Ming dynasty (of China; 1368-1644); Ming (serif typeface); Minchō
the Rabbit (fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac); the Hare; hour of the Rabbit (around 6am, 5-7am, or 6-8am); east; second month in the lunar calendar
period of time (usu. a period of approx. two hours corresponding to one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac); carving; engraving; strictness; cruelty
six o'clock; six periods of a day (morning, midday, afternoon, evening, midnight, late night)
preparation; arrangements; getting ready; provision; setup; reserving
to put in order; to arrange; to get ready; to prepare; to adjust; to regulate (e.g. rhythm, tune, one's breathing)
start; commencement; beginning; initiation
second; number two; runner-up
sneak attack (by a small group); surprise attack
retreat; falling back; recession; waning; backspace (key)
to close (of flowers); to shut; to get narrower
resolution; vote; decision
to be far apart; to be remote; to be quite different
sensuously beautiful; seductively beautiful; voluptuous
very; extremely; exceedingly; top; highest; best
breach of contract; default
to feel guilty; to suffer from a guilty conscience; to feel uneasy; to have qualms about; to have scruples about; to feel regret
anything and everything; just about everything
uncertain; doubtful; unreliable; unsteady; unclear; vague
traditional horse-racing; originally two horses head-to-head or ten at a time, esp. May 5 event at Kamigamo shrine
sky; heaven; God; svarga (heaven-like realm visited as a stage of death and rebirth); deva (divine being of Buddhism); top (of a book); sole (of a Japanese sandal)
defeat; loss; failing to live up to (one's name, looks, etc.); discount; loss (on a sale)
to wager; to bet; to risk; to stake; to gamble
losing a battle; lost battle; battle one cannot win; battle one is doomed to lose
idea; thought; discretion; forgiveness; pardon
returning from the battlefield; returning to camp
to ask a question; to begin to ask a question
to be at a loss; to be puzzled
just because; even if; even though
hard; solid; stiff; tight; strong; firm (not viscous or easily moved); safe
coming out; emerging; being born into (a certain family); being a native of (a particular place)
doubt; suspicion; question; strangeness
to heal; to cure; to satisfy (e.g. hunger, thirst); to alleviate (e.g. sorrow, fatigue)
scolding; telling-off; rebuke; complaint; grumbling; fault-finding
occasion; time; circumstances; (in) case (of); when
to draw back; to sink; to be set back (e.g. from a road); to withdraw (e.g. from the public eye); to retire to (somewhere)
one's heart; one's feelings; one's inner thoughts; one's mind
ought to do; have to do; must do; feel obliged to
(a) principle; (a) reason; (a) point; some truth
course (of events); development; progress; market order; order without limit
to take for granted; to assume; to pretend (to be); to pose (as); to go through with (what one decided to do); to persist in doing
consent; agreement; acceptance; understanding; satisfaction (e.g. with an explanation); being convinced
to think about; to send one's heart out to; to give more than a passing thought to; to think of something far away; to think nostalgically upon (esp. one's hometown)
to pour (sake); to serve; to drink (together); to consider (feelings, the situation, etc.); to sympathize with; to intuit
strange; odd; peculiar; queer; curious