Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [set-phrases]

決まり文句・慣用句・成句. Phrases with fixed words used as a single unit, such as idioms and set collocations. For questions about a particular idiom, please use the tag "idioms".

Questions about those phrases with fixed words which are used as a single unit, including set compound verbs, set collocations (e.g. attributive verb + noun combinations) and idioms.

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314 questions
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Why does 「目がない」mean "something you like"?

I came across the phrase 甘いものに目がない which roughly translates to "having a sweet tooth". Then I wondered why 目がない refers to "something that you like". Is there an explanation for why "having no eyes" means to "like something"?
Chris
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Saying お疲れ様でした to teacher at the end of a lesson?

I'm taking beginner Japanese lessons. Would お疲れ様でした be an appropriate thing one might say to the teacher at the end of a lesson? We're "colleagues" in a sense since I'm an academic at the same university; but in the context of the lesson of course…
James Martin
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Is there a polite saying like "May I?"

Looking for a phrase that has the same meaning as "May I?" in English. One that would work in situations that would indicate I would like to try to solve a problem at hand, or receive control over something. For example, if someone is stuck with a…
Louis Waweru
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1 answer

Does もあれば have set phrases?

I came across a sentence using もあれば where there wasn't a conditional. あれば got translated as sometimes: 名詞から動詞が派生していることもあれば、その逆のこともある。 Sometimes a verb is derived from a noun and sometimes it is the other way around. Looking for more examples, I…
Louis Waweru
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3 answers

Is there a set response to 『いらっしゃい！』?

So I was watching 女が階段を上る時 by Mikio Naruse late at night, and heard something that sounded familiar. Alas, I fell asleep and returned the movie before checking (yes there is still a rental store in my hood). Anyway, in the movie a hostess from a…
yadokari
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Understanding the particle や in the phrase "今や"

(Moved from Insertion of "y" sound between vowels since it appeared to be unrelated.) In the following quote: 私の世界へようこそ。 今やこの世界をコントロールできる唯一の人間だ。 What is the function of the particle や here? I see a definition for 今や in edict: now (esp. in…
user1478
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1 answer

How to parse the proverb [艱難]{かんなん}[汝]{なんじ}を[玉]{たま}にす?

I found this particular proverb on WWWJDIC when I looked up for なんじ : [艱難]{かんなん}[汝]{なんじ}を[玉]{たま}にす. It is translated into English as: Hardship makes the man. How do we parse the proverb? I know 艱難 {かんなん} means "hardship". But 汝 {なんじ} means "thou"…
Lukman
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「目が高い」meaning and is it actually used in conversation?

Is 「目が高い」 a set phrase that a native speaker would ever use in daily conversation? (I memorized that phrase from a book long ago). If this phrase is not used, then I don't care. I will basically understand it, but never use it. If 「目が高い」 is used,…
rppkgai
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What does 勝つべくして勝った mean?

I came across this phrase while looking at the meaning for べく: 勝つべくして勝った It seems to be a set phrase, but I'm not 100% on the meaning. To win in order to win? To try really hard to win? To be sure to win?
silvermaple
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How to express "more than something"?

I was wondering if there is a form I can use to express "more than X". For example, "reading more than 200 pages a day is a challenge". Or maybe something like, "reading as much as 200 pages a day is a challenge", or "I have never read so many…
Myeong
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The phrase 乞うご期待

What does the phrase 乞うご期待 mean in English? Can you show some example sentences?
language hacker
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What does 「ときている」 mean?

It is a situation where a salesperson announces to a group of people to attract them to buy his goods. Here is the full sentence: しかもおねだんは半{はん}額{がく}以{い}下{か}ときている
George
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When to use "どうぞよろしくお願{ねが}い致{いた}します。" in a greeting?

Once the context is that we are about to part ways, when I want to say "goodbye" to someone in maximum 敬語{けいご}, I say「どうぞよろしくお願い致します。それでは、失礼いたします。」. Is that usage of 「どうぞよろしくお願い致します」 correct? Is 「どうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます」 also ok? Is the nuance different?
user312440
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Is there a general way to express how you feel?

For example, while I am running I feel great. This makes me feel happy. When doing lots of work for low wages I feel tired. What are the common ways to express my physiological/psychological state?
Myeong
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Is there any phrase similar to "may he rest in peace"?

George Michael just passed away... is there any phrase analogous to "may he rest in peace"? To me at least, that English phrase is emotionally tinged. I mean, I really do feel sad. But of course, I'd never say that phrase regarding the death of a…
Just Someone
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