LLearn Japanese

Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don’t need their own posts, and first time posters go here (March 27, 2025)

  • March 27, 2025

This thread is for all simple questions, beginner questions, and comments that don't need their own post.

Welcome to /r/LearnJapanese!

Please make sure if your post has been addressed by checking the wiki or searching the subreddit before posting or it might get removed.

If you have any simple questions, please comment them here instead of making a post.

This does not include translation requests, which belong in /r/translator.

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Seven Day Archive of previous threads. Consider browsing the previous day or two for unanswered questions.

by AutoModerator

4 comments

  1. It’s stupid, but I can’t stop thinking about the keyboard. Anytime you want to write something in katakana or a kanji, you have to write it out in hiragana first. It feels so redundant. Obviously it’s done this way because print came first, but every time I’m typing things out, I’m thinking, “There has to be a more efficient way to do this 😭”

  2. Why do Japanese dictionaries sometimes use hiragana for words that can be written in kanji when defining a word? For example, this was the definition to 確実（かくじつ）: たしかで、まちがいのないこと。また、そのさま。, that I found in this dictionary: [https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/)
    Written with kanji it would be 確かで、間違いのないこと。また、その様。
    Is there any reason for certain words with kanji to be written in kana alone in this context?

  3. First time poster here, curious to hear from other parents with young kids. I’m feeling quite defeated and wonder if I should continue trying to learn.

    I took Japanese for a year in high school 20 years ago (oof hurts to say that) and can still ready hiragana, katakana, and have some very basic vocabulary. I basically got stuck once getting into conjugation and verbs/adjectives.

    Past 6mo I’ve been trying to make a serious attempt because we go to Japan every year on vacation. I have a tutor on italki I meet with once a week, and it’s helping but the problem is I don’t have time to study. I’ve got a busy job and a 3.5yo. The only time I have to study is after she goes to bed, an hour max before it gets too late for me to remember much. Weekends I rarely get time to myself during the day. My tutor suggested podcasts, which I would have time for (20min walk to work). Wondering if anyone else with a young family has made good (albeit slow) progress and how they structured their learning? I find studying Genki vocab or doing the workbook easy, but know that isn’t nearly enough to progress.

  4. hi may i ask

    代わりに vs に代わって vs に代わり what are the differences? im still kinda confused.

    ive seen that に代わり is the more formal version of に代わって based on game gengo?

    i’ve read on hinative that someone said に代わって is temporary but i see sentences like ここでは人間に代わってロボットが作業をしている　i doubt this is supposed to be temporary?

    so if both have meanings of instead of/for someone/subsitute, then what is the main difference between 代わりに vs に代わって?

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