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のは Vs. というのは What is the Difference?
What is the difference between using のは and というのは in a sentence to describe a part of the sentence? I'm having a hard time telling when to use either one, because it seems you can use というのは to describe a verb/phrase the same way you would use のは.…
Sojourn07
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What does ワソマソ mean?
I'm trying to translate some of the signs in the anime FLCL, and I came across this sign on the side of a train in the first episode:
ワソマソ
出入口
The second part means "doorway", correct? But what about ワソマソ ? What does 'Wasomaso' mean? Or am I reading…
Ryan
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What is the counter for languages
I've looked this up in a few different dictionaries and the only word I got was 「か国語」written in a few different ways. but all of them contain 「国語」which I have come to understand means national language. Does this only refer to national languages for…
I dunno what to call myself
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What is the significance of a repeated radical in a Kanji character?
What is the significance (if any) of a repeated radical in a Kanji character?
I have been learning Kanji for almost a year now. In the early days my assumption would have been that repeating a radical would emphasise quantity/intensity/scale in an…
Ambo100
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11
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11
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Ancient practise of sneaking into women's bedrooms...?
I was looking up the meaning of スマ婚{こん}, when my mouse happened to roll over the kanji 婚{こん}, and this definition popped up in Rikaichan:
婚 よばい ancient practice of creeping at night into a woman's bedroom
(lit: night crawling); stealing into a…
Questioner
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What is the significance of a large く character in literary texts?
I am currently reading an early story by Tanizaki Junichiro in Japanese. I have come across both the hiragana く and ぐ written twice the size they usually are, taking up the same amount of space on the page as two characters. Is there any…
Momoji
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What do the triangles, circles, and squares mean in the context of manga?
I was reading Crayon Shin-chan—a Japanese manga—and came across a frame where the characters' speech bubbles contain circles, triangles, and crosses where words should be. I asked a couple of my Japanese friends about what the shapes meant but none…
Rafael
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Rare/Obsolete verb forms
I have noticed that some verbs have this "rare" or old form that is no longer used much (if at all). Here are some examples.
おそる： おそるべき者 → One who is feared
ほむ： ほむべきお方【かた】 → Seen often in my Japanese Bible describing God; "The one worthy of…
istrasci
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11
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Words for Laws/Rules [法律、規則、規律, etc.]
I feel like there's an endless list of words for laws/rules/regulations and I was wondering what the difference in nuance is between them? Are any of them true synonyms? Here are the ones I know off the top of my…
trashkitten
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Do all verbs have an honorific and humble form?
I was reading about this phenomenon in a few places and saw, for instance, this table of transformations and substitutions for various verbs.
Is it only these common verbs which change, or do all verbs have a variant for the respectful and humble…
temporary_user_name
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11
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What work is left on a map?
Near Shibuya, they're finishing up some construction on a subway system that has been going on for years. It seems they're at the stage of finishing up some road work above where they had been making subway.
In the middle of Meiji Dori, where some…
Questioner
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11
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3 answers
Meaning of 果たして?
果たして、遺産を独り占めするためだけに、それだけのことを兄さんがやってのけるのか、わしも確信は持てん。
I'll translate it roughly as "I don't think he will go that far just to have the inheritance for himself."
However, I don't understand the 果たして part: it seems that it can be a way of saying "as…
Ushiromiya
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11
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what is the difference between 暖かい and 温かい?
what is the difference between 暖かい and 温かい?
Cerebra
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How do you use 〜と知る?
I've often seen and heard the expression 〜と知る（知っている）. When I think about it, it makes sense in the context of the quoatation-と, like with 〜と言う or 〜と思う. It seems like it means "Know that 〜".
ミユキちゃんが結婚したと知ってる？ → Did you know that Mikyuki got…
istrasci
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