和語と漢語. The difference between a native-Japanese word (wago, yamato-kotoba) based on kun-reading and a Sino-Japanese word (Sino-loanwords, kango) based on on-reading. 和語 includes most i-adjectives and (u-/ru-) verbs. 漢語 includes most na-adjectives and suru-verbs.
Questions tagged [wago-and-kango]
78 questions
45
votes
3 answers
What's the difference between 女性 and 女の人?
As far as I'm aware, both words translate into English as "woman". What's the difference in meaning between [女性]{じょせい} and [女の人]{おんなのひと}?
Andrew Grimm
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What is the difference between [友達]{とも・だち} and [友人]{ゆう・じん}?
From a quick google search, they both refer to friend.
Are they completely identical or is there any difference between [友達]{とも・だち} and [友人]{ゆう・じん}?
Zaenille
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19
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2 answers
The verbs of learning: 勉強する, 習う and 学ぶ
How are the following verbs which are related to learning different to each other?
勉強する
習う
学ぶ
Lukman
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3 answers
Are 漢語 always more formal than 和語？
It seems that in response to questions regarding the differences between 漢語 and their 和語 equivalents, it is often explained that the 漢語 is "more formal" than the 和語. As a result, I get the feeling that this is a trend.
One example of this, which…
rintaun
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14
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貧しい【まずしい】 poor 貧乏【びんぼう】な poor What's the difference?
Example sentences do not suggest a big difference. Is there?
貧しい【まずしい】 poor
貧乏【びんぼう】な poor
[貧乏]{びんぼう}だけれど[彼]{かれ}は[幸福]{こうふく}だ。
Poor as he is, he is happy.
[貧]{まず}しいといえども[彼女]{かのじょ}は[幸]{しあわ}せだ。
Though she is poor, she is happy.
Ned Reif
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13
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What is the difference between 山道【さんどう】 and 山道【やまみち】?
To provide context, I stumbled upon this new term for me when reading this sentence:
田舎の山道を車で走っていたら、突然サルが飛び出してきた。
I looked 山道 up in a dictionary and I saw there are two possible readings. さんどう and やまみち. Is there a difference in usage or nuance…
jarmanso7
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12
votes
2 answers
Difference between もっとも and 一番
When expressing a superlative meaning ("the most ..."), what is the difference between the usage of もっとも and 一番？ (e.g. もっとも大きい vs. 一番大きい)
Malper
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12
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2 answers
Nuances in the word "smile"
So as the title indicates, I'm wondering about exactly what is the difference between all the existing words that mean "smile", I originally learned only 笑い, which I feel is the most regularly used one (although it can also means a laugh), but as…
FMB
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12
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3 answers
Do people actually ever say みょうにち?
I've heard people using あした (the common one) and あす (rather uncommon) to refer to "tomorrow".
I was wondering does anyone actually uses the reading みょうにち ?
Pacerier
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11
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What's the difference between 腹切り and 切腹?
I need to add a body to submit my question, so I'll just say the Mortal Kombat seemed to believe that the term 腹切り (はらきり harakiri) was more appropriate for self slaughter (i.e., throwing a boomerang hat that cuts one's own head off); however, I…
Wolfpack'08
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2 answers
恥知らず【はじしらず】 versus 厚顔無恥【こうがんむち】
The lack of examples makes me difficult to understand well the difference between 恥知らず and 厚顔無恥. Both seem to mean "shameless".
For example, can I use both as follows? Are there any differences?
脱いだまま公園で散歩する人は恥知らずだ。
脱いだまま公園で散歩する人は厚顔無恥だ。
Second Person Shooter
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What is the difference between 石{いし}、岩{いわ} and 岩石{がんせき}?
I'm just a beginner. I think all of them meaning the same, rock. Can anyone explain it for me?
Owl City
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9
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2 answers
Heuristics for identifying Japanese-origin words (和語)
Given a word and its reading, I'm interested in having it be automatically be identified as Japanese-origin (和語, but excluding 和製英語 and 和製漢語) or not. False negatives and positives aren't really a problem for my use case, but naturally they should be…
小太郎
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8
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Difference between 生き物 and 生物
I had assumed that 生物 was just a fancier word for 生き物 in the way that onyomi compounds often are. But when I looked in the dictionary I became less sure.
For 生物 I see:
動物・植物・微生物など生命をもつものの総称。
Animals, plants, microbes etc. A generic term for things…
user3856370
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8
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1 answer
What is the difference between 「名前【なまえ】」 and 「名称【めいしょう】」？
I am learning the word 「名称【めいしょう】」. According to the dictionary, it means "name", but so does 「名前【なまえ】」. What are the differences in terms of meaning and usage between both words?
I noticed that the entry for 「名称【めいしょう】」 states that it can mean…
jarmanso7
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