The quick or short Language Questions Thread (not grammar)

There’s RARELY only a single way to emphasise a word :wink:

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There’s also punctuated. for. emphasis., which is generally how I think of furigana interpuncts (or commas, as they sometimes are). :slightly_smiling_face:

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能ある鷹は爪を隠す

Just ran across this while reading. Is it a saying or did the narrator just make up the metaphor?

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Did you try searching jisho? Because it’s in there. :wink:

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Hah, I didn’t. I keep forgetting how much they have in there.

Although, the search only matches if you put in the exact Kanji in there.

Cheers

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Looks like the kana version matches for me.

I guess if you replace some of the kana with kanji, but not all of them, that screws with it.

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Aye that’s probably it.

I’m reviewing “humble” use of お〜する (for example お開けします → “I will humbly open”)
and I’m just curious…given that this is already polite language has anyone ever encountered this conjugation of a verb with する in dictionary form? That seems kind of contradictory to me but I thought I’d ask.
I imagine it could come across as sarcastic/joking usage or something similar to have a sentence like:
ドアをお開けする。

Or is that just completely broken usage?

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I’d imagine this is mostly when used in the middle of a clause, where you usually use the plain form even in a polite sentence.

ドアをお開けしてお入りしました - I opened the door and came in

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I think another case would be in a relative clause, like with 社長がいらっしゃった時、社員はドアをすぐお開けするように指示されました。=‘When the company chairman arrived, employees were instructed to open the doors immediately.’ In this case, お開けする modifies よう. I’m not sure if this is the most natural way of phrasing things though, and I honestly don’t use the humble forms very often – I’m much more used to the honorific ones – so I’m not sure if a simple dictionary form would be preferred here.

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Other than using it within grammar structures as already pointed, Japanese may also use it when telling something about a person they should use keigo with, to someone they are not using keigo.

Example:
昨日は先生にドアをお開けした。(student A talking to student B)

The sentence itself is in 普通体 because they are both students, but the student is still using 謙譲語 because they opened the door to the teacher.
.
Keigo in such a context is not mandatory and really depends on the style of the speaker, but it’s not uncommon, either. We tend to over focus on the “showing respect” side of it, but quite often Keigo has a grammar side to it, working to clarify the subject of a sentence and such.

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What’s the main difference between 触れる and 触る? Is it that 触れる is incidental and 触る is intentional? Anything else?

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触れる may be used as intentional, too. But 触る can’t be incidental, so it’s surely a difference.

Also, while 触れる can be used for abstract concepts, 触る has a very “touch with my hands” meaning to it, so you can say “この問題についても少し触れて行きたいと思います” during a presentation, but no equivalent with 触る。Sentences such as それは触れないほうがいいです (as in you’d better not touch a delicate issue) are also very common and 文化に触れる、法律に触れる go on the same lines.

Lastly, 触る in general is not only intentional but more intense, too. Like touching and feeling it. If you have curly hair and come to Japan, you may get asked 髪の毛、触ってもいいですか, but definitely not with 触れる。
On the same lines, touching one’s body in the sexual meaning is also 100% 触る。

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「触れる」は「無意識または意識的に物と接触すること」で、「触る」は「意図的に物と接触すること」になります。

また、「触れる」は軽く接することを、「触る」は思い切り接することを表す場合に使うことが多いです。

接触の度合いとしては、 「触る」よりも「触れる」の方が軽い です。(source)

Sounds like incidental vs intentional is the biggest thing, but also how strong the touch is. This article has a lot of example sentences labeled by what nuance of each word is being used, which is really cool.

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I’m sorry, but has anyone ever seen this kana?

image

あ with dakuten? How can a vowel have dakuten?

P. S. This seems related:

https://community.wanikani.com/t/tenten-on-the-%E3%81%82-character-dakuten-%E3%81%82/10867/2?u=trunklayer

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It’s extremely common in stuff like Japanese subtitles/captions for VTubers, especially when they scream during a stream. You also see it in manga. The usage I’ve seen definitely seems to match what @Kraits posted.

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To chime in my support for that interpretation, a Japanese person (of course it’s a VTuber, why do you ask) I follow on Twitter tweets

ア゙ア゙ア゙ア゙ア゙

just about every morning. I always interpreted that as a sort of stretch-yawn sound, which fits perfectly with the strained/strangled articulation.

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So I was reading the lyrics of わらべ歌, one of the song in the Ghibli movie Princess Kaguya

Lyrics

まわれ まわれ まわれよ 水車まわれ
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
鳥 虫 けもの 草 木 花
春 夏 秋 冬 連れてこい
春 夏 秋 冬 連れてこい

まわれ まわれ まわれよ 水車まわれ
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
鳥 虫 けもの 草 木 花

咲いて 実って 散ったとて
生まれて 育って 死んだとて
風が吹き 雨が降り 水車まわり
せんぐり いのちが よみがえる
せんぐり いのちが よみがえる

まわれ まわれ まわれよ 水車まわれ
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
まわって お日さん 呼んでこい
鳥 虫 けもの 草 木 花
春 夏 秋 冬 連れてこい
春 夏 秋 冬 連れてこい

まわれ めぐれ めぐれよ 遥かなときよ
めぐって 心を 呼びかえせ
めぐって 心を 呼びかえせ
鳥 虫 けもの 草 木 花
人の情けを はぐくみて
まつとしきかば 今かへりこむ

And for the most part, it’s ok… except the very last line. What the heck is that !? まつとしきかば 今かへりこむ ? I can’t even guess a single word. 待つとshikikaba今帰りkomu ?

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I always trip up which reading to use. 触れる can be either one :confused: