honorific/polite/humble prefix; honorific suffix
(your) business; (your) concern; (customer's) order; official business (of the government, Imperial Court, etc.); arrest; capture
presence (of a nobleman, the emperor, etc.); outrider (person riding horseback in the lead position of a cavalcade); My Lord; My Lady
I'm sorry; my apologies; may I come in?; permission; leave; dismissal
to be; to come; to go; to be (doing)
personage; person (deserving of respect)
purveyor (to the Imperial Household, etc.); company (or restaurant, place, etc.) that caters to or is popular with a specific clientele
imperial palace (esp. Kyoto Imperial Palace); imperial residence; residence of a shogun, minister, etc.; emperor; ex-emperor; empress
treat (esp. food and drink); entertainment; treating someone (to a meal); gorgeous dinner; feast; excellent food
knowing; being aware (of); (an) acquaintance
emperor (of Japan); mikado; (the gates of an) imperial residence
contest held in the presence of a daimyo, shogun or the Emperor; match attended by the team's owner
master; Your Lordship; My Lord; husband
(please) try to; (please) look; seeing; looking
trouble (I have put you through); (your) hard work; thank you (for your hard work); I appreciate your efforts
leading figure; influential figure; mogul
(please) look; see; (please) try to do
your husband; her husband
three branches of the Tokugawa family (Owari, Kii and Mito); big three; top three
humour; humor; safety; health; in a good mood; in high spirits
yourself; himself; herself
tedious talk; impertinent talk; repetitious talk; saucy speech; pretentious statement
your daughter; young woman
dismissal (from one's post); firing; being relieved from one's post; discarding; throwing away; becoming useless
I'm sorry; my apologies; excuse me; pardon me
divine grace; divine favour; blessing; benefit; help
to see; to look; to watch; to try to ...
greeting; a fine thing to say
(received) favor, kindness or blessing (favour)
shintai; object of worship believed to contain the spirit of a deity, typically housed in a shrine
immediate vassal (of the shogun; Kamakura and Muromachi periods); low-ranking vassal (of the shogun; Edo period)
trouble; bother; annoyance
forbidden; prohibited; banned; taboo
(someone else's) parents; both parents
guidance; leading (the way); information; notice; announcement (of one's arrival); invitation
not writing or contacting for a while; neglecting (failing) to write (call, visit, etc.); long silence
meal; Emperor's meal; meal of a noble; high-quality (of a food or drink); premium
nice to see you; good morning; good evening; adieu; farewell; bon voyage
to receive permission; to leave (with someone's permission); to retire; to refuse; to beg off doing
I'm sorry; (it's) inexcusable; thank you very much (for help, etc.)
fate; chance; relationship; tie
to be treated to a meal; to be given a meal
as you see; as you can see
purveyor (to the government or Imperial Household)
(another person's) younger sister
wife (esp. of a prominent, recently married man)
reward; prize; treat; delight; small joy
the rounds of tradesmen going door to door; route man; door-to-door tradesman; thief taker; secret policeman
thank you (for your hard work); I appreciate your efforts
good luck (in battle); may fortune be with you
imperial visit; imperial outing
(arch.) person of high rank; (arch.) nobleman; wife of a nobleman
staff with plaited paper streamers
a woman's natural inclination to care for others; big-sisterly disposition
polite; courteous; careful; close; overly courteous; overly careful
you are quite right; reasonable; natural; just
may I come in?; please forgive me; I'm sorry
temple; monk's quarters; monk
inviting another to one's home, office, etc.; (lit.) the trouble of coming (going)
abode (of a nobleman or emperor); Imperial chamber
exaggerated; extravagant; overdone
licensed; chartered; officially allowed; legitimate
as you are aware; as you know
bride; one's daughter-in-law
evening meal; dinner; supper
starting afresh; going back to square one; abandoning (e.g. a plan); clearing an abacus
(another's respected) father
(another person's) nephew
having had enough; flatly refusing; wouldn't do for anything; begging pardon
the times; the world; society
principal object of worship at a temple (usu. a buddha or bodhisattva); principal image; idol; the man himself; the person at the heart of the matter
attention; notice; care; caution; advice; warning
to receive permission; to leave (with someone's permission); to retire; to refuse; to beg off doing
to see; to look; to watch
to see; to look; to watch; to try to ...
cooperation; collaboration; help; support
how kind of you; that's very nice of you; kindly
doctor to a shogun or daimyo (Edo period)
don't worry; no worries; never mind
splendid; fine; handsome; elegant; imposing; prominent
goshuin; seal stamp given to worshippers and visitors to shrines and temples; letter bearing the shogun's scarlet seal
I appreciate your efforts
thank you (for the meal); that was a delicious meal; thank you (for displaying lovey-dovey behaviour)
manager; steward; person next in rank to the chief retainer and in charge of general management and accounting in a samurai family (Edo period)
image (esp. of a deity, buddha, royal, noble, etc.)
don't worry about it; there is nothing to fear; there is no need for anxiety; everything is under control
contacting; getting in touch; communication; call; message
siblings; brothers and sisters
oracle; revelation; divine message; tedious talk; impertinent talk; repetitious talk
opportunism; double standards; timeserving; expediency
entertainment; amusement; fun
worry; care; consideration
three secondary Tokugawa branch families (Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)
courtesy call; courtesy visit
crest (of a noble family)
deified volcano or volcanic eruption
in a bad temper; cranky; crabby
maid-in-waiting in the domestic quarters of a shogun or daimyo (Edo period)
acknowledgement; acknowledgment; understanding; approval; consent
ceremony to appease evil gods and the spirits of the dead
currying favour; sucking up; being anxious to please; bootlicker
like many others; being no exception; just like everyone else; as is usual with; in common with
halo (optical phenomenon); glory
thank you for the meal; that was a delicious meal; what a wonderful meal
light used as a religious offering; paper lantern (hung up near the door of performers and geishas)
this place; where one comes from; here
daughter of a person of high rank
room in Edo castle where the shogun's council of elders attended to governmental affairs
land under the control of the imperial household or the shogunate
mausoleum; shrine; the (imperial) court
a question from the emperor
right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts (Edo period)
the majority (of people); majority view; behaviour of the majority
wild ginger trefoil family crest (of the Tokugawa clan); triple hollyhock family crest
you're looking well; how lovely to see you; how wonderful to see you in such good spirits; farewell, and keep well; do take good care of yourself
imperial portrait; photograph of the incumbent Emperor and Empress distributed to schools between 1890 and the end of the Second World War; portrait or photo of a person of high rank
please be careful; please take care
sunrise viewed from the top of a high mountain; the rising sun
rice seasoned and cooked with various ingredients
pilgrim's song; pilgrim's hymn; song in praise of the Buddha
(another's) elder brother; older brother
advisor; adviser (to a lord, etc.); wise counselor allowed to speak to a lord without restraint
upaya (skillful means, methods of teaching); convenience; suitability; availability
scholar beholden to the government; self-serving academic; scholar who toadies up to government authorities
Formulary of Adjudications (51-article Joei legal code)
goshuin booklet; book for receiving seal stamps at shrines and temples
pent roof built atop the stairs of a shrine or temple
lighted lamp (or candle, etc.) provided as a religious offering
imperial chrysanthemum crest
Imperial car (automobile, railway car, etc.)
pro-government newspaper; newspaper that curries favour with the government
Hamaguri Gomon incident (1864 clash between pro and anti-shogunate forces)
Brocken spectre; Brocken bow
being busy with many things; extreme busyness due to pressure of business
encouragement; urging; spurring on
skewered sweet rice cakes served with soy sauce and miso
please take care of yourself; please be careful not to ... (concerning one's health or well-being)
to be; to exist; (arch.) to come; (arch.) to go; (arch.) to be (somewhere)
Jersey cudweed (species of cottonweed, Gnaphalium affine)
spirit of a deceased person; revengeful ghost; ceremony to appease evil gods and the spirits of the dead
rice topped with raw egg (often seasoned with soy sauce)
casserole of rice, fish or meat, and vegetables
before the spirit of the deceased
giving in against one's better judgment; letting someone have their way no matter how unreasonable; grudging compliance; reluctant acquiescence
year-end office closing (usu. Dec. 28)
cooked rice with added ingredients (meat, vegetables, etc.)
to withdraw from the presence (of the Emperor)
shogun-authorized trading vessel (authorised)
Charter Oath (of the Meiji Emperor); Five-Point Imperial Covenant; Imperial Oath of Five Articles
excuse me for interrupting you when you are so busy
may your soul rest in peace; I pray for your happiness in the afterlife
don't complain until the job is finished; the end crowns the work
Ōgosho period (between the Kansei Reforms and the Tempo Reforms, approx. 1787-1843)
have a pass to; have access to
a non-samurai being granted the privilege of wearing a sword (during the Edo period)
thank you for the meal; that was a delicious meal; what a wonderful meal
please enjoy (the food); dig in; bon appétit
before a Buddha or a mortuary tablet; offerings made to Buddha or placed on a mortuary tablet
treating someone to one delicious meal after the other
casserole of rice, fish or meat, and vegetables
please take good care of yourself
re-opening of offices in New Year (usu. January 4)
wandering jew (Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea'); purple secretia; purple-heart; purple queen
I'm good, thanks; I'll stay out of this one
shiruko made with strained red bean paste
chestnut rice; rice boiled with chestnuts
local costumed mascot character
rice cooked with matsutake
microwavable instant rice; pre-cooked rice
worship by the emperor at a shrine
rice sprinkled with red perilla
buoyant market (on season-opening); festive market
good answer!; that's right!; bullseye!
patronage; favour; favor; custom
being ignorant of the ways of the world; knowing nothing; (lit.) not being able to tell if a yam is boiled or not
imperial protector monk; monk who performed rituals for the wellbeing of the imperial household
superstition; superstitious person
ring entering ceremony in presence of the emperor or crown prince
locally produced electricity
sword tester (Edo period); executioner
local wrestler; crowd favorite (favourite)
Goryū Shinto (sect of amalgamated Shinto)
imperial event at which high monks recited the Golden Light Sutra to pray for national security and good harvests (held annually at the palace from the 8th to the 14th of the first lunar month, between the Nara and Muromachi periods)
frequently asked questions; FAQ
water offered to the gods and Buddha
Gobunsho (The Epistles, a collection of letters written by Rennyo)
being excused from various levies and taxes during the age of militarist government
Canadian dwarf cornel (Cornus canadensis); bunchberry dogwood; crackerberry
Actinostemma lobatum (plant of the family Cucurbitaceae)
within the town limits of Edo
to be; to exist; to come; to go; to be (somewhere)
to be; to exist; to come; to go; to be (doing)
palace of a retired emperor
boat reserved for nobles; pleasure boat
another's wife or daughter
to see; to look; to watch; to see; to look; to watch
to see; to look; to watch