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1500 questions
34
votes
4 answers
Difference between ために and ように
I've got a question regarding difference in usage of 辞書形+ように and 辞書形+ために with verbs' dictionary forms, i.e.
飛行機に乗り遅れないように、前日早寝したのです。
彼は質問をするために手を上げました。
The notion I get is that the first is used with non-action verbs, while the latter form is…
razorramon
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34
votes
1 answer
What do repeated ８s mean in internet slang?
I was watching a live video stream the other day. To my surprise, other viewers kept flooding the chat with the number eight! My screen kept filling up with messages like…
user1478
33
votes
4 answers
How can I differentiate between feet and legs?
Feet are 足, and legs are also 足.
Is there a word or method with which I can easily talk about one and not the other? And if not, why is there no word for feet in the Japanese language?
Caveat: I know that one can just use フィート but that feels so very…
Kdansky
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33
votes
3 answers
The many ways to say "and" in Japanese
In English, we just have one word for the conjunction and which works just fine for many categories, but in Japanese, there are separate words:
と joins nouns together in a closed list
や joins nouns together in an open list
そして does it do something…
hippietrail
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33
votes
2 answers
Do the Japanese actually use the word "Hentai" to mean "Anime Porn", like in English?
The English word "Hentai" likely came from 4chan. Thus, like a lot of Japanese loanwords that come from 4chan, I have to ask whether the Japanese actually use the word to mean "Anime porn" like in English.
If it isn't, or if a different word is more…
Tirous
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33
votes
3 answers
The reason for using 何も+negative, but 何でも+positive
In one of the Japanese classes I attended, I've been taught that while we use 「何も出来ない」to say "He cannot do anything", to say "He can do anything" we use 「何でも出来る」 instead of 「何も出来る」.
Why is there a grammar rule that says 「何も」 is used before negative…
Lukman
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33
votes
7 answers
What is the most natural way to refer to someone when you don't know their name and don't have a close relationship with them?
I wanted to mention to a female staff member in a shop that I visit every day that I had seen their photograph in the Shibuya shop. I was going to say:
渋谷店であなたの写真を見た。
..but あなた seemed too intimate. If I knew their name, I could have said, for…
Stuart Woodward
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32
votes
2 answers
ありがとうございます vs. ありがとうございました
When thanking someone, what is the rule for using ありがとうございます vs. ありがとうございました? My sensei taught us to use ありがとうございました when the action you're thanking someone for occurred in the past, but I've heard ありがとうございます used plenty of times right after the…
Amanda S
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32
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4 answers
What are the origins of ヶ?
The ヶ in e.g. 一ヶ月 is a bit of an odd character - it looks a lot like a small version of the katakana ケ, but is it derived from that katakana originally? Or is it a normal kanji? Or is it something else entirely?
bdonlan
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32
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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
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32
votes
6 answers
Do Japanese people see ツ as a smiling face?
Tsu (ツ) kana is sometimes used on the internet as a smiling face, such as in the emoticon ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. I'm wondering if Japanese people notice it or is just another character for them?
The reason I'm asking is that my native language is Arabic, and it…
imgx64
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32
votes
3 answers
Stroke order for left and right
Why are the stroke orders for 右 and 左 different?
右 starts with the vertical stroke, and 左 starts with the horizontal one.
Nate Glenn
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32
votes
3 answers
My teacher wrote a triangle on my Japanese homework. What does it mean?
One of my Japanese senseis corrected my homework, and several times she drew a triangle next to the item she was correcting. Does this have a special meaning in Japan?
Lou
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32
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2 answers
When should either 「」 and 『』 be used?
In what scenarios would you use 「」 quotation marks instead of 『』, and vice versa?
awesomeguy
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31
votes
4 answers
Difference between にかんして and について?
What is the difference between にかんして and について?
Example usage would be much appreciated!
hachikuro
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