indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question
name; given name; first name
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
Japanese laurel; spotted laurel; Aucuba japonica; live tree
sal (tree) (Shorea robusta); saul; Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia)
company employee; office worker; white-collar worker
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 do; to carry out; to cause to become; to make (into); to serve as; to act as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
at last; finally; barely; narrowly; just
honorific/polite/humble prefix
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
house; residence; family; household; lineage; family name
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
to face; to go towards; to head towards
place; spot; address; district; area; one's house; point
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
railway station; train station; staging post on a highway (in pre-modern Japan); counter for railway stations and bus stations
to arrive at; to reach; to sit on; to sit at (e.g. the table)
to approach; to draw near; to gather (in one place); to come together; to stop by (while on one's way to another place); to drop by; to grow old
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
until (a time); till; to (a place or person); as far as; to (an extent); up to
to return; to come home; to leave; to get home; to get to home plate
on the way; en route; in the middle of; midway; halfway
abrupt; sudden; unexpected
terrible; dreadful; amazing (e.g. of strength); great (e.g. of skills); to a great extent; vast (in numbers)
light; illumination; ray; happiness; hope; influence
together with; as X, then Y (e.g. as we age we gain wisdom, as wine matures it becomes more valuable, etc.)
far away; distant place; long ago; far back; by far
voice; singing (of a bird); chirping (of an insect); voice; opinion (as expressed in words); sound; sense (of something's arrival)
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to be heard; to be audible; to be said to be; to be reputed
summons; summonsing; citation; subpoena; arraigning; calling
this sort of; this kind of; like this; such
that's the way it is; yes; is that so?; is it?
indicates a question; or; whether or not; some- (e.g. something, someone); hmm; huh; very
just (e.g. "just wait here"); come now; tolerably; passably; well...; I think...
to say; to utter; to name; to call; to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"); to make a noise
fast; quick; early (in the day, etc.); premature; (too) soon; not yet