fiction; made-up story; fable; fabrication; myth
rumination; regurgitation; chewing the cud; turning over in one's mind; thinking over (something); pondering
ding-dong (of a doorbell, intercom, etc.); doorbell; intercom; ding ding ding!; correct!
chime; bell (e.g. doorbell)
lately; recently; these days
online shopping; net shopping
weekday; ordinary days (i.e. non-holiday); kanji radical 73
to take photographs for later use; to record videos for archiving
appreciation (of art, music, poetry, etc.)
encirclement; encircling net; tight besiegement
breaking through; breakthrough; surmounting (a difficulty); overcoming; exceeding; passing
why?; what for?; how?; by what means?
so-so; passable; now, now; there, there; my, my; oh my!
handyman; utility man; odd-job man
to use within an inch of its life; to use every little bit of; to get the most out of
to employ; to hire; to take on; to charter (a car, boat, etc.); to hire
nothing new; same as always; an old story; nothing new about it; not the first time it has happened
NHK; Japan Broadcasting Corporation
foreign; abroad; overseas
astringent; bitter; austere; elegant (and unobtrusive); sour (look); glum
program (e.g. TV); programme
blood relationship; blood relative
sure to ...; certain to ...; bound to ...; it's natural that ...; it's obvious that ...
power of femininity; woman's level of motivation in fashion, makeup, taste in clothes, etc.; girliness (as a positive quality)
strange; odd; unexpected; change; incident; disturbance
certified (as genuine, valuable, etc.); guaranteed (article); of established reputation; acknowledged; pièce de résistance
hiragana; cursive Japanese syllabary used primarily for native Japanese words (esp. function words, inflections, etc.)
pronunciation; production of sound
information technology; IT
cutting edge; leading edge; forefront; tip; end
looking and listening; (television) viewing; (public) attention; interest; (signal) reception
middle; centre; center; midpoint; heart
contrast; juxtaposition; comparison; correlation (of strata)
one's post; place of work; workplace