Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don’t need their own posts, and first time posters go here (April 06, 2023)

7 comments

1. Does 魔術士 equal 魔術師 ? Does the meaning change slightly here or is the first one just a more archaic way of writing the same thing? I’d be grateful for a recommendation of a beginner-friendly JP-JP online dictionary where I could find out such information.

2. When to use “or” in Japanese

   Can someone explain when to use “か” vs “と”?

   「弁当かパスタどちら買った方がいいですか」

   「弁当とパスタとどちら買った方がいいですか」

   同じ意味なのですか？

3. currently reading my first vn in jp and I’m having a bit of trouble following the third piece of dialogue here:

   「時間が惜しいから、先に進もう」

   「難問はここからだもんね」

   「この長文は教科書にないから、単語を調べるのに時間かかったし」

   「そうなんだよ」

   is the speaker just saying that because the complicated/long homework sentences (the characters are talking about english homework) aren’t in the textbook, looking up the words is going to take time?

   and if so, why is に used in [単語を調べるのに時間かかったし] (since i figure the の is turning the [単語を調べる] part into a noun)

4. What is the difference between どう and 何?

5. …すごいわね、思えばはじめて会ったときのみんなったらどこかたよりない感じだったのに…。

   context: [link](https://www.toaru-gamedesigner.com/entry/2021/03/20/%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C%E6%A8%B9%E3%81%AE%E8%BF%B7%E5%AE%AE%E2%94%82%E5%90%8D%E8%A8%80%E3%83%BB%E3%82%BB%E3%83%AA%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%83%86%E3%82%AD%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E9%9B%86)

   how come it’s どこか and not something like いつか

   I think this says…”Wonderful, but if I think about the first time we met there was a helpless feeling…”

6. Please check grammar in the following sentences:
   • 給料が低いアルバイトで働くくらいなら上めるほうがいい。
   • 私立学校で働くくらいなら、国立学校で働くことがいい。
   • 学校は遠いですので、近くの学校に入学するに限る。
   • 夏に印度がおもしろいところである反面温度は高いです。

7. If I understand it correctly, the て verb form is a “soft” command, or “request” form, so it can have both a plain and polite/敬語 form. But imperative is a stronger command form, so what is the purpose of the “polite” form of an imperative verb form, if any?