indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
childhood friend; friend from infancy; old playmate
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.
violence; assault; rough (e.g. handling); reckless; rape; sexual assault
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
hand; arm; forepaw; foreleg; handle; hand; worker
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
to give; to let (one) have; to give; to do for one; to take the trouble to do; to do to someone's disadvantage
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
escape; flight; running away; elopement; fleeing
finally; after; following; at the end (of)
to arrive at (after a struggle); to finally reach; to find one's way to; to finally hit on (e.g. an idea)
Edo (shogunate capital, now Tokyo); Yedo
good fortune (esp. omikuji fortune-telling result); good luck; auspiciousness; unspecified day of the month (used to obscure the date a letter, invitation, etc. was written)
original; primitive; primary; fundamental; raw
there (place relatively near listener); there (place just mentioned); that place; then (of some incident just spoken of); that (of point just raised); (arch.) you
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
to lure someone; to entice someone
snare; trap (for catching wild game, etc.); trap (i.e. ruse, subterfuge, etc.)
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
to use (a thing, method, etc.); to make use of; to use (a person, animal, puppet, etc.); to employ; to use (time, money, etc.); to spend
younger brother; little brother; brother-in-law (spouse's younger brother or younger sister's husband); (arch.) pupil; (arch.) apprentice
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
first warbling heard in a New Year
to employ; to hire; to charter
ronin; masterless samurai; high school graduate waiting for another chance to enter university after having failed the yearly entrance examination; person out of work; jobless person; (arch.) wanderer
to kill (a human) using a blade (sword, machete, knife, etc.); to slice (off); to lop (off); to cut (off)
to die; to pass away; to lose spirit; to lose vigor; to cease; to stop
good; advantage; sake; purpose; consequence; result
honorific/polite/humble prefix
to work; to labor; to function; to operate; to commit (e.g. a crime); to perpetrate
to desire; to wish; to beg; to request; to have something done for oneself
I wonder; should I?; is it?; I wish that; I hope that
that is to say; that is; in short; in brief; clogging; obstruction; shrinkage
bodyguard; bouncer; bar (e.g. on a door); bolt; stick or pole used for self-defence
to become; to get; to result in; to turn out; to consist of; to be composed of; to be completed
called; named; as many as; as much as; all ...; every single ...
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; circumstances; situation; work