important position; strategic point; important point; main point; essentials
to give a warning; to remind (a person) of; (lit.) to drive in a nail
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
gradually; by degrees; little by little; step by step
to encamp; to take up positions
last week; the week before
plectrum (for a shamisen, biwa, etc.); pick; drumstick (for taiko); mallet (for a gong); beater
door (esp. Japanese-style); shutter; window shutter; (arch.) entrance (to a home); (arch.) narrows
arranged; taken care of; settled; completed; finished
lesson; class; teaching; instruction; classwork; schoolwork
third-year student; third-year pupil
second; number two; runner-up
former; previous; old; first move (in go, shogi, etc.); opening move
to distort; to strain (an interpretation); to stretch (the meaning of a word)
quantity; amount; volume; number; amount of money
progress; advance; improvement; development
sample; specimen; pattern; model; example
measuring container; measuring box; box (seating at a theatre, etc.); square on a grid; cell of a grid
to measure; to weigh; to survey; to conjecture; to infer; to surmise
busy; hectic; frantic; restless; hurried; fidgety
to cut; to cut through; to sever (connections, ties); to turn off (e.g. the light); to terminate (e.g. a conversation); to hang up (the phone); to punch (a ticket)
speciality; specialty; special subject of study; sole interest; single focus; concentrating exclusively on
warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; person with a strong backbone; person that does incredible things; person of considerable talent
like terms; similar terms; same kind; same class
sword play; samurai drama
actor; actress; player; performer
vengeance; revenge; retaliation
to warm oneself; to sun oneself; to warm up; to get warm
conscious; deliberate; intentional
to win favour; to win favor
warm; mild; (pleasantly) hot