15893
I realized I didn't know the Japanese word for the concept which has three
very interchangeable words: "kind", "sort", and "type".

By looking in my usual resources such as WWWJDIC, English Wiktionary, and
Googling, I found three candidates for the Japanese word or words I should use
for this:

  * 分類{ぶんるい}
  * 種類{しゅるい}
  * 類い{たぐい}

Each has at least some other functions, just as each of the three English
words do. But for this function are they equivalent, is one or the other not
really this meaning, too rare or technical, etc, or have a missed altogether a
better term for this job?

Here's some random uses I found via Google to illustrate the common sense I
have in mind:

  * not that **kind** of girl
  * What **kind** of man are you?
  * These aren't the **sort** of things you imagine happening to someone like you.
  * The Bunker Diary is the **sort** of book you just want to talk about for ages.
  * This book will tell you what **type** of work environment you need.
  * The health care provider will choose the best **type** of insulin for you ...
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-12T04:53:50.810
15890
2014-05-12T06:55:59.717
2014-05-12T05:42:15.303
125
125
question
word-choice nuances synonyms nouns
分類{ぶんるい} / 種類{しゅるい} / 類い{たぐい} ～ "kind" / "sort" / "type"
たぐい is the only word that's interchangeable to 'kind' or 'sort'. 'type' is
タイプ. 分類 and 種類 are close to 'category'. In addition, you can say その手の人 for
"that kind of person".
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2014-05-12T05:21:07.920
15891
2014-05-12T05:21:07.920
4092
15890
answer
Don't forget about words like そんな, どういう, あのような, etc! I think you mostly don't
need a separate noun.

For a sense like

> The health care provider will choose the best **type** of insulin for you
> ...

where there may be specific describable "versions" or "types" of something
that come to mind (with different purposes etc.), 種類 seems like a good fit. It
doesn't seem to apply well to people.

分類 feels more like "category" or "classification"... a bit more technical. You
can use it when you talk about what group something falls into. It can also be
used as a verb, unlike the other two.

たぐい is a generally applicable word for "kind" -- but maybe a bit verbose
feeling since you introduce an unnecessary noun? その類の話・人. You're explicitly
categorizing by introducing the noun and yet being vague at the same time by
using "that kind" instead of saying what you really mean, so it has the
potential to imply a stereotype or be a bit judgmental... hmm. It's not always
like that though, and is probably the closest to "kind" as a noun.

Not a native speaker so I hope my intuition isn't too wrong on this one.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-05-12T06:55:59.717
15893
2014-05-12T06:55:59.717
315
15890
answer