Japanese - Ask questions thread

Basically if you have a question about the language, ask it and fellow 4channers might see it and answer it for you.

To start it off. When an animate object (iru) dies, is it considered inanimate(aru)?

>>117
It is true that 「じ」and 「ず」are much more used than 「ぢ」and 「づ」, but this only occurs because of the following:

In a compound word, the second part of the word often changes the sound. If the second part of word begins with "chi （ち）" or "tsu （つ）," and it changes the sound to "ji" or "zu," it is written ぢ or づ.

ko (small) + tsutsumi (wrapping) = kozutsumi (package - こづつみ)
ta (hand) + tsuna (rope) = tazuna (reins - たづな)
hana (nose) + chi (blood) = hanaji (bloody nose - はなぢ)

Do you understand?