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

ｏｎｉ = ｄｅｍｏｎ
ｏｎｉｉ-ｃｈａｎ = ｂｒｏｔｈｅｒ

ｂｒｏｔｈｅｒ = ｄｅｍｏｎ?

ｏｎｉ != ｏｎｉｉ
op = faggot

>>38
What kind of a question is that? Either you have some interest in the language/culture, or you flat out don't give a shit. If it's the former, then you need to learn some things about learning first; visit the site alljapaneseallthetime.com and disregard any faggot's advice here until you've read the first 2 sections. Happy learning - it's gonna be fun, I promise.

check 'em

bomb the japs

you are now breathing and blinking manually

Does anyone know where to get Japanese ebooks?
I only know of http://www.aozora.gr.jp/ but I was looking for more recent works.

>>47
you could check the ads on the site you linked
i don't know anyone who doesn't read their books on paper

>>37
It has to do with the origin of those words. It's kind of like German umlauts. "Mouse" is "Maus" and "mice" is "Mäuse", not "Meuse" (which sounds the same but doesn't exist). "Äu" is used instead of "eu" because it reflects the "au" that's used in "Maus".

ず and づ can be pronounced as either "zu" or "dzu" without loss of meaning.

Hello /lang/,　how should one use the 「してある」 verb suffix in conversations?  Furthermore, if it has a negative form, which I guess it would be 「してない」、 how can we distinguish it with the shorter version of 「していない」 which is also 「してない」?

I want to memorize all the moon runes. I have no knowledge of the language so I'm not sure what this hiragana or katakana or ninja or whatever it is, but what's the best way to start learning all of them? and which type would i start with

>>50

this room has been cleaned up.
=この部屋(へや)は掃除(そうじ)してある
I've already prepared.
=私(わたし)はもう準備(じゅんび)してある。

in these translations the speaker focuses on "current" state (1st sentences may be easy to grasp that, the verb clean is used like an adjective), thus uses current present form.

i quoted perfect sentences as examples so such translations are also correct;私はもう準備しました。as you see, this is past form and one doesn't emphasizes state but declare "I've already finished."

as to second question, "site-i-nai" is correct on grammar and formal to say or write."site-nai" is just spoken language, the middle "i" has been ommited on liaisoning itwith previous "e".

>>51
get out

Is there a good place to practice writing kanji online? Kind of like skritter but free.

check my doubles

>>55
doubles guy sup? how's life? expecting an answer at >>66

>>54
do you have a tablet or were you planning on drawing with your mouse?

>>57

Mouse. It's something I want to use on the computers at my school as I've got a lot of down time between classes, so I'd prefer if it's online and not something I'd have to download seeing how I'd be using the school's computer.

Alright, here's a question.
Can you guys help me out with an assignment I have for school?
I need to make a short song in Japanese. Now, I have a slight understanding, but not enough. Any chance you can help?

>>59
Is this an assignment for a Japanese class? What do you want exactly?

tits or gtfo

Hello, I would like to know if, with my current level of knowledge, reading these three books will be any useful. I mean, do I know too little to understand them or make use of what they teach?

I used to know the kana but forgot them and will learn them again soon, took one year of light lessons but know the basics of japanese grammar, and some vocabulary.

Concerned books: http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4450/3booksvn.jpg

Hello, I would like to know if, with my current level of knowledge, reading these three books will be any useful. I mean, do I know too little to understand them or make use of what they teach?

I used to know the kana but forgot them and will learn them again soon, took one year of light lessons but know the basics of japanese grammar, and some vocabulary.

Concerned books: http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4450/3booksvn.jpg

>>63
Screw Heisig books. Acquire Genki pdf, kanjidamage.com, and "Essential Japanese Expressions" pdf.

>>63
Fuck $65. Go find a Japanese person and pay them $65 to spend the day with you. You'll learn more.

I have these kanji on a cup http://i.imgur.com/uHAkD.png
Anyone know what they mean?

>64
Genki is shit, and it's not even good for kanji. Any kanji website is good. If you have to use any of a million shitty beginners' textbooks, at least Nakama has some semblance of organization.

>>66
I'm a Japanese highschool student and probably suck at English but i can tell you what that is.
It's　a name of women. Such as↓
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%88%B8%E7%94%B0%E6%81%B5%E5%AD%90
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%90%BD%E5%90%88%E6%81%B5%E5%AD%90

>>66
>>68
aye, the name Keiko. blessed-child.

In 「くつとくつ下をはいていませ」
why is を used instead of わ whereas
「くつわはいていませ」and「くつしたわはいていませ」 both use わ？

>>70
"Not wearing shoes or socks." is what you're trying to get at right? That should be "kutsu to kutsushita wo haite imaseN".

'wa' is written は when used to indicate the topic. For the 3 above sentences, using を seem the most logical since you are directly manipulating an object. 靴を履く(kutsu wo haku) with を being used, is what I usually see.

Hi /lang/

I'm practicing Japanese by translating some songs but I'm having a hard time with these phrases, could you review my translations:

マカロニの穴みたく　細くて頼りない
makaroni no ana mitaku komaku te tayori nai
If you examine a macaroni, you will see that it's weak and thin
君もいまいち　反応薄いし
kun moimaichi hannou usui shi
just like you and your responses


ねえ声をかけて　風の隙間は
nee koe wokakete kaze no sukima ha
call my name through the winds
いつも寂しいから　ちょっと
itsumo sabishii kara chotto
Because I'm always a little lonely


ねえ夢を見せて　冷めたココアじゃ
nee yume wo mise te same ta kokoa ja
let the me show you my dreams as we wait for the cocoa to cool down
なにか寂しいから　ちょっと
nanika sabishi ikara chotto
Because I've been lonely


同じ未来　見つけ出したなら
onaji mirai mitsukedashita nara
if we both find ourselves in the same future

Thanks in advance

Hello! I am looking for a good place to start learning japanese seriously. I know kana and basic grammar (basic sentence structure, basic pronouns, basic conjunctions, ~ます, ~たい、~ません, ~ました, です) . I want to learn more vocabulary and more complex grammar, for both reading and conversation (mainly understanding conversation, as I want to watch Japanese films and shows, and listen to Japanese music, but also for writing to people online). So far I've been learning using the iPhone apps "Japanese Flash" (very extensive and helpful) and "Mirai Japanese" (not extensive at all, but helpful for the very basics). I'm a quick learner, I learned kana in under a month. Pronunciation is not an issue for me. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for moving it here from /jp/.

みたく is a slang adverbial form of the suffix みたい (ordinarily it would be みたいに, but due to the fact that it looks like an い adjective, people say みたく sometimes). みたい means "in the way of" or just "like" so a more appropriate translation would be

 "(you are/it is) thin and unreliable, like the hole in macaroni"

Also, it's ほそくて not こまくて.  こまかい is where we see that reading.

Second one: yours is close except it suffers from the error in the previous sentence:

"You are not quite there, not responding much"

きみ not くん. くん is used for the honorific and in combined readings only.

This も has been described as 詠嘆のも among other things. Essentially, it does not necessarily mean "also" or "even" but can rather be used to be lightly poetic, very common in soliloquy and in song (reference: http://www.geocities.jp/niwasaburoo/18fukujosi.html#18.12)

Third one: Not sure where you're getting "name" from. I don't much care for loose translations when a stricter one would suffice. Also, I don't think your translation really gets the relations properly, even if this is a very abstract image. The speaker is lonely, in a break in the wind, so call out to her, because she's always lonely, just a little. That's the idea, though I don't know how to put it into good English.

4: I have no idea what you based your translation on, but I think you misinterpreted the じゃ here. This is a contraction of では, and means "in the case of" among other things. "Show me a dream (the 'ideal' kind, not the sleep kind, most likely), it's a bit sad when the cocoa is cold". The cocoa is a metaphor.

5: This seems fine.

>>68
>>69
Thank you guys.

>>74
Isn't an easy song to translate isn't it? and even with the context the relations aren't obvious.

But I'm thankful for your explanation, I already knew what みたい is but I didn't have any idea that みたく　is an equivalent

I know that 名前, isn't on the text but I added it in the translation because the sematic concept of the whole phrase: 夢を見せて. however I'm going to follow your advice and try to look for a more precise equivalent term

I'm aware of the きみ correct use but くん was added automatically by romaji.org I only do the romaji review after I got an ok translation

Thanks again and sorry for the /jp/ incident

>>73
download Human Japanese, is probably the best beginner's course out there for iOS and android

>>76

I'm glad to be of help. I find vocaloid songs in particular tend to be really out there and abstract. Translating lyrics can be useful and interesting but we run into a lot of problems because forms and expressions are used in songs in ways we'd never hear them in regular Japanese. I avoid it as much as possible.

japs are scum
weeaboos are scum
get a life

I switched my language to Japanese on Anki today and am having trouble with what Kanji is at the bottom. It says:

今日は＃分で＃扌攵のカードを...

From how I am seeing it I see 扌攵 but I have searched and searched and can't find this being an actual Kanji. Also the font is small on Anki so I can't really tell if that's actually it. My second guess would be 牧　but I'm not sure.

>>79
Picture here:
http://i40.tinypic.com/rshmck.png