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)?

>>974
>why arent kanjis always used? e.g. いう over 言う

Each author and publisher has their own rules about which words should be spelled in kanji. So, some write できる but others use 出来る for aesthetic or another reason. In general, kanji adds formal, intellectual flavor. But you may look pretentious if you abuse them.

As for names, if you're using a major input tool such as IME and ATOK, you can customize it so that you can get any kanji (or even a set of symbols like ^^;) from a specific roman input. The way to do it depends on your OS and the version of your input tool.