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Questions tagged [punctuation]

句読法. A set of symbols and marks such as the comma and period, typically used to indicate either syntactic structure or to indicate pauses in speech.

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Usage of commas in Japanese sentences

This might sound like a strange question, but how does the usage of commas differ when used in Japanese compared to English? I believe りんご、オレンジとバナナ wouldn't work, but that it's OK to list like りんご、オレンジ、バナナ or りんご、オレンジ、またはバナナ. When should…
cypher
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When should either 「」 and 『』 be used?

In what scenarios would you use 「」 quotation marks instead of 『』, and vice versa?
awesomeguy
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What does the use of a dash (instead of a character) to extend a sound mean?

I came across the sentence 混乱する気持ちもよーくわかる in my manga. I have translated it, but the use of the dash (which was vertical in the actual vertical text) stumped me for a bit (I thought it was よう at first, not よお). I was under the impression that a dash…
AlbeyAmakiir
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Why are points used where furigana would be normally?

Sometimes in mangas there are points where you would expect normally furigana. What meaning is it supposed to have?
olorin
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= sign in a katakana name

I was surprised when I came across this Wikipedia page: アーシュラ・K・ル＝グウィン Does someone knows what that = sign is? I can see it works as a separator like 「・」 Is it simply an alternative?
comeauch
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What does it mean when multiple 々 marks follow a 、?

I was glancing at some old manuscripts from the Heian period (左経記 pg. 10) when I saw the following: I know that typically 々 means to repeat the previous kanji, but what does it mean when its following a 、? Also, is there a reason there are so many…
Ringil
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What exactly is this ※ symbol, and what does it mean/how is it used?

I keep running into this symbol: ※ What is it, exactly? How is it used? According to this Wikipedia link on Japanese typographic symbols, this ※ is called 米{こめ} or 米印{こめじるし}. It is used in notes as a reference mark, similar to an asterisk. With…
silvermaple
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What does the nakaguro (・) between these two words mean?

The first sentence on the Mac OS X article on the Japanese version of Wikipedia reads: Mac OS X（マック オーエス テン）は、アップルが[開発]{かいはつ}・[販売]{はんばい}する、Macintoshコンピュータ[用]{よう}の[現行]{げんこう}オペレーティングシステム (OS) である。 Now, in between the words 開発 and 販売 there happens to…
Miguel
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Use of the question mark and か

I was surpised to hear from a Japanese coworker that using a question mark "?" (gimonfu) after the か particle is correct Japanese. Which of these are NG? 何時に会いましょうか 何時に会いましょうか？ 何時に会いましょう？ In what context is each acceptable/appropriate?
crunchyt
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Is Japanese em dash equal to Latin em dash?

In Latin characters, we use — to represent the em dash (—) as follows. My home town — a small castle town in San'in ... However, if I use the same — in Japanese sentences, it looks like 一{いち} as follows. 私が生まれ育ったふるさと—山陰の小さな城下町・・・ It…
Second Person Shooter
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What do the question marks on these gas station signs mean?

ハイオク：　１４８？ レギュラ：　１３７？ 軽油：　１１５？ What meaning do the question marks have?
Garrett Albright
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What does 「／＼」 mean in this sentence?

皆さん、こんにちは！ Now, I've been reading 竹取物語 and have come across (another) set of symbols that I've yet to understand. Given the following sentence. かくて翁やう／＼豐になり行く。 What does the sudden 「／＼」 mean?
Tirous
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Spaces in children's books

Written Japanese ordinarily doesn't use any spaces to separate words. But Japanese children's books do. For example, the opening of Tomi Ungerer's The Three Robbers (すてきな 三にんぐみ) あらわれでたのは、 くろマントに、 くろい　ぼうしの　さんにんぐみ。 それはそれは　こわーい、 どろぼうさまの　おでかけだ。 Are…
Earthliŋ
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Middle Dot (中黒) in Non-Japanese Names

My previous question about ellipses (三点リーダー) in Japanese got me thinking about the middle dot (中黒) in foreign names. When I was in college, I learned that if you have a non-Japanese (or, rather, non-kanji) name, you should put a 中黒 in between your…
Anonymous
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What is the Japanese equivalent of English editorial brackets?

So in English, if an editor needed to add a comment or some clarification to a quote (in an article or something), they would use square brackets, so that the comment doesn't get mistaken as an actual part of the quote. "Yesterday, she was seen…
David Christy
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