being born between January 1 and April 1 (school entrance date)
by all rights; properly speaking; legally speaking
tedious; boring; dull; to feel bored; to get bored (with); to get tired (of)
ordinary; common; commonplace; mediocre; unremarkable; undistinguished
change for the better; improvement; looking better (than before)
life; living; livelihood; (one's) living
should (be); bound (to be); nock (of a bow); nock (of an arrow); nock-shaped grip (between thumb and forefinger); wooden frame on the tip of the mast of a Japanese ship that prevents the hawser from falling out
ordinary; common; free of charge; free; unaffected; as is
in drops; dripping; gently (sloping); sluggishly; endlessly; leisurely
stimulus; stimulation; impetus; impulse; excitement; thrill
few; little; small (amount); low; scarce; insufficient
happiness; good fortune; luck; blessing
normal; ordinary; normally; ordinarily; local train; train that stops at every station
rejoicing; glorification; exultation; celebration; enjoyment; singing praises
now; the present time; just now; another; more
in this way; like this; this (much); so; uh; er
to die; to pass away; to lose spirit; to lose vigor; to cease; to stop
brink; verge; critical moment; crucial moment
to wander from place to place; to change jobs
while; during; while; although; all; both
(practical) experience; personal experience; hands-on experience; first-hand experience
which way; which direction; which one (esp. of two alternatives); who
listen!; you see; mind you; remember
to ask; to enquire; to inquire; to search; to look for; to look into
(relative) merits; superiority or inferiority; quality
to decide; to choose; to clinch (a victory); to decide (the outcome of a match); to persist in doing; to go through with; to always do
bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh; sarcastic laugh
sensation; feeling; tendency; propensity
that is so; that is right; it looks to me; people say that; it is said that; I hear that
while; even though; despite
space (between); gap; period of time (during, while); duration; between (two parties or things); among (a group); relations (between)
common; ordinary; fair (e.g. fight); gracious; frank; open
deep (colour); dark; strong (flavour, smell, etc.); thick (consistency); dense; strong (possibility, etc.)
it is ... that ...; precisely; although; while; it is precisely because ... that ...; only because ...
few decades; many decades; several decades
to hang up (e.g. a coat, a picture on the wall); to let hang; to put on (e.g. a blanket); to put on top of; to put on (glasses, etc.); to wear (a necklace, etc.); to make (a call)
tightly (hold, squeeze, etc.); firmly; forcefully (e.g. push); hard
to shorten; to reduce; to crumple (fabric); to wrinkle; to make (one's body) smaller; to draw in (one's legs)
to differ (from); to be different; to be wrong; to be incorrect; to become abnormal; to go wrong
common sense; good sense; common knowledge; general knowledge; common practice; accepted practice
already; yet; soon; shortly; further; more
goes without saying; needless to say; obvious
country; state; region; national government; central government; home (i.e. hometown, home country); province (of Japan)