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Sometimes I come across an English phrase that looks a bit odd, and I wonder
if it's based on some Japanese phrase unbeknownst to me. Assuming that such a
question would make sense, how can I ask an average Japanese-speaker, as
opposed to a linguist, about this?

For example, if I came across "a carp laid on a chopping block", or "steel and
rice coalition", and there was some reason I suspected it was based on
Japanese, how would I ask them about it in Japanese?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-28T12:37:14.343
39550
2016-09-30T00:42:51.570
2016-09-29T01:29:41.683
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question
phrase-requests terminology
How can I ask if an English phrase is based on some Japanese phrase?
* 日本語由来の言葉ですか？ ("Is the phrase Japanese-origin?")
  * 元は日本語ですか？ ("Is the origin Japanese?")
  * 日本語のことわざですか？ ("Is that a Japanese proverb?")
  * どこの国の言い方ですか？ ("A way of saying of what country is it?")

You can also use 慣用句 (="idiomatic phrase"), but this may sound a bit too stiff
in casual conversations.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-29T01:29:16.210
39557
2016-09-29T01:29:16.210
5010
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answer
Another alternative: "その表現、もともと日本語でした？”
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-30T00:42:51.570
39573
2016-09-30T00:42:51.570
15819
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answer