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1500 questions
27
votes
2 answers
Why is this funny?
A forum says that most Japanese will find this funny but I don't get it. Can anyone explain?
(source)
おもさを
たいせきで
わるんだなあ
みつど
will
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27
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between そして (soshite) and それから (sorekara)?
Can anyone explain what is the difference between そして and それから, and when to use which?
Thanks.
Marilou
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27
votes
1 answer
= sign in a katakana name
I was surprised when I came across this Wikipedia page:
アーシュラ・K・ル＝グウィン
Does someone knows what that = sign is? I can see it works as a separator like 「・」 Is it simply an alternative?
comeauch
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27
votes
6 answers
Why are some lyrics' words written in kanji whose usual reading is not how it is sung?
Some song lyrics in the official lyric book that accompanies the CD is sung as another word. Usually, the way it is sung is given as a furigana on the kanji:
Written: 君が希望に変わってゆく
(pardon the quality I took it using iPhone)
Sung:…
Lukman
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27
votes
7 answers
the different usages of つもり?
Hi all I understand that つもり means "intention" like say 夏休みにはゆっくり休むつもりです。 = I intend to rest during the summer vacation.
But what does 分かっているつもりだ。 means?
Well if I translate directly, it seems to be "I intend to be in the know" ?
However the…
Pacerier
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27
votes
1 answer
Differences between いよいよ / やっと / ようやく / ついに and とうとう
I've come across these words which can all mean "finally". What I'd like to know is how they differ in usage [nuance and formality]. Below are their respective entries in the 研究社 新和英大辞典 第5版.
いよいよ
1 〔ますます〕 still [even, ever] more; more and more; all…
ポヨー
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27
votes
1 answer
What does っつの mean?
I recently saw 冗談だっつの. What does it っつの mean, or how does it modify the meaning of a sentence?
Louis Waweru
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27
votes
1 answer
Particle に to enumerate things / to list items?
I encountered several sentences where に was used—from my deduction of the context—to enumerate things. For example a character about to go somewhere, checks his bag if he has everything he needs…
Mymji
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26
votes
3 answers
Use of 自分【じぶん】as a personal pronoun in direct speech
Yay, yet another first-person-pronoun question!
I know that 自分 is commonly used as a personal pronoun in indirect speech, e.g.:
マイクは、自分はなんと不注意なのだろうと言った。→ Mike said that he was very careless.
スミスさんは自分はニューヨークの生まれだと言った。→ Mr Smith said, "I was born in…
Dave
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26
votes
3 answers
Positioning of quantities (using counters)
Example 1
ビール一杯を飲む
一杯のビールを飲む
ビールを一杯飲む
Example 2
ネジ2本を取り付ける
2本のネジを取り付ける
ネジを2本取り付ける
Is there any difference between the above examples with the positioning of the quantity?
Jesse Good
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26
votes
3 answers
Which is the most popular non-Jōyō kanji?
Basically, a trivia question that someone could answer with a script.
What is the statistically most popular kanji in Japanese texts not in the jōyō list? Was it ever considered for inclusion? Is it popular due to names only or used in compounds?…
Alexander Z.
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26
votes
3 answers
"to be impressed" in Japanese
I was googling how to say "to be impressed" in Japanese and I found a few options:
感動, 感激, 感銘, and 感心
感動 seems to me to be the most commonly used (?)
The sentence I'm trying to translate is "I was impressed by your way of thinking". Would 感動 be…
Simona
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26
votes
1 answer
Why is the Japanese currency pronounced "yen" in English?
I'm wondering what the reason for the mispronunciation of 円 in English came to be "yen". I can understand how some words like 東京 became "Tokyo", but "en" to "yen" seems strange. On a side note, why is this symbol 「￥」 used to denote currency? And…
Chris
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26
votes
2 answers
When to use ～ので vs ～から
I was looking in A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar when I saw something on page 329 which truly shocked me:
"node cannot be used and kara must be used [... when ...] the main clause is a command, request, suggestion or…
dainichi
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26
votes
5 answers
Are there any old loanwords from Korean, especially any not written in katakana?
Given the close proximity and long history of interaction of various kinds within East Asia, the great influence of Chinese in both Japanese and Korean, and the similar structures of Japanese and Korean, are there any old words known to have come…
hippietrail
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