表現. A set phrase used commonly in the Japanese language.
Questions tagged [expressions]
614 questions
32
votes
5 answers
What does やれ{HL}やれ{HL} "yare yare" mean?
I would like to know what the meaning of the expression やれ{HL}やれ{HL} Yare Yare is? I hear it often said in anime.
some people said "that yare yare is another japanese onomatopoeia. Kind of like pera pera, gira gira, goro goro, etc.
some others…
Educ
- 421
- 1
- 6
- 8
24
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between 「いけない」 and 「いかない」?
I've just learned that ～わけにはいけない as in 断{ことわ}るわけにはいけない ("I can't refuse") apparently isn't valid but ～わけにはいかない is, even though I've been using the former frequently.
But what is the difference between いかない and いけない and when should they each be…
cypher
- 13,509
- 6
- 55
- 126
20
votes
1 answer
Can you say "half hour" or must you say "30 minutes"?
I know that to say an hour and a half you can say 一時間半, but is it possible to express simply half an hour even though the counter comes before 半? Or would you just have to say 三十分?
If both ways are possible, is one widely more common or are they…
atlantiza
- 3,367
- 4
- 26
- 40
19
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」
What's the difference between 「この辺{へん}」 and 「この辺{あた}り」?
I used to always read 「この辺{へん}」as 「この辺{あたり}」 as I thought it would be confused with 「変{へん}」 but it apparently is different.
cypher
- 13,509
- 6
- 55
- 126
16
votes
1 answer
What does 窓という窓 mean?
What does 窓という窓 mean? I found it in this sentence in Harry Potter:
木の扉に寄りかかってホグワーツを見上げると、窓という窓が夕日に照らされて赤くキラキラ輝いている。
Axe
- 3,296
- 18
- 35
16
votes
1 answer
Asahi Dry Black beer can
What does ビアホール仕立ての黒 on Asahi Dry Black means?
Specifically 仕立て(sewing?) and ビアホール(via hole?). I tried searching it on japanese web, but it's kinda assumed as common knowledge and never mentioned besides sites about beers.
redwinter
- 311
- 1
- 8
16
votes
1 answer
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」?
What's the difference between 「うまく」, 「上手に」 and 「よく」, all seemingly meaning "well" in English?
Someone said that I should use 「よく」 rather than 「うまく」 in the following sentence. Can anyone explain why?
この文の意味は うまく よく 分からなかった。
I'd really like to know…
cypher
- 13,509
- 6
- 55
- 126
16
votes
1 answer
Temperature abbreviations?
A certain dialog in my book has a man describing the symptoms of his cold to the doctor. It reads thus:
医者：熱はありますか。
患者：はい、きのうから。夕べはぞくぞく寒気がしたので、高熱が出るんじゃないかとひやひやしたんですが、今のところ７度８分【なな・ど・はち・ぶ】くらいでおさまっています。
The English translation on the next page…
istrasci
- 43,365
- 4
- 104
- 251
15
votes
3 answers
What is the difference between 出来る限り and 出来るだけ?
EDICT gives almost the same translation for these two expressions:
出来る限り; できる限り 【できるかぎり】 (n) as ... as one can
できるだけ 《出来るだけ》 (exp) (uk) as much as one can; as much as possible; if at all possible;
Even the example sentences are almost the…
Lukman
- 19,547
- 16
- 91
- 193
14
votes
3 answers
How to speak about "one" thing in Japanese?
In short, what I mean is, how can I mention about one certain thing (not one thing in amount) in Japanese?
For example "one morning" in the following sentence:
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his…
fenestra
- 143
- 1
- 5
13
votes
8 answers
Greeting a person over the internet
So I was wondering, how do Japanese people greet each other when they are, for example, writing on a blog or recording a video? My doubt comes from the fact that their greetings will be directed towards someone who is unknown, and that the greeting…
Rodrigo Pará
- 630
- 6
- 14
13
votes
1 answer
Why is 一日 used instead of 日 to ask how your day is?
I spoke with someone from Japan on Tandem and she said to me “今日はどんな一日でしたか?” and I’m wondering why 一日 was used since I thought that meant the first of the month?
jacoballens
- 1,551
- 6
- 20
13
votes
9 answers
How to say "What's it to you?" in Japanese?
What would be appropriate expressions or idioms to convey the typical English response:
What's it to you?
(in a sense that goes somewhere between "None of your business" and "This is not your problem")
The best I can think of is あなたには関係ない. I am…
Dave
- 8,959
- 4
- 37
- 72
12
votes
1 answer
Why doesn't 「毎日学校に行ってきます」work?
This question stemmed from comments under another Q&A where @Chocolate points out that「毎日学校に行ってきます」doesn't work but 「今から学校に行ってきます」is fine. But I am still not quite sure why it doesn't work? When people leave home for school or work every day there…
Eddie Kal
- 11,332
- 5
- 19
- 40
12
votes
1 answer
What nuance does "ですな" bring?
I often see ですな used in social text posts.
Examples:
こんにちわ、あついし、ひまですな。
いいてんきですなｗ
A Google search for "ですな" does not show me any explanation.
Here is how I understand ですな in such context:
Humourously "aristocrat"-sounding.
Auto-derision of fake…
Nicolas Raoul
- 8,590
- 3
- 27
- 76