minor; small; minor (key, scale, etc.); the minor leagues (US baseball)
good thing; strong point; good family; prestigious school; the right moment; utter
secret; private; surreptitious
in the first place; to begin with; after all; anyway; beginning; start
for the first time; only after ... is it ...; only when ... do you ...; first time; (one's) first
to touch; to feel; to touch (with); to experience; to come in contact with; to touch on (a subject); to allude to
elementary school; primary school; school for children over eight years old in ancient China; traditional Chinese philology
older sister; elder sister
to long for; to yearn after; to admire; to be attracted by
brass (musical) instrument
to assign; to allot; to divide among; to distribute; to prorate; to assess
somehow; for some reason; without knowing why
beginning; outset; first; onset
plain; simple; reserved (behaviour, attitude, etc.); modest; quite; a (little) bit
heavy; weighty; heavy (feeling); depressed; slow; sluggish; important (position, responsibility, etc.)
disagreeable; detestable; unpleasant; reluctant
My goodness!; Good lord!; Holy cow!
to think (about, of); to think over; to consider; to bear in mind; to think (that); to believe; to intend (to do)
how many years; how long; what year
to continue; to keep up; to keep on
attachment (esp. to things); love; affection
to well (up); to gush forth (of water); to appear (esp. suddenly) (sweat, tears, etc.); to feel emotions from (joy, bravery, etc.); to hatch (esp. of parasitic insects, etc.)
arm; skill; efforts; ability
period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years); apprenticeship; indentureship; indenture
cloth; tablecloth; wallpaper; wall fabric
here I am; I'm home!; presently; right away; right now
classroom; lecture room; department (in a university); class; lessons; school (for a particular discipline)
high-spirited; cheerful; assertive; vigorous
speech; words; one's lines; remarks
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
all of a sudden; suddenly; by chance; unexpectedly
to turn up; to make an appearance; to put in an appearance; to drop by
just (now, at the moment, etc.); just as; in the act of; as soon as; at the moment that
to hold in one's arms; to carry in one's arms; to have (problems, debts, etc.); to take on (a responsibility); to employ; to have (on one's staff)
happy; glad; pleased; joyful; delightful; gratifying
congratulations!; well done!; best wishes!; all the best!
suffix for familiar person
to be crushed; to be smashed; to become useless; to cease functioning; to go bankrupt; to go out of business
to speak; to say; to vocalize
two persons; two people; pair; couple
to proceed though deadlocked; to be carried over (e.g. to next meeting); to go into a shootout (e.g. sport)
floor; stage (for the narrator and the shamisen player); dining platform built across a river