preface; foreword; introduction; beginning; start
year; counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school); period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)
indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; indicates a confident conclusion; indicates emotional emphasis; indicates question
first; firstly; first of all; Introduction; Preface
willow (any tree of genus Salix); weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
branch; bough; limb; twig; sprig; spray
at; in; to; toward; to; for; because of
red and white; colours for festive or auspicious occasions (colors); two teams; two groups; Kōhaku Uta Gassen; annual contest between male and female popular singers on New Year's Eve (sponsored and broadcast by NHK)
mochi; small rice cake made from glutinous rice
indicates the subject of a sentence; indicates possession; but; however; and; used after an introductory remark or explanation; regardless of ...
to bloom; to flower; to blossom; (arch.) to rise up (of breaking waves)
indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
to go out to meet; to receive; to call for; to summon; to accept (e.g. as a member of a group or family); to take (e.g. a wife)
if; when; and; as well as; with; together with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.)
to see; to witness; to observe; to catch sight of; to get a glimpse of; to encounter
this; last (couple of years, etc.); these; you (as in "you liar")
lovely; sweet; pretty; cute; adorable
decoration; ornament; trimmings
name; given name; first name
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
New Year's decoration of willow, etc. branches with colored rice balls
to do; to carry out; to cause to become; to make (into); to serve as; to act as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
called; named; as many as; as much as; all ...; every single ...
seeming ...; appearing ...; -ish; like a ...; typical of ...
to; for; in order to; for; as for; regarding
various; a variety of; variously; in various ways; various things; this and that
variety; kind; type; counter for kinds, species, etc.
to be; to exist; to have; to be located; to be equipped with; to happen; to come about
number one; first; best; most; game; round
liking; being fond of; liking (romantically); being in love with; faddism; eccentricity
full house; no vacancy; sold out; standing room only; full (of people); crowded
to shake; to jolt; to rock (cradle); to swing
while; during; while; although; all; both
outside; exterior; the open (air); other place; somewhere else
to look at; to gaze at; to look out over; to get a view of; to look on (from the sidelines); to stand by and watch
to become loose; to slacken (e.g. rope); to become less tense; to relax; to slacken (e.g. coldness, supervision); to become lax; to become softer (e.g. ground, facial expression)
January; first month of the lunar calendar
3rd day of the month; three days
year; age; years; past one's prime; old age