indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
scoring; score; points made; marks obtained; goals; runs
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
sweeping victory; easy victory
Kashima Antlers (Japanese pro soccer team)
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to pull apart; to separate; to draw; to tie (a game)
good; advantage; sake; purpose; consequence; result
goal difference; goal differential
to exceed (esp. figures: profits, unemployment rate, etc.); to surpass; to be more than; to be better than
(sudden) change; reversal; turn-around; coming from behind (baseball)
one's dearest wish; Buddha's vow to save humanity
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
first championship win (esp. sumo)
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 seize; to catch; to obtain; to acquire; to understand; to grasp
this; this one; this person; now; this point (in time); here; used to stress the subject of a sentence
troubled times; turbulent times
to live; to exist; to make a living; to subsist; to be in effect; to be in use
one person; being alone; being by oneself; being single; being unmarried; by oneself
common foot soldier (feudal Japan); samurai of the lowest rank
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
that; the; part (as in "part two"); um ...; er ...
ordinary; common; free of charge; unaffected; as is; only
intently; single-mindedly; devotedly; solely; earnestly; with all one's heart
country in civil war; country disarrayed by war; Warring States period (Japan, China); competiton in which there are several evenly-matched participants; hotly-contested game (match, market, etc.)
wasteland; wilderness; deserted land; prairie; vast plain; wilds
to run about; to rush about
lovely; dear; beloved; pitiable; pitiful
person; someone; human beings; mankind; human (Homo sapiens); (other) people; others
to protect; to guard; to defend; to keep (i.e. a promise); to abide (by the rules); to observe
to continue; to keep up; to keep on
young lady of noble birth; princess (esp. in Western contexts, tales, etc.); girl; small; cute; (arch.) prostitute
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
wrong; not good; hopeless; past hope; must not do
the expectation is that ...; the reason is that ...; the fact is that ...; the explanation is that ...; it is that ...
feeling; sensation; preparedness; readiness; thought; sentiment
to change; to be transformed; to move to; to be different; to be uncommon
anywhere; for all time; through thick and thin; come hell or high water; persistently; stubbornly
but; however; (and) yet; nevertheless; still; for all that
to; for; in order to; for; as for; regarding
secret; secrecy; mystery; secret (e.g. to success); esoteric teachings