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1500 questions
18
votes
4 answers
"Seemingly cute" - かわいい + 〜そう
The 〜そう form means "seemingly 〜" and is usually conjecture made based on first-hand information. This usually means seeing something or hearing about something and making a conjecture, e.g., おいしそう when seeing the food. (Presumably, first-hand…
istrasci
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18
votes
2 answers
Kitten: 子猫 vs 小猫 vs 仔猫
Are there any differences (nuances or usage) when using prefix 子, 小 or 仔 for denoting young animals?
Examples:
Kitten: 子猫 vs 小猫 vs 仔猫
Puppy: 子犬 vs 小犬 vs 仔犬
Pony: 子馬 vs 小馬 vs 仔馬
Calf: 子牛 vs 小牛 vs 仔牛
Lamb: 子羊 vs 小羊 vs 仔羊
Piglet: 子豚 vs 小豚 vs 仔豚
Lukman
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18
votes
5 answers
What is an appropriate response to お疲{つか}れ様{さま}です in non-work situations?
Often times at the gym, when I'm on my way out, covered in sweat, one of the staff will say お疲{つか}れ様{さま}です ("you've worked hard"...?).
Usually at work situations, I've often found that saying some variant of お疲{つか}れ back makes sense, because we're…
Questioner
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18
votes
4 answers
Do native speakers think of prolonged vowels as one long vowel, or two vowel sounds following each other?
In a native speaker's mental model, are long vowel sounds - for example the おう in 「教室」 the ああ in 「唐揚げ」, the えい in 「先生」 or just 「いい」 (I chose these examples quite deliberately, since they represent fairly different "categories" of long vowels; please…
obskyr
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18
votes
2 answers
What is the significance of ココ and サ in emoji?
I am wondering what these emoji mean. Like, why would they create these ones specifically? I'm trying to think of a translation for ココ, but all I can think of is "cocoa" or a shortened long word, but that wouldn't make any sense.
Here are the emoji…
Kevin Evans
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18
votes
5 answers
What is the role of の in 「お父さんのバカ!」
How did the の get in the expression 「◯◯のバカ!」? Was the expression originally longer? Is there any other example of usage other than insults?
(other example I know of: 「つよし君のエッチ!」 or anything to the same effect)
Edit: Another example by Pacerier:…
syockit
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18
votes
2 answers
Is it okay to use つ counting for everything?
Instead of using the proper counter for each thing, is it okay to just use the つ counter?
Like in:
彼女は子猫２匹を持っている。
Use つ instead of 匹:
彼女は子猫２つを持っている。
Are there situations when this is incorrect or not recommended?
Yuuza
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18
votes
1 answer
What does this ad say? (Connotations of ガキ大将)
This is a frequent problem that I think many Japanese learners experience. You look at some Japanese sentences, and you understand the words, and most, if not all, the grammar, and yet still, it just doesn't seem to mean anything.
That is the case…
Questioner
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18
votes
2 answers
How to use へ (-e), に (-ni), まで (made) and の方 (no-hō) with destination and direction?
It is common to ask the difference between just "へ" (-e) and "に" (-ni) but it seems to get even more complicated when you also mix in "まで" (made) and even "の方" (no-hō).
When Japanese people ask me where I'm going they always ask "どこまで" (doko made)?"…
hippietrail
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18
votes
1 answer
What does のですが mean in the following sentence?
焼き鳥屋さんで集まったのですが、とても楽しい、かつ有意義な時間を過ごしました。
Steven
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18
votes
3 answers
Differences between くれます, もらいます and いただきます
I have been taught that they are used when receiving something (or a favor) from someone. But how exactly do they differ? I've searched the web for an answer and
One site suggests that くれます is impolite, もらいます is normal and いただきます is polite.
Another…
Mel
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18
votes
2 answers
How to translate historical names which don't necessarily have an equivalent in Japanese?
What is the acceptable procedure for writing proper names in Japanese academic papers when you don't know the official Japanese translation or the katakana for it?
Is there an expectation that all references to proper names must adhere to the…
seijitsu
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18
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between 〜以上は and 〜からには
The textbook I'm currently using defines both of these grammar points as: 〜のだから、絶対にする／しないのが当然だ
What is the difference between the two grammar points, can they be used interchangeably like the following: …
phirru
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18
votes
2 answers
Use of 厨 on the Internet
If you visit ニコニコ動画 or any Japanese message boards often you are bound to see comments like ニコ厨 or 東方厨. Does anyone have good idea how did this originate and what do they mean?
Ken Li
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18
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2 answers
What are the origins of ド when used as emphasis, and is it always negative?
Sometimes I've seen ド as a prefix that adds emphasis to words. So saying someone is ドバカ is saying that they are much more stupid than just バカ.
I'm wondering what the origin of ド in this context is. Does it come from 度 【ど】("degree"), as in, "the…
Questioner
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