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1500 questions
13
votes
1 answer
13
votes
2 answers
Addressing a friend's parents when meeting them for the first time
I have met the parents of a close Japanese friend two times in my life and have never been sure how I should address them. Both times I've asked the friend beforehand but never got a satisfactory answer.
One friend said I could just call her parents…
Robin
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13
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4 answers
外来語 (gairaigo) replaced by Japanese word?
Are there cases where gairaigo used in every day speech (パン, アイスクリーム, etc...) have been ousted by native Japanese words?
Peter
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13
votes
4 answers
Konnichiwa and Konbanwa
What is the difference between Konnichiwa and Konbanwa? Is it appropriate to use either one in everyday conversations?
user1306322
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13
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1 answer
"unfinished" sentences ending in particles like を, に and が
This is something I've always wondered about, but can't find any info about.
When native speakers come across a sentence that ends ...を。, ...と。 or ...が！*, how do their brains parse it? Is it just a case of being able to guess what word would follow…
sebu
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13
votes
2 answers
Nominalization with のが、のを
I've just learned to nominalize verbs with のを but as I was looking for more info on the web I saw that this is also done with のが and こと. The question "What is the difference between the nominalizers こと and の?" uses のを and のが as if they were the same…
Julian
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13
votes
3 answers
Why is stroke order important?
While I understand that stroke order is important, I do not understand why it is important. If the final product would look the same, why does it matter? I don't have an issue following stroke order. I'm just curious.
somehume
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13
votes
1 answer
Is ないで a te-form?
In this answer, Darius Jahandarie says that ないで is a te-form. I asked about this on chat, and Flaw answered with a question:
If auxiliary ください follows after てform
and ないでください exists, can we reversely conclude ないで is て form?
This makes sense to…
user1478
13
votes
1 answer
What is the difference between 部屋 and 室?
When referring to a room (in a building), what is the difference in usage, if any?
I looked up the definitions and checked some sample phrases, but I could not see any real difference.
I usually read or use 部屋, but I came across this term [一室]{いっしつ}…
user3169
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13
votes
2 answers
When writing vertically, where do small kana go?
When writing horizontally, small kana go right next to the syllable they modify as in ちょっと.
Also, when using katakana, long vowels are indicated by an horizontal dash, as in メール.
When writing vertically I know the long vowels in katakana (such as…
JNat
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13
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3 answers
Is it a hiragana or a kanji or something else entirely?
This is the description of the Japanese book 告白 by Kanae Minato. In the picture, in red, are two instances of a character I suppose to be a hiragana.
But I have never seen it and can't find it anywhere on the internet.
Through context I think it…
Francis
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12
votes
1 answer
Should I say 失礼{しつれい}します before hanging up the phone if the other person called me?
Phone etiquette is one of those things I still struggle with at times, often fumbling because I'm not sure what expression I'm supposed to use at a given time. 失礼します at the end of a phone call is one of these. Technically if the other person is…
ssb
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12
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2 answers
Why is ローマ字 spelt without an ン?
Why is ローマ字 spelt without an ン?
As far as I can tell, it's not because you can't have an ん sound before a じ sound, because 漢字 has an ん sound before 字.
Did early Europeans' term for Roman letters not use the letter "n"?
Also, does the ローマ in ローマ字…
Golden Cuy
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12
votes
2 answers
What is the subject when time passes in a narrative (eg １ヶ月を経る）
(This might be a quick easy question but sometimes the answers to these are unexpected.)
What is the subject in the following sentences？ I've given my best efforts for the examples 1-4 below. (I am increasingly in favour of my alternative answer…
Tim
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12
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1 answer
Verb form used for a to-do list for oneself?
What verb form is usually used in Japanese for a to-do list for oneself?
I want to start writing my to-do list in Japanese. In English, I would typically write my to-do list as actionable commands to myself (e.g., "Email Dave", "Vacuum the living…
Matt Robin
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