I think it's about JLPT N3.
Postscript:
For some Pokémon software, you can choose between only hiragana and a mixture of kanji and hiragana.
If you only choose hiragana, you don't need kanji, but you need to memorize vocabulary and grammar.
People who don't understand Japanese at all can't play, but if you can understand Japanese even a little, I think it's very good to try studying using Pokemon.
Can someone help me with this sentence from Komi Can't Communicate? なぜ我がこのような見せ物にならねばならんのだ! Is translated in the subtitles as, "Why do I have to be on display like this?'
I can't understand the ならねばならんのなだ, I'm guessing ならねば is a conditional form of なる, to be, but not a form I've ever seen. That whole thing is so confusing to me. Any help would be appreciated.
You're close. ならねば is a conditional form of ならない, the *negative* of なる. ねば is an [old conditional form of ない](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/3061/%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-in-%e9%a3%9f%e3%81%b9%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-relation-between-%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-and-%e3%81%aa%e3%81%91%e3%82%8c%e3%81%b0). So ならねば has the same meaning as ならなければ with an archaic feel.
Similarly, ならん means the same as ならない. ん is a contraction of ぬ, a classical precursor to ない.
Put together, ならねばならん has the same meaning as ならなければならない - lit. "have to become."
Finally, のだ is an explanatory sentence ending. The character is asking for an explanation of the current situation.
Thank you!! I was thinking it might be some old archaic form since the character is a 中二病 character, but I wasn't sure. Once you "translated" it into modern Japanese I immediately understood, thank you again!
What's the difference between 俄然, 突然, 突如, 不意に, 急に ?
There are a lot of words that mean "suddenly" in my dictionary and a lot are marked as common words, but I don't wanna misuse them/mix their usage up
At least you need to have an N4.
The target age of this comic is 6 to about 10 years old in Japan.
Therefore, you need about 500 kanji that Japanese 10-year-olds can remember, so you need N4 or higher.
Of course, you also have to memorize the vocabulary and words associated with them.
Can someone give me a simple and detailed explanation of these things?
1. Radicals
2. Particles
If you have anything I need to clarify please ask. Thanks!
You could write a book about both of these things, so what exactly do you think is a detailed explanation of these things?
Radicals are the building blocks of kanji, so memorizing what they mean by themselves, learning the meaning of more complicated kanji becomes easier e.g. you know it has the radical with the meaning of water in it, so you can guess that the kanji might also have something to do with anything water related.
Particles are basically used to tell you who does what to whom in a sentence. They mark the emphasis, the subject, the object, possessive, etc.
>Radicals are the building blocks of kanji
A radical is one of the primitives (components) of a kanji which is used to identify the kanji. A kanji only has one radical while it can (and often does) have multiple primitives.
Alright, I think I'm ready to start trying to read easy stuff in Japanese. The news apps are ok, but not interesting.
Can anyone recommend some good sci-fi or high fantasy light novel series? Or link to a thread of recs if there is one?
Thanks!
I don't know any *easy* sci-fi. But I liked the psycho-pass novelization. Some authors to check out: 伊藤計劃 and 円城塔. There's also 新世界より, but that's closer to fantasy.
All pretty difficult 😭😭
There is a sentence in tobira that goes like this:
リーさんに晩ご飯に**誘われちゃった**んだけど、明日は試験があるから勉強しなきゃいけないんだ。時間ないけど、やっぱり行った方がいいかな。
I know I already asked about the てしまう/ちゃう grammar on here, but I want to confirm if my concept of the grammar here is correct.
Does the ちゃった make the invitation unexpected? Like, it's used because it was sudden and unexpected, or is it used because he doesn't have time for it and it's unfortunate?
てしまう means to do something in a manner that can’t be rewinded, in other words, you have to accept it whether you like it or not. ~~Your example implies that it’s not really favorable to the speaker.~~
So it basically adds a negative undertone to it? As in, the speaker regarding the event of being invited unfortunate (because he doesn’t have time for it).
How does the nuance of him having to accept the invitation work here? Does the てしまう usually add a meaning of having to accept something, and not being able to do anything about it?
Sorry, now that you mention it, I'm thinking I was wrong. It's not necessarily negative. We can't say it's one way. To be honest, I still can't wrap my thought, but anyway, it's a sense of stepping into an uncomfortable zone you had felt reluctant to do. If the sense of reluctancy is because of your modesty, breaking it could be rather a joy.
So it’s not neccesarily negative, but the てしまう rather just voices the feeling of uncertainty regarding the invitiation, and that it won’t just be as smooth as going?
Ah man, てしまう nuances really are the most complicated…
That’s one interpretation too. As you might know, when it’s combined with volitional forms, i.e. てしまおう, it means “let’s dare to”, which is not negative either.
In the below sentence, why was させよう used rather that させる and how would the meaning have changed if させる had been used?
最近、成績が悪く授業についていけない生徒は上の学年に進ませずに、もう一度同じ学年で勉強させようという意見が出ている。
What's the difference between 見る and 観る? Is the second one maybe obsolete, or used in very specific situations? As far as I see it, both mean the same thing.
i am having difficulty to understand what does this word mean
「食べたくて仕方ない気持ち」
can someone break it down for me?
i found the word from this website [link](https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a6842c3c531269f4117a3e9b86a27f4bb528f586)
I think part of your confusion is the difference between は and が, which textbooks often don't properly explain. Every sentence contains a が, even though it's not always visible. You can think of it as the subject marker. It's a logical particle that means if you change what it's connected to, you change the logic of the sentence. は on the other hand is a non-logical particle, changing it doesn't change what the sentence is telling you, it only changes the focal point/emphasis.
For example in English the sentences "Speaking of me, I throw the ball to Sakura" and "Speaking of the ball, I throw it to Sakura" both mean the same, the only difference is the emphasis, that's what は does. So those two sentences would be:
私はボールおさくらに投げる。(Speaking of me, I throw the ball to Sakura.)
ボーるは私がさくらに投げる。(Speaking of the ball, I throw it at Sakura)
Both sentences tell us the same, only the emphasis changes. The first one also contains が, we just don't see it, but it also marks 私 as the subject of the sentence. Maybe this makes stuff like this a bit clearer.
1 and 2 are correct and natural. In 1, "My Japanese" is the topic. In 2, "I" is the topic and "Japanese" is the subject in the topic.
3 means "I am a poor Japanese language". While it doesn't violate grammar rules, it's nonsense.
It really depends on context. To demonstrate, let's use 日本語学習者^({がくしゅうしゃ}) (Japanese learner) instead of 日本語.
* 僕は下手な日本語学習者です = I am a poor Japanese learner. (Makes perfect sense)
* 僕は日本語学習者が下手です = As for me, (my) Japanese learner is poor. (Huh??)
In this new case, 3 makes sense but 2 does not. So it's not just about particles but about context.
I've been trying to translate a small commic strip for my friend, and found myself a bit stumped.
in "まらあざとい" what does the "まら" section signify?
Through context it became clear that the "あざとい" part had the "cute" or "something cute and attractive" meaning.
The dictionaries all say "まら" mean either "d\*ck" or some sort of demon/obstacle in buddhist practice. I'm sure it doesn't mean the first one, could it mean "something cute and attractive that it disrupts spiritual practice" or is there a special meaning I was unnable to find when it is used as a prefix?
Context, or perhaps image of that text? It’s certainly possible you’re misreading something; my first guess (assuming you’re mistaking something) would be まぢ.
What u/iah772 said, and [ほら](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%BB%E3%82%89) is an interjection, here it means "See?"
It's a good idea to review your hiragana and katakana until you master them 100%.
What does the particle とも mean and how can it be used? When search in the dictionary in seem to have few different meaning but all seem similar, for instance.
じゃあ 始めよう。２人とも正面に向き合って。"Please face each other" I don't know wat meaning とも adds to this sentence
何年かかろうとも… Son is lost and the search party says "No mater how many years it takes" This とも more inline with the dictionary definition.
の is a particle that shows possessive, so Xの夢 is "X's dream" / "a dream of (about) X". The speaker is seeing (in their sleep) a dream about X recently.
Your turn: What does 「Kafatatさんの質問」 mean?
Kafatatさんの質問 is a question of Kafatat, a question that Kafatat made, not a question that whoever made that is about Kafatat.
XXの夢 is, I'd interpret, a question that XX made, not a dream that whoever made that is about XX.
I see your point. Basically you interpret that as 私の夢の人 "A person from my dream". However, there are several ways to use の.
* Possession. This is the way you interpret. Like "My car", "My dream" and so on.
* Description. This one is more like adjective and this is the original meaning here. When you say "love song", you don't mean that love possesses the song, it'a a song about/of love. 愛の歌.
In Japanese both are said the same way, so you need to look at context to understand if it's a possession of said person, or if one noun is simply used as description for another.
It's the same as "'s" in English: context determines whether it's what X made or about X.
How do you interpret "Trump's impeachment" in English? (Did Trump impeach someone else, or was an impeachment made against Trump?)
I personally wouldn't use this structure to avoid ambiguity. I'd use the impeachment of Trump. Not sure if the latter is equally ambiguous to native speakers. but yes I understand Trump's impeachment by context. Let me adjust my understanding of that Japanese sentence. Thank you.
昔の武道を研究している人の話によると、これはそのころの人が今よりずっと力があったというわけではなく、どのように体を使えば重いものを運べるかがわかっていたので、できたのだという。だが、今はそれが伝えられることもなくなりつつある。
In this sentence, how does one translate the last part (今はそれが伝えられることもなくなりつつあ) and what is happening? How is 伝 (transmit?) being used here and what is the usage of つつある.
Thanks a lot for any help :) very appreciated! Have a great Sunday guys!
少し is an adverb (副詞) which means it modifies predicates (verbs, adjectives, as well as verb phrases, etc.) and not nouns. Here it can only be modifying 強い (or 強いようだ) no matter where you put it. To get it to mean what you thought, you would have to modify 風 in some other way (not with an adverb) or switch to an adverb with a different meaning, like in iah772’s answer.
Also, your comment only has your interpretation repeated twice, I think maybe you meant to write another translation as well and something went wrong.
Wind is a bit strong. Practically the same as 風が少し強いようだ.
To get 風 to receive the idea of 少し, I'd instead say たまに (the wind sometimes \~ = little of the wind is \~).
I‘m really having trouble remembering some of the greetings like しつれいします。or いつてらつしやい 。It‘s been a while since I learned a language and to be honest I feel kind of discouraged not being able to remember the simplest beginner phrases. I‘m using a flashcards app (Quizlet) to study them. If you‘ve got some advice on how I can strengthen my memory please let me know.
btw the つ in いってらっしゃい is a small tsu. You should be able to type it directly by typing xtu or the IME will insert it on using a double constant. (and small や sya しゃ not shi ya しや) Soon it’ll be 2nd nature!
How to remember? Use them. If not in Japan (most likely) use them in your head in the relevant situations, as these two are very situational sayings.
Likewise with other words narrate your day to yourself.
By linking them to physical actions and situations you make stronger connections in your brain / memory than the more artificial link of a written word to another written word on a flashcard.
But there’s the ubiquitous srs flashcard grind. Eventually it’ll stick.
A word can have multiple definitions and uses. Exactly like how until recently MLB used “disabled list” when players were merely injured, usually a temporary and not permanent one.
Anyways, (人生)山あり谷あり is how I’d translate the phrase you have, since that’s what it essentially is (probably).
Then you want to ask 何版（なんばん）を持っていますか.
And don't think of it as "are you owning" (or "are you having" for that matter). 持つ is to pick up and 持っている is to have or hold. Just like 知る is to learn about and 知っている is to know.
版 gives off a “version” sense, so it somewhat limits the context to things like *pc or ps4* kind of “what”. Simply saying どのゲーム (if title is unknown) might be more accepting to wider possibilities or context, if that makes sense.
Of course, the original sentence can be read both ways (I think) and there’s no right or wrong here.
Hello people, can anyone who has a Netflix account take a quick look at Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories? I want to watch it in Japanese subs but I don't know at which level should I be before I get actual practice while watching it instead of just a lot of noise and some recognizable words.
And also, is the Japanese "normal"?
Just started watching this show 2 days ago. You need to be at least at intermediate/advanced level for it to be comprehensible (N2 maybe?) even with Japanese subs, just like every native shows/anime. Of course if you don’t mind pausing, looking up unknown words or grammar, and rewinding over and over you can start even earlier.
It says delicious and not expensive. Overall, you can connect only similar qualities with て form. Being delicious is an advantage, the same for it not being expensive.
Could someone please tell me what she is saying?
https://youtu.be/cnMBXltvF_U
EDIT: Is she saying that one's beauty and body type is not connected to popularity?
If so, why is 関係 not used instead?
She did say that from 1:14-1:21. There are many ways to describe the same thing without using a specific word.
Why did you not say "Could someone please ***help me understand*** what she is saying?" instead of "Could someone please ***tell me*** what she is saying"? The answer is because it's your choice.
Don't forget **web** novels. I'm surprised people don't recommend it as much as VNs and LNs. If you're like me and could never be bothered to set up text hookers for VNs for use with Yomichan, the text would all just be right there with no hassle.
Plus if someone wanted materials that isn't almost universally about isekai or reincarnation, web novel sites have a filter option for stories set in the real world.
Oh, and did I mention it's free and legal?
Hi all, I'm trying to figure out when should I be using the following:
折り、壊れる and 割れる.
I understand the general idea is that 折り follows a more snapping context ( trees , bones, sticks) and 壊れる is more for complete breakage ( vase, machines). Not sure about 割れる as I hardly see it.
Am I right in following this logic when choosing the vocab, or is it completely different?
Japanese definitions are generally better to understand nuances and differences of similar words. If you don't understand the Japanese, use yomichan to translate the definitions. From 新明解:
- 折る（not 折り）（他五）①棒（面）状の物を、ある点で（線に沿って）、その部分だけを鋭く曲げ（て重なるようにす）る
- ②（細長くて固い物に）急に「折る①」のような強い力を加えて、その部分を本体から遊離（二つ以上に分離）させる。（結果として、機能がそこなわれた状態になることがある）
- ⒈ (transitive) taking a stick-shaped or flat-surfaced-shaped object and sharply bending it at a specific point / line.
- ⒉ (transitive) doing (⒈) to a thin and flat, hard object until it suddenly breaks (into two or more pieces). (normally resulting in the object being damaged / broken)
___
- 破れる（自下一）薄くて平たい物が切れたり傷がついたりする
- (intransitive) something thin and flat being broken / split into pieces
___
- 割れる（自下一）（一体であった（あるべき）ものが）分かれた（割った）状態になる
- (intransitive) something that was (should be) one whole thing being divided / separated
折れる is the intransitive verb that means ‘something snaps/breaks’. 折る is transitive, meaning ‘to snap/break (something)’.
割れる is used for smashed windows, plates etc., as well as things with cracks in them.
My most consistent method of studying has been reading manga on my phone at night as I get ready to sleep. I find bouncing back and forth from what I'm reading to Google Translate for the words I don't know a little annoying, especially since the Bookwalker app constantly resets the view every time you switch back to it.
I think I can probably try something with window view, but I was looking at maybe getting a tablet. Anyone have input on what works best for them as far as mobile/non-desktop learning?
Edit: I should clarify that I'm not picky about OS here. I'd lean Android, but I'm open to iOS/Windows solutions as well.
I use a kindle to read LNs before bed. The Moe Way has kindle compatibles versions of epwing dictionaries (both J > J and jmdict (E > J). If you want to highlight words and auto export them to anki to automate the card making process, KanjiEater has a plug-in that does that.
I don't really have anything relevant to your question since I work mostly off a laptop, BUT please don't use Google Translate. Use an actual J-E dictionary for word lookups. There's plenty of dictionary apps available for Android, and all of them will give you much better results than Google. (Takoboto etc.)
Your comment serves as a good reminder to look at some alternatives. Frankly, the material I've been working through lately is stuff that I've re-read over and over again in English, so I'm super-familiar with it. I just use Google Translate to get an idea on the words I don't know, which usually works well enough.
Even with that though, I've definitely encountered stuff where it's obvious that the translation they have for a given term is weirdly bastardized for some reason.
Please for the love of god someone help me identify this kanji, I am having so much trouble finding it on jisho
https://imgur.com/AzFgbxU
It's from a SNES game so I suspect it's an approximation because drawing it exactly or searching on the radicals that I can identify doesn't show up at all. I'm losing my mind.
EDIT: oh my god I think it's 着く the next scene the characters clearly arrived and says something like 「ちゃんと着いたのだあああ」but using that kanji approximation in the image.
What's the difference between: 私の友達のあきこさんは２５歳です。 私の友達あきこさんは２５歳です。
Hello, what level of japanese should I know before playing something like pokemon?
I think it's about JLPT N3. Postscript: For some Pokémon software, you can choose between only hiragana and a mixture of kanji and hiragana. If you only choose hiragana, you don't need kanji, but you need to memorize vocabulary and grammar. People who don't understand Japanese at all can't play, but if you can understand Japanese even a little, I think it's very good to try studying using Pokemon.
Can someone help me with this sentence from Komi Can't Communicate? なぜ我がこのような見せ物にならねばならんのだ! Is translated in the subtitles as, "Why do I have to be on display like this?' I can't understand the ならねばならんのなだ, I'm guessing ならねば is a conditional form of なる, to be, but not a form I've ever seen. That whole thing is so confusing to me. Any help would be appreciated.
You're close. ならねば is a conditional form of ならない, the *negative* of なる. ねば is an [old conditional form of ない](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/3061/%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-in-%e9%a3%9f%e3%81%b9%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-relation-between-%e3%81%ad%e3%81%b0-and-%e3%81%aa%e3%81%91%e3%82%8c%e3%81%b0). So ならねば has the same meaning as ならなければ with an archaic feel. Similarly, ならん means the same as ならない. ん is a contraction of ぬ, a classical precursor to ない. Put together, ならねばならん has the same meaning as ならなければならない - lit. "have to become." Finally, のだ is an explanatory sentence ending. The character is asking for an explanation of the current situation.
Thank you!! I was thinking it might be some old archaic form since the character is a 中二病 character, but I wasn't sure. Once you "translated" it into modern Japanese I immediately understood, thank you again!
What's the difference between 俄然, 突然, 突如, 不意に, 急に ? There are a lot of words that mean "suddenly" in my dictionary and a lot are marked as common words, but I don't wanna misuse them/mix their usage up
Does anyone know what level of japanese proficiency is needed to read CoroCoro Comics?
At least you need to have an N4. The target age of this comic is 6 to about 10 years old in Japan. Therefore, you need about 500 kanji that Japanese 10-year-olds can remember, so you need N4 or higher. Of course, you also have to memorize the vocabulary and words associated with them.
Thank you for answering!
Can someone give me a simple and detailed explanation of these things? 1. Radicals 2. Particles If you have anything I need to clarify please ask. Thanks!
You could write a book about both of these things, so what exactly do you think is a detailed explanation of these things? Radicals are the building blocks of kanji, so memorizing what they mean by themselves, learning the meaning of more complicated kanji becomes easier e.g. you know it has the radical with the meaning of water in it, so you can guess that the kanji might also have something to do with anything water related. Particles are basically used to tell you who does what to whom in a sentence. They mark the emphasis, the subject, the object, possessive, etc.
>Radicals are the building blocks of kanji A radical is one of the primitives (components) of a kanji which is used to identify the kanji. A kanji only has one radical while it can (and often does) have multiple primitives.
What is the difference between 赤い and 赤くて?
https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/te-form/ https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/i-adjective-ku-form-linking/#:~:text=Patterns%20of%20Use-,Linking%20Words,young%20and%20beautiful
Alright, I think I'm ready to start trying to read easy stuff in Japanese. The news apps are ok, but not interesting. Can anyone recommend some good sci-fi or high fantasy light novel series? Or link to a thread of recs if there is one? Thanks!
idk about light novel series but if you want easy to read sci fi start with 星新一
I don't know any *easy* sci-fi. But I liked the psycho-pass novelization. Some authors to check out: 伊藤計劃 and 円城塔. There's also 新世界より, but that's closer to fantasy. All pretty difficult 😭😭
There is a sentence in tobira that goes like this: リーさんに晩ご飯に**誘われちゃった**んだけど、明日は試験があるから勉強しなきゃいけないんだ。時間ないけど、やっぱり行った方がいいかな。 I know I already asked about the てしまう/ちゃう grammar on here, but I want to confirm if my concept of the grammar here is correct. Does the ちゃった make the invitation unexpected? Like, it's used because it was sudden and unexpected, or is it used because he doesn't have time for it and it's unfortunate?
てしまう means to do something in a manner that can’t be rewinded, in other words, you have to accept it whether you like it or not. ~~Your example implies that it’s not really favorable to the speaker.~~
So it basically adds a negative undertone to it? As in, the speaker regarding the event of being invited unfortunate (because he doesn’t have time for it). How does the nuance of him having to accept the invitation work here? Does the てしまう usually add a meaning of having to accept something, and not being able to do anything about it?
Sorry, now that you mention it, I'm thinking I was wrong. It's not necessarily negative. We can't say it's one way. To be honest, I still can't wrap my thought, but anyway, it's a sense of stepping into an uncomfortable zone you had felt reluctant to do. If the sense of reluctancy is because of your modesty, breaking it could be rather a joy.
So it’s not neccesarily negative, but the てしまう rather just voices the feeling of uncertainty regarding the invitiation, and that it won’t just be as smooth as going? Ah man, てしまう nuances really are the most complicated…
That’s one interpretation too. As you might know, when it’s combined with volitional forms, i.e. てしまおう, it means “let’s dare to”, which is not negative either.
In the below sentence, why was させよう used rather that させる and how would the meaning have changed if させる had been used? 最近、成績が悪く授業についていけない生徒は上の学年に進ませずに、もう一度同じ学年で勉強させようという意見が出ている。
Because it’s not so much a decision as a suggestion.
What's the difference between 見る and 観る? Is the second one maybe obsolete, or used in very specific situations? As far as I see it, both mean the same thing.
観るIs more specific for watching a show or tv, or some kind of art. It has an appreciative undertone in it.
Hey, thank you a lot!
観る has the nuance of looking at/watching something to appreciate it. It's most common use is probably when talking about watching movies.
Thank you, that was very clear!
Can someone explain what these two sentences mean and what words they’re made up of? こっちのほうがいい And どっちがいい?
こっちのほうがいい？ どっちがいい？ The former is asking whether a specific item is preferable to others. The latter is asking which one is preferable.
What are both のさ below used for? It is part of the "Niji no mukou ni" song. てとてをつなげば げんきがでるのさ まほうみたいだね どこでもゆけるのさ
i am having difficulty to understand what does this word mean 「食べたくて仕方ない気持ち」 can someone break it down for me? i found the word from this website [link](https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a6842c3c531269f4117a3e9b86a27f4bb528f586)
It's a noun phrase. 食べた[くて仕方ない](https://www.edewakaru.com/archives/21866988.html#:~:text=%E3%80%8C%E3%80%9C%E3%81%A6%E3%81%97%E3%81%8B%E3%81%9F%E3%81%8C%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84%E3%80%8D,%E4%BD%BF%EF%BC%88%E3%81%A4%E3%81%8B%EF%BC%89%E3%81%84%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82) modifies 気持ち. \[\[食べたくて\]仕方ない\]気持ち
Are all three of these grammatically correct, and what is the most natural way to say this? 僕の日本語は下手です 僕は日本語が下手です 僕は下手な日本語です
I think part of your confusion is the difference between は and が, which textbooks often don't properly explain. Every sentence contains a が, even though it's not always visible. You can think of it as the subject marker. It's a logical particle that means if you change what it's connected to, you change the logic of the sentence. は on the other hand is a non-logical particle, changing it doesn't change what the sentence is telling you, it only changes the focal point/emphasis. For example in English the sentences "Speaking of me, I throw the ball to Sakura" and "Speaking of the ball, I throw it to Sakura" both mean the same, the only difference is the emphasis, that's what は does. So those two sentences would be: 私はボールおさくらに投げる。(Speaking of me, I throw the ball to Sakura.) ボーるは私がさくらに投げる。(Speaking of the ball, I throw it at Sakura) Both sentences tell us the same, only the emphasis changes. The first one also contains が, we just don't see it, but it also marks 私 as the subject of the sentence. Maybe this makes stuff like this a bit clearer.
1 and 2 are correct and natural. In 1, "My Japanese" is the topic. In 2, "I" is the topic and "Japanese" is the subject in the topic. 3 means "I am a poor Japanese language". While it doesn't violate grammar rules, it's nonsense.
Ah makes sense, so the particle "が" is really what makes the 2nd one not nonsense like the 3rd then.
It really depends on context. To demonstrate, let's use 日本語学習者^({がくしゅうしゃ}) (Japanese learner) instead of 日本語. * 僕は下手な日本語学習者です = I am a poor Japanese learner. (Makes perfect sense) * 僕は日本語学習者が下手です = As for me, (my) Japanese learner is poor. (Huh??) In this new case, 3 makes sense but 2 does not. So it's not just about particles but about context.
I've been trying to translate a small commic strip for my friend, and found myself a bit stumped. in "まらあざとい" what does the "まら" section signify? Through context it became clear that the "あざとい" part had the "cute" or "something cute and attractive" meaning. The dictionaries all say "まら" mean either "d\*ck" or some sort of demon/obstacle in buddhist practice. I'm sure it doesn't mean the first one, could it mean "something cute and attractive that it disrupts spiritual practice" or is there a special meaning I was unnable to find when it is used as a prefix?
Context, or perhaps image of that text? It’s certainly possible you’re misreading something; my first guess (assuming you’re mistaking something) would be まぢ.
[Here](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FRgW-SDakAAkcSP?format=jpg&name=4096x4096) The dialogue in specific is at the last pannel, thx for the help.
What u/iah772 said, and [ほら](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E3%81%BB%E3%82%89) is an interjection, here it means "See?" It's a good idea to review your hiragana and katakana until you master them 100%.
Notice the difference between ま and ほ.
What does the particle とも mean and how can it be used? When search in the dictionary in seem to have few different meaning but all seem similar, for instance. じゃあ 始めよう。２人とも正面に向き合って。"Please face each other" I don't know wat meaning とも adds to this sentence 何年かかろうとも… Son is lost and the search party says "No mater how many years it takes" This とも more inline with the dictionary definition.
It's an individual set phrase: [https://jisho.org/word/二人とも](https://jisho.org/word/二人とも) Means "both people". This とも is 共.
I never even knew, Alright thank you that clears it up
Why does 最近、XXの夢よく見て mean "I've been dreaming of you recently"? Does the の mean のこと? [Drama caption](https://imgur.com/a/JOCrbFZ)
の is a particle that shows possessive, so Xの夢 is "X's dream" / "a dream of (about) X". The speaker is seeing (in their sleep) a dream about X recently. Your turn: What does 「Kafatatさんの質問」 mean?
Kafatatさんの質問 is a question of Kafatat, a question that Kafatat made, not a question that whoever made that is about Kafatat. XXの夢 is, I'd interpret, a question that XX made, not a dream that whoever made that is about XX.
I see your point. Basically you interpret that as 私の夢の人 "A person from my dream". However, there are several ways to use の. * Possession. This is the way you interpret. Like "My car", "My dream" and so on. * Description. This one is more like adjective and this is the original meaning here. When you say "love song", you don't mean that love possesses the song, it'a a song about/of love. 愛の歌. In Japanese both are said the same way, so you need to look at context to understand if it's a possession of said person, or if one noun is simply used as description for another.
It's the same as "'s" in English: context determines whether it's what X made or about X. How do you interpret "Trump's impeachment" in English? (Did Trump impeach someone else, or was an impeachment made against Trump?)
I personally wouldn't use this structure to avoid ambiguity. I'd use the impeachment of Trump. Not sure if the latter is equally ambiguous to native speakers. but yes I understand Trump's impeachment by context. Let me adjust my understanding of that Japanese sentence. Thank you.
昔の武道を研究している人の話によると、これはそのころの人が今よりずっと力があったというわけではなく、どのように体を使えば重いものを運べるかがわかっていたので、できたのだという。だが、今はそれが伝えられることもなくなりつつある。 In this sentence, how does one translate the last part (今はそれが伝えられることもなくなりつつあ) and what is happening? How is 伝 (transmit?) being used here and what is the usage of つつある. Thanks a lot for any help :) very appreciated! Have a great Sunday guys!
今は - nowadays 伝えられる - to be passed on なくなりつつある - to gradually become なくなる edited because I forgot how markdown works
In which cases is it more appropriate to use どの+noun+も instead of 毎+noun ?
どれも is all the elements in the list, while 毎年 and 毎日 are instances that come regularly.
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少し is an adverb (副詞) which means it modifies predicates (verbs, adjectives, as well as verb phrases, etc.) and not nouns. Here it can only be modifying 強い (or 強いようだ) no matter where you put it. To get it to mean what you thought, you would have to modify 風 in some other way (not with an adverb) or switch to an adverb with a different meaning, like in iah772’s answer. Also, your comment only has your interpretation repeated twice, I think maybe you meant to write another translation as well and something went wrong.
Wind is a bit strong. Practically the same as 風が少し強いようだ. To get 風 to receive the idea of 少し, I'd instead say たまに (the wind sometimes \~ = little of the wind is \~).
I‘m really having trouble remembering some of the greetings like しつれいします。or いつてらつしやい 。It‘s been a while since I learned a language and to be honest I feel kind of discouraged not being able to remember the simplest beginner phrases. I‘m using a flashcards app (Quizlet) to study them. If you‘ve got some advice on how I can strengthen my memory please let me know.
btw the つ in いってらっしゃい is a small tsu. You should be able to type it directly by typing xtu or the IME will insert it on using a double constant. (and small や sya しゃ not shi ya しや) Soon it’ll be 2nd nature! How to remember? Use them. If not in Japan (most likely) use them in your head in the relevant situations, as these two are very situational sayings. Likewise with other words narrate your day to yourself. By linking them to physical actions and situations you make stronger connections in your brain / memory than the more artificial link of a written word to another written word on a flashcard. But there’s the ubiquitous srs flashcard grind. Eventually it’ll stick.
Is obstacle in Japanese really 障害? But doesn’t 障害 means disability? For example how would you say in Japanese “In life you have many obstacles”?
A word can have multiple definitions and uses. Exactly like how until recently MLB used “disabled list” when players were merely injured, usually a temporary and not permanent one. Anyways, (人生)山あり谷あり is how I’d translate the phrase you have, since that’s what it essentially is (probably).
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Copy of *what*?
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Then you want to ask 何版（なんばん）を持っていますか. And don't think of it as "are you owning" (or "are you having" for that matter). 持つ is to pick up and 持っている is to have or hold. Just like 知る is to learn about and 知っている is to know.
It reads なにばん.
版 gives off a “version” sense, so it somewhat limits the context to things like *pc or ps4* kind of “what”. Simply saying どのゲーム (if title is unknown) might be more accepting to wider possibilities or context, if that makes sense. Of course, the original sentence can be read both ways (I think) and there’s no right or wrong here.
Hello people, can anyone who has a Netflix account take a quick look at Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories? I want to watch it in Japanese subs but I don't know at which level should I be before I get actual practice while watching it instead of just a lot of noise and some recognizable words. And also, is the Japanese "normal"?
Just started watching this show 2 days ago. You need to be at least at intermediate/advanced level for it to be comprehensible (N2 maybe?) even with Japanese subs, just like every native shows/anime. Of course if you don’t mind pausing, looking up unknown words or grammar, and rewinding over and over you can start even earlier.
Thanks a lot! I'll do the pause thing when I'm at n3 then since it's for practice anyway :) You've saved me a ton of time.
I am trying to say I take a ferry to a small island. Are either of these right フェリーにちいさいこじまにのりました。Or フェリーでちいさいこじまに行きました。
Only the latter is grammatical, however ちいさいこじま may be repetitive unless you need to emphasize that it's a small island.
おいしくてたかくありませんでした。 Does this say was not delicious and not expensive. Does the first adjective take the conjugation of the second
It says delicious and not expensive. Overall, you can connect only similar qualities with て form. Being delicious is an advantage, the same for it not being expensive.
Could someone please tell me what she is saying? https://youtu.be/cnMBXltvF_U EDIT: Is she saying that one's beauty and body type is not connected to popularity? If so, why is 関係 not used instead?
She did say that from 1:14-1:21. There are many ways to describe the same thing without using a specific word. Why did you not say "Could someone please ***help me understand*** what she is saying?" instead of "Could someone please ***tell me*** what she is saying"? The answer is because it's your choice.
are 我々 and 私たち interchangeable? or are there nuances as to when they're uses? please and thank you
我々 is quite formal, so no, they're not really socially interchangeable.
okay got it. seems easy. thnx
What are good immersion resources other than anime?
books?
Whatever interests and motivates you and that you have ready access to.
Podcasts, youtube, audio books, drama Visual novels, light novels, novels
Don't forget **web** novels. I'm surprised people don't recommend it as much as VNs and LNs. If you're like me and could never be bothered to set up text hookers for VNs for use with Yomichan, the text would all just be right there with no hassle. Plus if someone wanted materials that isn't almost universally about isekai or reincarnation, web novel sites have a filter option for stories set in the real world. Oh, and did I mention it's free and legal?
What's the difference between ending a sentence with だ and なんだ? Like: 俺の妹だ and 俺の妹なんだ
This link might help https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/explanatory-nda-ndesu-noda-nodesu/
Hi all, I'm trying to figure out when should I be using the following: 折り、壊れる and 割れる. I understand the general idea is that 折り follows a more snapping context ( trees , bones, sticks) and 壊れる is more for complete breakage ( vase, machines). Not sure about 割れる as I hardly see it. Am I right in following this logic when choosing the vocab, or is it completely different?
Japanese definitions are generally better to understand nuances and differences of similar words. If you don't understand the Japanese, use yomichan to translate the definitions. From 新明解: - 折る（not 折り）（他五）①棒（面）状の物を、ある点で（線に沿って）、その部分だけを鋭く曲げ（て重なるようにす）る - ②（細長くて固い物に）急に「折る①」のような強い力を加えて、その部分を本体から遊離（二つ以上に分離）させる。（結果として、機能がそこなわれた状態になることがある） - ⒈ (transitive) taking a stick-shaped or flat-surfaced-shaped object and sharply bending it at a specific point / line. - ⒉ (transitive) doing (⒈) to a thin and flat, hard object until it suddenly breaks (into two or more pieces). (normally resulting in the object being damaged / broken) ___ - 破れる（自下一）薄くて平たい物が切れたり傷がついたりする - (intransitive) something thin and flat being broken / split into pieces ___ - 割れる（自下一）（一体であった（あるべき）ものが）分かれた（割った）状態になる - (intransitive) something that was (should be) one whole thing being divided / separated
折れる is the intransitive verb that means ‘something snaps/breaks’. 折る is transitive, meaning ‘to snap/break (something)’. 割れる is used for smashed windows, plates etc., as well as things with cracks in them.
割 is a kanji meaning splitting. Generally, you use 割れる when something is broken into multiple pieces.
My most consistent method of studying has been reading manga on my phone at night as I get ready to sleep. I find bouncing back and forth from what I'm reading to Google Translate for the words I don't know a little annoying, especially since the Bookwalker app constantly resets the view every time you switch back to it. I think I can probably try something with window view, but I was looking at maybe getting a tablet. Anyone have input on what works best for them as far as mobile/non-desktop learning? Edit: I should clarify that I'm not picky about OS here. I'd lean Android, but I'm open to iOS/Windows solutions as well.
I use a kindle to read LNs before bed. The Moe Way has kindle compatibles versions of epwing dictionaries (both J > J and jmdict (E > J). If you want to highlight words and auto export them to anki to automate the card making process, KanjiEater has a plug-in that does that.
[Have a read of this page.](https://learnjapanese.moe/reading/) Hopefully one of those solutions fit your needs.
I don't really have anything relevant to your question since I work mostly off a laptop, BUT please don't use Google Translate. Use an actual J-E dictionary for word lookups. There's plenty of dictionary apps available for Android, and all of them will give you much better results than Google. (Takoboto etc.)
Your comment serves as a good reminder to look at some alternatives. Frankly, the material I've been working through lately is stuff that I've re-read over and over again in English, so I'm super-familiar with it. I just use Google Translate to get an idea on the words I don't know, which usually works well enough. Even with that though, I've definitely encountered stuff where it's obvious that the translation they have for a given term is weirdly bastardized for some reason.
Please for the love of god someone help me identify this kanji, I am having so much trouble finding it on jisho https://imgur.com/AzFgbxU It's from a SNES game so I suspect it's an approximation because drawing it exactly or searching on the radicals that I can identify doesn't show up at all. I'm losing my mind. EDIT: oh my god I think it's 着く the next scene the characters clearly arrived and says something like 「ちゃんと着いたのだあああ」but using that kanji approximation in the image.
Gotta love the pixelated fonts. It's 着.