the Tiger (third sign of the Chinese zodiac); hour of the Tiger (around 4am, 3-5am, or 4-6am); east-northeast; first month of the lunar calendar
favorite; favourite; habitually used
sword inscribed with the name of the swordsmith
skin; hide; rind; peel; shell; sheath
surface; face (i.e. the visible side of an object); front (of a building, etc.); obverse side (i.e. "head") of a coin; outside; exterior; appearance
East-Asian lacquer; japan; Chinese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum, formerly Rhus verniciflua)
grain; bead; drop; counter for small round objects including grains, seeds, pills, drops
granulated sugar; brown sugar
arame (species of kelp, Eisenia bicyclis)
astringent; bitter; austere; elegant (and unobtrusive); sour (look); glum
leather strap binding the plates of traditional Japanese armor (armour)
plain; simple; reserved (behaviour, attitude, etc.); modest; quite; a (little) bit
sun and moon; time; days and months; Sunday and Monday
to shine; to glitter; to sparkle
blue; azure; green; green light (traffic); black (horse coat color); blue 5-point card; immature
tight sleeve (of a kimono or dress)
to disagree; to dispute; to fight (over)
to sew; to stitch; to weave one's way (e.g. through a crowd)
to peep (through); to peek; to await (one's chance); to guess; to infer
simple; plain; modest; frugal; reserved
pioneer; leader; taking the initiative; leading an attack; charging ahead of others (towards the enemy)
adds vagueness and indirectness to the word or phrase it is used with
odds and ends; all; every
to (an extent); up to; doesn't amount to doing ...; not significant enough to require ...; even if ...
cheap; inexpensive; calm; peaceful; quiet
military service; serving in a war; taking part in a campaign
decisive; resolute; drastic
lower class peasant; peasant working for a land-owning farmer
difficulty; hardship; trouble; infeasibility; inability (to carry out)
interior; backwoods; hinterland; back regions
wisdom; jnana (higher knowledge)
seeing things in a favourable light (favorable)
favour; favor; favourite; favorite; patron; supporter
portion; part; snapshot; glimpse
recently; lately; these days; nearest; closest
being very surprised; being utterly astonished; being shocked