I feel embarrassed asking such an easy question

木曜日まで休む means they will be returning to work on Friday right?

In the Konjiki no Gasho manga (english version), the main character Gash keeps saying "unu" every other frame. I looked it up in several dictionaries, but I couldn't find anything. However, one character remarked how Gash was using "regal" words like "unu".

Does anyone know what it means?

Ok, I`m having slight trouble with this word 空く meaning to be vacant or available.

I have several sources saying it`s both あく and すく　with the exact same meaning.

It`s there a difference between these readings in nuance and meaning or is one preferable in certain situations because I`m not sure which to use.

Any help would be great.

kitakitsune Wrote:I feel embarrassed asking such an easy question

木曜日まで休む means they will be returning to work on Friday right?

Yes, 木曜 should also be included.
http://komachi.yomiuri.co.jp/t/2009/1027/271936.htm

Marble101 Wrote:In the Konjiki no Gasho manga (english version), the main character Gash keeps saying "unu" every other frame. I looked it up in several dictionaries, but I couldn't find anything. However, one character remarked how Gash was using "regal" words like "unu".

Does anyone know what it means?

The first thing I thought of was some way to say "yes" as in うん, except in a 'cute' or idiosyncratic way for the character. Kind of like you run into うむ sometimes.

After perusing the internet a little bit, it does seem that it may be related to the story though...

callmedoge Wrote:Ok, I`m having slight trouble with this word 空く meaning to be vacant or available.

I have several sources saying it`s both あく and すく　with the exact same meaning.

あく -- tends to be more "open"
すく-- tends to be more "empty"

この席はあいていますか--> is this seat available?
どの曜日、時間帯があいてますか？--> What day, time period is open?

お腹がすいた --> I'm hungry (My stomach has emptied)
できるだけ空いている電車に乗りたい --> As much as I can, I want to ride on empty trains.

Marble101, my kogo dictionary defines うぬ　as:

１．卑称の自称の代名詞。　自分自身を卑しめていう語。「～が身の火を吹き消して」[近松・五十年忌・中]
２．卑称の対象の代名詞。　きさま。　てめえ。　「太兵衛より先、～を踏みたい」　[近松・天網島・中]

(The 近松　of these examples was a famous 17th-18th century playwright.)

So, by that definition: it's either a humble way of saying "I," or an insulting way of saying "you."

Thank you Asriel! Makes sense. One more is curious note. Is 空く(あく) synonymous with 開く (あく)?

callmedodge Wrote:Thank you Asriel! Makes sense. One more is curious note. Is 空く(あく) synonymous with 開く (あく)?

That's another awesome thing about Japanese. No, they're not. 空く is open as in 'free' or 'available,' where as 開く is open as in a door.

A seat on a train will be 空いている
The door to a room will be 開いている


Also confusing is あく and ひらく which both are written 開く. But since that's a different subject, I'll just send you here. Although there may be other, better threads as well.

Grand, I thought as much!

I don`t mind the あく、あける、ひらく　problem so much but it definitely can be horrible. I spent a while getting around transitive and intransitive forms.

While I`m at it, on a bit of a role today, so sorry if it`s getting annoying!

I`m wondering about the correct use for 欠食する。　Would ｢今朝,朝食を欠食した。」make any sense?

I'm a little confused on this phrase.

そんな馴染みの様子に、俺は「ん？」と些細な違和感をおぼえたのだが、直ぐに頭の隅にやってしまった。

Actually, now that I typed it out I think I get it. Does it mean "I quickly put it out of mind"? More literally "I quickly shoved it to the back of my mind."

EDIT: Actually, is there a nuance here about it sort of accidentally falling to the back of his mind? (ie: not intentionally shoved aside, ってしまった)

Yeah, "I quickly put it out of my mind" is right.

I don't think the しまった　really has a nuance of it being accidental ... I wouldn't expect to see やる　there if that was actually the case, because that implies the speaker doing it on purpose. I think it's more a nuance that it happened completely and couldn't be taken back (so if you realized later it was a bad idea to put it out of your mind, it would be too late.)

vix86 Wrote:I'm a little confused on this phrase.

そんな馴染みの様子に、俺は「ん？」と些細な違和感をおぼえたのだが、直ぐに頭の隅にやってしまった。

Actually, now that I typed it out I think I get it. Does it mean "I quickly put it out of mind"? More literally "I quickly shoved it to the back of my mind."

EDIT: Actually, is there a nuance here about it sort of accidentally falling to the back of his mind? (ie: not intentionally shoved aside, ってしまった)

Use of 些細な違和感 makes me think that whatever happened had crossed the "surprise" threshold but didn't cross the "to care" threshold. Considering the reflective tone of the sentence, he probably didn't consciously realize it at that moment. And if he was otherwise occupied by a more important thing on a conscious level, it fits that this vague impression slipped out of his mind before long.

@qwarten: Re-reading the surrounding context again that interpretation fits perfectly.

Thanks Fillanzea, qwarten.

Excuse me for proposing this (I suspect it was done before and rejected), but could this thread be stickied?

kame3 Wrote:Excuse me for proposing this (I suspect it was done before and rejected), but could this thread be stickied?

You'll need to probably message the admin and ask him/her.

---

I have a couple of questions. Trying to add a bunch of new words+sents. and have a few questions about some of them.

1) Pulling a lot of my sentences using Weblio's example sentence finder which works pretty well. This sentence came from tanaka corpus though and checking with my elec. dict. I'm a bit suspect about it.
忘れずに手紙を投稿しなさい。 - "Don't forget to post the letter."
Weblio says the word in question CAN mean "post" but I suspect it means to "post an article" or something like that and not the literal meaning of "to mail." My dict. says it means to send to a publisher or the like (広辞苑「原稿を新聞社・雑誌社などに送ること。また、その原稿。多く、自発的なものにいう。」）

2) Self-made. 彼は何しろ人の忠告を聞き捨てている。- "As you know, he's always ignoring other people's advice." Is the use of 何しろ here ok? I don't really know too much about the usage of this (it has its own card in my deck) but am trying to get it into a few of my sentences to make it stick better. Also, does 何しろ have a sense that it happens often? Or would I have to add a いつも in there to get closer to that meaning?

Thanks

@vix86: Not sure, but I would rather say "Don't forget to post the letter." translates to 手紙を送るのを忘れないで下さい。 or 手紙を発信することを忘れないで下さい。
I don't understand the usage of ずに here..

Your second sentences concerning 何しろ sounds OK to me, but better yudan or so check it, too I have never seen 聞き捨てる; but I know 無視している being used for "to ignore".

Dictionary definition aside, 手紙を投稿する seems to be a commonly used phrase. Google brings up a bunch of examples, all meaning to send a letter.

Tori-kun: 忘れずにＸ is very common to mean "Don't forget to X." The literal translation into English sounds odd ("Without forgetting, do X"), but it's natural in Japanese.

(Also proofreading sentences translated into Japanese is not my forte; I'm not great at that kind of question.)

出退店の状況

How would you read that?

しゅったいてん？

This is my first post in the forum but I've been following it since last November. Since then I've successfully gone through the 2042 kanji of RTK1 and I think this would not have been possible without the help of this site and all the fantastic stories that you created.
So first of all, I would really like to thank this community which I think is really fantastic!
(I've never written before because I was very busy with my job and family, besides the kanji!).
I am still a beginner for what it concerns grammar and vocabulary, and I need some help to translate some japanese sentences whose exact meaning I find hard to figure out (I am currently reading some short stories):

理解あるような素振りで、結局は帰らせないということなのかな。まあ、もう少し話し合わないとダメですね。重大なことだしね。

Many thanks for the help!

Tori-kun Wrote:Your second sentences concerning 何しろ sounds OK to me, but better yudan or so check it, too I have never seen 聞き捨てる; but I know 無視している being used for "to ignore".

聞き捨てる comes out of a light novel and they always have a lot of words that occur pretty low on the frequency list (ex: 蒙昧, another one going into my deck). But I want to be able to read light novels and Japanese [middle schoolers!!] have no issue reading these words, so theres no reason why I shouldn't add them to my deck. I've already finished the core6k as it is.

Thanks Tori-kun, yudantaiteki. Hopefully someone can pipe in about how natural the 何しろ sentence is though, I'll have to ask some teachers I guess. Maybe post on lang-8.

bats75 Wrote:I am still a beginner for what it concerns grammar and vocabulary, and I need some help to translate some japanese sentences whose exact meaning I find hard to figure out (I am currently reading some short stories):

理解あるような素振りで、結局は帰らせないということなのかな。まあ、もう少し話し合わないとダメですね。重大なことだしね。

Many thanks for the help!

Generally you should give your own attempt or point out what part of the sentence you don't understand.

Also, are you actually "translating" these or do you just want to understand what they mean?

@vix: I checked the kenkyusha epwing dictionary on entries with 何しろ and it seems your example is correct as long a you translated it as "as you know", I think

yudantaiteki Wrote:

bats75 Wrote:I am still a beginner for what it concerns grammar and vocabulary, and I need some help to translate some japanese sentences whose exact meaning I find hard to figure out (I am currently reading some short stories):

理解あるような素振りで、結局は帰らせないということなのかな。まあ、もう少し話し合わないとダメですね。重大なことだしね。

Many thanks for the help!

Generally you should give your own attempt or point out what part of the sentence you don't understand.

Also, are you actually "translating" these or do you just want to understand what they mean?

Ok, I will try to be more precise! I was trying to translate it (and of course to understand the meaning).

I think 結局は帰らせないということなのかな should mean "In the end, I won't let him/her come back". It should be a negative causative form. ということなのかな is not entirely clear to me. I do not get the first part of the sentence 理解あるような素振りで. Is it something likely "Even if his/her behavior will be comprehensive" or perhaps "even if my behavior will be comprehensive?". The following sentences should be "Now we should discuss a little more. It is a very important thing."

bats75 Wrote:理解あるような素振りで、結局は帰らせないということなのかな。まあ、もう少し話し合わないとダメですね。重大なことだしね。

I think 結局は帰らせないということなのかな should mean "In the end, I won't let him/her come back". It should be a negative causative form. ということなのかな is not entirely clear to me. I do not get the first part of the sentence 理解あるような素振りで. Is it something likely "Even if his/her behavior will be comprehensive" or perhaps "even if my behavior will be comprehensive?". The following sentences should be "Now we should discuss a little more. It is a very important thing."

EDIT: I got halfway through writing this and realized I am terrible at translating/explaining. I'll post what I've written so far, but someone else should explain "ということなのかな".

It might be a little helpful to get some context before this, but let me give it a shot.

理解あるような素振りで: I'm not sure how to translate 素振り. Here's the 大辞林 definition: 口には出さないが，表情や身振りに表れたようす。けはい。Maybe it could be directly translated as something like, "With an appearance of understanding", and we might say it as something like "There was an appearance of understanding, but..."

結局は帰らせないということなのかな: "I guess it's the thing that (subject) won't let (object) leave/go home after all." ということなのかな is a combination of と言う, 事, なの, and かな.

彼は3人兄弟です。 is translated as "he has two siblings", does that mean it's like "he is the third sibling" or something?

kudokupo Wrote:彼は3人兄弟です。 is translated as "he has two siblings", does that mean it's like "he is the third sibling" or something?

I'm not sure exactly how this works out -- in Japanese you always include yourself when you say how many siblings you have, but I don't think this 彼はXです should be interpreted as "He is X". It seems to me a looser topic/comment structure, something like "Speaking of him, he is one of three siblings" or such. Maybe taking it as an idiom works better.

(In any case it's definitely not "third" because ３人 is just "three people", not "third".)