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If I was to put the suffixes 流{りゅう}, 風{ふう}, 的{てき}, 式{しき} and 様{よう} on the end of a noun etc, what would be the difference between them?

I could be wrong, but the following all seem to me to mean something similar to "Japanese style" and I'm having trouble telling the difference between them:

  • 日本流
  • 日本風
  • 日本的
  • 日本式
  • 日本様

(I'm not sure whether 日本様 is used or not, but I think 日本様式 is.)

Flaw
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1 Answers1

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  • 的: -ish, -like

    日本的思考 'Japanese way of thinking'

  • 風: Intentionally or unintentionally resembling the style but not itself. Pseudo.

    日本風の料理店 'Pseudo-Japanese style restaurant'

  • 流 School. Classification of styles that are inherited (occasionally secretly within a family).

    甲賀流忍者　'Kouga-school ninja'
    裏千家流 'Urasenke-school tea ceremony'

  • 様式 Design, form of art 　　

    日本様式の建築 'Japanese style architecture'

  • 式: Style. More popular and major classification of styles compared to 流. Can usually replace affixal use of 様式.

    日本式庭園 'Japanese-style garden'

  • Very interesting. Is 式 more popular in that it's used more commonly, or is it used to classify styles that are more popular? – cypher Dec 06 '11 at 23:57
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    @cypher Used to classify styles that are more popular. –  Dec 07 '11 at 00:20
  • “Japanese style restaurant operated by non-Japanese” is a bad translation. If anyone says “日本風料理店” (which is not a common phrase), it means “kind-of-Japanese-style restaurant,” without referring to who operates it. – Tsuyoshi Ito Dec 10 '11 at 18:53
  • @TsuyoshiIto I added の to make it more natural. Your translation is a literal translation. In reality, if the restaurant is operated by a Japanese, it is more likely to be called 日本料理店 rather than 日本風料理店 because of pragmatic reasons. Language preferrs the simplest form to express the same thing. If 日本風料理店 is used, the reason for inserting the extra 風 or 'kind' has to be justified, and in this case, it implies that the restaurant is something that cannot be expressed as 日本料理店, which means it is operated by non-Japanese. –  Dec 10 '11 at 19:08
  • I do not know why you try to use an example which shows off your biased view. Unfortunately, some “Japanese restaurants” operated by Japanese people offer what can only be described as pseudo-Japanese cuisine. These restaurants are perfect fit for “日本風料理店” with an emphasis on 風. – Tsuyoshi Ito Dec 10 '11 at 19:16
  • @TsuyoshiIto I agree. That interpretation is also possible. Maybe 'pseudo' better describes the concept. I will edit the answer. –  Dec 10 '11 at 19:23