poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at); not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite
far; distant; distant (past); remote (in time); distant (relationship or kinship); having little to do (with someone); far (from something else in quality, degree, etc.)
plainly; clearly; vividly
echo; reverberation; response; reaction; repercussions
to yell out loud; to shout loudly; to cry aloud; to scream loudly
constraint; reserve; feeling hesitant; being afraid of troubling someone
feeling good; feeling at ease; feeling easy
comfortable; easy; calm; loose; spacious
unflaggingly; steadily; untiringly; knocking; tapping; clicking
ex-wife; former wife; previous wife
Tōhoku region (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku region
to determine (esp. a culprit or underlying cause); to pin down; to ascertain; (arch.) to stab to death
chancy trade or business with uncertain profitability; night entertainment business (e.g. hostess bar); nightlife business
sex establishment; brothel
to descend; to stoop; to degrade oneself; to be reduced to
I've heard that ...; rumour has it that ...; it appears as if ...
north-east; Tōhoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku
to ask; to enquire; to inquire; to search; to look for; to look into
to drive in (e.g. nail, stake); to hammer in; to hit (a ball, etc.); to drive; to fire into (e.g. a crowd); to launch (e.g. missiles); to input (data)
while; during (the time when)
I'm sorry; my apologies; may I come in?; permission; leave; dismissal
after a short time; in a short while; a short time later
serious; not joking; straight
deplorable; regrettable; disappointing; vexing; unfortunate
take care of yourself; get well soon; God bless you; bless you
slowly; unhurriedly; easily (e.g. in time); well; well (e.g. sleep); comfortably
reply (e.g. email, fax, letter); answer
with a complacent smile; with a smile of satisfaction
weekday; ordinary days (i.e. non-holiday); kanji radical 73
sense of fulfillment; sense of completeness; sense of accomplishment; sense of contentment
to be truant; to slack off; to play hooky; to skip school; to cut class; to skip out
washing; laundry; relaxing; taking a break
to vacuum; to clean with a vacuum cleaner
bath; bathing; bathhouse; public bath; room for drying lacquerware; base (wooden joint connecting the blade of a hoe, spade, etc., to the handle)
to get moldy (mouldy); to get musty; to develop mildew
to sound; to ring; to resound; to echo; to roar; to rumble