Learning Japanese

[RandomGuy]

Originally Posted by iLney

Thank a lots. Can you help me with this sentence too?

ここには 新聞も ざっしも あります.

There are newspapers and magazines here.

I learn somewhere that "and" = "to." But I don't see it. And は read "wa" right? I guess that this sentence is quite formal.

と can mean "and"; it can also mean "with" in the same grammatical capacity.

But in this case, you have も, whose basic meaning is "both"/"also"/"likewise".

In particular, the pattern "A も B も" means "both A and B". Thus, the most literal meaning of the sentence above is, "There are both newspapers and magazines here."

[iLney]

Thank you.

Uhm, one more question: is there any difference in sound between じゃ and ざ, じゅ and ず, じょ and ぞ, etc....

If not, is there any significant difference in usage?

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by iLney

Thank you.

Uhm, one more question: is there any difference in sound between じゃ and ざ, じゅ and ず, じょ and ぞ, etc....

If not, is there any significant difference in usage?

Definitely a difference, write it romaji and pronounce in english.

Ja, Za
Ju, Zu
Jo, Zo

The only sounds which may sound similar are
つ - Tsu
づ - Zu (aka dsu)
ず - Zu

Which aparently the last two sound the same.

[iLney]

Ty

The site I found pronounced them the same though, but another did it right.

[onehp]

Hmm, no one knows the purpose of using へと? Rikaichan would only define へ and と
individually and googling that word will result in nothing about how it is used

[Rembr]

Huh? What's the context? Are both letters being used at once? If so, it'll usually be in a sentence like "tokyo heto (silent h) iku" which means to go to tokyo, with 'iku' being go. So it roughly takes the place of the word 'to'.

[Nagato]

From Meikyo:

It implies direction and more emphasized than just a "he". Also when using it together with "wo" to declare the route of a movement it sounds not very natural; not like when using "heto". same goes with "ni" and "nito".

ex:
We descend to the roots of the mountain through the mountain path
he: 山道を麓へ降りた (yamamichi wo fumoto he orita)
heto: 山道を麓へと降りた (yamamichi wo fumoto he to orita)

[RandomGuy]

Originally Posted by iLney

Ty

The site I found pronounced them the same though, but another did it right.

Korean-speakers have trouble with the difference between those sound pairs. Both sounds tend to end up somewhere in between. This particular example of native-language interference also figured heavily in a rather nasty bit of anti-Korean violence that broke out in Tokyo after the Great Kanto Earthquake...

[iLney]

このイチゴはあまくておしいです。

Can anyone tell me why that sentence uses ichigo in katakana instead of hiragana. And if I know the kanji for strawberry, is it ok to use it instead?

[Tri-ring]

Originally Posted by iLney

このイチゴはあまくておしいです。

Can anyone tell me why that sentence uses ichigo in katakana instead of hiragana. And if I know the kanji for strawberry, is it ok to use it instead?

It's because it's easier to identify the subject(a fruit イチゴ）within a string of hiragana.
If you know the kanji, yes by all means use it.
あまい and おいしいcan also be substituted into kanji 甘い and 美味しいmaking it more recognizable at first glance.

So it goes like this;

この苺は甘くて美味しいです。

[Rembr]

It's all aesthetics. Kanji, katakana, hiragana, use whatever. Unless you're writing like a college thesis or something.

[oompa loompa]

Originally Posted by Mystique

Definitely a difference, write it romaji and pronounce in english.

Ja, Za
Ju, Zu
Jo, Zo

The only sounds which may sound similar are
つ - Tsu
づ - Zu (aka dsu)
ず - Zu

Which aparently the last two sound the same.

and o and wo ( sorry cant write japanese on this comp for some reason ). and of course ha and wa ( specific case)

[iLney]

机の下。
Under the desk

Can someone tell me why "の” instead of uhm... something else?

[Rembr]

の establishes that 下 is pointing towards that location of 机.

Others like ga and ha and he and de and so on has different uses in describing the subject or what it's doing or where it's going or whatever. Some of which can be applied to your sentence depending on the context.

[RandomGuy]

So, my JLPT Ikkyuu results came in today.

...

...Holy fuck, I actually passed.

I only got a 58 on the Kanji section—I believe that counts as a 'bomb'—but I owned the Listening, and did passably on the Grammar–Reading Comprehension part. Overall, I managed a 292/400, which I think is a 73. (Passing for Ikkyuu is a 70.)

Now, is there a way to order a frame-able copy that doesn't show my ぎりぎり合格 score? I'd like to have something I can send to my parents...

EDIT: the JEES website tells me this:

Q41　飾っておくために大きな認定書をもらえますか？
認定書の原本はあくまでもお送りした葉書サイズのものです。飾っておくためのものとしてＡ４版の拡大コピー を一枚１，０００円で発行します。これは公式書類としては使えません。請求の仕方は合否結果通知書の裏面の お知らせをご覧ください。

...And yet, the back of the test results only tells me how to request an official copy for submission to potential schools and employers...

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by RandomGuy

So, my JLPT Ikkyuu results came in today.

...

...Holy fuck, I actually passed.

I only got a 58 on the Kanji section—I believe that counts as a 'bomb'—but I owned the Listening, and did passably on the Grammar–Reading Comprehension part. Overall, I managed a 292/400, which I think is a 73. (Passing for Ikkyuu is a 70.)

Now, is there a way to order a frame-able copy that doesn't show my ぎりぎり合格 score? I'd like to have something I can send to my parents...

EDIT: the JEES website tells me this:
...And yet, the back of the test results only tells me how to request an official copy for submission to potential schools and employers...

omedetou~~★

I believe that makes you officially a non-native native now

[iLney]

山田氏ほか２名。

<Mr. Yamada and 2 others>

氏: counter for reservations.
名: counter for people.

But.... I don't get it, structurally. Or is it just the way they say it in a restaurant, thus I must eat the sentence raw?

[aohige]

Originally Posted by iLney

山田氏ほか２名。

<Mr. Yamada and 2 others>

氏: counter for reservations.
名: counter for people.

But.... I don't get it, structurally. Or is it just the way they say it in a restaurant, thus I must eat the sentence raw?

I'm not sure what you're confused about.

氏 is Mr. That's why 山田氏 is Mr. Yamada.
2名 is two people.
It's very straight forward.

山田氏 　　　　　　　他 　　　　２名
Mr. Yamada　other　two people

thus, Mr. Yamada and two others

[iLney]

I mean

山田氏

Mr. Yamada (reservation)

ほか２名

2 others

I read it as "Mr. Yamada's reservation for 2 others," which means the reservation is only for those "others" not including Mr. Yamada himself.

I expect something like:

Mr. Yamada 2 others reservation....

or 氏 to be a verb

Edit: or 2 "others" = Mr.Yamada + another.

[Mystique]

Originally Posted by iLney

I mean

山田氏

Mr. Yamada (reservation)

ほか２名

2 others

I read it as "Mr. Yamada's reservation for 2 others," which means the reservation is only for those "others" not including Mr. Yamada himself.

*me turns off english logic in your brain*
You're thinking too hard, stop.

Originally Posted by aohige

I'm not sure what you're confused about.

氏 is Mr. That's why 山田氏 is Mr. Yamada.
2名 is two people.
It's very straight forward.

山田氏 　　　　　　　他 　　　　２名
Mr. Yamada　other　two people

thus, Mr. Yamada and two others

It's as bluebeard - said and broke it down for you in the quote i've pasted. It isn't grammatically perfect with particles involved to convey the 'and', it definitely is more a 'spoken' verse than written, so if you go to a resturant in japan and they're trying to get numbers, then you'll hear this often.
It's basically the waiter saying to Mr Yamada directly or reading from a reservation sheet to him just to confirm if you need context.

But 'ni mei' (2 pple) is a good counter for resturants, so helps to remember