I think this goes here and not in grammar; a question about the word 集中。I can’t figure out if it’s the case or not via the definition in jisho. In English, when you say you’re focusing on something it’s up to the context in which the sentence is said (and more importantly) if you mean concentrating on it during the period you are doing it or if you mean making it your priority. In Japanese, does 集中 also carry both connotations? If I say "本を集中しなきゃ” is it assumed to be that I am simply concentrating on the book when I am reading it or does it also contain the connotation, that like in English, I could also be making the book my priority?
neither 
it’s concentration as in stuff being together in one place/point, hence 集 (gather) and 中 (inside)
edit: wait now I’m confused. jisho says concentrate on a task as well, but that meaning isn’t on weblio 
I was doubtful about it as well. Goo has only the meaning you mentioned: 集中（しゅうちゅう）とは？ 意味・読み方・使い方をわかりやすく解説 - goo国語辞書
But I think I encountered the meaning mentioned by @Yryrdz in a book at least a couple of times.
Also 集中力 is your ability to concentrate, so if you have a short attention span that’s 集中力が続かない for instance.
I feel like 本に集中しなきゃ is more natural, incidentally – you’re concentrating on the book, not concentrating the books into a super-dense ball of information 
This makes sense to me, thanks. It’s just a matter of what you’re implying.
This also makes sense to me, thanks.
Probably from Meikyo dictionary, just checked my electronic dictionary and it does list it:
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ひとつのところに集まること。また、集めること。
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一つのことに意識を向けること。
yeah just checked my offline dictionary and that has it as well. super weird that it’s not on weblio or goo…
I know that word 
ah well, I mostly reply on these topics to make a fool of myself and learn something in the process anyway
やんす
What is this?
Dictionary says it’s an auxiliary verb that means “to be” but I’m not sure how to use it, I heard it in bleach with a guy repeatedly saying something like 大丈夫でやんすか! 助けてやるでやんす！
Edit: I heard the sentence そいえば、さっきから思っていたでやんすけど (…)
I have the impression that it works kind of like the explanatory の but I’m not sure
Dialect for です, I think.
Oh is it like the んす I asked about some days ago?
I don’t think I was there. 
I think Shalltear (overlord) says ありんす, but apparently that’s different.
Or not. ありんす - Wiktionary
Can someone explain me where the difference lies between 茶屋に上がる and 茶屋に入る since both mean enter the tea shop?
This is to do with the layout of traditional Japanese buildings. When you walk in the door, you find yourself in the genkan, which still counts as “outside”. To enter the building proper, you need to step up to the raised wooden floor (after first taking your shoes off, mind), which is why where an English speaker welcoming a visitor into their home would say “please come in”, a Japanese speaker would traditionally say 上がってください, “please come up”.
So in this photo, the stone floor is “outside” (but still inside the front door), while the wooden floor is “inside”.
入る = walk in the front door.
上がる = step up to the “inside” part of the building
Thanks, now i got it!
So is 上がる used for more traditional buildings like a tea house or bath house and not for like a gucci store?
I guess it will come with time as many nuances in the language.
People might still use it from force of habit. I couldn’t say for sure.
One of the most frustrating things for me learning entirely on my own (and largely through reading) are all of the many words with multiple valid readings and little to no guidance on which is worth focusing my attention on. For example, I just came across 耳朶 – is this じだ or みみたぶ? I usually end up searching online and sometimes there are answers: there is indeed one I found for this in particular. Sometimes it might be either, sometimes while some readings are technically there people will respond to the question saying they really don’t see one used ever.
Anyway, the question is, beyond trying to find online questions and answers, is there some more elegant general way to handle this that anyone knows of?
If there’s no furigana, I normally just guess from the dictionary.
jisho tends to use the most common option as the headword or say which one is appropriate for what usage, if that applies.
I think J-Js usually list them as separate headwords and define the less common version in terms of the more common one (e.g. じだ is defined as みみたぶ, whereas みみたぶ gets a detailed explanation). you also may get some other useful supporting information. for instance, mine has じだ listed as 文章語.
sometimes it’s also worth checking sites like forvo/jp wikipedia as well, since they’re more likely to have entries for the common option
I feel like none of that is definitive, but it’s better miles better than a 50-50 guess…
Thanks! These definitely seem like good strategies. And cheers for pointing this part out alone. You’re right – I have Jisho plus some Japanese dictionaries on Yomichan, though I’m a little lazy about the Japanese definitions often since I’m still shaky enough it breaks the reading flow sometimes. Here I reflexively went “I do not want to read a Japanese explanation of someone describing what an earlobe is when it’s so 1:1,” but that made me miss exactly what you’re saying, haha. Interestingly though, none of the 3 Japanese dictionaries I’m using right now have that 文章語 note.
paid ones tend to have more extensive notes and examples I think. I bought the 三省堂国語 on my ipad and it’s pretty minimal on that front, but I find it easy to read