indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
friend; companion; comrade; accompaniment; companion (e.g. book); complement
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
han (estate of a daimyo in the Edo and early Meiji periods); feudal domain; fief; province
indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; indicates a confident conclusion; indicates emotional emphasis; indicates question
reform; reformation; reorganization
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.
life; life force; lifetime; lifespan; most important thing; foundation
at; in; at; when; by; with; so
to plan; to attempt; to plot; to conspire; to aim for; to strive for
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as
will (esp. of shogun); decree; emperor's wishes
to attack; to destroy; to defeat; to conquer; to avenge
at; in; to; toward; to; for; because of
to do; to carry out; to cause to become; to make (into); to serve as; to act as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
festivities; celebration; wedding; marriage ceremony
to be temperate in; to refrain; to make notes; to jot down (e.g. phone number); to be in preparation for; to be in waiting for
if; when; and; as well as; with; together with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.)
to part (usu. of people); to part from; to separate (of a couple); to break up; to lose (e.g. one's mother); to be bereaved
to throw away; to cast away; to abandon; to desert; to give up; to resign
Edo (shogunate capital; former name of Tokyo); Yedo
quiet (place); still; silent; inconspicuously; modestly; quietly
to disappear into; to be lost in; to do something under the cover of (confusion, etc.); to be almost indistinguishable; to be confusingly similar; to be diverted from (negative emotions, etc.)
to choose; to select; to pick (out)
to catch fire (of charcoal); to start burning; to burn away; to burn merrily
lower back; waist; hips; body (of hair, noodles, paper, etc.); resilience; spring
condition; state; health; state (of health); way; manner
how; in what way; how about
first warbling heard in a New Year
nonexistent; not being (there); unowned; not had; unique; not; impossible
seems; I think; I guess; right?; don't you agree?; I thought you'd say that!
hey; you; hey; hey; hold on; yo
this; last (couple of years, etc.); these; you (as in "you liar")
year; age; years; past one's prime; old age
body; torso; trunk; build; physique; health
here and there; various places; all around; muddled; confused; in the wrong order
to get tired; to become exhausted; to become worn out; to become battered (from long use); to get tired of (doing); to get fed up with