thunder; thunderclap; crash of thunder
barbarian tribes surrounding ancient China
flute; fife; pipe; whistle
pleasant smell; aroma; fragrance; pleasant-smelling vegetation
twilight; time for disasters (similar to 'the witching hour' but not midnight)
indicates a question; or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); hmm; huh; very
who cares?; I don't give a damn; what does it matter?
theme; topic; subject matter; motif; project; slogan
this; this one; this person; now; this point (in time); here; used to stress the subject of a sentence
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
Bakumatsu period; closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate; end of the Edo period
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
world; society; life; lifetime; age; era; reign
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
sword (esp. a large, double-edged one); blade; bayonet; swordsmanship; stinger; ovipositor
to live; to exist; to make a living; to subsist; to be in effect; to be in use
to fall (e.g. blossoms, leaves); to scatter; to be dispersed; to disappear; to dissolve; to spread
to go; to move (in a direction or towards a specific location); to proceed; to take place; to pass through; to come and go; to walk
end; conclusion; last; final; no sooner than; once
pluralizing suffix (esp. for people and animals; formerly honorific)
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
honorific/polite/humble prefix
warrior (esp. of military retainers of daimyos in the Edo period); samurai; (arch.) man in attendance (on a person of high standing); (arch.) retainer
Mr.; Mrs.; makes a word more polite (usu. in fixed expressions); state; situation
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
to hear; to listen (e.g. to music); to ask; to enquire; to hear about; to hear of; to follow (advice, order, etc.)
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as
to see; to look; to examine; to look over; to look after; to attend to; to experience
for the first time; only after ... is it ...; only when ... do you ...; first time; (one's) first
called; named; as many as; as much as; all ...; every single ...
a little; a bit; just a minute; for a moment; somewhat; rather; (not) easily
lonely; lonesome; solitary; desolate
tone color; tone colour; tone quality; timbre
to; for; in order to; for; as for; regarding
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.
the expectation is that ...; the reason is that ...; the fact is that ...; the explanation is that ...; it is that ...
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
no; nay; well; er; you're welcome; not at all
why?; what for?; how?; by what means?
superstition; superstitious belief
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
inner part; inside; interior; depths (e.g. of a forest); back (of a house, drawer, etc.); bottom (e.g. of one's heart)