indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
police officer; policeman; constable
murder; killing; murderer
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
crime; sin; penalty; sentence; fault; responsibility
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
Kyūshū (southernmost of the four main islands of Japan)
north; the North; northern territories; North Korea; (arch.) north wind
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
penal servitude; serving time in prison; military service; forced labor; compulsory service
daughter; girl (i.e. a young, unmarried woman)
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
heart disease; heart trouble; cardiopathy
behind; rear; after; later; remainder; the rest; more (e.g. five more minutes)
life; life force; lifetime; lifespan; most important thing; foundation
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
to be aware of; to know; to notice; to feel; to understand; to comprehend; to remember
companion; fellow; group; company; member of the same category (family, class)
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
escaping from prison; jailbreak
flight; desertion; escape
medium; average; moderation; middle school; China; volume two (of three); during (a certain time when one did or is doing something)
to meet (by chance); to come across; to meet (e.g. of rivers, highways, etc.); to emerge and engage (an enemy)
little girl; maiden; young lady; (arch.) female between 17 and 20 years old (ritsuryo period)
cherry tree; cherry blossom; fake buyer; paid audience; hired applauder; horse meat
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 add to one's circle of friends (or colleagues, etc.); to take in; to accept
pluralizing suffix (esp. for people and animals; formerly honorific)
Okayama (city, prefecture)
Osaka (city); (arch.) large hill
to bury (e.g. in the ground); to fill up (e.g. audience fills a hall); to cause to be packed; to plug (a gap); to stop (a gap); to make up for (a loss, shortage, etc.); to make amends
10^8; 100,000,000; hundred million
yen (Japanese monetary unit); circle
good; advantage; sake; purpose; consequence; result
Shikoku (smallest of the four main islands of Japan)
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
Okayama prefecture (Chūgoku area)
Kurashiki (city); storage charges
to aim at (for, to do, to become); to try for; to have an eye on; to go toward; to head for