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Nuances of: ふっと、ふと、ひょっこり、 どっと、 さっさ、不意に、唐突、突然、急に and いきなり。
I'm reading a beginner book and noticed that the author uses a lot of different words that translate to suddenly or abruptly which is interesting, so I have been trying to figure out the differences in between them.
I have included some words I…
user9045728
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How can you figure out whether 鍵【かぎ】 means "lock" or "key"?
Recently, I forgot whether 鍵【かぎ】 meant lock or key, so I looked it up quickly on my phone's dictionary... And then I found out that it actually means both.
What are the best ways to figure out if someone who is saying 鍵【かぎ】 is talking about a lock…
atlantiza
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What's the reading of -中 as a suffix?
I see this all the time, but I don't know that I've heard it spoken.
For example: インストール中
Is it simply "なか"?
Ken
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My Japanese is rusty
While it sounds perfectly alright when said in English, as in "My English is rusty", is there an equivalent in Japanese language?
I have used this line before when I said "私の日本語は錆びている" and "私の日本語は錆びっちゃっている" but only to be met with silence from the…
Himawari
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Use of kana iteration marks (ゝ, ゞ, ヽ, ヾ)
Kana iteration marks are are rarely used today, and hence there is not much online information on it besides this Wikipedia article, which leaves me with a couple questions.
Is there any kana that cannot be expressed with an iteration mark? What…
Meshaal
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does 辛い means both spicy and salty?
According to this,
[辛い]{からい} means both spicy and salty. Where I live we associate spicy with pepper, not salt.
Is this something similar to the case of "ao", meaning both green and blue? (or something in between them).
Are there words for…
Pablo
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Usage of て-form in 知っての通り
I have just come across the phrase 知っての通り〜 (as you know...)
I have never noticed this usage of て-form before and can't find an explanation.
What is the difference (if any) between this and 知っている通り?
I have also seen 見ての通り used in a similar way.
If…
ジョン
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Japanese idiom equivalent to "take with a grain of salt"
Is there a Japanese idiom equivalent to "take with a grain of salt"?
In other words, an idiom which means "don't accept this information as completely true or the complete truth".
MatthewD
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What's the difference between いいえ and English's "no"?
In "Japanese for Busy People I" page 2 (kana or romaji edition) it says that いいえ is 'virtually the same as "no"'.
It sounds like there are some differences, but they want to omit mentioning them for the time being. What differences are there?
Golden Cuy
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When is 終わる used as a transitive verb?
On Are 終わる and 済ませる synonyms?, there were some questions whether 終わる is used as a transitive verb.
Space ALC seems to have a few results for を終わる, but far more for を終わらせる and を終える. Looking at sense 4 of the Daijisen definition, it does seem 終わる can…
cypher
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What is the meaning/usage of いざ?
Will someone please explain what this word いざ means? I've found several definitions, but I'm very unclear on what it really means and its usage. I've heard it mostly in the following ways:
～（は・なら）いざ知らず → "I don't know about ～, but ..." → This…
istrasci
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How many verb endings to express "do this (please)"?
I'm familiar with the て and てください forms of a verb to give a command/request and request, respectively. However, I've run across these other forms and really don't know which to use in what situation. I'll just list all the ones I've run…
dotnetN00b
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Why is 葉 'leaf' used in 言葉 and 万葉集? Why is it used for words, language, and speech?
Does 葉 mean leaf in Japanese?
In 言葉 and 萬葉集, is 葉 derived from leaf? Why is it used for words, language and speech?
Thanks.
Shaw T Chen
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How are ambiguous "brother" and "sister" typically translated into Japanese?
Japanese has different words for "younger sibling" and "older sibling". Then how are the English words "brother" and "sister" (or any other European equivalents for that matter) typically translated into Japanese (in books, TV, movies, etc.) without…
Vun-Hugh Vaw
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What does ルツクハ mean?
I found this written on a blue bottle. What does it mean?
ルツクハ
Zack williams
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