Question 1

What is the function of の in この店の雑誌?

Accepted Answer

の here is the genitive (possessive) particle. It links two nouns, 店 and 雑誌, to show a relationship. In this case it means “the magazines of this store” or simply “this store’s magazines.”

Question 2

Why is は used after 雑誌 instead of が?

Accepted Answer

は marks the topic of the sentence—the thing we’re talking about—namely この店の雑誌. Using が would mark 雑誌 as the subject and often emphasize it as new information. は is more neutral and sets the context for the comparison that follows.

Question 3

How does より work in 書店より?

Accepted Answer

より is the comparative particle meaning “than.” You place the standard of comparison before より. So 書店より translates to “than (at) a bookstore.”

Question 4

Why is the adjective 安い followed by です? Can we omit です?

Accepted Answer

安い is an i-adjective that can stand alone as a predicate:  
　　この店の雑誌は書店より五パーセント安い。  
Adding です makes the sentence polite:  
　　この店の雑誌は書店より五パーセント安いです。  
In casual speech you can drop です for brevity.

Question 5

Why is 五パーセント written in kanji instead of using the symbol %?

Accepted Answer

Japanese often spells out パーセント instead of using “%,” and numbers can be in kanji (五) or Arabic numerals (5). Writing 五パーセント is a stylistic choice—5パーセント or 5% are also perfectly acceptable, especially in informal or digital contexts.

Question 6

Why is the word order 書店より五パーセント安い instead of mirroring English “five percent cheaper than at a bookstore”?

Accepted Answer

Japanese follows a modifier-first (SOV) structure:
- 書店より (“than a bookstore”) is the comparison standard.
- 五パーセント安い (“five percent cheap”) is the adjective phrase.
In English, degree (“five percent”) appears before the comparative adjective (“cheaper”), but in Japanese both the comparison marker and degree phrase precede the adjective.

Question 7

What’s the difference between 書店 and 本屋?

Accepted Answer

- 書店 is more formal or literary—common in written language and business.  
- 本屋 is casual and conversational.  
Both mean “bookstore,” but choice of word affects tone.

Question 8

Could we use で instead of の in この店の雑誌?

Accepted Answer

No. で marks location or means (“at this store,” “by means of”), not possession or modification.  
Saying この店で雑誌 would mean “magazines at this store,” changing the nuance (and would need a verb like 買う: この店で雑誌を買う).

Question 9

What’s the nuance of comparing with より versus と比べて?

Accepted Answer

- より is concise: AはBより安い (“A is cheaper than B”).  
- と比べて (short for ～と比べれば) is more explicit: AはBと比べて安い (“Compared to B, A is cheap”).  
Use と比べて when you want to emphasize the act of comparison or when comparing longer phrases.

Question 10

How would you say the opposite, “The magazines in this store are five percent more expensive than at the bookstore”?

Accepted Answer

Replace 安い with 高い (expensive):  
　　この店の雑誌は書店より五パーセント高いです。

kono mise no zassi ha syoten yori gopaasento yasui desu.

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