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I've been using the 10k Core Anki set to practice and it seems very well-
vetted and written. However it translates 「ティッシュを取ってください」 as "Please pass me a
tissue" whereas I would have expected "Please take a tissue." Deepl.com also
produced "Please pass me a tissue." Is this typical? Could it be used in other
scenarios as well?
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2021-07-15T19:23:00.780
87516
2022-02-23T20:05:45.550
2022-01-24T17:27:07.467
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question
meaning translation
Can 取る be used to mean "to pass" or "to give"?
As you may already know Japanese has a lot of peculiar nuances. In this case
it's somewhat contextual.

If you are out of reach of a box of tissue and you are asking someone to pass
you a tissue then there is an implication that you would like a tissue.
Therefore the sentence "ティッシュを取ってください" is more akin to "Can you pick up a
tissue [for me]?".

On the other hand if you are gesturing and holding a box of tissue in front of
someone the same sentence could also literally mean "Please take a tissue" as
you rightly guessed.

Regarding it's usage in other scenarios perhaps it makes more sense to look at
the root sentence "ティッシュを取り出す". Here we can make note that "取る" signifies the
action of pulling/picking a tissue out of the box.

Therefore you can use "取る" to refer to any action that involves plucking or
picking up something. For example "引き出しからフォークを取ってください" (Please take a fork
from the drawer).

However if an object is simply being passed to you it would be strange to use
"取る", instead we would use the term "渡す" ( _watasu_ - To hand over). For
example "鉛筆を渡してください" (Please pass [me] a pencil).

It is possible to completely omit the action and simply say "ティッシュをください"
(Please give me a tissue). This would make more sense in the context of a
restaurant where you may not physically see them retrieve the tissue.

As a rule of thumb "取る" is generally used when a container of some sort is
involved, but confusingly it can also be used to pick things up from a table,
shelf, etc. For new learners trying to navigate casual conversation it may be
useful to omit these action descriptions that often have to be memorized.
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2021-07-15T23:16:59.803
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2021-07-16T02:46:25.067
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answer