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What is the difference in nuance between 間違う and 間違える? I've heard from a Japanese native speaker friend of mine that both and are correct usage, but he wasn't able to explain the difference in nuance between them. Is there a difference, and if so, what is it?

When we say that someone makes a mistake about something, we can use both and and there is no difference in meaning or nuance. For example, and mean the same thing. _Added remark_ : As repecmps pointed out in a comment, some people consider this usage of as incorrect. [Someone states that this usage of was originally incorrect, but I do not know if this statement is true or not.] When we say that something is in a wrong state, we can only use . Examples from Daijisen with my English translations: > []{}[]{}[]{} This letter has an incorrect address on it. > × > []{}[]{}[]{} a wrong way of thinking > × ( denotes correct examples and × denotes incorrect examples.)

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What is the usage of 先 vs. 元? I think that the both of them mean before, but I have seen that they are sometimes use in parent-child metaphors, but I always get confused with these. Some examples of words would be appreciated.

If anything, they're more like antonyms. denotes 'destination', while denotes 'source', or 'beginning', or 'essence'. : * , : delivery address * : destination (of a trip) : * : by the root (e.g. of a tree) * : "beginning price" (original price paid by retailer). * (chemical) element.

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Can I end sentences with ん? One friend of mine told me when she was living in Japan, she liked to end her sentences with (maybe instead of ). Examples: * * … Actually I've never seen it! But my friend told me they used it! I just want to know if it's possible. And if Japanese would think it a little strange if I said instead of .

Your two examples are incorrect in the “standard” dialect. Some dialects (such as the Gunma dialect and the Saitama dialect) use instead of in a question as in your first example. The second example may also be used in some dialects.

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are the usage of うるさい to mean "fussy" and the usage of 草 to mean "substandard" archaic? I was thinking what things could be described with (3) not genuine; substandard;) Can we describe someone who is a as ? Like say: Or is the "substandard" meaning of already "phased out" ? Also, is the usage of to mean "fussy" archaic / "phased out"? Like let's say I say Does it simply sound weird (like i'm some old grandpa)?

The title and the body seem to ask two different questions, but I'll answer them both. as 'fussy' is not at all archaic. On the other hand, in all my years of speaking with Japanese friends and family, I have never heard of using as a derogative.

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What is the meaning and usage of ネタ? For example in this phrase: > I translate it into "he might have some stories", but I have the impression it has many other meanings.

is a semi-slang term that comes from reversing the characters of "seed" . It's a word with many uses, but in all uses it denotes the "seed" of the idea of a work, it's essential core. In cooking, the of a dish is the key ingredient that makes a particular dish interesting. For example, the of a piece of sushi is the non-rice part of the sushi. In a magic trick, the of a trick is the actual trickery that makes the illusion work (the part that Penn and Teller reveal). In a joke, the is the core subject and punchline, before you pad them out with a story. In news articles, the is the raw fact being reported (e.g. "oil rig explodes") before being fleshed out with prose. In your example of , means topic of conversation.

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Why is it お[腹]{なか}が[空]{す}いた but [腹]{はら}[減]{へ}った? Is there any particular reason why the noun goes with verb while the noun goes with the verb ? Would it be weird if I use or ? While on the same topic, does the 'starving' onomatopoeia go with both and ?

Besides the phrases being idiomatic (fixed), there is a slight difference in the meaning of these words. (onaka) means stomach, although it can also mean belly (hara) means belly You can also tell this from the fact that the pronunciation for `` (onaka) is related to `` (naka) 'inside', which implicates stomach. Therefore, even with the same predicate, they mean different things: 'my stomach hurts' means stomach ache caused by eating too much or poisoned food 'my belly hurts' means laughing to death, (in addition to the meaning above) In the case in the question, `` 'become empty' goes well with stomach rather than belly. `` 'lose volume' goes well with belly rather than with stomach (stomach is just a wall).

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Why use the kanji compound 惑星 for ほし? The title of a manga I'm slowly working through is , but there is furigana above the two kanji that says (star) instead. Why did it use both kanji, which seems to be normally read as (planet) when it could have used just on it's own?

Japanese often refer to planets as as well when they're being informal, the manga is just specifying that it's a planet and not actually a star. I guess you could say it's a stylistic choice.

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Is 亡くなる a polite form of しぬ? Is is a polite form of ? What is the difference in nuance between these two sentences: 1. 2.

is a euphemism for . means “to die” directly, and it is often appropriate to replace it with the less direct when one is talking about the death of a person. As Dave wrote in his answer, euphemisms for death exist in other languages, too. can be used for a person or an animal, but is usually used only for a person. , mentioned in Derek’s comment on Dave’s answer, is a (respectful form) of / and raises the status of the person who is mentioned. is _not_ a . For example, it is correct to use when talking about the death of a family member to the outside, but it is incorrect to use in this case.

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What does やい mean? Someone ended their sentence with . What dialect is this? What does mean? I assume that means the same thing as in standard Japanese? **Update:** the original sentence was .

**Update** : This is not an instance of , but rather , so the information in my original answer is not actually applicable in this case. * * * Wikipedia suggests that at the very least, this is a feature of **Hakata dialect** (though it is also likely a feature of other dialects as well, as suggested by my comment above). In Hakata dialect, it is used as a light suggestion/command, like the form of verbs in other dialect: > * () > > > > * → > would then be the same as in standard Japanese, as you assumed.

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What is the difference between 蔵, 倉, and 庫? The word can be written with any of the kanji , , or . However, WWWJDIC lists them all under one entry, defined as: > (n) warehouse; cellar; magazine; granary; godown; depository; treasury; elevator; Is there a difference in nuance or usage between these three kanji, and if so, what? **Update:** @istrasci points out that: > [When] is used asin compounds, it's used to denote ownership or possession. > > Whereas compounds with seem to refer more to a physical storage facility. Does anybody know about different nuances of the word itself?

Here's what a person who's been immersed in the Japanese culture for 22 years imagine when she sees them without much context. ## !picture of * Where it can be found: In the estate of an old family, or as a cellar of a sake brewery. Usually in a place crowded with other buildings (hence the backside of the kura is blurred in the picture). * What's inside: Something valuable, treasures, or simply old and unused things for special occassions. * Height: 2-3 stories. ## !picture of * Where: In the rural districts. * What's inside: Farming tools, stored rice and unused things (of everyday use). * Height: 1-2 stories. ## !picture of Note: I didn't know can be read as . These are the impressions I have about the kanji itself. * Where: In a house or any other building, or as a part of one. * What's inside: Something valuable, or other trinkets. Usually contains a single type of things. * Height: Can vary in size. Usually box-shaped and smaller than .

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Phoenix: 不死鳥【ふしちょう】, 鳳凰【ほうおう】, 鳳/鵬【おおとり】, フェニックス... How many lives does this bird have!? All of the following words and kanji (and a few more obscure ones) seem to be used in Japanese, to describe a bird that is translated by "Phoenix" in English: * * * / * and even: * (thought this one seems to be more of an attempt at a description than a word used on its own) is rather self-explanatory ("bird that doesn't die"), is used in the name of the famous "phoenix hall" () at the Byodoin () temple in Uji near Kyoto and, to my surprise, the katakana word does not refer only to the city, but also the bird. It seems clear that there might be some entanglement between different mythical creatures (some Western, some Asian) that share some properties (immortality, relation with fire etc)... Could anybody draw a clear taxonomy of all these birds and the relations between these Japanese names for me?

-As Ignacio said, is the mythical bird from Asian cultures. (fènghuáng in Chinese) -In the mythology, is the male _"asian phoenix"_ and is the female. - is the Phoenix from the Greek mythology - is the name regrouping "fire birds": * Bennu, Egypt * Huma and Simurgh, Persia * Phoenix, Greece and others * Firebird, Russia - (used for proper names) The US city and the constellation. For the constellation of the phoenix, is mostly used, but since it's been discovered by Netherlands navigators and originally named "phoenix", the Japanese name should be - is another mythical bird (not associated with fire) that transforms from a giant fish (called Kun)

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What's the difference between the に祈る【いのる】 and を祈る【いのる】 forms? What's the difference between the and forms? Like what's the difference between (1.) and (2.): 1. 2. **EDIT** : What's the difference between the and forms? Like if what I want to say is "I pray that he will recover quickly", what's the difference between (1.) and (2.): 1. 2.

**1)** This looks strange. I'm not sure where you found it. means "although" making the sentence sound like: "Although it goes well, please pray." I think you're confused with **** indicating a goal. Most prayers are formed like this: **2)** This is the correct form for the transitive verb Can also replace with **EDIT:** **1-** indicates the goal. You pray so that things goes well. Prayers in temples are formed like this and many people before an exam for example or before a speech will address a prayer like this. (no need to be in a temple) The verb is sometimes omitted. **2-** Vb + / This is more of an everyday hope expression, a wish for luck. (second meaning of is "to wish") Most people will translate as "Let's cross our fingers" You can also say: -> "'pray' for my success" or "wish me success" Or something like: **3-** And thanks to istrasci for pointing out that using only indicates to whom you address the prayer:

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How should I view でより and でのより? My basic understanding of to compare things or ending letters, is failing me when there's a or in front of it. As I write this, I'm wondering, can read as "with, more", "in, more"? > **** > accept more responsibilities for less money > > **** > provide the area with a better Internet connection > > **** > to work longer hours for less money > > **** > together we can create a better world. * * * is really tripping me up. I'm not understanding how this functions at all. > **** > In Japanese, a typical way to write [America] with kanji is . [?] > > **** > It has long been suspected that longer working hours result in more accidents in the work place.

, when preceding an adjective as in your examples, means "more" or "-er": > more [numerous] > > more pleasant, smoother > > longer > > better > > more common, more typical As such, and should not be considered together. and go with the preceding word, and goes with the succeeding word.

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What is the subject of this sentence? I'm translating a song which can be seen here. At the end of the song is this: > What is the subject of ? Is the singer saying, "there may be nights where we'll end up hurting each other," or is he saying, "there may be nights where I'll end up hurting you?"

After reviewing the song, I've completely flipped on my answer. The whole song is definitely from his perspective, and this part is definitely him saying he might hurt her feelings. Original Answer: I definitely feel it's the 'each other' one. It's just saying that there are days they will hurt each other's feelings, and days they won't think the same way. I expect the rest of the song talks about how good they usually are together, or how much they love each other and it's okay, etc.

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Help for this expression: 猿は人間に毛が[三筋]{みすじ}足らぬ I read this expression in a text. It seems to be an old proverb about monkeys. But I am not sure about its meaning. Why , for instance? Does it mean muscle? reasoning faculty? Why would they be lacking?

It means: "Monkeys are less clever than humans" or literally: "Monkeys have 3 hair less than people" being used for and being the counter for hair To add a bit of history/legend: doesn't stand for "hair" but for apparel, appearance or skill...etc. The legend states that during the creation of the world, Kamis (god(s)) thought human and monkeys were too similar and removed 3 details () from them. A monkey asked to "god" (kami) why they could not become human. God answered, because you lack the following 3 points (): > > > > > (reason, compassion and sense of accomplishment) <

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What to say when leaving the table before everybody else? For example, while having lunch with your coworkers and you have to attend some matter soon, what would be a natural way to leave the table? I think that in this case saying would be wrong.

I won't say is completely out of place, but you should at least mention why you're leaving, so as to assure that you're not offended or anything: > Abruptly announcing is probably too closely tied to the idiomatic usage (when leaving work). or can also work as a substitution for . > If you're unsure about which verb to use, just cut it short with a trailing ellipsis (see Axioplase's and Dave's answer): > ... If your colleagues already know you have something to attend to, or your KY radar is all clear, you can get as brief as: > Some people may think it's too informal for work, but you'll be ok as long as other people around you are using it. works best when you're eating your bentos together. See Dave's answer for a complete explanation.

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Confusion about "Seemingly not ～" So there are several ways to express something is "seemingly not ": > * > * > * > * (is this one even real?) > I was always taught in my Japanese classes, and it was not until I heard one of the other ones that I ever become confused about them. After doing a little research on this, it seems that adjectives can only take . ex. > > × but that verbs can take any of the forms > So, my questions are a) is the above reasoning correct, and b) what are the differences/nuances of the latter three forms? Someone please set me straight on this; it's been bugging me for a couple years.

Looks like you have done your research well. You are correct with verbs only taking /Although is not grammatical. > * you make an assumption based on current state of the sky. > * you have confidence that it wont rain (due to some extra information maybe). > * you want it to rain but it seems like it wont (from extra information or from appearances) > There is another common way to express the same idea, only used in the affirmative. (ie, > * on campus you plainly state that guy over there doesn't seem like a student. > * when you heard a broadcast or checked the web. shows your confidence here. But... > * is similar to because you are looking for agreement with >

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Can "みたい" mean "want to see"? Can "" mean "want to see", or does it always mean "looks like"/"seems like"? If not, how would "want to see" be expressed? Specifically, assuming it has both uses, it would seem ambiguous to me here: Would that be "I want to see a somewhat different movie", or "That seems like a somewhat different movie"?

"That seems like a somewhat different movie" would be > Whereas "I want to see a different movie" would be > So to answer your question directly, yes, "" means "want to see" -- and you'd use the kanji "", in most general cases. (There's no after in this case.) When you want to say "is like", you'd say "" without a particle in front, and without kanji. Though "" is the most general kanji for "want to see/look", you can use more specific ones: "" -- want to examine, as in examine a patient. "" -- want to watch, as in sightseeing or watching a movie. "" -- want to look after, as in looking after a patient, from -- not too common.

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How to say "What's it to you?" in Japanese? What would be appropriate expressions or idioms to convey the typical English response: > What's it to you? (in a sense that goes somewhere between "None of your business" and "This is not your problem") The best I can think of is ``. I am looking for other possibly **softer, more polite** ways of expressing the same idea. (as an aside, if you have _less_ polite, more direct, I am also curious) PS: Before anybody comments: I realise that any variation on this _will_ sound too direct and potentially rude for many situations in Japan, however softly it is formulated. But the general idea _is_ to be trenchant, in situations which might call for it... so no need to dwell on the rudeness aspect too much. **Edit:** tough to pick from many overlapping (quality) answers, but in the end, I think Rey's encompassed exactly the nuance(s) I was interested in. Thanks everybody for the great suggestions!

I honestly don't think there's any way to answer this given the condition that it should be polite, even with Japanese's overgrown arsenal of euphemisms and niceties. I can't think of one in English either; probably because any insinuation of the sentiment "get lost" is universally obvious. But depending on the situation, you might be able to get away with something like: > (Please do not worry about me.) Or: > (Leave me be.) Being the Canadian-raised cynic with juvenile tendencies that I am, I'd probably say: > (So what?) Which in cleanest clothes might be: >

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what is the difference in the nuances / usage of 気に病む and 心配する ? I was wondering what is the difference in the nuances / usage of and ? (E.g. If I want to tell my friend not to worry about a test (albeit an important test), is it more appropriate to use or ?)

It's simply a difference of image just like "Don't worry" and "don't make yourself sick over it" It depends on the level of anxiety of your friend ( being stronger)

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Do Japanese writers use underline for emphasis? Do Japanese writers use underline to emphasize a point, or other techniques? Wikipedia mentions the use of katakana in its article on Emphasis and in its article on Katakana, but I'm not sure whether it's appropriate. **Background:** I’m incorporating XKCD 386 (with the text modified) into a talk given in English with Japanese subtitles. I'm doing the cartoons side by side, and I'm wondering what the equivalent of underlining "wrong" in a western cartoon would be.

The Japanese equivalent of underlining for emphasis would probably be using or : Dots added over (if writing horizontally) or to the right (if vertically) of each character. Wikipedia Japan has a page detailing their use, as well as their variants: > In substance: > If writing vertically, people mainly use the "black sesame (goma)": or "white sesame":. > > If writing horizontally, the round black () or white () dots are preferred. > > The "good work" double-circle () and bull's eye circle () are also used. > > While some people differentiate between "sesame" ( _goma_ ) and round signs, many people don't and use them indifferently. (there are a couple other particular cases, such as when reporting an erratum, but I don't think you are particularly interested). To conclude, you probably want to use the simple round black marker, like such (with slightly less distance between the lines, typically where the furigana would be): > Listen _really_ well

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How do you ask for "the bill" at a restaurant? This is probably a bit of a silly question, but what do you say in Japanese when you're asking for the bill in a restaurant? Or is it unusual to say anything at all? When I was in Japan I could never really catch any particular phrases and when I was at Kaitenzushi places I just stood up until the staff noticed I was ready to leave and then they counted my plates. Would it be something to the effect of ? Or is it like in America where you usually don't really ask for the bill but just wait for it to come?

Beside (or ) mentioned by Louis, is also a very common way to refer to the bill: > > > I believe has a more general nuance than ("bill", rather than "check"), meaning it can be used in some instances where would not fit. For restaurants, they are essentially interchangeable. The gesture described by Louis (making a × sign with your index fingers) is indeed a universal Japanese gesture to indicate you are done: while it is not particularly rude, you should probably still avoid it in a very fancy place (and doing it appropriately might require a bit of practice, so I'd recommend holding off on it until you've seen it done a few times). Note that all of the above will not always get you the check (at your table), since the vast majority of restaurants expect you to pay at a counter by the door and many will ring your total there. It can however indicate that you will be paying and signal the waiter to prepare your check.

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How to choose a reading for 降る? ふる & くだる I always read as but for a particular sentence I noticed that the reading was written as . Are there any tips to help figure out which reading to use? ~~Examples: > > I will go cycling even if it rains. [M] > > > I awoke to find it snowing. I'm not sure if this is user-error. When I click on listen, the woman reads it using , but the software wants me to use . Maybe I should change the question to ask what I should say in my bug report? ~~

lists both andin the entry for . It says thatis often used when means "going/coming down from a high place to a lower place all at once (as opposed to a gradual descent)" or when it means like "surrendering to an enemy" (). Since the former definition is quite a common occurrence, you might see the in written and/or a more context. Here is a Bible verse demonstrating the former. As I posted in the comment to the OP, I was a little concerned about posting this, but feel it is directly grammatically related to the question. > **** 3:16

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Do 以上 and 以下 include the number preceding them? I was having a discussion with a colleague and we couldn't recall how they both worked. Does mean a) 1 or more persons or b) more than one person?

According to the Wikipedia article on these two, and _include_ the number that precedes them. > => 50 or more > > => 50 or less If you want to exclude the number on the upper end (instead of ) use (). > (less than 1,000 yen, not including 1,000) I had a few different discussions (and taking Ito-san's point below as well) about this - seems to be used (?) but I've never really heard it. In this case we would probably go back to standard grammar using a verb instead: > ) If there was really a need to exclude a certain number in the case of , you could always add 1 to it -- e.g. > Although that seems strange too. Maybe there's not much of a use for that kind of term?

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Who scolded whom in Aに怒られる? I can see that someone got mad or someone made someone else mad. The things that make it difficult are `` and the `` form of ``. What does this mean? How do you figure out who did what in these types of sentences?

It may first bear mentioning that is usually used specifically to mean "got scolded by", rather than "to became the focus of someone's anger". This may make it easier to understand. * A : A got angry * AB : A got angry at B (in this usage, B is usually not a person, but rather an event or state of affairs). * AB : A scolded B (B is a person) * BA : B got scolded by A.

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What is the origin of, and how do I parse 絶対{ぜったい}領域{りょういき}? `{}{}` is a slang term that refers to the visible bare skin from the bottom of a woman's skirt to the top of her thigh high stockings. Or, short pants and thigh high boots... pick your preferred style. The point is that it's the exposed part of the thigh. That's the meaning, but where did it come from? Directly translated, it means "absolute territory". The territory part I get - it's an area on the body. But "absolute"? I find that hard to parse. Other meanings for `{}` are "unconditional" or "unmistakable", but regardless of the translation choice, I find them all odd choices. Why `{}`? "Absolutely" sexy or "unmistakably" sexy perhaps? Lastly, is this term regulated to otaku types who are into anime, or is it in common use?

As with many odd slang words and phrases, it came from a quote in a particular situation. "The distance between kneesocks and mini skirt is invicible! I can even say that it's the God's Absolute Territory..." From: <

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What does ちょちょい mean? I can't find this defined anywhere. Here's an example: I am also interested in what this whole sentence says.

It's a variation of , but usually in reference to an action. Just like in that context, it's meant to indicate that the action will be quick and easy. It's more casual (and therefore more emphatically quick and easy) than . Not that it's rude, but I wouldn't use it outside of casual company.

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Does もあれば have set phrases? I came across a sentence using where there wasn't a conditional. got translated as sometimes: > **** **** > Sometimes a verb is derived from a noun and sometimes it is the other way around. Looking for more examples, I saw some more sentences with this "sometimes this, sometimes that" pattern. I basically understand how to construct a sentence with this pattern, but I also found some where I couldn't' tell what was doing: > 3 > Kyoto is about 3 hours distance from Mt. Koya > > 10 > It only takes me 10 minutes to get ready What is 's function in the last two examples?

`` is conditional just as in the first example. `` in these cases means something like 'as less as'. The literal translations are respectively (Don't expect that they are grammatical or natural in English): > (The distance) from Kyoto to Koyasan is such that, if you have as less as three hours, you can get there. > > If I have as less as ten minutes, I can get ready. By the way, although I know that it is not only the responsibility of the English speaking people, I feel it unnatural when people write something like `Mt. Koyasan`. It is as strange as saying `Mt. Mont Blanc`, `salsa sauce`, `Volkswagen car`, etc.

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Definition of ブラコン when discussing musical preferences A Japanese person told me that they have I looked it up on Wikipedia and it said something like an emotional attachment to one's brother. But they said that it meant something like someone who likes rap music. I couldn't find a definition like this. Is this what it means?

R&B, not rap. Straight from Wikipedia ("black contemporary").

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What may be the difference between the usage of チャンス and 機会 ? What may be the difference between the usage of and ? For example: 1) 2)

Do really people say ""? I doubt it… While you do say "" to mean "it's now or never", "just do it!", "go for it!" and other once-in-a-life-time opportunities, I think that "" is a much more usual opportunity, less outstanding situations. You would use to say "Since everyone is here, this is the opportunity to discuss the frobnication of frobnickers", or "I had the opportunity to meet her mother at the local supermarket." Nothing to write home about, just a simple description of the situation. Also, by being a word of foreign roots, and a compound word, it is likely that the former is more colloquial than the latter. I also wonder whether isn't, statistically speaking, used to refer about an event in the past, while would be used to talk about some opportunity still to take. (If you say "" do not forget to clench your fist and wave it doing circular motions in front of you)

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What honorifics are used with nicknames? What honorifics, if any, are used with nicknames? For example, would Matz-san (for Yukihiro Matsumoto) make sense (at least coming from someone new to Japanese), or would the mixture of the slightly formal "-san" and an informal nickname seem strange?

Basically, you can use all honorifics with nicknames. Of course, it is _unlikely_ that you call Robert "**" (except as joke or if it's part of the nickname), but if you meet a guy and he says "My name is Daisuke, but you can call me Dai!", you'll probably end calling him "". And Tomoko will be "". And if you're not that close to the other person, and will be ok too. Similarly, if you're a red-haired teacher, your friends may call you Ginger, and so on…

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Usage of ～やら～やら vs ～や～や What is the conceptual difference, or difference in nuance between these two constructions when used to mean 'and'? I realize there are some syntactic differences, such as not appearing after the final item being enumerated, but as far as general nuance is concerned, is there any significant difference? For example, here's a couple sentences: 1a. **** **** 1b. **** 2a. **** **** 2b. **** Is there any difference in meaning in these (or perhaps other) examples of usage?

is often taught as a non-exhaustive connective. When you say AB, you mean that there may be a C, but you didn't mention it (for example, you could say "CDCD" because maybe you bought doughnuts too (but who cares?); but you wouldn't say "" since there is not other choice.) As far as I remember, expresses some kind of disorder in your listing. It is also non-exhaustive, but it puts emphasis on the variety of elements. You'd use it to say "hipsters, bums, rockstars and politicians, everyone wanted to go to my sweet 16." Examples of usage will be found it the great google corpus :)

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the different usages of つもり? Hi all I understand that means "intention" like say = I intend to rest during the summer vacation. But what does means? Well if I translate directly, it seems to be "I intend to be in the know" ? However the translation (not by me) was "I know that." I'm just wondering how did it work out to be that way? What is the significance of that in that question?

The translation 'intention' is not that bad, but maybe, 'have in mind' will work more generally. > > > I have in mind to take a full rest during the summer vacation. In ``, `` is one way of making your statement accurate, and in many cases polite. In linguistic terms, this is called a _hedge_. In this particular case, everyone might think herself/himself is right, but they can actually never be sure about their knowledge. If you simply say > I understand that ..., then it might later, for some reason, turn out that you actually haven't understood it. In that case, you would be lying. But if, instead, you have said > I think I understand that ..., then your statement remains true. The latter statement is more accurate. And it is also polite in not saying a lie, and for being careful about your words. It is the same thing for Japanese sentences > 'I know that' vs. > 'What I have in mind is I know that' or 'I think I know that'

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difference between ～の折に and ～の時に While studying for JLPT N2 I came across this expression ``. It appears to be _almost identical_ to ``. My reference suggests that it's basically the same, but simply less polite. What I find suspicious is that I've been studying Japanese for quite a number of years, and I have never seen or heard of this until now, and dictionaries such as suggest that it is not very common. Is there a difference in meaning / nuance? Is it actually common and I've just been blind all this time? (I wonder why it's not taught in any normal textbook / Japanese course in that case). Should I avoid it? I would appreciate if anyone can shed some light onto the usage.

`A B` 'B on the occasion of A' may have the nuance that A is some special occation and is not that frequent. `A B` 'B when A' is neutral in this respect. Depending on the context, this may make some difference. I had thought that `` is rather the polite one. `` is slightly archaic or formal, and you do not see it in casual conversation so often. That's probably why you hadn't seen it; there was a reason for it.

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Which is the "official" kanji for さい, 歳 or 才? Well if I'm not wrong, usually when a word has multiple kanjis one of them is selected as the "main" or more commonly used one. But is it true that and are both the "main" kanji for ?

It seems that is the "official"character for the age, even though both it and are reglementary (). However, it is too difficult for the pupils () who are supposed to learn it since it's a very common word. Therefore, the different (but _not_ simplified) character is taught instead so that they can learn a necessary character until they see the "hard" one a few years later. So, the "official" one would be . Same goes for instead of

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ユーザ or ユーザー, which is more in use or is there no difference? or , which is more in use or is there no difference? I see both of them in use, but is there one that is more correct than the other or is at least the prevailing standard? a similar word is and .

From the point of view of the pronunciation, `` is closer to the original English word, and that is the generally accepted form in ordinary life, especially among people who are not particularly related to information technology. However, limited to the information technology context, `` is the form that is officially stated as the correct form, and official documents are recommended to be written as such. If you are interested in the detail, you may want to take a look at **Japanese Industrial Standard Z8301 Amendment G Article 6.2c** and **Table G3**. You can see a copy here: (logical pages 58 and 59).

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How does one use the "[V ます stem] に [Vタ]" pattern (as in 待ちに待った)? Every now and then I hear , as in: > a long-awaited concert I started wondering if this pattern can apply to other verbs, and it certainly seems to, if Google is any indication. I found instances of , , and even things like . **Question A** : Can I use this pattern with any verb showing intent? Is there a particular nuance behind it, or does it simply mean "to [verb] and then [verb] some more"? **Question B** : For the linguists in the room (y'all know who you are), how is the classified in this pattern? Is it the same as in ?

It seems to just be for emphasis, as this sort of "emphasis-repetition" is common in other languages as well. I've only heard it a handful of times, in regards to foods: > → I am extremely thirsty > → I was really hungry **Question A:** Not sure of any nuances of it or in which situations it is appropriate (either grammatically or otherwise). **Question B:** Seems to be the same . As talked about in this post, this form (XY) means "do Y for the purpose of X"; 'Go' for the purpose of 'buying', etc. So this would seem to be in line with the emphasis; 'wait for the purpose of waiting', 'hope for the purpose of hoping', etc.

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得る vs ～られる potential form Recently I learned of a new way to express potential form. Here's a few example sentences: * * The second example I put for contrast, because it illustrates one obvious difference which is that I don't think potential forms of and exist. In the first example, however, it's not so clear. Instinctually, from looking at these and a few other examples, I think perhaps there is a sense of impossibility here that is not present in simple or form, but I have trouble articulating it, and it may be a red herring anyway. For example, change the first sentence to this: * Does it have a different nuance now? Can someone elaborate on the differences between these two constructs?

First, I think that + is more formal than the classical potential forms. Then, I feel a slight nuance: the form dissociates the speaker from the impossibility. Overstating, it's like When you say , it means _you_ cannot do it; when you say , it means that it cannot be done. Second, potential form of exists: I'm pretty sure I already heard: "" (You can't be here, go away right now!) For , there is , but it's some , and no more a potential indeed.

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regarding the kanjis 嗚呼; 於乎; 於戯; 嗟乎; 嗟夫; 吁; 嗟; 噫; 鳴呼 This question has 2 parts. Why is it that has so many different kanji ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (source) and is the average japanese (16 yr old and above) able to recognize them all?

These seem to mostly be cases of , where it the kanji are only used for their meaning. The most common of the kanji compounds () for example is comprised of kanji which carry the meanings of the sound of crying and "to call out." As for why there are so many, I would say that it is because there are _so many ways_ in which one can cry out. Judging from the meaning of the kanji, for example would likely mean either during or after playing sports, while seems to have a slightly racier meaning. However, in my experience, very few of these are used commonly. At the very least, the average 16-year-old will very likely know at least , as it is used in manga and novels aimed at teens not infrequently. It seems unlikely that they would know them all, however, as many of those kanji are not generally used.

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How would I say "Get well soon"? Last summer my family hosted a Japanese exchange student for two weeks, and we've kept in touch with her a lot. Unfortunately, about 2 months ago I found out she had Leukemia. She said she'll recover...but it'll take a long time (6 months according to her) I know Japanese at an intermediate level, so it strikes me as odd I've never picked up the phrase "Get well soon". We're sending her a bunch of gifts and a card (and my family knows I'm the only one with any knowledge of Japanese), so they put it on me to write what goes inside of it. Please help me not screw this up =x She's 16 turning 17 soon if that makes a big difference.

There are a couple of ways to say this. > → Please look after yourself > → Take care of yourself However, given the severity of her illness, these sound casual, a little "flaky", and somewhat insincere. Here are a few that are better. > → Please take good care of yourself / your health. > → I hope you will get well soon. / I hope you will soon be restored to health.

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不 and 非 and 無 and 未 usage difference/rule Is there any rules that govern when to use and and and in regards to the meaning of "not" or "un-" for instance ,

It's not that there are rules, it's that the different kanji have different meanings which can help determine which one is the right choice. You can use the following definitions as guidelines, but please be aware that there will be exceptions and differences depending on specific words. `` Means "absence" (as in: it was never there). `` Means "incomplete" in the sense of not having achieved something (as in: we still have further to go before we get to the end point). `` Means "incomplete" in the sense of not yet having reached capacity (as in: the container is not yet full). `` Means "error", but when used as a prefix it's more helpful to think of it as meaning "opposite" (as in: it reverses the meaning of the word). Hope that helps.

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Ending a sentence with さ When is it appropriate to put at the end of a sentence? Do women say this also? I think I remember seeing a female character say it in an anime.

In standard Japanese, ending with a is a colloquial way to make a statement more playfully assertive. After a Hanshin victory over the Tokyo Giants, a Hanshin fan might say: > or > To preserve the tone, I might translate the first version as a flat statement of opinion, as in: > Well, Hanshin _is_ the stronger team. while the second version might be more of a playful burn, like > Well, Hanshin is the stronger team: fact! It's not rude, but it is assertive, and colloquial, so I wouldn't use it with a superior. It's gender-neutral. If it seems to be employed slightly more by Japanese men than by Japanese women, that's just true of assertiveness in general.

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When is it okay to use あります with a living subject? When learning Japanese everyone's taught is for a living thing and is for non-living things. However, I recently saw the following sentence ... > ... which ends in / for a living subject, assuming were not talking about a dead soccer player! Now the following make uses of sense to me: > > > But in my mind these adhere to the living/dead rule learned in those first Nihongo classes all those years ago. So where does fit in? How should I think of this in English (equivalent phrase)?

`` is the expanded form of ``. So when you say XY, it is really XY. From this, you can easily see the negative form (). And also as in your example. `` means "is also". > → That guy is a business worker (salary man). He is also a soccer player. That's the reasoning as to why it's in this situation. As to why is a contraction of `` and not ``, I'm not sure.

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Most appropriate word for 'food' I have seen many ways of saying 'food'. I am wondering if there is ever a difference in appropriateness. (type+)etc. Most commonly, I think, is , but I thought I'd use for an assignment involving since it sounded more formal to me. Thoughts?

- appropriate as written or spoken language, a basic word, commonly used in speech - food product, think of a packaged food product on a shelf in the store - literally rice (polite), used to refer to "a meal" as in breakfast, lunch or dinner - a meal, frequently used in hotels and restaurants as []{} - assuming you mean (fried food), (boiled food), (dried food), etc... these are self explanatory, just more specific. **Also don't forget:** []{} - Mostly in written language, "food stuffs" is a good English equivalent And just to whet your appetite (pun definitely intended) here is a breakdown of common food categories. **Animal Food Products ()** []{} (meat, incl. poultry), []{} (seafood), []{} (eggs), []{} (dairy) **Plant Food Products ()** []{} (cereals), []{} (pulses), []{} (tubers), []{} (vegetables), []{} (mountain vegetables), []{} (sea vegetation, seaweed), []{} (aw nuts), []{} (fruits), (herbs) (ref: <

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Difference between 打ち合わせ and 会議 and ミーティング What's the difference between and and ? To me it seems that may be more formal, but I'm not entirely sure.

is more generic. When you go abroad to meet your boss, your colleagues or customers, you'd say . I use for when I need to discuss a point with someone. If you're a student and discuss with you advisor once a week, that's it. is defined as "there's a boring speaker, and everyone around is sleeping" :) That's in fact a conference (even a small one with a handful of people).

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Is 門 read as かど or もん? Is it more common to read as or ? e.g. how would we pronounce the in

When the kanji character is used as a noun in itself (meaning a gate), it is usually read as , although it was also read as in older time. As other people say, in your example should be read as in the modern Japanese. The most common example of read as in the modern Japanese that I can think of is a proverb (). This is read as and means a house. The literal meaning of the proverb is “Happiness comes to a home where family is laughing.” Progressive Waei Chū Jiten suggests two translations of this proverb: the more literal one is “Fortune favors cheerful homes,” and the less literal one is “Laugh and grow fat.”

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Why are katakana preferred over hiragana or kanji sometimes? I noticed that "dame", which means "not good" or "don't do that", is sometimes written in manga as katakana. I was wondering, is it because katakana is used to express a strong feeling? Sometimes, there are also other words written in katakana. In general, what are possible reasons why people would choose _katakana_ for a word instead of _hiragana_ or _kanji_ , especially when that word is not usually spelled with _katakana_?

In addition to user458s list: * To give visual and/or _very_ slight semantic emphasis. Almost like using **bold** or _italics_ in English. > > > You can see that the latter stands out more. As for the onomatopoeia, those are often a little emphasized too, so it probably overlaps with reason 2 a good amount. * Plant, animal, and mineral names are often written in katakana.

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What is the meaning of ちょうど一本 in this context? If I've understood correctly, followed by a counting word usually means something like "just x" or "exactly x" depending on the context, but I can't figure out what it means in this opening sentence of a novel: I understand the overall meaning of the sentence, but the exact purpose of here eludes me. What does the count? Or is some sort of set phrase beyond counting cylindrical things?

**Edited**. (As Tsuyoshi Ito points out, it may be more natural to take `` as modifying `` rather than ``.) Perhaps, this river has several bridges crossing it, and when was crossing , the royal parade had just reached , which is **one bridge** (i.e., the next bridge) towards the upstream of the river (from ). `` is used to count long things. It does not necessarily have to be cylindrical.

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Shouldn't this phrase using だけのこと mean "just for that"? In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase: > {}{}{}{}{}{}{} The translation given is: > Fortunately, I studied Japanese in Japan and now I can speak it fairly well. I didn't go to Japan for nothing. The thing that confuses me is in that last part, where the translation is "I didn't go to Japan for nothing". It seems to me that `` literally translates to something like "there was just that thing". ``, to me, implies exclusion of other things. So to me, the sentence should be something like "That's all I went to Japan for", or perhaps "That's all I got from being in Japan". The way I read it has more of a negative implication than the given translation. What am I not understanding about this phrase in order to see how the given translation makes sense? Or perhaps is the given translation not as good as it could be?

Some of the other answers try to connect the meaning of the idiom to “just” or “only,” which is one of the meanings of , but I do not think that it is the right way to analyze this idiom. means “extent.” It sometimes means some kind of limitation on the extent, but not always. For example, if you go to buy a cloth and are asked how much you need, you can show the length of the cloth you need with your hands and say, > I would like this much. (Depending on the context, this sentence can mean “I would like only this.” In the Tokyo dialect, is pronounced LHHH in the the first case and LHHL in the second case, where L and H mean low and high pitches.) The literal translation of the sentence > would be “There was something to the extent that I went to Japan.” In your context, the “something” refers to the fact that the speaker improved his/her Japanese language skills, and the speaker is saying that it was worth visiting Japan.

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How do you respond to thanks given? How do you respond to and other ways of giving thanks? Are there any expressions similar to the English "You're welcome" or "No problem", or is it appropriate to not respond at all?

The simplest one is , "not at all". The next one up is , "would do the same". Another one you may come across is , "don't mention it", or one of its more polite variants (replacing or as appropriate). There are even more polite responses, but as a you will not be expected to have to worry about them.

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What is that thing yelled in Japanese when starting something? When starting some activity, I've heard something like 'Se..inou... ' (I'm not sure what are the specific words for this). The context for this word I'd think is pretty much the same as when saying 1,2,3 start! in English. Actually, is it just some sound or is it a word? Is there a story behind this?

It is used to do something simultaneously. "Together on 2... one, two!" is used the most. You can hear or for 3 "beats" Variations will apparently depend on regions and dialects, but looks like a national standard. The stories and origins are multiple and vague. I'll just list what I've heard: * comes from the French "Hisser" used by French soldiers during the Meiji Restoration. * comes from the word meaning simultaneously * Or simply comes from (1, 2, three!) I cannot confirm which one is the real origin or if there are others...

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How does the intonation of ありがとう vary between dialects? I recall in my speaking/listening class last semester in Japan, when we were discussing proper intonation in the standard dialect, that the intonation of varied rather widely between dialects (i.e. on which mora the intonation rises and falls). Can someone please refresh my memory? **How does the intonation of vary between dialects?** Please also see the question I've posted in meta regarding notating intonation: What notation should we use for showing the pitch accent of words?

~~In Nagoya, is pronounced as LHLLL~~ (see below), where L and H mean low and high pitches, respectively. I think that this is the same in Tokyo, too. _Correction_ : According to the publisher webpage on the book by Haruo Kubozono, the accent pattern of the word is as follows: > * Tokyo: LHLLL > * Nagoya: LLHLL > * Osaka: LLLHL > * Kagoshima: LLLHH > I admit (with sadness) that I confused the traditional Nagoya pronunciation with the Tokyo pronunciation.

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What's does 仮歌 mean here? I'm having trouble understanding this rock star's tweet: RT @maoloveai: @mao_sid (^0^) What is What does that tweet say?

> from wikipedia So I'm not 100% sure but they are probably talking about some early prototype of a song which still uses some temporary random lyrics for the time being.

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The difference between 書物、図書 and 本 What are the differences between these three words. They all seem to translate to "books". and

`` typically means hard-bounded volume. `` can equally refer to magazines as well. `` has an academic flavour. See Tsuyosh Ito's comment below.

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The difference between 書店 and 本屋 What is the difference between: and Are there any specific places where you can use one over the other? Or is it simply like the English Bookstore/Bookshop, and are perfectly interchangeable?

`` means bookstore. `` means bookstore or publishing company, latter of which would be normally called ``. `` but not `` can be used as affixal; there are `....` but no `...` with this meaning. There are `[...]` like ``, but that has a different structure.

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which instruments use 弾く and which use 引く? I was wondering how do we identify what instruments may be used with the verb , or , or both? If both and can be used is there any difference in nuance between one vs the other?

and , while pronounced the same, mean different things: * means to pull, draw or otherwise move or lead in a literal or mostly literal sense (e.g. , to lead someone by the hand; , to withdraw or retract) * means to play, for a wide variety of instruments, ranging from the piano to the violin, i.e. string instruments and keyboards (potentially caused by the piano and harpsichord in particular secretly being string instruments at heart). Some instruments, however, use entirely different words, like for drums, especially the . **Edit:** Confusingly, is also used for an entirely different sense of the word play; namely that to play a single move in .

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What does たいがい mean here? Another rock star tweet that I don't understand. Here the word confuses me. ( ´Д)RT @shinji_sid: …RT @mao_sid: (((o( __ )o)))(((o( __ )o)))RT @shinji_sid: (´ε ) It looks like they are complimenting each other on how beautiful they are. What does it say?

`` (taigai) in this context means 'to a decent degree'. In the example, they are being modest to each other. A person is praised for something, and that person says that that appies to the other person as well to a decent degree. Depending on the context, it may be an irony, and they may actually be blaming each other. To my understanding, this is used in the Kansai dialects. Another usage is as follows. They both mean the same. > * [Kansai dialect] > * [Tokyo dialect] > * 'Stop doing it!' >

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What does カイデー mean? I saw this in a tweet just a few minutes ago. …(o;; This could be talking about the world cup. I can't find defined anywhere. What does it mean? What does that tweet say?

I am not fully sure, but it may be an instance of playing around with words: cut a word in half and put them together in the wrong order, which is often done especially among celebrities. In this case: > → + → + → [Vowel lengthened to make it four-mora, which sounds more familiar and cool] In this case, it will mean > America ... There are bunches of players around who are larger than me.

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How to correctly understand a sentence that has に in it. A few minutes ago after the World Cup ended, Shinji, guitarist of SID, tweeted this: …(^-^)/ I'm having trouble understanding Does it mean, "Thank you for giving courage and hope to Japan," or does it mean "Thank you Japan for giving me hope and courage?" Sentences with in them are often confusing to me.

It is the former. The full sentence will be: `()`. `` is literally 'it is difficult to happen' or 'it is rare, and hence a valuable thing'. There is no room for a `...` phrase or `...` phrase to appear within the frame of the predicate; you cannot attribute the rareness to someone. This kind of phrase is often heard right after Japan had went under a disaster. Among the famous one is, when Japan was about to recover from the disaster of World War II, Yukawa Hideki was given the first Novel prize in Japan, and similar phrases were seen all over in Japan. The text you cited is probably based on the recent earthquake and tsunami diaster that hit Japan.

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Who, or what, is Tsunku san? Saw this on twitter. < What does that mean?

He is a rock musician, and is the person who created the idol group ``. He seems to have appeared in a TV commercial. `` is the greeting word said before meal, or occasionally before drinking, as in this case.

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When do you use -san about a company? I assume you don't -san about the company or organization that employs you, on the grounds it'd be akin to using it about your own family members. But when is it usually used? Is it merely when you're talking about the organization itself (eg "This event was supported by Microsoft") rather than when you're merely talking about something associated with the organization (eg "This product runs on Microsoft Windows")?

It can be used for companies because companies have a "quasi-personality", but not for their products. But if you use it for companies, it will sound like you are a business person.

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What is なでしこ in なでしこJAPAN I think this what the women's soccer team is called, but I'm not clear on it.

It is short for `` (yamatonadeshiko), which refers to the stereotypical attributes (particular kind of beauty and purity, etc.) that are traditionally considered to be observed among ideal Japanese women. It also refers to Japanese women with such attributes. The male counterpart is `` (nippondanji). This meaning was derived from the plant name as Dave points out. The `` (yamato) [old name of Japan] part was added in order to distinguish it from ``.

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What's the difference between 少{すこ}し (sukoshi) and 小{ちい}さい (chiisai)? What's the difference between {} (sukoshi) and {} (chiisai)? In what situations would I use each one?

To add to the answer from Ignacio, is "little" that is opposite to "big" while is "a little" that is opposite to "a lot". That is to say that describes the small size/volume, while describes the small quantity/magnitude. Adding in "" adds the connotation of "a little" to "cheaper" to become "Is there one that is a little cheaper?" instead of simply "Is there one that is cheaper?". It softens the tone of the request.

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What is あーんしちゃろうか？ At the bottom of this picture it says <

= Shall I give you a mouthful? At first I also thought it might be but only something very unhealthy (i.e. a guilty pleasure) would justify this. The () seemed pretty healthy to me. On further examination (and checking with a native speaker) we concluded it's ** + ** The sound results from mixing the + very quickly into . Here's an example from the wild: **Ref:< \+ bonus material, this page has pictures of puppies!**

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「と言っても」 vs 「とは言え」 Hi all is it true that and are the same thing except that is for spoken clauses whereas is for written clauses?

According to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, and are synonymous and interchangeable without changing the meaning of the sentence. is used primarily in writing, while is used in both written and spoken Japanese.

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"slightly/somewhat" の 「～[目]{め}」: Usage and limitations I'm somewhat confused about the usage and limitations of the suffix that means "somewhat/slightly". I've only ever heard it on a handful of words: > * > * > * > * > * > and maybe a few others that I can't recall at present. 1) Can these be used with any -adjectives, or only certain ones? 2) Can they be used with -adjectives at _all_? Can't say I've ever seen one. 3) What are the limitations of its usage? For the -adjectives, is interchangeable with for forming the adverb? 4)

1. Yes. There seems to be no limitation on the combination of i-adjectives and ``. 2. Yes. For example, `` 3. It is not interchangable. As you already wrote in the question, `` weakens the attribute expressed by the adjective. Therefore, the adverbial usage `...` will in general be a weakening of the adverbial usage of `...`. > * 'ran early' > * 'ran somewhat early' 4. ???

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Fun with synonyms - “flattery" What are the differences in the following words meaning **flattery** / **to flatter** : * {}{} * {}{} * * {}{} * {} * {} * {} * {}{}{}{} Which ones are honest, sincere flattery??? Which ones mean to "butter someone up" or "suck up" (to compliment them only so they'll do something for your benefit)??? Do any of them convey both/additional meanings? * * * **EDIT** : Which one(s) are most commonly used in modern Japanese??? What are the (in)formality levels of each??

Most of the listed words imply some insincerity, or at least mixed motives, with the possible exception of . Roughly, the nuances are as follows: {}{}: Praising someone to make them feel better (despite their poor showing) > "Honey, that's a fantastic drawing, I don't care if it got a C-". {}: Praising someone to egg them on: > You're doing a great job with the vaccuming; keep it up! (Just don't come into the kitchen to "help"). {}{}: To follow someone around and be a yes-man. Phillip Seymour Hoffman does a lot of this in The Big Lebowski. {}{}{}{}: (lit. "beautiful elegant phrases"). Ornate, elaborate praise designed for flattery. Could be sincere. Note that this is a noun, not a verb. The following are all similar, and mean to butter someone up: * * {}{} * {} * {}

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How to understand 抄 in Japanese? In the names of cartoon movies , , what's the special meaning of ? Is it a kind of synonym of ?

The literal meaning of is “excerpt,” and it also means an annotation of literary work. However, it is often used in a title of a literary work when it is neither an excerpt nor an annotated version of another writing, and I guess that your two examples fall into this category. I do not know the exact meaning of in such cases. Sometimes the use of in a title can be explained from the meaning “excerpt” even when it is not an excerpt of another work. There is a well-known collection of poems by Kōtarō Takamura titled Chieko-shō () published in 1941. Chieko is the name of his (deceased) wife. This work is not an abridgement of anything. The title may mean that this work describes some essential part of his wife, but not her entirety.

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Is it true that にしたって is the colloquial form of にしたところで? I've been thinking if it is true that is the colloquial form of . In other words, are the bottom two sentences identical in meaning and nuance? 1) 20 **** 2) 20 **** > He has studied Japanese for 20 years, but he told me that even he encounters grammar he doesn't understand.

The -verb (plain past) form + pattern is most similar, if not identical, to the pattern: > **** **** It doesn't help matters to say things like that. > > **** **** Even if you change the name, the fundamental problem won't disappear so easily. This construction is mostly found in informal speech, whereas can be used anywhere. **However** , it is important to not confuse the in this pattern with the other use of , which is an abbreviation of some form of : > **** **** I got a text saying the Nadeshiko won. > > **** **** He said he got back from Germany yesterday.

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Small towels to wipe sweat off I was in Japan recently and am trying to remember the name for a small towel the Japanese may use to wipe the sweat off their faces in the summer. I was hoping to buy one for myself in the U.S. Do these towels have a name in Japanese? If so, what would be the transliteration in English?

I am not sure which one you are talking about, but hope it is one of these below. I doubt it is either of the first two, but seems too long for what you describe as "a small towel". > * 'towel' > * 'handkerchief' > * (tenugui) Similar to handkerchief, but longer > * (aburatori-gami) piece of paper-like tissue that absorbs oil from the surface of the face. > * A small towel that is slightly wet and sterilized with vapor. Served at restaurants or bars before meal >

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What is 漕ぎに来てくれるフラグ in English? ? I read that on twitter. This is the tweet, if it helps to make sense of it. …( ´ ` )RT @yamadamic: !? RT @mao_sid: ∇RT @mizuuchitakeshi: (^O^)… All that I understand is that it says, "Is this **___ __ ___ __**?"

`` started to be used recently as an internet slang. It means an 'advance hint', 'indication of something that will happen later', or 'some fact that will make much sense when some other fact is revealed later'. It is woven into the context intentionally (as in detective stories) or it happens non-intentionally. A normal way of saying it is ``. It comes from the English 'flag', whose relevant usage is, according to my speculation, a global boolean variable used in computer programming to keep the state of something and is used later.

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What is a シドギャ? ギャ doesn't mean girl, does it? At first I thought meant girl, but after doing some googling, that doesn't appear to be what it is. What is ? is related to the band , the most popular Visual Kei rock band in Japan for all of you who don't know.

is short for , so is indeed "girl." refers to (usually female) fans of (SID). A similar word is (likewise short for ), which refers to (again usually female) fans of visual kei bands.

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What does 染めちゃえ mean here? Saw this on twitter: > A: ... > > B: **** What is here?

Just an idea: Maybe it means that someone has been in contact with X for so long that they have been influenced? Like a white shirt would get a bit blue if you wash it together with blue clothes. A metaphor that can be found in French with "déteindre".

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Software flashcards deck = 単語帳 or デッキ? I maintain a flashcards app (called AnkiDroid), it is open source so various users contributed the Japanese UI localization. Unfortunately, for the term "flashcards deck" (a file containing a number of cards about a particular topic), there seems to be two schools of thought: Some are using while others are using . For the sake of consistency, I must choose one, but I have no idea which is better. Which one would you keep?

`` as a deck of cards is not established among the general people. I guess only people who are particularly related to playing cards, RPG cards, or magicians may use it in that way. For most other people, `` will primarily mean 'cassette deck', or the meanings rintaun mentions, or as part of a noun compound `` 'deck chair'. `` particularly means 'flashcards' (or a notebook with similar content), and sounds more natural.

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Do the various verbs pronounced つく differ in intonation? > **Related:** Dissecting verbs There are many verbs which are pronounced , and I was simply wondering: **Do their intonation patterns differ?** If so, **what are the intonation patterns of the most common forms of in Tokyo dialect?** Common:

The NHK pronunciation dictionary prescribes that: 1. , , , , , , , and all have the accent on the first or second mora (with first preferred: HL) 2. has no accent (so in isolation it is LH, but note that this is not the same as accent-on-the-second-mora LH when other words follow) Hope this helps!

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Meaning of ぎゃほ ? What does the interjection mean? Context: A: We are mentioned in (famous newspaper) B: Does it have the meaning of ? Or is it surprise, or something else?

"" is one of the unique interjections used by Noda Megumi (), the main protagonist of the manga, anime and j-drama "Nodame Cantabile" () when she is surprised. She also uses "" when irritated. !enter image description here

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Usage of 「ごめんください」 In all the anime and j-drama I have watched all these years, as far as I can remember, the only scenario where the greeting is used is when the characters are in front of an ajar or open door of a house calling the residents out, like ! ?. I also remember some scenes where this greeting was used in phone calls, although I can't recall whether it was in the beginning or before the end of the conversations. Apart from the two scenarios above, are there any other scenarios where is used? If not, what makes this greeting so restricted in usage? N.B. Somewhat related: Usage of (sumimasen) versus (gomen'nasai)

`` is an idiomatic expression used to attract someone's attention when visitng that person's place. It does not mean 'appology' + 'please give' any more. Pretty much similar to your example but another variant is when you want something at a shop, and you don't see a shop clerk around, you can use this word to call someone. If the person you want to call is already in front of you, you cannot use this.

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けど at the end of the sentence? According to dictionaries, means ‘but’, ‘although’, ‘however’. However, it seems to have slightly another meaning at the end of the sentence. For example, here are few example sentences with their approximate translations (correct me if I'm wrong): * — ‘I guess, it's okay.’ * — ‘I have something to tell you’ * — ‘I'm looking for a sweater’ Translations demonstrate that introduces some uncertainty, but don't feature anything close to ‘but’ or ‘however’. Can anyone clarify how the meaning of at the end of sentence can be expressed in English, when it's appropriate to use this word, and what's it ‘politeness level’?

There is also ``. > It is sort of a hedge (weakening). And I see the exact same thing in English. Are you a native English speaker? If so, you should have encountered these expressions. I know a person who ends a sentence with `but`. > It's okay, but ... [Sentence ends without continuation] Another variant I observe in English is: > Do you want this, or ... [Sentence ends without continuation] And very often, I see English speaking people starting a conversation with `so`: > So, I am doing a project. I personally feel uncomfortable with these, but it is the same thing in English and Japanese. Maybe they are slightly different in that, in Japanese, people put the period, but that will be awkward in English.

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General applicability of the ～ませ conjugation I have only found the conjugation used in the following honorific verbs: 1. 2. 3. Can the conjugation be applied to other honorific verbs, like or ? Or even common verbs, like or ?

`` is the imperative form of the polite ``. For all of your examples, you cannot directly add ``, but you can add ``: > * > * > * > * > or ``: > * > * > * > * > Probably, only a few verbs including the ones Lukman mentions have the conjugation ``. And ento found that ``, is also possible. My speculation for this is that only the verbs that: 1. have an auxiliary usage besides its main verb usage, and 2. are suppletive honorification have the `` conjugation. > * , 'be' [As main verb] > * **** , **** 'have been' [As auxiliary] > * , 'give to me' [As main verb] > * **** , **** 'eat for me' [As auxiliary] > * , 'do' [As main verb] > * **** , **** [As auxiliary] >

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What is the Japanese term for a gamer? As in "some one who plays video games". Could I just use ?

As rintaun says, is the most general term for "some one who plays video games". In its narrower sense, when describing a person, it can mean a "hardcore gamer" as opposed to just (, casual gamer). For example, if someone wants to say she's just a casual gamer, she might say things like `` If you need to differentiate between different gamer types, there are terms that roughly corresponds to the english ones. * : casual gamer * : mid-core gamer * : hardcore gamer * : especially avid fans among mid-core gamers (From Wikipedia articles: and Gamer)

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Honorific prefixes: 「ご」 vs 「お」 Some nouns take the prefix: > {} > {} > {} > {} > {} While many others take the prefix: > > {} > {} > {} > {} In general, what are the criteria that determine whether a noun takes a or an ?

Most generally: * Words of Chinese (On-yomi) origin take * Words of Japanese (Kun-yomi) origin take If I recall correctly, there are also a very few chinese-origin words which take as they are very commonly used, but I can't think of any of these off the top of my head. **Edit:** One such example is .

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Is B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, ... wasei-eigo? While visiting Tokyo, I noticed that most levels were indicated by `B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F`, ... . This doesn't look like the Romaji for `-kai` or `-gai` counter-words, which I assume would be `chika ni-kai, chika ikkai, ikkai, ni-kai`, ... . Is it wasei-eigo for `Basement 2nd Floor, Basement 1st Floor, 1st Floor, 2nd Floor`?

This may be an answer to Derek's comment rather than to Andrew's original question. They are commonly written on walls right in front of an elevator, stairs, or an escalator, or on elevator buttons. They stand for Basement 2nd Floor, Basement 1st Floor, 1st Floor, 2nd Floor, as Andrew wrote. In Japanese, when words are abbreviated, they are usually abbreviated in romanization or abbreviated after its English word. Writing `F` would require much less strokes than ``. I did not know that they are wasei-eigo. Are they not used in English? Or, do you mean that the word order `Basement 2nd Floor` is wrong as English and should rather be `2nd Basement Floor` or `2nd Floor Underground` or something? If you mean that, then it might be wasei-eigo. The idea is something like 'negative 2nd floor'.

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Greeting for meeting a friend by chance How can I greet a person in a manner similar to "Nice to find you in here!" (— meaning meeting a friend by chance somewhere)?

The most common one is > > 'It's coincidental (as if it were planned).' but it does not particularly mean you feel nice about it (nor does it mean it is bad). If you want to express that, you can just add the direct translation: > > 'I am happy to meet with you again.

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The difference between Aが見える and Bを見る What is the difference between A and B? Is there anything tricky about this? Can you illustrate with examples?

The simplest explanation for the difference is that in A A is the subject (the one who looks) while in B B is the object (the one who is looked at). Example with : > . > The bird ate [something]. > > . > [Something] ate the bird. EDIT: Updating my answer, since the question has changed in a fundamental way. As stated in phirru's answer, is an intransitive verb that means "to/can be seen". It refers to state of the noun subject as being visible. It's basically different from , which is a transitive verb that means "to see/look" which refers to the act of seeing/looking. In short, is a state while is an act. Like other intransitive verbs, takes a particle but not . on the other hand can take both particles depending on whether the preceding nouns are the subject or object of the "look" action, as I've shown in my original answer above.

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What is おもぴろかった Saw this on twitter: @Daigo19780408 ( ´) What does mean? I find words like this all over the place on the net, but I can't figure out what it means, and I can't find it defined anywhere.

Changing the consonant 's' (or 'sh' derived from it) into 'p' is sort of a diminutive. It gives the impression of cuteness/childishness. So the original form is ``. An English equivalent would be saying `doggie` for 'dog', etc. These forms are not at all the standard way of talking. A famous example is what came to be called 'Noripii-ish' in the 1980s, named after the idol (sakai noriko), who pronounced many words in this way, for example, `` for '', etc. If you change the 's' into 'ch' or 'sh', then it becomes a baby-ish talk: ``, ``, ``.

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What does 週一 mean? Trying to understand this tweet: ( ´) I understood everything up to . What does that sentence say?

is a shorthand for , which means "once per week".

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What does 二周目 mean? I find this all over the net, but can't find it defined anywhere. I'm trying to understand this tweet: ( ´)RT @mimiroll_410: @mao_sid ()(^O^) What does the first sentence say?

is used as an _ordinal_ suffix. ~~It's the difference between "2 weeks" and (like in this case) "the 2 **nd** week".~~ **Edit:** Sorry for failing so blatantly. :( Updated answer, now with less obvious errors!: So in this case, Mao is suggesting that "the second _round_ " be Sid impersonations (the first "round" is singing all the Sid songs in the Karaoke machine in alphabetical order).

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What does MC mean in Japanese? Saw this on twitter: MC( ´)RT @miri_sid: @mao_sid (^-^) Can't find the Japanese definition of MC anywhere. What does that say?

`MC` in Japanese nowadays most commonly means a talk (by a singer) in between songs at a (pop) concert. It is a (wasei-eigo) under this meaning. It seems to have derived from the phrase 'master of ceremony'. In a broader context, it simply means a talk at some event.

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What does 懐{なつ}い mean in this context? Saw this on twitter: > A: > > B: winter fall

`` is a slang for ``. It is a kind of nostalgia/sentimental feeling that occurs when you remember the past or encounter something that reminds you of the past.

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What does コピー mean in this context? > A: > > B: … I know that is the band L'arc En Ciel. What does **** mean here? What does the first sentence say?

`` 'copy' in this context means to play a song of a band in the format as close as possible to the original. Often, you reconstruct the music score by listening to that song. If it is done in this way, it is particularly called `` 'copying by ear'. ` ... ` means 'Then, please listen again. This will be the last song Niji.'

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Anti-causal/Non-causal relationship How do I form a sentence of these patterns "X does not arise from Y", "X not due to Y", "X not because of Y", "There are other reasons for X". Since obviously I cannot simply slap onto or to form an "anti-causal" particle. Would the below constructions work?: * XY * XY * X * XY * XY * XY Are there better options for this type of relationship between X and Y? Or do more colloquial forms or set phrases exist for stating anti/non-cause? I'm not sure if my constructions sound unnatural. The way I constructed those statements feel quite literal to me.

In the following, I assume that _X_ and _Y_ take the form of a sentence like ``. * If you want to presuppose that _X_ and _Y_ both happened, and assert that the former is not due to the latter, then a simple expression is: > _X_ _Y_ > _Y_ _X_ Some of your examples can also be used: > _X_ _Y_ > _X_ _Y_ > * If you want to presuppose that _X_ and _Y_ both happened, and assert that the former is not **only** due to the latter, then you can use your expressions: > _X_ _Y_ > _X_ ( _Y_ ) [Corrected] * If you want to be neutral whether _X_ or _Y_ happened, and assert that they are not related, then > _X_ _Y_ > _X_ _Y_ [Academic] > _X_ _Y_ you can also use your expression: > _X_ _Y_ ()

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What does 男前 mean when used to describe a woman? I just encountered the phrase in the book I am reading. When I looked up , it was defined as "good looks in a man," much like "handsome" in English. What does it mean when used to describe a woman? Here is the context: > Roughly: _Maybe, if he was willing to put up with his brother's phone calls, he could lighten that cheeky, [?] woman's burden just a little._ (For what it's worth, the woman in question had been repeatedly described as a conventional beauty. The man who describes her as an is probably attracted to her but still oblivious at this point.)

A definition I found for is a bit different from what you (and I) originally expected So, I guess that this girl may behave a bit like a tomboy, or maybe show too much assurance. Edit: after a quick survey around me (corpus size: two persons), is either neutral or positive, and is much related to the behaviour, not really to the look of the female in question. It could be applied for example for a person who says what she thinks a bit too directly. In the lack of more piece of information, I would personally not use it tomorrow before knowing more about the nuance and how some people may react to it :)

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Do people actually ever say みょうにち? I've heard people using (the common one) and (rather uncommon) to refer to "tomorrow". I was wondering does anyone actually uses the reading ?

I have heard it used in formal (e.g. business) contexts. I have never heard it used in casual conversations among friends or family. This is what you might expect, because Sino-Japanese words like do tend to have a more formal feel than native Japanese words like or , when they exist alongside each other with similar meanings.

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What is the exact definition of 泥棒? In English: * a burglar is usually associated with someone who breaks into a house (victim is usually unaware during the burglary) * a robber is usually associated with that person who uses weapons and threatens you to give him your property (victim-aware of course) * a mugger is usually associated with a robber on the street (victim-aware) * a thief is usually one who sneakily steals things without resorting to violence (victim-unaware) * a pickpocket is usually associated with a thief on the street (victim-unaware) So what exactly is the exact nuance of a ? perhaps most likely there isn't a 1-to-1 match so probably could someone write an explanation of without using words like robber/mugger/thief/pickpocket/burglar etc Side question: if we change to the hiragana form , does it affect the nuance in any way?

In this particular case, I can see quite straghtforward correspondence between English and Japanese. But `` is also the cover term that can be used to widely refer to all of these. > * 'burglar' > * 'robber' > * 'mugger' > * 'thief' > * 'pickpocket' > * 'Hamburglar' > Writing it in hiragana does not change the nuance. There is a stereotypical image for :

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What are some well known exceptions for 居る (いる) and 有る (ある)? Today I heard , so I googled around because I thought was only for living things, but I found many examples of this usage. Many for as well. Are there other exceptions for

In your case, it can be simply an instance of personification. That is, metaphorically handling an inanimate thing as if it were animate. That is easy to imagine with 'doll'. If that is the case, then this is not an exception but is simply a rhethoric. A case where an inanimate thing can take `` is when that thing is inherently mobile, and is used within the context as such. For example, if you are looking at a time table, and found a train that you can take, then you can say > but if you were running into the station to catch a train that may have left already, but you made to it in the last moment and there is a train in front of you, then you can say > On the other hand, when you are talking about an existence of an animate thing, and that is an ordinary scene, you can use it with `` > > When you are talking about possession by nature, then you can use an animate thing with ``. > >

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Ending sentence with ～だもの or ～ですもの I've been listening songs and anime dialogues that end sentences with or even cuter version for so long that I am able to see how the word denotes reasons or excuses like: > {} **** (when the character was asked why she finished the cake all by herself) I have no problem with the grammatical structure of the sentences that end with when the words before are verbs or adjectives, but I am confused when the words that precede the are nouns, they need to put the copula or before the , for example: > **** > **** Shouldn't it be or particles between the nouns and ? How does that work, in term of grammar? Or is this usage of simply colloquial or slangy that does not have to follow any grammar rule?

Because it's not the noun , but a grammatical final particle on its own. You do say "" and "" with particle "" don't you? It's the same thing here!

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What is usually written at the end of a slides presentation to imply "Thanks for listening"? I've seen this phrase a couple of times but couldn't read the Kanji so I don't remember it. Otherwise, what phrase would be good to include in the last slide to imply "Thanks for listening!"? For example, after giving a presentation about project that you are working on, after finishing talking at a seminar.

I think the most common one around is ``.

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ぼちぼち - related words I am at present rigorously studying (an _entire_ world of its own!). The definition my book has for (also ) is: 1. Gradually; slowly but steadily 2. Used to describe something that is about to happen. Imminently. Right away. 3. The condition of many dots or other small objects scattered around. Ignoring definition 3, definition 1 seems nearly identical to and : ←→←→ and definition 2 seems nearly identical to : ←→ Is this correct?? If so, are they freely interchangeable in a given situation, etc.? Can someone explain any nuances amongst them??

Usage 1: I think this usage has sort of Kansai dialect flavour, although it can still be used in Tokyo dialect. While and have the implication that it is straightforwardly going towards one direction on the scale, implies that some kind of force against it or brake is in effect, or it just implies that the rate of change is slower. It can even mean that it is not changing but is static at some moderate degree. Close English expressions are `little by little` or `so-so`. A typical (stereotypical) Osaka-merchants' greeting phrase: > A: > 'Is your business going well?' > B: > 'So-so.' Usage 2: Under this usage, I think you can only use it for volitional acts. > > > 'Let's get back to work.' > > > > 'It is about to start to rain.'

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What does バタバタ mean? What does mean? > **** (´_`) Everything make sense to me except for the last part.

`` is an onomatopoeia expressing busyness. Usually, a Japanese onomatopoeia repeats a two-mora part (like ``) twice, four morae in total, but here, it is repeated thrice.

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A word like マシ without the negative connotation When asking, "which is better," in Japanese, I could write However has a negative connotation, implying that even though something is better it's still undesirable. What's a word like that I could use when asking "which is better?" that doesn't have this negative connotation?

You can say > ? > ? [Colloquial] without negative connotation. Or, if you want to imply that both are good, and want to ask `Which is even better?` > ? > ? [Colloquial]

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