In response to user feedback, this is a recurring thread for general discussion about learning Japanese, and for asking your questions about grammar, learning resources, and so on. Let's come together and share our successes, what we've been reading or watching and chat about the ups and downs of Japanese learning.
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by AutoModerator
4 comments
Why is は the symbol for wa when you say これは and when you learn the symbols it’s わ?
Very basic question but what does あ゛mean?
あ with a tenten.
I’m trying to make a hanko stamp for myself (digital artist) and I’m having trouble with translation. The name I’ve chosen is “Matsubusa” (マツブサ). I understand that “Matsu” (松) is “pine,” but is there a meaning for “-busa?” I’ve seen it translated to 房, but I can’t find a meaning for it. It always comes back as “-fusa.” Is it safer to just use the katakana version? I don’t want to mess it up. Thanks!
Even in English, I’ve been struggling to name the way light ripples off of water ([Article](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caustic_(optics)), [Video](https://youtu.be/KgNDtCbkXmQ?si=8wDDVcUsYVZFzRPE)) or the way sound bounces within a dome ([Article](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispering_gallery), [Video](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7nbxSCxiq2o&t=1m07s&feature=youtu.be)). Flowing refractions? The whispering gallery effect? My ineloquence pains me, y’all.
So this got me thinking: did the Japanese ever create words to compactly describe these phenomena?
When I tried looking it up, I found mostly loanwords (“caustic” in katakana) or scientific descriptions (for physics or video game graphics processing). Yet, something tells me that a language with such bangers as 木漏れ日, for the scattering of light through leaves, wouldn’t leave these ambient effects unnamed.
Any non-loanword description for these effects or even a mention in some poem/proverb would truly make my day. Thank you!!!