Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [usage]

用法・使い方. How to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.

The usage tag applies to any question asking about how to use certain words, phrases, particles, endings, constructions, and their variants.

1556 questions
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When is a door a ドア and when is it a [扉]{とびら}?

I've been in Japan for the summer and noticed that the announcement for the closing doors (in the Kansai area, at least) on trains is always 扉が閉まります. However, the equivalent announcement on buses appears to be a toss-up between 扉が閉まります and…
Jiahao Chen
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How do you say "just curious" or "out of curiosity"?

In English, I often say "I'm just curious, but...". The best phrase I've come up with for this in Japanese is 「[好奇心]{こうきしん}だけですが・・・」 but I've never heard a native speaker use this. I recently saw 「なぜなのか気になりますが・・・」, but that sounds strange to me…
William
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Difference between 「 ただ」, 「たった」, 「ただ　～だけ」, and 「ただし」

I translate these words as either "only, just, simply". I'd like to know how I could differentiate these 4 ways (i.e., when I use that one, and when I use the other). Examples: たったひとつの恋　(Dorama) ただの子供だ ただ待つだけだ よし, この 10 万円は君にあげよう. ただし,…
daniel tomio
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お金と「ちょうど」の使い方 (usage of "chōdo")

What is the reason/meaning for cashiers to use ちょうど when accepting money? 500円ちょうどいただきます。 This I understand, since 500 Yen are a "round" amount. "Exactly 500 Yen." 812円ちょうどいただきます。 If I'm supposed to pay exactly 812 Yen, I understand this, too.…
deceze
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1 answer

How figurative can 姿 be?

I've always thought of 姿 as a physical form or shape, but I came across this passage from my book: 彼らの話から浮かびあがってきたのは、・・・・・{この人}の姿だった。 (I took just took out some descriptions of the woman they're talking about that aren't really relevant [that I…
silvermaple
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1 answer

Is あたり used only to enumerate items?

I usually read that あたり is used to enumerate things like A あたり, B あたり. But lately I can also hear ひとつひとつあたり also used. Is this the same word? How do you use the あたり in general? A search on a dictionary does not help that much. 当たり / あたり : n-adv n…
Nap
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When to use nani and when to use nanda?

As far as I understand, nani and nanda are roughly translated to "what" in English, though they have other connotations and meanings. When do you have to use one and when do you have to use the other?
Pablo
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Difference between 困る and 困っている

Can someone clarify how 困る is used in Japanese ? The dictionary definition of 困る is given as: to be troubled; to be worried; to be bothered; to be embarrassed; to be stumped​ and I would expect that a intransitive verb, with a definition similar…
TheComputerist
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Asking "Do you speak Japanese?" in Japanese

So, in English, we tend to use phrases like "Do you speak English?" when what we're really talking about is ability -- i.e. "Can you speak English?" My question is, does this work in Japanese? The impression I get is no, but I want to make sure.…
haet
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What's the difference between 働くvs 勤める

I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between 働くvs 勤める. They seem to both be used to indicate work. As in "I work at Nasa" or something like that. But they have different pronunciations and slightly different kanji. Is there a…
Baron Jon
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Meaning of その in particular phrases

I know that phrases like [Noun A + to と+ sonoその + Noun B] can be translated as "A and his/her/its B". However, when there is no 'to' と, I get a bit puzzled about the meaning. For instance, which is the meaning of sono その in the following…
Elena Sargiotto
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Difference between Xはどこ and どこがX

I've been absorbing Japanese through osmosis for years, but I just started learning it formally. The app I'm using presented these two sentences with the same translation, I think just to show that the interrogatives like どこ can't take は as their…
D0SBoots
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usage cases for「ありがたい」?

I am having trouble with thinking of usage cases for 「ありがたい」. The usage case of ありがた迷惑 does not make sense to me. Even though I don't know that particular phrase, I can use it as a template. Therefore, I would expect all of the following to also…
user312440
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What does それに伴い at the start of a sentence mean?

I have a sentence that starts with それに伴い which I'm trying to translate. I'm assuming that it's a more polite version of それに伴って. My best guess for the meaning would be "With regard to (a previous subject)" or "In relation to (a previous…
nevan king
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Does 「彼は映画スター兼政治家だ。」 sound weird?

I asked about this in the comments section of another question, but no one responded, so I guess I'll ask it here. The question involved expressing that someone was both a movie star and a politician, and various good alternatives were offered. It…
rdb
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