The quick or short Language Questions Thread (not grammar)

I’d say this is almost a distinction without a difference. The point of asking a question is to get an answer. My hunch is that’s at the root of why this verb means both, but I have nothing to support that. I can say it loudly and with confidence if that helps though.

This does make me wonder though, can 聞く be used for rhetorical questions, or is it only for questions that are supposed to actually be answered?

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It definitely helps seeing it under this light!

Hmm nice one

What would a rhetorical question mean in this case? A real rhetorical question that doesn’t require any “target” who would address the question?

I think this would fall under “musing” and there are separate verbs for that :slight_smile:

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Well ain’t that a good question? :wink:

A rhetorical question as in a question asked to make a point or for effect, rather than to actually get an answer. Those often don’t need a target, but will sometimes be pointed at your conversation partner.

Makes sense. Intuitively I wouldn’t put it under 聞く, precisely because it’s not “asking for something” so much as “saying something with a question mark”.

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Usually the way I try to think when switching to Japanese is I focus on what I would like to say, rather than how to say it which in Japanese is going to be vastly different :smiley:

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That’s how they explain it in the 日本語多義語学習辞典 at least. They define the base meaning a 音・声を耳で感じる・知覚する and the derived meaning as 答えを聞くために質問する:

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That also neatly answers my question about rhetorical questions. Had a hunch, but it’s good to see it specified that it’s explicitly for the purpose of getting an answer.

I would say the distinction doesn’t exist.

In my language “schoûter” (聞く) means “to listen” and also “to obey” (eg to hear the orders and follow them).
An obedient child is therefore a “well listening” child, and a child who is bad mannered is a “non listening” child.
Nobody ever things about those two meanings as separate things, it’s just the same verb.

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Interesting point of view, now that I think of it in my language it’s almost the same even though it’s used metaphorically. You are from Germany right?
Anyway I don’t see the japanese 聞く the same way

言うことを聞く (literally “to listen to what is said”) means “to do as one is told” or “to take someone’s advice” as an expression. So the action is implied from the listening. Definitely associations with obedience.

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Well that expression would mean the same thing in italian too, if you don’t see it too strictly. I’m just talking about the nature of the verb in a strict sense. Not pretending I know anything, just telling wht I feel because the problem is in my comprehension of the word, ofc. Anyway this is another pov that helps me understand 聞く better

No, it’s a romanic language (Wallonisch, ワロン語).
But indeed that region was for centuries part of the Holy Empire, so maybe despite the different linguistic realms there were common cultural concepts.

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Sorry this is not a language question, but I need help with my thank you card. I put it into DeepL (lazy way I know). But I would like feedback on how the translation is or if there is a better way to express an idea.

Thank you so much for such a wonderful year at [Place of Work]. It was my first year teaching as a [Job Title], so I was pretty nervous. I had a lot of fun speaking to you in Japanese and enjoyed our conversations. Sometimes it was really hard to communicate, but it meant a lot to me that we could talk. I felt really comfortable here thanks to your kindness. I don’t know if I will be here next year but I am happy I met you. Hope you have a wonderful spring break and hopefully we can meet again!

[Place of Work]では、このような素晴らしい一年を過ごすことができ、本当にありがとうございました。[Job Title]として教えるのは1年目だったので、かなり緊張しました。日本語で話しかけたり、会話を楽しんだり、とても楽しかったです。時々、コミュニケーションをとるのがとても難しかったのですが、話すことができたことは私にとってとても意味のあることでした。あなたの優しさのおかげで、私はここで本当に快適に過ごすことができました。来年もここに来るかどうかわかりませんが、あなたに出会えてよかったです。素敵な春休みを過ごしてください。

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Instead of ありがとうございました and the start, I’d recommend using お世話になりました (Japanese article). Something like 1年間にお世話になりました would be pretty standard business etiquette (can someone verify my usage of に in 1年間に? I feel like I’ve heard it only without the particle), but if you want to include the 素晴らしい then you could change it to 素晴らしい1年間にお世話になりました.

(not to say ありがとうございました is wrong though, it’s fine)

Also, change the あなた in あなたの嬉しさ. If it’s addressed to one person, use their name (〇〇さん/先生の嬉しさ), if it’s to multiple people, then 皆さん.

(Also the あなた in あなたに出会えてよかったです).

and someone that understands the nuance better is free to disagree with this, but at the end I would add a 是非(ぜひ), as in 是非、素敵な春休みを過ごしてください。(maybe 楽しんでください would be better here)

I definitely could have structured this reply better

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I’m trying to understand a song (全力少年, this version by Hayashi Yuu, originally by Sukima Switch), and there’s one word in particular that’s got me stumped. For context first, the full stanza is:

躓いて、転んでたら置いてかれんだ
泥水の中を今日もよろめきながら進む

Does anyone have any idea what that かれんだ is? I didn’t find any かれむ or かれぶ, so I know it’s かれるのだ, but the problem is, I don’t know which かれる or かる it is. I don’t know if it’s a problem of me trying to juggle too much info at once so I don’t recognize the one that fits, the dictionary I’m using not having that particular meaning, or even possibly that it doesn’t mean anything at all and is just there to parallel the analogous line in the second verse (遊ぶこと忘れてたら老いて枯れんだ) (is that even a thing…?)

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It’s ていく. Just like how ている can become てる, ていく can become てく. In this case it’s actually in the passive form, so ていかれる turned into てかれる.

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Oh, okay, thank you! I’m used to seeing ていく shortened to てく, but I’m not used to seeing it in the passive, much less in the passive on top of being shortened…

(I guess this ended up being a grammar question after all, whoops)

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How would I say “can I give you this?” in the sense of handing someone something?

It’s something work-related so I feel like using 上げる would sound weird, and it’d be more suited to the opposite of もらう or 頂戴 maybe, but maybe I’m wrong.

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Do you mean just have someone hold something for a little bit? or like the person is the one who needs the work-related item?

If it’s something along the lines of giving it to someone for them to use the item for work (I’m gonna assume its a document?) you could say [〇〇さんにこれをお願いしてもいいですか?」 or [おねがしてもいかかでしょうか?」 It can also depend on if you can ask a coworker who you should give the documents to. 「こちらは誰に提出していいですか]

If you know who to give the item to, usually just saing the type of item you’re giving to them with a よろしくお願いします does the trick.

Edit to say most of my coworkers just say お願いします when they give me documents and whatnot at my desk, but I’m also in a more relaxed work environment (elementary school)

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It was a work related item I was just handing in to someone. Personally I’ve always just said お願いします but it feels kind of lacking sometimes. I completely forgot about お願いしてもいいですか. I also work in a school so it’s the same kind of environment, thanks!

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