Need a word or phrase translated?

[Fuumei]

No, it means "made the ape (or monkey) a game champion".
～を～にする to make someone/something (into) ____
In the sentence you quoted 猿を is omitted because it is obvious from the other part of this sentence.
What (kind of thing(s)) S-san made the monkey learn and made it a game champion? (or "...to make it a game champion?")

Ahh.. that's what I was missing. I'll keep that in mind for future reference. Thanks a lot. I've been scratching my head all day over this.

 

[FinancialWar]

hi its only me again!
is there any way you could write the japanese characters out a little bigger as i want to copy them exactly and its really hard to see the shapes exactly as they are so small.
thank you

if i were you, i would buy a kanji dictionary that shows individual stroke order. it's a much better way to learn kanji. or

copy and paste whichever kanji you want to learn into MS word and then enlarge the font. Maybe your internet browser can enlarge the whole page (mine can, using Avant)

 

[KrazyKat]

WWWJDIC gives animated stroke order diagrams. Copy the characters there.

 

[briareos]

Could someone help translate this?

今回のギャルオンではどーーーしても覚えられないフレーズがあり
紙にまるで英語の単語練習のよーに50回近く書いたり
何かの暗号かのよーに何十回も唱えていたにも関わらず覚えられず。。。。


I've tried running it through babel fish but it's still too unintelligible.

 

[undrentide]

Could someone help translate this?
今回のギャルオンではどーーーしても覚えられないフレーズがあり
紙にまるで英語の単語練習のよーに50回近く書いたり
何かの暗号かのよーに何十回も唱えていたにも関わらず覚えられず。。。。
I've tried running it through babel fish but it's still too unintelligible.

My attempt:
This time in GYARUON* there's a phrase that I can neeeever memorize,
I wrote it down on a paper almost 50 times like trying to memorize English spelling
or chanting it to myself scores of times as if it's sorta code language but still cannot memorize it...

*I don't know what ギャルオン means at all, so just put it in romaji.
**My advice: Never use Babelfish unless you want some nonsense to laugh at.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

I think "gyaruon" （ギャルオン） is a show in which race queens introduce their racing car team at places such as Suzuka Circuit.

I wonder what the origin of this word is though...

 

[oliverf]

ちがい います

こにちはみんなさん。

Can you pls help me understand ちがい?
From the construction of the phrase, it looks like a noun.
I thought the past form of this phrase would be ちがい いました

But I found that I also have to transform ちがい to make it ちがって いました

Why is this so? Is ちがい a verb? Are there a lot of this phrase/sentence construction in Japanese? Can you please give me some examples?

どもありがとう！

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

こにちはみんなさん。
Can you pls help me understand ちがい?
From the construction of the phrase, it looks like a noun.
I thought the past form of this phrase would be ちがい いました
But I found that I also have to transform ちがい to make it ちがって いました
Why is this so? Is ちがい a verb? Are there a lot of this phrase/sentence contruction in Japanese? Can you pls give me some examples?
どもありがとう！

Do you want the easy answer or the difficult answer? Let's go easy.

You are dealing with the verb ちがう. It conjugates in the same way as 買う（かう）.

ちがう ちがいます
ちがった ちがいました
ちがっている ちがっています
ちがっていた ちがっていました
ちがったら ちがいましたら
etc., etc.

Hope this helps!

 

[oliverf]

Do you want the easy answer or the difficult answer? Let's go easy.
You are dealing with the verb ちがう. It conjugates in the same way as 買う（かう）.
ちがう ちがいます
ちがった ちがいました
ちがっている ちがっています
ちがっていた ちがっていました
ちがったら ちがいましたら
etc., etc.
Hope this helps!

That hit the mark ! てきちゅうでした！
I thought I am dealing with a noun because I thought it was ちがい います
instead of ちがいます. Relating it to かいます made it easier for me to understand.

Could you indulge me with the difficult answer?
どうもありがとうMikawa Ossan san !

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

Could you indulge me with the difficult answer?

Are you sure you want to go through this?

Technically it's because you're dealing with a verb that conjugates in the same way as かう coupled with a helping verb.

It has to do with the way Japanese verbs are conjugated in a more academic sense. Go to the end of any Japanese dictionary and at the end, you should see some tables like this. Disclaimer: I know that these tables are for 文語 and not for 口語. I do not have all day to look for the proper tables. I am just using these tables to illustrate a point. Thank you.) If you don't know how to read this, that's OK, but take a look at the column entitled 語幹 and the one entitled 連用形. If you put these two columns together, you end up with

咲き
継ぎ
押し
打ち
思ひ
呼び
住み
散り

respectively. Here, a note regarding 思ひ. Just replace ひ with い. Using ひ here like this is the old way of writing, that's all.

Note that if you add ます you have polite forms of these verbs. But notice further, that these tables do not include ます anywhere. There is a reason for this. Technically, ます is not a conjugation form of the verb. Technically speaking, the verb itself ends right before the ます. ます is technically a helping verb stuck onto the end of the verb. Being a helping verb, of course ます can conjugate, also, but that's another story.

 

[oliverf]

Are you sure you want to go through this?
Technically it's because you're dealing with a verb that conjugates in the same way as かう coupled with a helping verb.
It has to do with the way Japanese verbs are conjugated in a more academic sense. Go to the end of any Japanese dictionary and at the end, you should see some tables like this. Disclaimer: I know that these tables are for 文語 and not for 口語. I do not have all day to look for the proper tables. I am just using these tables to illustrate a point. Thank you.) If you don't know how to read this, that's OK, but take a look at the column entitled 語幹 and the one entitled 連用形. If you put these two columns together, you end up with
咲き
継ぎ
押し
打ち
思ひ
呼び
住み
散り
respectively. Here, a note regarding 思ひ. Just replace ひ with い. Using ひ here like this is the old way of writing, that's all.
Note that if you add ます you have polite forms of these verbs. But notice further, that these tables do not include ます anywhere. There is a reason for this. Technically, ます is not a conjugation form of the verb. Technically speaking, the verb itself ends right before the ます. ます is technically a helping verb stuck onto the end of the verb. Being a helping verb, of course ます can conjugate, also, but that's another story.

This is the first time I saw this kind of conjugation table. I know I'll get to the ますconjugation someday, but for now, this table will make my studies a little easier, おかげさまで

I know that this is too much, but; can you pls explain the different conjugations you gave for ちがう? I only can understand the first 2. How is the 2nd different from the 4th? Are all these applicable to 買う?

ちが います
ちがい ました
ちがっ ています
ちがっ ていました
ちがい ましたら

どうもありがとう！

 

[J44xm]

Good day, folks. I'm looking for the meaning of "風に見える." The only clue I have to its meaning is a random translation that I found online in which "そんな風に見える" was translated to "That's what it seems like." I understand the usual meanings of the words used, but put them together and I get a bit lost.

Many thanks.

 

[undrentide]

Good day, folks. I'm looking for the meaning of "風に見える." The only clue I have to its meaning is a random translation that I found online in which "そんな風に見える" was translated to "That's what it seems like." I understand the usual meanings of the words used, but put them together and I get a bit lost.
Many thanks.

～風 (not "kase" but "fuu") means the style of something, or the way something appears/looks/sounds.
Translation of ～風に見える varies depending on the context, here are some example of 風

[style]
その家具は和風に見える
The piece of furniture looks like Japanese (in style).
ミラノ風のレストラン
A restaurant in Milan style.

[way]
きみはとても社交的なんだね。
You are very much outgoing, aren't you?
あら、そんな風に見える？
Oh, do I look like that?
(Do I give such an impression? Do I look/appear that way?)
どうやって踊ればいいの？
How should I dance?
こんな風に。
Like this./In this way.
そんな風に人を馬鹿にしてはいけません。
You shouldn't deride someone like that/in that way.

*風 can be replaced by よう（様）.
そんな風に＝そのように
こんな風に＝このように

 

[J44xm]

Very interesting. Thank you much. I think I understand fairly well, but it'll take some time for my brain to adjust to this one, I think. 「風に」 is pretty clear, but 「風に見える」 feels a bit odd. Many thanks!

 

[Fuumei]

事情によって家族と離れて生活している人がかなりいます

I'm wondering what the usage of "と" here is. I know the sentence means "Because of circumstances, there are quite a few people who are living away from their families". The only explanation I can think of at the moment is that it might mean something like "separated with the family" but I'm not sure. I'm probably thinking too hard again.

 

[epigene]

事情によって家族と離れて生活している人がかなりいます
I'm wondering what the usage of "と" here is. I know the sentence means "Because of circumstances, there are quite a few people who are living away from their families". The only explanation I can think of at the moment is that it might mean something like "separated with the family" but I'm not sure. I'm probably thinking too hard again.

Your interpretation is correct.
~と離れて suggests separation between the person and his/her family.
FYI, ~から離れて means basically the same, but with the sense of distance in the separation (suggested by から ).

HTH!

 

[yamada]

yeah, if it is 'there are quite a few people who are living away from a place or a location', から離れて is better.

平壌にある家から離れて生活 for living away from their house in Pyong-Yang , and 平壌から離れて生活 for living away from Pyong-Yang are ok.

 

[Fuumei]

Your interpretation is correct.
~と離れて suggests separation between the person and his/her family.
FYI, ~から離れて means basically the same, but with the sense of distance in the separation (suggested by から ).
HTH!

Ah I see. Thanks so much Epigene-san and Yamada-san. This helps a lot.

 

[Elizabeth]

Very interesting. Thank you much. I think I understand fairly well, but it'll take some time for my brain to adjust to this one, I think. 「風に」 is pretty clear, but 「風に見える」 feels a bit odd. Many thanks!

I think that ように見える is probably quite a bit more common (for sure than こんなように）, but I also feel there is probably some very subtle or complicated difference between ように and 風に. Although if there is someone that could kindly try explaining...

 

[Zejji]

Time expressions: e.g. "in two weeks' time"

Hello. This is a fairly simple question but I cant find the answer in any of 5 Japanese dictionaries!

How do you say, e.g. "in two weeks' time":

Examples:
"I am going on holiday in two weeks" (meaning that two weeks from now I am going on holiday)
or
"I will retire in 10 years"
"I am going to Japan in three months' time"

Thanks, Gerard

 

[epigene]

I think that ように見える is probably quite a bit more common (for sure than こんなように）, but I also feel there is probably some very subtle or complicated difference between ように and 風に. Although if there is someone that could kindly try explaining...

Although the two are basically synonymous, the difference lies in that ように suggests similarity in appearance, system, function, etc., to "look like" something else. On the other hand, ~風に is slighly more vague, suggesting style and ambience.
イタリアのようです： [It] looks like Italy. (This comment is based on observing external appearance that resembles Italy or something actually found in Italy.
イタリア風です： [It] looks Italian. (The speaker feels it has an Italian touch in style or atmosphere, most probably without any special substantive evidence.)

Hello. This is a fairly simple question but I cant find the answer in any of 5 Japanese dictionaries!
How do you say, e.g. "in two weeks' time":
Examples:
"I am going on holiday in two weeks" (meaning that two weeks from now I am going on holiday)
or
"I will retire in 10 years"
"I am going to Japan in three months' time"
Thanks, Gerard

The word you're looking for is 後（ご）, meaning later.
"I am going on holiday in two weeks"
二週間後に、バカンスに行きます。（にしゅうかんごに、ばかんすにいきます。 If you're going somewhere on vacation.）
二週間後に、休みに入ります。（にしゅうかんごに、やすみにはいります。 If you simply mean your leave/holiday period begins in two weeks.）
"I will retire in 10 years"
十年後に、定年になります。（じゅうねんごに、ていねんになります。）
"I am going to Japan in three months' time"
三ヶ月後に、日本に行きます。（さんかげつごに、にほんにいきます。）

 

[Zejji]

The word you're looking for is 後（ご）, meaning later.
"I am going on holiday in two weeks"
二週間後に、バカンスに行きます。（にしゅうかんごに、ばかんすにいきます。 If you're going somewhere on vacation.）
二週間後に、休みに入ります。（にしゅうかんごに、やすみにはいります。 If you simply mean your leave/holiday period begins in two weeks.）
"I will retire in 10 years"
十年後に、定年になります。（じゅうねんごに、ていねんになります。）
"I am going to Japan in three months' time"
三ヶ月後に、日本に行きます。（さんかげつごに、にほんにいきます。）

Thanks very much for that, Epigene-san. My dictionary/textbook trawl was proving quite fruitless!

 

[GoldCoinLover]

Need this translated please

こんにちは!!
返信が遅れてごめんなさい。
現在、私は稚内(わっかない)(北海道のNorthernmost
)にいます。
The motorcycle is traveling around me now.

9月1日にBecause Hokkaido is held from rally Japan, it is scheduled to watch.
それではまた・・・

 

[epigene]

こんにちは!!
返信が遅れてごめんなさい。
現在、私は稚内(わっかない)(北海道のNorthernmost
)にいます。
The motorcycle is traveling around me now.

9月1日にBecause Hokkaido is held from rally Japan, it is scheduled to watch.
それではまた・・・

Translation:
Hi!
Sorry for being late to answer. (Bow)
I am presently in Wakkanai, located in northernmost part of Hokkaido .
I am traveling around on a motorcycle.
I am here because there is Rally Japan on Sept. 1. I plan to watch it.
See you....!

 

[GoldCoinLover]

Translation:
Hi!
Sorry for being late to answer. (Bow)
I am presently in Wakkanai, located in northermost part of Hokkaido.
I am traveling around on a motorcycle.
I am here because there is Rally Japan on Sept. 1. I plan to watch it.
See you....!

Thank you epigene!