black ships; Western ships that came to Japan between the 16th and 19th centuries, esp. those of the Perry Expedition in 1853; foreign disruptor (of the Japanese market); product, person, etc. arriving from the West and disturbing the Japanese market
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
smuggling (people); stowing away
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
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
bush clover; Japanese clover (any flowering plant of genus Lespedeza); dark red exterior with blue interior (color combination worn in autumn); Hagi (city in Yamaguchi)
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
hills and fields; hill and dale
imprisonment; incarceration
to have been decided (so) that; to have been arranged (so) that; to be the result (of); to be the outcome; to be the reason (for)
teacher; instructor; sensei; title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc.; intimate or teasing form of address; (arch.) one's elder
(social) standing; status; identity; birth; one's circumstances; one's means
low (rank, degree, value, content, quality, etc.); low (position); close to the ground; short (height); deep (voice); in a low key
road; path; route; way; distance; journey; road (e.g. to victory)
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 separate (by distance, time, etc.); to isolate; to interpose; to have between; to alienate; to estrange
caves dug as tombs in and around Kamakura during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods
to throw; to cast (e.g. vote, light, shadow); to devote oneself (e.g. to a cause); to invest; to put in; to administer (medicine); to give
heavy; weighty; heavy (feeling); depressed; slow; sluggish; important (position, responsibility, etc.)
illness; disease; bad habit; weakness; fault
to suffer; to groan; to be worried
bowstring; string (of shamisen, guitar, violin, etc.); bail (arched pot handle); diagonal levelling wire across the top of a masu
to come down; to go down; to hang; to dangle; to move back; to step back; to deteriorate
sentence; composition; text; the literary arts (as opposed to the military arts); academia; statement
inside; within; while (e.g. one is young); during; among; amongst; in (secret, chaos, poverty, etc.)
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
hands and feet; limbs; person at one's beck and call; person at hand; reliable worker
to become; to get; to result in; to turn out; to consist of; to be composed of; to be completed
to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
to say; to be called; to do
pleased to make your acquaintance
existence; possession; having; limited company
next (to); adjoining; adjacent; house next door; neighbouring house; next-door neighbour
to sleep; to die; to rest (in peace); to lie idle (e.g. of resources); to lie unused; (arch.) to close one's eyes
to shut one's eyes; to ignore; to pretend not to know; to die
yes; yeah; huh?; what?; not; 's
here; this place; this point; here; these past ... (e.g. three years); these last ...
ordinary; common; free of charge; unaffected; as is; only