muddy water; red-light district
strainer; colander; filter
very interesting; of absorbing interest; having a keen interest (in); being immensely curious (about)
Kagoshima (city, prefecture)
field (for fruits, vegetables, etc.); cultivated land; field (of specialization); sphere; womb; birth
older brother; elder brother
landowner; landlord; landlady
assorted grains; cereals; millet
growth; development; one's early life; upbringing; personal history
primary school; elementary school; grade school
bright; intelligent; clever; smart
to sit for an examination
joining (a group, team, etc.); enrollment; enrolment
examination; exam; test; trial; experiment; test
competition rate; success rate; ratio of successful (applicants) to total applicants
the strait gate (in the Bible); the narrow gate; high barrier (to enter a highly competitive school, company, etc.); difficult hurdle; difficulty
to sieve; to sift; to winnow; to screen (candidates)
to put on airs; to act big; to throw one's weight about; to be overbearing; to be domineering; to be bossy
thump-thump; bang-bang; pit-a-pat; to beat fast (of one's heart); to throb; to pound
inarticulate; clumsy with words; poor at speaking
material (for a story, article, etc.); information; joke; jest; proof; evidence; (magician's) trick
to roll about with laughter; to be convulsed with laughter; to laugh one's head off
squad leader; divisional officer
passage; path; route; one's way
to smell; to smell of; to have a smell
flapping (of a flag, fan, etc.); fluttering; pitter-patter (of footsteps); quickly (making progress); in quick succession
ember; brand; stub (of used candle, match etc.)
clear layer of fluid (at the top of a mixture); supernatant liquid; supernate