early evening (usu. from 3pm to 6pm); dusk
sparse; thin; scattered; straggling; sporadic
favour; favor; obligation; kindness; benevolence
dots; spots; bit by bit; little by little; here and there; scattered
it says ...; it reads ...; ... is written
before very long; soon; someday; one of these days; sooner or later
to spoil; to break; to go bad; to go wrong; to fail
repayment; reimbursement; refund; redemption
sound; sure; safe; steady; firm
training range; training grounds; training area
to stay long; to hang around; to hang out; to be immersed (in water) for a long time; to soak
to hurry (up); to urge on; to press; to rush
plectrum (for a shamisen, biwa, etc.); pick; drumstick (for taiko); mallet (for a gong); beater
interest (in something); enthusiasm
log; dace (Tribolodon hakonensis); test subject (of human experiments performed by Unit 731 during WWII); (arch.) prostitute dressed as a Buddhist nun
blue; azure; green; green light (traffic); black (horse coat color); blue 5-point card; immature
intellectual; educated person; intelligentsia
military man; warrior; soldier
great swordsman; master fencer
militant (faction, group, person, etc.); hardliner who favors force over compromise; hawk
match; game; bout; contest
to excel; to surpass; to exceed; to outweigh; to preponderate
(art of) fencing; swordsmanship
pleasant feeling; good vibes
ability; capability; skill
after all; in the end; conclusion; end; end of a game of go, shogi, etc.
neglect of one's social obligations; failure to perform one's social duties; dishonor; failure to pay back one's debt
anticlimax; let-down; disappointment; loss of interest
to have something on one's mind; to have (undisclosed) reservations; to feel conflicted
clumsy; awkward; unskillful; incompetent; inept; bungling
as one would expect from ...; given that ... (naturally ...); precisely because ...; all the more because of ...; on account of ...; ... being what it is
consecutive defeats; series of defeats
total destruction; complete destruction; annihilation; total defeat; complete failure
having one's back to the wall; having nowhere to go; having no way out; not having another chance
end of a match; end of a game
to turn; to rotate; to go around; to circle; to make the rounds (of); to go around (several places); to go by way of
to be dispelled (of doubts, ill feeling, etc.); to disappear; to be put behind one; to burst (of a boil, abscess, etc.)
everything; anything; nothing
but; however; provided that
entirety; whole; balance (in Zen); equality
to turn one's face; to turn around; to look over one's shoulder