bamboo (any grass of subfamily Bambusoideae); middle (of a three-tier ranking system)
Battle of Sekigahara (1600)
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
behind; rear; after; later; remainder; the rest; more (e.g. five more minutes)
world; society; life; lifetime; age; era; reign
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
Mr.; Mrs.; makes a word more polite (usu. in fixed expressions); state; situation
the whole world; the whole country; society; the public; supremacy over a nation; government of a country; having one's own way
to change; to be transformed; to move to; to be different; to be uncommon
to be doing; to be in the process of doing
direction; way; side (of an argument, etc.); one's part; type; category; field (of study, etc.)
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
honorific/polite/humble prefix
friend; ally; supporter; taking sides with; supporting; standing by
territory; fiefdom; feudal domain
88 years old; (arch.) rice
mountain stream; valley; dale; wetlands; swamp; marsh
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
now; the present time; just now; another; more
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 raise; to rear; to train; to teach; to promote the growth of; to nurture
to be (animate); to be; to be ..ing; to (have the audacity to) do
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
Kanazawa (city in Ishikawa)
to return; to come home; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate
soon; shortly; before long; nearly; almost
Dewa (former province located in present-day Yamagata and Akita prefectures)
country; state; region; national government; central government; home (i.e. hometown, home country); (arch.) province (of Japan)
also; too; not ... either; (it's not possible) no matter what; although one might wish otherwise
finally; at last; barely; narrowly; gradually; little by little
spring; springtime; New Year; prime (of life); height (of one's prosperity); adolescence
to visit; to call on; to arrive (season, time, situation, etc.); to come; (arch.) to make a sound; (arch.) to send a letter
to try to ...; to be about to do ...; to decide to ...; to take as; to treat as; to use for; to suppose that (such) is the case
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume); Japanese plum; ume; lowest (of a three-tier ranking system)
flower; blossom; cherry blossom; beauty; blooming (esp. of cherry blossoms); ikebana; hanafuda
to wait for a long time; to wait and wait; to eagerly await
to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to come back; to do ... and come back; to come to be; to become
right?; isn't it?; hey; say; you know; you see; will you?
yes; that is correct; understood; I see; present; here; pardon?
wife; (arch.) my dear; (arch.) dear; garnish (esp. one served with sashimi); embellishment
to become; to get; to result in; to turn out; to consist of; to be composed of; to be completed