Why isn't the verb "to have" common in Japanese and how do people phrase things without using it?


In any previous language I have studied (mostly European languages), the verb
"to have" is always one of the top 5 most common verbs alongside others like
_to be_ , _to go_ , _to come_ , etc. In Japanese, this doesn't seem to be the
case, judging from word frequency and suggested lists of "most important
verbs." Apparently _motsu_ is simply not as common in Japanese as _to have_ is
in English, or _avoir_ in French, and so on.

This is very counterintuitive for me. How do people phrase simple common
things such as "Do you have five dollars?"




> Do you have 5 dollars?  
>  Yes, thanks for asking.

Not really what you meant to ask. I don't know how a Japanese person would
actually respond if you asked:

> 5ドル持っていますか

But I'm sure it would be more polite to ask:

> Will you lend me five dollars?  
>  5ドル貸してもらえますか (Can I receive the benefit of you lending me 5 dollars)

Not really sure what your question is. But 'have' can have many different
meanings, and there is no reason that all the meanings should map to the same
word in Japanese. I assume that いる/ある are pretty high on your list of common
verbs though.




> Do you have 5 dollars?  
>  Yes, thanks for asking.

Not really what you meant to ask. I don't know how a Japanese person would
actually respond if you asked:

> 5ドル持っていますか

But I'm sure it would be more polite to ask:

> Will you lend me five dollars?  
>  5ドル貸してもらえますか (Can I receive the benefit of you lending me 5 dollars)

Not really sure what your question is. But 'have' can have many different
meanings, and there is no reason that all the meanings should map to the same
word in Japanese. I assume that いる/ある are pretty high on your list of common
verbs though.

