indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
friend; companion; comrade; accompaniment; companion (e.g. book); complement
koto (13-stringed Japanese zither); (arch.) stringed instrument
something broad and flat; common; ordinary; low-ranking employee; freshman
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
feudal domain (Edo and early Meiji periods, precursor to current prefectures); fiefdom; province
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
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; and then
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 or decree (esp. of shogun); emperor's wishes
to shoot (at); to attack; to defeat; to destroy
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
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; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
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, now 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.)
tenement house; row house
(way of) life; living; livelihood; life circumstances
also; too; not ... either; (it's not possible) no matter what; although one might wish otherwise
to get used to; to grow accustomed to; to become skilled in; to become experienced at; to become tame; to become domesticated
(approximate) time; around; suitable time (or condition); time of year; season
once; before; formerly; never yet; never before; first time
like-mindedness; (being of the) same mind; shared sentiment; comrade; fellow; kindred soul
Kōzuke (former province located in present-day Gunma Prefecture)
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to search for; to look for; to hunt for; to search (a house, pocket, etc.); to search through; to rummage in (e.g. a drawer)
to visit; to call on; to pay a visit to
to come (spatially or temporally); to approach; to come back; to do ... and come back; to come to be; to become
one's home; hometown; native place; birthplace
sad; miserable; unhappy; sad; lamentable; deplorable
incident; affair; happening; event
by means of; due to; because of; according to
to devise; to arrange; to plan; to plot
snare; trap (for catching wild game, etc.); trap (i.e. ruse, subterfuge, etc.)