302 Answered Questions for the topic Japanese

04/14/19

How to appropriately pair tenses in subordinate and main clauses?
Consider the following combination. Which is the correct one? 1. テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《です》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できる》 のは１９６０ 《です》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できた》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。 1. テレビが私の国で 《できる》 のは１９６０ 《でした》。 Note:... more
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Japanese Grammar Word Choice

04/14/19

Trouble understanding this apology: 我々が...謝罪?
An English website wrote an apology in Japanese after it took down an image of cracked hinomaru (日の丸) — the hinomaru linked to a donation page for the disasters following the March 11... more
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Japanese Grammar Particles

04/14/19

Usage of なんて and なんか as emphasis?
When are なんて and なんか used as emphasis in casual speech? Are they used when you're surprised, angry or can it be both? What sort of feeling does it convey to the listener compared to a normal... more
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Japanese Grammar

04/14/19

Meaning of pattern 「XがXなら、YもYだ」?
While reading, I came across this sentence: >「上官が上官なら部下も部下だな」 What does this 「XがXなら、YもYだ」 pattern mean? "Like X, like Y"? "X will be X, and Y will be Y"?
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04/14/19

Unsolvable problem?
What is the correct construction of "unsolvable problem"? Is it "解{と}けられない問題{もんだい}"？**(Question 1)** > Plain(intransitive): 解{と}ける "To be solved". > Potential form(of intransitive): 解けられる... more
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Japanese Grammar Nuances

04/13/19

What's the difference between 広める 広げる and 広まる 広がる?
I find the difference between 「広める (他動詞) 広げる (他動詞)」 and between 「広まる (自動詞) 広がる (自動詞)」 to be complicated. Can someone explain?
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04/13/19

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

04/13/19

What´s the difference between による, により and　によって?
I don't understand when you use it and what the difference is between each other. For example, when you say: > 火事によって多くの森林が焼けてしまった。 > 今回の地震による津波の心配はない。
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04/13/19

<adv> versus <adv>+と versus <adv>+に?
I often see adverbs used in one of three ways: 1) Adverb appears in isolation in a sentence: > **あまり** 好きじゃないんですが。 2) Adverb is followed by に > **別々に** お願いします。 >... more
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04/13/19

Why does 「電話は切れた」 sound more adversarial than 「電話が切れた」?
I noticed that while 「…、電話が切れた」 sounds just like a neutral phrase ("... and the call got cut off."), 「…、電話は切れた」 sounds more like you were negatively affected / that the person on the other side... more
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04/12/19

Is it possible to distinguish between 'cannot'/'does not' and 'will not'?
As practice I have been alternately translating short bits of writing both from Japanese to English and from English to Japanese. When most recently attempting the latter, it occurred to me that I... more
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04/07/19

why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it?
why is it that some 形容動詞 accepts の after it while some only accepts な after it? Examples: の only: 普通、大勢 な or の: 初心、特別、特殊 Is there a way for us to tell if a 形容動詞 needs a の or な particle after... more
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04/06/19

What form is 恐るる?
In Final Fantasy VIII, Bahamut has a little speech: > …G.F.とは我らのことか > 我らを力として使うとは… > 恐るるべきは人間どもよ I'd never seen two るs doubled up like that. Which conjugation is this? It seems to have... more
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Japanese Grammar Usage Nuances

04/06/19

What exactly is the difference between <verb>-てしまう and <verb>- [切]{き}る?
I've read that both the ～てしまう and ～きる (18th meaning of 切る at http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi-bin/wwwjdic.cgi?1MUE%E5%88%87%E3%82%8B) forms are used to signify something has been... more
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Japanese Grammar Syntax

04/06/19

Writing a story in Japanese: how to handle dialogue?
I'm an elementary Japanese student. I am trying to write a simple story in Japanese, and I want to make it as interesting as possible with my current knowledge of the language. I am concerned about... more
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04/06/19

How to translate: "Keep/leave something". So, how to express intention to leave something unchanged?
Consider questions like: Please leave the door open, thanks! Could you please keep the lift's doors open? Thankyou Please, leave it as it is. They all imply something common: not changing... more
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Japanese Grammar Word Choice

04/06/19

Why 次第 instead of によって in this very example?
I was randomly browsing [this page](http://www.comico.jp/detail.nhn?titleNo=58&articleNo=10) and came across this sentence: > 砂糖{さとう}は作｛つく｝るものしだいで使用｛しよう｝します。 This recipe happens to have a... more
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Japanese Grammar Particle

04/05/19

So-called の-adjectives - how does の *really* work?
Ok, so there seems to be some controversy over whether we can really say that there are 'の-adjectives', or whether we simply use a noun in an "attributive" way (a term which I don't actually really... more
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04/05/19

slightly/somewhat の 「～[目]{め}」: Usage and limitations?
I'm somewhat confused about the usage and limitations of the　～め　suffix that means "somewhat/slightly". I've only ever heard it on a handful of words: > * 大きめ * 小さ目 * 多め * 少な目 * 早め and maybe a... more
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Japanese Grammar Meaning Words

04/05/19

I am struggling with the sometimes conflicting uses of 先?
Rikaisama's definition of 先 includes meanings like *previous; prior; former; some time ago*. However it also includes meanings such as *front; ahead; the future; destination*. I am struggling to... more
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04/05/19

な directly after a noun (not a な-adjective)?
While reading a grammar book, I read the following explanation of な >**な** ***na,*** **a masculine** ***ne*** > Both sexes use *ne*, but male speakers often use *na* instead. There are... more
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04/05/19

Distinguishing between 'on' and 'above'?
> 世界のルールで、島は水**より上に**出ていなければならないと決まっています。 > World rules determine that an island must stick out above the water. In this sentence 水より上 clearly means 'above the water', but when I look in... more
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04/02/19

What is the difference between 〜となる and 〜になる?
Is it a nuance difference? Is it formality? **EDIT** For example: > 請求書のお支払いは現金のみとなりますので、ご了承くださいませ。 > 請求書のお支払いは現金のみになりますので、ご了承くださいませ。 I just made that example up, but for some reason, my... more
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04/01/19

ない in つまらない and similar adjectives and their conjugation with すぎる?
The usual path for conjugation would be: 1. 高い　→　高すぎる　 (drop い, append すぎる) 2. ない　→　なさすぎる (drop い, append さ, append すぎる) Is ない in つまらない treated as the negative ない which conjugates as 2.? Or is... more
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04/01/19

When to use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい?
When does one use 欲しがる instead of 欲しい? For example, in phrases like: > 先生は野菜を食べて欲し｛いです・がっています｝。 My incomplete understanding is that the がる form is more formal/polite, but it can only be used... more
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