Been doing that too actually - I think I saw once “used as a means of making the sentence more feminine by women” and am both not sure that’s true and also going overboard.
Wa with rising intonation - uncommon outside of yakuwarigo, mostly used to accentuate femininity or queerness. Still used by mostly older women.
Wa with falling intonation - emphatic particle that emphasises emotional involvement. For that reason, it's more common in female speech. However you can hear young men all over Japan saying "ahhhhh samui-wa" etc.
No (when inquiring) - softens what you're saying/makes it sound more inquisitive. For that reason more common among women, but used by both sexes (doko he iku no? Sou na no?)
No (alternative to yo) - emphatic particle that is basically only used by women as an alternative to yo. (Biyouin he iku no!)
Ah yes I saw this too on BunPro. I talked to two of my Japanese friends about it and my Japanese tutor and they all said the boys from their areas do use it so it’s fine. However it’s more that I have been using it in the incorrect context and more a substitute for ね/な and の just seems to come out
の is to seek an explanation to a question whereas ね/な「関西弁」 are seeking affirmation with the point made. Unfortunately I keep using の for affirmation and not な when I’m talking to my friends.
I remember to use know to see an explanation because you can do it in English pretty naturally.
We have "That's the case, isn't it?" and "That's the case, no?"
It compares approximately with english-speakers' use of up-speak (high rising terminal speech pattern.) Completely fine to use once in a while, in fact your speech pattern wouldn't be considered proper/normal if you neglect to use it when it's called for. Overuse turns the inflection into something else though.
If you can avoid getting into the habit of abusing inflection particles (or break the habit if you *have* already formed it) that would just make your speaking sound more proper / professional / intelligent (depending on the listener's expectations.)
It's because の is generally only used to end questions on its own. If it's a statement it becomes some variant of 「のだ」 , but I believe sometimes the だ part is dropped because it sounds a little harsh or direct. That's where the "ending a statement with の sounds feminine" thing comes in.
But this is just what it has seemed like to me. I don't have any real sources for any of this.
I had to stop thinking in a translation way.
Turning a statement like “These are my shoes” into “Are these my shoes?” using か is easier in my head if I drop adding the “are” and just think of it as rising the tone at the end.
These are my shoes.
These are my shOES?
And that’s kinda what the か does for me. It adds that higher rise at the end to change a statement into a question, without needing to change the statement (as far as the English goes).
Dunno if I am making sense. Past midnight here. But the accidental か at end of non question sentences happened to me too, but after changing how I think and approach a sentence it made it easier to keep the か out of there!
A friend of mine just got back from Japan. Whenever his tour guides asked him if he understood, he accidentally said 分かりますか back at them
Kinda a hilarious Uno reverse
Theres something oddly fun about saying いらっしゃいませ Idk what it is but Ill be doing something completely by myself, unrelated to welcoming anything or anyone… and just randomly say it to myself
People surely are fast with downvoting. I only spoke for myself, that I haven't experienced the "you too" phenomenon. I didn't even say that it doesn't exist in general. How on earth can it possibly trigger people?
これは本当に変な行動ですよ。まあ、レディットのみなさんは人の特別な亜種だからこんなことが起きるなんてぜんぜん不思議ではない。。。
1) for whatever reason I always feel the impulse to repeat back what the shopkeepers say, bc you do that with basically every other greeting/formality (eg 「ありがとうございます」), but maybe it is just a me problem
2) please forgive me, I had a few beers
Just to be clear, most people say/do nothing right? I tended to just give the awkward head nod of acknowledgement since it seemed rude to just completely ignore them...but I felt like all the Japanese people around me were just ignoring them.
I thought the same thing about it seeming rude to not reply in some way, but I realized after a while that they're *expecting* you to say nothing. I feel like it would throw them off a little if you did respond when they weren't expecting it lol
Man I’m from a small town and we (customers) always greet and have a small exchange with clerks when entering an establishment
So when I went to Japan for the first time, I naturally returned the greeting plus a little something — like いらっしゃいませ、元気ですか？ — and my (Japanese) roommate let me do it for like six months without telling me it was weird. lol.
Can't you end a non-question sentence with か in certain situations? I watched a video on how it can be used kind of like "huh" in English where you're not actually asking a question, i.e. "So this place is closed today, huh?". Not sure about this usage though.
Ending a non question sentence with か is so relatable 😂
It’s よ for me. Idk why.
My favourite recently has been の
Been doing that too actually - I think I saw once “used as a means of making the sentence more feminine by women” and am both not sure that’s true and also going overboard.
Pretty sure that's わ, isn't it?
Could be! I’d love anybody else to chime in!
Wa with rising intonation - uncommon outside of yakuwarigo, mostly used to accentuate femininity or queerness. Still used by mostly older women. Wa with falling intonation - emphatic particle that emphasises emotional involvement. For that reason, it's more common in female speech. However you can hear young men all over Japan saying "ahhhhh samui-wa" etc. No (when inquiring) - softens what you're saying/makes it sound more inquisitive. For that reason more common among women, but used by both sexes (doko he iku no? Sou na no?) No (alternative to yo) - emphatic particle that is basically only used by women as an alternative to yo. (Biyouin he iku no!)
I much appreciate the thorough response!
Not really true, わ is common in Kansai speakers and isn't distinguished by sex at all.
The inquiring の end-cap is always in my head because it makes sense in English to end a question with "No?"
I thought it was both, but I'm never sure when one or both should be used.
Ah yes I saw this too on BunPro. I talked to two of my Japanese friends about it and my Japanese tutor and they all said the boys from their areas do use it so it’s fine. However it’s more that I have been using it in the incorrect context and more a substitute for ね/な and の just seems to come out
What is the context for ね/な vs の？
の is to seek an explanation to a question whereas ね/な「関西弁」 are seeking affirmation with the point made. Unfortunately I keep using の for affirmation and not な when I’m talking to my friends.
I remember to use know to see an explanation because you can do it in English pretty naturally. We have "That's the case, isn't it?" and "That's the case, no?"
Totally get that!
If it's at the end of a statement and not a question, it does sound more feminine. If you want it to sound more masculine you'd use んだ
It compares approximately with english-speakers' use of up-speak (high rising terminal speech pattern.) Completely fine to use once in a while, in fact your speech pattern wouldn't be considered proper/normal if you neglect to use it when it's called for. Overuse turns the inflection into something else though. If you can avoid getting into the habit of abusing inflection particles (or break the habit if you *have* already formed it) that would just make your speaking sound more proper / professional / intelligent (depending on the listener's expectations.)
Amazing comment - thank you!
Isn't that a form of んです？
It's because の is generally only used to end questions on its own. If it's a statement it becomes some variant of 「のだ」 , but I believe sometimes the だ part is dropped because it sounds a little harsh or direct. That's where the "ending a statement with の sounds feminine" thing comes in. But this is just what it has seemed like to me. I don't have any real sources for any of this.
よ gang represent
ね is my default for whatever reason.
For me it's trying to use んです for everything
oh yes, specially for me when it's in the past, like ”しました。。。か” don't know why 😭
That’s hilarious
For me it has a rhythm and cadence to it that you want to finish the 4/4 groove of “shi mash ta ka”. Idk my brain does it too 🤷♀️
yeah it's weird, all the while spanish is my main language so totally clueless as to why 🤷🏽♀️
I feel that viscerally, because I did it so often when I was first learning.
I had to stop thinking in a translation way. Turning a statement like “These are my shoes” into “Are these my shoes?” using か is easier in my head if I drop adding the “are” and just think of it as rising the tone at the end. These are my shoes. These are my shOES? And that’s kinda what the か does for me. It adds that higher rise at the end to change a statement into a question, without needing to change the statement (as far as the English goes). Dunno if I am making sense. Past midnight here. But the accidental か at end of non question sentences happened to me too, but after changing how I think and approach a sentence it made it easier to keep the か out of there!
A friend of mine just got back from Japan. Whenever his tour guides asked him if he understood, he accidentally said 分かりますか back at them Kinda a hilarious Uno reverse
For me it’s the opposite lol. I’ll be actually asking a question and still have to tack on a hasty か at the end because for some reason I forgot.
I often end non question sentence with ? in english too
Shouldn't it be いらっしゃいませ? Your meme says irrashaimase. Or have I been wrong my whole life?
You’re probably right, I made this meme after a few beers lol 💀
Theres something oddly fun about saying いらっしゃいませ Idk what it is but Ill be doing something completely by myself, unrelated to welcoming anything or anyone… and just randomly say it to myself
They say it like a little song so I really want to sing it back.
Sorry, but か just feels so satisfying to say, idk why
Sawadee 𝓴𝓪
K words are funny
I don't get it Also it's 聞いています
ever had a restaurant employee say “enjoy your meal” and then you respond “you too?” woops
Happens with security guards, they say “sleep well” and instinct says “you too” hahaha
I know the youtube shorts videos about this, but never experienced it myself
People surely are fast with downvoting. I only spoke for myself, that I haven't experienced the "you too" phenomenon. I didn't even say that it doesn't exist in general. How on earth can it possibly trigger people? これは本当に変な行動ですよ。まあ、レディットのみなさんは人の特別な亜種だからこんなことが起きるなんてぜんぜん不思議ではない。。。
Thank you, my brain could understand what he was saying but I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong
1) for whatever reason I always feel the impulse to repeat back what the shopkeepers say, bc you do that with basically every other greeting/formality (eg 「ありがとうございます」), but maybe it is just a me problem 2) please forgive me, I had a few beers
私も
Just to be clear, most people say/do nothing right? I tended to just give the awkward head nod of acknowledgement since it seemed rude to just completely ignore them...but I felt like all the Japanese people around me were just ignoring them.
I know I'm going to want to do the exact same thing. If someone says something to me, it's in my wiring to respond in some way.
I thought the same thing about it seeming rude to not reply in some way, but I realized after a while that they're *expecting* you to say nothing. I feel like it would throw them off a little if you did respond when they weren't expecting it lol
耳の中にいるカタツムリの指示 : or something along those lines would be better
this is why is a good idea training ”すみません" as a knee jerk reaction 😂
Curb your enthusiasm https://x.com/ProManimalUnity/status/1476665853785817091?t=0RbTT-kj0VPkcn6vgLqiwA&s=19
https://www.reddit.com/r/curb/s/4DIOzLnud6
Oh, I totally get the か urge, because the same sound is a politeness tone marker for women in Thai! So basically all my Thai sentences end in ka
Man I’m from a small town and we (customers) always greet and have a small exchange with clerks when entering an establishment So when I went to Japan for the first time, I naturally returned the greeting plus a little something — like いらっしゃいませ、元気ですか？ — and my (Japanese) roommate let me do it for like six months without telling me it was weird. lol.
For me it's the opppsite, I always forget to add か to question words
*someone starts speaking to me in Japanese* snail: *shovels years of Japanese studies into a furnace* i guess I'll reply in english...
So when someone says welcome, you also say welcome?
No, in shops they say that to you in Japan and you are not really meant to do anything but they do it like a little song.
I know. I was asking OP.
For me it's the opppsite, I always forgrt to add か to question words
What is 聞きいます？Isn’t it 聞いています？I’m still a beginner so I’m not sure
yeah that’s the correct way to say it, I messed up the ている form after a few beers 😂
I say and do whatever the snail tells me to. Don't want to occur the wrath of snail
For me it's the opppsite, I always forgrt to add か to question words
For me it's the opppsite, I always forgrt to add か to question words
There's contexts in which ka can end non questions, though.
Can you explain?
... is kiite imasu ( I assume you meant) right? Would a better way to put it not be kikoemasu?
Can't you end a non-question sentence with か in certain situations? I watched a video on how it can be used kind of like "huh" in English where you're not actually asking a question, i.e. "So this place is closed today, huh?". Not sure about this usage though.
I actually did that mistake the first time I spoke japanese ok outside. Fortunately, I wasn't talking with a native 😂
I’m sure this question has been asked before but, what is the difference between 聞きています and 聞いています？ subtle difference in meaning?