responsibility; liability; blame; torture; torment
a lot; lots; enough; sufficient; enough; too many
steady; sound; stable; safe (e.g. business); reliable; trustworthy
mark; target; object; subject; point (e.g. of argument)
short piece (of music, writing); small work (painting, sculpture, etc.); literary sketch; small article; small item
banknote; bill; note; paper money
great success; roaring business; busy; packed-out
inquiry into; enquiry into; prying (into); investigation; search; exploration
to catch sight of; to see; to suppose; to assume from appearances
concentration; diligence; asceticism; zeal in one's quest for enlightenment; adherence to a vegetarian diet
judgement; judgment; refereeing; umpiring; judgement (of God); referee
to look up (at); to look up to; to respect; to ask for (e.g. guidance); to seek; to depend on
shifting (the burden) onto; ill effects; negative consequences; burden
to come from; to have roots in
seeming like an excuse; seeming like a justification; defensive; in an apologetic tone
dustbin of history; ash heap of history; obscurity; long-forgotten memory
sitting on the floor grasping one's knees (as in a gym class)
deception; make-believe; fake; counterfeit; phony
surrender; capitulation; submission; yield
somehow; in some way; for some reason; faintly; vaguely
please; kindly; I beg of you; by all means; without fail
pardon; forgiveness; exemption; permission
scandal; impropriety; misconduct
related to; in relation to
still more; to say nothing of; not to mention; still less
condescending attitude; arrogant attitude; looking down on
making a person, pet, etc. wait (before being permitted to do something); postponement; putting on hold
script reading; scenario reading; avid reader; bookworm; reading a book; reading books
to discuss; to find fault with; to criticize; to criticise
child; childish person; immature person
kotatsu; table over an electric heater, with a hanging quilt to retain heat (orig. over a charcoal brazier in a floor well)
indicates two contrasting actions; (arch.) indicates possessive (often found in place names and compound words)
reading aloud; reading (a kanji) by its Chinese-derived pronunciation
incarnation; embodiment; realization; giving concrete form (to)
every person; each one; everybody
to listen carefully; to strain one's ears
this and that; this or that; one thing after another
to be thrilled; to be excited
with a sting; with a tingle; nervously; tensely; with a rip; with a ripping sound
being filled with; being full of; permeation
no wonder; little wonder; after all; as expected; which isn't surprising
school with a high proportion of graduates accepted into high-ranking universities; school focused on preparing students to get into high-ranking universities; school with a high proportion of graduates who go on to university or junior college