日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 6

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

Japanese - Ask questions thread
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1174719097/1-40

日語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread2 質問
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1206158123/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 3
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1267485093/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 4
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1302350850/1-40

日本語 Japanese Ask Questions Thread 5
http://dis.4chan.org/read/lang/1330050873/1-40

What is a formal way of saying "Hello, X-san. I heard you speak good English, is that true?"

I saw someone post a link for a pastebin page that has links to lots of Japanese resources and a few tips on where to get started. Does anyone have it? Thanks.

>>120
The particle would be　で, as space is a physical location wherein you are lost. に (kind of like を）loosely indicates that you lost its subject, or that you're lost in it, about it, etc. Like 「都会で道に迷う」or「愛に迷う」.

Literally, 宇宙（空間）で迷う makes sense but its hardly ever said. If you're trying to translate the movie or tv series, those already have katakana names. Other ways of saying the same thing and being more clear: 「宇宙で迷子になる」「宇宙で方向（目的地がどこか）が分からなくなる」 etc.

>>119
well... you could use 命拾い　I guess. So close to death but your life was picked up at the last second.

>>123
Alternatively it might be okay to use 迷い込む as in getting literally lost in space, aye?

>>125
迷い込む has the connotation of "stray" or "wander", as in a listless kind of "lost". If you want to say 'you were in space with some kind of purpose or destination and you became unable to achieve or reach that because of losing your physical, direction bearing' 迷う would be preferential.

>>126
I see. Much obliged.

What does 終わる気がしない mean?

>>128
Would be nice to have some context, especially for a phrase like this, but it probably means something like "(I) don't think this will end (anytime soon)".

>>119

Not sure why you think 助かった isn't strong enough. It has a lot to do with the way you say it. I can say "Thank god we're alive" after walking out of a plane crash or I could say "thank god that's over" after getting out of a boring class. Clearly they're two completely different levels of intensity and presumably I would say them differently (i.e., a speaker could tell how rough of a situation I had been in). Japanese is no different.

>>130

And by "a speaker" I meant "a listener".

>>129
I don't really feel context is needed for this one. You got it.

>>129
"Don't feel" would be more accurate but its whatever.

>>123
>>125
>>126

Thank you for answers.

>宇宙（空間）で迷う makes sense but its hardly ever said.

Yeah, that's what I was unsure about too. I mean, it's easy to understand, but that doesn't mean it's used.

>>121

Anyone? Please?

What does 妙にひっかかる mean, please? I cannot figure it out.

To be caught by the strange? Huh?

>>135
ｘさんの英語が非常に流暢だとお聞きしますが、本当でしょうか？

It might be a little rude with the　本当でしょうか, expressing some doubt. I would change it to なにか喋っていただけないでしょうか？ or something similar, but I am not a native speaker. Use at your own risk.

>>136
"oddly confusing/attention grabbing/makes one wonder". This translation is horrible, but in terms of what it's actually saying: ひっかかる in this way means to "get hung up on something" (as in a part of a problem one doesn't fully understand, or a part of a story that doesn't seem to jive with the rest) and 妙に is simply an adverb. It's similar to the phrase 釈然としない.

Ah, thank you very much. Was beating my head against a wall for a whole day.

>>136
to be bugged by something strange? context plz

>>137
>ｘさんの英語が非常に流暢だとお聞きしますが(ry
ftfy

>140

Not sure how you expect someone asking a question like this to know what (ry means, but that's beside the point, I suppose.

>>137
流暢 isn't often used in conversation, formal or informal.

Xさんは英語がお上手だとお聞きしましたが、(それは本当ですか？)
英語がお上手は伺いましたが、(それは如何でしょうか)？　

です instead of でしょう at the end sounds less intrusive, as you aren't implying you have a preconceived notion of the persons ability, are trying to test them, have an ulterior motive, etc. It's still slightly rude and omitting it would likely be the best maneuver in actually conversation with someone who is socially superior, which is probably what >>140 is trying to say

>>142
>です instead of でしょう at the end sounds less intrusive, as you aren't implying you have a preconceived notion of the persons ability

This is just flat out incorrect. でしょうか is more polite than ですか, as the latter is more direct. Remember this is a question, not simply です/でしょう

http://qanda.rakuten.ne.jp/qa1495033.html?order=DESC&by=datetime

>「こちらでよろしいですか？」というと何か、こっちの都合で一方的にいっているようにお客は聞こえると思います。

Using ですか sounds highly interrogative and too questioning for the situation.

>流暢 isn't often used in conversation, formal or informal.

Bullshit. 上手 is certainly more common, but to say that 流暢 isn't said in conversation (especially polite conversation) just isn't true. You can find any number of examples:

http://www.rtnproject.com/2011/08/vol141.html

>日本語もですが、英語もまたとても流暢ですね。英語はいつごろから学びはじめたのですか？

http://www.global-artist.net/ap11/ford_int_j.htm

>Q: でも、とても流暢ですね。今回のツアーの感触はいかがですか？

http://twitter.com/#!/kozoisshiki

>はじめてシャラポアのインタビュー見たけど、英語流暢ですね。ロシア人ですよね？汗

And on and on. It's used.

>omitting it would likely be the best maneuver

I will agree with this. I included it because the person asked for a translation without little context other than what could be inferred, and so I did not want to change anything that might potentially be critical.

>>142

Also, not sure if 「お上手は伺いました」 is a typo or what, but that just doesn't work grammatically.  You would need something like 英語がお上手というのは伺いました but then that sounds like it's something that has been mentioned before in the conversation (which it probably has been, given that the speaker has brought it up).

>>144

I meant to say "お上手だというのは" (forgot the だ, as it's a reproduced quote)

>>143
It depends on the tone but でしょう can be much more probing, where です is simply a request for information.

About ryuuchou, you need to settle the fuck down and reread what I said. It isnt often used. Especially in that translation, "you are good at English", saying they're fluent is an entirely different thing. You found examples on the internet of its usage. Congratulations. お上手 is more natural. Get over it.

>>144
No.「英語がお上手だというのは伺いました」is stinted and completely unnatural.

「素晴らしい仕事ぶりは伺っていますよ」
「話は伺っております」

These are natural, conversationalistic examples.

>>144
I'm not >>147 but I think は is as the topic here, and used like を. It's not incorrect, just really formal, distant sounding.

I asked a japanese friend and they said だと伺う is probably the most common, but its really a complete case-by-case kind of thing

>I'm not >>147 but I think は is as the topic here, and used like を. It's not incorrect, just really formal, distant sounding.

The problem isn't with は, per se, it's with the fact that 上手 is an ordinary noun, and it's not possible to "hear good". You "hear of good". (compare this with the also-mentioned 「話は伺っております」, where you can easily say "I heard what was being discussed, I know what is going on, etc"). Try looking up "お上手は" on google with quotes, and see how many results you get, and what kind of thing they are. It's really not done.

>>149
But if you say 英語が上手 or　仕事が上手 then its fine. "I hear that you're good at English or working".

>But if you say 英語が上手 or　仕事が上手 then its fine. "I hear that you're good at English or working".

"英語が上手は伺いました" is not proper. Not sure if that's what you're saying, but it doesn't work with verbs like 聞く/伺う/etc like that.

英語が上手なのは伺う　is acceptable

"得意" is better than "上手". and i agree with 135. "本当でしょうか" is a little rude.
probably almost japanese use "have you ever lived abroad?"

「英語がお得意だとお聞きしましたが、海外で生活でもされてたんですか？」 it might be natural

>>152
define acceptable

>>153
we have a winner

How do omaera feel about 馬鹿gaijins who use Japanese 言葉s in their English 文章? I think it is とても unnecessary です. ^__^←超かわいい

>>155
むかつく as shit but I do it jokingly with an acquaintance of mine.

>>37 There is no difference.

>>157
There so fucking is.

>>158

Not the person you're responding to, but http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1111025331 has this to say about it (user response, grain of salt):

発音の仕方に明確な違いがありますが、表記 (仮名遣い) と発音は別です。
発音するときに舌の先が上の歯の裏や歯茎に触れるのは「dzu=ヅ」です。
舌の先を下の歯の裏に当てたまま発音するのが「zu=ズ」です。

He then qualifies that further, saying

多くの日本人の発音は、「雀」のような“同音連呼”を除き、「ず」の発音が「ヅ」になっているように思います。
特に語頭の「ざ、じ、ず、ぜ、ぞ」は、ほとんどの場合「ヅァ、ヂ、ヅ、ヅェ、ヅォ」と発音されているでしょう。
アナウンサーが「事件」を「チケン」と発音することがあるのは、普段「ジケン」でなく「ヂケン」と言っているからです。

So there is definitely some overlap and some considerations to be made beyond "how is this pronounced". I imagine it also varies by age, region, etc.

I'm doing a research paper on Japanese dialects and was hoping to get some input.

Any opinion is welcomed as long as it's "valid" in that you speak with people who speak these dialects or you hang out with people who have opinions on these dialects.

The question is, for these dialects: Tohoku, Kansai, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Kyuushu, what are the general characters you would assign a speaker of these dialects if you can't see them.

For example, when I hear Tohoku dialect, I think of farmers.