Daily Thread: for simple questions, minor posts & newcomers [contains useful links!] (July 31, 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.

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14 comments
  1. From [this thread](https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q14306420244),

    > ドラマでも今は1クールが大半なのは予算不足が大きいです。
    >
    > しかも視聴率にあまり左右されない深夜帯での番組も増えた事で半年という期間に縛られる事もなくなりました。
    >
    > 更にゴールデン帯での放送や5年以上続く長期作品が減った事も**大きい**ですね。

    What is your take on the meaning of 大きい in the last sentence? I am struggling to see how the last sentence fits the passage as the whole.

  2. Help me find a word!

    I read it in a parenting book (that I didn’t really understand a lot of), in a phrase that went something like 「あけってくらい子, as the title of a section with a conversation between a mother and a kindergartener who didn’t want to go to school because it was his turn to be “line leader”(? Different word used).

    The word I’m looking for is 「「あけって」」. It won’t show up anywhere, so I think I’m misremembering it.

    I asked a Japanese friend, and they said it was difficult, but it meant something like “less than expected”, “thought there’d be more but there isn’t”.

    Anyone got any idea what I’m thinking of?

  3. Hello, Recently I encountered another person in a Group that I frequent (about a show that I will refer to as ムメイの話) who can use Japanese on a space that I will refer to as “template”, and wanted to compose a Comment for them. Are there any mistakes or areas that I can improve on? If so, please provide me with corrections~

    > It is incredible that you understand Japanese! Recently it seems as though there have been a lot of posters who can also understand Japanese! What inspired you to learn? Furthermore, what is your favorite Season; Character—in Mumei’s Story?

    日本語できるのすごい!最近templateで日本語もできる投稿者が多そうです!学ぶのきっかけは?そしてムメイの話でお気に入りのシーズンやキャラを教えてください!

  4. so to type a verb with the IME, you have to include the る or whatever on the end, but then you have to go back and delete it to conjugate it? is there an easy way to do this

  5. I’ve been learning Japanese for about 11 months, and have been using Anki for the vast majority of that. I have come to the realization that I’m really struggling with Anki cause I’ve not really learned to read the kanji. I’ve learned what the kanji looks like, and what the combined “picture” sounds like.

    So when the same kanji comes up somewhere else, despite seeing the kanji in the past, there’s no connection at all for many of the new words. And similar kanji trip me up all the time. So now even the 5 a day that are new I struggle with. By struggle I mean that they are on a daily repeat typically for easily over a week sometimes before I remember it. Cause I’m obviously not reading it, I’m just force memorizing basically. My retention rate is around 80% for reference.

    I’ve started to use WaniKani a bit ago, I just got to level 7, and it’s been helping a TON. But it’s definitely far behind compared to some of the kanji I see currently.

    Do you guys recommend that I continue at the same rate as I have been doing with Anki (5 a day), or pause new words for a while (still do my daily learning just not with new words), while I try to catch up with WaniKani to have a bit of an easier time?

  6. Not a question, but TIL there’s a verb for “going to the United Kingdom”:

    渡英する

  7. スポーツをするのと、みるのとどっちが好きですか

    スポーツをする方が見るより楽しいですか

    Why are we nominalizing to play (スポーツをする) and to watch (見る) in the first example but not in the second? Aren’t they both being used as noun phrases in each example? The structures of both questions are even comparative in nature.

    I’d expect the second to read as:

    スポーツをするの方が見るのより楽しいですか

  8. **Japanese Tertiary Intercardinal Directions**

    Is there a Japanese equivalent for tertiary intercardinal directions? I am aware of secondary/subintercardinal directions, such as 『北北西』, but I cannot seem to find any examples of tertiary intercardinal directions (the English equivalent of which would be north by northeast, southeast by south, and so on); these would be the directions upon the thirty-two-point compass, otherwise known as the quarter-winds.

    If there is a place that is better for posting this, please let me know; all of the seemingly obvious locations have stated that such questions are not permitted.

  9. I have been using anki to begin learning vocabulary but I feel like what is missing for me to memorise the words or phrases a lot easier is being forced to apply them in context. Genki suggests roleplaying conversations with a classmate which obviously helps but I don’t really have that (and this early on I don’t think im likely to or dont think it makes sense to find a partner for speaking). Are there any kind of useful resources that force you to use vocab more contextually than the classic spaced repetition with flashcards? Im sure I can make it work without but figured I would ask to see if im maybe missing out on a neat resource that people know about.

  10. From Tobira Ch 2

    多くの日本人と色々な場面ではなしたり、日本の映画やドラマを見て… どんな話し方をしているかをよく観察する。

    I am confused by the structure of the sentence.

    1. Why is there たり there even though, I think, there’s no listing of activities?

    2. Does the 多く there modify 日本人 or 話す?

  11. *
    How can I identify if it is a small や,ゆ,よ,つ?
    It really is hard to knw if it is small or not in this page

  12. What would be a natural way of saying “the first of…” as in “the first day of a four day heat wave” or “the first of three unfortunate incidents”? Would it be something like “四日の一日熱波です。”?

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