to arouse someone's interest; to whet (appetite); to be appealing; to be intriguing; to be fascinating
to lend an ear; to hearken; to give an ear to; to listen carefully
same; identical; equal; anyway; in any case; if one must ...
what kind of; what sort of; what; no matter what (kind of); whatever; any
that's the way it is; yes; is that so?; is it?
don't you think?; indicates question
continuation; rest (of the story, work, etc.); flow (e.g. of a piece of writing); pacing (of a story); succession (of); sequence
argument; discussion; theory (e.g. of evolution); doctrine; essay; treatise
bowstring; string (of a shamisen, etc.); stringed instrument; chord; hypotenuse
slowly; unhurriedly; easily (e.g. in time); well; well (e.g. sleep); comfortably
to start; to begin; to start up (a business, society, etc.); to open (e.g. a store); to start ...; to begin to ...
a long time ago; in those days
big; large; loud; extensive; spacious; important
(approximate) time; around; suitable time (or condition); time of year; season
old tale; folk tale; legend; reminiscence
famine; crop failure; chronic shortage (e.g. of water)
bad; poor; poor (quality); inferior; evil; sinful; ugly
by means of; due to; because of; according to
to take away; to carry away
starvation; famine; hunger
to suffer; to groan; to be worried
here; this place; this point; here; these past ... (e.g. three years); these last ...
until (a time); till; to (a place or person); as far as; to (an extent); up to
general; popular; common; typical
frame; framework; border; box; limit; restriction; category
to leave; to exit; to leave (on a journey); to depart; to move forward; to come to; to get to
man; male; fellow; guy; male lover; boyfriend
to carry; to transport; to come; to go; to use (a brush, chopsticks, etc.); to move
lively; full of spirit; energetic; healthy; well; fit
to take back; to get back; to regain; to recover; to restore; to recoup
desire; wish; request; entreaty; prayer; (written) application
to receive; to get; to catch (e.g. a ball); to be struck by (wind, waves, sunlight, etc.); to sustain (damage); to incur (a loss); to undergo (e.g. surgery)
to save; to rescue; to help; to assist; to support (financially); to contribute (to)
together; jointly; at the same time; with; both
to reach the point where ...; to come to ...; to come to be that ...; to start to ...; to begin to ...
middle stage; middle phase; middle game; midfield (in soccer)
to come near (to); to approach; to be on the verge of; to be about to reach (a stage, period, etc.); to overhang; to hang over
tradition; folklore; legend; (verbal) message; word (from someone)
to take out; to get out; to put out; to reveal; to submit (e.g. thesis); to turn in; to publish
occurrence; happening; incident; event
to resemble; to look like; to be like; to be alike; to be similar; to take after
to exchange glances; to look at each other; to postpone; to put off; to contrast; to compare