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
high-ranking noh actor; head of a school of noh performance; high ranking courtesan (esp. in Yoshiwara) (Edo-period); jōruri narrator; manzai narrator; female role actor in kabuki; low ranking priest in a Shinto shrine
one; 1; best; first; foremost; beginning; start
from now; from the present moment; from this time forward; henceforth
20 years old; (arch.) twenty
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
remainder; remnant; (not) very; (not) much; too much; excessively
any; anything; whatever; I am told; I hear; I understand
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
the seven spring flowers; the seven fall flowers; the seven autumn flowers; the seventh of January; Festival of Seven Herbs
past; after; too (much); over- (e.g. eating)
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
memory; recollection; remembrance; storage
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
old person; senior citizen; the aged; the elderly
house; residence; family; household; lineage; family name
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 ask; to enquire; to inquire; to search; to look for; to look into
detective story (esp. one from the Edo period featuring thief-takers); detective's memoirs; thief taker's memoirs
materials; ingredients; material (for a novel, experiment, etc.); subject matter; grounds (for a decision, judgement, etc.); basis
(how) many times; (how) often
indicates a question; or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); hmm; huh; very
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
to talk; to speak; to tell; to explain; to speak (a language)
to hear; to listen (e.g. to music); to ask; to enquire; to hear about; to hear of; to follow (advice, order, etc.)
to give; to let (one) have; to give; to do for one; to take the trouble to do; to do to someone's disadvantage
that being the case; because of ...; the reason is ...; given that ...
today; this day; these days; recently; nowadays
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as
beginning of the year; new year; New Year's call; New Year's greetings
thanks; gratitude; manners; etiquette; bow; reward; gift
to be unable to; to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do; to serve two or more functions or roles simultaneously; to contain (or combine) two or more features; to work in two or more jobs simultaneously (positions, etc.); to do alongside
foxtail millet (Setaria italica); Italian millet (also Hungarian, German)
good; excellent; sufficient; enough; profitable (deal, business offer, etc.); beneficial
again; once more; also; too; on the other hand; while; and
what; you-know-what; that thing; whatsit; whachamacallit; (not) at all; (not) in the slightest
old tale; folk tale; legend; reminiscence
to get information out of a person; to begin listening
skilfulness; skillfulness; cleverness
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
to blow (of the wind); to blow (one's breath); to breathe out; to play (a wind instrument); to blow (a whistle, trumpet, etc.); to emit (smoke, fire, etc.); to spout