3778
In my JLPT practise book, there is a section demonstrating the difference
between `なぐる`, `たたく`, `打{う}つ`, and `ぶつ`. If I understand them, they are all
variants of "hit", with subtle nuances to differentiate them.

I have this example explaining the use of `ぶつ`:

> いたずらをした子供{こども}は、母親{ははおや}にお尻{しり}をぶたれた。

And then I have this question:

> なまけ者{もの}の弟{おとうと}は人{ひと}から尻{しり}を_ ** ___ __**_ないと、なかなか仕事{しごと}をしない。
>
> **A** ぶたれ **B** たたかれ **C** 打{う}たれ **D** なぐられ

I chose **A** , which means I fell unto the usual JLPT trap where they
deliberately mislead with similar contexts. D'oh!

Still, in any case, I can't see why **B** is a better answer. In fact, the
subtleties of difference make me unsure why any of them are not appropriate.

What makes **B** the right answer, and the rest wrong?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-11-21T07:55:55.317
3769
2011-11-22T05:07:54.253
2011-11-22T03:26:14.943
119
119
question
word-choice jlpt
たたく versus ぶつ in a JLPT question
* **尻をぶつ** :

> Means to spank someone as punishment for something which has been done (in
> the first case because of naughtiness.)

  * **尻をたたく** :

> Means to give someone a good hiding without those connotations (in that case
> because of laziness.)

  * **打つ** :

> Doesn't work because `ぶつ` is used for people and `打つ` for inanimate things.

  * **殴る** :

> Doesn't work because it's more for violently hitting/continuous beating of
> someone with a stick/fist etc.

`なまけ者` means "lazy person" and `なかなか仕事をしない` means "the (younger brother) stays
lazy" in this context I believe, so the sentence would translate to "unless
the lazy younger brother is given a good hiding, he stays lazy."
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-11-21T14:21:03.787
3778
2011-11-22T05:07:54.253
2011-11-22T05:07:54.253
796
796
3769
answer
尻をたたく is an idiom, sort of like English "kick in the pants". Consider:

> My lazy little brother never does any work until someone gives him a good
> kick in the pants.

You wouldn't interpret this as _literal_ brutality, just forceful
reminding/urging. Same goes for 尻をたたく, at least in this case, and you can tell
because of context: it just seems really unlikely that modern-day training
materials for a nice upper-middle-class test like JLPT(N1) would present
stories of someone's brother getting _literally_ beaten by unnamed third
parties simply for being lazy.

I also think that when talking about someone _else's_ butt in the context of
literal butt-spanking (i.e. not using a set idiom like 尻をたたく) you would tend
to use お尻, not just 尻.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-11-22T03:05:47.663
3780
2011-11-22T03:05:47.663
531
3769
answer