302 Answered Questions for the topic Japanese

04/29/19

What's the difference between 歩んでいった and 歩んできた?
> 私はまっすぐな人生を**歩んできた。** > > 私はまっすぐな人生を**歩んでいった。** Could someone explain to me the difference between the two? Thanks a lot! Edit: I still find ていった confusing even after reading the... more
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04/29/19

Meaning of volitional passive form?
> お姉ちゃんに何を**言われようが**、まる子はウキウキ気分なのであった。 > What was said by her sister ???? but, Maruko felt cheerful. I can't think of any way in which something which is passive can also be volitional. How... more
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Japanese Grammar Usage Nuances

04/28/19

Confusion about "Seemingly not ～"?
So there are several ways to express something is "seemingly not ～": > * ～なさそう * ～そうにない * ～そうもない * ～そうにもない (is this one even real?) I was always taught ～なさそう in my Japanese classes, and it was... more
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04/26/19

What are the differences between 〜ので and 〜から?
When I was studying this, my 先生 kind of brushed over the point, and then years later, I realize that they are different, but I don't know exactly how. The only thing I understand is that ので is... more
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04/26/19

what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ?
what's the difference between ところで and ちなみに ? Are they always/often/seldom interchangeable?
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04/26/19

Difference between passive form and てある?
I'm confused about the difference between the passive form and the てある form. > 飲み物はもう**買ってあります**。 > The drinks have already been bought. > > 飲み物はもう**買われました**。 > > The drinks... more
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Japanese Grammar Word Choice

04/25/19

Passive vs. active form of verb (past) What is the difference?
I was wondering what the difference is if I use passive form or active form of a verb. For example: ネズミは猫に食べられた。The mouse was eaten by the cat. 猫は、ネズミを食べた。The cat ate the mouse. What EXACTLY is... more
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Japanese Grammar Verbs

04/22/19

Habitual aspect?
My (poor) understanding of things is that there are two ways to get habitual semantics in Japanese: * use the dictionary form of the verb: > 毎日、映画{えいが}を見に行く "I go to the movies every day." *... more
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Japanese Grammar Usage

04/21/19

でも (demo) versus けど (kedo) to mean "but"?
I learned that you can use でも (*demo*) at the beginning of a sentence to mean "but," and that you can use けど (*kedo*) at the end of a sentence to mean "though." However, I don't see a difference... more
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04/21/19

How the ～にあって form works - situations, places, times, what?
I finally started going through some JLPT N1 grammar the other day, and one of the ones I'm looking at has me a bit confused: the ～にあって・～にあっても form. The book describes its usage as such: >... more
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Japanese Grammar Word Choice

04/21/19

What's the difference between なぜ、どうして and なんで when meaning 'why'?
I've been meaning to ask this for a while. What is the difference between these 3 words. I was taught they all mean "why", but obviously, being different words they convey different nuance and... more
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04/21/19

What is the meaning of りゃ in this phrase?
I came across this phrase while reading an interview. > そういう時はなんて答え**りゃ**いいんだ。 I think it means "At a time like that, such a reply/response is good." But I don't understand the usage of りゃ. I... more
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Japanese Grammar Usage

04/21/19

What is the subject when time passes in a narrative (eg １ヶ月を経る）?
(This might be a quick easy question but sometimes the answers to these are unexpected.) What is the subject in the following sentences？ I've given my best efforts for the examples 1-4 below. (I... more
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04/21/19

What form is あり?
On the road outside my daughter's nursery is painted 保育園アリ. I guess this is a form of ある, but what's it called, and why is あり used not ある？
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Japanese

04/21/19

Difference between 書かないようになった and 書かなくなった?
Example sentences: ぜんぜん長い手紙を書かないようになった。 ぜんぜん長い手紙を書かなくなった。 My Translation: I never write long letters anymore. I believe they both mean the same thing but there's obviously some difference I... more
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Japanese Grammar

04/18/19

Difference between てもいい and ていい?
> 寝ていい？ I've learned that to ask permission for doing something, you needed to use ～てもいい but the more I read japanese, the more I come across ～ていい. What is the difference ? Is the latter a... more
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04/18/19

The nuance of ことなく compared with ないで?
What nuance does "ことなく" have? If we compare the following two sentences: (For example, at a footrace:) 最後まで、あきらめないで走ります！ vs 最後まで、あきらめることなく、走ります！ Is ことなく stronger than simply saying ないで? Does... more
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Japanese

04/17/19

Are 終{お}わる and 済{す}ませる synonyms?
I know that they both mean "finish". But I wonder if there are situations or contexts where you can use one but not the other.
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Japanese

04/17/19

Contrasting 〜てならない、〜てしょうがない and 〜てたまらない?
These three phrases can be used to express emotions and feelings that cannot be controlled. For example in the following sentences: a) １点差で負けたので、悔しくてならない。 b) １点差で負けたので、悔しくてしょうがない。 c)... more
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Japanese

04/17/19

How does " ~ずにはいられない " work?
>時代の流れを感じずにはいられない。 I can't help but feel time passing by. >彼のことを同情せずにはいられない。 I can't help but to feel sorry for him. >私は、彼の才能を賞賛せずにはいられない。 I can't help but admire his talent. Would... more
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Japanese Jlpt

04/17/19

って vs が. JLPT question?
I'm looking through JLPT N3 questions and have come across this one: > A: ねえ　（　　　）　どんなひと？ > B: とても親切でいい人だよ The possible answers are: 1. 田中さんが 2. 田中さんで 3. 田中さんって 4. 田中さんでも Number... more
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Japanese

04/17/19

When to use 他【ほか】の or 他【ほか】に?
I always thought only 他の existed, but my teacher uses 他に a lot. Are there differences between when each can be used? Here are two examples of each from my online dictionary: >だれかほかの人に聞いてごらん... more
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Japanese

04/17/19

How close are なりつつある and なっている?
>語学学習は私の新しい習慣の一部になりつつあるのでしょうか？ >"Is learning languages becoming a part of my new daily routine?" なりつつある here seems similar to なっている... are they often interchangeable? Would I be able to... more
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Japanese Grammar Set Phrases

04/17/19

The という in things like 〜ということ・〜というの・〜という感じ・〜というわけ etc?
I have been trying for ages to understand the reason という is used so frequently. In other words, what does it add to the sentence and what connotations does it have in Japanese? I understand the... more
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04/16/19

Shouldn't this phrase using だけのこと mean "just for that"?
In a grammar textbook I have, there is this phrase: > 幸{さいわ}い日本{にほん}で日本語{にほんご}を勉強{べんきょう}して、かなり話{はな}せるようになりました。日本{にほん}に行{い}っただけのことはありました。 The translation given is: > Fortunately, I studied... more
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