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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99632", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Context: A new school teacher doing her first ever parent teacher conferences\nhasn't been able to get in contact with the mother of one of her students. She\nhas tried to contact the mother for weeks, and leaving another voicemail for\nthe mother the teacher says:\n\n\"お時間のある時にご連絡いただければと思います\".\n\nI think I understand that the meaning of this is maybe something along the\nlines of \"When/if you have the time, I would be glad/happy to receive your\ncontact\",or something, but I don't understand how the いただければと思います has the\nmeaning that it does/contributes to the meaning of the sentence in the way\nthat it does?\n\nMore specifically, when I first saw this, I thought it might seem more\nunderstandable, to me, if there was an いい or an 嬉しいになります or something after\nthe いただければ. I just don't think that I've ever really seen the conditional and\nthen the quoting particle right after...though I also see that maybe it could\nlike make it more polite or something somehow maybe to not say anything after\nthe いただければ?\n\nThank you!", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T02:08:26.247", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99629", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T03:10:54.870", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56212", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "nuances", "conditionals" ], "title": "I think I don't understand this sentence/maybe why the conditional form doesn't have something directly after it and before the と in this sentence", "view_count": 37 }

[ { "body": "> I thought it might seem more understandable, to me, if there was an いい or an\n> 嬉しいになります or something after the いただければ.\n\nThis is it. As you suspected, something like \"I'm glad\" or \"I appreciate\" has\nbeen omitted after いただければ. This is just another common pattern that indirectly\nexpresses your hope/request. It works alone, without と思います, for example:\n\n * 明日も来ていただければ幸いです。 \n明日も来ていただければ。 \nI appreciate if you come again tomorrow. \nI hope you come again tomorrow.\n\n(幸い is a way of saying \"I'm glad\" suitable in a formal situation.)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T03:10:54.870", "id": "99632", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T03:10:54.870", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99629", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "I couldn't find information on either when I searched, so I was wondering if\nthere was any difference. I would assume it might vary between regions, so in\na region where ゆうた is used for 言った", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T03:04:51.433", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99631", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T03:13:44.310", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "54303", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "pitch-accent" ], "title": "What would the pitch accent be for 言うた（ゆうた） vs. the name ユウタ?", "view_count": 57 }

[ { "body": "ゆうた (dialectal 言った) and ゆうた (優太, 裕太, etc) are pronounced the same, ゆうた【HLL】.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T03:13:44.310", "id": "99633", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T03:13:44.310", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99631", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99638", "answer_count": 1, "body": "In the game Persona 3, a teacher says this while talking about a poet they\nlike as opposed to one being mentioned in the textbook:\n\n> …葛西もいいけど、先生、 最近は窪田空穂にハマってるのよね。 歌人としてが有名だけど、 随筆もとってもいいのよ。\n\nI don't think I had ever seen が attach to a て form prior to this; I can see\nthat it's meant to say that 窪田 is famous as a poet, but I was wondering how が\nended up being added here as として is more than capable of adverbially\ndelivering that meaning:\n\n> 歌人として有名だけど\n>\n> As a poet (he) is famous but\n\nMy assumption is that its been added to force the specifying emphasis that が\ncan usually put on nouns onto として (the thing that is famous is specifically\nhim being a poet), but I have trouble conceptualizing how this makes sense\nwithout first nominalising として somehow (and if I'm not mistaken, wouldn't としては\nbe more appropriate here anyway because we're contrasting his poetry with his\nessays?)\n\n 1. Is attaching が to a て form grammatically legal, if so, how does it make sense\n 2. If my analysis of adding emphasis was correct, how does the meaning differ between using として…, としてが…, and としては… in this case", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T03:24:39.107", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99635", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T07:54:49.663", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39086", "post_type": "question", "score": 4, "tags": [ "grammar", "particles", "て-form", "particle-は", "particle-が" ], "title": "Appearance of が after a て form", "view_count": 389 }

[ { "body": "You are correct that this が is essentially adding a kind of emphasis. Some\nadverbial expressions such as ～まで, ～から, ～て may be used with an exhaustive-\nlisting-が, just as a contrastive-は can be used at similar places:\n\n * 明日からが難しいところです。 \nIt's tomorrow that the hardest part begins.\n\n * ナイフで切るのは簡単だけど、ハサミを使ってが難しい。 \nIt's easy to cut it with a knife, but what's difficult is doing so using\nscissors.\n\n歌人として **は** 有名だけど will be taken as a contrastive expression (\"Though he _is_\nfamous _(at least) as_ a poet, ...\").", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T07:54:49.663", "id": "99638", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T07:54:49.663", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99635", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> A「ねえ、この漫画、面白いよ。」 \n> B「興味ない」 \n> A「そんなこと言っ **て** 。本当は読んでみたくてしかたがないくせに」\n\nIs て here a contracted form of something?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T05:29:14.500", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99637", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T14:23:28.690", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-15T14:23:28.690", "last_editor_user_id": "9831", "owner_user_id": "45347", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "What does て in this mean? 「そんなこと言って。」", "view_count": 38 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 「そういうこと考えてたから、俺の方はどうなのかって質問してきたのか？」\n>\n> 「んー、まあそういうこと」\n>\n> 随分とあっけからんとした喋り口だが、その告白がきっかけで色々物思いに耽った後なのだろうということは察せた。\n\nSo the character's sister got confessed and she herself is confused on why, so\nshe came to ask her brother for counsel.\n\nI understand\n\n随分とあっけからんとした喋り口だが、その告白がきっかけで色々物思いに耽った\n\nShe may speak nonchalantly, but with that confession as an impetuous, she\nbecame lost in thoughts,\n\nand\n\nことは察せた。 is the character own thoughts about how he can guess her situation but\nhow is\n\n後なのだろう here acting here? it's not \"after\"?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T12:54:05.787", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99639", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-15T01:05:05.593", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-16T00:23:24.100", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "particles", "sentence", "reading-comprehension" ], "title": "Use of　後 in this sentence", "view_count": 80 }

[ { "body": "This 後 is just \"after\", and ～後なのだ is \"[it] happens after ～\" or \"[it] is\nsomething happening after ～\". The 告白 happened first, then her 物思い happened\nnext, and then this counsel is happening at last. In other words, the\nconfession already caused her to think a lot, and she has already \"recovered\"\nnow, which is why she's talking nonchalantly now.\n\nSimilar examples:\n\n * 8時間寝た後なので、眠くありません。 \nI am after 8 hours of sleep, so I am not sleepy.\n\n * 90分戦った後ですよ? 休ませてあげましょう。 \n(Now is the time after) they fought for 90 minutes! Give them a rest.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-16T00:34:33.037", "id": "99652", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-16T00:34:33.037", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99639", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "It seems that these words have a similar meaning when used in a specific\ngrammar construction:\n\n * どれだけ\n * どれほど\n * どんなに\n\nどんなに／どれほど/どれだけ + verbても/Aくても/Nでも\n\nFor example:\n\n * (どれだけ/どんなに／どれほど)聞いても意味が分からない\n * (どれだけ/どんなに/どれほど)説明しても、あの人はわかってくれない\n\nDoes the meaning change at all if you use one over the other?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T16:51:57.883", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99641", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T16:51:57.883", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "38800", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "Difference between どれだけ、どれほど、 and どんなに", "view_count": 88 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99651", "answer_count": 2, "body": "The following sentence was said to me in a conversation:\n\nだから堅実な器具があっても危ないのを好むのも思い上がりなんだろ？\n\nMy understanding of this sentence is: \"Is it not hubris to have safe tools and\nprefer dangerous ones?\"\n\nI am assuming that the も after [there are safe tools] and [preferring\ndangerous ones] make up something similar to \"A and B\" or \"A while B\" in\nenglish. Is this the case? Also, is there another instance of 器具 implied after\n危ないの? Lastly, why is there a の after 好む but not after あって?\n\nPlease let me know if I can clarify anything about my question.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T17:13:11.943", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99643", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T02:38:21.987", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56274", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "particles", "particle-の", "particle-も", "conversational" ], "title": "Understanding the uses of も and の in this sentence", "view_count": 78 }

[ { "body": "This も is not \"also\". You are actually seeing [ても\n(でも)](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82-temo-\nmeaning/), which is a conjunctive particle that is normally translated as\n\"even though\" or \"even if\". A literal translation would be:\n\n> だから堅実な器具があっても危ないのを好むのも思い上がりなんだろ？ \n> Preferring dangerous ones even if you have safe tools is also hubris, isn't\n> it?\n\n* * *\n\n> Also, is there another instance of 器具 implied after 危ないの\n\nNothing is \"implied\" **after** 危ないの. 危ないの by itself means \"dangerous ones\"\nwhere の is a pronoun meaning \"one\". For example, 新しい **の** を買おう means \"Let's\nbuy a new **one** \".\n\n> why is there a の after 好む but not after あって?\n\n堅実な器具があっても危ないのを好む forms one verb clause, and 堅実な器具があっても is a **subordinate**\nclause (i.e., it's one level \"deeper\" and modifies 好む). This is why only one\nnominalizer is necessary, after 好む. Also in English, you won't need more than\none \"-ing\" to translate this part: \"prefer **ring** dangerous ones even if you\nhave safe tools\". You can see how \"even if you have safe tools\" is one level\ndeeper and modifies \"prefer dangerous ones\".\n\nIt is also possible to translate this sentence using English \"and\", which\nsometimes carries a contrastive or ironical meaning. So \"hav **ing** safe\ntools **and** prefer **ring** dangerous ones\" is a valid translation, but\nsyntactically speaking, the original Japanese is not constructed this way.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-16T00:20:23.477", "id": "99651", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T01:04:09.557", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-17T01:04:09.557", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99643", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "While phrases like \"even though\" and \"even if\" are often useful for\ntranslating Japanese sentences that use で + も (more generally, the て-form of a\nverb + も), I [disagree](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/98158/627) that\nthis is really a special case. The sense of \"even if X\" derives from \"also\nX-ing\", i.e. \"in the case where X happens, as well\".\n\nThe two uses of の in 危ないのを好むの are\n[nominalizing](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1395). We can tell\nthis because they follow predicates (the i-adjective 危ない and the verb 好む), and\nare followed by particles - which is to say, they are in the exact place where\nan ordinary noun could go, in order to be described by those predicates).\n危ない器具 -> dangerous tool; 危ないの -> dangerous thing, roughly.\n\nThere is no の after あって because it simply doesn't make sense grammatically.\nて-forms of verbs (as well as い-stems) are sufficiently noun-like already to\nput a particle after them, and they don't function as predicates (unless there\nis some implied actual predicate they're connecting to, e.g. 下さい at the end of\na sentence).\n\nBreaking the sentence down into pieces:\n\n```\n\n だ から\n it-is <because\n \n```\n\n\"Therefore,\"\n\n```\n\n 堅実な 器具 が あ って も\n safe tools (subj.) exist-ing <also\n \n```\n\n\"even if there are safe tools,\"\n\n```\n\n 危ない の を 好む の も\n is-dangerous thing (obj.) prefer -ring <also\n \n```\n\n\"preferring dangerous ones -\"\n\n```\n\n 思い上がり なん だ ろ？\n conceit what be (vol.)\n \n```\n\n\"isn't that also hubris?\"\n\n(Here, borrowing the も from the previous part. On a re-reading I agree that it\nneeds to be included as naruto did. Presumably, it refers to some other act\nthat was previously judged conceited during the conversation.)\n\nAt any rate: も is not \"paired\" with the previous one; 堅実な器具があっても attaches to\n好む, not to だろ.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T02:26:29.437", "id": "99659", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T02:38:21.987", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-17T02:38:21.987", "last_editor_user_id": "627", "owner_user_id": "627", "parent_id": "99643", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99646", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Consider\n\n> 猫が3匹います\n>\n> 1匹で食べています\n\nfrom [2m50s of this video](https://youtu.be/08zvf3XSaIk?t=170).\n\nDeepL translates the bottom sentence as \"I'm eating one of them\", which I'm\npretty sure is wrong :] From context, it seems to mean \"One of these cats is\neating\". (But in the video the photo shows all 3 cats eating?)\n\nGrammatically speaking, is the で after 1匹 the て-form of the copula だ, or is it\nthe particle で (\"by means of\")? In other words, does the second sentence mean\n(literally speaking) \"there is one (cat), and he is eating\" or \"Eating, by\nmeans of one cat\"?\n\nThe former makes more sense to me as an English speaker, but I was under the\nimpression that in Japanese the copula can't express \"existence\" claims (like\n\"there is one cat\").", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T17:36:46.333", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99644", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T19:20:05.570", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51280", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "particle-も", "copula" ], "title": "Meaning of で in 「1匹で食べています」", "view_count": 780 }

[ { "body": "1匹で食べています means the cat is eating by itself. The video is a little confusing\nbecause you can clearly see another cat in the background. Likewise 3匹で食べています\nmeans the cats are eating in a group of three. This is the same で as in\n家族で食べています (eating as a family), 一人で食べています (eating by oneself) etc, that I'm\nsure you've come across before.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T19:20:05.570", "id": "99646", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T19:20:05.570", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "parent_id": "99644", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99650", "answer_count": 1, "body": "In today's Japanese class, my teacher said \"私が始まる\" instead of what I had\nexpected to hear which is \"始める\" to mean \"I will be the one to start\". I'm sure\nof that meaning because of the obvious context.\n\n\"私が始まる\" was kind of disorienting because if I'm not mistaken I know generally\n(Except verbs that are like 歩く、走る、寝る、etc) that intransitive verbs in Japanese\ntypically take \"Something\" as the subject as opposed to \"Someone\" so it felt\nlike 私 was \"thingified\" or something like that. This could have also been just\nsimply an unintentional ミス from my teacher so I don't want anybody reading\nthis getting confused. But if it isn't, kindly go into detail as to why.\n\nThanks in advance.\n\nEdit: I posted a now-deleted answer paraphrasing what @aguijonazo said in the\ncomments since @naruto 's answer is the same as well as adds a few nice\npoints. Full credit goes to them for helping out.\n\nEdit(2): @aguijonazo's response to my now-deleted answer as more clarification\nfor what he/she said: \"I meant the speaker sees him/herself as a show or\nsomething as in \"Now the show begins.\"", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T18:06:14.933", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99645", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-16T05:28:58.043", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-16T05:28:58.043", "last_editor_user_id": "56460", "owner_user_id": "56460", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "grammar", "transitivity" ], "title": "Quick Question about 始まる vs 始める", "view_count": 146 }

[ { "body": "私が始まる would make perfect sense as a rhetorical sentence meaning \"This is the\nbeginning of myself\" or \"My (true) life starts here\". It might be called a\n[metonym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metonymy) of _life_. I used [this\nlyrics search](https://www.uta-net.com/) and found 4 Japanese songs that\nliterally contain `私が始まる`:\n\n[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HXEv2.png)\n\nBut if your sentence is supposed to mean \"I am the one who will start **it** \"\n(where \"it\" refers to some event such as a game, a program), you must say\n私が(それを)始める using the transitive version of 始める.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T23:50:34.943", "id": "99650", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T23:50:34.943", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99645", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99649", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I have seen なら used when drawing out a conclusion based on other person’s\nactions. (飲むなら乗るな) But I wonder if it can be used in a following fashion: if\niťs the case that I… I must have… (as if one is trying to remember whether\nthey did something) Also, can “we” work too depending on context? If so, could\nyou please provide any simple example sentences?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T21:12:46.480", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99647", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T23:39:55.177", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "40705", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "conditionals" ], "title": "Can the なら conditional be used for your own actions?", "view_count": 57 }

[ { "body": "Yes, it is possible.\n\n * アメリカに行くならビジネスクラスで行きたい If I were to go to the US, I would like to take a buisiness class.\n * 私が母にプレゼントするならこちらを選びます If I were to give my mother one of these, I'd choose this one.\n\n* * *\n\nI guess [this](https://tanosuke.com/to-ba-tara-nara) may help (on why you\nthought なら cannot be used in the case you have in mind).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-15T23:39:55.177", "id": "99649", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-15T23:39:55.177", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45489", "parent_id": "99647", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "So I read this, [What does なにか mean in this\nsentence?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/52861/what-\ndoes-%e3%81%aa%e3%81%ab%e3%81%8b-mean-in-this-sentence) and to clarify, I also\nran across a sentence, \"何かプレゼントを買いましょうか? Here, I'm guessing 何か does not mean\nsomething, or at least I think, so does the sentence mean like, \"Lets go buy\nsome kind of present?\" or\n\nCould it be, \"lets go buy some presents?\"", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T02:01:41.763", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99657", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T02:26:17.213", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55638", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "What exactly does なにか mean in this sentence?", "view_count": 39 }

[ { "body": "明鏡国語辞典 does not explicitly explain the part of speech of this type of 何か. It\njust says it's a \"phrase\" (連語). Rather than worrying about the direct English\ntranslation of this type of 何か, I think you just can remember this pattern and\ngo on. This pattern is translated into English in slightly different ways\ndepending on the surrounding context, and I hesitate to conclusively say it's\n\"some\", \"something\", \"any\" or \"anything\" in English.\n\n * 何か特別なこと: something/anything special\n * 何か食べるもの: something/anything to eat\n * 何かプレゼント: some present\n * 何か棒のようなもの: something like a stick\n * 誰か強い人: someone/anyone strong\n * 誰か料理人: some/any chef\n * どこか静かな場所: some quiet place\n\nRelated: [Is 「だれか素敵な人に...」 an example of\napposition?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/87160/5010)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T02:13:42.263", "id": "99658", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T02:26:17.213", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-17T02:26:17.213", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99657", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> あんな遠回しに嬉しさを伝えようとしてくれていたのもそうだが、ちゃんと食べてくれたのを見ると作った甲斐があったというものだ。\n\nContext: The character made a bento for their friend and got them to eat it.\nちゃんと食べてくれたのを見ると作った甲斐があったというものだ。\n\nThe second part is saying that watching said friend eating made him feel\nmaking it was worth, but I don't quite get the first part\n\nあんな遠回しに嬉しさを伝えようとし\n\nThis roundabout way to attempt to deliver joy? What is くれていたのもそうだが saying?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T09:10:29.420", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99661", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T09:10:29.420", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "reading-comprehension", "giving-and-receiving" ], "title": "Use of the くれた with ようとする in this sentence", "view_count": 30 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99663", "answer_count": 1, "body": "My question is how to read these 呼吸 kanji in this line この呼吸も所詮退屈凌ぎ from this\n[song](https://youtu.be/fItPD2iW5I0). I looked it up and as far as I found out\nit should be read [こきゅう](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%91%BC%E5%90%B8) but in the\nsong all I hear is just いきい. Why is that so, are my ears just bad or is there\nsome other reading of these two?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T12:22:53.430", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99662", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T12:42:49.767", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56551", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "pronunciation", "readings", "song-lyrics", "listening", "song" ], "title": "Reading/Pronunciation of 呼吸 in the song 「デスペレート」\"desperate\"", "view_count": 77 }

[ { "body": "This is known as 義訓（ぎくん）(\"meaning-based reading\").\n\nAs the name implies, a 義訓 is a nonstandard reading of a string of symbols that\nnonetheless matches its meaning. Or, viewed the other way around, it's the\nphenomenon of assigning nonstandard kanji(/characters) to a word.\n\n呼吸 _would_ normally be read こきゅう, but here it's read いき（息）instead (or you\ncould say that いき is spelled as 呼吸, rather than 息). Hopefully you can see how\nthis makes sense. As for the why, I assume it's just for poetic effect. Afaik\n義訓 is pretty common in song lyrics.\n\nI'm more familiar with it in manga myself. In manga, it's basically used as a\nway to give the reader two pieces of information at once; the furigana tell\nyou what the character actually says, while the kanji essentially act as\nfootnote.\n\nFurther reading:\n\n * [Morg Systems](https://morg.systems/Gikun) (brief overview)\n * [Japanese with Anime](https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2017/12/gikun.html)\n * [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#Special_readings)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T12:42:49.767", "id": "99663", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-17T12:42:49.767", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55494", "parent_id": "99662", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> 上体だけを起き上がらせ、壁に身を預けていた彼の顔が落胆したように伏せられる。\n\nWhy would he use the passive for 伏せられる。? Is it because the narrator is\n\"receiving\" the 伏せられる? He's describing a character he's looking at", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T16:46:55.857", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99664", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-18T01:43:18.997", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-18T01:43:18.997", "last_editor_user_id": "55492", "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "passive-voice" ], "title": "Use of this passive in this sentence", "view_count": 47 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99682", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Firstly I have this sentence with のと; the context being a girl helping a boy\nwith a math problem that he got wrong. She is literally sitting next to him\nand says:\n\n> でここはマイナスかけるマイナスになる **のと** 計算の順番を注意\n\nAt first I thought this was just the の that nominalizes the preceding clause\nand the conditional と which would mean something like, `\"Now, when this\nbecomes a negative times a negative, watch out for the calculation order.\"`\nHowever, it just felt weird to think of it like that because it just sounds\ngenerally odd and also I'm not sure what the point of having の there would be\nif it's a conditional. Anyhow, this lead me to wonder if this のと was working\nsomewhat like から, denoting a cause/effect and is to mean \"because\" or \"so\";\nmaking the sentence to mean, `\"Now, this becomes a negative times a negative\nso watch out for the calculation order.\"` I did find [this\nanswer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/29551/meaning-\nof-%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A8-%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A7) on here, which gave me some\nconfidence that I'm right but I'd like it if someone could confirm it.\n\nSecond, I have these sentences with the other two \"issues\"; the context here\nis that the speaker who is 先生, brings her students to her family's rice field\nfor the day instead of class. The students look uninterested and then 先生 says:\n\n> 今日はこちらの田んぼお手伝いをしてもらいます。まぁこちらと言っても先生 **とこ** の田んぼですが。あっ違う違う！ **別に**\n> バイトを雇うお金がないとか、先生が家の手伝いするのが **めんどい** とかだから生徒に労働させてるってわけじゃなくてね\n\nI'm not quite sure what sort of nuance とこ adds to the meaning when 先生の田んぼ\nwould already mean, \"teacher's rice field\". In addition, I'm having a little\nbit of trouble parsing this, and I'm not sure whether or not 別に is modifying\nめんどい. I thought it was at first glance (which made me wonder why it's not\nめんどくない) but, as I have been typing out this question I think I'm realizing\nthat it's not. That being said, I did find this\n[answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/58408/trouble-\nunderstanding-different-meanings-of-%E3%81%B9%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AB), and it seems\nto indicate that 別に implies a negative. But now, I'm just thinking 別に is only\nmodifying お金がない. Even though I think I'm starting to actually see how this\nsentence works, if someone could break it down and show me how I should parse\nit, that would be great.\n\nAlso, my attempted translation for those sentences: `Today I'll have you help\nme with this rice field. Well, even if say, \"this\", it's Sensei's (my) rice\nfield... Oh it's not what you think! It's not particularly that we don't have\nthe money to hire a part timer or because it's troublesome for Sensei to help\nwith the house, so it's not like I'm making (you) students work (because of\nthat).` I actually think this translation is pretty much correct (other than\nno translation for とこ), however I think I am getting to this conclusion based\non an intuition of what makes sense in the context and the words used on a\nwhole, rather than fully parsing and understanding (if that makes sense).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T21:00:14.030", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99666", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T23:23:01.907", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-17T21:38:58.543", "last_editor_user_id": "55079", "owner_user_id": "55079", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "negation", "suffixes" ], "title": "What is this \"のと\" performing here? \"とこ\" as a suffix? And how to parse this sentence with \"別に\"?", "view_count": 96 }

[ { "body": "That の is a nominalizer. It can be replaced with こと in this particular\nsentence.\n\nと connects マイナスかけるマイナスになるの and 計算の順番 as “and.” It might have been better\nbalanced if the latter also ended with a nominalizer, like 計算の順番が変わるの (or こと).\n\n先生とこ is for 先生のところ. You can say 先生のとこ or 先生んとこ, too. This ところ should be\nunderstood as “family” or “household.” 先生の田んぼ would be most likely understood\nas a rice field owned by the teacher herself.\n\n別に modifies わけじゃなくて.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T23:23:01.907", "id": "99682", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T23:23:01.907", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99666", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99668", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was reading 羅生門 by 芥川龍之介, and in the last part this sentence show up.\n\n```\n\n 下人は、饑死をするか盗人になるかに、迷わなかったばかりではない。\n \n```\n\nI don't quite understand the last verb + ばかり + ではない: the double negation in\nJapanese means an affirmation (right?), but even with this I don't understand.\n\nI think 羅生門 is quite popular, but for the sake of context, I post the whole\nparagraph.\n\n>\n> 下人は、太刀を鞘におさめて、その太刀の柄を左の手でおさえながら、冷然として、この話を聞いていた。勿論、右の手では、赤く頬に膿を持った大きなにきびを気にしながら、聞いているのである。しかし、これを聞いている中に、下人の心には、ある勇気が生まれて来た。それは、さっき門の下で、この男には欠けていた勇気である。そうして、またさっきこの門の上へ上って、この老婆を捕えた時の勇気とは、全然、反対な方向に動こうとする勇気である。\n> **下人は、饑死をするか盗人になるかに、迷わなかったばかりではない。**\n> その時のこの男の心もちから云えば、饑死などと云う事は、ほとんど、考える事さえ出来ないほど、意識の外に追い出されていた。", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-17T21:13:21.063", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99667", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T01:49:15.743", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-18T12:37:04.803", "last_editor_user_id": "10531", "owner_user_id": "56116", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "readings", "particle-ばかり" ], "title": "Understanding this passage in 羅生門 that uses ばかりではない", "view_count": 151 }

[ { "body": "It's similar to the \"not only ... but also ...\" construction in English. (In\nfact, it might have started as a translation of that.) It might look tricky\nwhen the first part stands as a sentence, but usually the second part is\nexplicitly written in the next sentence, or otherwise implied somehow.\n\n * ばかり = only\n * ではない = not\n * ばかりではない = not only ...\n * なかったばかりではない = not only had [he] no ...\n\nThe gist of the last two sentences is:\n\n> Not only did he have no hesitation [on the choice] between starving himself\n> to death and robbing someone, but [furthermore] starving was entirely out of\n> the question in his mind.\n\nI combined the two because it seems to make more sense in English that way.\nHowever, I don't think this difference is crucial. I think you can say\nsomething similar in two sentences in English, too. You can replace ばかりではない\nwith ばかりでなく and combine the two sentences - the difference between the\nconstruction before and after the change is minimal, and both are normal.\n\n> the double negation in Japanese means an affirmation\n\nIn this case, the outer negation is applied to the \"only\" part and not to the\nverb - it means \"not only\" = \"there is more\". So there is only one negation\napplied to the verb (迷わなかった) and it is negative.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T03:28:41.453", "id": "99668", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T01:49:15.743", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T01:49:15.743", "last_editor_user_id": "10531", "owner_user_id": "10531", "parent_id": "99667", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> 人と話すだけでも緊張するのに、それが年上の女性とくればなおさらだ\n\nHere I think **それ** refers to **話し相手** and the second part is made from these\n2 sentences:\n\n> それが年上の女性とくる \n> なおさらだ（no subject）\n\nAnd then the particle ば is used to connnect the two sentences and makes them\nthe second part of the original sentence. Is my understanding right? \nIf so, in sentence **それが年上の女性とくる** , what's the structure? Is it\n\n> [それが][年上の女性と][くる]\n\nwhere くる is the predicate(述語) of それ(subject)? **Or** it's\n\n> [それが年上の女性(だ)]とくる\n\nwhere it omitted だ and it's a\n[だ抜き](https://www.nhk.or.jp/bunken/summary/kotoba/term/140.html)? (also see\n[だ抜き] in [Difference between だと vs と before\n認める](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/55990/difference-\nbetween-%E3%81%A0%E3%81%A8-vs-%E3%81%A8-before-%E8%AA%8D%E3%82%81%E3%82%8B) )", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T04:18:28.230", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99669", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-18T06:19:15.017", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-18T06:19:15.017", "last_editor_user_id": "56516", "owner_user_id": "56516", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "syntax", "sentence" ], "title": "What's the structure of the second part of this sentence?", "view_count": 70 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "Just curious what it means. I'm not well versed in Japanese but I saw it come\nup in a social media interaction where all they said in response/reaction to\nsomething was ヮラ", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T08:07:02.087", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99671", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-18T08:07:02.087", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56558", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "meaning" ], "title": "what does ヮラ mean?", "view_count": 69 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99681", "answer_count": 2, "body": "I wrote this on a test in a fill-in-the-blank question; I tried to keep it as\nsimple as possible. My contribution is in bold:\n\n> 給料が少ないのだから、 **会社がいい** わけがない。\n\nThis was marked wrong, and instead this was written as a correction:\n\n> 給料が少ないのだから、 **会社の業績がいい** わけがない。\n\nAfter some discussion, the teacher suggested that maybe this would convey what\nI intended, which is that the company couldn't possibly be good:\n\n> 給料が少ないのだから、 **いい会社である** わけがない。\n\nand that the \"がいい\" construction could only be used when describing a part of a\nwhole... although she was not confident in her response and this doesn't seem\nlike much of an explanation.\n\nWhat principle is at work here? I thought that an adjective is an adjective;\nit's something used to describe a noun, regardless of whether it's prefixed to\na word or coming after が or は. Clearly the concept of a company being good or\nbad is expressible in Japanese.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T10:36:32.557", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99672", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-09T16:17:59.587", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "35871", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "\"いい会社\" vs \"会社がいい\": What are the rules that make the first normal and the second incomprehensible?", "view_count": 157 }

[ { "body": "For the meaning you want, you need to add そんな/そのような (\"such a\") or その (\"the\")\nto determine what company you're talking about. The corrected version would\nbe:\n\n> 給料が少ないのだから、 **そんな** 会社がいいわけがない。 \n> Since the salary is low, there is no way **such a** company can be good.\n\n* * *\n\nいい has many usages (it can even mean [\"enough\" or \"no\nthanks\"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/57912/5010)), and ～がいい has a\nstrong tendency to carry a sense of exhaustive-listing and preference (i.e.,\n\"～ is the way to go\", \"～ is the thing I want/choose\"). 会社がいいわけがない (without\nそんな/etc) is used like so:\n\n * NPOを作ろう、会社がいいわけがない。 \nLet's found an NPO, (choosing to found) a company is not a good idea at all.\n\n * 家にいるのがいいです、会社がいいわけがない。 \nI prefer to stay at home, there's no reason to prefer a company.\n\nSo even \"給料が少ないのだから、そんな会社がいいわけがない\" is likely to be taken like \"No one would\nprefer such a company\". To describe the objective well-being of a company,\nいい会社なわけがない is safer.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T01:58:27.753", "id": "99676", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T02:30:56.173", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-19T02:30:56.173", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99672", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "会社がいいわけがない denies 会社 **が** いい, which answers the question \"What (do you think)\nis good?\" It's saying it's the company that is good, not something else.\n\nいい会社であるわけがない denies いい会社である. This concerns whether the subject, which is\nomitted but assumed to be already known to the listener, is a good company or\nnot. As a stand-alone sentence (i.e. taken out of the subordinate clause) it\nwould be something like this.\n\n> （この会社 **は** ）いい会社である。\n\nWhen the adjective いい is used predicatively, the sentence usually follows this\npattern.\n\n> （Ａは）Ｂ **が** いい。\n\nThis means that it is B that is good about A. You assess several aspects of A\nand determine that B is good. A and B thus form the whole-part relationship\nyour teacher tried to explain to you. 業績がいい sounds natural (even without 会社の)\nbecause 業績 can be understood as one of multiple aspects of a company. 会社がいい\ndoesn't because there is no whole of which 会社 is a part in this context.\n\nWhen the subject is turned into a topic with が replaced with は, it is felt to\nbe contrasted to something else.\n\n> Ｂ **は** いい。\n\nThis implies B is good unlike something else that is not good. (That's of\ncourse when いい means \"good.\")\n\nNot all adjectives are like that, of course. Let's take the following sentence\nas an example.\n\n> 地球が丸いわけがない。\n\nBefore it was put into the subordinate clause, the statement it denies was 地球\n**は** 丸い. Here the adjective describes a characteristic of something that is\nassumed to be known to the listener (and therefore topicalized). The sentence\ndoesn't necessarily feel contrastive despite は.\n\nいい is not this kind of adjective. It's about your judgment or feelings. What\nyou think is good (i.e. the subject) is part of the new information conveyed\nto the listener and this makes が neutral and は particularly contrastive when\nいい is used predicatively. You should accept the difference in usage from other\nadjectives as it is.\n\nBy the way, いい会社であるわけがない sounds a bit stiff. いい会社なわけがない (from いい会社だ) may sound\nmore natural in conversation.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T22:39:18.503", "id": "99681", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-09T16:17:59.587", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-09T16:17:59.587", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99672", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "「新米パパよ。これから大変だろうが頑張れ」\n「パパなのにママ友と井戸端会議をする羽目になり、団地で生き残るために、お局におべっかを使わねばならなくなるだろう」\n「陰湿な同調圧力に耐え続けた先に待っているのは、子供の反抗期……親父と同じ洗濯機で洗うなと言われるぞ」 So I saw this sentence,\nbut I'm really struggling to understand how 先に being used here.\n\nIs it like \"After\"? After 陰湿な同調圧力に耐え続けた the thing that awaits you...?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T13:11:49.143", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99673", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-18T13:11:49.143", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "sentence", "reading-comprehension" ], "title": "Understanding 先に in this sentence", "view_count": 58 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99675", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I realize that we can prefix the names of some food items such as \"sushi\",\n\"sashimi\", \"mizu\", and others with \"o\".\n\nHowever, there are other food items, such as \"tamago\", for example, whose\nnames cannot be prefixed with \"o\".\n\nHow can we foreigners decide when it's proper and when it's not proper to\nprefix the name of a food item with \"o\"?\n\nAlso, when prefixing food item names, is it お or を ?\n\nActually, I think it's probably the honorific お , but I just want to make\nsure.\n\nありがとうございます", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-18T17:59:15.270", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99674", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T03:42:12.870", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-18T21:37:25.623", "last_editor_user_id": "35671", "owner_user_id": "35671", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "particles", "prefixes" ], "title": "How to know which names of food items can be prefixed with \"o\"?", "view_count": 117 }

[ { "body": "Basically only _some traditional Japanese foods_ are prefixed with お, but\nthere are a few minor exceptions. Western dishes (including\n[yōshoku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dshoku)) or other Asian dishes\ndon't have お.\n\nWhich traditional Japanese foods can have お is arbitrary and unpredictable, so\nyou'll have to remember individually. I think the list is not very large, so\nit's possible to just remember them all.\n\nThe following list is not exhaustive but I think I have covered most common\nones.\n\n * お水、お湯、お茶 (お茶漬け)、お紅茶\n * お味噌汁、お雑煮\n * お菓子、お餅、お団子、おせんべい、おまんじゅう、おかき★\n * お寿司、お刺身、お蕎麦、おうどん、お粥、お漬物、お豆腐\n * お握り★/おむすび★、お好み焼き★、お焼き★、お揚げ★\n * お酒、おビール\n * (お米、お野菜、お肉、お魚、お箸、お夜食、お食事、おつまみ★、おやつ★…)\n\n★: Lexicalized; removing お will lose the original meaning\n\nLastly, these are technically not \"honorific words\" but \"beautified words\" (\n**美化語** ) because they can be safely used to refer to something _the speaker_\neats or drinks. No one would say you're arrogant if you say お茶を飲みました. See this\nfor the difference: [Terminology: Does the term 美化語 include all ご・お・etc.\nprefixes, or only ones outside of a 敬語\ncontext?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/86215/5010)", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T01:23:07.610", "id": "99675", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T03:42:12.870", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-19T03:42:12.870", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99674", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99678", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I'm trying to construct the sentence, \"You two seem pretty close.\" and I'm\ncurious if the sentences, 二人はかなり仲が良さそうだ。 or 二人はかなり親しそうだ。would work and if\nthere are any differences between the two. Thanks.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T03:26:03.110", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99677", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T07:09:36.710", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55146", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "word-choice", "nuances" ], "title": "Are 仲がいい and 親しい interchangeable in this context?", "view_count": 64 }

[ { "body": "親しい is relatively bookish. In informal conversations, people usually prefer\n\"(～ちゃんと～ちゃんは)仲がいいね\". In formal or written sentences, 親しい and 仲がいい are both\ncommon and used interchangeably.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T07:09:36.710", "id": "99678", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-19T07:09:36.710", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99677", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "After reading an answer on this site about some particulars of particle usage,\nI recently got a copy of _The Structure of the Japanese Language_ by Kuno. It\nhas been an interesting read, although the copyright of the book is dated 1973\nand the last printing (as far as the copy of the book I have is concerned) is\n1980.\n\nIn the chapter for \"Place Particles\" を、に、で, the author doesn't seem to include\nへ in even a footnote, which is strange considering there were forty something\npages dedicated to contrasting は and が.\n\nThe usage of を, according to the book, is to indicate unidirectionality over a\nmajor portion or dimension of the noun, and に is to indicate that the goal of\nthe motion is the destination, and they are not entirely interchangeable as\nfar as grammatical correctness is concerned. The above usage of seems similar\nto を that I've seen elsewhere of へ.\n\nI am curious to know:\n\n 1. How similar are を and へ particles in the above context?\n\n 2. Is を commonly used nowadays in the above context?\n\n 3. How long has へ been in use in the above context? I'm not sure how to find a good source on this, either.\n\nEdit: An example from the book, using the (Nihon-Shiki, I think) spelling\npresent there\n\n```\n\n a. miti o aruku 'to walk along the street'\n \n b. miti ni aruku 'to walk to the street'\n \n c. miti de aruku 'to walk on the street (probably back and forth, and across)'\n \n```", "comment_count": 10, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T17:50:24.283", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99679", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T15:13:53.437", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T15:13:53.437", "last_editor_user_id": "56567", "owner_user_id": "56567", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "particles", "history", "direction" ], "title": "How long has へ been a replacement for に in indicating direction? Is it similar to を in that context?", "view_count": 79 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99685", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I came across this sentence:\n\nさまざまな授業内容で生徒の不能性を引き出します。\n\nI understand it's supposed to mean something along the lines of \"A variety of\nteaching contents brings out the potential of the students\".\n\nBut I do not see why\n\n生徒の不能性\n\nshould mean \"the potential of the students\". As 不能性 means \"impossibility,\nincompetence\", why doesn't it translate as the \"incompetence of the students\"?\n\nThanks in advance :)", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T22:03:43.003", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99680", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T00:35:18.107", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "54896", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "meaning", "words", "sentence" ], "title": "Meaning of 生徒の不能性 in the following context", "view_count": 53 }

[ { "body": "First of all, although the term 不能性 is comprehensible to me, and I believe to\nall native speakers, it is not an established term, and is not found in the\ndictionary. One would still understand this term though, as \"Impossibility\" or\n\"Inability\", made up of 不能 + 性 .\n\nBack to your sentence, you are right about this sentence not making sense, as\nobviously we cannot `draw out the student's incompetence with all sorts of\nlecture contents`. As aguijonazo has suggested in a comment, there is strong\npossibility that this is a type for 可能性, a common word meaning \"possibility\"\nor \"potential\".\n\n> さまざまな授業内容で生徒の **可能性** を引き出します。 \n> Draw out the **potentials** of students with various lecture contents.\n\nAs a side note, the proper antonym for `可能性` is `不可能性`, rather than `不能性`. The\nlatter is still understandable, but not established/standard. Just like the\nproper noun form of `impossible` is `impossibility`, yet if I say `impossible-\nness` you'd still understand me.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T00:35:18.107", "id": "99685", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T00:35:18.107", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99680", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99684", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Is it something like “baked”?\n\nIt’s on the wrapper of a caramel pudding kitkat. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Pfo5.jpg)", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-19T23:44:17.810", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99683", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T00:27:54.520", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56570", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "food" ], "title": "What does 焼く時は translate to?", "view_count": 59 }

[ { "body": "It means \"when cooking\", where 焼く is to cook and 時 is time. 焼く時 is literally\n\"at time of cooking.\"\n\nThe entire sentence is\n\n> **焼く時** は受け皿を使用してね \n> Please use a container **when cooking**\n\nGrammatically, the 焼く can be viewed as a relative clause that modifies the\nnoun 時.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T00:27:54.520", "id": "99684", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T00:27:54.520", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99683", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99687", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I am translating 進撃の巨人. Below is a sentence from the transcript of the second\nepisode.\n\nHere the link for reference:\n<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XT7gHjFO8jft8DAQCVpPfmU3DreCsraJVYC-\nNPtmv5g/edit>\n\nJapanese from transcript: 汝わが血筋を汝の許にひきて、これに己が肉をさへ顧みざらしめしほどなればこのうえ、何をすべきや！\n\nEnglish from Transcript: What canst thou more, who has subdued our blood so\nwholly to thyself, they feel no care of their own flesh?\n\nI think the english translation is not a very direct translation. It helps you\nget the gist but it doesn't give you the satisfaction to really understand\nwhat is said.\n\nTherefore can somebody provide a translation that considers the following\npoints:\n\n * What is the meaning of \n * 許\n * ひきて (Is this a verb?)\n * さへ顧みざらしめしほど\n\nThe best that I can come up with is: You (ひきて = ???) with our lineage\n(with/in/by?) your (許), if this (さへ顧みざらしめしほど) (with?) my own flesh, (このうえ =\nNow that things have come to this?) what should I/we do?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T02:42:13.810", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99686", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T04:08:43.453", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55767", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "translation", "anime", "religion" ], "title": "Attack on Titan episode 2 - What does preacher say?", "view_count": 299 }

[ { "body": "As you said, his preach does not seem to have been translated very literally\n(but that does not mean it's a bad translation, of course). To understand this\nsentence, you need to be familiar with some of the classical Japanese grammar.\n\nVocab:\n\n * [**許**](https://jisho.org/word/%E4%B8%8B-1): \"(someone's) side\"\n * [**ひきて**](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8F): The [\"classical te-form\"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/17497/5010) of 引く, which means \"to draw\" or \"to inherit\" (see the twelfth definition of the link).\n * **さへ** : Historical kana version of さえ (\"even\").\n * **顧みざらしめし** : \"made (someone/something) not reflect on (it)\", \"prevented from paying attention to\"\n * **顧み** : [顧みる](https://jisho.org/word/%E9%A1%A7%E3%81%BF%E3%82%8B) in irrealis form\n * **ざら** : Negative auxiliary ([ず](https://www.hello-school.net/haroajapa009020.htm) in irrealis form)\n * **しめ** : Causative auxiliary ([しむ](https://www.hello-school.net/haroajapa009029.htm) in continuative form). The agent (causee) marked by に is これ, which refers to the 血筋.\n * **し** : Past auxiliary ([き](https://www.hello-school.net/haroajapa009002.htm) in attributive form)\n * **ほど(だ)** : (∼ くらい(だ)) \"to the point where\", \"it's even that\"\n * [**この上**](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%8A): \"further\"\n\nSo the literal translation is as follows. I'm not good at \"thou art\" type\nEnglish grammar, so allow me to use modern grammar.\n\n> 汝わが血筋を汝の許にひきて、... \n> → (現代文) あなたは私の血筋をあなたのもとに引いて、...\n>\n> You drew/inherited my bloodline to your side, (and) ...\n\n> これに己が肉をさへ顧みざらしめしほどなれば、... \n> → それに自分の肉をさえ顧みないようにさせたほどであるから、...\n>\n> it's even that you did not made it not reflect even on your own flesh, so\n> ... \n> (= Yet you even disallowed my bloodline to worry about your own flesh!\n> Then...)\n\n> このうえ、何をすべきや！ \n> → このうえ、何をするべきなのか！\n>\n> What should I/we do further? (= Nothing can be done!)", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T03:06:44.340", "id": "99687", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T04:08:43.453", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T04:08:43.453", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99686", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "So, i read this, [Usage of 'か' in short\nsentences](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/35670/usage-\nof-%E3%81%8B-in-short-sentences). And they say that か in short form is\nconsidered crude, or rude. So would saying something like 行こうか be more or less\ncrude than 行こう？", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T03:42:03.950", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99688", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T05:28:09.890", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55638", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "is か with volitional form also considered crude/rude", "view_count": 46 }

[ { "body": "* 行くか meaning \"Wanna go?\" or \"So you're going, huh?\" does sound crude and blunt. It's mainly used by stereotypical obstinate men in fiction.\n * 行くか meaning \"So let's go now\" or \"I will go now\" sounds a little masculine but not crude. It's commonly used between friends.\n * か after 行こう just adds a nuance of \"will we?\", and it's not crude at all.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T05:28:09.890", "id": "99692", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T05:28:09.890", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99688", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99690", "answer_count": 1, "body": "When you conjugate both ~てもらう and いる to the て form ~てもらってて, what does that do\nto the tense?\n\nExample sentence: おばあちゃんに録ってもらってて。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T04:42:43.183", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99689", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T05:00:06.983", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T04:50:46.523", "last_editor_user_id": "56572", "owner_user_id": "56572", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "verbs", "conjugations", "て-form" ], "title": "Help understanding tense of sentence ending in ~てもらってて", "view_count": 43 }

[ { "body": "As far as the \"tense\" goes, your sentence is roughly the same as:\n\n> おばあちゃんに録ってもらって(い)る。\n>\n> 1. My grandma is recording it (for me).\n> 2. My grandma has recorded it (for me).\n>\n\nSo it's in the -teiru form, which describes either the progressive aspect or\nthe perfective aspect, depending on the context. See: [When is Vている the\ncontinuation of action and when is it the continuation of\nstate?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/3122/5010)\n\nThis sentence ends with て instead of る. For the reason for this, see: [て form\nat end of phrase but not being used for\nrequests](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/60762/5010)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T05:00:06.983", "id": "99690", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T05:00:06.983", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99689", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 人間とは月のような存在だ。他人には満月を見せていて、人 **という** 光にあたって誰もが輝いて見えているが、その裏側は黒く、暗いものだ\n\nis 人という光 a contract form of \"人というのは、光\" or it means \"light called humman\"?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T05:20:44.377", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99691", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T06:30:46.543", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45347", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "what does という mean here", "view_count": 47 }

[ { "body": "This 人という光 means \"light called human\" or \"light that is human\". The sentence\nsays that every human has an external-facing side that looks bright like a\nfull moon because it's \"illuminated by (the light called) other people\".\n\n> 他人には満月を見せていて、人という光にあたって誰もが輝いて見えている\n>\n> They show the \"full moon\" (side of themselves) to others; everyone looks\n> bright, illuminated by the light called people.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T05:30:57.093", "id": "99693", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T06:30:46.543", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T06:30:46.543", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99691", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "I have tried looking online and messing with the settings to get it to display\n啼く yet I can't get it to, as far as I am aware you should have to type\nなく(naku) to get it to appear, yet it does not. Any help is appreciated.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T18:16:57.317", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99694", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T19:17:08.720", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56579", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "kanji" ], "title": "How do you type 啼く in the Japanese IME", "view_count": 75 }

[ { "body": "I'm assuming you're using the Japanese Windows IME keyboard and the all\nJapanese language features installed through the Time & Language settings.\nWith all that, you should be able to get 啼く easily by typing in なく when using\nthe Japanese Windows IME keyboard in Hiragana mode.\n\nAfter typing なく just press the spacebar a couple of times and this should\nbring up a list of possible word options. For me, 啼く came up as the 5th entry\nin the list. 啼く should be part of the standard integrated dictionary.\n\nIf it still does not come up for some reason you could always add the word to\nyour personal dictionary as a work around. Although I would argue uninstalling\nand reinstalling the language pack would be a better first choice.\n\nWith that said, while I have no real experience doing this, you should be to\ndo it by going to:\n\nSettings -> Time & Language -> Language & Region -> The Language Options\n(triple ellipses button in the righthand corner) for Japanese (found in the\nLanguages section) -> The Keyboard Options (triple ellipses button in the\nrighthand corner) for Microsoft IME (found in the Keyboards section) ->\nLearning and Dictionary -> Open the user dictionary tool (a blue text link /\nbutton found in the User Dictionary Section)\n\nThis should open a new window for your personal dictionary, which has an Add\nbutton (book with pencil icon) in the toolbar area. From here just fill out\nyour entry as you see fit.\n\nJust for further context, I'm using the Japanese Microsoft IME keyboard on\nWindow's 11 with the default settings for everything.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T19:09:59.647", "id": "99696", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-20T19:17:08.720", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-20T19:17:08.720", "last_editor_user_id": "30339", "owner_user_id": "30339", "parent_id": "99694", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99702", "answer_count": 2, "body": "Is there any nuance between these? From looking up the definitions, they seem\nsimilar in meaning (but, although).\n\nHere's a sentence I found that uses both:\n\nもっとも今年の夏は、どこも暑いらしいけど。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T19:03:30.323", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99695", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T04:02:28.060", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56572", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "grammar", "nuances" ], "title": "When to use けど vs もっとも?", "view_count": 346 }

[ { "body": "I don't know where you got the idea that もっとも means \"but/although\", but its\nmeaning is quite distinct from けど.\n\nThe dictionary give two entries for もっとも, one is 最{もっと}も, meaning \"most\", \"to\nthe deepest degree\", and is a synonym for 一番. The other entry is 尤{もっと}も,\nwhich has the meaning of \"certainly\", \"completely\", and is synonym for 当然, 全然,\n決して.\n\nYour sentence uses the second meaning(尤{もっと}も), and means this:\n\n> もっとも今年の夏は、どこも暑いらしいけど。 \n> Certainly this year's summer seems hot everywhere.\n\nThe final けど does not carry any actual meaning here, and is used more like a\nfiller to soften one's tone. For example, if you want to go to the washroom,\nyou could say:\n\n> トイレに行きたいんですけど。 \n> I'd like to go to the washroom.\n\nIt's better to leave the けど untranslated, as it doesn't really carry the\nmeaning of contrasting two sentences here, or in your example sentence above.\nIt's more like a tone-softener.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T03:08:09.583", "id": "99701", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T03:08:09.583", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99695", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 }, { "body": "An English equivalent of もっとも would be something like \"That being said, it\nshould be noted that ～\". もっとも is a stilted expression, and it's not common in\nspeech. Small children almost never use it!\n\nBesides, もっとも is used exclusively for adding some precondition, exception,\nlimitation and such. To say very verbosely, もっとも gives off a nuance like \"My\nprevious statement is basically true, but should be interpreted taking the\nfollowing into consideration; ...\".\n\n * ✅ 悪いですけど、来週のパーティーには行けません。 \nI'm afraid to say this, but I cannot go to the party next week.\n\n * ❌ 悪いです、もっとも明日のパーティーには行けません。\n * ✅ 今日は雨が降っています。けど、明日は晴れるといいですね。 \nIt's raining today. But I hope it'll be sunny tomorrow.\n\n * ❌ 今日は雨が降っています。もっとも、明日は晴れるといいですね。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T04:02:28.060", "id": "99702", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T04:02:28.060", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99695", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "Context: in a song that I think is about love or relationships in some way,\n\"♪生まれて 育ってくサークル\" was a lyric. I was wondering what the \"く\" before \"サークル\"\nwas...maybe a shortened version of a verb?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T22:11:38.700", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99697", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T02:13:22.530", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56212", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "word-usage", "song-lyrics", "music" ], "title": "What does this \"く” mean?", "view_count": 77 }

[ { "body": "It's short for 育っていく. Very often in speech XXている and XXていく are abbreviated\ninto XXてる and XXてく.\n\n> 生まれて **育ってく** サークル \n> The circle that is born and **will grow up(get raised)**\n\nWithout further context, this is as much of a translation as I can do.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T02:13:22.530", "id": "99699", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T02:13:22.530", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99697", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "「鈴の転がるような、軽やかで澄んだ声だった」 what is the meaning of の in this sentence? my guess is\nthat it meant something like: \"It was a light and clear voice, like a rolling\nbell\". This feels right, but I think I'm getting confused with the の + 転がる. Is\nの being used in the possessive form? Would が in place of の here make sense?\nAny help would be appreciated.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-20T23:25:52.000", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99698", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T02:56:05.440", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56557", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "the role of の in this sentence involving noun + の + verb in dictionary form", "view_count": 51 }

[ { "body": "> Would が in place of の here make sense?\n\nYou're spot on, and this の here is indeed a replacement of が. This phenomenon\nis known as the の-が conversion, and is a feature passed down from ancient\nJapanese.\n\nIn ancient Japanese, there used to be no distinction between the usage of の\nand が, and they were used interchangeably to mean possessive and subject-\nmarker. Even today, where の is mostly possessive particle and が subject\nmarker, the two can still take on the other meaning occasionally in modern\nJapanese.\n\n### が as a possessive marker\n\nToday, we still use 我{わ}が国{くに}, a old-fashion expression passed down from\nancient Japanese, which just means my/our country (私たちの国). In anime, sometimes\npeople will use 我がXXX to mean my XXX, just to add an air of prestige to their\nspeech.\n\n> 遊戯王の海馬瀬人：現れろ、 **我が魂** ！ブルーアイズホワイトドラゴン！ **我が敵** を喰らう！ \n> Kaiba Seto from YuGiOh: Appear, **my soul**! Blue eyes white dragon! Devour\n> **my enemy**!\n\nBy the way, remember 鬼{おに}が島{しま}(or written 鬼ヶ島 but read the same) from 桃太郎?\nYeah, 鬼が島 is essentially 鬼の島, the island of oni.\n\n### の as the subject marker\n\nIn ancient Japanese, you could use の freely as the subject marker. In modern\nJapanese, however, the usage is limited to relative clauses. In other words,\nin relative clauses, the subject marker が can be replaced with の in modern\nJapanese. For example:\n\n> 海の見える街 = 海が見える街 \n> 私の知らないまま = 私が知らないまま\n\nAnd of course, your sentence,\n\n> 鈴の転がるよう... = 鈴が転がるよう...\n\n鈴が転がる is the relative clause that modifies the noun よう.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T02:49:04.530", "id": "99700", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T02:56:05.440", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-21T02:56:05.440", "last_editor_user_id": "39855", "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99698", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "I am trying to find how to spell ‘Redemption’ in Japanese if I were going to\nuse it as a name/alias.\n\nOr if there is a wording/phrasing that means ‘Man on the path of Redemption’\n\nLike yamabusi for warrior monk kind of thing", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T09:19:58.020", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99703", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T09:19:58.020", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56584", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "meaning", "translation", "names" ], "title": "Correct Japanese spelling of ‘Redemption’ when being used as a name for a male", "view_count": 133 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99705", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 敷石ぐらいの大きいな革製本、シルクの表紙で切手くらいの大きさの本もあり、奇妙な記号ばかりの本がある **かと思えば** 、何にも書いてない本もあった。 \n> There were leather bound books as big as paving slabs, silk covered books\n> the size of postage stamps. There were books with nothing but weird symbols\n> ???? There were also books with nothing written in them.\n\nIt seems that Xがあるかと思えばYもある means 'There is not only X but also Y'. What\nnuance does this construct have? In what situations would it be used? How\nwould it differ from だけではなく, for example?\n\nI'm guessing from 思えば that it invokes some element of surprise/wonder?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T14:47:22.380", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99704", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T15:23:42.650", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "Nuance of かと思えば in this context", "view_count": 119 }

[ { "body": "`Aかと思えばB` expresses a psychological **sequence** of observations. This is a\ncommon pattern used to express that this person noticed one thing after\nanother in a short period of time (\"Oh it's A, and oh, it's B, too!\"). The\nsame construction is used to describe one event actually happened right after\nanother, for example, 彼は部屋に入ってきたかと思えばすぐに出ていった (He left the room right after (I\nnoticed) he entered it).\n\n`AだけではなくB` simply means \"not only A but also B\". This construction puts\nemphasis on the B part (B is usually more surprising/relevant/important). On\nthe other hand, in `Aかと思えばB`, B is something that happened (or was recognized)\nright after A.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T15:06:17.340", "id": "99705", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T15:23:42.650", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-21T15:23:42.650", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99704", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99709", "answer_count": 1, "body": "From the Chuunibyou anime, Kumin's last name is Tsuyuri (3 characters), but\nwritten as 五月七日 (4 kanji characters). How can this be? At first, I thought it\nmight just be a chuuni thing, where you write a bunch of kanji and give it a\ndifferent reading just to be edgy. But then I found that Tsuyuri is the\nstandard reading for that 4-kanji combo. So yeah, how can that be?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T17:09:06.973", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99708", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T17:56:49.343", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "35659", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "kanji", "etymology", "readings", "names", "multiple-readings" ], "title": "How is Tsuyuri Kumin's name (五月七日くみん) read with 3 characters when it's made up of 4 kanji?", "view_count": 1535 }

[ { "body": "Say we have a Japanese word that has a meaning, and we want to write it using\nkanji. If we cannot find any corresponding character, we have the option of\ncombining characters and assigning the _combination_ of those characters a\nreading. Maybe you've already seen this in words like 大人{おとな}, 明日{あした} and\n七夕{たなばた}. This is called 熟字訓{じゅくじくん} and is a form of 当{あ}て字{じ}. There is no\nreason the number of kanji can't be greater than the number of kana in the\nreading, since the individual characters don't have anything to do with the\nreading.\n\nNow, for this particular name, apparently there used to be a rainmaking\nfestival on May 7th (五月七日) called つゆいり祭り, meaning \"beginning of rainy season\nfestival\". May 7th in the Japanese lunar calendar corresponds to around the\nbeginning of June in today's calendar, which is when the rainy season starts\nin Japan. Now, つゆいり went through some sound shifts and became つゆり or ついり.\n\nSources: [ピクシブ百科事典](https://dic.pixiv.net/a/%E3%81%A4%E3%82%86%E3%82%8A),\n[実用日本語表現辞典](http://www.practical-japanese.com/2018/09/blog-post_52.html)", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-21T17:56:49.343", "id": "99709", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-21T17:56:49.343", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "26542", "parent_id": "99708", "post_type": "answer", "score": 12 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> 人間中心の見方 **とは** 別の視点で評価することもでくる\n\ngoogle translated it as\n\n> It is also possible to evaluate from a perspective different from the human-\n> centered perspective\n\nhow とは associates with \"different\"?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-22T06:07:13.277", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99712", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-22T06:07:13.277", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45347", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "how とは work in this sentence", "view_count": 19 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99714", "answer_count": 1, "body": "The sentence is 'あなたには僕が見えるか？', which supposedly translates to 'Can you see\nme?'.\n\nI'm confused about the usage of the ’は’ particle here. Since there is already\nthe ’が’ particle to indicate that 僕 is the subject and the ’に’ particle to\nindicate that あなた is the passive agent, what is the use of the ’は’ particle?\n\n*The sentence is taken from the lyrics of the song 'Unknown Mother Goose'.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-22T06:08:18.450", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99713", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-22T07:51:17.687", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56593", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "particles" ], "title": "What is the use of the 'は' particle in this sentence?", "view_count": 86 }

[ { "body": "This は is a topic marker. A topic and a subject are related but different\nconcepts in Japanese, and \"double subject\" sentences are not uncommon (see\n[this](https://eastasiastudent.net/study/topic-prominent/)).\n\nHere are two sentences where different words are topicalized. Both sentences\ntranslate as \"Can you see me?\" (or \"Am I visible to you?\") into idiomatic\nEnglish, but I added super-literal translations to show the difference.\n\n> あなたには僕が見えるか？ \n> _As for you_ , am I visible?\n>\n> 僕はあなたに見えるか？ \n> _As for me_ , (am I) visible to you?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-22T07:51:17.687", "id": "99714", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-22T07:51:17.687", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99713", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "I was reading a web novel and this sentence shows up (I post the whole\nparagraph).\n\n>\n> ホームルームが終わると、一年生は体育館に集合させられていた。これから部活動紹介が始まるのである。その中で栞は周りをきょろきょろと見まわしていた。部活動紹介\n> **を** 目を輝かせて期待を寄せる者、体育館での集合に退屈であくび連発をする者など、様々な生徒たちの反応が見える。\n\nI don't undestand to what verb links the bold を with 部活動紹介. To my knowledge, a\nverb can take only one を, so: 目を links with 輝かせて; 期待を寄せる is a set expression;\nあくびを with 連発する.\n\nSo the first を with what verb links to?\n\n**Context:** after the Home Room lesson, the first grade children of a middle\nschool are brought to the gym to choose a club, and the main characther 栞 is\nlooking around.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-22T20:54:43.623", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99715", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-22T20:54:43.623", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56116", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "verbs", "readings", "particle-を" ], "title": "A problem with two を in this sentence", "view_count": 75 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99717", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 先生がかわりにしてあげます？\n\nI came across this sentence and I cant seem to understand why が is used here.\nI'm roughly interpreting this as: \"shall I substitute for the teacher?/shall I\ndo x in place of the teacher?\" But I'm having trouble understanding why が is\nused here instead of の since I feel like I've seen this same structure used\nwith の before and I've only seen の-が being interchangeable in relative\nclauses.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T00:53:32.247", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99716", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T02:27:58.480", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56557", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "question about が and 代わりに in this sentence", "view_count": 59 }

[ { "body": "This 先生 is a simple subject marker. 先生 serves as the subject of する. This\nsentence may be easier for you to understand if the word order is changed a\nbit:\n\n> かわりに、先生がしてあげます？ \n> Instead, will I (=Sensei) do it for you/them?\n\nI believe this sentence was said by the 先生. In other words, 先生 is used as a\nfirst-person pronoun, which is very common in school.\n\nかわりに (\"instead\") is an adverb that is used alone here. It may be \"instead _of\nyou/them_ \" or \"in place _of you/them_ \" depending on the previous context\n(but not \"instead of the teacher\"; that would be 先生 **の** 代わりに).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T02:09:29.770", "id": "99717", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T02:27:58.480", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-23T02:27:58.480", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99716", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "Unless it's rude to ask, I would like responses mainly from Japanese native\nspeakers, please.\n\nThere is this scan from the guidebook for the _Dragon Ball Z_ anime with a\ntranslation that is generally debated. The scan describes the Dragon Ball\nafterlife, which is a higher plane of existence.\n\n[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZBzq8.jpg)\n\nThe full relevant text is\n\n> 天よりも高く人間界からは窺い知ることができない **次元を超越** した天の国神々はこの地から世界のすべてを見おろしている\n\nWhile there are many translations explaining the gist of this excerpt, we need\nto know what 「次元を超越」 means in this context, as it’s vaguely translated as\n“dimensionally transcendental” or “transcending dimensions.” Please choose\nwhich of these 3 options most accurately describes the meaning.\n\n 1. 「次元を超越」: The word “transcendental” often refers to metaphysics and spirituality. That is to say, apart from the word’s usual definitions that indicate some kind of superiority, transcendental can also be a synonym for spiritual. 「次元を超越」 has nothing to do with superiority of any kind and the kanji for “transcendental” only describes how the afterlife is a spiritual world.\n\n 2. 「次元を超越」: As a higher plane of existence, the afterlife is above the other realms in the universe. The word “dimension (at least in English)” can also describe parallel worlds as opposed to axes and aspects of time and space. 「次元を超越」 only means the afterlife is physically above the other realms and says nothing about some kind of spatial qualitative superiority.\n\n 3. 「次元を超越」: The afterlife is a super-dimensional space (like a 4-dimensional space, 5-dimensional space, 6-dimensional space, etc.). It is a plane of existence that is higher dimensional, in the sense that it transcends the spatial and [possibly] temporal boundaries of the space below it. 「次元を超越」 means the afterlife is a transdimensional plane of existence.\n\nOut of these 3 interpretations, which one most likely and accurately describes\nthe meaning of 「次元を超越」?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T02:55:28.897", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99718", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T20:15:49.417", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-23T20:15:49.417", "last_editor_user_id": "5464", "owner_user_id": "56603", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "meaning", "word-choice", "nuances", "kanji" ], "title": "What does 次元を超越 really mean?", "view_count": 509 }

[ { "body": "Xを超越している usually means something cannot be measured/analyzed by the existing\nframework of X. 次元を超越している means something cannot be analyzed in terms of\n\"dimension\", which, as you say, generally refers to time and space ruled by\nthe physics of our world. Therefore, we can say this world (天界) is not\ngoverned by the ordinary rules of physics, but the phrase by itself does not\ntell if the world is a spiritual world or just a parallel world. It does not\nnecessarily say the world is \"higher\" than our world, either.\n\nConceptually, 次元を超越している is different from 高次元 (high-dimension) such as the\n1024-dimensional space. When you say 高次元, you are discussing something within\nthe framework of 次元. 次元を超越 refuses such an analysis.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T03:14:57.003", "id": "99719", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T03:14:57.003", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99718", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99721", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 最高の杖を持たにゃいかん。 \n> You've got to have the best wand.\n\nThe meaning is clear, but I'm baffled by the grammar.\n\nFirst, I'm assuming 持た is a typo for 持った, but maybe not?\n\nSecond, I'm guessing that にゃいかん is a contraction of にはいかない. But the only\ngrammar I know involving にはいかない is **わけ** にはいかない and that would give the\nopposite meaning to my translation. I cannot find verb-past + にはいかない in any\nreference.\n\nI know the character talks with a heavy dialect in the original book (Hagrid\nfrom Harry Potter) but I can normally see how what he says is connected to\nstandard grammar. This one has me stumped.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T14:47:59.347", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99720", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T15:01:39.650", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "contractions" ], "title": "Verb-past + にゃいかん", "view_count": 49 }

[ { "body": "This is a correct sentence. The sentence is the same as 最高の杖を持たないといけない but\nsaid in stereotypical \"(wise) old man speech\".\n\n * 持たにゃ is short for 持たねば ([eba-to-ya contraction](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/12580/5010)).\n * 持たねば is a literary/classical form of 持たないと \n * [ねば in 食べねば; relation between ねば and なければ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/3061/5010)\n * [What verb form is くださねばなるまい](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/55706/5010)\n * いかん is a dialectal/old way of saying いけない \n * [Use of \"いかん\" in the following sentences](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/61398/5010)\n * [Weird Inflection -されていかん](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/65681/5010)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T14:55:55.457", "id": "99721", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T15:01:39.650", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-23T15:01:39.650", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99720", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "A small doubt, in the phrase: \"あんまりのりだすとあぶないぞー\" I do not understand why the\nparticle と is in the phrase, its function is not to include anything? As in\nlists etc? What function is she performing in that sentence? I’m reading the\nmanga Yotsubato and I came up with this question...", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T18:50:24.113", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99722", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T19:52:59.197", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-23T19:52:59.197", "last_editor_user_id": "78", "owner_user_id": "56610", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "particles", "particle-と" ], "title": "Particle と function in \"あんまりのりだすとあぶないぞー\"", "view_count": 37 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99724", "answer_count": 1, "body": "最近Bilibiliで（実質的に中国版のニコニコ動画サイト）見つけたのは、[文語版深海少女](https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Sq4y1P7DY)の動画です。\n\n誰かがあのめっちゃ流行ってた曲「深海少女」の歌詞を古典日本語（文語）に変換し、動画を作り出しました。歌詞を見習う時、気になったのは最後の部分の一言です：\n\n元の歌詞：\n\n> 深海少女 腕を引かれる 歌う祝福の **マリンスノー** \n> 深海少女 もっと知りたい 心惹かれるあの人を見つけたから\n\nこの動画：\n\n> 深海少女 腕を引かるる 歌ふ 幸{さち}なる **海{うみ}つ雪{ゆき}** \n> 深海少女 知りたけれども 心[魅]{ひ}かるる見つけつる彼{あ}が為{ため}\n\nこの作詞者は日本人のようですのに、古典日本語の知識をあんまり持ってなく、この歌詞が正しい文語か正しくないか知り得ません。正確だったら、なぜ現代語の「マリンスノー」を文語にするとき、「海」と「雪」の中に「つ」が入ってますか。「海つ雪」そのものを調べったりしても結果は見つかりませんでした。この「つ」は古典文法によって大事なのか、そして、なんのためにあるか教えてほしいです。\n\n※ 音声によってこの「つ」は促音ではありません。はっきりと発音されています。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T22:53:35.220", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99723", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-24T01:15:13.920", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-24T01:15:13.920", "last_editor_user_id": "39855", "owner_user_id": "39855", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "particles", "classical-japanese" ], "title": "古典日本語について：「つ」で二つの名詞を連接する", "view_count": 87 }

[ { "body": "つ is an ancient version of の, and it is occasionally used for archaism. In\nmodern works, you may see:\n\n * [[外つ国]{とつくに}](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%A4%96%E3%81%A4%E5%9B%BD/)\n * [中つ【なかつ】](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E4%B8%AD%E3%81%A4/), 下つ【しもつ】\n\nまつげ is also etymologically 目【ま】+つ+毛, or 目の毛. See [this dictionary\ndefinition](https://kobun.weblio.jp/content/%E3%81%A4#:%7E:text=%E3%80%8A%E6%8E%A5%E7%B6%9A%E3%80%8B%E4%BD%93%E8%A8%80%E3%82%84%E5%BD%A2%E5%AE%B9%E8%A9%9E%E3%81%AE,%E3%81%AB%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%80%82).\n\nSo 海つ雪 can be interpreted as 海の雪, although it is unlikely that the phrase was\nactually used in the past.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-23T23:43:51.007", "id": "99724", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-23T23:43:51.007", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99723", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99924", "answer_count": 2, "body": "From [this answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/320/18894) I can see\nthat they're both casual, but ごめん is more casual.\n\nThere's also [this\nquestion](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/51919/what-\nare-%e3%81%aa-and-%e3%81%ad-in-%e3%81%94%e3%82%81%e3%82%93%e3%81%ad-\nand-%e3%81%94%e3%82%81%e3%82%93%e3%81%aa) but it's rather about な and ね\ngenerally. Still it (or [this\narticle](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-particle-ne/)) explains the\nuses of ね, and my guess is, ごめんね is a more friendly or emotional way to say\n\"sorry\"? And ごめん is more calm, and maybe abrupt? Does that sound correct?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T04:47:04.510", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99725", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-12T10:29:19.330", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-24T14:05:46.490", "last_editor_user_id": "18894", "owner_user_id": "18894", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "word-choice", "nuances", "particles", "particle-ね" ], "title": "ごめんね vs ごめん or what does ね add to the phrase?", "view_count": 209 }

[ { "body": "The particle ね is used at the end of sentences to mean that the speaker has\nsome doubt about whatever it is they say. However, more often then not it is\ntranslated as \"...., right?\" in English which for the most part hits the mark\nbecause often the doubt is there to have the listener verify what you said.\n\nWith that in mind, as far as I know ね adds here a request for accepting your\napology. A literal translation to English would be somewhat unnatural: \"Sorry,\nok?\" - It almost sounds aggressive but in Japanese I think this does the\nopposite, it makes it more polite and I would translate ごめんね as \"Pardon\" or\n\"Excuse me\" or even \"Please excuse me\" while ごめん would be something like just\n\"Sorry\" while barreling through - ruder (or more intimate depending with whom\nyou're talking).\n\nKeep in mind that context is everything and tone matters so it can be rudder\nor more pleasant depending on those.\n\nHope that helps", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-12T07:12:23.290", "id": "99922", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-12T07:12:23.290", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "41223", "parent_id": "99725", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "A very simplified explanation is that this type of ね adds emotion and\nsincerity. So you can think of ごめん as closer to \"(I'm) sorry\" and ごめんね as\ncloser to \"I'm so sorry\". To your friend, you could say ごめん for a trivial (or\n\"casual\") mistake, but you probably want to say ごめんね, 本当にごめんね, and so on for a\nrelatively serious mistake like pouring water on their clothes.\n\nHowever, note that ね is just one of many sentence-ending particles, and not\neveryone uses it. ね tends to sound feminine, childlike and/or gentle. While ね\nis often the safest option for Japanese language learners, those who use more\nmasculine language (such as those preferring 俺 over 僕/私) might also prefer\nexpressions like ごめんな, 悪い, すまん, and so on. It is almost impossible for someone\nlike Goku from Dragon Ball to say ごめんね.\n\n(All of the expressions listed above are casual/informal.)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-12T10:18:35.590", "id": "99924", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-12T10:29:19.330", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-12T10:29:19.330", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99725", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE5JYetB5hc>\n\nIn this exchange from 推しの子, Kana (the red-haired girl) expresses her annoyance\nto Ruby (the blonde girl) by saying\n\n> \"永遠に待ってろ\"\n\nHow come Kana didn't say \"永遠に待て\" but instead used present progressive tense?\nIs that because Ruby was already in the process of waiting?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T08:04:50.020", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99726", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-24T08:04:50.020", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "42007", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "japanese-to-english", "imperatives" ], "title": "Why present progressive for \"永遠に待ってろ\"", "view_count": 26 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was just wondering if the following sentence was correct:\n\n> 日本語の話すこと\n\nIt doesn't sound wrong to me, as the whole「話すこと」part becomes a noun, but I'm\nnot quite sure.\n\nI think the more standard way to say it would be:\n\n> 日本語を話すこと\n\nThen the verb 「話す」is not a part of the noun「こと」\n\nWhat do you think?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T13:50:46.367", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99727", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-23T15:08:06.097", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-24T14:28:58.403", "last_editor_user_id": "56599", "owner_user_id": "56599", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "syntax", "particle-の", "particle-を", "particle-こと" ], "title": "noun + の + verb + こと VS noun + を + verb + こと", "view_count": 77 }

[ { "body": "日本語を話すこと is \"the act of speaking Japanese\". This is a well formed, perfectly\nnormal phrase (not sentence).\n\n日本語の話すこと is grammatical but weird. If we treat の as the possessive particle\nthen we have \"the act of speaking which is the Japanese language\". This makes\nno sense to me. I cannot think of a way to parse it that does make sense.\n\nIf we treat の as the subject particle ([see\nthis](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/12825/how-does-\nthe-%E3%81%AE-work-\nin-%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%AE%E7%9F%A5%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E))\nthen we have \"the act of the Japanese language speaking\". I could possibly\nimagine this in some poetic context but I don't think you would find it in\neveryday life.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T15:06:01.957", "id": "99728", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-24T15:06:01.957", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "parent_id": "99727", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99754", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Are there other instances in Japanese where a kanji compound has two or more\nreadings that all carry the same or very similar meanings, akin to the use of\n明日 for tomorrow, which can be read as あした, あす, and みょうにち?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T17:16:08.687", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99729", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:20:56.043", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-25T03:58:52.213", "last_editor_user_id": "7671", "owner_user_id": "7671", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "words", "kanji", "compounds", "multiple-readings", "homograph" ], "title": "Kanji with multiple readings of identical meaning", "view_count": 95 }

[ { "body": "There are quite a few instances in Japanese where this happens, mostly because\nthe Japanese already had a word for something(like あす for tomorrow), then they\nimported the Chinese word for that thing and installed the native reading onto\nit as the kun-yomi(like the kanji 明日), but then in formal contexts instead of\n訓読み, they'd actually read the Kanji's by their 音読み. Just like in formal\nsettings, 明日 is not あす・あした but みょうにち.\n\nOther examples:\n\n * 昨日{きのう} vs 昨日{さくじつ}\n * 泡沫{うたかた} vs 泡沫{ほうまつ}\n * 紫陽花{あじさい} vs 紫陽花{しようか}\n * 白髪{しらが} vs 白髪{はくはつ}\n * 今年{ことし} vs 今年{こんねん}", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T19:20:56.043", "id": "99754", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:20:56.043", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99729", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "On the Hakkoryu Jujutsu website we can read\n\n> The name “Hakkoryu” is based on a philosophical Japanese view of the color\n> spectrum as being divided into nine bands of light. The eighth shade is\n> infrared, which is invisible to the naked eye but extremely powerful, both\n> characteristics apparent in Hakkoryu’s techniques.\n\nBut I don't find anything on that subject. I'd like to read more about this\nphilosophical Japanese view. Any clue ? Sorry if that's the wrong place to\nask.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T19:06:06.127", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99730", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-24T19:06:06.127", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56615", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "culture" ], "title": "八光流柔術 and traditionnal light spectrum vision", "view_count": 46 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "When I looked it up in my dictionary, all I got was 'tension,' when I have\nfirst hand knowledge that this definition RARELY is used with this word, in\nJapanese. Commonly, I see it in テンションが上がる, to express someone is pumped for\nsomething, but are there other uses for this word, in the language, that I may\nnot be aware of?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T19:47:33.513", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99731", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T00:18:04.867", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "3172", "post_type": "question", "score": 4, "tags": [ "words" ], "title": "How is テンション used in Japanese?", "view_count": 118 }

[ { "body": "Mostly it's used to describe a mood or atmosphere of excitement or being\npumped up as you said.\n\nIn a work context it could also describe a atmosphere of intensity and\ncollective focus, such as when a team nears a deadline.\n\nThe latter usage sometimes approaches the English meaning of stress and\npressure.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T00:18:04.867", "id": "99733", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T00:18:04.867", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "54517", "parent_id": "99731", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99734", "answer_count": 1, "body": "What verb do I use with 関数 to say \"write a function?\" (This is in a computer\nprogramming context, btw.)\n\nI've just been saying 書く but I kinda doubt it's correct. (I'm saying it over\nchat, and no one is responding to tell me that I'm wrong...so who knows.)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-24T22:37:55.103", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99732", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T00:43:02.513", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "1789", "post_type": "question", "score": 5, "tags": [ "colocation" ], "title": "What verb do I use with 関数 to say \"write a function?\"", "view_count": 390 }

[ { "body": "`関数を書く` is fine (see [search\nresults](https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9D%E9%96%A2%E6%95%B0%E3%82%92%E6%9B%B8%E3%81%8F%E2%80%9D%20%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%A9%E3%83%9F%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B0)\nfor this phrase), I use this at work regularly. `関数を定義する` is also fine; much\nof the programming terminology in Japanese is either taken directly from\nEnglish (`アルゴリズム`, `クラス`, etc.) or a direct translation so you are safe\ntranslating from English for a lot of programming stuff.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T00:43:02.513", "id": "99734", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T00:43:02.513", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7705", "parent_id": "99732", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99737", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Just as the title, what is the W in _**Ｗワーク**_?\n\nThere is also those _**U-turn**_ _**I-turn**_.....etc\n\nCould you elaborate why is it just a single leter and what is the meaning of\nit?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T06:49:48.707", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99735", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T03:22:04.663", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55894", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "meaning", "translation", "words", "etymology" ], "title": "What is the W for Ｗワーク", "view_count": 582 }

[ { "body": "W is pronounced ダブルユー (EDIT: or actually probably more commonly as ダブリュー or\neven only just ダブル as pointed out by Nanigashi in the comments below), based\non the English alphabetic name of the same letter.\n\nOver time the association between the romaji \"W\" and the ダブル part of\nダブルユー/ダブリュー has lead to a custom where any context involving the word\ndouble/ダブル can be compactly abbreviated in text form as \"W\". Often seen in\nadvertising too: \nWバーガー and such.\n\nAs you've probably guessed by now, Wワーク（ダブルワーク）simply refers to having two\njobs at once.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T07:29:57.300", "id": "99737", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T03:22:04.663", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-26T03:22:04.663", "last_editor_user_id": "5176", "owner_user_id": "5176", "parent_id": "99735", "post_type": "answer", "score": 5 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 人間は持たざる時には人並みを求めるが、一度人並みになるや、今度は人との違いを求めだ **し** 、人と同じ商品では満足できなくなるからだ\n\nAt first I thought し indicated reason, but からだ already indicates reason, so し\nhere would be redundant.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T07:28:43.533", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99736", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T11:05:19.983", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-25T11:05:19.983", "last_editor_user_id": "7944", "owner_user_id": "45347", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "What does し mean here?", "view_count": 67 }

[ { "body": "The `し` is just part of a normal conjugation of the verb `求め出す` -> `求め出し`. It\nwould be clearer if it were written with the kanji for `出す`, but when combined\nwith other verbs it's sometimes just written `だす` like it is here.\n\nYou can read more about verb+`出す`\n[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/36118/adjective-%E5%87%BA%E3%81%99)\nand\n[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/95306/understanding-%E5%87%BA%E3%81%99-and-%E5%87%BA%E3%82%8B-compound-\nverb-pairs), and a little about the criteria for using kanji or not in cases\nlike this\n[here](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/72344/kanjied-%E5%87%BA%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F-vs-\nkananed-%E3%81%A0%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F-in-dasu-dashta-pattern).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T07:55:59.527", "id": "99738", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T08:16:28.623", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-25T08:16:28.623", "last_editor_user_id": "7705", "owner_user_id": "7705", "parent_id": "99736", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99756", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was reading [this article](https://japanese-bank.com/nihongo-how-to-\nteach/ha-ga-\ndifference/#i-5:%7E:text=%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E3%80%8C%E3%81%AF%E3%80%8D%E3%81%A8%E3%80%8C%E3%81%8C%E3%80%8D%E3%81%AE%E5%9F%BA%E6%9C%AC%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AA%E4%BD%BF%E3%81%84%E5%88%86%E3%81%91%E3%81%AE%E3%83%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AB%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%80%82)\nabout the difference between は and が, and in the end of it there was this\nsentence: 以上 **が** 「は」と「が」の違いについての解説でした。\n\nI'm trying to understand it based on the article itself, and I don't see any\ngood candidate. For example, it doesn't seem to be the \"new information\" one\nbecause the reader supposingly would read all the article, so there's nothing\nnew there. But maybe the author wanted to make known the end of the article\nsaying that what was above was the explanation, and _that_ would be kind of a\nnew information...? The \"target-が\" also doesn't seem to be the case, because\nit's not being used with adjectives or verb expressing ability or possibility,\netc. So it could be the \"exclusion-が (排他)\" or \"が used to express phenomenon\nthe way it is (現象文)\", but I'm not sure.\n\nUsually, when が is used instead of は, if you use は it would create a contrast\nsentence, but in that case, it seems that using は would only create a topic.\nIs that correct? If so, why would I use が in that kind of sentence?\n\nThat kind of construction appears _a lot_ in literary works, and I always feel\nthat I didn't understand it correctly.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T09:34:57.243", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99739", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T04:40:51.847", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "17384", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "particle-が", "parsing", "は-and-が" ], "title": "What is the nuance of が in \"以上が「は」と「が」の違いについての解説でした。\"?", "view_count": 88 }

[ { "body": "I think it falls in the 排他 category. You say a phrase like this to conclude\nyour lecture, speech, etc. The point you want to make is that there will be no\nmore and what you have said thus far _is_ all you have to say.\n\n以上は〜 would add a sense of contrast. It sounds like you are going to continue\ntalking about some other topic or topics.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T04:40:51.847", "id": "99756", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T04:40:51.847", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99739", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99741", "answer_count": 1, "body": "In the following sentence:\n\n> 3 月ごろ、だんだん あたたかく なります。\n\nIs `あたたかく` an `い`-adjective which has been turned into an adverb,\n\nand has been used with another adverb (`だんだん`) in this sentence?", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T10:30:00.683", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99740", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T12:10:09.820", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56623", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "i-adjectives", "parts-of-speech" ], "title": "What part of speech is あたたかく?", "view_count": 122 }

[ { "body": "If you are thinking だんだん modifies あたたかく, it doesn’t. Both modify なります, but\nthey have different functions.\n\nなる is a verb of change and it requires an expression that describes what the\nsubject will be like after the change. When you use an adjective there, you\nneed to change it into the “adverbial” form. That’s あたたかく for あたたかい. In\nEnglish, you would use an adjective as a complement of the verb, like “It will\nbecome warm.”\n\nだんだん describes how that change happens.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T12:10:09.820", "id": "99741", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T12:10:09.820", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99740", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99743", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> オリバンダーの杖には一つとして同じ杖はない。 \n> No two Ollivander wands are the same.\n\nI'm struggling to parse this sentence.\n\nオリバンダーの杖には同じ杖はない on its own seems to make sense -- \"there are no wands\nidentical to Ollivander's wands\". Although I would expect to see と rather than\nに so maybe I've got that wrong.\n\nPresumably 一つとして is \"considered as a single unit\".\n\nLiterally, I have \"To Ollivanders wands, there are no identical wands when\nconsidered as one\", which doesn't make logical sense.\n\nCan this sentence be broken down in a meaningful way? Or else, is there a set\nphrase buried in here that I should learn? Could you please give other\nexamples with a similar structure?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T17:01:45.460", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99742", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T17:08:51.183", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "parsing", "counters" ], "title": "How does 一つとして work in this sentence?", "view_count": 295 }

[ { "body": "`1 + counter + として (...ない)` is a grammatical pattern that means \"(not) even\none\". It's a [negative polarity\nitem](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/16060/5010), and is a more emphatic\nand literary version of `1 + counter + も (...ない)`.\n\n * 1人もいない。 There is no one.\n * 1人としていない。 There is not even one person.\n\nSee: [JLPT N2 Grammar として～ない (toshite~nai)](https://jlptsensei.com/learn-\njapanese-\ngrammar/%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-toshite-nai-\nmeaning/)\n\n\"～とする\" meaning \"to consider as ～\" has nothing to do with this.", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-25T17:08:51.183", "id": "99743", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-25T17:08:51.183", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99742", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99748", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I need to translate my web system to japanese languange, and kinda stuck on\ntranslating [remember me] word to its japanese equivalent.\n\nAny suggestion?", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T02:50:43.750", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99744", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T16:31:19.977", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51035", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "translation" ], "title": "What is the Japanese word equivalent for [Remember me] usually found in system login", "view_count": 86 }

[ { "body": "I think the most natural translation would be\n\n> ログイン状態を保持する\n\nCannot remember where I saw it but definitely seen it before.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T16:31:19.977", "id": "99748", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T16:31:19.977", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99744", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99758", "answer_count": 2, "body": "I'm trying to understand what ごめん comes from. From the following questions:\n\n * [Does ごめん really mean sorry?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/5661/does-%e3%81%94%e3%82%81%e3%82%93-really-mean-sorry)\n * [Use of なさい in ごめんなさい](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/48566/use-of-%e3%81%aa%e3%81%95%e3%81%84-in-%e3%81%94%e3%82%81%e3%82%93%e3%81%aa%e3%81%95%e3%81%84)\n * [What's the difference between なさい and てください / でください?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/39204/whats-the-difference-between-%e3%81%aa%e3%81%95%e3%81%84-and-%e3%81%a6%e3%81%8f%e3%81%a0%e3%81%95%e3%81%84-%e3%81%a7%e3%81%8f%e3%81%a0%e3%81%95%e3%81%84)\n\nI've compiled a possible explanation:\n\nThere's an archaic word [免](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%8D) that means\nforgiveness. 免 + する =\n[免ずる](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%8D%E3%81%9A%E3%82%8B) (rendaku) - to\nforgive.\n\nThere are two ways for する to become\n[なさい](https://jisho.org/word/%E7%82%BA%E3%81%95%E3%81%84):\n\n * する -> (imperative) しろ -> (honorific) なさい\n * する -> (honorific) [なさる](https://jisho.org/word/%E7%82%BA%E3%81%95%E3%82%8B) -> (imperative) なさい\n\nThat is, なさい is the honorific imperative version of する. And ご is a honorific\nprefix. As such, ごめんなさい is the honorific imperative version of 免ずる. And ごめん is\nthe contraction of ごめんなさい (which probably, particularly, makes it more\ncasual).\n\nTo sum it up:\n\n * 免 -> (verb) 免ずる -> (honorific) ご免なさる -> (imperative) ごめんなさい\n * 免 -> (verb) 免ずる -> (imperative) 免しろ -> (honorific) ごめんなさい\n\nThere's also 免じる, which looks like a synonym of 免ずる. And じる may be another way\nする undergoes rendaku. jisho.org [supposedly\nconfirms](https://jisho.org/word/%E5%85%8D%E3%81%9A%E3%82%8B) it (-zuru verbs\nare alternative forms of -jiru verbs).\n\nDoes this look right?\n\nIf it does, then how come there's 見なさい, although there's no 見する. Or every noun\n(免, 見) can become a verb by adding する?", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T09:04:20.037", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99745", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T09:23:06.540", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-27T04:30:50.943", "last_editor_user_id": "18894", "owner_user_id": "18894", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "etymology" ], "title": "What does ごめん come from?", "view_count": 162 }

[ { "body": "Yes that looks right for the etymology of ごめんなさい. Now let's look at your\nquestions:\n\n> If it does, then how come there's 見なさい, although there's no 見する. Or every\n> noun (免, 見) can become a verb by adding する?\n\nAs you have noted, basically every verb in modern Japanese can have the\nstem+なさい polite-imperative form. 見なさい、食べなさい、走りなさい and so on and so forth. Now\nwhat about する?\n\nTechnically, yes. stem+する is valid grammatically, and although the \"stem+する\"\nitself is not customary in modern Japanese, it's other conjugated forms are\nstill in wide use in modern Japanese.\n\n## stem+は+しない\n\nYou may remember that to emphasize that you are NOT gonna do something, like\n残る, to remain, if you're absolutely NOT gonna stay, instead of saying 俺は残らない,\nyou could say 俺は残りはしない to really emphasize. The 残りはしない is basically what you\nwere looking for, the stem + する, just in negative.\n\nIt's not customary to say 残りする, but grammatically it's not wrong. It's both\ncustomary and grammatical to say 残り（は）しない\n\n## お+stem+します\n\nRemember お願いします? Yeah, that's basically 願います, but more respectful. You put 願う\ninto it's stem, add お for extra politeness, then use する in its polite form as\nwell. That's basically just 願いする. This \"お+stem+します\" construct is called 謙譲語\nand applies to almost all verbs.\n\n * 流れる ＝＞ お流れします\n * 開く ＝＞ お開きします\n\nNot all verbs because for some verbs, instead of お＋stem we just use another\nverb.\n\n * 食べる => お食べします(grammatical, but not customary) => 頂きます\n * 見る => お見します(grammatical, but not customary) => 参ります", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T07:04:45.443", "id": "99757", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T07:04:45.443", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99745", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 }, { "body": "There are multiple parts to your question, but we can focus most of it by\nrestating the main question:\n\n# What is ごめんなさい? What does this derive from?\n\nLet's dive in.\n\n### ごめん: derivation and part of speech\n\nごめん itself is 御【ご】 (honorific prefix) + 免【めん】 (\"forgiving, allowing,\nexcusing\").\n\nThe 御【ご】 prefix is a hint that the following piece here is treated as a noun:\nverbs and adjectives do not express honorific senses through prefixing like\nthis.\n\nMany nouns can be turned into verbs (or verb phrases) by the addition of the\nbasic verb する (literally \"to do\"), such as noun 勉強【べんきょう】 (\"studying\") + する\n(\"to do\") → 勉強【べんきょう】する (literally \"to do studying\", idiomatically \"to\nstudy\"). We can do that with 御免【ごめん】 as well, as 御免【ごめん】する (\"to forgive, to\nallow, to excuse\").\n\n## なさい: derivation\n\nThe なさい part is very common in various expressions, and its derivation is a\nbit complicated.\n\nなさい is a contraction of older polite なさいませ, the imperative of なさいます, from\nolder なさります, from なさる, from なす.\n\n * なす → \"to do\", very old word, basically the transitive / causative counterpart to なる \"to become\".\n * なさる → verb なす + passive / honorific ending _-(r)aru_. This is the older version of what we see today as _-(r)areru_. The _-(r)aru_ ending used the so-called 四段【よだん】 or \"quadrigrade\" conjugation paradigm in Old and Classical Japanese, so called for the four different vowels that appear on the verb stem before the various endings (like _-masu_ or _-nai_ ), the precursor to today's 五段【ごだん】 or \"quintigrade\" conjugation paradigm. When adding the polite _-masu_ ending, the verb stem ends in _-i_ , so we get:\n * なさります → honorific なさる (showing honor to the actor, the agent of the verb) + polite ending _-masu_ (showing deference to the listener or audience). In certain specific phonological contexts, _-ri-_ becomes just _-i-_ , so we get:\n * なさいます → honorific polite なさります + sound change. Then:\n * なさいませ → honorific polite なさいます + imperative. Then this contracts:\n * なさい → なさいませ dropping the polite imperative _-mase_. We see this same contraction in the everyday word ください, which also was previously くださいませ (and sometimes you'll still hear this in hyper-polite contexts).\n\n## なさい: usage\n\nThis has two basic uses: one as a replacement for する, and one as a verb\nsupplement / supplementary verb / auxiliary verb\n([補助動詞【ほじょどうし】](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A3%9C%E5%8A%A9%E5%8B%95%E8%A9%9E),\nfor which the English terminology is a bit unsettled).\n\n### As a する replacement\n\nAs we saw above, the なす core verb underlying なさい basically means \"to do\", and\nas such, なさい can be used as a replacement for する -- or more specifically,\nsince なさい is specifically the imperative conjugation, as a replacement for しろ.\nSo in any case where you have the `[NOUN]` + する construction to verb-ify the\nnoun, you can replace the imperative しろ with なさい.\n\n * Note that なさい is from the honorific polite imperative form なさいませ, and from this background, なさい today is still much more polite than しろ.\n * Note too that, in idiomatic Japanese, なさい isn't actually used for just any `[NOUN]` + しろ construction. For instance, 勉強なさい does not sound natural. For most such verb-ified nouns, natural Japanese generally uses `[NOUN]` + **し** なさい instead -- which leads us to our second use pattern for なさい.\n\n### As a verb supplement\n\nなさい is also used as basically a verb suffix, with similar mechanics as we see\nwith ～ます or ～ながら: you conjugate the verb stem into the so-called 連用形【れんようけい】\n(for vowel-stem verbs, this is the form ending in _-i_ , same as for the\n_-masu_ form), and then you stick the なさい on the end. The meaning is the same\nas above -- this forms a polite imperative, much politer than the plain\nimperative conjugation, such as しろ above, or のめ for \"drink!\" or いけ for \"go!\".\n\nSo for 見【み】る in your question post, the なさい in 見【み】なさい isn't replacing any する\n-- instead, the なさい is used here as a supplementary verb suffix.\n\n**Side question: \"Can any noun become a verb by adding する?\"**\n\nTechnically, syntactically, yes, that seems to be possible. However,\nsemantically, in terms of meaning, many such combinations just don't say\nanything sensible. Consider 犬【いぬ】する (\"to dog\"?) or リンゴする (\"to apple\"?) or\n机【つくえ】する (\"to desk\"?).\n\nThese are syntactically possible, but they produce nonsense. I suppose it's\npossible that these might make sense, in some super-specific slang-y context,\nbut without that context, these are gibberish.\n\n* * *\n\nPlease comment if the above does not answer your questions.", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T09:23:06.540", "id": "99758", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T09:23:06.540", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5229", "parent_id": "99745", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99753", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> ハリーは試してみた...しかし、 **振り上げるかあげないうちに** 、老人がひったくってしまった。 \n> Harry gave it ( _the wand_ ) a try, but no sooner had he raised it than the\n> old man snatched it back.\n\nI read [this\npost](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/1818/%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%8B%EF%BD%9E%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AE%E3%81%86%E3%81%A1%E3%81%AB-\nvs-%E6%AC%A1%E7%AC%AC) on XかXないかのうちに with a translation of \"within the time\nspan where it is not even clear whether A had happened or not\". This seems to\nneatly describe the situation in my case, but of course the grammar is\nslightly different.\n\nIs there any difference in meaning/nuance/formality between XかXないうちに and\nXかXないかのうちに?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T11:29:00.717", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99746", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:09:39.443", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "grammar", "particle-か" ], "title": "Meaning of XかXないうちに", "view_count": 68 }

[ { "body": "There is no difference. It's just a \"sloppy\" version, I would say. It's kind\nof like saying 〜したり〜する instead of 〜したり〜したりする, which is considered more\ncorrect.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T19:09:39.443", "id": "99753", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:09:39.443", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99746", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99752", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 電車が出る **まで** 何か食べる時間があるぞ \n> There is time to eat something **until** your train leaves.\n\nMy English translation sounds rather unnatural. We would normally say \"There\nis time to eat something **before** your train leaves\". As such, I would have\nwritten 電車が出る前に... for the Japanese sentence.\n\nAre both まで and 前に correct here? If so, why does まで work in this sentence?", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T15:00:46.150", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99747", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T18:54:36.063", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar" ], "title": "Why use まで instead of 前に", "view_count": 78 }

[ { "body": "The core part of the sentence is 時間がある, which in this context basically means\nyou are free. That free time lasts until the train leaves and it can be\nutilized for eating something.\n\n電車が出る前に何か食べる時間がある is not wrong but it sounds like you are stating there is\nsnack time planned before the departure of the train on an itinerary or\nsomething. 〜前に is used to talk about the occurrence of some event before\nanother event. The focus is on the relative positions of two points on the\ntimeline.\n\nある in your sentence doesn't match this punctual image. It translates more to a\nline segment on the timeline and まで puts focus on the end of it.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T18:54:36.063", "id": "99752", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T18:54:36.063", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99747", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "今は時間がありません I do not have time now\n\nIn the above sentence, \"I\" is the subject and time is the object. Therefore\nafter the kanji for an hour, an o particle should be used. Then why is ga\nparticle used?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T17:37:11.687", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99749", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:13:02.667", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56159", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "particles", "particle-が" ], "title": "Why is the ga particle used here instead of o particle?", "view_count": 66 }

[ { "body": "> In the above sentence, \"I\" is the subject and time is the object.\n\nThis is actually wrong. In the sentence, the subject is 時間, and the verb is\nありません. 今 in the sentence, is the \"topic\", and the topic is NOT NECESSARILY the\nsubject or the object. It's the main topic we're discussing here. As for \"I\",\nit's not mentioned in the sentence.\n\n> 今は時間がありません \n> As for now, time doesn't exists. (Don't have time now).\n\nYou see, I put \"as for\" in English, because that's the most accurate\ntranslation of the は particle I could think of. The topic particle は marks the\ntopic of the sentence, meaning the rest of the sentence are related to it, but\nthe topic may not be the subject or the object. It could be, though.\n\n> 学校はみんなが勉強する。 \n> As for school, everyone studies. (School is topic, not object, not subject)\n\n> 猫は可愛い生き物。 \n> As for cats, cats are cute creatures. (\"Cats\" is topic, also happens to be\n> subject)\n\n> (In a context where we discuss what to eat) \n> 魚は食べない。 \n> As for fish, (I) don't eat fish. (Fish is topic of sentence, also happens\n> to be object).\n\nSo again for your sentence, 今 is topic of the sentence, and the subject is 時間,\nbecause who's doing the action of ありません? It's 時間 that's doing the ありません, thus\nmaking 時間 the subject. Yes you could also modify the sentences to say\n\"時間はありません\", in which case now the 時間 is both the topic and the subject.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T18:33:33.987", "id": "99750", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-26T19:13:02.667", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-26T19:13:02.667", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99749", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99755", "answer_count": 1, "body": "For verbs, we can use it's te-form to make imperatives and negative\nimperatives, such as:\n\n> 走って！ 走らないで！ \n> Run! Do not run!\n\nOf course there's also 走れ！ and 走るな！\n\nFor 形容動詞 and 形容詞, however, I realize that I actually don't know how to put\nthem into negative-imperatives. What I have been using all along is to use する:\n\n> Affirmative: 早くして！ Be quick/early! \n> Negative: 早くしないで! Don't be quick/early! \n> Affirmative: 静かにして！ Be quiet! \n> Negative: 静かにしないで! Don't be quiet!\n\nHowever, I know for affirmative of 形容動詞 you can use it's te-form as well like\nthis:\n\n> 形容動詞：みんなお元気で！ Everyone please be 元気！ \n>\n\nMy question is:\n\n 1. Is using する, like demonstrated above, the most proper way to make imperatives of 形容動詞 and 形容詞, both affirmative and negative?\n 2. Are there any ways of making imperative without する for 形容動詞 and 形容詞, like the お元気で！ above?\n\n> (Is this even right?) \n> 早くて！ Please be quick! \n> 早くなくて！ Don't be quick! \n> 密かで！ Be secretive! \n> 密かじゃなくて！ Don't be secretive!", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-26T18:53:33.097", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99751", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T12:03:34.390", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-26T19:53:21.417", "last_editor_user_id": "39855", "owner_user_id": "39855", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "grammar", "usage", "conjugations", "imperatives" ], "title": "Negative-imperative for 形容動詞 and 形容詞", "view_count": 105 }

[ { "body": "Adjectives don't have an imperative form, so you basically need to attach some\nverb to express a command or request (しろ/して, いろ/いて, 来い/来て, or whatever). But\nthe verb can be omitted if it can be inferred from the context.\n\nSo \"早くして!\" and \"早く!\" are roughly the same, but \"早くて!\" is incorrect because I\ncannot imagine what imperative form can follow it. \"お元気で!\" is common as a\nshorter version of \"お元気でお過ごしください!\". \"簡単に!\" can be \"簡単に言って!\" (Say it more\nsimply), \"簡単にして!\" (Make it simpler), etc.\n\nWhen a negative imperative or request is necessary, you simply say the\ncorresponding verb explicitly. \"早くしないで!\", \"元気で過ごすな!\", \"簡単に言わないで!\", \"簡単にするな!\",\nand so on.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T01:11:31.867", "id": "99755", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T12:03:34.390", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-27T12:03:34.390", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99751", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "When creating japanese languages packages for computer languages, we have to\ntranslate the words \"`raise`\" or \"`throw`\" from computer programming jargon\ninto everyday japanese.\n\nWhat Japanese verb might be consistent with the following ideas:\n\n> * \"tell somone about problem\"\n>\n> * \"notify your parent or teacher of a child who misbehaved.\n>\n> * tattle-tale.\n>\n> * file paperwork for a request.\n>\n> * file a ticket.\n>\n> * generate error message.\n>\n> * send error message to person.\n>\n> * send report on consumer price indicies to our boss.\n>\n> * `throw` a baseball.\n>\n> * write the error message down on a piece of paper; crunch-up the paper\n> into to a wad or ball. Now, throw the crumpled ball of paper at the human\n> being who did somthing wrong.\n>\n>", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T12:47:44.567", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99759", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T02:41:13.417", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-29T01:13:22.203", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "56363", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "translation", "verbs" ], "title": "What verb means \"create a problem\"?", "view_count": 149 }

[ { "body": "When say \"generate an exception\" or \"throw an error\" in English, the verb IS\n\"to generate\" and \"to throw\". In Japanese programming, the following terms are\nused when taking about handling exceptions thrown by a function or whatnot\n\n * Exception 例外\n * Error エラー\n * An error occurs エラーが起こる\n * Process an exception 例外を処理する\n * throw an error エラーをスローする / エラーを投げる\n * throw an exception 例外をスローする / 例外を投げる\n * catch an error エラーをキャッチする / エラーを捕まえる\n\nWhen talking about throwing/catching an error/an exception the words are スローする\nand キャッチする (literally the English throw and catch), or the native Japanese\nwords 投げる and 捕まえる. Both of these usages can be found on Google.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T02:41:13.417", "id": "99777", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T02:41:13.417", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99759", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99765", "answer_count": 1, "body": "This is my first post here, so thanks for reading this.\n\nI have looked through other threads, and there doesn't seem to be an answer to\nmy specific case, so please let me give this a shot:\n\nI am trying to say \"I can drive a car\".\n\nMy two basic ideas are:\n\n 1. 車 を うんてん できる\n 2. 車 を うんてん することができる\n\nBut I somehow have the niggling feeling that 1) may have to be 車 **の** うんてん\nできる, because, literally, \"I can master the driving of a car\". And as for 2), I\nam not sure one would take this long way. If it's just unusual, I can for now\nlive with that (my level being beginner's). But if it's grammatically wrong\nbecause maybe you don't turn a shimasu-verb into a noun that way (rather than\nsimply leaving the shimasu out in the first place), I'd have to bear that in\nmind.\n\nThank you very much!", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T18:55:50.983", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99760", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-28T03:42:59.703", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56636", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "verbs", "nouns" ], "title": "\"I can drive a car\": 車 を うんてん できる vs. 車 を うんてん することができる", "view_count": 111 }

[ { "body": "First of all, both of your sentences are right, they are both the correct way\nto say \"I can drive a car.\"\n\n\"To drive a car\" is 車を運転する, and to put it into plain potential form, we change\nする into its potential form, which is できる. So 車を運転できる is the most concise way\nto say it. Similarly, 日本語を話す is to speak Japanese, if we put 話す into its\npotential form 話せる, we get 日本語を話せる, making it \"I can speak Japanese.\"\n\nHowever, when you really have to emphasize something, you could use the\nconstruct \"XXことができる\" (lit. the action of XXX is capable (for me)). In this\ncase, \"I drive a car\" is 車を運転する, so \"I **can** drive a car\" is 車を運転する\n**ことができる**. Similarly, \"I speak Japanese\" 日本語を話す becomes \"I **can** speak\nJapanese\" 日本語を話す **ことができる**.\n\nBoth options are valid, it's just the first uses potential form of verbs, the\nsecond nominalizes the verb using こと, then say this こと is できる. On a side note,\nthe potential form of する _**is**_ できる.\n\nP.S. You would not say 車の運転できる, but you can say 車の運転(は/が)できる because 車の運転 is a\nnoun, \"the driving of cars\", it needs a topic-particle or subject-particle to\nmake it the subject of the verb できる.\n\n**Ignore the following info if you have not learned の-が conversion yet. I\ndon't wanna confuse you early on**\n\n車の運転できる would be a valid **relative clause** , but not a valid main clause.\nBecause in relative clauses, が is often replaced by の, a practice inherited\nfrom ancient Japanese. So if you say 車の運転できる to a Japanese, they'd expect\nsomething to come after, like 車の運転できる人 or 車の運転できる学生たち, as 車の運転できる along is not\na complete sentence on its own. In this case, it's essentially 車が運転できる人 or\n車が運転できる学生たち. But here the subject is 車, verb is 運転できる, unlike 車の運転ができる, where\nsubject is 車の運転, and verb is できる.\n\nWait, wouldn't it be 車 **を** 運転できる? Why が? Well it turns out that in Japanese,\nwhen verbs are in potential form, を can be replaced by が. For example, \"(one)\ncan choose his own book\", would be normally 本を選べる(選べる being the potential form\nof 選ぶ), but can also be 本 **が** 選べる. Thus, \"a school where you can choose your\nbook\" can be 本 **を** 選べる学校, 本 **が** 選べる学校, or 本 **の** 選べる学校 in Japanese. All\ngrammatically correct.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T03:42:59.703", "id": "99765", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-28T03:42:59.703", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99760", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "I have been learning Japanese for over a year and I still can’t understand how\nthese very common phrases work grammatically. I do know of several\nintransitive usages of する but none seem to fit in these examples. する in\nどうかしている is definitely intransitive in my opinion.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T19:31:50.843", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99761", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T20:59:19.093", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-29T20:59:19.093", "last_editor_user_id": "40705", "owner_user_id": "40705", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "transitivity" ], "title": "Is する in “どうしたの” and “どうかしたの” transitive or intransitive?", "view_count": 73 }

[]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99764", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I know that when pronouncing the Japanese ん:\n\n 1. There should be nasal air flow.\n 2. You should not be touching your tongue to the roof of your mouth (i.e. so it's not like the English \"n\").\n 3. Tongue position is determined in part by the surrounding vowels.\n\nHowever, consider the word\n\n> 頑張ろう！\n\nHere there is an ん in between が and ば: **がんば** ろう, so when pronouncing this, I\nam tempted to\n\n 1. Pronounce the が\n 2. Close my lips, in preparation for saying ば.\n 3. Pronounce the ん with pure nasal air (since my mouth is closed), and without touching my tongue to my mouth.\n 4. Move to an open-mouth position while pronouncing the ば (which is easy since my mouth is already closed from (2)).\n\nHowever, steps (2)-(3) feels like it might not be native, since my mouth is\nclosed while pronouncing the ん. Should I instead be keeping my mouth open\nwhile pronouncing the ん here? Or is this not necessarily a mistake?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T22:25:00.390", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99762", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T23:26:46.013", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51280", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "pronunciation" ], "title": "Can one pronounce an ん with closed lips (as in がんばろう)?", "view_count": 87 }

[ { "body": "It doesn't matter. And condition 3 makes condition 2 not necessarily true.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-27T23:26:46.013", "id": "99764", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-27T23:26:46.013", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99762", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99771", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was reviewing some old cards I had flagged as \"uncertain\" and I came across\na scene from \"Your name\" (君の名は).\n\nAt around the 47th minute the characters ride a shinkansen to meet the\n\"friend\" of the MC.\n\nThe dialogue is as follows:\n\n> Colleague : たきくん、メル友に会いに行くんだって。\n>\n> Taki： いや、メル友っていうかそりゃ方便で…\n\nFrom my understanding it can mean something like \"Just a figure of speech\" The\ndefinitions of J to J dictionaries are not very helpful either.\n\n> （１）ある目的を達するため便宜的に用いられる手段。てだて。「うそも―」\n>\n> （２）〔仏〕 〔梵 upāya〕\n> （ア）仏が衆生(シユジヨウ)を教化・救済するために用いるさまざまな方法。（イ）真実の教えに至る前段階として教化される側の，宗教的能力に応じて説かれた教え。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T09:43:00.173", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99768", "last_activity_date": "2023-07-03T20:10:14.387", "last_edit_date": "2023-07-03T20:10:14.387", "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "42293", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "meaning", "nuances", "anime" ], "title": "What is/are the meaning(s) of 方便 in this sentence and in general?", "view_count": 121 }

[ { "body": "The first definition says \"a means employed expediently to attain an\nobjective.\" 嘘も方便 is a fixed expression that means telling a lie is sometimes\nnecessary to achieve a greater goal, or something like that. Outside of this\nexpression, 方便 is often used in the sense of \"pretext\" or \"ostensible reason.\"\n\nThe character is suggesting meeting their e-pal is not the real purpose of\ntheir trip.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T13:50:36.753", "id": "99771", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-28T13:50:36.753", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99768", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99775", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I have heard「準備できた」from a game. I think the meaning there is \"something is\nready\". \nIf so, which explanation is better? \n1.「準備できた」is made from the 可能形 of 「準備する」(準備できる) and 助動詞「た」 \n2.「準備できた」is just「準備ができた」where「が」is omitted in spoken language?\n\nI think we can make a test of 1. For example, I want to say \"the meal is\nready\". If 1 is right, then we can say\n\n> 食事が準備できた\n\nwhich is made from 「食事を準備する」. So the question is if 「食事が準備できた」has the meaning\n**\" the meal is ready\"** other than **\" the meal could be prepared\"** due to\nthe 可能形?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T12:57:52.663", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99769", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T04:27:52.043", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-28T13:29:35.540", "last_editor_user_id": "56516", "owner_user_id": "56516", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "meaning" ], "title": "Does 「準備できた」have a meaning of \"something is ready\"?", "view_count": 135 }

[ { "body": "1. I think the proper way to say it would be 「食事の準備ができた。」. In fact, 「食事が準備できた」 doesn't make much sense. It sounds like the food did some sort of preparation, which is gibberish.\n\nTo answer your question though, 「食事の準備ができた」 will almost always be taken as\n\"the food is ready\". Depending on context, you can make it mean the potential\nthough.\n\n> 前は、食事の準備は一人でもできたけど、最近は忙しくて妻に頼っています。 \n> Before, I was able to cook a meal by myself, but recently I've been relying\n> on wife.\n\n 2. Yes. When omitting particles, speech often sounds more casual. [Here's another post about it](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/3151/what-are-the-guidelines-for-omitting-particles).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T00:11:16.757", "id": "99775", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T00:11:16.757", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "21657", "parent_id": "99769", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "The sentence I came up with was:\n\n> 私は、学生は勉強を完了するために睡眠時間を短くする寝がちですから、これが起こると思います。\n\nSo essentially I was using がち to say how students \"tend to/have a tendency to\"\nsleep less. My 先生 said I used it wrong, without giving proper advice. Any help\nwould be appreciated!", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T13:14:11.313", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99770", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T02:12:27.823", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-29T01:31:07.730", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "56643", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "syntax" ], "title": "I'm struggling to understand how to use がち", "view_count": 135 }

[ { "body": "`[V ます-stem]-がち` works as a な-adjective. So you begin with a verb phrase and\nend up with a な-adjective.\n\nYour sentence appears to have started from this verb phrase.\n\n> x 睡眠時間を短くする寝ます\n\nThis is syntactically wrong because it has two verbs with no proper connector.\n\nLet’s use the first verb.\n\n> 睡眠時間を短くします\n\nFrom this you get the following correct sentence.\n\n> 睡眠時間を短くしがちです\n\n〜がち being an adjective, you can use it attributively, too.\n\n> 睡眠時間を短くしがちな学生\n\n短く寝がち (without 睡眠時間を) is grammatical but not idiomatic because the original\nverb phrase 短く寝ます is not idiomatic. 遅く寝ます is better with focus on the time you\ngo to bed (i.e. start to sleep), rather than the duration.\n\n> 遅く寝がちです", "comment_count": 7, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T02:12:27.823", "id": "99776", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T02:12:27.823", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99770", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> 「またぁ。 圭一くんは何にでもケチャップ掛けるね」\n\n> 「せっかく作ったんだから、タルタルをつけてみてよ。 今日はアレンジを加えてみた自信作なんだから」\n\nWhat exactly is 加えてみた in this sentence? I seems unable to understand it", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T14:41:41.643", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99772", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-28T14:41:41.643", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "sentence", "reading-comprehension" ], "title": "The meaning of 加えてみた in this sentence", "view_count": 70 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "I'm translating the song “はだしの軌跡” from **Final Fantasy X-2: Vocal Collection -\nRikku**.\n\n> 気分まかせの足跡つけて新しい地図 描こう\n\nI’m translating this lyric from right to left, reading as “Let’s draw a new\nmap by...” 気分まかせの足跡つけて seems to mean something about making footprints of some\nkind. まかせ appears to either be the stem form of 任せる or act like a suffix to\n気分, but I don't know what the ‘no’ particle is for if anything.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T22:21:15.273", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99773", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-30T16:58:08.460", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "54964", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "translation", "particle-の", "phrases", "song-lyrics" ], "title": "Understanding 気分任せの足跡", "view_count": 114 }

[ { "body": "Here まかせ seems to act as the suffix meaning \"leave it up to someone or\nsomething else\". In this case it's being applied to 気分 (the feeling / mood).\nGiving 気分まかせ a meaning of \"left up to the feeling / mood\".\n\nAs for the の particle, it's being used in the traditional sense to connect and\nmodify 足跡 (footprints) using 気分まかせ. So with this の particle we get 気分まかせの足跡\nmeaning something like \"the feeling / mood's footprints\", \"the footprints\nbased on the mood\", or etc.\n\nAlso for extra clarification, 足跡つけて (足跡をつける) means to \"leave behind / make\nfootprints\".\n\nSo altogether reading from left to right we have something like:\n\n> 気分まかせの足跡つけて新しい地図描こう\n>\n> Leaving behind footprints based on the mood, let's draw a new map\n\nOr reading from right to left\n\n> Let's draw a new map using the footprints left behind by the mood.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-28T23:00:26.930", "id": "99774", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-30T16:58:08.460", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-30T16:58:08.460", "last_editor_user_id": "30339", "owner_user_id": "30339", "parent_id": "99773", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "中止 literally means to stop halfway (中で止まる). 中止 in Chinese also only means to\nterminate something already started. How did 中止 get the meaning of cancelling\nsomething not started at all in Japanese?", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T07:22:35.967", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99779", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-30T08:30:58.313", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-29T18:00:02.920", "last_editor_user_id": "38810", "owner_user_id": "38810", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "etymology", "word-usage" ], "title": "Why does 中止 also mean to cancel", "view_count": 227 }

[ { "body": "As aguijonazo pointed out, when the Japanese use the term 中止 for an event that\nhas not yet **opened** , it means that all the planning, preparation, and\nprocesses that were **already started** to make the event happen have come to\nan abrupt end. This makes perfect sense, at least from a Japanese perspective;\nfor most events, the duration of the preparation and promotion of the event is\nmuch longer than the actual duration of the event itself (which is typically\nonly a few hours or days).\n\nSo it's merely a matter of what is regarded as the \"start\". I've never even\nheard the opinion from a Japanese speaker that we shouldn't call it a 中止\nbecause it hasn't officially opened yet. Such an opinion sounds fairly strange\nand cruel to a Japanese speaker. (I don't know the specific history of when\nthis discrepancy originated in history, but it's not at all surprising, is\nit?)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-30T07:46:52.050", "id": "99787", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-30T08:30:58.313", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-30T08:30:58.313", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99779", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99782", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Can you please help me understand the title giving verb?\n\nAccording to dictionaries it means \"rasing the bottom\" or \"raising the\nstandard\".\n\nI found it in the fourth episode of Swordart Online at 5:30. The protagonist\ngives away some items to a women claiming they will raise her level.\n\nBut why can't he use the normal 挙げる/上げる or something like 増す?\n\nThe full sentence is: それなら５－６レベルは底上げできる。", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T12:21:01.827", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99780", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T22:28:42.300", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55767", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "verbs", "anime" ], "title": "底上げする - why do we need it?", "view_count": 129 }

[ { "body": "I did a quick look at episode for more context: main character give another\nplayer powerful equipment in order to travel with him to a high-level dungeon.\n\n底上げ is used here as raising the bottom standard. The main character is\ncomparing the girl to him (since he already plans to go with her), so he is\nraising the \"bottom\" of his party. You cannot use レベルアップ or レベルを上げる here, as\nthe items do not level up the character (they are just armor), they only boost\nthe girl's stats several level's worth. It probably would have have been more\naccurate if he said 「５，６レベル分を底上げ出来る (you can boost your (stats) 5-6 level's\nworth)」, but it's still understandable to a native speaker.\n\nImagine if you had five people in my party in an RPG: three were level 20 and\ntwo were level l1. If I were to 底上げ, I would focus on leveling up/buying\nequipment for the level 11s so they would catch up to the higher leveled\ncharacters, which is basically what the main character did in the scene.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T22:28:42.300", "id": "99782", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T22:28:42.300", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "9508", "parent_id": "99780", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "In Maison Ikkoku, the title of episode 60 is \"見ちゃった！響子{きょうこ}と三鷹{みたか}がいきなりB？！\",\nwhich is translated to \"Caught in the Act! Kyoko and Mitaka-Hot and Heavy!\"\n\nMy question is, what is \"B\"? I've literally never heard it before @.@. I know\n\"H\" and \"BL\", but I've never heard just \"B\" to have any meaning in that way.\n\nFor context, this is an 80's/90's anime, and Kyouko and Mitaka are a potential\ncouple that are caught embracing (in a misunderstanding where Mitaka fell on\ntop of Kyouko) by Godai, who's also after Kyouko in a love triangle.\n\n[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e8Ur7.jpg)", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T22:59:21.793", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99783", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T23:21:24.767", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "35659", "post_type": "question", "score": 8, "tags": [ "words", "slang", "loanwords", "anime" ], "title": "\"B\" meaning \"hot and heavy\"?", "view_count": 1352 }

[ { "body": "I assume this is [sense 12 in this\ndictionary](https://www.weblio.jp/content/B), although I haven't heard the\nterm myself as a learner.\n\n> 俗にペッティングのこと。Aをキス、Cをセックスとして、その間の段階ということから。 \n> Colloquially, (sexual) petting. From the fact that if A is kissing, C is\n> sex, then B is the stage in between.\n\nIf this definition is correct, an equivalently colloquial English translation\nwith a pretty much identical meaning would be [\"second\nbase\"](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/second_base).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T23:21:24.767", "id": "99785", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-29T23:21:24.767", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "816", "parent_id": "99783", "post_type": "answer", "score": 8 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "According to Jisho, **かっ飛ばす** means something like sending a ball flying among\nother things.\n\nMy issue is interpreting the verb when it directly affects people, like the\nfollowing example:\n\n> 私と君とでかっ飛ばそう\n\nThe only translated example I've seen of this verb is describing someone\nessentially knocking a ball out of the park.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-29T23:10:50.733", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99784", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T08:55:49.733", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-31T08:55:49.733", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "54964", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "song-lyrics", "definitions", "interpretation" ], "title": "Understanding かっ飛ばすin this context", "view_count": 124 }

[ { "body": "かっ飛ばす is basically a baseball/golf term, but it can also work as one of those\nabstract verbs that mean something along the lines of \"to go all out\", \"to\nsmash\", \"to go full blast\", \"to rock it\", and so on. For example, a rock\nmusician might say かっ飛ばすぜ at the beginning of a live performance, in which\ncase it has little to do with physically hitting a ball. Perhaps they are\nabout to do something big or aggressive, but what they are actually doing\ndepends on the context.\n\n私と君とで just means \"together with you and me\". This で is the same で as in 1人で\n(alone), 全員で (with everyone), etc.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-30T16:01:27.900", "id": "99789", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-30T16:24:09.243", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-30T16:24:09.243", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99784", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99795", "answer_count": 1, "body": "When you see verbs connected by a dot in a text, such as \"検査・判別する,\" what is\nthe best way to interpret this? Normally when I come across examples like this\nI assume that the meaning is 'or', but recently I occassionally do formal\nlegal translations, so I want to make sure that I'm getting the exact meaning\nof the term. Especially, I'm wondering if 'and/or' or 'and' are possible\ntranslations here.\n\nFor example, would \"装置は表面欠陥を検査・判別する\" mean \"The device inspects or\ndiscriminates surface defects\"? Or perhaps \"The device inspects and/or\ndiscriminates surface defects\"?\n\nYour thoughts on this are appreciated.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T02:54:53.007", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99793", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T04:09:02.800", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-31T02:57:13.740", "last_editor_user_id": "56661", "owner_user_id": "56661", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "translation", "verbs" ], "title": "Interpretation of dotted verbs like 検査・判別する", "view_count": 236 }

[ { "body": "First, this type of dot is never used to describe an \"exclusive or\", i.e.\n\"(strictly) either A or B\". For example, \"Go (either) right or forward\" would\nbe \"右または前に進め\", but not \"右・前に進め\".\n\nOtherwise, you must choose wisely between \"and\", \"or\", and \"and/or\" on a case-\nby-case basis.\n\nFor example, you _must_ use \"and\" in the following sentences:\n\n * 東京から名古屋・大阪・広島を経由して福岡に向かった。\n * 砂糖・牛乳・小麦粉を混ぜて生地を作ります。\n * 映画は脚本・絵コンテ・撮影というプロセスを経て作られる。\n\nIn your case, if you think that 検査 and 判別 are similar but different things,\n\"or\" would be fine. But if you think 検査 and 判別 are two steps of one process,\n\"and\" would be better. Personally, I think \"and\" is slightly more natural here\nbecause you cannot do 判別 without doing 検査. That is, the sentence is just a\nshorter version of 検査して判別する.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T04:09:02.800", "id": "99795", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T04:09:02.800", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99793", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "> うち農家で兄弟も多いからオレが料理することが多かったんだ\n\nIs 農家 normally used for just one person, a family or a place?\n\nIf it means \"farmhouse\" in this sentence, then I think うち could mean \"home\"\nand it could be used by the character to make the listener understand that the\nfarmhouse was his home, he invents the word \"home-farmhouse\"/\"farmhouse-\nhome\"/\"farmhome\".\n\nOr is it 内 used as an adverb and it means \"internally\"? But I've always seen\nit used as a noun.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T04:01:17.450", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99794", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T09:03:50.403", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "41400", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "words", "compounds" ], "title": "What does うち農家 mean?", "view_count": 73 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99802", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Found ならぬ in the following sentence and am unsure of what it's meaning is.\nAlso would be nice if anyone provided a total translation for the whole\nsentence for increased clarity.\n\n「深夜勤帯にゆとり世代ならぬさとり世代の大型新人がやってきました。」\n\nI've read it as something along the lines of \"In our employee group, if\nthey(relating to another employee who is quoting a philosopher) aren't a\nyutorisedai(person from the more lax Japanese schooling system in the\n1980s-2000s), they must've been the satorisedai(generation in which most\npeople gave up their ambitions due to japan's economy at the time) I had such\nhigh hopes of who said that.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T14:23:57.530", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99796", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T22:39:03.550", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56627", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "translation" ], "title": "What is ならぬ Ｍeaning in this sentence?", "view_count": 115 }

[ { "body": "As you understand, it means negation.\n\n>\n> [ならぬ](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E3%81%AA%E3%82%89%E3%81%AC/#jn-165280)\n>\n> ［連語］《「ぬ」は打消しの助動詞「ず」の連体形》 **…でない** 。「一方 (ひとかた) ―ご指導」「ただ―事態」\n\nなら comes from the archaic なり (to be).\n\nThus AならぬB means _not A but B_. Usually, A is something widely known and B is\nsomething new (+ perhaps A and B have similar sounds or B is named in a\nsimilar fashion to A). In your case, ゆとり世代 has been a cliche to refer to\nyounger generation but now さとり世代 is even younger and the naming is clearly\nrelated.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T22:39:03.550", "id": "99802", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T22:39:03.550", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45489", "parent_id": "99796", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99800", "answer_count": 1, "body": "As far as I know, 当たり前 is an adverb. How come in the following instances it's\nused as the subject?\n\n> あの日見た夕日 あの日見た花火 いつでも君がいたね \n> **当たり前が** 幸せと知った ー「合唱曲・群青」\n\n> 君がここにいなくなって **当たり前が** いなくなって ー「君の抜け殻」\n\nI am a little puzzled by this usage of 当たり前 as the subject. The が cannot be\nthe contrast-particle が because that doesn't make sense either(plus one needs\nto say XXだが and not XXが for 名詞 and 形容動詞). I think it must be the subject-\nmarker が. Can someone explain?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T20:08:55.430", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99797", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T23:54:16.617", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "usage", "particle-が" ], "title": "The usage of 当たり前 as subject", "view_count": 95 }

[ { "body": "<https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E5%BD%93%E3%82%8A%E5%89%8D/>\n\n当たり前 works as a noun as you can see from the 「名・形動」 listing. The relevant\ndefinition is 2 here, I believe. They learned their 'normality', 'what they\ntook for granted' (something like that) was happiness, and then 'it' (implied\nto be 君 with the verb choice **い** なくなって) disappeared.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T22:02:13.277", "id": "99800", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T23:54:16.617", "last_edit_date": "2023-05-31T23:54:16.617", "last_editor_user_id": "9971", "owner_user_id": "9971", "parent_id": "99797", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 出る時は斜めに掘る必要があるな。いや、待て待て。\n>\n> 縦の穴。酸素はどうなっている？ マズイ、死ぬ？ 俺は慌てて斜め上に向かって穴を掘り、脱出する。\n>\n> 反省。次は空気の通り道を考えながら、掘ってみた。\n>\n> 基本、斜め掘り。適度な所で斜め上に向かって穴を掘る。俺の中のイメージの井戸とは全然違うが、要は空気が流れればよい。\n>\n> 最終的に下に向かって掘っていれば問題はないだろう。\n\nSo, a guy tries to dig a well but figures out that if he dug vertically it\nmight affect the oxygen level, so he decided to dig diagonally. What confuses\nme is this 「適度な所で斜め上に向かって穴を掘る」? Does it mean he stops at a certain place, digs\ndiagonally upward​, and then proceeds to dig horizontally? Or that he digs\ndiagonally all the way, but occasionally digs holes on his way diagonally\nupward​ (this is how a fan translation has it)?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T20:59:41.397", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99798", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T05:02:08.837", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-01T04:12:38.390", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "50156", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "meaning", "translation", "syntax" ], "title": "What does 適度な所で斜め上に向かって穴を掘る mean here?", "view_count": 80 }

[ { "body": "Simply digging a long zigzag hole obviously won't provide oxygen, so if I\nunderstand correctly, he is doing something like this:\n\n[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cbdLo.png)\n\nThe final result is a hole with some \"branches\" to serve as [ventilation\nraises](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_mine_ventilation).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T04:38:30.430", "id": "99805", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T05:02:08.837", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-01T05:02:08.837", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99798", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99801", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was reading the short novel 銀河鉄道の夜 by 宮沢賢治 and, although it's not super\nhard, I stumble upon on this sentence (as usual I post the whole paragraph for\ncontext):\n\n> 家へは帰らずジョバンニが町を三つ曲って **ある**\n> 大きな活版処にはいってすぐ入口の計算台に居ただぶだぶの白いシャツを着た人におじぎをしてジョバンニは靴をぬいで上りますと、突き当りの大きな扉をあけました。\n\nNow, I don't understand if ある is part of the verb 曲って, so we have 曲ってある that\nmodify the 活版 noun, or it's a simple ～て verb and only ある modify 活版.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T21:18:53.143", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99799", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T17:51:44.610", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-01T17:51:44.610", "last_editor_user_id": "816", "owner_user_id": "56116", "post_type": "question", "score": 5, "tags": [ "verbs", "readings", "parsing", "ある", "てある" ], "title": "Understanding a passage from 銀河鉄道の夜", "view_count": 453 }

[ { "body": "Both interpretations are possible, but that shouldn't affect the meaning.\nEither way, you find 活版処 after turning three corners.\n\nThat said, 曲がってある (of first interpretation) is not really idiomatic.\n角を曲がってある喫茶店 is odd. It should be 角を曲がったところにある喫茶店.\n\nSo, more likely is the second interpretation where only ある modifies the 活版処 (\n_a certain printer's (place)_ ).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-05-31T22:23:09.660", "id": "99801", "last_activity_date": "2023-05-31T22:23:09.660", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45489", "parent_id": "99799", "post_type": "answer", "score": 7 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 2, "body": "I've been practicing for months now, I have still have difficulty with r.\n\nFor example, when saying something like 忘れられる. Is it supposed to be difficult?\nLike when I say it fast it sounds really mushy, or not accurate, have I been\npronouncing r wrong this whole time or is this normal?\n\nOr if I try to say らりるれろ fast, sometimes my tongue gets called and other stuff\nand it sounds weird. Something like ありがとう sounds fine, but for some reason\nsaying just り or any other R (character?) by itself sounds weird or off.\n\nありがとうございます", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T02:51:23.297", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99803", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T15:59:44.340", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55638", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "pronunciation" ], "title": "Sometimes its difficult to pronounce the R sound", "view_count": 91 }

[ { "body": "As someone who also speaks american, I can try to chime in-- as Leebo said its\nhard to give precise advice without hearing you. I also want to be clear, the\nusa has many different accents so keep that in mind, in case yours is very\ndifferent from mine (midwest and then pacific northwest).\n\n* * *\n\nIt is true that the Japanese R sounds like it is in between an english L and\nR. Personally, I think it is a little closer to english L sound than english\nR, but that may be subjective since it is its own unique sound.\n\nCan you tap your R's like they do in Spanish? I will barely tap my toungue\nagainst the top of my mouth in a similar way. If I am speaking quickly it may\nnot even touch all the way, just close enough to make the sound, for reference\nof how light a touch it is. At the same time I will keep my mouth in the shape\nof an english L sound while doing so (tongue and lips flatter, etc.) If you\npractice saying an english err, and the \"l\" like you drag out the start of\nlittle, you may notice the different mouth shapes?\n\nI have no idea if this is how native japanese speakers make the sound, but I\nhave never had an issue making the correct sound this way, hope it can help\nyou :)", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T04:16:50.520", "id": "99804", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T04:16:50.520", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56397", "parent_id": "99803", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "If you can't quite \"roll\" your Rs, try tapping your tongue in the same place\nyou make the D sound in American English, it may sound more like a デぃ Type\nsound than a り、But its better than nothing.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T15:59:44.340", "id": "99811", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T15:59:44.340", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56627", "parent_id": "99803", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99849", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I have read [this answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/54346/16104),\nand while it helped me understand how the term came about, I am still confused\nabout when it is ok or not to use it.\n\nI understand is mostly ok to use it in situations where you need some sort of\npermission to do whatever you wanna do.\n\n> (オンライン会議で）すみません、先に抜けさせていただきます。- Excuse me, I will allow myself to leave\n> early.\n\nBut in some other situations, it is really confusing to me if **させていだだきます**\nwould sound weird or not:\n\n> レビューしていただきありがとうございます。お手数ですが、修正をいたしましたので、もう一度ご確認をお願いいたします。\n\nHere, would it be ok to say **修正させていただきましたので** instead of **修正いたしましたので** ？ I\nwas told by native speakers that **させていただきます** wouldn't work well here, but\nthey could not explain really well why.\n\nI would also like to know if is there any way to use **いたします** to modify verbs\nthe same way you can do with **させていただきます** ？\n\n> 飲む > 飲ませていただきます\n\n> 飲む > 飲むよういたします （or should I just stick to 飲みます？）", "comment_count": 8, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T09:03:50.510", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99807", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T17:14:25.690", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "16104", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "words", "keigo" ], "title": "When to use させていただきます vs いたします？", "view_count": 227 }

[ { "body": "I’m glad you are surrounded by people who think it is weird. I have worked\nwith a bunch of people who used that kind of language all the time at work.\nThey would say things like 出張させて頂きました when they took that business trip\nbecause it was necessary for their job or even someone ordered them to. They\nsay ～させて頂きます just to sound humble. For me the problem is worse than sounding\nuneducated. I found them to be frivolous and even irresponsible. They are\nessentially making their own action sound as though it is someone else’s\ndecision. 出張させて頂きました would make sense only if you wanted to go, but the\ncompany regulations would prohibit you from having another trip until, say,\nnext month, but your superior intervened and specially allowed you to go, or\nsomething like that.\n\nIn another example, stupid actors say things like 今回XXXの役を演じさせて頂きました at a\nmovie premiere. They are supposed to be talking to the fans. The fans didn’t\nlet them play any role. If someone did, it must be their producer. By saying\n〜させて頂きました they are being humble towards the producer. Why do the fans have to\nhear it?\n\nMy advice: Don’t use it unless someone actually allowed you to do what you\ndid.\n\nAs for いたします, it’s a humble form for します. So for it to make sense, します needs\nto make sense. 飲むよういたします would be understood as a deformation of 飲むよう **に**\nいたします. While the latter is the correct humble form of 飲むようにします, it doesn’t\nmean the same as 飲みます. If I had to use いたします to say 飲みます, I would say 頂戴いたします.\nYou would need some noun like that.", "comment_count": 6, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T08:16:06.733", "id": "99849", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T17:14:25.690", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-05T17:14:25.690", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99807", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99812", "answer_count": 2, "body": "One thing that puzzles me, is how to guess a meaning of a kanji by deducting\nits radicals. For instance 神 (god), is constructed of ｜ 日 礼 田 . What's the\nidea behind it? A stick combined with a sun combined with bowing/ceremony in a\nrice paddy? How do I have to see a god in that combination of radicals? I know\nsome kanji radicals combined make more sense, but in many cases I cannot guess\nthe meaning of the kanji by just combining the radicals.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T11:39:25.653", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99808", "last_activity_date": "2023-08-19T05:58:36.567", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56671", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "meaning", "kanji", "radicals" ], "title": "How to make sense of radicals that form a kanji", "view_count": 386 }

[ { "body": "> For instance 神 (god), is constructed of ｜ 日 礼 田\n\nIt is not. This character is made with the radical 礻(which is the character 示,\njust a little deformed when it appears as a radical) and the character 申. The\nradical 礻 (示) was originally an altar, so characters with this radical has\nmeanings related to deities.\n\n * 祝 blessing (from deity)\n * 福 prosperity (bestowed by deity)\n * 祭 ceremony (used to be ceremony where one worship their deity) in this character 示 is on the bottom\n * 祥 Another term for prosperity/peace\n * 禍 woes (comes from deity)\n * 神 deity or God\n * and so on.\n\nThis 示 is the meaning-component, while the 申 is the sound component. 申 is\npronounced SHIN, and how is 神 pronounced in on-yomi? SHIN. This method of\ncombining a meaning-component to indicate a general meaning and a sound\ncomponent to indicate the sound is called 形声字, which is one of the six methods\nChinese characters are made/used. The six methods, collectively are known as\n六書(six-writing). I suggest you watch [this\nvideo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOj4zOcNdak), which explains 六書\nclearly. So yeah, while for some kanji ALL components pertain to the meaning,\nbut for 形声字's only one part is meaning-related and the other part is sound-\nrelated.", "comment_count": 4, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T16:13:25.033", "id": "99812", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T16:13:25.033", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "parent_id": "99808", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "Many times the shape of a Kanji character may not really make sense. At such\ntimes you need to create some stories about it. The same is the case with the\nradicals.\n\nThe best way is to remember the 51 radicals used in [jōyō\nkanji](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dy%C5%8D_kanji). Remembering these\nmost [common Kanji radicals](https://www.ejable.com/japan-corner/remembering-\nkanji/most-common-kanji-radicals/) can really do wonders in learning Kanji\nfast.\n\nThere are many Kanji characters that clearly depict the object they represent\n- for example, the Kanji of vehicle (車) or mouth (口), and many others, however\nmany such as 前 may not readily make sense - and in that case, it's better to\ncreate stories (mnemonics) around them.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-08-19T05:58:36.567", "id": "100710", "last_activity_date": "2023-08-19T05:58:36.567", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "54544", "parent_id": "99808", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99810", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I was browsing and found [this\nquestion](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/99799/33560).\n\nAt the end of the following text (from _\" Night on the Galactic Railroad\"_):\n\n> 家へは帰らずジョバンニが町を三つ曲って **ある**\n> 大きな活版処にはいってすぐ入口の計算台に居ただぶだぶの白いシャツを着た人におじぎをしてジョバンニは靴をぬいで上りますと、突き当りの大きな扉をあけました。\n\nThere is this character:\n\n> 。\n\nAnd towards the end of the text:\n\n> ... \"、突き当りの大きな扉をあけました。\"\n\nThere is this character:\n\n> 、\n\nAm I correct in assuming that this is punctuation? **I.E:** a full-stop\n(period in en-US) and a comma, respectively?\n\nIf not, what do they mean?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T14:46:05.190", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99809", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T21:23:46.100", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "33560", "post_type": "question", "score": -5, "tags": [ "meaning", "translation" ], "title": "What do \"。\" and \"、\" mean?", "view_count": 130 }

[ { "body": "The first character is a full stop:\n\n> Source: Wikipedia, [Japanese Punctuation: Full\n> Stop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_punctuation#Full_stop)\n\nThe second character is a comma:\n\n> Source: Wikipedia, [Japanese Punctuation:\n> Comma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_punctuation#Comma)\n\nSee: [Japanese\nPunctuation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_punctuation) (Wikipedia).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T15:16:23.283", "id": "99810", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T21:23:46.100", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-01T21:23:46.100", "last_editor_user_id": "33560", "owner_user_id": "56671", "parent_id": "99809", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "「何が釣れましたか」 evidently means \"what were you able to catch (while fishing)?\" in\nthe context of <https://youtu.be/7bLVtR7IgUo?t=172> at 2m52s.\n\nBut 釣れました (\"was able to catch\") is the passive potential of 釣る (\"to catch\").\nSo why doesn't this sentence actually mean \"What (thing) was able to catch\"?\nTo me the sentence would make more sense if the verb was instead 釣られました\n(passive past), so that 「何が釣られました」 could translate to \"What was caught?\"\n\nIs 釣れる an example of a [passive-like\nverb](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/30578/51280)?", "comment_count": 9, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T23:24:53.070", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99813", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-01T23:24:53.070", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51280", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "passive-voice", "potential-form" ], "title": "Understanding \"何が釣れましたか\"", "view_count": 115 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 3, "body": "So I've just found out that apprently お兄さん and お姉さん aren't used for your older\nsiblings, and only for other people's siblings or just other people older than\nyou. Is this true? This doesn't seem right but I would like to confirm if this\nis right or wrong\n\nDoes that only mean 姉さん/兄さん, お兄ちゃん/お姉ちゃん etc... only work here? I guess what\nI'm asking is it rare or strange to use お when talking to your own older\nsibling? I believe that お just make words more formal so what about here?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-01T23:52:48.703", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99815", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T01:48:17.810", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-02T01:15:43.203", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "55638", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "nuances" ], "title": "Is calling your older brother/sister お姉さん/お兄さん wrong?", "view_count": 197 }

[ { "body": "It’s not wrong to call your elder sibling お姉さん or お兄さん, of course.\n\nIt’s just that you should use 姉 or 兄 to refer to them when you are talking to\nsomeone outside of your family, or outside of whatever you consider to be your\n“inner group”, in relatively formal settings. If you are talking to a friend,\nit’s totally fine to call them お姉さん or お兄さん (though お姉ちゃん or お兄ちゃん is more\nlikely).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T01:14:26.787", "id": "99816", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-02T01:14:26.787", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99815", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 }, { "body": "The rules of “proper” Japanese is that one should address one's relatives\ndirectly with “お兄さん”, “お母さん” and such, but use “兄さん\" and “母さん” when speaking\nto others about one's relatives, and use “お兄さん” and “お母さん” to refer to their\nrelatives. This is because in theory using the “お” elevates the status, and\nusing that on one's own relatives when speaking to outsiders is supposedly\nrude, but one is not speaking to an outsider when speaking directly to one's\nown relatives, where one can elevate them again.\n\nIn practice, Japanese people completely ignore this and use “お兄さん” all the\ntime to refer to their own relatives when speaking to others.\n\nAnother “rule” is that “父” and “母” can only be used for one's own parents, and\n“お父さん\" and “お母さん” must be used for the parents of others; but again, Japanese\npeople do not follow these rules and they're quite happy to use these terms\nfor the parents of others. In the strictest etiquette even, one cannot use\n“お父さん” or “父さん” ever on one's own parents and must use “父”, which is again\nignored. Even stricter is that not even “(お)父様” cannot be used for one's\nparents and “父上\" must be used, and as rare as “(お)父様\" is outside of fiction,\n“父上\" is even rarer in actual usage.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T23:50:55.000", "id": "99822", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-02T23:50:55.000", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "35937", "parent_id": "99815", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 }, { "body": "What you said is completely true for 弟さん and 妹さん. These are always (lightly)\nrespectful ways of referring to **someone else's** younger brother/sister. You\ncan never use them to directly address **your own** younger brother/sister,\nregardless of what type of person you are.\n\nHowever, **it _is_ possible** to use お兄さん and お姉さん to address **your own**\nolder brother/sister, although it's not very common. You need to understand\nhow each phrase sounds and who the typical users of each pronoun are.\n\nWhen used to directly address **your own** older brother/sister (imagine\nyou're alone at home with your brother/sister and no one else is listening):\n\n * お兄ちゃん and お姉ちゃん are the most common, and you'll hear them most of the time in real life, at least in urban areas. My sister used to call me using this when she was little.\n * 兄ちゃん and 姉ちゃん are the next common, and sound relatively tomboyish and/or rough. Male speakers tend to prefer 兄貴 and 姉貴.\n * 兄さん and 姉さん sound relatively mature. Luigi always uses 兄さん when addressing Mario.\n * お兄さん and お姉さん sound fairly polite, and you won't hear them often outside of fiction. The main users are stereotypical [ojousama](https://www.japanesewithanime.com/2018/05/ojousama.html), courteous gentlemen, elegant old lady and so on in fiction.\n * お兄様 and お姉様 are even more polite. They sound natural only when a royal princess or a daughter of a conglomerate is talking to her own older brother in fiction. 兄様 and 姉様 are almost the same.\n * You might hear [super rare ones in fiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Princess#Twelve_sisters).\n\nNote that many people choose to use nicknames instead of these words. I\nhaven't explained cases like\n[this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/17886/5010). When referring to\nyour brother/sister in formal conversations with outside people, you should\nuse 兄/姉.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T01:37:21.000", "id": "99824", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T01:48:17.810", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-03T01:48:17.810", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99815", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 0, "body": "The phrase 「これから」 refers to the future, while 「た」 refers to the past. Why can\nthey be used in this way?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T02:14:57.393", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99817", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-02T02:14:57.393", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56516", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "grammar", "meaning", "phrases" ], "title": "why using た in これからはどうしたものか？", "view_count": 40 }

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{ "accepted_answer_id": "99826", "answer_count": 2, "body": "In large dictionaries like 広辞苑 or 大辞林, there are some entries tagged with\n\"ancient pronunciations\" which are almost identical to the modern ones but\nwith a voiced consonant voiceless (or vice versa), e.g.\n\n> さわ・ぐ 【騒ぐ】〔上代は「さわく」と清音。〕 _pronounced voicelessly as \"sawaku\" in the early\n> era_\n\n> しろ-がね 【銀】〔古くは「しろかね」とも。〕 _also \"shirokane\" in ancient times_\n\nAs I know, in most ancient texts, voiced syllables are written without any\nvoicing mark(濁点), so they are identical to the voiceless ones\northographically. How do dictionary editors know that the syllables are with\nvoiceless consonants?", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T10:55:30.100", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99818", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-16T06:48:21.747", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56682", "post_type": "question", "score": 5, "tags": [ "orthography", "history", "dictionary", "linguistics", "old-japanese" ], "title": "About ancient pronunciation on dictionaries", "view_count": 221 }

[ { "body": "There are at least two ways that the difference between \"voiceless\" and\n\"voiced\"¹ pronunciation can be ascertained.\n\nFirst, through the 日葡辞書, the Japanese-Portuguese dictionary of 1603, which\nuses Latin script to render Japanese. You can hardly argue for しろがね, when it\nliterally has the entry \"Xirocane, _prata_ \" but no *xirogane.\n\nFurthermore, the Old Japanese man'yōgana, while definitely able to conflate\nthe voiceless-voiced pairs (and occasionally the voiced-nasal pairs), is\nusually consistent in this regard. For example, in the usual orthohraphy of\nthe Man'yōshū , く is spelt with characters such as 久玖口群苦丘九鳩君(on)來國小(kun),\nwhile ぐ by 具遇求隅群(on)來(kun). As we see, while there are two cases of\nconflation, most are distinguished, and when we see, say, in 14.3349, written\nfully phonetically, 布奈妣等佐和久 <punabîtö sawaku>, this 久 makes us sure we are\nlooking at a く and not a ぐ.\n\n¹ Well, actually \"fortis\" and \"lenis\", as the distinction between the two did\nnot originally involve voicedness, but prenazalization, and in Tōhoku this\nremains still.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T08:23:41.940", "id": "99826", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-16T06:48:21.747", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-16T06:48:21.747", "last_editor_user_id": "27977", "owner_user_id": "27977", "parent_id": "99818", "post_type": "answer", "score": 6 }, { "body": "Lexicographers today can differentiate voiced/voiceless from Manyogana\npatterns in the ancient text. However, I believe that is a relatively new\nlinguistic finding made by researchers like Motoori Norinaga. I don't know\nwhat lexicographers from earlier periods did.\n\nIn an edition of [倭玉篇](https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/2543699/1/58) (1613), Section\n237 for 金, 銅 is アカゞネ (\"akagane\") while 銀 is シロカネ (\"shirokane\"). In this case,\nthe author could have written シロガネ but didn't. There was an earlier, lost\nedition from 1489 (長享本), and we don't know how the words were written there,\nthough.\n\nI believe there are words proven to be written in Manyogana, and those written\nwith dakuten (as in 倭玉篇), among \"old\" texts. Perhaps the lexical items found\nin neither of the two categories might not be as many as a layperson might\nthink.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T08:37:23.757", "id": "99827", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T08:53:49.790", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-03T08:53:49.790", "last_editor_user_id": "10531", "owner_user_id": "10531", "parent_id": "99818", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "A group of girls go on a trip and now they are sleeping in their rooms in a\nhotel. At dawn one of the girls called リゼ tries to wake others up but she\nherself falls back to sleep soon. Her friend シャロ notices that and says\n\"あんなに起こすの張り切ってたのに…\". After the other girls get up, they notice that リゼ is the\nlatest to get up. リゼ explains to them that it’s because シャロ didn’t wake her\nup. And シャロ says \"こんな姿見たら起こすの悪いなーって\".\n\nThe manga I am reading is ご注文はうさぎですか. I’d like to know if there is something\nomitted in the two sentences \"あんなに起こすの張り切ってたのに…\" and \"こんな姿見たら起こすの悪いなーって\"?\n\nShould the complete versions be \"あんなに起こすのが張り切ってたのに…\" and \"こんな姿見たら起こすのが悪いなーって\"?\nIs the が omitted there? If not, how should I understand the phenomenon\n\"verb+の+verb/adjective\"?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T13:37:02.010", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99820", "last_activity_date": "2023-07-24T00:38:18.643", "last_edit_date": "2023-07-24T00:38:18.643", "last_editor_user_id": "26510", "owner_user_id": "36662", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "grammar", "omission" ], "title": "Understanding verb+の+verb/adjective", "view_count": 130 }

[ { "body": "Yes, something is omitted. I would say either を or に for the first and は or が\nfor the second,", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-02T14:53:36.010", "id": "99821", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-02T14:53:36.010", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99820", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99844", "answer_count": 1, "body": "Consider a simple dialogue from [here](https://youtu.be/c4tkvzaufuA?t=89)\n\n> 家もありません 家もありません\n>\n> ベッドもありません お金も\n>\n> 家もベッドもありません\n>\n> **何にも** ありません\n\nHere 何にも appears to be spoken with pitch なんにも{HLLL}.\n\n**Question:** Why is なん followed by a に particle here?\n\nIn the sentences prior, no に particle was used:\n\n> **家も** ありません 家もありません\n>\n> **ベッドも** ありません お金も\n>\n> **家もベッドも** ありません\n\nthough could it have been?\n\nAnd would the original sentence still make sense if it was written as\n\n> **何も** ありません?\n\nwithout the に particle?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T01:33:20.087", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99823", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T02:05:18.750", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51280", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "nuances", "particle-に" ], "title": "何にもありません vs. 何もありません", "view_count": 87 }

[ { "body": "This に is not a particle. It's part of the word. See the following definition\nin [デジタル大辞泉](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E4%BD%95%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82/).\n\n> ［副］《「なにも」の撥音添加。あとに打消しの語を伴う》まったく。何一つ。「―わからない」\n>\n> [補説]「なんに」は「なに」に撥音が加わったものだが、表記は「なにも」と読み誤らないよう「何も」ではなく、「何にも」とした。\n\nShe said [なんにも]【HHHH】. In this case, you are clearing hearing the difference\nin stress. According to the rule that says the first two morae always differ\nin pitch, it should be [なんにも]【LHHH】 in theory, but it tends to go up early\nwhen the second mora is ん in standard Japanese.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T02:05:18.750", "id": "99844", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T02:05:18.750", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99823", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "早く彼を助けに行かないと。 そう思うのに、脚が動かない。\n\n視界を塗りこめる赤が、 嗅覚が麻痺しそうな血の臭いが怖くて。\n\nWhat exactly the double が here signifies?", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T10:19:02.840", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99828", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T11:07:48.827", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "55492", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "particle-が" ], "title": "double が in a sentence", "view_count": 57 }

[ { "body": "You already know the usage of が right? It’s showing an array of these reasons\nin a row. Like\n\nA is, and B is scary.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T11:07:48.827", "id": "99829", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T11:07:48.827", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "52012", "parent_id": "99828", "post_type": "answer", "score": 1 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": null, "answer_count": 1, "body": "I am a little confused with when to use に or が with いる/ある。I have 2 sentences I\ncame across during lessons. Please do give more examples if you think it would\nbe helpful.\n\n 1. ユニバーサルスタジオがあるのを聞きました。 I heard there is Universal Studio(US). How does US become a subject in this sentence?\n\n 2. 北海道に日本人の友達が住んでいるんです。 Why would you use が and not に in this sentence? I thought when you use the word 住む, you use the に particle. Is it because the the form has changed into 住んている so you use が？", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T17:30:06.587", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99831", "last_activity_date": "2023-07-03T18:06:55.837", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "56687", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "particle-に", "particle-が", "ある" ], "title": "How do you differentiate when to use に/が with いる/ある", "view_count": 78 }

[ { "body": "ある means 'to be located/to exist'. The particle が marks the thing that exists.\nThe particle に marks where it is located. In 箱が家にある (the box is in the house)\nthe box is the thing that is doing the existing. The house is where it is\nlocated.\n\nユニバーサルスタジオがあるのを聞きました means \" I heard that there is a Universal Studio\".\nUniversal Studio is the thing that exists/is located somewhere, hence it is\nmarked with が. Your sentence says nothing about where Universal Studio is\nlocated. If it did, that would be marked with に.\n\nPerhaps the bit that's actually confusing you here is の. Let's break it down a\nbit more:\n\n 1. ユニバーサルスタジオがある -- Universal Studio exists.\n 2. ユニバーサルスタジオがあるの --the fact that Universal Studio exists.\n 3. ユニバーサルスタジオがあるのを聞きました -- I heard _the fact that_ Universal Studio exists.\n\nYour second sentence has nothing to do with ある/いる. I'm confused.\n\n> 北海道に日本人の友達が住んでいるんです。\n\nYou ask why に is not used, but it is. The friend is living **in** Hokkaido\n(北海道 **に** ). Again が marks the subject, i.e. the thing doing the verb (住む).\nIn this case the thing doing the living is 日本人の友達 (a Japanese friend).\n\nThe fact that 住む is written in the progressive form (住んでいる) has nothing to do\nwith the choice of particles.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T17:48:08.440", "id": "99832", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-03T17:53:08.840", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-03T17:53:08.840", "last_editor_user_id": "7944", "owner_user_id": "7944", "parent_id": "99831", "post_type": "answer", "score": 0 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99855", "answer_count": 1, "body": "When 方 is used as a suffix like these for example: 考え方、作り方、言い方、喋り方、etc.\n\nis there a way to guess/know the reading or is it just straight up random?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-03T18:40:16.073", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99833", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-17T02:44:47.417", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-17T02:44:47.417", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "56647", "post_type": "question", "score": 3, "tags": [ "suffixes", "pitch-accent" ], "title": "方(かた) suffix pitch accent", "view_count": 135 }

[ { "body": "I found this\n[paper](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/onseikenkyu/26/1/26_1/_pdf)\ntitled 接尾辞「-方」を含む派生名詞でのアクセント変異 ―平板化率にみる地域差と母方言からの干渉―.\n\nIt says, by citing an earlier study, that, as a general rule, the accent of\n`[V ます-stem]-方` is determined by the accent of the verb. If the verb is\n_heiban_ , it is also _heiban_ (〜[かた]【HH】), and otherwise, it is either\n_nakadaka_ with the pitch falling after か (〜[かた]【HL】) or _odaka_ (〜[かた\n]【HHL】). However, many deviations from this rule, in both directions, are\nobserved, and as the authors have found out through their research, speakers\nfrom Kansai have a significantly stronger tendency to flatten those that are\nexpected to be either _nakadaka_ or _odaka_ (when they attempt to speak in\nstandard Japanese) compared to speakers from other regions.\n\nI checked [NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典](https://sakura-\nparis.org/dict/NHK%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E7%99%BA%E9%9F%B3%E3%82%A2%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%83%B3%E3%83%88%E8%BE%9E%E5%85%B8/suffix/%E6%96%B9)\nhere (which is known to be not the latest) and found the following words. I\nmarked deviations with (*) and also added remarks following (**) where needed.\n\n * [ある]【HL】 → [ありかた ]【LHHHL】, [ありかた]【LHHL】\n * 言う [いう]【LH】 → [いいかた]【LHHH】\n * 生きる [いきる]【LHL】 → [いきかた ]【LHHHL】, [いきかた]【LHHL】\n * 行く [いく]【LH】 → [いきかた]【LHHH】\n * 致す [いたす]【LHH】, [いたす]【LHL】 → [いたしかた]【LHHHH】 (** this should be seen as a separate word, rather than as 致す方法)\n * 入れる [いれる]【LHH】 → [いれかた]【LHHH】\n * 植える [うえる]【LHH】 → [うえかた]【LHHH】\n * 歌う [うたう]【LHH】 → [うたいかた]【LHHHH】\n * 売る [うる]【LH】 → [うりかた]【LHHH】\n * 売れる [うれる]【LHH】 → [うれかた]【LHHH】\n * 選ぶ [えらぶ]【LHL】 → (*) [えらびかた]【LHHHH】 (** only this pattern is listed)\n * 押す [おす]【LH】 → [おしかた]【LHHH】\n * 折る [おる]【HL】 → [おりかた ]【LHHHL】, [おりかた]【LHHL】\n * 織る [おる]【HL】 → [おりかた ]【LHHHL】, [おりかた]【LHHL】, (*) [おりかた]【LHHH】\n * 買う [かう]【LH】 → [かいかた]【LHHH】\n * 飼う [かう]【HL】 → [かいかた ]【LHHLL】 (** [かいかた ]【LHHHL】 is not listed)\n * 書く [かく]【HL】 → [かきかた ]【LHHHL】, [かきかた]【LHHL】\n * 考える [かんがえる]【LHHHL】, [かんがえる]【LHHLL】 → [かんがえかた]【LHHHHL】 (** [かんがえかた ]【LHHHHHL】 is not listed)\n * 聞く [きく]【LH】 → [ききかた]【LHHH】\n * 切る [きる]【HL】 → [きりかた ]【LHHHL】, [きりかた]【LHHL】\n * 組む [くむ]【HL】 → [くみかた ]【LHHHL】, [くみかた]【LHHL】\n * 死ぬ [しぬ]【LH】 → [しにかた]【LHHH】\n * 立つ／裁つ [たつ]【HL】 → [たちかた ]【LHHHL】, [たちかた]【LHHL】 (** [たちかた]【LHHH】 is also listed but only for 立ち方 as kabuki jargon, which refers to a person, not a method)\n * 食べる [たべる]【LHL】 → [たべかた ]【LHHHL】, [たべかた]【LHHL】\n * 使う [つかう]【LHH】 → [つかいかた]【LHHHH】\n * 作る／造る [つくる]【LHL】 → [つくりかた ]【LHHHHL】, [つくりかた]【LHHHL】\n * 綴る [つづる]【LHL】, [つづる]【LHH】 → [つづりかた ]【LHHHHL】, [つづりかた]【LHHHL】 (** [つづりかた]【LHHHH】 is not listed)\n * 解く [とく]【HL】 → [ときかた ]【LHHHL】, [ときかた]【LHHL】\n * 取る／捕る [とる]【HL】 → [とりかた ]【LHHHL】, [とりかた]【LHHL】\n * 並ぶ [ならぶ]【LHH】 → [ならびかた]【LHHHH】\n * 縫う [ぬう]【HL】 → [ぬいかた ]【LHHHL】, [ぬいかた]【LHHL】\n * 話す [はなす]【LHL】 → [はなしかた ]【LHHHHL】, [はなしかた]【LHHHL】, (*) [はなしかた]【LHHHH】\n * 振る [ふる]【LH】 → [ふりかた]【LHHH】\n * 見る [みる]【HL】 → [みかた ]【LHHL】, [みかた]【LHL】\n * [やる]【LH】 → [やりかた]【LHHH】\n * 揺れる [ゆれる]【LHH】 → [ゆれかた]【LHHH】\n * 読む [よむ]【HL】 → [よみかた ]【LHHHL】, [よみかた]【LHHL】\n\nThey mostly follow the rule with one notable exception in 選び方. Listing\n[おりかた]【LHHH】 for 織り方 and not for 折り方 seems arbitrary. Personally, the _odaka_\npattern sounds weird in my head for all of them, and as a Kansai-ben speaker\nmyself, I find _heiban_ acceptable for some of those for which it is not\nlisted.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-06T05:00:32.057", "id": "99855", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-06T05:24:49.253", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-06T05:24:49.253", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99833", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99842", "answer_count": 1, "body": "> 帖合・書店印\n\nThere are cards in my books called 注文カード and it's written on them. I can't\ntype the first word automatically and I don't know how to read 印 since it has\ntwo pronunciations: しるし, いん.\n\nちょうあい・しょてんいん?\n\n* * *\n\nI've found 帖合 on Jisho, but I don't understand exactly what it is. I haven't\nfound it on Weblio. On Google, I've seen there's a question about it on\nYahoo!, but I can't see the website and the rest is all in Chinese.", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T03:05:37.790", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99834", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-06T03:11:09.067", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-06T03:11:09.067", "last_editor_user_id": "41400", "owner_user_id": "41400", "post_type": "question", "score": 0, "tags": [ "word-choice", "kanji", "culture" ], "title": "How should I read 帖合・書店印 and what is it?", "view_count": 94 }

[ { "body": "帖 and 帳 are interchangeable kanji when they refer to notebook/journal/logbook.\nFor example, [手帳 and 手帖](https://jisho.org/word/%E6%89%8B%E5%B8%B3) refer to\nexactly the same thing. For a certain historical reason, 帳 is more common\nalmost everywhere now, but 帖 is still sometimes used.\n\nSo 帖合 is the same as 帳合 (ちょうあい), which you should be able to find in any\ndictionary. However, this is not the end of the story.\n\nThe dictionary definition of 帳合/帖合 is \"(financial) reconciliation\", i.e., the\nprocess of verifying the accuracy of data by comparing two account books.\nHowever, in business fields, its meaning has been extended several times:\n\n 1. reconciliation\n 2. account keeping or sales management in general\n 3. (being) business partners \n\n> ##### [帳合とは？サプライチェーンの効率性が高まる？徹底解説します！](https://diamond-\n> rm.net/glossary/75091/)\n>\n> 取引の口座が開かれている、基本取引契約が結ばれている、あるいは仕入や販売の取引実績や履歴が残っている状態を「帳合関係がある」という。\n\n 4. [in publishing jargon] distributing/wholesaler companies (cf. [出版取次会社](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%87%BA%E7%89%88%E5%8F%96%E6%AC%A1)) \n\n> ##### [出版業界の豆知識](http://www.1book.co.jp/000883.html)\n>\n> 帳合とは: 書店から見て本の仕入先となる **取次会社のこと**\n> です。本来は帳簿の付け合わせをすることから帳合と言われています。出版業界では、「総合取次」と「専門取次」と大きく２つの取次に分かれることから、「帳合はどこですか？」などといった使い方をしています。\n\nIn your case, 帖合 specifically refers to distributing/wholesaler companies such\nas トーハン and 日本出版販売. \"帖合・書店印\" means \"stamp of the distributer or the bookstore\n(retailer)\". 印 is always read いん when it refers to a seal/stamp.\n\nFor those who are curious what a 注文カード is, see\n[this](http://pro.bookoffonline.co.jp/book-enjoy/books-trivia/20160430-books-\nslip.html).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T01:22:27.550", "id": "99842", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T03:17:08.990", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-05T03:17:08.990", "last_editor_user_id": "5010", "owner_user_id": "5010", "parent_id": "99834", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99837", "answer_count": 1, "body": "[This\nanswer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/60/particles-%E3%81%AB-\nvs-%E3%81%A7) explains that when used to indicate a place, で means the action\nis happening at that place while に indicated the verbs causes a change in\nplace. That all makes sense until I run into some sentences where に is used\nbut there seem to be no change of places.\n\n> 私の掌 **に** 灯る誰も知らない線香花火 ー「線香花火」\n\n> 草の上 **に** 地図を広げた 思い出は風の中 ー「夏の贈り物」\n\nI'd fully expected で since 灯る and 広げる was done in that place, just like\n部屋の中で灯る or 部屋の中で地図を広げる. Why the に?", "comment_count": 3, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T05:06:11.437", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99835", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-04T15:38:26.413", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "39855", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "grammar", "particles", "particle-に", "particle-で" ], "title": "When に does not seem to denote change of place", "view_count": 80 }

[ { "body": "私の掌 **で** 灯る線香花火 and 私の掌 **に** 灯る線香花火 describe the same scene, but the latter\nhas a poetic sound to it. I get an image of the light emitted from the stick\nfirework shining the palm from it. The version with で, in contrast, is more\nmatter-of-fact and has its focus on where it is burning.\n\nThe difference between 草の上 **で** 地図を広げた and 草の上 **に** 地図を広げた is much greater.\nThe former means you spread the map while you were on the grass as で denotes a\nplace within the boundaries of which some action or event happens. The version\nwith に means you spread the map **onto** the grass. This does involve a change\nof place as the map is now on the grass as a result of the action.", "comment_count": 1, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T14:22:17.210", "id": "99837", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-04T15:38:26.413", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-04T15:38:26.413", "last_editor_user_id": "43676", "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99835", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99840", "answer_count": 2, "body": "> そんなことはどうでもいいよ。『例のあの人』が **どんな** だったか覚えてると思う? (Japanese TL) \n> Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?\n> (original Harry Potter text)\n\nI'm confused at seeing どんな with no noun following. It feels like it ought to\nbe 『例のあの人』がどんな **人** だったか (what kind of **person** was You-Know-Who?), or\nsomething like that.\n\nIs this grammatical? Is it common? When can it be done?", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T15:46:58.877", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99838", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T03:09:16.417", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "7944", "post_type": "question", "score": 4, "tags": [ "grammar", "questions", "ellipsis" ], "title": "Use of どんな with no following noun", "view_count": 428 }

[ { "body": "大辞泉 lists\n[どんな](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E3%81%A9%E3%82%93%E3%81%AA/#jn-162106)\nas 形動=na-adjective, according to which どんなだった is a totally grammatical plain\nusage.\n\nFor the particular case, どんな人だった sounds like referring to the personality (the\nperson was gentle or nasty or whatever) and どんなだった feels more appropriate when\ntalking about the appearance.\n\nIn terms of idiomaticity, I can't give a clear distinction, but as you guessed\nどんなだった is less common (or less frequently used) than どんな＋Noun or どう.\n\n 1. How was the travel? 旅行はどうだった (どんなだった is less common)\n 2. What kind of person was he? 彼はどんなひとでしたか\n 3. How was he? (彼はどんなでしたか)\n\nI think the difference between 2/3 in English more or less corresponds to that\nin Japanese. 2 asks what _he_ was like as a person and 3 about his condition.\nIn some specific contexts, 彼はどんなでしたか can be used (e.g. the asker knows _he_ is\nill and asking the person who visited him how ill he was), but in most cases\n彼は元気でしたか is more appropriate (just like _how are you_ ).", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T23:39:44.770", "id": "99840", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-04T23:39:44.770", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "45489", "parent_id": "99838", "post_type": "answer", "score": 3 }, { "body": "This predicative usage of どんな is not very common. Though it seems grammatical,\nどんなだった sounds to me a bit colloquial. I don’t think I have ever said it in my\nlife.\n\nFrom a very practical point of view, you could use it when the noun you would\notherwise modify with どんな is one that vaguely describes what something or\nsomeone is like, such as 様子 and 感じ. You can always say those words to be on\nthe safer side, of course.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T03:09:16.417", "id": "99846", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T03:09:16.417", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99838", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99843", "answer_count": 1, "body": "From 4m36s of <https://youtu.be/N70t8hQCcPI?t=276>, the speaker says\n\n> ゴミがたくさん流されてきました\n\nThis apparently translates to \"A lot of trashed was washed up.\"\n\nMy question is why 流す is being used here instead of 流れる? 流れる is an\nintransitive verb, and here the subject of the sentence is \"trash\". So\nwouldn't that be the better choice?\n\nOn the other hand, 流す is transitive. So we're expecting the subject to act\nupon some object (を). But here the subject of the sentence is ゴミ, which isn't\nacting upon anything in the sentence (no を marked nouns).", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-04T16:02:59.677", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99839", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T01:35:45.410", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "51280", "post_type": "question", "score": 1, "tags": [ "transitivity" ], "title": "Why is 流す used in ゴミがたくさん流されてきました instead of 流れる?", "view_count": 91 }

[ { "body": "First of all, the transitive verb 流す is used in the passive here. So ゴミ being\nthe subject is totally expected. ゴミを流す is transformed into ゴミが流される.\n\nAs for 流れる, you can also use it.\n\n> ゴミがたくさん流れてきました。\n\nThis is totally fine as an objective description. It doesn’t mean the speaker\nis happy about the situation.\n\nThe passive form is used here because the trash is seen as a passive object.\nIt was “washed up” by the waves.", "comment_count": 0, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T01:35:45.410", "id": "99843", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-05T01:35:45.410", "last_edit_date": null, "last_editor_user_id": null, "owner_user_id": "43676", "parent_id": "99839", "post_type": "answer", "score": 2 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99848", "answer_count": 1, "body": "[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/taEEv.png)\n\nWhy is this reading like this? Looking this up I had to search the radicals\nindividually on Jisho. The furigana reading... is it just flat out wrong?\nFurthermore, why is the word structured like this? There is katakana right\nafter a hiragana character.\n\nThe context is that they are ninjas who are running away from someone more\nformidable than them.\n\nCan someone please clear this up or identify if it's wrong.", "comment_count": 5, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T04:16:48.873", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99847", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-10T03:26:31.647", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-05T04:17:30.260", "last_editor_user_id": "55770", "owner_user_id": "55770", "post_type": "question", "score": -1, "tags": [ "kanji", "readings", "manga", "katakana", "furigana" ], "title": "Why is this reading like this?", "view_count": 160 }

[ { "body": "The word that is used in this panel is\n[退く](https://jisho.org/word/%E9%80%80%E3%81%8F-2) in the imperative form.\n\nIn this case, the imperative form is made by changing 退く into 退け by taking the\nlast う (the one in く) and changing it into a え, which then changes く to け\n\nThe ツ, more or less, is just for dramatic effect. It's kind of like someone\nsaying \"Retree...!!!\" instead of just \"Retreat!!!\" in this case", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T05:29:08.630", "id": "99848", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-10T03:26:31.647", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-10T03:26:31.647", "last_editor_user_id": "30339", "owner_user_id": "30339", "parent_id": "99847", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]

{ "accepted_answer_id": "99851", "answer_count": 1, "body": "I’m trying to understand the line in bold from the song “Unlasting” by LiSA:\n\nあなたの香りあなたの話し方 \n今も身体中に愛の欠片が残ってるよ \n私の願い私の願いはただ \n**どうかあなたが幸せでありますように**\n\nWhat I don’t understand is the use of あります here. I think it can be translated\nas “Somehow you seem to be happy”. However, unless I miss something, あります(有る)\nshould be used for inanimate objects while for animates one should use\nいます(居る).\n\nThanks!", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T14:25:53.000", "favorite_count": 0, "id": "99850", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-07T06:35:01.387", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-06T06:23:10.620", "last_editor_user_id": "41223", "owner_user_id": "41223", "post_type": "question", "score": 2, "tags": [ "song-lyrics" ], "title": "Why is あります used in 「どうかあなたが幸せでありますように」?", "view_count": 306 }

[ { "body": "In this case you want to consider\n[であります](https://jisho.org/search/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99)\nas a whole. であります means \"to be or is\" and is being applied to 幸せ (happiness).\nSo 幸せであります is something like is happiness, be happiness, or etc in a literal\nsense. The\n[ように](https://www.kanshudo.com/grammar/%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB)\nhere also signifies that this is intended as a wish or hope. Also the どうか at\nthe beginning is like \"please\" or adds emphasis onto this wish or hope.\n\nSo this line is something like (without explicitly expressing どうか):\n\n> どうかあなたが幸せでありますように\n>\n> I hope that you are happy\n\nExplicitly expressing どうか as \"truly\"\n\n> I truly hope that you are happy", "comment_count": 2, "content_license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "creation_date": "2023-06-05T15:11:48.627", "id": "99851", "last_activity_date": "2023-06-07T06:35:01.387", "last_edit_date": "2023-06-07T06:35:01.387", "last_editor_user_id": "30339", "owner_user_id": "30339", "parent_id": "99850", "post_type": "answer", "score": 4 } ]