22:32:27.183", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.863", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9564", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "[ずに] is a conjunction particle that is used when you want to say \"without\n(usu. doing something). [話さずに without speaking] [食べずに without eating].\n\n[ない] is a used for negation.\n\n[２時間、座らずに立って話しました。2hrs. of talking [standing] without sitting]\n\nI hope that helps.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T22:30:50.140", "id": "9574", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-25T11:09:02.370", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-25T11:09:02.370", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1068", "parent_id": "9566", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "～ず and ～ない mean essentially the same thing, as they are both negative forms\n(i.e. they both mean \"not\"). ず is more of a written or formal style, while ない\nis spoken or standard.\n\nHowever, the examples in your question actually revolve around ～に and ～と, as\nit's a grammar usage question. Let's take a look at your examples:\n\n> ２時間、＿＿＿＿＿立って話しました。\n\n座【すわ】らずに is the correct answer here, and has several close analogues that\ncould be used as well:\n\n * 座【すわ】らなくて\n * 座【すわ】らないで\n * 座【すわ】ることなく\n\nThe nuances may vary slightly between these, but they all fit in the sentence\ngrammatically, which is what these questions are designed to test.\n\n> あの花は５月に＿＿＿＿＿とさきません。\n\nIn this example, the time (5月に) is the hint and the key is the と after the\nblank. Though ～ず can be followed by と, it ends up having the same meaning as\n～ずに, so the answer has to be ならない, as ～ないと deals with time.\n\n**But why?**\n\nThough the meanings of ～ず and ～ない are basically the same, the meanings diverge\nwhen they become ～ずに and ～ないと.\n\n * ～ずに means basically \"without doing ～\" (～に just turns this into an adverb, just like the で in ～ないで)\n * ～ないと on the other hand, means \"when not doing ～\" or \"if [it] doesn't ～\" (～と in this case means \"when\" or \"if\")", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T20:03:05.600", "id": "9591", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-26T22:05:36.660", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-26T22:05:36.660", "last_editor_user_id": "384", "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9566", "post_type": "answer", "score": 10 } ]

[ { "body": "In English and most other languages, words as part of spoken language and\nwords as part of written language are in a 1-to-1 mapping. In Japanese, 漢字 are\njust a means for expression, and so there exist both many-to-1 (e.g. こんじつ &\nきょう -> 今日) and 1-to-many (e.g. みる -> 見る, 観る, 看る, ...) mappings.\n\nTo describe what 漢字 you have in mind, you usually give more readings for\ncharacter of your word, usually in the form\n\n * 訓読み (e.g. 観る) _plus_\n * 音読み (e.g. 観察のかん)\n\nbut nobody _talks_ about 訓読み and 音読み, you just give a word containing the\nextra reading. Knowing that the character you're after for the word みる is both\nread み(る) and かん (and appears in the word かんさつ!), you usually know which\ncharacter is meant. (Someone once tried used this method with 方法のほう, which is\n_not_ how it works.)\n\nYou might also describe the 漢字 in radicals, but this is usually done for 漢字\nboth close in meaning and close in writing, in particular for different\nversions of the same character, like 斎 vs. 斉 vs. 齋 vs. 齊 (from the different\nversions of the surname さいとう).\n\nAlso see my answer on this post: [What is the role of 空書 (writing kanji in the\nair) in modern Japanese?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/7038/)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T13:30:07.743", "id": "9571", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-24T13:40:23.123", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.397", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9570", "post_type": "answer", "score": 13 }, { "body": "To answer your second question -- \nWhen I'm talking on the phone and want to say how to write someone's name or\naddress in kanji, I often say like:\n\n> 1. 「[京子]{きょうこ}」の「きょう」は、「[京都]{きょうと}」の「[京]{きょう}」です。\n> 2. 「[明日香]{あすか}」の「あす」は、「[明日]{あした}」で、「[香]{か}」は、「[香]{かおり}」です。\n> 3. 「[聡]{さとし}」は、[耳偏]{みみへん}に「[公園]{こうえん}」の「[公]{こう}」と「[心]{こころ}」です。（or\n> 「[聡明]{そうめい}」の「[聡]{そう}」です。）\n> 4. 「[本陣町]{ほんじんちょう}」は、「ブック」の「[本]{ほん}」と、こざと[偏]{へん}に「[車]{くるま}」（or\n> 「[陣内孝則]{じんないたかのり}さん」の「[陣]{じん}」）で、「[町]{まち}」です。\n>", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-24T13:49:58.593", "id": "9572", "last_activity_date": "2019-07-31T13:00:53.010", "last_edit_date": "2019-07-31T13:00:53.010", "last_editor_user_id": "9831", "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9570", "post_type": "answer", "score": 29 } ]

[ { "body": "This [wiki page](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%A4%BE%E5%90%8D) gives same\nlaw regulations about how to name a company. To give a simple summarize: a\ncompany is free to name its company. However, the name of an entity which is\nnot a company cannot make its name look like a company; the name a company\nmust include one of \"株式会社\", \"合名会社\", \"合資会社\", \"合同会社\" to the kind of the company.\nCurrently, Kanji, Kana, Roman letter, number, \"&\", \" \" (space), \"・\", etc. can\nbe used in company name.\n\nSo, for 七つの海商社, if it is a company, I think it is lacks the part showing its\nkind(\"株式会社\", \"合名会社\", \"合資会社\", \"合同会社\").\n\nAs to 七つの海 part, I think it is ok to name a company, thought it may be hard to\nguess what the company does.\n\nAs a matter of fact, there is a company called\n[「株式会社七つの海」](http://www.sevenseas-co.jp/).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-25T00:06:01.673", "id": "9575", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-25T00:06:01.673", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "903", "parent_id": "9573", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "In the sense of a movie, 写真 is an abbreviation for 活動写真 \"motion picture\". Post\nc. 1935, the term has all but dropped out of usage and been replaced by 映画. In\nnearly all modern usage of the word, 写真 just means picture.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-25T14:21:38.120", "id": "9579", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-25T14:21:38.120", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9578", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "えっと is just a sound. Yes, it is like \"umm\" in English and it is used when\nyou're thinking of what to say, hesitating, or otherwise trying to fill the\nsilence with something before you speak. As Dono mentioned, you can find えっと's\ngeneral form in the\n[dictionary](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%88%E3%81%88%E3%81%A8), so it\ncan be considered a word.\n\nThere is some discussion of this on the internet\n[here](http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1453703404),\nbut this discussion also boils down to it just being a sound.\n\nえっと as just a sound is a satisfactory answer to me in terms of etymology. I'm\nnot sure if the と in it is related at all to the quotation particle と, but I\nhave to wonder if anyone is sure.\n\nBasically your description of えっと as \"umm\" is fine, and the dictionaries\ndefine it as something that you say to think before saying something else.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T16:07:43.817", "id": "9604", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T16:07:43.817", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9580", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "えっと is related to 言えないと, which is no longer said. Over time,it's just become\nsomething we say to fill the silence when thinking, like \"anno\". In the Edo\nTimes you would hear people say 言えないと, which would have sounded like,\n\"yunaito\" back then. Think of how 行かないと means \"I have to go.\"", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T21:34:02.627", "id": "9637", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-30T21:34:02.627", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2948", "parent_id": "9580", "post_type": "answer", "score": -2 } ]

[ { "body": "The ぬ is a classical form of ない. While it's not often used you will probably\nstill encounter it in some situations (proverbs are a great example).\n\nIn this situtation 詰まぬ=詰まない meaning \"not being mated\" so a translation for the\nproverb may be:\n\n> With 3 knights, there's always a mate (no such thing as being unmatable?)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-25T23:33:43.680", "id": "9582", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-25T23:33:43.680", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2884", "parent_id": "9581", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "Yes, 行く/iku is an exception to the rule. Specifically, its -te/-ta form is\nitte/itta. However, in most ways this verb is regular, so it usually does not\nget included in the list of exceptions, which is only two verbs long: する/suru,\nand 来る/kuru.\n\nOne other point of note is that 行く is sometimes pronounced \"yuku,\" although\nthis is slightly less common.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T02:34:19.460", "id": "9585", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T18:42:26.627", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-27T18:42:26.627", "last_editor_user_id": "820", "owner_user_id": "820", "parent_id": "9583", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "Teachers and intermediate language learners regularly tell beginners that\nJapanese has only two irregular verbs (来る and する). This is not, strictly\nspeaking, true.\n\nHere are some others:\n\n * 行く has the irregular forms 行った and 行って, as you've noted.\n * ある has the negative form ない... which is quite irregular.\n * Imperatives often seem to have irregular forms, most notably くれ from くれる.\n * Honorific verbs can be considered as having their own pattern, or breaking the rules (e.g., くださる⇒ください).\n * 問う ⇒ 問うた and 請う ⇒ 請うた, as were pointed out by @snailboat.\n * There are a few historical pronunciations that sometimes complicate this as well, such as the abbreviated する in 訳す or 達す. The 〜する irregularity also extends to the 〜じる variant in verbs like 禁じる.\n\nMore can be found on the [\"Japanese irregular verbs\" Wikipedia\npage](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_irregular_verbs).", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T07:16:50.333", "id": "9587", "last_activity_date": "2014-10-12T13:22:31.037", "last_edit_date": "2014-10-12T13:22:31.037", "last_editor_user_id": "3097", "owner_user_id": "29", "parent_id": "9583", "post_type": "answer", "score": 11 }, { "body": "Here is how you derive the past tense for 行く (and the te-form, equivalently):\n\n```\n\n past tense of /iku/ \n == { past tense of X = continuative form of X + /ta/ } \n /iki/ + /ta/ \n == { generating a new word requires sound-changes } \n repair(devoicing(/ikita/)) \n == { /i/ and /u/ become devoiced/disappear in-between two devoiced consonants } \n repair(/ikta/) \n == { normally, I-replacement repairs /k/+consonant; but here, gemination } \n /itta/\n \n```\n\nBasically, it comes down to a devoiced vowel resulting in a consonant-\nconsonant sequence, and that `CC` sequence getting repaired somehow.\n\nFor all other -ku verbs, e.g., `/kaku/`, we get `/kakita/ => /kakta/ =>\n/kaita/` , using I-replacement.\n\nSo the exception with `/iku/` is that gemination repairs the `/k/+C` sequence\ninstead of I-replacement.\n\nThat is the only exception I know which pertains to repairs, to directly\nanswer your question (instead of the question \"what words conjugate weird?\").\n\n* * *\n\nAs to why this happens with 行く, I am not sure... in 徒然草 (1330-1332),\n\n> 用有りて **行きたり** とも、其の事 果てなば、とく歸るべし\n\nand even much more recently, in 不如帰 (~1898)\n\n> 今まで知らぬ自由と楽しさのこのさきに待つとし思えば、父に別るる哀しさもいささか慰めらるる心地して、いそいそとして **行きたる** なり。\n\nwe indeed have proof it was, at least in writing, the continuative form plus\nthe past(/perfect) morpheme, with no repairs. At some point, this changes, see\nこゝろ (1914):\n\n> 私は早速先生のうちへ金を返しに **行つた** 。\n\nso this doesn't really help us figure out anything very much at all. I can't\nseem to track down anything useful here.\n\n* * *\n\nI'd classify 問う and 請う as a different \"exception\" from 行く, because for\nwhatever reason, a totally different sound change happened, from -ひた- to -ふた-.\nWe can still see the older form here,\n\n> 女に思ふやと **問ひたり** けれどいらへもせざりければ\n>\n> 思ふともいはずなりぬる時よりも増る方にて頼まるゝ哉\n\nfrom 左近大將朝光 in the 後拾遺和歌集 (~1086). This [-うた\nform](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/3299/mukashi-banashi-do-\nthey-borrow-from-other-current-dialects-in-addition-to-older/3312#3312) is\nstill around in the Osaka dialect and is used for the past tense and te-form\nregularly. It's not clear to me why there was this branch in pronunciation.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-04-11T04:40:56.387", "id": "11686", "last_activity_date": "2013-04-11T05:19:23.363", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "3097", "parent_id": "9583", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "The reason is because that is generally the _closest_ translation that you can\nget in English most of the time.\n\nLet's look at some examples:\n\n> 今度の仕事の方が前の仕事より厳しい (My new job is harder than my old one)\n\nIn English, when we think of \"next time\", we think of something that hasn't\nhappened yet, something that is in the **future**. However, as shown in the\nexample above, \"the new job\" is something that already has started. So, when\nwe think about 今度, it is possible to think about something that has already\nhappened.\n\n> 今度九州に転勤しました\n\nNotice that the above is something that has already happened (past tense).\n\nSo from the above we can gather that 今度 can talk about something that happened\nrecently in future or the past. The idea is 今度 refers to something that\nhappens multiple times and you want to refer to the time that just happened\nrecently or will happen in the immediate future.\n\n> 今度入社したA君です\n\nAnother use of 今度 is to mean the same thing as 今回 or このたび as a fixed\nexpression when doing 挨拶, etc.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T03:05:48.090", "id": "9586", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-26T03:05:48.090", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9584", "post_type": "answer", "score": 17 }, { "body": "It's easy if you think of 今度 as being like English days of the week. When we\nsay \"This Thursday\", we don't necessarily mean it is Thursday today (that\nwould be \"this day\") but we mean the Thursday of this week, or \"this (coming)\nThursday\".\n\n\"Next Thursday\" would denote \"the Thursday of next week\".\n\nLikewise, the translation of 今度 as \"this time\" can stand to mean \"this\n(coming) time\".\n\nHope that's helpful!", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-04-26T23:31:00.410", "id": "11775", "last_activity_date": "2013-04-26T23:31:00.410", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "3413", "parent_id": "9584", "post_type": "answer", "score": 29 } ]

[ { "body": "In my experience...\n\nThe ones ending in `ご飯` are most polite. Actually, using them around friends\nmay get you some strange looks. The ones ending in `飯（めし）` seem very informal,\nsomewhat \"rough\", and mainly used by men. The ones ending in `食` seem to be\nthe most neutral and most widely-used.\n\nHowever, they may regionally have different acceptance levels and/or usage\nfrequencies. I lived in Osaka, and there (as I mentioned), saying `晩飯` or `夕飯`\nis a little bit \"rough\" and only used by men. This may be different in other\nregions though.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-26T15:37:02.803", "id": "9589", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-26T15:37:02.803", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "78", "parent_id": "9588", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "[夕・晩・夜] + [ご飯・飯・食] \n \n\n(1) ~~ + ご[飯]{はん} \nWe have [夕]{ゆう}ご[飯]{はん}, [晩]{ばん}ご[飯]{はん}, [夜]{よる}ご[飯]{はん}. \nI don't see much difference among them. We (especially children and women) use\n~~ご飯 most in daily conversation. I normally use 晩ご飯 and 夜ご飯, and I think my\nmother uses 夕ご飯 too. \n \n\n(2) ~~ + [食]{しょく} \nWe have [夕食]{ゆうしょく}. I didn't know [晩食]{ばんしょく} so I googled it, and I got some\n30,000 results. It's less common so you wouldn't need to know 晩食 to pass JLPT.\n([夜食]{やしょく} is \"bedtime snack\".) \n~~食 sounds politer and more formal than ~~ご[飯]{はん} and ~~[飯]{はん/めし}. When you\ngo to a hotel or an inn([旅館]{りょかん}), you will hear/see:\n\n> 「(ご)[夕食]{ゆうしょく}は、６[時]{じ}からとなっております。」 \n> 「[夕食]{ゆうしょく}[付]{つ}き:[一泊一万円]{いっぱくいちまんえん}。」 \n>\n\nbut not \n\n> 「[晩]{ばん}(or[夕]{ゆう}/[夜]{よる})ご[飯]{はん}は、６時からとなっております」 \n> 「[夕飯]{ゆうはん}/[晩飯]{ばんめし}は、６時からとなっております。」 \n> 「晩(or夜/夕)ご飯付き:一泊一万円。」 \n> 「夕飯付き/晩飯付き:一泊１万円。」 \n>\n\n(3) ~~ + [飯]{はん/めし} \nWe have [夕飯]{ゆうはん} and [晩飯]{ばんめし}. (I think 夕飯 can also be read ゆうめし but I\nthink only guys use that word, in casual speech. Here again, I think you can\npass JLPT without knowing the reading ゆうめし.) \nAs @istrasci-san mentions, \"~~[飯]{めし}\" sounds masculine and rough. \nI googled 夜飯 and よるめし, and got quite a few results, though there're a lot of\nChinese pages, too (Please see @Flaw's comment below). Anyway it's not so\ncommon so I think you can survive in Japan without knowing 夜飯/よるめし. \nMy mother sometimes uses お[夕飯]{ゆうはん} when talking to us or to our neighbors,\nlike \n\n> 「そろそろ、お[夕飯]{ゆうはん}の[支度]{したく}しなくっちゃ。」 \n> 「そろそろ、[晩ご飯]{ばんごはん}/[夜ご飯]{よるごはん}の支度しなくっちゃ。」 \n>\n\nbut she wouldn't say: \n\n> 「そろそろ、[夕食]{ゆうしょく}の支度しなくっちゃ。」, or \n> 「そろそろ、[晩飯]{ばんめし}の支度しなくっちゃ。」unless she's trying to sound funny.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T12:14:44.583", "id": "9595", "last_activity_date": "2016-02-13T08:07:14.393", "last_edit_date": "2016-02-13T08:07:14.393", "last_editor_user_id": "9831", "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9588", "post_type": "answer", "score": 17 } ]

[ { "body": "Indeed there are uses of できる outside of sheer potential. Most commonly you'll\nfind it used in the sense of completion of an action, as in your example\nabove, where the preparations have been completed. You also see it in the\nsense of something that wasn't previously there coming into existence, and you\noften hear something like 鼻ににきびができた, or that you got a zit on your nose. You\ncan use it generally with most instances of something that wasn't previously\nthere coming into existence, like さっきできたパン, or 隣の家がとうとうできた. You can use it in\na broad sense of abilities, too, not just to emphasize that you can do\nsomething, as in 一番できる子. There's also a phrase, できちゃった結婚{けっこん}, which means\ngetting married while pregnant.\n\nできる can be said, generally, to be a verb that indicates a transition of state\nbetween incomplete and complete, or a natural occurrence. In most cases you\nwill have something at the end that you didn't have before, be it a zit, a\nhouse, or completed preparations.\n\nIf we check a J-J dictionary example, we can find [over 9 uses of\nできる](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%8D%E3%82%8B)!\n\nAnd as a quick ちなみに, there is another できる, spelled 出切る, means to be completely\nremoved from somewhere/something, or to go completely out of.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T13:40:56.393", "id": "9597", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T13:40:56.393", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9594", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "A wonderful website linked to me by @snailplane1 categorizes adjectives by\ntheir 39 different endings.\n\nIt notes that:\n\n> * 「エ段＋い」で終わる形容詞は俗語を除いて存在しない。\n> * 「しい」で終わる形容詞は最も数が多い。\n> * 逆に「しい」を除けば、「イ段＋い」で終わる形容詞は、ほとんど存在しない。\n>\n\nThough there are a number of interesting things suggested by this data, and\nthe above observations, two in particular stand out:\n\n * No adjectives ending `/ei/` exist outside of colloquial language... **but they do exist in colloquial language.**\n * As you notes, aside from those adjectives ending in `/sii/`, there are very few adjectives ending in `/ii/`... **but some examples do exist.**\n\nSome archaic or colloquial examples offered are:\n\n> かいい、かそけい、さやけい、つゆけい、のどけい、はるけい、むくつけい、しんきい、すきずきい、つきづきい、あまねい、いぶせい、いみい、なめい、しげい\n\nI don't claim to know what these words mean or how they are/were used,\nhowever.\n\nNow, \"why\" is a very difficult question to answer, but the fact that these\nwords _do_ exist in archaic and colloquial speech suggests that there is more\nto this situation. **I hypothesize that the reason these largely don't exist\nin standard Japanese is a uniform sound change that occurred in the past**\n(though I don't know the details of said sound change).\n\nIn my experience, many dialects of Japanese retain more archaic forms (though\nthis is probably not universally true), so that may explain why some dialects\nhave words ending in `/ei/`.\n\nThe two remaining examples of adjectives ending in `/ii/` are いい and 大きい...\nbut both of these are a bit special. いい is an irregular form of よい, and 大きい\nhas the odd form 大きな. While I can't say this with certainty, I suspect these\nirregularities have something to do with why they continue to exist in modern\nJapanese.\n\n1 <http://homepage3.nifty.com/jgrammar/ja/adjec001.htm>", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T15:26:00.583", "id": "9601", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T15:26:00.583", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9596", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "Though もらう does have a similar meaning to \"receive\", that doesn't quite tell\nthe whole story. Used as a normal verb (not an auxiliary) as in your example,\nthe most [first two definitions] are as follows:\n\n> 1. **贈【おく】られたり頼【たの】んだりして受【う】け取【と】り、自分【じぶん】のものとする。**\n> 「金【かね】を―・う」「便【とよ】りを―・う」「賞【しょう】を―・う」「元気【げんき】を―・う」「勇気【ゆうき】を―・う」\n>\n> 2. **頼【たの】んで手【て】に入【い】れる。得【え】る。** 「許可【きょか】を―・う」\n>\n>\n\nThe most important part of these definitions is (in my opinion) 「自分のものとする」 (to\nmake something one's own). So although the meaning of \"receive\" is certainly\nincluded in there, it also overlaps with \"take\", \"accept\", and \"acquire\".\n\nIn this particular instance, the question 「もらっていいですか」 is asking if it is\nreally to accept the book, i.e. to make it A's own.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T15:00:41.247", "id": "9599", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T15:00:41.247", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9598", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "もらっていい（ですか） is a [pretty common way of asking for\nsomething](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=Can%20I%20keep%20this?), and I would\ntranslate it either as \"can I keep this\" or \"can I have this?\" As you said,\nもらう is receive, so it's not hard to see how this actually works out.\n\nThere are several ways to ask for something, each with its own nuances, but\nusing もらっていい will generally mean an explicit change of ownership. If you want\nto make it more polite, いただけますか will also have the same sort of connotation.\n\nOn the other hand, if you want to ask for something _without_ keeping it, you\ncan use a variety of other verbs directly relating to what you want to do,\nlike その本を見ていいですか？ or 使っていい？ If you want to keep it general, you can say, for\nexample, この本を貸してくれますか？ or 借りていい？, meaning \"would you lend\" and \"can I borrow\"\nrespectively.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T15:10:54.827", "id": "9600", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-28T01:15:55.883", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-28T01:15:55.883", "last_editor_user_id": "1797", "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9598", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "You're not wrong about もらう but you need to realize もらっていい is not the same\nthing as もらう.\n\n彼は本をもらった means he received the book.\n\nこの本をもらっていい is a grammar pattern for questions where Vてform + いい which asks\nwhether the state of Vて is acceptable.\n\nIn other words, \"is it okay/alright if I receive the book?\"\n\nOther samples of the same pattern:\n\n> 質問聞いていい?\n\nMay I ask a question?\n\n> 自分の番始めていい?\n\nCan I start my turn?\n\n> 焼いていい?\n\nCan I fry/cook/bake it?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2017-12-22T02:04:26.700", "id": "55337", "last_activity_date": "2017-12-22T05:25:01.867", "last_edit_date": "2017-12-22T05:25:01.867", "last_editor_user_id": "9831", "owner_user_id": "4091", "parent_id": "9598", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "'why do they exist' is kind of a strange question; why does any synonym exist?\nIf you're asking for a 'difference' between the two expressions, then 父母 is a\nbiological term implicating a biological mother and father, and 両親 is a social\nterm-- an adopted child's parents are 両親, not 父母. Naturally, a non-adopted\nchild's parents are 両親 as well.\n\nAs for 母親/父親, these words ring a bit more 'proper' than お父さん/お母さん. In this\ncase, it's a bit more about nuance-- the latter is a bit warmer/intimate than\nthe former. You might directly call your father お父さん, but when talking to your\nboss about him, it would likely be preferable to call him 父親.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T15:48:47.287", "id": "9603", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T15:48:47.287", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1644", "parent_id": "9602", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 }, { "body": "Just one thing that I noticed about [両親]{りょうしん} and [父母]{ふぼ}・・・ \n \nWe say ご両親 to mean \"your(=the hearer's) parents\", but we don't use 父母 here\ninstead. \n\n> ご両親はお元気ですか。 \n> *ご父母はお元気ですか。\n\nSo I think 両親 can be used in an honorific expression([尊敬語]{そんけいご}), but 父母\ncan't. \nOn the other hand, you can use either 父母 or 両親 to say \"my parents\". \n\n> いいえ。両親は去年他界しました。 \n> はい。父母ともに元気です。 \n>\n\nSo I think both 父母 and 両親 can be used in a humble expression([謙譲語]{けんじょうご}). \n(Why...? I don't know... Anyone?)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-27T23:18:11.823", "id": "9608", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-27T23:18:11.823", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9602", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "“アェ” is not a valid spelling of any sound in the standard usage of kana\nletters. If it is used to describe any sound (in a nonstandard way), I agree\nwith AHelps that it probably describes “æ” sound.\n\nHowever, according to web search, アェウクス is a password which appears in a video\ngame “[時空の覇者\nSa・Ga3](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%99%82%E7%A9%BA%E3%81%AE%E8%A6%87%E8%80%85_Sa%E3%83%BBGa3).”\nAs it is a video game, the password used in it does not have to be actually\npronounceable. It is スクウェア (the name of the company who made the game) spelled\nbackward.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-28T00:26:52.740", "id": "9609", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-28T00:26:52.740", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9605", "post_type": "answer", "score": 17 }, { "body": "I usually would do this in a comment, but I lack the reputation to do so.\n\n[http://translate.google.de/?q=%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A6%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D10&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wT](http://translate.google.de/?q=%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A6%E3%82%AF%E3%82%B9&sugexp=chrome,mod%3D10&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wT)\n\nClick the \"speaker\" icon, usually Google gets those things quite right. Also I\nassume that you would rather spell the 'a' in 'fat' with a エ", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-29T23:07:42.637", "id": "9626", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-29T23:07:42.637", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2944", "parent_id": "9605", "post_type": "answer", "score": -1 } ]

[ { "body": "The ~て form can be used to chain sentences together. That is, any two\nsentences can be made into one by changing the verb of the first sentence into\nits ~て form. The result can be translated with the conjunction `and` and means\nthat the first sentence happens and then the second.\n\nIn your case\n\n> きのうはうちにかえりました。何をしましたか。 \n> Yesterday you went home. What did you do?\n\nbecomes\n\n> きのうはうちにかえって、何をしましたか。 \n> Yesterday you went home and what did you do? _or better_ \n> What did you do after going home yesterday?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-28T11:37:40.927", "id": "9613", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-28T11:37:40.927", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9612", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "The readings `サ・シャ` are from the Chinese morpheme `shā`. Usually, when `砂` is\nread `サ` or `シャ`, it represents the Japanese version of this morpheme.\n\nIn this case, `砂` represents `ザ・ジャ`, which has a similar sound and meaning.\nSince the reading isn't _quite_ the same, it's a hint that it _might_ not\nrepresent the same morpheme. I decided to search for support for this idea by\nlooking into the etymology of `じゃり`. Although I don't have access to 日本国語大辞典\nmyself, I found a blogger who researched the subject and\n[posted](http://hyszem.exblog.jp/1942252/#1942252_1) about it:\n\n>\n> いずれにせよ、「砂利」は漢語ではなく、中世末期から近世初期のころに、和語の「ざり」を表す熟字として案出された〝漢語めかし〟の和製漢字表記ということになります。\n\nThis seemed to confirm the idea. It appears that `じゃり` was originally of\nJapanese origin, and was spelled with the kanji `砂利` at a later date.\nPresumably they were chosen because `砂` represented a similar meaning, while\n`砂` and `利` together represented a similar sound. Because of this, the reading\nbecame an exception.\n\nAs for your other question, it appears that both `じゃり` and `ざり` used to be\ncommon, but `じゃり` is more common in modern Japanese. Perhaps someone else will\nbe able to be more specific on this point.\n\n_(I'm a bit outside my comfort zone on this post, so if anyone has corrections\nor confirmation to give, I would be most grateful.)_", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-28T21:19:51.930", "id": "9617", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-28T21:19:51.930", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9615", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "Mostly it's just obtaining a list of kana -> kanji conversions that will solve\nyour problem. You can find that in any freely-available dictionary database,\nsuch as [EDICT](http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/edict.html). Creating your\nown is going to be difficult on the same order of magnitude as writing a\ndictionary.\n\nHowever, what really determines the quality of an input method editor (IME)\nfor Japanese is how well-sorted the results are, e.g. when I type きょう, the\nfirst result should be relevant to the other things I'm typing. There is,\nunfortunately, not an easy solution to this problem, and mostly I imagine it\nwill require a lot of resources (time or effort) to reach a satisfying\nsolution.", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-28T22:05:35.647", "id": "9618", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-29T19:56:18.040", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-29T19:56:18.040", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9616", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "Let's insert a subject.\n\n（私は）ともだちを パーティーに よびました。\n\nWho is doing the Yobu? I am. Who is the target of my Yobu-ing? My friend.\nWhere am I Yobu-ing him to? A party.\n\nを marks the object, に marks (in this case) the target location, directionally.\n\nで is the place in the invite, statically, as opposed to directionally-- You\nmight say パーティーでさわいだ, \"We had fun _at_ the party.\" You wouldn't say, \"We had\nfun _to_ the party\" in this case. But since you're calling him _to_ the party,\nwe use に.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-28T23:03:21.670", "id": "9620", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-28T23:03:21.670", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1644", "parent_id": "9619", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "を marks the direct object of a verb. Basically, the direct object answers the\nquestions \"what\" or \"who\". So in this case, \"Who did I invite?\" I invited my\nfriend.\n\nI think it's easier to see this relationship if we get rid of the extra bit:\nパーティーに. After we remove that, we're left with ともだちを よびました。 I invited my\nfriend.\n\nに marks an indirect object. It can be confusing because it has a couple other\ncommon uses, but basically, it tells us the **direction** of the action, which\nusually correlates with the English _to_. Be careful not to confuse the\ndirection of the action with the _location_ , which is what で does.\n\nTo answer your question, though, the reason it is the way it is is that we are\nacting directly upon our friend. It's just a little unclear because we're\nusing a verb like よびます instead of a much clearer action like _hit_.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-29T00:14:42.793", "id": "9621", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-29T00:14:42.793", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9619", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "The [語源由来辞典](http://gogen-allguide.com/ko/gochisou.html) says, the term 馳走\n\"feast\" has its origin in the fact that in order to prepare a feast, the host\nwould have to dispatch horses in order to get all the ingredients.\n\nAs for the literal translation, I would say that 様 is not a suffix for a\nperson (like さん, etc.), but closer to the meaning of 様子. (Same for お陰様, ご苦労様,\nお待ち遠様.) So that the phrase translates, also literally, to\n\n> ご馳走様でした。 \n> It was a feast.\n\nThe phrase ご馳走様 dates back only to the latter half of the Edo period. Before\nthat, the phrase 馳走になった was used in the sense of お手数をかけました \"Sorry for the\ninconvenience/Thank you for your troubles\".", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-29T05:44:34.240", "id": "9623", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-29T05:51:12.410", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-29T05:51:12.410", "last_editor_user_id": "1628", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9622", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "Answer: **They're not different.** Not exactly, anyway. Each group ends up\ndescribing the same verbs; they just arrive at their classification by\ndifferent routes.\n\n * All う-verbs are 五段【ごだん】 verbs (and vice-versa).\n * All る-verbs are 一段【いちだん】 verbs (and vice-versa).\n\n## う-verbs and る-verbs\n\nI learned the う-/る- distinction as well (as likely most English-speakers did),\nthough under the guise of \"Class 1\", \"Class 2\", and \"Class 3\" (the two\nirregulars). How I learned to classify them is by the **past-tense** form,\nhowever. For example:\n\n### Class 1\n\n> ～う、～つ、～る ⇒ ～った \n> ～ぬ、～む、～ぶ ⇒ ～んだ \n> ～す ⇒ ～した \n> ～く ⇒ ～いた \n> ～ぐ ⇒ ～いだ\n\n### Class 2\n\n> ～る ⇒ ～た\n\n### Class 3\n\n> する ⇒ した \n> くる ⇒ きた\n\nThere was even a catchy song to go along with it!\n\nOne advantage of this method is that it kills two birds with one stone: you\nlearn verb classification at the same time as you learn the past-tense\nconjugation. It also avoids confusing or intimidating new learners by throwing\nbig words at them.\n\n## 五段【ごだん】 verbs and 一段【いちだん】 verbs\n\nOn the other hand, the 五段【ごだん】・一段【いちだん】 distinction, like you noted, is\nderived from the number of different forms in the base **stem forms** of\nJapanese grammar -- a concept which second-language learners of Japanese\nusually are not even taught.\n\nOne advantage of this distinction is that the names actually describe\nsomething deeper about how the verbs work. But isn't it hard to guess the\nnumber of conjugations by looking at the verb? Actually, not really. Any verb\nthat matches your \"う-verb\" definition will have those five conjugations,\nalways.\n\nThat's all the difference is.", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-29T13:28:18.817", "id": "9625", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-29T19:06:43.437", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-29T19:06:43.437", "last_editor_user_id": "384", "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9624", "post_type": "answer", "score": 26 }, { "body": "The following terms are synonyms:\n\n * consonant-stem verb\n * u-verb\n * class 1 verb, group 1 verb, type 1 verb, ...\n * godan (五段) verb\n\nThe following terms are synonyms:\n\n * vowel-stem verb\n * ru-verb\n * class 2 verb, group 2 verb, type 2 verb, ...\n * ichidan (一段) verb", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2014-05-12T20:52:58.793", "id": "15903", "last_activity_date": "2016-03-02T09:28:49.017", "last_edit_date": "2016-03-02T09:28:49.017", "last_editor_user_id": "170", "owner_user_id": "170", "parent_id": "9624", "post_type": "answer", "score": 10 }, { "body": "I believe this is the tune you are looking for:\n\n> (Sing to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic)\n>\n> au atte matsu matte toru totte \n> yomu yonde asobu asonde shinu shinde \n> kaku kaite kesu keshite isogu isoide \n> minna u-verb te-form\n>\n> utsuru tte mubunu nde ku ite gu ide \n> (repeat twice more) \n> su shite u-verb te-form", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2016-05-03T19:24:40.747", "id": "33925", "last_activity_date": "2016-05-04T08:12:09.277", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "14328", "parent_id": "9624", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "## Exactly what you're looking for...\n\nOne phrase which I believe will help you is 「～と同【おな】じくらい～」. This literally\nmeans \"to the same degree as\" and seems like it will fit what you're asking\nfor. Some examples:\n\n> * 耳【みみ】が顔【かお】と同じくらい大きい。 His ears are as big as his face.\n> * モデルと同じくらいかわいい。 She is as cute as a model.\n>\n\nThis form will with with i-adjectives, but with na-adjectives, you'll need to\nuse に, e.g.:\n\n> * ちっちゃい魚【さかな】もおっきい魚と同じくらいに[上手]{じょうず}に泳【およ】ぐよ。 Small fish swim just as well\n> as big fish.\n>\n\n## ...And a [better?] alternative\n\nOf course, you might also consider using 「～のように～」. It doesn't capture\n_exactly_ the same nuance, but I think it does well enough. It also has the\nbenefit of sounding much more natural in many scenarios. For example:\n\n> * 輝【かがや】く瞳【ひとみ】は星【ほし】のようにきれい。 Your shining eyes are beautiful like the\n> stars.\n>\n\n## Extending the meaning\n\nBoth of these phrases are equally versatile when you want to extend their\nmeanings. You mentioned \"not as\", \"can/might/will be as\", and \"want to be\nas\"... all of these are possible by doing what you'd normally do in Japanese\nto say these things.\n\n> * モデルと同じくらいかわいくなりたい。 I want to be as cute as a model. [Note: It's true! I\n> do!]\n> * 耳【みみ】が顔【かお】と同じくらい大きくなるだろう。 His eyes will probably be as big as his face.\n> * 人【ひと】は魚と同じくらいに[上手]{じょうず}に泳【およ】げないよ。 A person can't swim as well as a\n> fish.\n>\n\nAnd just in case you really want your girlfriend to break up with you:\n\n> * 瞳【ひとみ】は星【ほし】のようにきれいじゃない。 Your eyes are not beautiful like the stars.\n>\n\nNote: basis for example sentences sourced from various Japanese-language\nwebsites.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T14:04:44.643", "id": "9628", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-01T21:05:47.597", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-01T21:05:47.597", "last_editor_user_id": "796", "owner_user_id": "384", "parent_id": "9627", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 }, { "body": "In addition to `くらい／ぐらい` as @rintuan mentioned, `ほど` (meaning \"extent\" or\n\"limit\") is your friend:\n\n> ### X is not as (adjective) as Y → ほど〜ない\n>\n> * あの少年はお兄さん **ほど** 背が **高くない** → That boy is not as tall as his older\n> brother.\n> * 生物学は物理学 **ほど** 面白く **ない** → Biology is not as interesting as physics.\n>\n\n>\n> ### Other comparisons: \"to the extent of 〜\"\n>\n> * 今日はセーターを着るほど寒い → Today is cold enough to (need to) wear a sweater;\n> \"Today is cold to the extent of wearing a sweater\"\n>\n\nSome other alternatives:\n\n> ### Two things being nearly equal in some aspect\n>\n> * この車とあの車と、速さはだいたい同じ → This car is about as fast as that car; \"As for this\n> car and that car, their speeds are about the same\"\n> * ねこくらいの大きさのネズミ → A rat (about) as big as a cat\n>", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T16:35:43.287", "id": "9632", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-30T17:00:05.943", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-30T17:00:05.943", "last_editor_user_id": "78", "owner_user_id": "78", "parent_id": "9627", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 } ]

[ { "body": "園地 is more like a park or garden (in the sense that the word garden is\nsometimes used for public parks in English). It definitely doesn't have to be\non a temple or shrine grounds. Check out Higashi Yuuenchi (東遊園地) in Kobe for\nexample: <http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%B1%E9%81%8A%E5%9C%92%E5%9C%B0>", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T15:12:23.000", "id": "9630", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-30T15:12:23.000", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2948", "parent_id": "9629", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "The correct answer is `会社へは何で行っていますか？`\n\nYou can use the `へは` (or more commonly in day-to-day use, `には`) to show that\nyou're talking about the movement towards the workplace.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T19:09:11.937", "id": "9635", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-30T19:09:11.937", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1272", "parent_id": "9634", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "As @ジョン said, the correct answer is `会社へは何で行っていますか`. The particle `へ` means\n\"toward/to/in the direction of\". So `会社へ` means \"to(/toward) work\". The\nsentence could just as easily be `会社へ何で行っていますか` without the `は` and mean\nalmost the same thing.\n\nHowever, combining `へ` with `は` 1) makes the topic of the sentence \"To work\"\n(\"As for to work, how do you get there?\" -- may seem awkward at first), and 2)\nEmphasizes the company as the destination of the question as opposed to any\nother place.\n\nIf you were to verbally emphasize the English translations, it would look like\n\n> * 会社 **へ** 何で行っていますか → **How** (by what means) do you go to work (\"the\n> company\")?\n> * 会社 **へは** 何で行っていますか → How do you go to **work**?\n>\n\nYour logic was almost correct, except the topic as I mentioned is \"to work\"\nand not just \"work\". Again, at the N5 level, this can take some time to get\ncomfortable with. It may be helpful to think of a series of questions\n\n> 東京へ行きますか？大阪へは（行きますか）？京都へは（行きますか）？ -- Are you going to Tokyo? What about to\n> Osaka? What about to Kyoto?)\n\nbut remember that it's used in \"single instances\" as well. Also remember the\norder is important: `へは` is correct, and not `はへ` which is syntactically\nincorrect.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-11-30T19:34:21.553", "id": "9636", "last_activity_date": "2012-11-30T20:32:20.170", "last_edit_date": "2012-11-30T20:32:20.170", "last_editor_user_id": "78", "owner_user_id": "78", "parent_id": "9634", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "I think ぼったくり is a pretty good attempt. Maybe \"観光客狙い\" or \"観光客向け\" is pretty\ngood, too, also these expression do not have necessarily negative nuances.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T02:35:27.950", "id": "9648", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-02T02:35:27.950", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9638", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "観光地価格{かんこうちかかく} is a phrase used to describe unreasonable pricings seen in\ntourist attractions.\n\n> このお[店]{みせ}は[熱海]{あたみ}駅{えき}前{まえ}にあるのに観光地価格ではない \n> 熱海{あたみ}は観光地価格というか[喫茶店]{きっさてん}の[価格]{かかく}も[決]{けっ}して[安]{やす}くはない \n> 3個{こ}パックで500円{えん}也{なり}は観光地価格かな \n> (source: random Google search hits)\n\nFrom what I understand, it may not be about the exact equivalent of \"tourist\ntrap\"; \"tourist trap\" seems to be about greedy establishments that are set up\nto swindle money from tourists, while 観光地価格 says nothing about the purpose of\nthe establishment.\n\nThat said, however, it can be useful if your focus was on the pricing.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T17:49:01.123", "id": "9683", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T17:49:01.123", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "128", "parent_id": "9638", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "There is a hint in the differences by looking at the different characters\nused: 数 vs 間.\n\n数 indicates that _numbers_ are involved, as seen in the definition of 手数 →\n動作・作業の **数**. In other words, the **number** of steps or **amount** of work\nnecessary is the focus.\n\n間 indicates that _time_ is involved, as seen in the definition of 手間 → 費やされる\n**時間** や労力. In other words, the amount of **time** and the amount of\n**effort** is the focus.\n\nSo, let's look at some examples:\n\n> 手間がかかる料理\n>\n> 手数がかかる料理\n\nI think both of the above phrases could be used, but the _focus_ is different.\nThe first implies a dish which takes a lot of time and effort to make, while\nthe second one implies a dish which requires a lot steps to make.\n\n> XXのネットサービスを利用すれば、お店まで行く手間が省ける (If you use XX internet service, you don't\n> have to go all the way to the store)\n\nIn the above sentence, since we are talking about _effort_ , I think 手間 is\nmore suited than 手数 because we are not talking about something that involves\nmultiple steps, etc. we are talking about the effort of going to the store.\n\nThere is another different between the two:\n\n> お手数おかけします\n\nYou might see the above often as a fixed expression. However, we cannot use 手間\nhere. Why? Because 手数をかける is always directed toward somebody else and implies\nsomebody else will do something for you (as noted in your second definition),\nwhereas 手間をかける will imply something that you do yourself, such as 手間をかけて作ったケーキ\n(a cake that you put time and effort into to make).\n\nAlso, 手間 often has a strong emphasis on time, like in the following sentence:\n\n> XXのインストールに手間取った", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-01T03:02:58.297", "id": "9640", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-01T03:09:01.243", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-01T03:09:01.243", "last_editor_user_id": "1217", "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9639", "post_type": "answer", "score": 11 }, { "body": "I would like to add that in modern Japan, you rarely see 手数 used outside the\nidiom \"お手数をおかけしますが\" or \"お手数ですが\". Also notably, you don't see 手数 being used\nwithout the お prefix.\n\nIn contrast, 手間 is used much more generic (interestingly, less with お prefix).\nFor example a youngster might say:\n\n```\n\n えー　めっちゃ手間じゃねそれ？\n \n```\n\nbut you will never use 手数 in that way. It is natural to say お手間を取らせてしまいますが but\nthis sounds a bit archaic.\n\nIn a nutshell, お手数 tend to go with 敬語 whereas 手間 tends to go with non-敬語", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T00:10:22.933", "id": "9667", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-18T09:55:46.813", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-18T09:55:46.813", "last_editor_user_id": "499", "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9639", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "I think yes is the simple answer but to expand on this:\n\nApes are technically referred to by zoologists as anthropoids which in\nJapanese is: 類人猿. Orangutans, chimpanzees and gorillas (オランウータン, チンパンジー, ゴリラ)\nall fall under this category. But, when translating ape, I think 猿 is often\nused, as in the following quite well known books:\n\n> 猿の惑星：Planet of the apes by Pierre Boulle\n>\n> 裸のサル, 人間: The naked ape by Desmond Morris\n\nThe first is a novel, originally in French, the second a popular book on\nscience for the layman, both well worth reading.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-01T14:12:11.663", "id": "9642", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-01T14:18:37.743", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "1556", "parent_id": "9641", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "Technically, サル目 seems to be the word for primates (including monkeys and\napes), so as long as you accept 猿 to mean \"a member of サル目\", the answer would\nbe **yes** in the sense that an ape would also be a 猿, but not necessarily the\nother way around.", "comment_count": 11, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T05:54:41.317", "id": "9675", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T00:23:28.363", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-05T00:23:28.363", "last_editor_user_id": "1073", "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9641", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "Some notes from wikipedia on サル with my translations:\n\n> 英語のmonkey（モンキー）や、いくつかの言語での相当する語は、学術的な定義上はオナガザル科（旧世界猿、old world\n> monkey）と広鼻猿（新世界猿、new world monkey）の総称である。\n\nThe English term 'monkey', and corresponding terms in some other languages, is\na general term referring to the old world monkeys and new world monkeys.\n\n> つまり、サルのうち原猿（曲鼻猿とメガネザル）と類人猿を含まない（メガネザルは分類学上の地位が不安定だが、それとは関係なくmonkeyには含めない）。\n\nThat is, lemurs, tarsiers, and apes which are covered by 'サル' are not\nconsidered 'monkeys'. (The exact classification of the tarsiers is not settled\nbut regardless of that they are not included under the term 'monkey').\n\n> そのため日本語でも、特に翻訳文献で、サルにこれら(特にヒトに最も近いチンパンジー)を含めないことがある。\n\nThus, even in Japanese, particularly in translated works, these animals\n(particularly humans' nearest relation, the chimpanzee) may not be included\nunder the term サル.\n\nI would add that the use of katakana, rather than kanji, for サル and other\nanimal names is usual in technical writing.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T18:58:15.283", "id": "9684", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T18:58:15.283", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "571", "parent_id": "9641", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "Interestingly, in Chinese 猿 means ape and _not_ monkey.\n\nI'm sure that people in Japan would casually call apes 猿 just as Chinese\npeople often call apes 猴子, which technically only refers to monkeys.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T21:58:32.393", "id": "9707", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T21:58:32.393", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2960", "parent_id": "9641", "post_type": "answer", "score": -2 } ]

[ { "body": "万年筆（まんねんひつ） specifically refers to fountain pens, whereas ペン is more generic\nand can also refer to other types of pens, such as ballpoint pens.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T02:31:05.570", "id": "9647", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-02T02:31:05.570", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9643", "post_type": "answer", "score": 9 } ]

[ { "body": "イケメン is a new word which means \"Good looking male person\".\n\nイケ comes from イケてる which roughly translates to \"cool\", \"good\" etc. メン is a\nword play, and has two meanings; メン as in \"men\" i.e. the English word for men,\nand メン as in 面（めん） i.e. the Japanese word for \"face\".\n\nIt is used exclusively to refer to the physical attractiveness of males.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T02:26:47.747", "id": "9645", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-02T02:26:47.747", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 31 }, { "body": "It's not a loan word, it means \"good looking\". This illustrates a common\nproblem with basic Japanese teaching, they tell you that words written in\nkatakana are loanwords, but don't go into all the other uses of katakana\n(though loanwords is the most common and 7 times out of 10 that is the case).\n\nSpecifically in this case, certain colloquial words whose kanji is\nsufficiently outdated use katakana.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T02:28:44.467", "id": "9646", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-02T18:13:58.957", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-02T18:13:58.957", "last_editor_user_id": "1575", "owner_user_id": "1575", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 9 }, { "body": "As the others have said, イケメン is basically a word that describes a male as\nbeing attractive/good-looking. Don't use this for females.\n\nAs sort of a supplement, I've also seen the word イケてる been used, which can\nfunction as a verb too. This was in a book though, I've never heard a native\nJapanese use this in normal conversation, but it may help you get a feel for\nthe usage of イケ.\n\n```\n\n このプロット結構イケてると思う。\n I think this plot is quite 'cool'.\n \n```\n\n**EDIT**\n\nAh, hadn't seen Enno's anwer describing イケてる yet. Guess you got the question\ncovered now ;)", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T03:06:57.273", "id": "9650", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T07:46:35.603", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-12T07:46:35.603", "last_editor_user_id": "2951", "owner_user_id": "2951", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "Ikemen is \"handsome guy\". But from first hand experience, not just any type of\nhandsome. Think the kind of Hiroshi Abe (or Brad Pitt). So I wouldn't use this\nfor the Korean mop-hair gayish types.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2017-10-30T19:51:48.893", "id": "54151", "last_activity_date": "2017-10-30T19:51:48.893", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "26325", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "As for the actual meaning of the word, look no further than @Enno Shioji's\nanswer. As a sidenote,\n\n「ブサメン」— A male with unfortunate looks.\n\n * Etymology: 不細工 ( **ブサ** イク) _ugly_ + ( **メン** ) same as _イケメン_\n\n「フツメン」— A male with average looks.\n\n * Etymology: 普通 ( **フツ** ウ) _average_ + ( **メン** ) same as _イケメン_\n\n* * *\n\nI will add that in Japan, social caste is determined by _how good looking (or\nnot) you are_. This is true to some degree in most of the world, but this is\nespecially the case in Japan.\n\nFor example, you might getting bullied for being ugly. Even worse, if you are\nworking for a company, you will get hired / get promotions based on how good\nlooking or ugly your face is. It is sad, but it is the truth.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2019-12-09T14:39:44.760", "id": "73437", "last_activity_date": "2019-12-09T14:39:44.760", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "36222", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": -3 }, { "body": "I agree with all of these answers, but would add that the attractive maleness\nbeing described by ikemen would be like how guys look in J-pop and K-pop\nbands. It's a beautiful handsomeness. The distinction is a weird one, but I\nthink it's important. In English. When you use the word \"handsome,\" it can\nimply what we in the west think of as \"manliness\", but in Asia men can be good\nlooking AND beautiful. \"Beautiful\" isn't something most western men want to be\nthought of as. But in Japan, masculinity and also be lovely. This can be seen\na lot in Anime, right?\n\nA cute place I've seen this word used was on an episode of the anime Beast\nSaga, when a white cat male character gets insulted by an enemy, and argues\nback \"ORE WA IKEMEN DESU\" He yells it back several times, and the joke is how\ndesperately he wants to be seen as beautiful.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2021-10-01T19:51:23.433", "id": "90590", "last_activity_date": "2021-10-01T22:07:11.643", "last_edit_date": "2021-10-01T22:07:11.643", "last_editor_user_id": "30454", "owner_user_id": "48313", "parent_id": "9644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "I would say that 愛の営みをする is indeed literary speech. The feel is similar to \"to\nmake love\", which is certainly the best translation. I understand it to be\nneither particularly passionate, nor perfunctory, but factual. The phrase can\nbe changed in the following way, making it more and more suited for\nconversation:\n\n * 愛の営み (practically not used in conversation)\n * 夜の営み\n * 夜の[方]{ほう}\n * あっちの方 (sometimes used in conversation)\n\nThe top of the list would be more likely to come up in a conversation with\nyour grandma, who wants to understand the chances of her seeing her great-\ngrandchildren. The bottom might come up in a conversation with your boss,\nseeing that you have been acting discouraged for a while and enquiring how\nthings are going between you and your wife.\n\nIn conversation amongst younger people, 寝る \"to sleep (with)\" or やる \"to do it\"\nare more common, just like in English, I would say.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T14:23:27.973", "id": "9654", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-02T14:23:27.973", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9651", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "Your transliteration's almost spot on. I'd go for this:\n\n```\n\n 合気道は一番武道です。\n \n```\n\n * 氣 is the Chinese, outdated version of the kanji 気. Modern Japanese uses 気, so go for that one.\n * Both が and は are grammatically correct, but if you take your phonetic transcription (which says _wa_ ), you should go for は. There's a slight grammatical difference, but it is of no concern in this sentence. If Ueshiba Morihei said _wa_ , he said は.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-02T12:24:52.417", "id": "9653", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T22:56:15.443", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T22:56:15.443", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2951", "parent_id": "9652", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "I agree with Frishert, but instead of `一番{いちばん}` I would use maybe\n`最良{さいりょう}`, meaning \"the best\". `一番` is an adverb, therefore it needs to\nmodify a verb, (`一番早い`, `一番高い`) and `最良` is an adjective which modifies the\nnoun (in this case `武道`).\n\nYou end up with `合気道は最良の武道です`.\n\nThat being said, I can't tell (as a non-native) how natural that sounds to a\nnative speaker.", "comment_count": 6, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T03:58:27.250", "id": "9660", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T09:34:41.310", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T09:34:41.310", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "921", "parent_id": "9652", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "合氣道が一番武道です is in fact possible, but it's a pattern you use for special meaning\n(e.g. スーパードライが一番ビールです). I find it unlikely that 植芝 盛平 said that (not that I\nknow him personally or something, but this pattern is a bit copy writingy :p).\n\n合氣道が一番の武道です sounds more likely. 合氣道は一番の武道です sounds ok as well. Both\n合気道は最良の武道です and 合気道は最高の武道です sound natural but if I were you & can't find the\noriginal quote, my bet will be on 合氣道が一番の武道です.", "comment_count": 16, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T00:01:52.357", "id": "9666", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T00:01:52.357", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9652", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "I believe that シクシク describes a dull, gripping pain as in 締め付けられるような痛み.\n\nI've heard it used most often in\n[hospitals](http://www.city.iwaki.fukushima.jp/gaikokugo/dbps_data/_material_/gaikokugo/medicalGuidebook/Medical_Guidebook41-48.pdf)\nto describe pain that a patient may be having.\n\nSince you are describing a feeling using onomatopoeia, its implied meaning\nmight be a bit vague without sufficient context. It's akin to trying to\ndescribe your car problem to a mechanic by imitating the car when it\nexperiences the problem. E.g. \"When I go up the hill my car goes *Grunt*\n*Plunk* *Poot* *Che-Che-Che*\"\n\n鈍痛 might be more appropriate to refer to dull pain in general.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T16:28:52.590", "id": "9662", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T21:15:19.427", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T21:15:19.427", "last_editor_user_id": "162", "owner_user_id": "925", "parent_id": "9656", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "シクシク implies continuing, moderate level of crying/pain. I don't know if their\netymology is related but 雨がシトシト降る also means that a moderate (not too hard,\nbut not soft either) level of rain continuously falls. Maybe this sound\npattern is associated with moderate, continuing things in Japanese.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T21:10:35.300", "id": "9664", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T21:10:35.300", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9656", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "1. yeah it's a word. 食べたい and 食べます are considered forms of 食べる, which is the only one that will have an explicit entry in a dictionary.\n\n 2. you're fine. the たい forms are built from the \"masu\" stem of the verb (Vmasu) by taking off the ます and adding たい.\n\n 3. my answer to (1) should answer this too. the たい words are conjugations of verbs such as 食べる. the definition you found for たい is appropriate for this discussion.\n\n 4. these たい words aren't nouns. they conjugate the same way as い-adjectives like いい and ふるい. for this reason, i believe they're considered い-adjectives, although i mentally place them in a slightly different category. the reason you thought these words were nouns is because you saw them followed by です. but です can actually follow い-adjectives.\n\nない is also listed as an auxiliary adjective by jisho.org and it turns verbs\ninto い-adjectives just like たい does (although it uses a different verb stem).", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T00:14:55.547", "id": "9658", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T00:23:19.370", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T00:23:19.370", "last_editor_user_id": "902", "owner_user_id": "902", "parent_id": "9657", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "I am not sure where you are confused.\n\n * All Japanese etymology sources I saw say it comes from いかす \"to be cool\" via the transformation \n\n> いかすー>いかしているー>行かしているー>行けているー>行けてるー>イケてる\n> * 行ける also have the meaning \"to go well/to look good\" and my conjecture is\n> that it was taken up into the dictionaries at the third last step of the\n> sequence above.\n> * I have only heard it being used as a verb, but there are some examples\n> with the object particle を attached, which may only happen, when in such\n> cases イケてる is regarded as a noun. At heart, however, イケてる wants to be a\n> verb.\n> * イケてる is clearly a contraction of いけている, as common for all verbs.\n> * イケてる can be used irrespective of gender and also for objects, concepts,\n> etc. The reason why イケメン is gender-specific, is not because of イケ but\n> because of メン from the English \"men\" ( _sing._ man).\n>", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T12:13:33.247", "id": "9661", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T12:21:01.730", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T12:21:01.730", "last_editor_user_id": "1628", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9659", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "The website you cited claims that it was originally used in the Japanese\nmilitary and comes from 「いかせる」 which is an euphemism for causing someone to\norgasm (which is still used btw.). It also says that by 1958 it was already in\nwide use.\n\nMakes a lot of sense to me.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-03T21:16:52.613", "id": "9665", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-03T21:42:05.327", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-03T21:42:05.327", "last_editor_user_id": "706", "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9659", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "As you pointed out, there is no single correct pronunciation of Classical\nJapanese. It would be more accurate to teach different pronunciations used in\ndifferent periods, but it would be probably too complicated to teach at\nschools. The pronunciation of Classical Japanese taught at high schools is the\nnewest one used in Meiji period and later. (I do not know if the same is true\nfor the YouTube courses which you watched.)\n\nI do not know why this choice was made at schools. My guess would be that it\nis more likely to encounter recent text in Classical Japanese than very old\ntext in Classical Japanese.\n\nIt is not only the pronunciation that varies over time. The grammar of\nClassical Japanese is not static. I believe that the grammar taught at schools\nalso follows the newest part of Classical Japanese, but I would like someone\nwho knows better to give a more complete picture of the situation.", "comment_count": 8, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T03:07:43.400", "id": "9670", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T03:07:43.400", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9663", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 }, { "body": "First of all, I am also no expert, but I have been looking at classical\nJapanese orthography recently and noticed that many of the \"spelling-change\nrules\" seem to follow the same logic as some modern Japanese's\ncollocations/\"slang\".\n\nFor example the simplifying of words by seemingly merging sounds: わからない →\nわかんない。If you take けふ and pronounce ふ as hu not fu, and try to \"combine/merge\"\nthe sounds, to me you can almost hear きょう. I think the language sounds might\nhave changed in a similar way. Just a thought. Again, I am NO expert.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2020-01-07T21:31:50.250", "id": "73792", "last_activity_date": "2020-01-07T21:39:26.037", "last_edit_date": "2020-01-07T21:39:26.037", "last_editor_user_id": "22352", "owner_user_id": "36523", "parent_id": "9663", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 }, { "body": "I realize that this is a very old question and you probably know the answer\nalready, but I'll put it here just for reference.\n\nThe answer is actually very simple. Because prior to 1946, historical kana\northography was used for BOTH Modern Japanese AND Classical Japanese.\n\nPeople who were reading Classical Japanese texts were reading Japanese spelled\nin the same way they spelled their words in the present. So, they read the\nClassical Japanese words in the same way with the same pronunciations as they\nread their Modern Japanese words. The sound shifts and changes we use to\npronounce Classical Japanese in the present day are directly based off of the\nsound shifts pre-1946 people pronounced the Modern Japanese language with.\nBecause up until the 1946 reform, the pronunciations and phonology changed but\nthe orthography stayed the same. As けふ changed into きょう, the people started\nsaying きょう yet they still wrote down けふ, all the way until 1946 until the kana\nspelling was reformed to directly match the modern phonology (with the\nexception of は -> わ / へ -> ゑ -> え / を -> お, which are the only remnants of the\nsound shifts people regularly read Modern Japanese in prior to 1946 that still\nexist in the language today).\n\nReally up until the reform, nobody found them \"weird sound shifts\". It was\njust the way everyone in Japan read and wrote text, that everyone had to learn\nand everyone used naturally. People didn't really question it until around the\ntime of the reforms. When you were writing [今日]{きょう}, you were writing\n[今日]{けふ}. 今日 was spelled けふ, and you just pronounced it as /kyou/. You didn't\nspell 今日 as きょう or きよう, it was けふ. People were educated in the historical kana\northography spellings as they learned how to read and write - because there\nwas no \"modern kana orthography\" at the time; this would just be the way\nJapanese was read and written, with this set of sound changes. They would be\ntaught to you as you learned how to read.\n\nIt's like how \"tough\" in English is pronounced like \"touf\" but we still spell\nit as \"tough\". The final \"gh\" is a remnant of a sound that is no longer\npronounced in the word in the modern day, but it was once there, and is the\nway people have been spelling the word for centuries. You don't really\nquestion why it's spelled \"tough\" or label it as a \"weird sound change\", you\njust know it's pronounced \"touf\".\n\nHistorical kana orthography has stuck around for Classical Japanese but is no\nlonger used for Modern Japanese after the 1946 reform. There hasn't really\nbeen an incentive to change the way Classical Japanese is pronounced; after\nthe reform, people who studied Classical Japanese just pronounced the\nhistorical kana orthography used to write it the same way they always knew -\nthe way they learned and pronounced Modern Japanese written it it with.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2021-08-03T04:23:46.360", "id": "88729", "last_activity_date": "2021-08-03T04:23:46.360", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39722", "parent_id": "9663", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "[This page](http://www.redleopard.com/tag/mandarin/) attributes the saying to\nthe Chinese proverb\n\n> 顿悟之前砍柴挑水，顿悟之后砍柴挑水\n\nafter Wu Li (吴力). In Japanese I could only find blog posts that said the\nsaying comes from English. Searching Chinese pages, however, there are almost\nno exact hits and Wu Li was a painter and poet, but a convert to Catholicism.\nSmells like a saying that fits well with the Western concept of Zen Buddhism,\nbut has little to do with it. Maybe someone fluent in Chinese can help find\nout more.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T02:48:22.597", "id": "9669", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T02:57:48.113", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-04T02:57:48.113", "last_editor_user_id": "1628", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9668", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "Yes, it is inclusive. All the similar phrases that use 以 are inclusive:\n以内、以前、以上、以下、以来. However, unfortunately a lot of people do not know this and\nuse them carelessly without thinking.\n\nIf you wanted to express \"After the 16th but not including it\", you could say:\n\n> 16日の翌日から参加できません。\n\nHowever, I would be more inclined to say:\n\n> 17日以降参加できません。", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T03:56:24.127", "id": "9672", "last_activity_date": "2013-02-06T19:34:12.597", "last_edit_date": "2013-02-06T19:34:12.597", "last_editor_user_id": "162", "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9671", "post_type": "answer", "score": 19 } ]

[ { "body": "I think all three answers you listed pretty much nails it. I'll add some\nexamples.\n\n```\n\n (1) もともとこれは俺の家だったんだから、お前がでていけ -> good\n (2) そもそもこれは俺の家なんだから、お前がでていけ -> good\n \n (3) もともとこれは俺の家なんだから、お前がでていけ -> ok\n (4) そもそもこれは俺の家だったんだから、お前がでていけ -> weird\n \n```\n\nAll sentences above roughly mean \"it's my house, so you should leave\". But the\nimplied reasoning is subtly different. In (1), the implied reason is that\n\"This has been my house (i.e. history), so you should leave\". In (2), the\nreason is \"This is by logic (e.g. legally) my house\"\n\nIn (3), the implied reason now changes to \"This house had been and is mine, so\nyou should leave\". Now, (4) sounds a bit weird because そもそも implies logical\nground, yet the speaker is using past tense. That draws attention from the\nlistener because it implies that that particular logic does not stand anymore.\nWhy would somebody leave the house if the logic is not valid anymore?\n\n```\n\n そもそもこれは俺の家だったんだけど、売ってしまった -> good\n \n```\n\nThe above sound again ok, because it merely states that by logic that house\nhad been this persons, but now it is not anymore.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T00:18:06.967", "id": "9699", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T00:18:06.967", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9673", "post_type": "answer", "score": 9 } ]

[ { "body": "As ssb and fefe wrote, the sentence consists of two clauses which share the\nmain verb あります. In this particular case, it would be easier to read if the\nauthor put a 読点 (“、”) in the sentence:\n\n> 白い箱はカウチの上に、緑のランプは机の上にあります。\n\nHowever, unlike commas in English, 読点 in Japanese is rarely ~~(if ever)~~\ngrammatically required. Authors are free to use 読点 wherever they feel that it\nmakes sense to make a pause when pronounced. (But see [this post by\nsnailplane](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/9764/%e3%80%8c%e3%81%93%e3%82%8f%e3%81%84%e3%81%a0%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89%e3%80%82%e3%80%8d-versus-%e3%80%8c%e3%81%93%e3%82%8f%e3%81%84%e3%80%81%e3%81%a0%e3%81%8b%e3%82%89-%e3%80%8d)\nfor an example where omitting 読点 would make a sentence ungrammatical.)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T08:02:10.087", "id": "9676", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T13:11:59.977", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:43.857", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9674", "post_type": "answer", "score": 11 } ]

[ { "body": "Yes, both are bad.\n\n\"1話だけ残った\" would be \"it's down to the [last] one episode\", and thus it's\nactually the opposite of what you want to convey.\n\n\"1話だけ生き残った\" would mean \"all but one episode were lost\", and again it doesn't\nmake sense (but given the context, it'll probably be understood.)\n\nIf I were you, I'd go with 一話で力尽きた", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-01-09T08:35:20.583", "id": "9943", "last_activity_date": "2013-01-09T08:35:20.583", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "3059", "parent_id": "9677", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "I'll take a stab at this with my personal experience and some dictionary\nentries:\n\n[付近](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E4%BB%98%E8%BF%91) \\- This just means a\nplace nearby. The dictionary examples, 駅の付近をうろつく and 付近の図書館, just show an idea\nof general \"nearbyness.\" In English you might liken it to \"around\" or \"in the\nvicinity of\" or even just \"area\"\n\n[近辺](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E8%BF%91%E8%BE%BA) \\- The dictionary's\ndefinition is 近いあたり。近所。近傍。付近。「学校の―」「新宿―」 so I think it's safe just to call\nthis one a synonym of the others. If you look at the kanji it's just a simple\ncombination of near and area, so it's a nearby area. It's worth noting that 近辺\nonly has [43 entries on\nalc](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E8%BF%91%E8%BE%BA), so it would appear not\nto be widely in use.\n\n[辺り](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E8%BE%BA%E3%82%8A) \\- This is another one\nthat is defined basically in terms of the others, however this one has a much\nmore general meaning of nearby. For example, you can say ビルの辺り to refer to an\narea near a building, or 目の辺り or 首の辺り to refer to someone's eyes or around\none's neck.\n\n[近所](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E8%BF%91%E6%89%80) \\- This is the most\nbasic word that you learn for \"neighborhood,\" as in your neighborhood where\nyou live. In its various uses it retains the meaning of being around where you\nlive.\n\n[周辺](http://www.weblio.jp/content/%E5%91%A8%E8%BE%BA) \\- This refers to the\nouter edges of something, like the outskirts or periphery. It has this literal\nmeaning but can also be used in a more metaphorical way, like to describe the\npeople around you.\n\n辺 by itself is one that I hear just used to point out a general location, like\nそこら辺 or この辺.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T01:09:23.693", "id": "9701", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T01:09:23.693", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9678", "post_type": "answer", "score": 10 }, { "body": "I think ssb's answer is spot on, but I'll add a bit more info on the\nformality.\n\nThe rough ordering of formality:\n\n```\n\n More formal ... 近辺 > 周辺 > 付近 >> 近所 > 辺り >> 辺 ... Less formal\n \n```\n\nIMO the above is the approximate ordering of formality. Note the the two \">>\"\nin the middle. The words in the left most partition sound a bit odd if you use\nit in daily, frank conversations. Words in the next partition are frank, but\ncan also be used in formal conversations (and writings). The right most word\n(辺) would be weird to be used in formal context if used to mean proximity (if\nit's used as a different meaning (\"edge\") then it can be used in a formal\nsituation).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T18:26:05.500", "id": "9705", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T18:26:05.500", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "499", "parent_id": "9678", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "It says 一人KY実践中\n\nThe word you're looking for, 実践{じっせん}, means \"put into practice.\" You were\nhaving trouble finding this because it's 足 on the left, not 止. The meaning\ndepends on what 一人KY is. As user snailplane points out, it likely means\n危険予知{きけんよち}, which would give the phrase 一人KY実践中 the meaning of \"Individual\ndisaster readiness/prevention/preparedness in effect,\" or something more\nelegant along those lines.\n\nThe right side text, あなた自身があなたを守る, means \"you (have to) protect yourself.\" The\nstuff on the far left and far right seem irrelevant, although I'm not sure\nwhich side text you're referring to.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T12:00:20.427", "id": "9680", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T13:07:28.867", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-04T13:07:28.867", "last_editor_user_id": "1797", "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9679", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 }, { "body": "I've seen this kind of poster on a construction site too. It was written\nsomething like : \n現地KYをしろ！ \nHowever as I did not know the expression 危険予知, I assumed it meant 空気読め, which\nmade sense in a way, if we consider it can mean \"be aware of your\nsurroundings\", maybe intended as a pun.\n\nBy the way here is a Yahoo discussion about the expression, where the \"best\nanswer\" is in favor of 危険予知 : \n<http://m.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/detail/q1312627248>", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-08T02:15:29.960", "id": "9716", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-08T02:15:29.960", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1319", "parent_id": "9679", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "As 'nkjt' supported me with a very good link, I wish to share its content that\nclears the issue I had with the word kakemawaru which is the following:\n\nかけまわる 【駆け回る】\n\n［１］【走り回る】run around [back and forth, to and\nfro].（※runの代わりにrushを用いる方が迅速な動きを表わす）\n\n```\n\n 子供たちは庭を駆け回って（遊んで）いる\n \n```\n\nThe children are running around [主に英 about] in the garden.\n\n［２］【奔走する】（忙しい）be busy doing; with;（忙しく動き回っている）話 be on the run.\n\n```\n\n 彼は資金集めに駆け回っている\n \n```\n\nHe is running around [主に英 about] raising funds./He is busy raising funds.\n\n```\n\n うちのお父さんはいつも忙しく駆け回っている\n \n```\n\nMy father's always on the run.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-04T15:43:28.243", "id": "9682", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-04T15:43:28.243", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2931", "parent_id": "9681", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "Here is my attempt at an answer. First I will try a natural translation that\nis unfaithful to the grammar, but hopefully retains the meaning.\n\n> 幸夫の横で、あんぐりと口もひらき、逃げようともせず、ただぼんやりしている叔父にしても、 今、眼の前に起こっていることが信じられないにちがいなかった。\n>\n> Beside Yukio was his uncle. He stood with his mouth agape, dazed in\n> confusion, not even trying to run and unable to believe what was now before\n> his eyes.\n\nThe following is my attempt to explain your misunderstanding. As my knowledge\nis surely flawed, if anyone would like to correct my mistakes, please do so.\n\n> 幸夫の横で、\n>\n> Beside Yukio\n>\n> あんぐりと口もひらき、\n>\n> \"あんぐりと口を開けて\" is a set phrase meaning \"someone with one's mouth agape (in\n> surprise).\" I do not know what あんぐり literally means. ひらき is the \"noun form\"\n> of 開く--for instance, think of のみ being the \"noun form\" of 飲む. This verb form\n> is used in the middle of sentences, especially when you are stringing\n> together a bunch of concepts, as this example does. (this explanation sucks,\n> sorry)\n\nHere are examples of this type of pattern:\n\n<http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q>=飲み、\n\nOne example:\n\nこの10年間、私は日本の空気を吸い、日本の水を飲み、日本の米を食べて生きてきた。そして私は変わった。 During the years of\nbreathing its air, drinking its water and eating its food, I've changed.\n\n> 逃げようともせず、\n>\n> Without even trying to run. \n> Volitional + ともせず is a form of Volitional + と + する (which means to try to\n> do). In this case, する is inflected to negative （せず, similar to しない) (thanks\n> snailplane). も can mean \"even\", and せず is \"without\". せず is more common in\n> written language.\n>\n> ただぼんやりしている叔父にしても、\n>\n> Uncle, just(ただ) in a daze...\n>\n> I am not sure what にしても is doing here; perhaps it seperates the description\n> of the uncle from what comes next.\n>\n> 今、眼の前に起こっていることが信じられないにちがいなかった。\n>\n> Now, what was happening before his/their eyes...they/he were surely unable\n> to believe.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-05T04:48:05.193", "id": "9691", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T07:39:05.080", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-05T07:39:05.080", "last_editor_user_id": "706", "owner_user_id": "706", "parent_id": "9685", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "Here is how I would categorize these usages. There are probably other ways to\nexplain them, and I do not claim that mine is the best in any sense.\n\n(1) ～ようと思う, ～ようと考える, and ～ようと決める are just the usual use of the particle と\nwhich signifies quotation, and there is nothing special about the combination\nof a volitional and と. For example, I think that particle と in the following\ntwo sentences is used in the same way:\n\n> 冬休みは海外旅行に行こうと思った。 I thought, “I will go abroad in the winter vacation.” \n> この課題は簡単だと思った。 I thought, “This exercise is easy.”\n\n(2a) ～ようとする is a fixed phrase which signifies “try to (do).”\n\n> 電話に出ようとする try to answer the telephone \n> 星をつかもうとする try to grab a star\n\n(2b) A combination ～ようと of a volitional and と can be also used adverbially to\nsignify “trying to (do)” or “in an attempt to (do).”\n\n> 電話に出ようと立ち上がる stand up (trying) to answer the telephone \n> 星をつかもうと手を伸ばす extend one’s arm trying to grab a star\n\nI am not sure what 着ようと出す in the question is supposed to mean, but it can be\nusage (2b) if the rest of a sentence is arranged appropriately.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T23:19:19.640", "id": "9710", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T23:19:19.640", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9688", "post_type": "answer", "score": 17 } ]

[ { "body": "The meaning of the sentence is approximately the opposite of your\ninterpretation, namely\n\n> Some people get angry and say \"Answer my question properly\"\n\nいなくもない means something like \"it's not that there isn't\", or more idiomatically\n\"there are some\".\n\nI think what confuses you about the meaning of the sentence is と. Here it is\nthe quotative particle, not the if/when と. If you wanted to convey your\ninterpretation, one option would be\n\n> 「私の尋ねていることにちゃんと答えなさい」 _といわれると_ 腹をたてる人もいなくもない。", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-05T02:55:04.237", "id": "9690", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T02:55:04.237", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9689", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "According to [Microsoft Language Portal](http://www.microsoft.com/language/ja-\njp/Search.aspx?sString=wait%20cursor&langID=ja-jp), they call it “wait cursor”\nin English and “待機カーソル” in Japanese in the documentation for Visual Studio\n2008 SP1, 2010, and 2012. I am not sure how popular this term is among users.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-05T08:44:55.333", "id": "9693", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T08:44:55.333", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9692", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "\" ショップ行ってこよかな \" is a slangy way of saying the following:\n\n> ショップへ行って来ようかな\n\nAssuming the subject is first person, here is how one can break it down:\n\nショップへ To the store\n\n行って来よう Shall I go [to the store] (literally \"shall I go to the store and come\nback\"). *行ってこよう is the volitional form of 行ってくる. Without a question word, this\ncould be translated as \"Let's go [to the store].\"\n\nか question word\n\nな indicates pondering this question. As a particle at the end of a sentence, な\ncan denote emotion or emphasis. The more extended it is the more emphasis,\ni.e.,\"なぁぁぁぁ。。。 \"\n\nSo in natural English, the sentence ショップへ行って来ようかな becomes:\n\n> Hmmm, should I go to the store or not?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-05T17:50:39.663", "id": "9696", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T18:26:15.080", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-05T18:26:15.080", "last_editor_user_id": "706", "owner_user_id": "706", "parent_id": "9694", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "Taken from [here](http://myoji-\nyurai.net/searchResult.htm?myojiKanji=%E7%B2%82):\n\n>\n> 久米と同様ともいう。近年、徳川家などを輩出した現愛知県東部である三河地域に多数みられる。語源は、古代の久米部の居住地や部族名、「くめ」は米のことで農耕族につけられた名称、湾曲した地形などからきている。地名としても全国に多く存在する。\n\nAlso, known as 久米. In recent times, it can often be seen in the Mikawa region\nin the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture which is where the Tokugawa family,\netc. is from. The origin is the name of the area or clan\n[Kume](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B9%85%E7%B1%B3%E6%B0%8F). くめ stands\nfor rice and it is a name that a family of farmer's use, also it also stands\nfor a geographical area that bends or curves. The place name exists in several\nareas in Japan.\n\nAs for why this one got a designated character, there a lot of reasons for\nthat (some of which are already mentioned in the comments). Sometimes the\nreason is trivial, somebody made a mistake and the mistake stuck, or sometimes\nit is on purpose, for example a clan split up, so one side took 久米 and the\nother side took 粂 (there is some explanation\n[here](http://homepage2.nifty.com/TAB01645/ohara/p14.htm), but the exact\nreason seems unclear).\n\nIIRC, 90 percent of last names in Japan come from place names (originally,\nhowever there is a lot more to it, so this might be an oversimplification),\nand usually the place names are given arbitrary. For example, the common last\nname 田中 is simply the people who lived in the fields and who took care of\nthem.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-05T22:10:25.073", "id": "9698", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-05T22:16:19.843", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-05T22:16:19.843", "last_editor_user_id": "1217", "owner_user_id": "1217", "parent_id": "9695", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "Before the Meiji Restoration most people did not have surnames, so in the\nMeiji era they had to make things up. I'm sure some really innovative guy just\nrandomly wrote this character and read its radicals independently for fun...", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T22:00:43.997", "id": "9708", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T22:00:43.997", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2960", "parent_id": "9695", "post_type": "answer", "score": -1 } ]

[ { "body": "Before answering the question, I would like to clarify one thing: for most\npurposes, [物]{もの} and [者]{もの} are _not_ two separate words, but a single word\nもの which has two kanji notations depending on its meaning. This is clearer\nwhen we consider compound words such as にせもの. When someone uses the word にせもの,\nit is not always clear even to the speaker whether it is 偽物 or 偽者. This is\nbecause we treat にせもの as a single word, not the common pronunciation of two\ndistinct words.\n\nBut this is just an analysis of the modern usage of the word. Is it reasonable\nto consider that もの was historically a single word from the beginning? I think\nthat it is, and the best explanation might come from Occam’s razor. Assuming\nthat we did not have a distinction between animate and inanimate things is\nsimpler than assuming that we had two separate words for animate and inanimate\nthings which happened to have the same pronunciation (or which used to have\ndistinct pronunciations but were later merged). Therefore it is reasonable to\nassume the former unless we have evidence for the latter possibility.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T13:09:42.203", "id": "9703", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T13:09:42.203", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9697", "post_type": "answer", "score": 11 } ]

[ { "body": "If you just open your mouth (口を開ける), it could be to talk, or to put food in,\netc. If your mouth is agape (あんぐりと口を開ける), your mouth is open wide in\nsurprise/astonishment. In English there isn't an equivalent adverb that comes\nto mind, I think \"gaped in astonishment\" works; 'gaped' for the sense of\n'opened wide', plus 'astonishment'.\n\nThe も here I don't think is indicating \"opened further\" or the extent of the\nopening. You sometimes see this to indicate 'as well as something we haven't\nmentioned...', basically giving an example which isn't exclusive. In this\ncase, for example, his eyes might also have widened in astonishment.\n\nThis sense of も is described in the dictionary 大辞泉 as:\n\n> ある事柄を挙げ、同様の事柄が他にある意を表す (to raise an example of one thing, expressing the\n> feeling that similar things exist)", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-06T18:07:28.990", "id": "9704", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-06T18:07:28.990", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "571", "parent_id": "9700", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "I think it's fairly widely acknowledged that Middle Japanese introduced\nsyllable-final /m/, /n/ and /t/ because of Chinese loanwords, and that first\nthe /m/ and /n/ merged into /N/, later /t/ turned into /tu/.\n\nI think you are right that syllable-final /t/ has never existed in _native_\nJapanese vocabulary.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-07T10:12:50.123", "id": "9712", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-07T10:12:50.123", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9711", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "A good resource for this type of question is\n[『数え方の辞典』](http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4095052015/). It includes the following:\n\n> 映画の作品数・上映数は「本」で数えます。細長い映画のフィルムが、巻かれた状態でひとつの作品として扱われることに由来します。\n\nThere is further information on various cases when it may be counted as 作, 作品,\n巻き, 巻 (kan), 齣 (koma), カット, シーン, 場面 etc. For more details, I recommend\nconsulting this at a library or getting your own copy.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-08T03:32:23.163", "id": "9718", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-08T03:32:23.163", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9714", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 }, { "body": "You have some better research from Dono but I think of a roll of film in the\nsame way I think of a roll of paper - typically the same shape as a scroll,\nwhich would normally be tubular, rather like the film in an old kodak camera..\nie 本\n\nTaking this to the next extreme you might think of a roll of lavatory paper;\nstill 本？probably ...but roll of cinematic film...", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T11:49:03.120", "id": "9734", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T11:49:03.120", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1556", "parent_id": "9714", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "* ～て頂ければと思います comes from something like -te itadakereba (saiwai) to omoimasu (as far as I know). It's most certainly polite, but it does have an ellipsis in the middle, and that's not good, usually, in terms of politeness. It means \"If you could just do～ (I would be glad/you would save me/etc.)\"... so you're asking for a favor, but you don't really think the listener will say \"no\" as a reply.\n * ～て頂けませんか is (the most) polite and formal. It's still a real question, and this is really important, specially in terms of politeness.\n * ～て頂きたいんですけども isn't a question and you have \"n-desu kedo\", explicative form, plus a contraction (that I really don't like because of gaaru's way of speaking... but this is a matter of personal preference). At least I would use ...keredomo.\n\nI'd use the first one with a coworker, the second one even with my boss, the\nthird one in different occasions (when I want to be polite, but not\nparticularly formal). At least this is the way I've always looked at these\nexpressions. I hope it helps.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-12T14:48:15.400", "id": "9756", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T14:48:15.400", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "2972", "parent_id": "9717", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "Chocolate's comment and Kokoroatari's answer explains most things.\n\nI think the etymology itself might explain something.\n\n> 頂ければ(幸いだ/大変有難い)と思います \n> I would (appreciate it) if you could ...\n\nれば sounds like a wish and can be used as a real wish rather than an indirect\nrequest. e.g. 直ぐにまたお会いできればと思います / せめてみんながこれを信じることができれば.\n\n> 頂けませんか \n> Could you ...\n\nませんか is an explicit request, just softer than imperatives\n\n> 頂きたいんですが、(お願いできませんか=頂けませんか) \n> I wish you would ... (Could you ...)\n\n～たいのですが is almost always followed by an explicit request, but it's omitted so\nthat it sounds a little softer and you expect the listener will understand\nwhat you actually want to say.\n\nI will rank the “directness” as: 頂ければと思います < 頂きたいんですが < 頂けませんか\n\n* * *\n\nけれども, けども, けれど and けど are much more causal than が. けども is more masculine, けれど\nis more feminine, けれども and けど are neuter. が is the most common choice when you\nare using keigo.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2014-05-06T23:58:06.823", "id": "15786", "last_activity_date": "2014-05-07T00:30:07.227", "last_edit_date": "2014-05-07T00:30:07.227", "last_editor_user_id": "4833", "owner_user_id": "4833", "parent_id": "9717", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "straightness\n\n頂けませんか > 頂ければと思います > 頂きたいんですけども? > 頂ければ幸いです\n\neuphemistic expression seems correlate to politeness.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2014-05-10T15:10:44.283", "id": "15852", "last_activity_date": "2014-05-10T15:10:44.283", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5322", "parent_id": "9717", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "This isn't a verb -- it's the usual quotative って. The meaning is hence\nsomething like \"These things called feet are neat, aren't they. Let's have a\nrun!\"", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-08T10:17:39.687", "id": "9720", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-08T10:17:39.687", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "816", "parent_id": "9719", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

[ { "body": "●\"In the first sentence we indicate the object of our hope in front of the\n\"to\" particle and we have to use the volitional form haiROU.\"＞＞＞ You don't\nhave to use the volitional forms \"[入]{はい}ろう\" \"[食]{た}べよう\" etc. before [望]{のぞ}む.\nYou can say; \n\n> 京都大学に[入]{はい}りたいと[望]{のぞ}んでいます。(or思っています) \n> 京都大学に[入]{はい}ることを望んでいます。 \n> 京都大学に[入]{はい}れることを望んでいます。\n\n(京都大学に\"入ろう\"と\"思って\"います would be \"I'm going to enter Kyoto University.\" rather\nthan \"I hope I can~~\")\n\n●could I use the upper structure with naru? for example: chichi ga genki ni\nnarou to nozondeimasu.＞＞＞ If you mean \"without changing the meaning, ie, the\nsubject of 望む is the speaker\", you can say; \n\n> 父が元気になることを望んでいます。 \n> 父が元気になるよう(+に/にと)望んでいます。 \n> 父が元気になってくれることを望んでいます。 \n> 父が元気になってくれるよう(+に/にと)望んでいます。 \n> 父\"に\"元気になってほしいと望んでいます。(or思っています) \n> 父\"に\"元気になってもらいたいと望んでいます。(or思っています)\n\n(In 父が元気になろうと望んでいます/父が元気になりたいと望んでいます, the subject of 望む would be 父.) \n \n\n●Naru as meaning \"get 'into a condition'\" might not have a volitional form, so\nI shouldn't use it as narou, right? Or is it grammatical?＞＞＞We have なろう, the\nvolitional form of なる.", "comment_count": 9, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-08T23:53:43.430", "id": "9722", "last_activity_date": "2013-01-26T23:54:37.337", "last_edit_date": "2013-01-26T23:54:37.337", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9721", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "* 意味ありげ has the same meaning as 意味がある気配 (and may be a contraction of this phrase). It means, just like you suggest, \"meaningful\" or in a longer version \"indicative of having meaning\".\n\n * 笑い is more often a smile than a laughter.\n\n * 浮かべる is related to 浮かぶ \"to float/to surface\".\n\nThus the full sentence is (very much like you suggested)\n\n> 意味ありげな笑いを浮かべた \n> He showed a meaningful smile.\n\nor, more poetically\n\n> A meaningful smile appeared on his face.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-09T07:49:26.683", "id": "9724", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-09T07:49:26.683", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9723", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "* I would say that 意味ありげ comes from 意味 \"meaning\" and [有{あ}り気{げ}](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E6%9C%89%E3%82%8A%E6%B0%97&dtype=0&dname=0na&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=00560800) \"appearing like\"/\"seeming to be\". \n\n[Daijirin](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&p=%E6%84%8F%E5%91%B3%E6%9C%89%E3%82%8A%E3%81%92&dtype=0&dname=0ss&stype=0&pagenum=1&index=101255200000)\nsays 意味ありげ means 何か意味がありそうな様子, or \"a state of appearing to have meaning\", the\n〜げ presumably coming from the 〜気{げ} which means more-or-less the same as 〜そう\n(see also [What is the usage of 〜げ and how does it differ from 〜そう or\n〜っぽい?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1386/what-is-the-\ndifference-between-%E3%81%92-and-%E3%81%9D%E3%81%86)), so I think \"appearing\nto have meaning\" might be a more literal translation but that \"meaningful\" is\nprobably close enough.\n\n * The 笑い here means \"smile\" I think.\n\n * I think the transitive verb 浮かべる here means \"to express (on one's face)\" (def #2 at [Daijisen](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E6%B5%AE%E3%81%8B%E3%81%B9%E3%82%8B&stype=0&dtype=0&dname=0na)), coming from the core meaning of 浮かべる of \"to float\"/\"to launch (a ship on water etc)\".\n\nSo I think the translation \"(He) expressed a meaningful smile on (his) face\"\nwould be close.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-09T09:10:44.060", "id": "9725", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-09T09:58:06.570", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.397", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "796", "parent_id": "9723", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "Cypher and userxxxx have covered the grammar but if you were struggling with\n\"a meaningful smile\" then perhaps it could be translated as:\n\n> he wore a pregnant smile on his face\n\nor, perhaps, dependng on context:\n\n> he allowed a pregnant smile to cross his face\n\n笑い can be smile, chuckle, snigger, giggle or smile but when I came across the\nfollowing in the textbook そうまとめ文法N２：\n\n> 男は 意味ありげな 笑いを 浮かべた。\n\nI imagined a small huddle in corner, whispering, and took the line to mean:\n\n> The men let out a meaningful laugh.\n\n(again it probably comes down to context.) The following expressions are\nuseful to know:\n\n> 自信ありげconfident laugh\n>\n> 自信なさげ laugh lacking in confidence\n>\n> 自慢げboastful", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-09T12:45:52.320", "id": "9726", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-09T12:45:52.320", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "1556", "parent_id": "9723", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

[ { "body": "証明 is used for conceptual proof, e.g. in the mathematical sense.\n\n証拠 is substantial proof in the sense of evidence, like evidence used in court,\ne.g. as in the phrase\n\n> 証拠で裏付けられる \n> to be backed by evidence", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T03:32:02.753", "id": "9728", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T03:32:02.753", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9727", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "Broadly speaking, 証明 is proof and 証拠 is evidence. That is to say, you provide\nevidence in order to prove something. Accordingly, 証明 is both a noun and a\nverb, but 証拠 is not a verb, or in other words you can 証明する, but you cannot\n証拠する.\n\nThis [dictionary entry for\n証明](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/110248/m0u/%E8%A8%BC%E6%98%8E/) makes\nthe relationship pretty clear:\n\n> １ ある物事や判断の真偽を、 **証拠を挙げて明らかにすること** 。「身の潔白を―する」「本人であることを―する書類」「身分―」「印鑑―」\n\nEmphasis added. There are legal uses that follow the general English pattern,\nfor example a judge will use _evidence_ , documented evidence, to make a\ndecision, to judge if that evidence sufficiently _proves_ the claim.\n\nAs stated in the other answer, 証明 also refers to a mathematical proof (論証).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T04:28:27.903", "id": "9729", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T05:04:40.913", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-10T05:04:40.913", "last_editor_user_id": "1797", "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9727", "post_type": "answer", "score": 12 } ]

[ { "body": "* と means literally \"with\"\n * で means \"as\"\n\nIn your first example \"as a family\" means the same as \"with (the rest of) my\nfamily\". But \"as father\" is different from \"with my father\"...\n\nThe difference in nuance is pretty close to English:\n\n> 今日家族でレストランに行きます。 \n> Today we will go to a restaurant as a family.\n>\n> 今日家族とレストランに行きます。 \n> Today I will go to a restaurant with my family.\n\nIn the first sentence (although slightly cumbersome in English) sounds more\nlike the subject feels part of the family. In the second sentence the subject\nfeels more separate from the family.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T05:40:27.453", "id": "9731", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T08:53:05.180", "last_edit_date": "2020-06-17T08:18:27.500", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9730", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "Think of で as being a general sort of marker of a group while と has that\ngeneral idea of \"together.\" In the example you gave, 家族でレストランに行く, you can\nthink of it as being the equivalent in English of \"We will go to a restaurant\nas a family.\" It creates a kind of cohesive unit rather than a specific\ncompanion. You see it used in other situations, too, like the [very common\nみんなで](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%81%BF%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A7&ref=sa),\nlike みんなでパーティーに行きました, or \"We went to the party together as a group.\"\n\nと, on the other hand, is a very simple \"with.\" 友達とランチを食べに行った。 I went to eat\nlunch with my friend. みんなと遊ぶのは好きです, or \"I like 'playing' with everyone.\"\n\nAnd just for kicks, you can even modify the sentence 友達とランチを食べに行った into\n友達[同士]{どうし}でランチを食べに行った, or \"we went to lunch as friends.\"", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T05:43:46.423", "id": "9732", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T05:43:46.423", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9730", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "When a kanji has a particular meaning that does not mean that you can just use\nthat kanji alone as that word. I have to question how much you investigated\nthis to begin with, as any simple translation or dictionary lookup of\n\"details\" will get you several options. In this particular case you could say\n話の詳細. Notice that 詳細 contains the kanji in question.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T14:54:01.790", "id": "9736", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T14:54:01.790", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9735", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

[ { "body": "I am not familiar with the manga, but this is a fairly common way of\nexpressing words that have a double meaning. For example, judging solely based\non the one sentence you posted, I would guess that the speaker's father has\nsome unusual job, like maybe he's an assassin or something like that. What the\nspeaker would be actually saying would be 親父のことを知ってる, but what he specifically\nmeans is that he knows about his father's job. Just a way of showing textually\nboth what he says and what he means. You'll often see this in subtitles for\nmovies as well. One simple example I always remember is when I saw Tron here,\nthey always said 出口{ポータル}. So just think of the top as what they say and the\nbottom as what they mean.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-10T15:04:21.800", "id": "9738", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-10T15:04:21.800", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9737", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "You got it wrong. Even if it meant `11`, I would then ask you \"11 what?\".\n`11まで` does not mean much.\n\nI have not met any cases where it means `11`. If I check it out, there is\n[nothing about it](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/thsrs/13938/m0u/).", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-11T00:46:31.193", "id": "9740", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-11T01:37:03.383", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-11T01:37:03.383", "last_editor_user_id": "1065", "owner_user_id": "1065", "parent_id": "9739", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "A Japanese here. 残件 is a totally appropriate word that would be correctly\nunderstood in a business setting. But boy, you are right, it's not in the\ndictionary!\n\nIf you insist on finding a word that's in the dictionary, I'd suggest 未決案件 or\n未決事項. 未決 and 既決 are often used in a business set up (sometimes you see a box\nlabeled), and 案件/事項 both refer vaguely to a thing, an issue, or a matter,\nmaking it usable in a broad context. Plus they are formal enough.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-01-09T08:55:39.743", "id": "9944", "last_activity_date": "2013-01-09T08:58:05.997", "last_edit_date": "2013-01-09T08:58:05.997", "last_editor_user_id": "1141", "owner_user_id": "3059", "parent_id": "9741", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

[ { "body": "It is native Japanese (和語). It is a compound of\n[kao](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E9%A1%94&stype=0&dtype=0&dname=0ss)\n(顔) and\n[hayui](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E3%81%AF%E3%82%86%E3%81%97&stype=0&dtype=0&dname=0ss)\n(映ゆい). A simplified view of the phonological development is kapopayu-ki >\nkaɸoɸayu-ki > kawowayu-ki > kaowayu-ki > kawayu-ki > kawayu-i > kawai-i. Other\nthan the normal p > ɸ > w > Ø, the two major changes are 1) merge of owa > wa\nand yu > i. 可愛 is ateji (当て字).", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-11T05:51:24.113", "id": "9744", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-11T06:51:37.693", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-11T06:51:37.693", "last_editor_user_id": "1141", "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9743", "post_type": "answer", "score": 16 } ]

[ { "body": "らしい is one of the way of saying something seems to be a certain way. EDICT has\n\n> **らしい** _aux-adj_ \n> (1) seeming ... (expresses judgment based on evidence, reason or\n> trustworthy hearsay)/appearing .../(suf,adj-i) \n> (2) (after a noun, adverb or adjective stem) -ish/like a .../typical of\n> .../appropriate for .../becoming of .../worthy of the name ...\n\nand らしく is the corresponding adverb.\n\nIn this sentence, meaning (1) is intended, i.e.\n\n> 誰かの視線に気づいた **らしく** 、ふっと頭を上げ、通りのむこうからこちらの様子をじっとうかがっている猫を見つけた。 \n> **Seeming** to have noticed someone looking at him, he abruptly lifted his\n> head and at the other end of the street found a cat staring his way.", "comment_count": 9, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-11T13:26:37.527", "id": "9746", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T03:00:22.483", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-12T03:00:22.483", "last_editor_user_id": "1628", "owner_user_id": "1628", "parent_id": "9745", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "> 現実場面では気★いが山のように出て事件も死ぬほど起こしてて\n\n\"In real world, there are a lot of crazy people, also committing far too many\ncrimes\". As has been pointed out, \"気★い\" is \"気違い\" with a letter masked, which\nis analogous to writing \"f*cking\" instead of \"fucking\". This sentence sounds\nlike it's taken from a transcript of an interview, and this particular word\nviolates the publishing/broadcasting industry's common guideline for\ndiscriminatory words. (This is where you'd picture the editor and the\ninterviewee going back and forth. See the meaning of the next sentence and\nit'll be clear.)\n\n\"死ぬほど\" is a word that exaggerates the issue at hand. Its literal meaning would\nbe something like \"(so much so that) it'll kill\", but it's like how Samuel\nJackson uses \"fucking\" in Pulp Fiction; it can be used for almost anything,\nbut it won't make you sound intelligent.\n\n> タブー云々と言ってるうちに表現が現実に負けちゃってるじゃん、最近って\n\n\"We make big deal out of this guideline [in our industry], but nowadays those\nare behind the reality\". The speaker is saying he thinks those industry\ninternal guidelines are a joke, when you see far worse (mentally picture mass\nmurderers and psychopaths) in the real world.\n\nYou can tell that the speaker is a performer of some sort (probably a\ncomedian), someone in the industry. He isn't articularing it very well, but\nthe reader does feel his sense of vague dissatisfaction with rules under which\nhe has to operate.\n\n\"タブー\" is the literal translation of the word taboo, but in this context it\nrefers to the aforementioned guideline. \"Taboo\" is actually quite an apt\nchoice here because they not only use these words deemed discrimanatory, but\nthey also do not talk about the existence of the guideline itself. (Remember\nthe first rule of the Fight Club, everyone?)\n\n> 俺も別に奇をてらってタブー演るわけじゃなくて\n\n\"It's not like I perform [acts] that goes against those guidelines just to\ngarner attention.\" \"奇をてらって\" is \"do something strange or eccentric\" or \"try a\nnew thing\". \"タブー演る\" is \"タブーを演る\" with a particle dropped. It refers to his\nperforming some kind of acts that actively use the words that violate the\nguidelines.\n\nBTW I don't think it's normal to write \"演る\" and have it read \"やる\". You either\nwrite it like やる (verb:do), or 演じる (verb:play) and read えんじる.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2013-01-09T22:27:03.323", "id": "9950", "last_activity_date": "2013-01-09T22:27:03.323", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "3059", "parent_id": "9747", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

[ { "body": "Looking at this\n[article](http://kodai.sakura.ne.jp/nihonnkennkokusi/2-1hougyo.htm), it looks\nlike (in this case at least,) the meaning of this compound has to do with\ndescribing the reigning period of particular emperors (in the Kojiki) by using\nthe [sexagenary cycle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagenary_cycle) instead\nof giving a particular Western calendar year. Historians can then estimate\nemperor reign length against Western (or other) calendars by using this\nsexagenary cycle notation.\n\nAlso, the 崩年 compound itself [can be\nread](http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/kawakatu_1205/40839299.html): ほうねん.\n\nInteresting topic!\n\n_**Reference:_**\n\n 1. <http://kodai.sakura.ne.jp/nihonnkennkokusi/2-1hougyo.htm>\n 2. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexagenary_cycle>", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-11T18:05:02.090", "id": "9750", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-11T19:25:11.217", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-11T19:25:11.217", "last_editor_user_id": "1188", "owner_user_id": "1188", "parent_id": "9749", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "「んです」,「んだ」and friends give a nuance of conveying new information or explaining\nsomething to someone for the first time.\n\n「からです」etc. is just a reply to some explicit question of why.\n\nFor example, something like this conversation might have both with very\ndifferent meanings/nuances:\n\n> さち：dotnetN00b、もう退社してる？[dotnetN00b, you're already leaving work?]\n>\n> dotnetN00b: ううん。サーティワン行くんだよ。ついてくる？ [No, I'm going to Baskin Robin's! Wanna\n> come?]\n>\n> さち：いきなりどうして？ [Whoah, that's out of the blue. Why you going?]\n>\n> dotnetN00b: サーティワン、マージうまいからだよ！毎日食っちゃってる。ふふん。 ['cause Baskin Robin's is\n> ridiculously good! I go there every day. :P]\n\nClear as mud?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-12T01:22:54.877", "id": "9752", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T01:27:35.840", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-12T01:27:35.840", "last_editor_user_id": "921", "owner_user_id": "1565", "parent_id": "9751", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "I am giving a guess here, so feel free to take shots at this. I am assuming\nthat the ん is の acting as a nominalizer. I will translate from literal to\nnatural.\n\n（１） こわいんです。 → こわいのです。\n\nScariness exists. → (Because) scariness exists. → \"'Cuz it's scary.\" (The \"it\"\nhere is assumed by me)\n\nの here is a nominalizer, which perhaps we can think of as turning the\nadjective こわい into a noun= scariness.\n\n（２） こわいですから。\n\nScary is because. → \"Because I am scared.\" (assuming the subject is \"I\")\n\nTechnically, こわいですから may not be correct, though one does hear it colloquially.\nIt might make more sense to say:\n\nこわいから。or こわいからです。\n\nsee:\n\n[What is 〜からです and when is it used? How does it differ from 〜ですから and\n〜んです?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/6903/what-\nis-%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99-and-when-is-it-used)\n\nTake further note that こわい is a tricky word to use here, because it can both\ndescribe the state of being frightened or something frightening. (*I am not\nsure of the validity of this claim :p)\n\nAlso, because of the lack of information I, as a reader, have on this\nconversation, I cannot accurately ascertain the subject or object being\ndescribed (as would be necessary to accurately translate into English.)\n\nI also think that どうして、とぶか is somewhat unnatural, especially if you wanted to\nsay \"Why'd you jump?\" However, I am a novice at the Japanese language, so take\nmy opinion with a grain of salt, especially if you found this conversation\nfrom a reliable source.", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-12T02:08:19.723", "id": "9753", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T04:17:51.380", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.740", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "706", "parent_id": "9751", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "（１） こわいんです。 means \"The thing is... I'm afraid\" or \"You see... I'm afraid\" or\njust \"I'm afraid!\" (you'll translate differently, obviously, if the voice tone\nis different).\n\n（２） こわいですから。 expresses the reason explicitly, \"kowai desu\" + kara. It's polite\n(it isn't \"kowai kara\", kowai has been made polite by desu), but informal (or\nyou would have said \"kowai desu node\"). It means \"Because I'm afraid...\".\nPlease note the suspension points; the phrase is left in the air, less\nassertive and thus it's softer.\n\n（３） こわいからです。 is \"kowai kara\" + desu, so the reason has been made polite by\ndesu. It means \"Because I'm afraid\". It's the neutral way to give a reason,\nthe one you learn on textbooks. It sounds polite, but assertive (and usually\nyou want to avoid to be \"assertive\"), because it ends abruptly and it doesn't\nleave space for listener's reply or opinion. Also, for the sake of\ncompleteness, you can't have (×) \"kowai node desu\".\n\nMy first answer here... I hope I've done everything right, and I hope it\nhelps, obviously^^.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-12T11:25:31.997", "id": "9755", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T13:50:25.090", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-12T13:50:25.090", "last_editor_user_id": "2972", "owner_user_id": "2972", "parent_id": "9751", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "As snailplane points out, you can find 炊煙{すいえん} in the dictionary. It's the\nsmoke that comes from cooking, presumably an older word since all the\ndefinitions refer specifically to smoke from a かまど, but as your rather astute\nskills of deduction have ascertained, it is in fact smoke from cooking.\n\n人家 is not exclusively a historical word. It refers to houses where people live\nand is used today.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-13T00:51:30.710", "id": "9762", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T00:51:30.710", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9757", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "To me the placement of けど affects which clause you are contradicting. Both are\ncorrect insofar as both are common constructions in colloquial Japanese. If\nformal writing, you wouldn't want to end a sentence with けど, but you'll find\nthat even in more polite speech it's OK to add some kind of exception or\ncontradiction to a previous statement. Just be sure to up it to like なんですけど or\nvariants.\n\nAs for the actual difference in meaning in your examples, to my ears the\nplacement determines which part you are contradicting. For example, if you say\n\"できるけど、めんどくさいよ\" then I would interpret that to be something like \"I _can_ do\nit, but it's boring/troublesome/whatever,\" with the nuance being that you are\nsaying you are able, but that you would very much prefer not to.\n\"できる、めんどくさいけど\" would be the other way. It's saying \"I can do it, though it is\ntroublesome/boring/whatever,\" with the nuance being the implication that you\nmay not really want to do it, but you are willing to do it. Think of it as\nthough you were putting the けど first in both sentences, so the second would be\n\"めんどくさいけど、できる。\" The difference is a little more obvious that way: you're\nsaying \"I can\" without wiggling around it like you would be if you said\n\"できるけど.\" This is what I mean by the location determining which one you are\ncontradicting.\n\nSo to get to the point of your question, if you want to make it clear that you\ncan't be bothered to do something, or basically say that you will not do it,\nyour example 1 is better.\n\nI don't see much in your question about でも, but I'll just note that でも can't\nbe used in exactly the same way. It's a little closer in meaning to the\nEnglish \"but,\" offering a stronger contrast or contradiction, and I would say\nit comes at the end of a sentence much less often.\n\nI think saying \"できるけど\" is fine, but instead of めんどくさい you could say like\n\"わざわざしたくない\"\n\nYou could look here for some other examples of alternate phrasing:\n<http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=can%27t+be+bothered>", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-13T00:40:46.510", "id": "9761", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T00:40:46.510", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1797", "parent_id": "9758", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "It might help you to think of けど as \"although\" instead of \"but\", that way it\nwill attach to the same clause as in English.\n\n> Although I can, I can't be bothered \n> できるけど、めんどくさいよ\n\nIf you want something grammatically (or at least structurally) more similar to\n\"but\", you could use だけど/しかし/でも, although these require new sentences.\n\n> I can. But I can't be bothered \n> できる。でもめんどくさいよ", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-13T02:06:01.107", "id": "9763", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T02:06:01.107", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9758", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

[ { "body": "This is a common pattern that means \"even if I wanted to V, I cannot V\" or \"no\nmatter what, I cannot V\". As such, in your sentence, it means \" I could not\nget mad even if I wanted to.\".\n\nAs for the grammar, this is a conjunctive particle (接続助詞). Rather than\nattaching to the \"dictionary form\" (終止形), though, it attaches to the\nattributive (連体形). That is why there is no need for a (zero-) nominalizer.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-12T22:13:46.533", "id": "9760", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-12T22:13:46.533", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9759", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "I regret not writing \"こわい。だから[...]\" with a 句点 in my original comment.\n\nThe precise way to express it would have been: if こわい and だから are parts of\nseparate clauses, it can be grammatical, otherwise not.\n\nIn speech, you would usually express こわい and だから belonging to different\nclauses by inserting a pause. With no pause between them (i.e. without\nbreaking the mora rythm), it sounds wrong.\n\nIn written language, what is \"correct\" is mostly a matter of style and\nconventions. Maybe I originally kind of \"broke the rules\" by making it a 読点\ninstead of a 句点, but I would argue that it's not uncommon to join multiple\nmain clauses with 読点 instead of 句点 if they're closely related. But I think\nmost readers would find こわいだから without a 句点, a 読点 or a space very hard to\nparse, and would assume you had made a grammatical error.\n\nMaybe one rule of thumb could be: If originally it could have been a 句点, at\nleast have a 読点 or some other kind of space (the latter might be more common\nin poetry).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-13T10:07:36.023", "id": "9766", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T10:07:36.023", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9764", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "だから＝だ＋から\n\ni-adjectives (形容詞) don't take the だ copula and so こわいだから is incorrect.\n\nこわいから、 would be the correct way to write it.\n\nこわい、だから… ／ こわい。だから… are correct as it is a pause between こわい and だから\n\nこわい（です）。だから… means something like \"I'm afraid... and so...\" it's as if you\ndidn't plan/forgot to add a result to being afraid, but then you did.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2022-07-26T20:48:29.770", "id": "95565", "last_activity_date": "2022-07-26T20:54:09.787", "last_edit_date": "2022-07-26T20:54:09.787", "last_editor_user_id": "52004", "owner_user_id": "52004", "parent_id": "9764", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

[ { "body": "ウータン・クラン\n\n[http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ウータン・クラン](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BF%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AF%E3%83%A9%E3%83%B3)\n\nかな？\n\nAs per Mr.Ito, \"In loanwords, the former is usually transcribed as ウ and the\nlatter ウー, as you know. \"", "comment_count": 6, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-13T23:44:42.353", "id": "9768", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-13T23:55:23.027", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-13T23:55:23.027", "last_editor_user_id": "29", "owner_user_id": "706", "parent_id": "9767", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 }, { "body": "Dono has a point in his comment where he mentions that even if there were a\nway to transcribe it, the sound [wu] does not exist in Japanese.\n\nLet me first explain _why_ it doesn't exist.\n\nThe Japanese phoneme /w/ as in /wa/,/wi/,/we/ and /wo/ (transcribed as ワ,ウィ,ウェ\nand ウォ) is not the same as the phoneme /w/ in English. /w/ in Japanese is the\napproximant (which is more or less like a non-syllabic vowel) corresponding to\nthe vowel /u/, which in Japanese is pronounced with _relaxed lips_ , whereas\n/w/ in English is pronounced with _rounded_ lips. /wu/ is possible in English,\nsince when going from the /w/ to the /u/, the lips lose some of the rounding.\nHowever, in Japanese, /wu/ doesn't make sense, since /w/ and /u/ are\npronounced in the same way. Hence /wu/ = /u/ -> ウ.\n\nMany non-native Japanese speakers are unaware of this lack of rounding on the\nJapanese /w/ (and maybe /u/ as well), just as many native Japanese speakers\nare unaware of the rounding in English.\n\nBack to Dono's point. Japanese _does_ have a way to transcribe /v/, namely\nwith ヴ, although I would argue that /v/ doesn't exist in Japanese (or at\nleast, it's usually realized the same way /b/ is). I think one reason that /v/\nhas a transcription whereas (English) /w/ doesn't could be that the concept of\nyour upper teeth touching your lower lip is fairly easy to understand, even if\nthat sound is not in your phonetic inventory. But the whole thing about\nrounding, that's a bit more complicated. Also, _Japanese_ /w/ works as a good\napproximation of _English_ /w/ except for the specific case of /wu/.", "comment_count": 6, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-14T00:56:47.117", "id": "9769", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-14T06:16:58.447", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-14T06:16:58.447", "last_editor_user_id": "1073", "owner_user_id": "1073", "parent_id": "9767", "post_type": "answer", "score": 17 }, { "body": "You write it like this “于”. The hirigana form looks like a combination of “け”\nand “ほ”.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T4fa7.png)\n\nI wouldn’t use this on anything important though, because this letter is\nobsolete, if you want, you can use it for fun.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2019-01-24T00:15:20.537", "id": "65042", "last_activity_date": "2019-01-24T00:47:14.723", "last_edit_date": "2019-01-24T00:47:14.723", "last_editor_user_id": "32683", "owner_user_id": "32683", "parent_id": "9767", "post_type": "answer", "score": -4 }, { "body": "In japanese, it had a letter \"wu\", it´s ウ without the top line, i remember\nstudying japanese and the wu was like that, and in the japanese keyboard\nlanguage, if you put \"wu\" it just makes a U. Not sure why it does that.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2020-05-18T15:33:19.590", "id": "77409", "last_activity_date": "2020-05-18T15:33:19.590", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39034", "parent_id": "9767", "post_type": "answer", "score": -1 } ]

[ { "body": "Let me ask you a similar question in English: “If I find the word ‘credit’ on\na receipt on the same line as the total sum, can I conclude that the\ntransaction was paid for by credit card?” I do not know any concrete case\nwhere you cannot, but I cannot guarantee that it never means anything else\nunless I see the whole receipt. After all, understanding a text for sure\nrequires more than pattern matching.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-15T17:57:39.230", "id": "9773", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-15T17:57:39.230", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "15", "parent_id": "9770", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

[ { "body": "I believe that when you use the 連用形 as a conjunction, the form is referred to\nas the [中止形](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%B8%AD%E6%AD%A2%E5%BD%A2). This usage\nis described by [中止法](http://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%B8%AD%E6%AD%A2%E6%B3%95).\n\n* * *\n\nFor future reference, here's the definition for 中止形 from 日本文法大辞典 (p.475):\n\n> ## 中止形【ちゅうしけい】\n>\n> 連用形の中の一つで、主に中止法として用いられる形。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕花 **咲き** 、鳥歌ふ \n> 　　　空 **青く** 、雲白し \n> 　　　波 **静かに** 、風爽やかなり\n```\n\n>\n> ただ、現代語の形容動詞には「（静か）だっ・で・に」の三形があるが特に「（静か）で」の形を中止形という（町は **静かで**\n> 、誰もいない）。中止形は二つの文を対等の資格で並べる対句の構成に多く用いられる。『方丈記』などには特にそのような形が多い。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕淀みにうかぶうたかたは、かつ **消え** 、かつ結びて \n> 　　　たましきの都のうちに、棟を **ならべ** 、甍を争へる \n> 　　　朝に **死に** 、夕に生るるならひ\n```\n\n>\n> 中止形を含んだ文と、そのあとに続く文との関係は、大きく次の二つに分けられよう。\n>\n> ①同時に起こる事柄、または、同時に存在する状態を並列して示す。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕犬は庭を **かけまわり** 、猫はこたつでまるくなる\n```\n\n>\n> ②時間的な進行の順序に従って事柄を述べる。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕店に **入り** 、本を買う\n```\n\n>\n> そして、この②はさらに、③中止形を含んだ文が、ある条件を示して後の文に続く（「雨に **濡れ** 、風邪をひく」「大声で **叫び**\n> 、助けを求める」）ということに発展することができる。しかし、中止形を含んだ文は、後に続く文との時間的な先後関係を示すというのが原則であるから、その続き方が順接であるか逆説であるかは場面によって異なってくる。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕崖から **落ち** 、命を失った \n> 　　　崖から **落ち** 、傷一つ負わなかった\n```\n\n>\n> 現代語では、「店にはいっ **て** 、本を買う」「雨に濡れ **て**\n> 、風邪をひく」のように、接続助詞「て」を用いるのが普通であるが、新聞の報道記事のように限られた紙面に事件・事柄を記していく場合などでは、中止形を用いることが多い。\n```\n\n> 〔例〕犯人は友達を **訪れ** 、スキヤキを **食べ** 、ライフルを **取出し**\n```", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-15T12:09:09.730", "id": "9772", "last_activity_date": "2015-12-08T03:30:38.993", "last_edit_date": "2015-12-08T03:30:38.993", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": null, "parent_id": "9771", "post_type": "answer", "score": 12 } ]

[ { "body": "Although Daijisen lists 狼{おおかみ}に衣{ころも} as a separate definition #3, from\nsearching I think that it comes from that proverb.\n\nLooking at [this page](http://www.geocities.jp/tomomi965/ko-jien01/a17.html)\nfor example, it says that proverb means \"an atrocious, merciless person, but\nonly outward appearances of dressing as (feigning) being a good, kind-hearted\nperson\", so I think that's likely where it comes from.\n\n* * *\n\nFurther to this, there's also the proverb\n[鬼{おに}に衣{ころも}](http://www.nohmask21.com/oni/prover_j.html), which has two\nmeanings, one of which seems the same as that of 狼に衣, so it might be that 狼に衣\ncomes from 鬼に衣 (though I can't find any hard evidence which came earlier out\nof the two). It comes from an 鬼 (demon) wearing priest's garb (僧衣{そうい}).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-16T02:35:57.157", "id": "9775", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-17T07:28:21.723", "last_edit_date": "2012-12-17T07:28:21.723", "last_editor_user_id": "796", "owner_user_id": "796", "parent_id": "9774", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "> Does it have similar origins to the English phrase \"a wolf in sheep's\n> clothing\"?\n\nYes. A better dictionary would confirm that. From 日本国語大辞典:\n\n> 狼, 2: ( **「狼に衣」のことわざから** ) うわべはやさしくよそおっていて実は凶悪な人。特に、破戒僧の異称。\n\nEarly citations for this are from c. 1780. Early citations for 狼に衣 may be\nfound from 1638. Thus, the chronology is also in order.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-16T02:43:58.017", "id": "9776", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-16T02:43:58.017", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1141", "parent_id": "9774", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 } ]

[ { "body": "I think 皆{みんな} can mean \"all\" when used adverbially, as well as \"everyone\" or\n\"everything\":\n\n> でも世界の子供はみんな私を知っています。 \n> \"But the children of the world all know me.\"\n\nYou can also use みんな to refer to more than people:\n\n> チーズは皆食べられてしまった \n> \"All of the cheese has been eaten.\"\n\nThere's some more examples at the Yahoo dictionary definition for\n[皆{みな}](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?enc=UTF-8&stype=0&dtype=3&p=%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AA)\n(for information on the difference between 皆{みんな} and 皆{みな}, see also [How do\nyou know when to use みな or\nみんな?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/4134/how-do-you-know-when-\nto-use-%E3%81%BF%E3%81%AA-or-%E3%81%BF%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA))", "comment_count": 10, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 3.0", "creation_date": "2012-12-16T07:45:49.783", "id": "9778", "last_activity_date": "2012-12-16T22:52:01.047", "last_edit_date": "2017-04-13T12:43:44.397", "last_editor_user_id": "-1", "owner_user_id": "796", "parent_id": "9777", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]