giant butterbur (Petasites japonicus); Japanese sweet coltsfoot
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
new leaves; young leaves; fresh verdure
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
spring; springtime; New Year; prime (of life); height (of one's prosperity); adolescence
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to play (games, sports); to enjoy oneself; to mess about (with alcohol, gambling, philandery, etc.); to be idle; to do nothing; to meet up (with friends); to hang out
while; during; while; although; all; both
between-meal snack; mid-afternoon (around 3 o'clock) snack; afternoon refreshment; afternoon tea
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
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.)
the expectation is that ...; the reason is that ...; the fact is that ...; the explanation is that ...; it is that ...
but; however; even; however; no matter how; ... or something; either ... or ...
mouth; opening; hole; mouth (of a bottle); spout; gate; door
circumference; girth; surroundings; neighbourhood; people surrounding oneself; surrounding circumstances
to become; to get; to result in; to turn out; to consist of; to be composed of; to be completed
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
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.
to eat; to live on (e.g. a salary); to live off; to subsist on
to understand; to comprehend; to become clear; to be known; I know!; I think so too!
to finish; to stop; to close (a business, etc.); to close down; to put away; to put back
to; for; from the standpoint of; as far as ... is concerned
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
only; just; merely; as much as; to the extent of; enough to
alternately; by turns; one after the other
to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to come back; to do ... and come back; to come to be; to become
mountain; hill; mine (e.g. coal mine); heap; pile; crown (of a hat); thread (of a screw)
man; male; fellow; guy; male lover; boyfriend
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
ice; shaved ice (usually served with flavored simple syrup)
to be solved; to be resolved; to loosen; to come untied; to be removed (of restrictions); to be lifted (e.g. a ban)
water (esp. cool, fresh water, e.g. drinking water); fluid (esp. in an animal tissue); liquid; flood; floodwaters; water offered to wrestlers just prior to a bout
when it becomes; when it comes to
called; named; as many as; as much as; all ...; every single ...
female; woman; female sex; female lover; girlfriend; mistress
such things as ...; and ... and; the minute (that) ...; no sooner than ...; be; is; o
wild grasses; field grass; wildflowers
a lot; lots; enough; sufficient; enough; too many