to be (of animate objects); to exist; to stay; to be ...-ing; to have been ...-ing
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
grandfather; male senior-citizen
old tale; folk tale; legend; reminiscence
country; state; region; national government; central government; home (i.e. hometown, home country); (arch.) province (of Japan)
where; what place; how much (long, far); what extent
red; crimson; red-containing colour (e.g. brown, pink, orange); Red (i.e. communist); red light (traffic); red ink (i.e. in finance or proof-reading); (in) the red
blue; azure; green; green light (traffic); black (horse coat color); blue 5-point card; immature
white; innocence; innocent person; blank space; white go stone; white dragon tile; skewered grilled pig intestine
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.)
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.
story; tale; talk; discussion
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
today; this day; these days; recently; nowadays
round; circular; curved; smooth; harmonious; calm
stock; share; stump; (clump of) roots; plant with attached roots or stem; strain (of bacteria, etc.); stock company
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
this; this one; this person; now; this point (in time); here; used to stress the subject of a sentence