indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question
request; favour (to ask); wish; please
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
today; this day; these days; recently; nowadays
only; just; merely; as much as; to the extent of; enough to
together (with); at the same time; in a lump
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
to go to and from (a place); to go back and forth between; to go to (school, work, etc.); to attend; to circulate (e.g. blood, electricity); to be communicated (e.g. thought)
this; last (couple of years, etc.); these; you (as in "you liar")
place; location; room; space; basho; wrestling tournament
indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
two persons; two people; pair; couple
to do; to carry out; to cause to become; to make (into); to serve as; to act as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
honorific/polite/humble prefix
study; diligence; discount; reduction
provision of lunch (e.g. at office, school, etc.); providing a meal; lunch service
to eat; to live on (e.g. a salary); to live off; to subsist on
cleaning; sweeping; dusting; scrubbing
and; and then; thus; and now; and finally
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
to return; to come home; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate
this sort of; this kind of; like this; such
no good; not serving its purpose; hopeless; wasted; cannot; must not
I wonder; should I?; is it?; I wish that; I hope that
promise; agreement; convention; rule; destiny; fate
to be able (in a position) to do; to be up to the task; to be ready; to be completed; to be made; to be built; to be good at
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; circumstances; situation; work
any; anything; whatever; I am told; I hear; I understand
to grant (request, wish); to answer (prayer); to fulfill (conditions); to meet (requirements)
you said; he said; if ... then; do you seriously think that; I already told you; you should know by now that; the said ...
from now; from the present moment; from this time forward; henceforth
here; this place; this point; here; these past ... (e.g. three years); these last ...
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
severe; strict; hard (to do); difficult; intense (e.g. cold); harsh (weather)
school rules; school regulations
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as
to decide; to choose; to clinch (a victory); to decide (the outcome of a match); to persist in doing; to go through with; to always do
nonexistent; not being (there); unowned; not had; unique; not; impossible
homework; assignment; pending issue; unresolved problem; open question
of course; certainly; naturally
without; unacceptable; not alright; unsatisfactory
examination; quiz; test; tryout; rehearsal (in filming)