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1500 questions
39
votes
3 answers
What are the guidelines for omitting particles?
I've recently discovered that certain particles could be omitted from a Japanese sentence (to help make it shorter), and still preserve the original meaning. Unfortunately, most resources about this topic that I've looked at are vague at best; and…
Miguel
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39
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3 answers
The difference between くらい and ほど in hyperbole
The following two sentences, I believe, are grammatically okay, however I'm not sure on how they differ in nuance.
もう[歩]{ある}けないほど[疲]{つか}れた！
もう歩けないくらい疲れた！
Additionally, why is it that:
[死]{し}ぬほど[恥]{は}ずかしい
is grammatically okay…
phirru
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38
votes
6 answers
Arabic numbers: half-width or full-width?
Using my computer, I type a lot of numbers in Japanese text, and I am not sure when to use half-width or full-width.
Are there rules?
Right now I only use half-width, is it fine?
Off-topic: Here is a picture of a book showing a happy mix of…
Nicolas Raoul
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38
votes
2 answers
Why is 二十歳 pronounced はたち?
二十歳 is a (to me) bizarre exception to the usual number+さい rule for discussing age. Is this rooted in 20 being the Japanese age of majority?
Added: To be more specific: why isn't it pronounced にじゅうさい like the rest of the さい words for age?
sartak
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38
votes
4 answers
What is the equivalent of "alphabetical order" in Japanese?
I know there's あいうえお, but what about at the consonant level? Also, are there any common mnemonics used by Japanese children to remember these?
zakvdm
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38
votes
4 answers
Usage of commas in Japanese sentences
This might sound like a strange question, but how does the usage of commas differ when used in Japanese compared to English?
I believe りんご、オレンジとバナナ wouldn't work, but that it's OK to list like りんご、オレンジ、バナナ or りんご、オレンジ、またはバナナ. When should…
cypher
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38
votes
2 answers
Why is は pronounced as わ when used as a topic particle?
The particle は is pronounced similarly to わ (unlike the rest of the ハ行 kana) when used as a particle; why is this? What historical shifts went on to cause this irregularity?
bdonlan
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38
votes
4 answers
Differences between 度 and 回 when counting occurrences
What are the differences between using 度 and 回 when used to count number of occurrences?
For example:
そんなことは一度もしたことがない
そんなことは一回もしたことがない
Are there any restrictions on what kind of actions referred by そんなこと that can be used with 度 or 回 in the…
Lukman
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38
votes
1 answer
Must do : ～なければならない vs ～なくてはいけない
What are the differences when using ～なければならない and ～なくてはいけない, or their colloquial contracted forms ～なきゃ and ～なくちゃ when saying "must do"?
For example, what is the difference in the nuance and usage of the following "must eat" statements:
食べなければならないよ。…
Lukman
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38
votes
3 answers
Contrasting っぽい、らしい、みたい
For example, the following 3:
女っぽい (おんなっぽい)
女らしい (おんならしい)
女みたい (おんなみたい)
In what situations would you use っぽい over らしい？ Does っぽい have negative connotations? Are 女らしい and 女みたい interchangeable as in 彼女は本当に女らしい／彼女は本当に女みたい?
I would love if someone…
phirru
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38
votes
3 answers
Why was "一匹" used for Godzilla?
I've heard someone say that "一匹{いっぴき}" was used at the end of the original Godzilla movie, with Dr. Yamane saying that Godzilla wasn't the last one of "them".
Why did he use that, as opposed to "一頭{いっとう}"? Do Japanese speakers sometimes use the…
Golden Cuy
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37
votes
3 answers
The differences between ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
I was wondering what the differences are between these three: ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい
They all seem to be some sort of variant of "Hard to do ~". But it seems they are used with different verbs and/or imply slightly different things. However, I'm not sure on…
phirru
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37
votes
2 answers
How do we construct sentences ending in わけ?
The is a certain way of talking where you can end just about anything you say in わけ.
What is the sentence structure for this way of talking?
language hacker
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37
votes
4 answers
Difference between ために and ように
I've got a question regarding difference in usage of 辞書形+ように and 辞書形+ために with verbs' dictionary forms, i.e.
飛行機に乗り遅れないように、前日早寝したのです。
彼は質問をするために手を上げました。
The notion I get is that the first is used with non-action verbs, while the latter form is…
szychy
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37
votes
2 answers
When is 行く pronounced as いく, and when is it ゆく?
Are there any rules or guidelines as to when to pronounce 行く as いく or ゆく?
I looked it up on jisho.org, and the two pronunciations have the exact same definition. I tend to hear ゆく more often in songs, but that is just anecdotal.
syin
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