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votes
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The nuance of ことなく compared with ないで
What nuance does "ことなく" have?
If we compare the following two sentences:
(For example, at a footrace:)
最後まで、あきらめないで走ります！
vs
最後まで、あきらめることなく、走ります！
Is ことなく stronger than simply saying ないで? Does ことなく show will and volition more than the ないで version?
phirru
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What's the difference between 歩んでいった and 歩んできた?
私はまっすぐな人生を歩んできた。
私はまっすぐな人生を歩んでいった。
Could someone explain to me the difference between the two? Thanks a lot!
Edit:
I still find ていった confusing even after reading the other post.
So まっすぐな人生を歩んで行った would have the meaning walking a straight forward…
Newbie
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13
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1 answer
How to parse 中国人で日本語が話せる方は、お電話ください。
I have a difficulty to parse the following sentence.
中国人で日本語が話せる方は、お電話ください。
I just understood the following partial phrases.
中国人で means "with Chinese"
日本語が話せる方 means "person who can speak Japanese"
お電話ください means "please telephone"
I have learnt…
Friendly Ghost
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13
votes
1 answer
What does 氏 mean after a name, how is it different from さん or 様?
If you look in the dictionary for the definition of 氏 you'll find it defined as: family name; lineage; birth.
However I have seen it used in such a way that it is doubtful that it means any of those things in certain contexts.
Here's an example…
language hacker
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13
votes
4 answers
Does 髭 refer to the beard or the moustache?
My dictionary lists 髭 as moustache / beard, but from the example sentences in WWWJDIC, it seems like 髭 is more often used to mean "beard" than "moustache" ?
So for example, in this sentence: 彼はもっと大人に見えるようにひげをはやした。, is it clear to the listener that…
Pacerier
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13
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1 answer
What's the difference between 根気【こんき】, 我慢【がまん】, 辛抱【しんぼう】 and 忍耐【にんたい】
Recently i found these four words and have no idea what's the difference between them. They all mean "patience" and "endurance". Here are some sentences:
僕【ぼく】は、あいつには我慢【がまん】できない。
I can't abide that fellow.
もう少【すこ】し根気【こんき】があったら成功【せいこう】していただろう。
With…
Jan BARTOCHA
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13
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between ために/ため, ように and のに meaning "in order to"?
I know they all mean "in order to" and similar translations, sometimes however I see that some are used instead of others. Also it's not clear if ために and ため have different usages.
I know that ように is used with potential and negative forms, but I'm…
Draken
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13
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1 answer
Looking for a kanji/symbol used for counting noodles
Just to add some context: I was with a Japanese friend at a うどん and そば restaurant in 浅草 where they had a small sign by the counter to buy their fresh noodles. However, the size of the portion was not indicated by a weight in grams or anything like…
Urukann
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13
votes
5 answers
What is the difference between 仲間 and 友達?
I've seen nakama used in One Piece a lot, but I've learned tomodachi in my text book. Is there a different in usage?
Friso
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13
votes
4 answers
What does 男前 mean when used to describe a woman?
I just encountered the phrase 「男前な女」in the book I am reading. When I looked up 男前, it was defined as "good looks in a man," much like "handsome" in English. What does it mean when used to describe a woman?
Here is the…
Amanda S
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13
votes
3 answers
に and で revisited
Consider the statement A: ホテル（に/で）泊まる. For both cases would translate to "I stay at a hotel" in English. However they are answers to different questions.
Consider the questions １．どこに泊まる and ２．（ホテルで）何をする
Question 1 would be answered with ホテルに（泊まる）,…
Flaw
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13
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1 answer
Meaning of "でも" in "食事でもどうですか？"
I've found this sentence on alc.co.jp
食事でもどうですか
and I am puzzled as to meaning this でも conveys. How does it differ from
食事はどうですか
This would be my first choice but which, according to Google, is used less often?
Maximilian Muneyoshi
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13
votes
4 answers
Greeting for meeting a friend by chance
How can I greet a person in a manner similar to "Nice to find you in here!" (— meaning meeting a friend by chance somewhere)?
Siegfried
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13
votes
2 answers
Do any of the Japanese particles have different pronunciations in any dialects? Or extra or missing particles?
I was wondering whether the differences in Japanese vocabulary between the dialects extend even so far as particles.
Are there dialects that pronounce any of the standard particles differently? Especially the grammatical (syntactic?) ones like は…
hippietrail
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13
votes
2 answers
What is the difference between all the weather words: 気象{きしょう}, 天気{てんき} and 天候{てんこう}?
Dictionary (at least Jisho and WWWJDIC) defines them as:
気象{きしょう} = weather, climate
天気{てんき} = weather, the elements
天候{てんこう} = weather
They all have quite similar definitions, so I don't quite understand the difference. I would appreciate if…
RadonBust
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