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1500 questions
10
votes
3 answers
Why is ゴミ箱 written in katakana usually?
I know katakana can be used for loanwords, onomatopoeia, strange plants, animals, for emphasis, and more. However, I don't understand why ゴミ箱 is written in katakana. Can anyone shed some light on the logic/any relevant etymology?

qiannianchong
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10
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Is を頑張る standard Japanese?
This question came up on chat.
In this phrase:
TOEIC、頑張ってください
Can the comma be replaced by を? If not, is there a better particle?
頑張る is listed as a 自動詞 in both of my dictionaries (岩波 and 集英社). There are plenty of Google results for を頑張る…
user1478
10
votes
1 answer
What does へ mean at the end of this sentence?
Just wondering what へ means in this context.
日本郵政「かんぽの宿」すべて売却へ
Seems like it might be implying that the "Kanpo no Yado" are going to sell off all its assets but I'm a little confused as to the specific meaning へ has here.

Xanadulo
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What is the difference between 特殊 and 特別?
I've got two questions. Firstly, what is the difference between 特殊{とくしゅ} and 特別{とくべつ}?
Secondly, is it true that all these grammar forms are correct:
特殊{とくしゅ}な + [noun]
特別{とくべつ}な + [noun]
特殊{とくしゅ}の + [noun]
特別{とくべつ}の + [noun]

Pacerier
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2 answers
Understanding “name of a person+をして”
何の躊躇いもなく晒された令音の裸体は、同性である琴里をして息を呑んでしまうほどに美しかった。
What is the usage of the bold part (i.e. name of a person+をする)? Does it mean 琴里として?

chino alpha
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10
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1 answer
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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3 answers
Saying ジャパニーズ instead of 日本の
I recently came across a sentence mentioning 'ジャパニーズデザイン'. What would be the difference between calling something 日本のデザイン verses ジャパニーズデザイン?

SpikedHelmet
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1 answer
What does おやくそく mean here?
そうびは 「ぶき」と 「ぼうぐ」に分けることができる。 ところで
おやくそくだが 「メニュー」でそうびしないと意味はないぞ。
I understand the second sentence as roughly "By the way, if you don't equip them in the menu, they don't do anything."
I'm assuming this is お約束. At first I thought it might be…

flowsnake
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What is the Japanese Onomatopoeia for the sound a chainsaw makes?
From what I can tell, chainsaws make a sound like buzzing or rustling, etc. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find Japanese onomatopoeia from that sound. I wanted to look specifically for the chainsaw sound effect depicted in the manga, Chainsaw…

Humphrey The Pumpkin
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10
votes
1 answer
パンの耳? How did 耳 end up meaning edge/crust?
100% a curiosity question, but I recently stumbled across some older blog posts about a silly debate of "should you eat all your pizza crust?" and I was surprised to see the phrase
ピザの耳
Most of the time when I've seen the word crust its' been クラスト…

Joe Gee
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10
votes
1 answer
Is 感じる {かんじる} transitive or intransitive? Which particle to use?
Please consider 一段 {いちだん} verb 感じる {かんじる}. Sometimes I see particle に applied and sometimes particole を. In the Jisho.org vocabulary it is not specified if this verb is 他動詞 {たどうし} (transitive) or 自動詞 {じどうし} (intransitive).
The examples I found…

Andry
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When do you use は/に for どようびは/に?
There is a sentence in a worksheet that goes: どようびは ほんを よみます。Why is it not どようびに? When do I know which one to use and what is the difference?
Spoke to my sensei and she said you can use something like: どようびには, which would still be right ... I didn't…

Jules
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2 answers
How do you express "try"?
I know that -てみる can mean "try", but my understanding of it is that it means "try it and see what it's like" or "give it a try". But is there a way of expressing "try" that emphasizes that effort was made to succeed?
As an example, saying "I am…

rurouniwallace
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10
votes
2 answers
Addressing children in Japanese
Apologies for the very vague question. I'm unsure of how I'm supposed to address and talk to children - I imagine it varies a little depending on the social situation, and in general I should avoid potentially awkward language as much as I should…

Billy
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5 answers
What is the difference between tori vs. dori?
In Aikido, different dojos seem to latch on to using either dori or tori when describing grabbing attacks. For instance one dojo might say:
Katate Dori
Another would say:
Katate Tori
Each dojo will profess that their way of saying / spelling it is…

Jack B Nimble
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