hello; good day; good afternoon
indicates the subject of a sentence; indicates possession; but; however; and; used after an introductory remark or explanation; regardless of ...
at; in; to; toward; to; for; because of
to be (of animate objects); to exist; to stay; to be ...-ing; to have ...-ed; to be ...-ed
(approximate) time; around; suitable time (or condition); time of year; season
to receive; to get; to eat; to drink; to be crowned with; to wear (on one's head)
counter for stories, episodes of TV series, etc.
eye; eyeball; eyesight; sight; look; stare; notice
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
(advance) notice; preliminary announcement; warning; trailer (for a film, TV show, etc.)
street; road; traffic; coming and going; flow (of water, air, etc.); passage; transmission (of sound)
bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida); calabash; moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
material (for a story, article, etc.); information; joke; jest; proof; evidence; (magician's) trick
book; volume; this; present; main; head; real
indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; indicates a confident conclusion; indicates emotional emphasis; indicates question
The Tale of Genji (Heian-period classic)
entrance (on the stage); appearance (in a book, film, etc.); appearance (on the scene); arrival (on the market); emergence
unfortunate; unhappy; ill-fated; hapless
person; someone; human beings; mankind; human (Homo sapiens); (other) people; others
to be (in contrast to something that is not the case)
lovely; sweet; pretty; cute; adorable
woman; female; feminine gender
at; in; at; when; by; with; so
to read; to recite (e.g. a sutra); to chant; to predict; to guess; to pronounce; to read (e.g. a kanji)
with a pitter-patter; choked up (with emotion); heart-wringing; momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings (e.g. parting with a loved one)
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
to finish; to stop; to close (a business, etc.); to close down; to put away; to put back
within the story (of a book, play, film, etc.)
introduction; presentation; referral; showcase (of a product)
bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria var. hispida); calabash; moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
flower; blossom; cherry blossom; beauty; blooming (esp. of cherry blossoms); ikebana; hanafuda
until something reaches the very limit; until the very last minute; up to the breaking point
moonflower (Ipomoea alba)
to go; to move (towards); to move through; to travel across; to go (well, badly, etc.); to proceed; to do (in a particular way)
indicates a question; indicates an embedded question; indicates an indirect question; or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); hmm
to lose one's way; to get lost; to waver; to hesitate; to be captivated (by); to be infatuated (with)
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.
if; when; and; as well as; with; together with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.)
to call out (to); to call; to summon (a doctor, etc.); to invite; to designate; to name; to garner (support, etc.)
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; circumstances; situation; work
too; also; both A and B; A as well as B; even; as much as