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Is を used in real Japanese?

One of the first things people learn in Japanese class is the old 私はケーキを食べます。 Once you begin to get more experienced with Japanese you soon learn that the initial watashi wa is not good form and is always dropped. Fair enough. But I am now living in…
Jim
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Can とても be used with [大好]{だいす}き or [大嫌]{だいきら}い?

とても means "very" [好]{す}き means "like" [大好]{だいす}き means "like very much" If I really like something can I use とてもとても大好きです ?
Sarawut Positwinyu
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What's the difference between ～てください and ～ていてください?

This question has come up on the side of at least a couple of other questions, but I don't think it's been definitively answered, so let's see if we can come up with something solid. After going through the first ten pages of Google results for both…
Derek Schaab
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Using に with adjectives

I want to know if there is a rule or way of thinking that makes it easier to understand which adjectives can be used in the following pattern. 体にいいです。 健康にわるいです。 酒によわいです。 電車に詳しいです。 その場にふさわしかった。 I tried using 子供に怖い and it was unacceptable, so I wish…
Nathan
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Can ～たり～たり end with verbs other than する?

In the past, I have come across several examples of ～たり～たり seemingly being used with other final verbs than する, which is generally taught to be mandatory at the end of ～たり～たり phrases. Is this grammatically acceptable? Here are some example phrases…
rintaun
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ending sentences with ように

I know that ように can be used like 'as' or 'like' and can also be used like 'ために'. But I was watching this TV show where they show 絵馬 and I noticed that almost all the wishes end with ように, which I couldn't understand at first. A web search turned up…
Jerahmeel
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Are the same terms for husbands and wives used for same-sex relationships?

When talking about same-sex relationships in modern Japanese (not Edo-era), are the same words used for husbands and wives as you'd use for opposite-sex relationships? For example, can you use ご主人 to describe (politely) a man's husband, and 奥さん to…
Andrew Grimm
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Is 「意味の分からなさ」 strange?

Since my recent question about 〜く＋ある, I've been trying to learn more about the differences between 形容詞「無い」 and 助動詞「〜ない」. In other words, I'm trying to learn how the independent adjective nai and the negative verb suffix -(a)nai are different. We…
user1478
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1 answer

What to call the characters-based decoration found in many announce emails

Many emails received from Japanese companies contain characters-based dingbat-style ornament like this: ■□■□■□──────────────────────────── blablablablablablablabla ────────────────────────────■□■□■□ ■blabla ｜　bla：blablabla …
Nicolas Raoul
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Present vs. past tense with certain verbs?

～ことにする　ｖｓ　～ことにした ～と思う　ｖｓ　～と思った What sort of context would you use either of these? Does the past tense imply that you've changed your decisions or thoughts?
bvblue
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自～／他～ペア：逆の形 -- Transitive/Intransitive pairs: opposite forms

I've noticed (through much frustration) that many 自～／他～ pairs have "opposite" forms; particularly with the ~u and ~eru types. For example, 焼く・焼ける are opposite from 開く・開ける. 焼く　（他）　－　パンを焼く ("Bake bread") 焼ける　（自）－　パンがちょうどよく焼けた ("The bread was baked…
istrasci
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What's the meaning of 〜ておきます?

What exactly does 〜ておきます mean in this context? 旅行{りょこう}する前{まえ}にホテルを予約{よやく}しておきます。 Is this trying to say something like "Before traveling, reserve a room". Is this a suggestion? An order? (If so, why aren't they using ください at the end instead of…
Julian
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How do you pronounce "☓☓" as a placeholder?

I have come across the following in a piece of fiction (「永遠のジャック＆ベティ」, by 清水{しみず}義範{よしのり}): 「今日は上着を着ているためには暑すぎます」 ◯◯するには☓☓すぎる。つまり、暑くて上着なんか着ていられない、という意味だった。 As you can see, the bolded sentence is presented as an example of a Japanese sentence…
senshin
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Negation with ではありません vs. じゃない

I tried to say "I'm not a high school student". But I read you can use じゃない to 'deny' something. In this case which one should I use? ではありません or じゃない? 私{わたし}はこうこうの学生{がくせい}ではありません。or 私{わたし}はこうこうの学生{がくせい}じゃないです。?
Cute cat
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What are the origins of 掘った芋いじるな (hotta imo ijiru na)?

The gag expression 掘った芋いじるな (hotta imo ijiruna) sounds to japanese ears uncannily like "What time is it now?" I'm guessing this is Showa era humour, since English probably sounded more foreign then than now. Does anyone know the origin of this…
crunchyt
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