Thank you so much!
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Oh, that’s a really interesting distinction. Thanks!
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(For 外人 having negative connotations, you might imagine how you’d feel being called “outsider” in English…)
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Added 学ぶ vs 習う vs 知る (Acquiring Information/Learning)
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Here’s another question:
Is there any sort of nuance difference between 仕方がない and しょうがない or are they just essentially synonyms? The English glosses I can find essentially seem to make it sound like they mean exactly the same thing. And any article referencing the concepts that I can find essentially treat them interchangeably as well.
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There isn’t really a difference in nuance. It’s just a personal preference. It could be said that 仕方がない is a tad bit more formal but the level of formality is essentially negligible.
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Just a reminder for me (or anyone else, feel free) to update the main post:
控え室 (ひかえしつ) - waiting room for shows, plays, auditions, etc
待合室 (まちあいしつ) - waiting room at train stations, hospitals, etc
細菌 (さいきん) - bacterium, bacteria (scientific term).
ばい菌 (ばいきん) - germ, bacteria, vermin (used figuratively) - colloquial term
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What’s the difference between 研究 and 究明 ?
And how about 番号, 数, and 数字?
I get that 数字 is more “digit” than “number,” but if we end up adding it to the top post, it might be good to include that one too.
番号 is a series of numbers. Like room number, phone numbers and such.
数字 is the actual character for the number (1,2, 一、二、I II).
Or it can be can be money, a budget or statistics expressed through numbers.
数 is the default word for number(s).
研究 is used to describe the in-depth study of something.
究明 is to more like to discover/investigate the cause/the truth of something.
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Thank you!
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I can’t tell the difference between
処理 しょり Deal With,Take care of 処置 しょち Treatment 処遇 しょぐう Treatment.
I think 処置 is the act of treating someone, and 処遇 is how one is treated. Don’t know how 処理 is distinguished though…
Any help would be immensely appreciated
While we wait for someone more qualified to show up, I’ll offer the tidbit that 処理 means “processing” when talking about computers.
For instance you have 処理能力, which means “processing power”. Also, when you get frame drops, slowdown and such in a game you can call it 処理落ち 
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The definition meikyou gives:
しょ‐ち【処置】
その場の状況に応じた判断を下して、物事の始末をつけること。特に、傷や病気の手当てをすること。「適切な─を施す」「延命のための─」「応急─」
But I’ve almost always seen it used in the medical sense (the 特に part of the definition)
- 血が結構出ているから逆効果かも知れない──私がそういう処置をしていいか、判断できるレベルじゃない
- 三十分ほど待っていると、見慣れた制服を着た男子生徒が奥から出てきた。外科での処置が終わったところだろう。
I don’t know how helpful these sentences will be out of context tho.
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Just learned 支度 and 用意 as both meaning “preparation”–any nuances between their meanings and uses?
Don’t forget 準備. 
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What’s the difference between 辺り and 辺? Both mean area, as WK says.
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Hello! If you’re using the words to mean “area,” then there are no differences in the meaning. The only difference between the two is in the level of formality. 辺り is slightly more formal than 辺 which is casual, but it ultimately comes down to a personal preference. The difference in formality is similar to “buy” and “purchase.”
Example + Details
A good example (and explanation!) illustrating the difference in formalness can be found here (sorry, it’s only in Japanese but I’ve placed it below):
Aさんは賃貸アパートを探していて、B不動産屋に来ました。
A is looking for a rental apartment and has come to B’s real estate company (i.e. Person A is the customer and Person B is the realtor). Also, although not stated in the original link, for extra context, they are most likely looking at a map.
A「この辺（へん）に安い物件はありますか？」
Are there any cheap properties around this area?
B「そうですね、この辺り（あたり）ならいかかでしょう。」
Well, how about this area?
A「うーん、その辺（へん）は不便なとこじゃない？周り（まわり）に
何にもないでしょ。」
Hmm, isn’t that area inconvenient? There’s nothing around, right?
B「では、この辺り（あたり）でいかがでしょう。周り（まわり）に
飲食店やショップもたくさんありますよ。」
Okay, how about this area? There are many restaurants and shops around here.
A「よし、じゃあその辺（へん）で安い物件紹介してよ。」
Alright, show me some cheap places around that area.
Looking at the English, you don’t see a difference in the politeness of the word “this/that area” but in the Japanese, the realtor, in a position requiring customer service, uses the politer 「辺り」instead of 「辺」。However, because the difference in formality is rather small, the customer isn’t being rude by using 「辺」instead of 「辺り」。The customer could use 「辺り」instead and not much would have changed. As mentioned before, the difference in formality is similar to “buy” and “purchase.”
Hope that helps! 
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Check out Jisho. For each entry you can see some differences in usage and slightly more nuanced meaning than WK provides.
For example for 辺り
Noun - used as a suffix
- around (Sunday, last year, etc…)Only applies to あたり
Gah! That’s not helping, Belthazar! XD
Or maybe it is. No use hiding from the fact that there’s three words for “preparation.” : )
So then, to restate the question, what’s the difference between 支度, 用意, and 準備?
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Ah, you’re right that 辺り and 辺 can’t be used interchangeably when used to mean around (not in terms of area). For example, you can say 日曜日あたり but not 日曜日へん。In regards to the nuance of the “area” meaning, however, you can use them rather interchangeably. I’ll edit my post to reflect this.
@DD_Owl As athomasm mentioned, Jisho is a good starting point to see the different meanings/nuances of some words!
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