Most Popular
1500 questions
13
votes
2 answers
How do these 3 ways of saying "It can't be helped" differ?
So I have heard:
仕方がない
しょうがない
仕方あるまい
And the translation I've seen for all 3 is: "It can't be helped." Is there a particular difference among the 3?
Edit: Secondary question. Why isn't 仕方あるまい, 仕方があるまい?
dotnetN00b
- 6,776
- 9
- 57
- 94
13
votes
2 answers
Can placements of adverbs be altered freely? 少なくとも週に一度車を洗う vs 週に少なくとも一度車を洗う
I'm curious if there is any difference in nuance between these two sentences:
彼は少なくとも週に一度車を洗う。
彼は週に少なくとも一度車を洗う。
I'm aware that grammatically speaking both are 100% right, but this question is not targeted at this issue.
Pacerier
- 11,872
- 4
- 54
- 125
13
votes
8 answers
How do I say "before" or "used to" in Japanese?
朝、作文を書いた時、疑問に思いました。
How can I say something like:
I didn't use to like this band.
Before, I didn't like this band.
Myeongunder
- 211
- 1
- 3
- 4
13
votes
8 answers
Greeting a person over the internet
So I was wondering, how do Japanese people greet each other when they are, for example, writing on a blog or recording a video? My doubt comes from the fact that their greetings will be directed towards someone who is unknown, and that the greeting…
Rodrigo Pará
- 650
- 7
- 14
13
votes
4 answers
Japanese 'え' sound - [ɛ] or [e]?
OK, this has been driving me nuts. My friend and I have been learning Japanese off and on for many years, though neither of us are fluent. We got into an argument about the pronunciation of 'え'.
My textbooks said it was an English "short e" as in…
ClaireDeLune
- 131
- 1
- 3
13
votes
1 answer
Why is デレる ichidan? (Etymology of デレる and デレデレ)
I thought modern slangy verbs coined from onomatopoeia and loanwords were all godan verbs (for example, ググる, コピる, ピヨる, ボコる). This has been asked several times:
What are the principles behind turning foreign language words into verbs?(e.g. ググる and…
naruto
- 313,860
- 13
- 324
- 625
13
votes
2 answers
Is the ''yoi'' meaning ''ready'' when doing karate the same as the ''yoi'' which means nice/good?
When doing karate years ago the sensei would use the word ''yoi'' to instruct the students to take a ready/prepared stance.
I didn't speak any Japanese then but I remember the word.
Now I'm learning Japanese and I've come across the word ''yoi''…
Kantura
- 2,412
- 11
- 27
13
votes
1 answer
What is the difference between 山道【さんどう】 and 山道【やまみち】?
To provide context, I stumbled upon this new term for me when reading this sentence:
田舎の山道を車で走っていたら、突然サルが飛び出してきた。
I looked 山道 up in a dictionary and I saw there are two possible readings. さんどう and やまみち. Is there a difference in usage or nuance…
jarmanso7
- 6,641
- 2
- 16
- 41
13
votes
2 answers
Break down the phrase "[失礼]{しつれい}しなければならないんです"
I've just heard the phrase [失礼]{しつれい}しなければならないんです (shitsurei shinakereba naranaindesu) used as Excuse me, I have to leave.
The explanation said it literally translates to If I don't leave, it won't do,
but I need help on breaking it down…
kaqqao
- 233
- 1
- 7
13
votes
6 answers
Japanese dictionary for mathematics/computer science jargon
I study mathematics and computer science, and I'm starting to learn japanese. Could you suggest me dictionaries/sites/etc where I could learn terminology on these subjects?
Vicfred
- 545
- 2
- 9
- 15
13
votes
1 answer
Science writing - exact, precise, or accurate
While trying to write about an experiment I have done, I am having trouble deciding which words are appropriate for describing what I want to describe.
In non-scientific English, precise, and accurate have mostly overlapping meaning, as evidenced by…
katatahito
- 944
- 4
- 13
13
votes
3 answers
神様がある vs. 神様がいる
I was wondering if there's a difference in usage between 神様がいる and 神様がある. In both cases, I mean specifically the meaning "There is a God", either as a statement of the kind "God exists", or as in "There is a God on the top of that mountain."
Both…
Arthur Melo
- 133
- 6
13
votes
1 answer
Why is 一日 used instead of 日 to ask how your day is?
I spoke with someone from Japan on Tandem and she said to me “今日はどんな一日でしたか?” and I’m wondering why 一日 was used since I thought that meant the first of the month?
jacoballens
- 1,551
- 7
- 23
13
votes
2 answers
Etymology of ひざまずく
I can't resist trying to find patterns in words. These three words, for example, seem to fit a similar pattern:
頷{うなづ}く = [項]{うな} + 突{つ}く (source: community wiki)
躓{つまづ}く = [爪]{つま} + 突{つ}く (source: community wiki)
額{ぬか}づく = [額]{ぬか} + 突{つ}く…
user1478
13
votes
2 answers
What constitutes a syllable?
For the sake of Haiku or in general, how are syllables counted in Japanese?
Specifically, in the following cases, how are syllables counted?
かあ, long vowels - two syllables?
きゅ, addition of yō-on - still one syllable?
ポッキー, addition sokuon - small…
Mingwei Samuel
- 375
- 2
- 9