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1500 questions
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Can verbs/i-adjectives be indefinitely conjugated, or is there a limit?
寒い can become 寒くない, which is apparently also an i-adjective. Can it be further conjugated to 寒くなくない?
What about 寒くなくなくない, and so on? Do Japanese speakers regard such expressions as outright ungrammatical or merely silly? (Silly as in, in English,…
gil
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Describing my exact height
How do I describe my height in centimetres?
I think you can say "私は背が高いです" to say that you're tall, but how about your exact height? Would "私は背が１９０cmです" sound like broken Japanese?
I came across someone using "身長: xyz cm" when describing their…
Golden Cuy
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Range of numbers
How would one express a range of numbers regarding an action?
Example: I usually study anywhere between 2 to 4 hours a day.
Would the からーまで grammar structure be appropriate here?
一日に普段２から４時間までを勉強する。
This is my attempt at it, but something feels off.
Leo
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俺 and 僕 used as second person singular pronouns
I often see couples where the girl sometimes speaks to her boyfriend using 俺 as a 'you'.
Where does it come from?
Can other pronouns like 僕、私、あたし, etc. can be used the same way?
oldergod
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Explanation of the expression 気が済まない
A: 百均に入ると、何もいらなくても何か買わないと気が済まない人っているんだよね。
B: いるいる。僕だよ。
A: At the dollar store, there is always somebody who has to buy something even if they don't need it.
B: Yes, yes! That's me.
I am told that 気が済まない means "won't be satisfied unless," or when…
yadokari
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お金と「ちょうど」の使い方 (usage of "chōdo")
What is the reason/meaning for cashiers to use ちょうど when accepting money?
500円ちょうどいただきます。
This I understand, since 500 Yen are a "round" amount. "Exactly 500 Yen."
812円ちょうどいただきます。
If I'm supposed to pay exactly 812 Yen, I understand this, too.…
deceze
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What is the difference between '礼', '礼儀', '礼に', '敬礼', and 'お辞儀'?
What is the difference between '礼', '礼儀', '礼に', '敬礼', and 'お辞儀'?
More generally, what does '礼' mean when used stand-alone as a noun? Can '礼' be used stand-alone or would that be considered unusual?
Context: I am asking both about in regular…
Sze-Hung Daniel Tsui
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How did 達 (~tachi) come to mean `pluralize` something?
When doing some studying, I came across the verb 達成する which means to achieve/accomplish.
When looking up 達 I realized that this is the commonly used ~達{たち} suffix which used to pluralize something. I don't know why I've never thought the character…
Armstrongest
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Do native speakers ever create/improvise onomatopoeia?
Since Japanese is incredibly rich in onomatopoeic expressions which are commonly understood by most adults, I am wondering if adults ever make up new onomatopoeia on the fly, or if they always use those which they have "learned" and which are…
Earthliŋ
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Does ません sometimes not negate?
彼ら は 自分 の 事 しか 考えて いません。
The translation of this sentence from my learning materials is apparently "They only think of themselves."
Now it all makes sense to me until the ません at the end. To my mind it negates the entire sentence. So it means that…
sups12
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Grammar explanation for ~よし
Studying for the N1 with sample questions I stumbled across this grammar construct ~よし. However I am unable to find any explanation online or in any of my grammar books - probably I am searching for the wrong expression, but maybe anyone here can…
Florian Baierl
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Is 忍者/忍び also used for women?
I was discussing with a friend, who asked me if 忍者 is also used for women, or if くノ一 is used/preferred. I know 者 means "person", so it seems to be neutral; and Weblio defines the word using 者, which again seems to suggest it can be used for women;…
Mauro
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What are some examples of three-mora atamadaka verbs besides 帰る?
I couldn't find a good way to research this on my own, I'm afraid.
I'm not looking for a comprehensive list by any means (in before it turns out 帰る is the only one...), but rather just a few examples because 帰る always seemed pretty special to me in…
Kaskade
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Is the sentence "何でも忘れた" correct?
If I want to say "I forgot everything about it," I would go for "全部/全て忘れた". But then I thought what about "何でも忘れた"? I know that 何でも is followed by positive predicate. But somehow this sentence sounds strange to me. I am not sure if it could also be…
Cassandra
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What is the etymology of 一人前?
I found this word today, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I read it in the context of "becoming and adult", or "coming of age", but I'd like to know the etymology of it. I could only find definitions for the word itself, not its origins. At…
silvermaple
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