severe; harsh; hard; cruel; rigorous
way of reciting; way of telling a story
disastrous; tragic; miserable; wretched; pitiful; woeful
comfort; ease; easy; simple; (economically) comfortable; raku pottery
casual; doing something without taking it too seriously
tummy; tumtum; bang-bang; pop-pop; without reservation; unreservedly
to ward off; to brush away; to fling off; to drive away
remainder; remnant; not very; not much; too much; excessively
affliction; hardship; difficulty; suffering; trouble
not a chance; not likely; oh no; yuck; fault; defect
toddling; with small, quick steps; restlessly; in continuous motion; quickly and easily; often
to run along; to run beside; to follow (a policy, plan, etc.); to act in accordance with; to meet (wishes, expectations, etc.); to satisfy
to take out; to produce; to pick out; to fetch; to retrieve
local specialty or souvenir bought as a gift while travelling; present brought by a visitor; something unpleasant that one is given (e.g. an illness while on vacation); unwelcome gift
to experience chest pain; to have a pain in one's chest; to feel sick at heart; to have one's heart ache; to be anguished
sentimental; mushy; sugary; saccharine; sickly-sweet
sweetness; sugary taste; sweets; dessert; cake
red bean paste; red bean jam; filling (e.g. of a manjū); stuffing; padding
feeling of fullness; ability of a food to fill you up
plump; rotund; chubby; entirely; completely; wholly
to bite into; to sink one's teeth into
the Horse (seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac); hour of the Horse (around noon, 11am-1pm, or 12 noon-2pm); south; fifth month of the lunar calendar
Japanese apricot (Prunus mume); Japanese plum; ume; lowest (of a three-tier ranking system)
rave reviews; extremely high praise
to smack one's lips (over a dish); to eat with relish
cloth; fabric; dough; batter; inherent quality; one's true character; unglazed pottery
to finish up; to complete; to finish off; to get through; to polish off
excellent article; fine item; rare beauty; masterpiece; gem
fresh made; freshly baked; freshly roasted
skillful; skilful; delicious; appetizing; fortunate; splendid
cooking; cookery; cuisine; dealing with something; handling; administration
effeminate; unmanly; cowardly; sissy
to find a clear solution; to come to a clean decision; to give a clear explanation; to divide exactly (without remainder); to divide evenly
lingering attachment; lingering affection; regret; reluctance; ruefulness
to stuff one's cheeks; to fill one's mouth (with food)
splendid; magnificent; utter (esp. defeat); total; (arch.) something worth seeing; (arch.) sight
continuation; rest (of the story, work, etc.); flow (e.g. of a piece of writing); pacing (of a story); succession (of); sequence
furthermore; adding to the above-mentioned; not quite; not very good; lacking
(not) even once; (not) ever
with ... as a start; taking advantage of; inspired by
deep (colour); dark; strong (flavour, smell, etc.); thick (consistency); dense; strong (possibility, etc.)
perhaps; possibly; maybe; by some chance
opportunity; chance; trigger; cause