your house; your home; your husband; your organization; you
recommendation; advice; suggestion; encouragement
stylish; fashionable; dressing (oneself) up; dressing smartly; fashionable dresser; smartly dressed person
something thrown in (with a purchase); something extra; (giving a) discount; price reduction; addition; embellishment (e.g. to a story)
ghost; apparition; goblin; monster; something unusually large
pot; (volcanic) crater; buttocks; gay man; queer; faggot
small dish (usu. one of several accompanying rice); side dish; fill; fill-in (drumming); jack-off material; something to masturbate to
between-meal snack; mid-afternoon (around 3 o'clock) snack; afternoon refreshment; afternoon tea
treasure; precious article; picture of a treasure ship; money; cash
elder sister; effeminate man
onigiri; rice ball (often triangular, sometimes with a filling and wrapped in nori)
bottom; buttocks; bidet function (for anal cleansing)
brow; forehead; prominent forehead; beetle brow; not catching anything
the end; closing; being done for; that's it; that's enough; that's all
police officer; cop; walking in a circle (dog trick); (arch.) side dish (eaten with rice)
punishment (of children); spanking; smacking; criminal punishment (esp. execution; Edo period)
shelving (a play, movie, etc.); closing down; cancelling; rice storehouse (of the Edo shogunate)
(one's) older brother; lad; sonny
head; brains; intelligence
you (when referring to one's equals or inferiors)
ladle; tadpole; musical note
charm; incantation; spell; code that is not (yet) necessary to understand; required boilerplate code
attending (upon); keeping another company; being a confidant; fairy tale
holiday; day off; sleep; rest; good night
bedpan; chamber pot; potty
northern groundcone (Boschniakia rossica)
older sister; elder sister; young lady; miss; ma'am; older girl
poorly made article; defective article; Gautama Buddha
white makeup powder; (face) powder
older brother; elder brother; young man; buddy; fella
request; favour (to ask); wish; please
story; tale; talk; discussion
work; job; labor; labour; business; task
amulet or talisman issued by a Shinto shrine or Buddhist temple
mother; mom; wife; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); she
confections; sweets; candy; cake
chattering; talk; idle talk; chatty; talkative; chatterbox
okara; soy pulp; tofu dregs; edible pulp separated from soybean milk in the production of tofu
ikebana; Japanese art of flower arrangement; flower
father; dad; husband; you (of an elderly person older than the speaker); he
local specialty or souvenir bought as a gift while traveling (travelling); present brought by a visitor; something unpleasant that one is given (e.g. an illness while on vacation); unwelcome gift
begging; pestering; pleading; coaxing
fortune slip (usu. bought at a shrine); omikuji
(arch.) court lady with her own private chamber or office; low-class prostitute (Edo period)
tea-ceremony procedures; skill at serving tea; skill; dexterity; (arch.) you
thanks (for coming, helping, etc.); good work; see you; goodbye; tiredness; fatigue
ahead; before; the future; pardon me for leaving (first)
broth; soup (esp. miso soup)
Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng)
making a person, pet, etc. wait (before being permitted to do something); postponement; putting on hold
bento; Japanese box lunch
mochi; small rice cake made from glutinous rice
your home; your family; their home; (my) home
another helping; second helping; seconds; other paw!
wet towel (supplied at table); hot, moistened hand towel
princess; spoiled girl; hothouse flower; glue
thanks; gratitude; manners; etiquette; bow; reward
one's favourite party trick (favorite); one's specialty; one's forte
osechi; food eaten during the New Year's Holidays
grandfather; male senior-citizen; old man
thin rice porridge; watery cooked rice; rice gruel; congee
hospitality; reception; treatment; (light) refreshment; entertaining with food and drink; treat
precocious; precocious child
leader; chief; head; (another person's) head
good-value; economical; advantageous (price, deal, etc.); useful; helpful
missus; missis; proprietress (of a shop, restaurant, etc.); landlady; hostess
bowl (ceramic, porcelain)
grace (of God); benevolence (of Buddha); assistance; help; effects; influence
wearing one's hair in braids
ohajiki; traditional children's game similar to marbles, played with coin-shaped pieces of coloured glass or plastic; gun; pistol
tea (esp. green or barley); tea break; teatime; tea ceremony
festival; feast; carnival; matsuri
meddling; meddlesomeness; nosiness; meddler; buttinsky; busybody
one's business; reading of scriptures before a (statue of) Buddha; bargain; discount; (arch.) money paid to a prostitute or geisha
exorcism rite; purification
granny; grandma; gran; old lady; old woman
leaving (a decision, job, etc.) to someone else; entrusting; leaving the choice of a meal to the chef; omakase
sitting down; sitting up; sit!
I am sorry (to hear, to say, etc.); a pity
snack (to have with a drink); side dish
guest; visitor; customer; client; shopper
near; close; beside; attendant; retainer; vassal
water; (drinking) water; night entertainment business; nightlife worker; racy; titillating
pan; pot; transgender man (female-to-male); butch lesbian; (arch.) maidservant; (arch.) housemaid
rice ball coated with sweetened red beans, soybean flour or sesame
being together; going together; matching (clothing); going together
decorations; offerings; mere window dressing
(giving) birth; childbirth; delivery
association; socializing; socialising; fellowship
enjoyment; pleasure; amusement; anticipation; looking forward to; something to look forward to
(formal) announcement; unveiling; introduction; debut
travelling incognito (of a person of high rank); special palanquin for carrying a daimyo or his wife incognito
comical (story, song); comic; the comedy business (rakugo, manzai, etc.); something laughable
going out (of a noble, shogun, royalty, etc.); visit; attendance
change (for a purchase); toilet splashback
New Year's gift (usu. money given to a child by relatives and visitors)
maid; helper; help; assistance
(another's) daughter; young lady
promise; agreement; arrangement; something expected or predictable (e.g. running gag); typical or clichéd development (in a story); something considered obligatory or guaranteed (in a certain situation)
about to start out; just about to leave or go out; outing; trip
good-naturedness; good-natured person; credulous person; easy mark
Obon; Bon Festival; Buddhist festival for honouring the spirits of one's ancestors, held in mid-August or in some regions, mid-July; tray
New Year (esp. first three days); first month of the year; January
mikoshi; portable Shinto shrine carried through the streets during festivals; lower back; waist; hips
tooth blackening; tooth-blackening dye
thanks to ...; owing to ...; because of ...
store; shop; establishment; restaurant
(another's) daughter; young lady
it's been a long time; long time no see
hand; arm; handwriting; penmanship; paw!; shake!
baggage; luggage; burden; albatross around one's neck; excess baggage
sharing with others what has been given to you; sharing a portion of the profit with others
(another's) son; boy; young master; green young man from a well-to-do family; young man innocent of the ways of the world
monetary offering (or gift) wrapped in paper
soup containing rice cakes and vegetables (New Year's dish)
scorched rice (at the bottom of the pot); crispy rice; crunchy rice; woman who enjoys the company of gay men
court of law in the Edo period, in which the parties sat on white sand
dango; rice dumpling; hair bun; chignon
declining; refusal; rejection; announcement; notice
congratulation; congratulations; celebration; congratulatory gift; present
rich person; wealthy person
(formal) meeting with a view to marriage; interview with a prospective spouse
setting the table; laying the table; setting up; getting one's ducks in a row; running interference
hand-me-down; food offering to the gods; leftovers; trip from Kyoto to the provinces
long-awaited; long-waited-for; someone who has waited a long time; something that one has waited impatiently for
scolding; telling-off; rebuke; lecture
uniforms provided for workers (by the employer); something forced upon one; something imposed on one
having a crush on someone
used article (esp. clothes)
abura-age; thin deep-fried slices of tofu
honorific or polite prefix
to perform anal sex (between men); to bugger; to sodomize; to crash a car into the back of another; to rear-end
(your) words; what you say; what you have said; a few words (of welcome, advice, etc.)
grandmother; old woman; female senior citizen
errand; mission; messenger; bearer; familiar spirit
well-matched (esp. of a couple); becoming; suitable
receiving; welcoming; going to meet; final call; call of fate; approach of death
(overnight) stay; lodging
taking leave (of a visited place); leaving; going home; leaving one's employment; quitting one's job; being dismissed
inquiry; enquiry; question; searching; looking for
standard; set; routine; decided
toilet; restroom; lavatory; bathroom
graceful; ladylike; modest; gentle; polite; quiet
the Emperor; His Majesty; the government; the authorities; proprietress; hostess
summoning; calling; riding; (high-quality) silk crepe (fabric)
silly person; dumb-bunny; dope
son (of others); boy; young master; young man innocent of the ways of the world; man of pampered upbringing; greenhorn (from a well-off family)
perfunctory; apathetic; makeshift; slapdash; routine; usual
appetizer; starter; hors d'oeuvre
audience (with someone of high standing)
dismissal (from one's post); firing; being relieved from one's post; discarding; throwing away; becoming useless
regular customer; valued client
Buddhist priest; monk; son (of others)
(your) judgment; discernment
acquaintance; making someone's acquaintance
alms-giving; charity; offerings (usu. money) to a priest (for reading sutras, etc.); financially supporting one's favorite celebrity (by buying merchandise, attending events, etc.)
boiled greens in bonito-flavoured soy sauce (vegetable side dish)
one's parents' home; one's origins; one's upbringing; one's past
touching a wrong card (in karuta); buzzing too early (in a quiz); making a mistress of a servant; mistress (who is one's servant); foul (comp. karuta); touching a card which is not in the same territory as the correct card
ochazuke; rice with tea poured on it
self-interested show of kindness; acting selfishly under the guise of kindness
compliments; civilities; hospitality; special treatment; bill (at a restaurant); check
little something; reward; tip
bill (e.g. at a restaurant); check
changing one's clothing (of a bride or groom during a wedding reception)
money; coin; dough; moolah; brass
pickled vegetables; pickles
sacred wine; sacred sake; sake offered to the gods; sake
round, wooden container for cooked rice
primness; putting on airs; prim person; clear soup
noble family; lord's family; large organization; large company; head family (of a school of traditional performing arts); parlour
bargain; good buy; (good) value for one's money
grandfather; old man; elderly man
easy task; piece of cake; cakewalk; cake served with tea; light snack
very common way of tying a woman's kimono sash
dining table; (arch.) cooked rice
sitting between the host and guest of honour at a drinking party (honor); companion
play; playing; game; lack of seriousness; half-hearted effort; just playing around
guest; visitor; customer; client; shopper
mutually; with each other; reciprocally; together; both
lunch; noon; midday; daytime; waking up; getting up
return gift; return favour; revenge; change (in a cash transaction)
favorite; favourite; pet (e.g. teacher's pet); bookmark (in a web browser)
visit (to someone affected by illness or misfortune); call; letter of inquiry; letter of sympathy; dealing (a hit); striking (a blow)
call; visit; inquiry; enquiry; question
babysitting; babysitter; nanny; taking care of; looking after; accompanying
seeing through (a trick, someone's mind, etc.)
familiar; well-known; regular (e.g. customer); old acquaintance; old friend; (a) regular
delivery (of a package, goods, etc.)
(for the) first time; something used (worn, etc.) for the first time; new item; first of the season (crop, fruit, etc.)
telephone call; telephone (device)
being done for; giving up; being in a hopeless situation; not knowing what to do; being brought to one's knees; (lit.) throwing up (one's) hands
skill; proficiency; dexterity; flattery
by any standard; (not) even as flattery
retainer; attendant; escort
manners; behavior; behaviour
certificate; certified document; (the) thumbs up; seal of approval; paper with signature of the shogun or lord
visit (to a shrine, grave, etc.); worship
presence; appearance; attendance; visit; going out
(next-door) neighbour; neighbor
breakup (of a ceremony, wedding, party, meeting, etc.); closure
personal (employee); employed; retained
eye; eyes; sight; vision; looking
your native country; your hometown; my home country (i.e. Japan); countryside; country; (arch.) daimyo's territory (Edo period)
next; next person; (arch.) room adjoining a noble's parlor
charge (for admission, a meal, etc.); fee; price
theme; subject; motif; theme for the Imperial New Year's Poetry Contest
field of flowers; flower garden; field of alpine flowers; fantasy; delusion
one's speciality; one's forte; one's strong point
festival merrymaking; revelry
person who gets easily elated (when praised, etc.); person who readily chimes in with others; person who gets carried away easily
notice or order handed down from above; announcement; notification; Edo-period proclamation issued by the shogunate (or a daimyo, etc.) to the concerned parties
superiors; big shots; higher-ups; VIPs; dignitaries
bill (at a restaurant); check
let's see what you've got; show me what you've got
perfect (for); ideal; just right; most suitable; tailor-made
pity; sympathy; compassion; affection; love
drawing; painting; doodling; sketching
barking up the wrong tree; calling at the wrong house
beanbag; beanbag juggling game; bobbling the ball
person sought by the police; wanted person; fugitive from justice
lord; nobleman; daimyo; dignitary; master
beside a nobleman; close aid (of a nobleman, etc.); place where a high ranking person resides; one's own city (of a shogun, lord, etc.); place under one's direct control; one's own turf
pouring alcohol; person pouring alcohol for guests or customers (typically a woman); (apprentice) geisha; dancing girl
all-night vigil over a body; wake
cake or snack served with tea
the sun; Sol; providence; heaven; god
departure; leaving; starting; standing
tatami room; dinner party in a tatami room with a geisha or maiko
policeman's rope; arresting (a criminal)
Nichiren chant; (an empty) slogan
audience (with a lord, dignitary, etc.); interview; first (public) appearance; debut; trial service (of a servant); probation
sorry; too bad (for you)!; tough luck!
one person; one customer; unmarried and childless older woman
cold (drinking) water; (glass of) cold water; cold boiled rice
dignitaries; very important persons; luminaries; big shots; VIPs
spy working for the Edo shogunate; oniwaban
boiled greens in bonito-flavoured soy sauce (vegetable side dish)
wheat gluten (usu. steamed or baked)
chopsticks; (something) at hand; (in) one's possession; (near) one's hands
please sit down; please have a seat
official notice; Edo-period proclamation issued by the shogunate (or a daimyo, etc.) usu. to the general populace
bargain; good buy; budget
cremated remains (esp. the bones); ashes
cremated remains (esp. the bones); ashes
house across the street; neighbor across the street
Inari (god of harvests, wealth, fertility, etc.); Inari shrine; inarizushi (sushi wrapped in fried tofu); scrotum; testicle sack
(geisha) teahouse; establishment where patrons are entertained by geisha
serving tea (esp. at a company); tea server; tea lady
being shelved (of a movie, project, etc.); being postponed; being put on hold; putting in storage
compliments; civilities; hospitality; special treatment; bill (at a restaurant); check
visiting a shrine or temple to give thanks; settling scores
changing one's clothes; change of clothes
moxibustion; chastisement; scolding
cancellation; abandonment
tearjerker; sob story; maudlin tale
display of dolls during Hinamatsuri; Hinamatsuri (March 3); Girls' Festival; Dolls' Festival
mid-year gift; summer gift
bureaucratic routine; red tape
year-end gift; end of the year; year end
usual; normal; stereotyped
chaperoning; monitoring someone's behaviour; watchdog; chaperone; watcher
oyaki; fried round wheat or buckwheat flour cake with various fillings; imagawayaki; thick pancake containing bean jam, served hot
hundred times worship (e.g. walking back and forth a hundred times before a shrine offering a prayer each time)
dashi; Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp
buttocks; lower back; waist; kimono underskirt
trip story; vacation story
kitchen maid; kitchen duties; cooking
needlework; sewing; seamstress
recommendation (of an influential person); order
passing away; dying; death
(bowel) movement; evacuation; defecation
place where the sacred palanquin is lodged during a festival
one's forte; strong point; specialty; speciality
merchant's home (esp. used by apprentices, etc.); (your) rental home
ceased patronage (of a client, customer, etc.); discontinued attendance
poem by the emperor or a member of the imperial family; poem; song
New Year's sake; spiced sake
lowest-ranking guest at tea ceremony; tea master
pert; tomboyish; impudent; lively; boisterous
boasting of one's hometown
local dialect; vernacular; provincialism
miyamairi; newborn child's first visit to a shrine (within about 30 days of being born); visiting a shrine
scolding; telling-off; talking-to; dressing-down
Edo-period proclamation issued by the shogunate (or a daimyo, etc.) usu. to the general populace
your address; your place of residence
head prostitute (of a brothel); leader of a group of friends; best of its kind; something without rival
okuizome; weaning ceremony; ritual meal for a 100-day old infant
the founder of our sect (esp. in reference to Nichiren)
honorarium (to cover transportation costs); travel expenses (customarily given by wedding hosts to guests who have travelled from afar)
please understand (that ...); please bear in mind (that ...)
afternoon snack (eaten around 3 o'clock); afternoon tea
(private) geisha entertainment; being entertained by one or more geisha (in a tea house or traditional Japanese restaurant)
otōri; drinking circle with a cup passed around and chugged (custom in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa)
privy purse; money used for private purposes by the members of the Imperial family
please make yourself comfortable; please relax your sitting position
memorial service for Nichiren (13th day of the 10th month; in Nichiren Buddhism)
making arbitrary decisions which benefit oneself; self-approved plan
used item (to be sold to a shop); unwanted goods
flunky; cat's-paw; tool; person whose services are at the disposal of another
hired foreigner; foreign advisor hired by the Japanese government for their specialized knowledge to assist in the modernization of Japan at the end of the Bakufu and during the Meiji Era
(woman's) ugly or homely face; old bag
free service after one has finished one's apprenticeship
Gobunsho (The Epistles, a collection of letters written by Rennyo)
moody person; temperamental person; fickle person
sword tester (Edo period); executioner
annual New Year's poetry reading (held at the Imperial Court)
(Japanese) rice cracker; senbei
shrine ritual held within the first two months of the year to forecast or pray for a successful harvest; seasonal planting of rice on a field affiliated with a shrine
Kyoto area festival held on the 11th lunar month (wherein bonfires are burned at shrines)
Kyoto area festival held on the 11th lunar month (wherein bonfires are burned at shrines)
annual ceremony of reciting the names of the Buddhas
mid-morning snack (eaten around 10 AM); morning tea; elevenses
(hand) towel; handkerchief; paper tissue; napkin; serviette
old person; elderly person; senior citizen
confectionery shop; candy store; sweet shop
Omuro (sect of Shingon Buddhism)
to stand high in one's superior's favor and trust
portable shrine used to transport a sacred object
dining table; (arch.) cooked rice
broth; soup (esp. miso soup)
starchy solution formed during rice cooking
last drink (of sake); last glass; last cup
ordering (online, mail); remote purchasing
another's wife or daughter
please allow me to introduce myself
nobleman; noblewoman; lord; master; dignitary
wet nurse (esp. for nobility)