Contraction of その様な

Sonar そな is used to detect and locate objects underwater, SUCH AS submarines and shipwrecks.

♪ そんな + Noun
= that kind of … (talking about the state of that specific thing)
そんな日は 寂しい です。

♪ そんなに
= to that degree
そんなに 暑い 日は 出かけられないよ。

♪ そう + Verb
= do… that way
そうしましょう！

This applies to こ~、あ~、ど~ as well.

(The main idea of this note is from Try! N4)

In the Kansai dialect, ちがう is often contracted to ちゃう

Used for saying that someone’s understanding is wrong, used with nouns:
これはペンですか？　
いいえ、違います。

Incorrect if used as a response to the following questions:
おいしいですか？ (adjective)
食べますか？ (verb)

— from Try! JLPT N5

Check out this guy being all different!
ちかう

How to remember 偉い and 違う: think of 韋 not as tanned leather (the actual radical meaning), but as peculiar/different. A person different from the average is outstanding, extraordinary (偉い). If they they stretch it too far, (it's a very intense difference), it's perceived as wrong (違う)

CHIGAU: in CHIGAgo U can watch streetart and hiphop peformances, in which the city differs from places like Lubbock TX, which according to bussines insider is the most boring city in America. *

*info from the web, I've never been in America. If you know love a message to hear if it holds treu.

The pizzas in Chicago (ChiGaU) are different than those in New York

Lychee is ladygaga's umami flavor which differ from the public taste buds.

ちゃう is the colloquial abbreviation of 違う.
Originally, more common in Kansai dialect.

I'm alright, I'm safe -- I didn't "die on the job" (daijoubu).

大 : big, great
丈夫 : healthy, robust, strong, solid, durable

It's all right (大丈夫) I'm healthy (丈夫)

Safe, all right Daijoubu (Good job)

I was putting together a model of a big person (大) when the leg on the right suddenly slipped out of place (丈)! Thankfully I secured it with a crossbar (夫), so now everything's alright (大丈夫).

大 = big
丈 = stature
夫 = husband
大丈夫 = I feel safe when I’m with my husband who’s a man of big stature

i would feel SAFE if i had a big 大 tall 丈 husband 夫 to protect me

You want to be safe. You don't want to "die" at your "job". That'd be the opposite of safe lol..

Rules exist to keep you SAFE so you don’t die on the job (だいじょうぶ)。

Joe, the corrections officer, walked down the cell block, and one prisoner screamed’ “Die Joe!” And another jumped at the bars and yelled “Boo!” (だいじょうぶ). But Joe felt safe and secure because they were behind bars.

Life is not daijoubu

^ a popular meme on the internet. Might want to google that

丈 (じょう) is a unit of length: in modern Japan, 1 丈 is 3.03 metres, but in the traditional shaku system of measurement it was about 1.7 metres, roughly the height of an adult male.

夫 here means "man", not "husband". In China, an adult man was called 丈夫, and an especially capable one 大丈夫. Here 大 isn't just "big" in a physical sense, but closer to something like: "great", "distinguished", or "outstanding".

When the term entered Japanese, 大丈夫 first meant "great man", then shifted to "reliable", "strong", or "healthy", before broadening further to its contemporary meaning.

自己 is the self as a concept; often used in philosophy

自分 is used as self-reference (myself, yourself, himself, herself etc.)

自身 is often used as a suffix to emphasize self-reference/the own person

Usually used in conjuction with の to form an equivalent for mine, his, her's etc. without repeating the name of the person who is marked as the topic.

Jee(じ) it's lucky I'm by *myself*, I only have one sweet bun (ぶん) and I hate sharing.

Bugs ぶんny famously said:
"自分の名前はうさぎです"

自分 means "self" whereas pronouns such as 私, 僕, 俺 etc. mean I. Both can be used together, e.g. 私は自分でやります "I will do it by myself."

自分 as a pronoun is sometimes used by team members (e.g. athletes, soldiers, public servants like police) as it represents their organisation better than 私たち, etc.

自分 can also be used as "you", but only in 関西弁 (Osaka-Kyoto) and should be avoided outside the region as it is considered rude. This is because 自分 implies speaker and listener are equal rank in Kansai, and the nuance does not carry over elsewhere.

This verb will conjugate to 行って in て form

iku is more typical, and yuku sounds more literary/poetic.
yuku is found in songs typically.

Ick! (IKU)
How I (an introvert) respond when someone asks if I want to go out

I (い) coo(く)k something to take TO GO.

It’s (い) cool (く) to go fun places

I(い) coo(く)k something for us when you visit me

To go, to take a lea-ku

Since 男 is "man" in the gender noun sense, using it as a label for a specific person sounds quite rough/objectifying. For that you'd normally use 男の人 (neutral) or 男性 (formal).

3. 男がいる is a common way to say "has a man/boyfriend". Pretty casual, can sometimes be a little gossipy.

4. 男だろう！ uses 男 more like an idealised role model. Literally "You're a man right!". Similar to "Be a man!" in English. Can feel a bit dated.

おとうと (younger brother) grew up and now he's an おとこ (man)

OH, the TOp COp in the department sure is a manly guy!

Otto co(lled) that because it's a man's name

Even if your otouto (younger brother) is already a grown up man he will always be a ko (child) for you

Oh, Toko is a man!

Otacon, from metal gear solid 1, is a guy.

Men love a taco (otoko)

(kanji mnemonic) Ah! this MAN 男, his name is カ, has a rice paddy 田 for a head. 田+カ=男

The more drunken 😵‍💫 酔い よ/い, the more weak 🤢 弱い よ/わ\い I became. (Low pitch on よ)

The stronger 🦾 強い つ/よ\い, the better 👏🏻 良い よ\い (high pitch on よ)

It "still" doesn't Mada (Matter).

MADAra is "still" alive

Not yet?? Well, it's only a MADA of time.

I *𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹* want to go to "Madagascar"「MADA まだ」, but I'm *𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘁* brave enough to fly on a plane!

She's STILL my Mother (Ma-tha) and forever will be

He's still MAD As hell.

I tried so hard and got so far yet/still, In the end it's doesn't even mada,

Imagine an angry mom waiting up for her child who's out past curfew, grumbling, "He's STILL not home? I'm gonna MADA (murder) that kid!"

MOTHER, am i *still* your baby boy?

I'm "still" driving my Mazda (まだ).

My mada is still the best!

ほんのり tends to carry a pleasant connotation, whereas ちょっと or 少し is more neutral.

Less formal than 少し

ちょっと！ as an interjection is very context-dependent. It can mean "Hey / Excuse me" (to get attention) or "Hold on—what?" (mild protest or surprise). The meaning comes mostly from tone, delivery, and context.

Can also mean: not good

I CHOse TTO (chose to) move the chair SLIGHTLY so no one would bump into it

Can also mean: also, in addition, likewise; when it is used at the start of a sentence (usually followed by a comma 、)

“MATA ne” see you AGAIN soon

Popular saying to remember また by: またあした (literally: again tomorrow). A friendly goodbye

This word is used a lot in the definitions of japanese dictionaries

皆: All of us (me included)
皆(みんな): colloquial usu. hiragana.
方々: All of them; People (honorific) (sometimes singular)
全員: All members (emphasis the inclusion of the members)
各位: Each one of you (emphasis on the individual listener)
誰も: Nobody; Unspecific group (people in general) (always. negative )

You think I made food just for ME? NAHH (みんな), it's for everyone!

MINNA no nihongo = EVERYBODYS Japanese

Everybody's MEAN-A to me!

In Smash Bros, Marth says in one of his taunts "みんな、見ていてくれ!" or "Minna, miteite kure!" which translates to "Everyone, please watch me!"

Everybody gets white spoons! 皆

In math, the "mean" of something is the average. In other words: the average is the mean of ("mean a") everything, everyone, or all of the data.

みなさん doesn't have the additional ん but みんな does.

いや can also be used to just mean 'no', usually いや is on it's own if you want to say no.
いや is more informal then いいえ.

It also conveys a stronger feeling than きらい. More like "disgusted".

Sounds like an exaggerated "yeeeah", when someone is hesitant on agreeing to something.

“いや” looks like a “thumbs down” hand (with some imagination)

eeeeee...yuck......I dislike that, I dont want to do it

"do you like my dress?"
"Eee.... Ya...?"

いt's a やk, not a donkey that you are disgusted by.

とめる is stop, (more often but not limited to) a temporary one like a stop sign, while やめる is quit (stop for good).
For example, テレビを止める
If you read it as とめる, it means to turn off the TV.
If you read it as やめる, it means to give up TV (stop watching it for good).

Notes on 止 ("Stop" Verbs)

とめる (Transitive): To stop something external
とまる (Intransitive): For something to come to a stop by itself.

やめる (Transitive): To stop an action that you are doing
やまる: Extremely rare in modern Japanese

止む (Intransitive): For a natural phenomenon or continuous state to cease on its own
止す (Transitive): A casual, often strong or imperative verb meaning "to quit (doing something)."

Stop yammering!

To quit (やめる, 辞める) is to stop (やめる, 止める) doing your job

If you don't cease and desist, you may rue (yumeru) your actions!

This CAMO outfit might make me invisible in the forest...

My friend MIGHT, MAYBE, be in those woods, but he’s wearing CAMO today, so it’s hard to tell.

The duck かも isn’t sure whether he is a land or water animal.

Can also mean "sorry" in casual conversation
e.g 悪いけど

Waluigi (わるいじ) from Mario is the "bad" version of Luigi.

‘Why ruin’ this and be bad

Be wary (warui) of *bad* people

WAR-ui is bad. Nobody likes WARui

Wario is evil/bad Mario

WARUI you doing? That's a bad decision!

Your painting turned out so good!

Really? I worry わるい that it’s BAD and UGLY...

Wah(わ) Nooo(る) that's Evil (い)

Remember as why わ are るい so weak

Wah ruins my day is bad stuff

言う (いう) is the most basic and neutral. It simply means to put something into words. It doesn't require a listener. The focus is on the verbalised words themselves.

これは日本語で何と言いますか？ = "How do you say this in Japanese?"

—————————

話す (はなす) shifts the focus toward communication. It normally assumes some kind of interaction or listener. It's what you use for speaking a language (日本語を話す) and for having a conversation (先生と話した).

少し日本語を話せます = "I can speak a little Japanese."

—————————

しゃべる is basically a casual version of 話す. It means to talk or chat, but it carries a lighter, sometimes slightly negative nuance. You wouldn't use it in formal situations.

彼はよくしゃべる = "He talks a lot" or "He chats a lot" (can be used in a negative sense).

—————————

語る (かたる) feels heavier and more deliberate. It's used when someone recounts something in a structured way—a story, a life experience, a belief system. It often has a literary, emotional, or thematic depth to it.

Both of these mean "I talk to my friend(s) about music", but the one using 語る implies a more deliberate, deeper conversation.

友達と音楽について語る。
友達と音楽について話す。

—————————

述べる (のべる) is formal and often appears in writing, speeches, or official contexts. It's commonly used with things like 意見 or 考え. It means to state or express something in a structured, often objective way.
You wouldn't normally use it in casual conversation with friends; it feels academic/formal.

自分の意見を述べた = "I expressed my opinion." (formal/structured)
自分の意見を言った = "I said my opinion." (casual/spoken)

—————————

Sources: [ja.hinative.com]| [www.youtube.com]| [japanese.stackexchange.com]

言う is sometime pronounced as ゆう instead of いう in casual situation

Frequently paired with particle と for use with quoting/describing: という
There's also a casual slang version of this pair: って

In modern Japanese, 言う is the standard and overwhelmingly dominant spelling, used in everyday writing, speech, media, and formal contexts.

云う, on the other hand, is a non-jōyō (常用漢字) variant that carries a more literary or old-fashioned tone. While some sources suggest a distinction—such as using 言う for one's own speech and 云う for quoting others—in practice this is not a strict or widely followed rule today.

Instead, 云う tends to appear occasionally in fiction or stylized writing where an author wants to evoke a certain nuance.

※ The quoting nuance comes form the meaning of the kanji (云) — 他を引用していう

Sources: [hinative.com] | [japanese.stackexchange.com]

did you hear what they said? ewwWWW!

Are you gonna just let her call IU that??? Say something!

the ambulance said, "iiiiiiiiiiiuuuuu......iiiiiiiiiiiiiuuuuu....".

yes I know ambulances don't speak but this one was in an emergency, so one has to improvise sometimes....

言って - ヨルシカ
Say It - Yorushika
________________________________

IU - or Lee Ji-eun
(South Korean Actress/Singer)

they say/utter/declare lots of things in the EU :)

Careful using this, I've heard its very rude!

Adding to the person above me:

If you use the formal version, I heard it is okay.
しぬ --> しにます
て form is okay too, it depends on the context. Of course you wouldn't say "Is it okay to die?" You could say "Dying is not allowed." (しんではいけません).
It gets tricky with the word しね. Do not use that one, it has the terrible meaning

When referring to someone who has passed away (died), it is more respectful to use 亡くなる (なくなる).

Adding to both people above me discussing how to use 死ぬ:

I watched an episode of "Learn Japanese from the News"* where they said that 死ぬ can be seen as a bit insensitive to use, and that most people use the word 亡くなる instead (but not with animals, for some reason). Like how in english people usually use "passed away" instead of "died".

*"Dog Parade Marks 100 Years Since Birth of Hachiko" (NHS)

死ぬほど○○ is quite common in casual Japanese and is often used figuratively as strong emphasis.

死ぬほどのどがかわいている。"I'm extremely thirsty".
死ぬほど好き。"I love you to death (extremely)".

Note: 死ぬほど is pretty much always figurative, so don't be alarmed when you encounter it.

PS: Another nice to know expression is 死ぬ気で — "all out, desperately".

しShe ぬknew her end was soon.

(you are already dead), well, said by someone who doesn't know japanese. "omae wa mou, SHINUdeiru". 死ぬ is also when "your entire (enTAHI, enタヒ) body is now below (一) the ground"

You remembered it wrong because you misread the ぬ as a め. But it's a verb. So it's unconjugated form has to end with an う-sound. So it can't be しめ but must be しぬ!

She was 123 years old so she knew (Shi-nu) she was gonna die soon

In the SHINING (しね) tons of people died

Fun fact: This verb is the only one in the entire Japanese language having a ぬ conjugation

Can be used interchangeably with ようだ – see note there.

‘Noun みたい’ is less formal than ‘Noun の よう’. (For the meaning ‘like’)

冷蔵庫 みたいに 大きい もの が ある と、 引っ越し が 大変 だね。
VS
デザート の よう な カロリー の 高い もの を 食べ過ぎる と、 体 に 悪い ですよ。

(Adapted from similar sentences in Try! N3)

I want this to look similar to something else (as in 見たい)

Your tie looks similar to me tie みたい.

There is a famous song from Yakuza 0 「馬鹿みたい.

ME TI I (me tie) is similar to that tie

Literally a combination of the copula だ and the quotation particle って. thus, i like to think of it as these two separate peices.

The sentence 大人だってまた少年になりたいよ means, "I'm an adult, but i wanna be a kid again!"
だ simply means "to be" as it always does, as in, "I am an adult"
って quotes this. It's like people are telling you, "You're an adult!" whether literally or not, and you want to make an argument against that.
thus, its more like,
"You're an adult!", they say... well i wanna be a kid again!
だって can also come at the beginning of a sentence. Let's say someone says they hate hairless cats. You could say,
だって毛皮ない猫も猫！全部の猫がかわいいのね!
Well, you say that, but hairless cats are still cats! and all cats are cute!
hope this helps^^

だって can also be used at the beginning of a sentence to mean "cause or cuz" it's a casual way of starting a sentence that's linked to a previous thought or conversation.

だって = contraction of the copula だ + って (a contraction of the quotation particle という). The だ refers to the preceding statement, while って denotes how "it was said".

Usage cases:
1) To imply "but". "だって _____" implies that the statement following だって adds information that's contrary to the impression given by the statement preceding だって. e.g. さくらがきれいだね. だってあたまがよくない = "Sakura is pretty, isn't she? But she's dumb."

2) To imply "because". Similar to its use as "but", だって ____ accepts the statement preceding it, but then provides an explanation in the following statement to contradict it. e.g. Someone says: "You haven't done much of your homework", and you reply, "Because you keep talking to me!"

3) To imply "even". e.g. 私だってできる = literally, "say it is me, I can do that" = "even I can do that". Carries a more dismissive tone than "私もできる", which just means neutrally "I can do that too".

You want to know why the doorknob 取って とって 🚪is covered in stamps 切手 きって ? Well だって it's just decoration 飾りだもん.