first shrine visit of New Year
miko; shrine maiden; young girl or woman (trad. an unmarried virgin) who assists priests at shrines; medium; sorceress; shamaness
to measure; to weigh; to survey; to conjecture; to infer; to surmise
to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate
at last; finally; barely; narrowly; just
just like that; in the twinkling of an eye; in the blink of an eye; (lit.) in the time it takes to say "ah!"
negligence; carelessness; inattention; unpreparedness
eating between meals; snacking
senryū; comic haiku; humorous seventeen-mora poem
kilo-; 1000; kilogram; kilogramme; kilometre; kilometer
top and bottom; high and low; going up and down; rising and falling; going and coming back; upper and lower classes
purpose; goal; aim; objective; intention
massage (esp. anma, a traditional form of Japanese massage); masseur; masseuse; (arch.) blind person
difference; variation; difference
now rejoicing, now worrying; swinging from joy to sorrow; glad and sad by turns; alternating hope and fear; unable to put one's mind at ease
such (about the actions of the listener, or about ideas expressed or understood by the listener); like that; that sort of
nine (in mekuri karuta); oicho-kabu (traditional Japanese gambling card game)
is not; am not; are not; isn't it?
brat; kid; urchin; preta; hungry ghost
role; assignment; position (of responsibility); post; part (in a play, film, etc.); role
to descend (e.g. a mountain); to go down; to alight (e.g. from bus); to get off; to step down; to retire; to be granted
I'm sorry; (it's) inexcusable; thank you very much (for help, etc.)
the best one can do; one's best effort; with all one's might; to the best of one's ability
ta-dah!; ta-da!; tada!; voilà
November; eleventh month of the lunar calendar
number; edition; sobriquet; pen-name; size (of printing types, canvases, knitting needles, etc.); suffix attached to names of ships, trains, airplanes, etc.
joke; pun; jest; smartly dressed; stylish; fashion-conscious
action of making something; -ification
another (person); the other person; one more (person)
a lot; lots; enough; sufficient; enough; too many
honorific/polite/humble prefix; honorific suffix
mammoth (esp. the woolly mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius)
strict; rigid; exact; fair; impartial
judging; inspection; examination; investigation; review
something going right into or coming right out of a place where it fits snugly
Saitama prefecture (Kanto area)
good luck; fortune; happiness; harvest; yield