prime minister; premier; chancellor
aid; help; assistance; assistant; counselor; counsellor
position; situation; viewpoint; standpoint; point of view
Western-style clothes (cf. traditional Japanese clothes)
one thin flat object; one sheet
reputation; respectability; honour; honor
recently; lately; these days; nearest; closest
extravagant; lavish; opulent; luxurious; magnificent; splendid
new; novel; fresh; recent; latest; up-to-date
cloth; fabric; dough; batter; inherent quality; one's true character; unglazed pottery
hard; solid; stiff; tight; strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe
to have stiff shoulders; to feel ill at ease; to feel uncomfortable; serious; sober
long ago; previous; of a former age
to put clothes on (someone); to dress; to cover; to coat; to pin (e.g. a crime on someone); to lay (blame)
(way of) life; living; livelihood; life circumstances
to be talked about behind one's back
body; oneself; one's place; one's position; main part; meat (as opposed to bone, skin, etc.)
inner part; inside; interior; depths (e.g. of a forest); back (of a house, drawer, etc.); bottom (e.g. of one's heart)
colour; color; complexion; skin colour; look (on one's face); expression; appearance
to get used to; to grow accustomed to; to become skilled in; to become experienced at; to become tame; to become domesticated
to take in one's hand; to pick up; to obtain
wife; bride; (one's) daughter-in-law
to disagree; to dispute; to fight (over)
small quantity; little; little while; short distance
discouraged; dispirited; despondent
but then; although; though; reasonable; natural; just
way of saying (something); way of putting it; wording; phrasing; language; expression
something like ...; something called ...
up through; up until; down to; from ... to ... (e.g. from head to toe); everything from ... to ...
to come together; to merge; to fit; to match; to be profitable; to be equitable
there is no need to ...; never happens; there is never a time when
to compromise; to meet halfway; to step up to; to walk up to; to approach
mistake; error; fault; slip; blunder; omission
married couple; husband and wife; man and wife; his and hers; pair of objects, one larger (for man), one smaller (for woman)
to continue; to last; to continue (without a break); to be unbroken; to occur again and again; to lead to; to connect to
one's youth; early life; one's early days; one's early years
to pass (time); to spend; to overdo (esp. of one's alcohol consumption); to drink (alcohol); (arch.) to take care of; (arch.) to support
to cross over (e.g. mountain); to go across; to get over (e.g. hardship); to pass time (e.g. a winter); to surpass; to be better than; to move house
how many years; how long; what year
this and that; this or that; one thing or another; this way and that
to interrupt; to interfere; to meddle; to intrude; to butt in; to poke one's nose into