preface; foreword; introduction; beginning; start
origin of an affair; spark that lit the fuse; beginning
from; since; through (e.g. a window, door); via; because; as; from (as in "made from")
one night; all night; overnight; one evening
to empty; to remove; to move out; to clear out; to be away from (e.g. one's house); to leave (temporarily); to dawn
(approximate) time; around; suitable time (or condition); time of year; season
death; (an) out; death penalty (by strangulation or decapitation; most severe of the five ritsuryō punishments)
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
terrible; dreadful; terrifying; surprising; startling; tremendous
happiness; well-being; joy; welfare; blessedness
human being; human; person; character (of a person)
as a matter of fact; by the way; to tell you the truth; to be honest; frankly; actually
that; the; part (as in "part two"); um ...; er ...
meaning; significance; sense
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.
nicely; properly; frequently; often; I'm glad that you ...; thank you for ...
to know; to be aware (of); to sense; to feel; to understand; to comprehend; to remember
some; any; in any way; of some kind; of some sort
indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; indicates a confident conclusion; indicates emotional emphasis; indicates question
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; death (usu. of a relative); bereavement
at; in; to; toward; to; for; because of
to visit and comfort or console; to go to see (e.g. someone in hospital); to ask after (e.g. someone's health); to attack; to hit; to strike
only; just; merely; as much as; to the extent of; enough to
indicates the subject of a sentence; indicates possession; but; however; and; used after an introductory remark or explanation; regardless of ...
right; correct; proper; righteous; just
for example; for instance; e.g.
accident; incident; trouble; circumstances; reasons
such things as ...; and ... and; the minute (that) ...; no sooner than ...; be; is; o
illness (usu. excluding minor ailments, e.g. common cold); disease; bad habit; bad behaviour; crazy; insane
at; in; at; when; by; with; so
to feel; to sense; to be moved (by); to be touched (by); to become infected with (an illness); to catch
to die; to pass away; to lose spirit; to lose vigor; to cease; to stop
if; when; and; as well as; with; together with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.)
to shout; to cry (out); to scream; to clamor (for or against); to advocate; to insist
my; one's own; I ...; one ...
mind; heart; spirit; the meaning of a phrase (riddle, etc.)
to hear; to listen (e.g. to music); to ask; to enquire; to hear about; to hear of; to follow (advice, order, etc.)
time; hour; occasion; case; chance; opportunity
et cetera; etc.; or something; the likes of; for example; for instance
sad; miserable; unhappy; sad; lamentable; deplorable
of course; certainly; naturally
and so on; and so forth; et cetera; comment; criticism
reality; actuality; hard fact
(hand-to-hand) fight; grapple; scuffle; struggling (with a problem, task, etc.); grappling; wrestling
story; tale; narrative; account; fable; legend
character (in a play, novel, film, etc.); dramatis personae
before one knows; before one becomes aware of; unnoticed; unawares