art; technique; means; way; stratagem; artifice
to gain in skill; to improve; to get better
achievement; feat; meritorious deed; distinguished service
clapping hands; applause; clapping one's hands in prayer (at a shrine)
to overdo; to go too far; to go to excess
faint; fainting; losing consciousness
occasionally; once in a while; now and then
wound; injury; chip; crack; flaw; defect
difference; discrepancy; variation
preparation; arrangements; getting ready; provision; setup; reserving
in search of; in order to look for
particle used to indicate the speaker's hope, desire, wish, etc. (e.g. "it would be nice if ...", "I wish there were ...", etc.); emphatic particle; particle adding uncertainty
hard; solid; stiff; tight; strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe
close; intimate; on good terms
river fish; freshwater fish
sign on a post (usu. wooden and with a small roof, containing information about a sight, warning, congratulations, etc.); public notice; bulletin board; notice board
agricultural community; farm village; rural
scale; scope; plan; structure
fence; paling; railing; (arch.) fortress
inside; interior; inner part
moat; fosse; canal; ditch
to break through; to penetrate; to pierce
to run swiftly; to speed; to dash; to charge ahead (in pursuit of some goal); to push forward
devising (a way); contriving; device; design; dedication to spiritual improvement (esp. through Zen meditation)
rural area; countryside; the sticks; hometown
development; growth; development (of a situation, story, etc.); advancement; playing around (sexually; esp. of a male homosexual); having an active sex life
trouble; hardship; difficulty; anxiety; worry; concern
to see; to witness; to observe; to catch sight of; to get a glimpse of; to encounter
even; for starters; so; therefore; judging from; based on
first-person plural (or singular); second or third person plural (implies speaker is of higher status than those referred to)
(opening a door) with a clatter; noisily; (falling) with a clatter; with a crash; (changing) completely; totally
to be silent; to say nothing
independent action; acting alone
to spread; to propagate; to popularize; to broaden; to extend; to widen
to make a slip of the tongue; to say something inadvertently; to blurt out without thinking
when it comes to ...; as for ...
common; ordinary; fair (e.g. fight); gracious; frank; open
friend; ally; supporter; taking sides (with); supporting; standing by
to reach an extreme; to reach a limit; extremely; to be stuck; to be in a dilemma; to be decided
to begin to do; to start doing; to cater; to make and deliver (food)