The comma makes a difference! Also, the word order. That makes it clear that it’s a direct quotation, to me.
明日みきちゃんが来ないって makes it sound like Miki didn’t say it.
1 Like
In this case, it’s not just context. The hint here is the comma after が, which implies that the rest of the sentence is a block. However, I don’t know if a Japanese person would actually put a comma there. (Anyone with more experience or a Japanese tutor who covers writing, please correct me. I’m entirely self-taught, my friend’s tips and help aside.) You’re welcome in any case!
2 Likes
Ok, now I get it. Thanks a lot!
1 Like
Maybe this is the wrong thread to ask on because it is really more of a vocab question, but,
The word 答え, meaning “Answer”.
Is this more used in the sense of “this is my answer.” rather than “I am looking for answers”… As in, in the latter sentence the word “answer” is a bit more conceptual, but the former is more literal? Considering the synonyms for 答え are “reply/response.”
I hope that makes sense?
So is it possible to use 答え in a more abstract sense, or is there another word that could be used in that way?
Or alternatively, have I misunderstood everything completely?
Thanks!
1 Like
For more abstract uses I think it would mostly be written as 応え, but it’s essentially the same word. Both read こたえ.
Do you know The quick or short Language Questions Thread (not grammar)?
1 Like
Ah well if the reading is the same that is handy, because I don’t think I would be able to write it as kanji for what I’m using it for anyway, perfect 
Jk, thank you for the clarification!
I was switching between the two threads and didn’t know which one to pick haha, of course, 50/50 I chose wrong
1 Like
The other one is basically for everything that’s not grammar, I think!
1 Like
Star WarsとThe Mandalorianは同じ天の川ですよ
We are texting about tv shows. I want to say they tale place in the same galaxy. Is there a better way to say it?
1 Like
天の川 is our galaxy, the Milky Way. And we all know that the galaxy in Star Wars is far, far away. The general name for a galaxy is 銀河.
スター・ウォーズと マンダロリアンは、同じ銀河で起こる。
You might also just say 設定が一緒です (the setting is the same).
But maybe that’s not literally true… I haven’t seen The Mandalorian.
4 Likes
Thank you sir/mam!
Is this nlt just technical settings, like on your phone or something?
It can be used for the general principles or information used to create anything. It can get used for the setting in a story.
Here’s a Japanese person talking about how to say ストーリーの設定 in English.
The Jisho entry does mention story settings too.
2 Likes
It’s literally the same. They even visit the same cantina in Mos Eisley on Tattooine in the first season.
2 Likes
Got another question while reading City Hunter. Here’s the panel in question:
I get what the rest of the sentence means, but what is the ぁな in the おれぁな meant to be?
Looks like a は with the h sound cut off, to me. Like a masculine 俺はね with な・ね being a filler word.
1 Like
Was about to say what @Saida said, though I would have said the ‘W’ sound was cut off. Just another example of something similar I saw in a Japanese movie (君は月夜に光り輝く) on the plane once: しなけあなりません. It’s probably another way of contracting しなければなりません, for which the usual contraction in Tokyo is しなきゃ… It’s not rare for the sounds before the vowel to be simplified in some way, like それは becoming そりゃ or 行って来る becoming 行ってくりゅ. (That last example is more of a way of expressing excitement/making a character sound cute though – I’ve only ever seen it in one anime.) This stuff will come to mind more naturally once you’ve seen more common contractions.
2 Likes
I just found this sentence while looking up とかく and am quite confused as to what the second part means:
彼は自分も出来ていないのに、人のことをとかく言っていて気分が悪い。
I wasn’t able to figure out that second part at all but I entered it into deepl and it gave me “He’s not able to do it himself, but he’s talking about other people and that makes me sick.” Is that correct? If so, how do I know the 気分が悪い part is referring to the speaker and not the person that is being talked about?
1 Like
I don’t know about the translation, but in Japanese you usually can’t refer to another person’s feelings in absolute terms. If it were about someone else, it would probably be 気分が悪そうだ。
Having looked up とかく, I now realize it’s one of the many ways to say とにかく, and agree with the DeepL translation.
2 Likes
人のことを言う is an expression if somebody finds fault with other people rather than oneself. The て-form is often used to give the reason for an emotion. So him (彼) tending to find fault with others than himself is the reason for feeling sick. I think this emotion is attributed to the speaker because if the speaker talked about another person’s feelings this would be made clear with a different expression that expressed a distance to said feelings.
Correct me if I’m wrong. 
3 Likes