preeminence; supremacy; distinction; excellence
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
to mince; to cut fine; to carve; to engrave; to tick away (time); to beat out (e.g. rhythm); to etch (into one's mind)
tattoo (esp. not traditional Japanese)
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
to call out (to); to call; to summon (a doctor, etc.); to invite; to designate; to name; to garner (support, etc.)
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
to challenge to (a fight, game, etc.); to throw down the gauntlet; to tackle (e.g. a problem); to attempt; to pressure (someone) for sex; to make advances to
putting one's life on the line; staking one's life (on); risking one's life; life and death situation
confession; acknowledgement; confession of love; professing one's feelings; confession of sins (e.g. the confessional)
behind; rear; after; later; remainder; the rest; more (e.g. five more minutes)
to pass (the night); to spend; to reveal; to divulge; to prove; to verify
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
always; all the time; never; usual; regular
elder brother; one's senior; older man; man older than oneself
talk; speech; topic; subject; discussions; negotiation; rumor
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to be (of animate objects); to exist; to stay; to be ...-ing; to have been ...-ing
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as
supporting role (actor); minor role
to become; to get; to result in; to turn out; to consist of; to be composed of; to be completed
to finish; to end; to merely result in something less severe than expected; to feel at ease; to feel unease or guilt for troubling someone; to be sorry
although; despite; whereas; while; if only; I wish
don't; do; hey; listen; now, ...; well, ...
man; male; fellow; guy; male lover; boyfriend
indicates a question; or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); hmm; huh; very
but; however; even; however; no matter how; ... or something; either ... or ...
review (of learned material); revision
to do; to undertake; to send; to dispatch; to put; to move; to give (esp. to someone of equal or lower status)
to see; to look; to examine; to look over; to look after; to attend to; to experience
to finish; to stop; to close (a business, etc.); to close down; to put away; to put back
the expectation is that ...; the reason is that ...; the fact is that ...; the explanation is that ...; it is that ...
suspicious; dubious; doubtful; unsure; untrustworthy; unreliable; strange
weird; ominous; eerie; uncanny; ghastly
two persons; two people; pair; couple
relation; relationship; participation; involvement; influence; effect
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.
Mr.; Mrs.; Miss; politeness marker
what's the matter?; what's wrong?; what happened (to) ...?; what have you done (with) ...?; where is ...?
no; nay; well; er; you're welcome; not at all
guy; fellow; chap; bastard; asshole; arsehole