top brass; upper echelon; higher-ups; top management; upper reaches; top of the pile
to let go of; to release; to part with (e.g. a possession); to relinquish; to send away (e.g. one's child); to let go
to have an eye on; to zero in on
to plan; to intend; to aspire to; to set aims (sights on)
equality; equal; same rights; same rank; equivalence
flowers budding; blooming; flowering; showing results; becoming popular; blooming
process; course; mechanism
instead of; in place of; as a substitute for; in exchange for; in return for; to make up for
to take over; to hand over
maintenance; preservation; improvement
to rise; to go up; to enter (esp. from outdoors); to come in; to enter (a school); to advance to the next grade; to get out (of water)
number (in a series); (one's) turn; watch; guard; rank; standing; bout
knowing; (an) acquaintance
(someone's) assistance; help; aid; grace (of God); benevolence (of Buddha); blessing
very popular; highly favoured
to make fun of; to look down on; to make light of
even so; all the same; nevertheless; yes, but ...
daydream; fantasy; fancy; vision
delineation; demarcation; drawing a line (e.g. between what's acceptable and unacceptable); (measuring) ruler
beginning of next week (usu. Monday); early next week
outline; summary; argument
to sit down (and refuse to move); to sit-in (in protest)
earth; soil; the earth (historically, esp. as opposed to the heavens); the ground; low-quality torinoko-gami (containing mud); (period of) refraining from construction in the direction of the god of the earth (in Onmyōdō)
to fall down; to drop; to be omitted; to be missing; to decrease; to sink; to fail (e.g. exam or class)
koku; traditional unit of volume, approx. 180.4 litres; measure of a Japanese-style boat's loading capacity (approx. 278.26 liters)
counter for scraps, fragments, petals, etc.
fashion; way; school (of thought); class; rank; current (electrical, water, etc.)
Chinese "star" constellation (one of the 28 mansions); Singapore
tool; implement; means; furniture
instability; insecurity; crankiness
to copy; to imitate; to counterfeit; to forge
whether or not (in phrases like "I don't know whether or not I can come")
distinction; discrimination; distinguishing; discernment
fixed; settled; constant; definite; uniform; regularized
habit (often a bad habit, i.e. vice); tendency; peculiarity; idiosyncrasy; crease; wrinkle
to see through; to see into (someone's heart, mind, etc.); to perceive; to find out; to detect
besides; in addition; also; moreover
inexpert or untrained eyes
all; altogether; entirely; exactly like; just like; spitting image of
clear; obvious; evident; bright; light
ago; since; before; previous