Questions tagged [plural-suffixes]
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Pluralization in Japanese: usage of -たち and -ら
I know that -たち and -ら pluralize the nouns they come after (or indicate a group that the noun is part of), but most of the time the plural in Japanese is implicit. When is it appropriate or necessary to use -たち or -ら?
(Bonus question: is there any…
Amanda S
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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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Is 〜たち used for groups of only two people?
In a recent comment, Sjiveru wrote:
親たち isn't really valid for 'one's two parents', it means more of 'a group of parents (necessarily several families' worth)'. Outside of very modern uses with personal pronouns, たち can't be used for just two…
user1478
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Can 達 be used to pluralize inanimate things?
インターネットを見ていて、「これは便利だと思ったiOSアプリたち」という記事を偶然読みました。「たち」は人間など[有生]{ゆうせい}のものを指している名詞にしか付かないと思っていましたが、このタイトルは反例ではないとは思えません。
「たち」をこういう使い方で使うのは本当に普通ですか。複数性を強調する場合、有生でないものには「等｛ら｝」を付けるのが普通だと思っていましたが…
永劫回帰
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When is it inappropriate to use the pluralizing suffixes -たち, -ら?
In "A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar", it says that there are cases where -tachi cannot be attached to a noun, as in:
a. 川本と柴田は大学の教師(*たち)だ。(Kawamoto and Shibata are college professors.)
b. 彼には子供(*たち)がある。(He has a child/children.)
"Except…
kinai
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What rules should be followed when saying "we"?
I know that, in Japanese, you can say X達【たち】 or Xら (where X is a first person pronoun) to say we.
However, what rules should be followed for choosing that "X". Can I use whatever I would use to refer to myself and then add 達 / ら, or should I use a…
atlantiza
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Is tachi disrespectful?
If there are only two people concerned but you say for example " John tachi ga" does it imply the other person is less important? Shouldn't it be used for a larger group of people?
Lorce
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Why does 子供たち mean children while 友達 can mean 1 friend?
たち is a pluralizing suffix. So, 猫たち means cats, 子供たち means children and 人たち means people.
Why can 友達 mean 1 friend, even though there is the word 友 meaning a friend?
(I see that 達 in 友達 is not written using kana, unlike たち in, say, 猫たち. But…
Enguroo
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Addressing a group of people with -tachi (たち) and name of one
I knew the general idea of -tachi, as explained e.g. here: "Hey Bro!" how to call out friends
However, in one ラノベ I read the following situation: Assume there is a supervisor Asahi and 2 employees Kimi and Mashi of same "grade" sitting at the same…
Mike Makarov
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Is たち in 子供たち redundant?
In my understanding, 達{たち} is a suffix used to pluralize a countable noun. For example,
私 (single) becomes 私たち (plural)
あなた (single) becomes あなたたち (plural)
According to most dictionaries, 子供 can be translated as either child or children. As a…
Second Person Shooter
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交わり合わないような項目同士 translation
勉強とコミュニケーション能力。一見すると交わり合わないような項目同士。
交わる: 1. to cross; to intersect; to join; to meet, 2. to associate with; to mingle with; to consort with, 3. to have a sexual relationship; to copulate.
合わない --> 合う: 1. to come together; to merge; to unite; to…
Amanda Zhang
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Can you call a group of people by a subgroup of 2, and if so then how?
What I understand:
A way of referring to a group of people by just 1 person can be done with saying [name]-[honorific, if any] tachi. (I seem to be right based on this and this.)
Eg For the group of the 6 Tanaka siblings with 1st names Ashanti,…
BCLC
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The use of たち in the sentence
Can たち mean "and the others"?
メアリーさんたちはいつ神戸に行くつもりですか。
I know that たち is a pluralizing suffix: 私たち、子供たち、etc. But I'm listening to 2 people talking about Mary and her friends. I am confused by how たち is used here.
Enguroo
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When to use the suffix "-tachi" and when to use "-ra"?
"-Tachi" and "-Ra" for the apprentice seem to have the same usage. When do you have to use the suffix "-tachi" and when do you have to use "-ra"? Is one more formal than the other? Are there pronouns where you can use one but not the other?
Pablo
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What is the meaning of らと?
I was reading this news article today:
阿部サダヲが4年ぶりの主演ドラマで水原希子、山口智子らと共演
In the heading and again in the text is 「山口智子らと共演」
My question is what is the meaning of the らと between Yamaguchi Tomoko and co-starring? I could not find any dictionary reference…
user3169
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