glossy black (hair); (lit.) color of a crow with wet feathers
dainty; delicate (e.g. fingers); fine; sensitive; delicate (feelings, sense, etc.); subtle
emptiness; hollowness; vacancy; inanity; pointlessness; meaninglessness
hollow; mid-air; air; sky
mainly cloudy; tending to be cloudy
to be clear (of a sight, sound, colour, etc.); to be bright; to be clear-headed; to be alert; to look upbeat; to be perky; to master (a skill)
to draw in; to take in; to retract; to withdraw; to take back (e.g. words)
application; entry; request; subscription; offer; proposal
comparatively; relatively; fairly; considering ...; for ...; despite ...
habit; behavior; behaviour; trait
expressly; especially; specially; intentionally; deliberately; on purpose
sentiment; emotions; one's feelings; one's heart
bowstring; string (of a shamisen, etc.); stringed instrument; chord; hypotenuse
to pluck the strings of an instrument; to strum
explanation; excuse; clarification; vindication; apology
I; me; you; (arch.) manservant
to vanish gradually (e.g. of a voice); to trail off; to die away; to feel one's soul leaving one's body (from embarrassment, grief, etc.); to feel faint; to feel numb
fleeting; transient; short-lived; empty (dream, etc.); mere (hope); faint (possibility)
childhood friend; friend from infancy; old playmate
to sound; to ring; to resound; to echo; to roar; to rumble
to bake (a design onto ceramic); to fire (on); to burn into (one's memory); to sear into; to print (from a negative); to brand; to fuse together (metals)
fine weather; fair weather
rainy; showery; inclement
and yet; despite this; but even so; but even then; however; nevertheless
to get lost; to become lost; to go astray
companions; friends; comrades; mates; partners
vividly green; lush green; fresh and green; verdant; deep blue
to compete with; to vie for
end; extremity; limit; result; outcome; upshot
it doesn't matter what; anything is fine
(non-documentary) television series; TV drama; teledrama; drama; dramatic incident; spectacle
poem; poetry; verse; Chinese poem
silly; foolish; absurd; childish; easy; trifling
secrecy; highly classified information
to spur on; to urge forward; to impel; to drive at high speed (e.g. a car)
tightly; tautly; (springing, straightening) up; suddenly; intuitively; instinctively
somehow; somewhat; seemingly
story; tale; talk; discussion
reaching a stopping place; settling down (before the next stage); getting to a point where one can rest; one paragraph
(all) through (e.g. the night); throughout (e.g. the year); within (e.g. the week); in the course of (e.g. today); all over; throughout (e.g. the world)