LLearn Japanese

Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (July 03, 2025)

  • July 3, 2025

This thread is for all the simple questions (what does that mean?) and minor posts that don't need their own thread, as well as for first-time posters who can't create new threads yet. Feel free to share anything on your mind.

The daily thread updates every day at 9am JST, or 0am UTC.

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Past Threads

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20 comments

  3. Finally finished level 60 wanikani! Learning Japanese is a tough road at times but little wins like these make it worth it

  4. N4 is freaking close .Give me some advice on last moment preparation

  5. Dialogue is about student Leon giving a speech in class about him noticing during his internship that japanese people rarely take long vacations

    インターンシップ先の社員の人にどうして長い休みを取らないのか聞いたら、「自分だけ休むのは同僚に申し訳ない」とか、「自分がいないとできない仕事があるから、周りに迷惑がかかる」と言っていました。
    1. confused with 自分だけ休むのは同僚に申し訳ない. To me 自分だけ sounds like “just me/only me”. And i know 申し訳ない can mean “to be sorry”, but never seen it used before like in this sentence. i understand it like: “only/just me vacationing（自分だけ?）is inexcusable(申し訳ない?) to my coworkers” ?
    2. not sure if im understanding this part well. 自分がいないとできない仕事があるから、周りに迷惑がかかる. First time seeing 迷惑がかかる, and unsure if 周りhere means”the people around me”, just like I’ve seen before as 周りの人. I understand this as “if I’m not there, theres work that cant be done, so ill bother（に迷惑がかかる?）the people around me”

  6. Hello!

    I’m working on Genki 2 and I have a question about a sentence from a dialogue I read in Genki 2.

    この神社は海の近くにあるので，天気がいい日は，海の青い色と神社の赤い色，そして山の緑がとてもきれいです。

    I understand what its telling me but I have a question about the が at the end of the sentence in そして山の緑がとてもきれいです. Am I correct that the が is introducing 山の緑?

    If so, how would I know if the sentence is saying the 山の緑 is とてもきれい or the whole situation (sea is blue, shrine is red, mountain is green) is beautiful?

    Thank you so much in advance. 😀

  8. Hi, I’m not sure if I’m in the right space or if this has been asked before but I want to learn Japanese by watching a movie. Do you recommend Japanese audio + Japanese subtitles or Japanese audio + English subtitles or English audio + Japanese subtitles?

  9. I know that 8時10分前 can either mean 7:50 or before 8:10 depending on context but it is still a mystery to me why 8時10分前 can refer to the time between 8:00 and 8:09. Any theories?

  10. I’m having a problem, I use chat gpt to break down sentences from a manga because I don’t understand the sentence even when I translate the word in the dictionary AND know the grammatical function, but I don’t like relying on AI as its not always accurate. My problem is that I can understand each individual function of a word or affix, but when I put it all together I don’t understand the sentence. AI is the only way I’ve been able to get around this, and it feels lazy. How do I sentence mine provided I can’t understand the meaning with dictionary and grammar books and need chat gpt to break it down for me?

  12. How should I refer to the 取締役部長 of a company? The interpreter, translates it to chief manager. Torishimariyaku buchou is too much of a mouthful and I’m guessing to formal. Is there a shorter term that I can use? Also the 社長 is a different person so I can’t call him that.

  13. Despite the fact I know and seen the word alot in anki, I still scan the word to check its meaning and sometimes the reading. Is it normal? Or should I get rid of this habit. Because it happens alot during immersion

  14. Hello,

    >**（引き戸の開く音）**

    What is the reading of **開く** here?

    I have taken on reading recently and encountering things like this is a bit of a bummer; What can help me with this?

    Thanks

  15. Hey,

    I encountered this sentence on the japanese Junior Wikipedia about biology. It was talking about the digestive system:

    口のなかで 歯でかんだりだ液などで 咀嚼。

    I don’t know the words かむ and 咀嚼, googling it I find that both mean chewing. I understand it something like “chewing with teeth and digesting with liquid in (your) mouth”. I don’t really get why the だ is there. Can someone explain?

  17. On the following question

    大きい本棚はたくさん本が ___

    A. はいります　B.はいれます　C.いれます　D.いれられます

    I thought B was the answer, but it was A. Why is that?

  18. Are there ways to practice sentences that isn’t just reading or writing? By that I mean, I like writing down sentences to practice grammar and vocab because it helps me remember things better.

    But due to a disability (EDS) writing has been really difficult lately. But I find just reading sentences doesn’t help me much at all. So I’m wondering if there’s anything else I could try that I might have overlooked.

    Oh, there’s also speaking I think but that also doesn’t help much, and I usually study late at night so I have to be more quiet.

  19. I’m just starting with Japanese and I have a really quick question, I haven’t been really taught yet how to ask for permission of anything. I’m looking to learn the formulation of phrases of the type “can I … ?”, what is the most common, immediately useful way I can learn this to ask for permission to do things while in Japan? For example, asking if I can take a video or photo of something.

  20. Is neighbourhood ご近所 or just 近所? If 2nd or both then what does ご do here exactly? 

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