head; brains; intellect; understanding
grim; stern; stark; heartless
thick growth of plants; plantation; shrubbery; thicket
chunk; lump; thick slice; cutting into chunks
Western goods; Western things; imported goods
anesthetic; anaesthetic; narcotic
taking captive; carrying away; kidnapping; kidnaping; abduction
ominous; sinister; unlucky; inauspicious
(not even) an inch; (not even) a little bit; (lit.) one millimeter
to come to a dead end; to come to a standstill; to reach a deadlock; to reach an impasse; to reach a stalemate
strict; hidebound; inflexible; being a stickler for the rules; sticking hard and fast to the rules
lightly (floating, drifting, etc.); buoyantly; soft; fluffy; unsteadily; flightily
starching (e.g. clothes); pasting; gluing (e.g. paper, a letter)
with a click (door sound); with tenseness or firmness
commonplace (of people or animals); ordinary; typical; ubiquitous; run-of-the-mill; found around every corner
very; greatly; exceedingly
misfortune; adverse fortune; hapless fate; checkered (life, career, etc.); varied; eventful
to attract attention; to come into the limelight
concealment; suppression; hiding
uncivilized; uncivilised; undeveloped (land); unexplored (territory, field, etc.); unbloomed (flower)
undiscovered; not found; unexplored
not yet known; unknown; strange
to walk about; to walk around; to conduct oneself; to turn up; to brawl (in a play, etc.)
nothing special; no big deal; doesn't matter
rank; place (e.g. first place); decimal place; counter for ghosts
economic superpower; economic powerhouse
large truck; semi-trailer
giving and taking; exchange (of letters); arguing back and forth; (conversational) exchange
beginning; start; clue; lead; thread end
corresponding to; being applicable to; being relevant to; coming under; falling under; fulfilling (requirements)
coercion; extortion; compulsion; force
vocation; lifework; sacred task (esp. the emperor's rule over the nation); prostitute of the second-highest class (Edo period)
pacifist constitution (often applied to the Japanese constitution); constitution which outlaws use of arms
action of making something; -ification
inexperienced; immature; green; grassy-smelling; smelling of raw vegetation
risky; dangerous; insecure
to weather (a storm, rough seas); to ride across; to get through (adversity); to weather; to load completely (e.g. books on a shelf, people or luggage in a car)
to shut one's eyes; to ignore; to pretend not to know; to die
to be slightly inferior; to be a degree worse; to give an inch; to make a concession; to concede a point