Most Popular
1500 questions
11
votes
2 answers
Does it matter whether you drop vowels in spoken Japanese?
(This question started as a dual question about when to drop vowels and whether it matters. The first question is well answered at What are the rules regarding "mute vowels" ("u" after "s" and "i" after "sh")?.)
I'm just starting to learn Japanese,…
MattK
- 213
- 2
- 7
11
votes
1 answer
このとおりよ as an expression
In a manga I'm reading a boy accidentally broke a friends toy, after which he says in an apologetic fashion :
あなたの言う事何でも聞くよ！
このとーりよ！
I understand the first part, but the second part which apparently means "like this" or "in this way" doesn't…
Lyle J
- 261
- 1
- 6
11
votes
3 answers
How long of a time period does 最近 cover?
Can it cover an entire month? Two?
Louis Waweru
- 5,295
- 33
- 56
11
votes
2 answers
Meaning of volitional passive form
お姉ちゃんに何を言われようが、まる子はウキウキ気分なのであった。
What was said by her sister ???? but, Maruko felt cheerful.
I can't think of any way in which something which is passive can also be volitional. How do I understand this construction?
user3856370
- 30,011
- 6
- 51
- 166
11
votes
1 answer
In Japanese, can we say an object asks a question?
I was just wondering, because in English we can say "This story begs the question" etc. The wording for English is very versatile, and I was wondering if Japanese has this as well, for example in this sentence:
このゲームは質問を頼む
GasterSans
- 143
- 5
11
votes
1 answer
How to invoke God/spirits in Japanese
No, this is not about any Buddhist chant or mantra that can be used to call forth Japanese gods or heavenly spirits, but rather about any specialized words or interjections that attract attention of the God/spirits that we want to communicate with.…
Lukman
- 19,805
- 20
- 94
- 195
11
votes
1 answer
Colloquial contraction of だろう into ろ after past tense verb (e.g. 言ったろ)
I noticed in many anime I watched that 「言っただろう」 is often contracted into 「言ったろ」 in conversations between friends and families. I'm guessing this contraction is both colloquial and standard (as in, everyone understands it).
But I'm wondering if this…
Lukman
- 19,805
- 20
- 94
- 195
11
votes
2 answers
Can I use suffixes (な、ね、さ、わ...) before と思う?
I always hear ～なぁと思った, but I don't know if it comes from:
食べるかなーと思った。 or like
きれいだなーと思った。 or
寒いなーと思った。
I think this sound なーと思う is so relaxing and so nice, that I want to use it. But actually I would like to know how is used and where.
Related to…
daniel tomio
- 2,213
- 5
- 27
- 35
11
votes
3 answers
Why 次第 instead of によって in this very example?
I was randomly browsing this page and came across this sentence:
砂糖{さとう}は作｛つく｝るものしだいで使用｛しよう｝します。
This recipe happens to have a French equivalent
En fonction des recettes, on utilise du sucre.
Depending to recipes, we use sugar. (literal…
永劫回帰
- 7,043
- 1
- 23
- 51
11
votes
3 answers
おしまい {oshimai} vs おわり {owari}
Are there any differences between using おしまい {oshimai} and おわり {owari} to mean "the end" (both with neutral and negative connotations)? Are they always interchangeable?
E.g:
テスト失敗したらおわりだぜ。
テスト失敗したらおしまいだぜ。
Lukman
- 19,805
- 20
- 94
- 195
11
votes
1 answer
Can と and を be interchanged with 思う the way I think they can?
Compare the following two sentences:
あそこに[行]{い}こうと[思]{おも}っている
あそこに[行]{い}こうを[思]{おも}っている
If I'm right about this, they both mean that the speaker is thinking of going somewhere.
However, the difference is that in the first case, the use of と…
Questioner
- 24,694
- 15
- 95
- 232
11
votes
2 answers
The role of と particle in 「二度としない」
What is the role of と particle in 「二度としない」? Is it quotative, adverbialisation, change of state or supposition?
Also, what extra nuances does it contribute to the expression compared to if も is used instead (二度もしない)?
Lukman
- 19,805
- 20
- 94
- 195
11
votes
2 answers
when is ん pronounced as "m"?
I've been initially told that ん is always pronounced like the n in pink. But I've been looking at this wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Japanese#cite_note-stop-2
And it is saying that the ん in words like せんぱい is pronounced…
Felipe Müller
- 873
- 1
- 6
- 13
11
votes
2 answers
How to say "How do you say~?"
I have always wondered how to ask someone (like my Japanese teacher) to tell me how to say something in Japanese. For example, I wanted to ask Kato Sensei how to say "Please send me a photo via Instagram DM." If I were to ask her in English, I would…
Isabel Cynara
- 199
- 1
- 1
- 8
11
votes
3 answers
What is 床下? (picture attached)
Most detailed definition I could find:
床下とは
建物の床の下。えん（縁）のした。
Picture from google:
Example:
その大雨で床下30センチまで水につかった。
The heavy rain flooded my house up to 30cm below the floorboards.
However, what I don't understand from the above is:
Does the…
user12127
- 159
- 4