opening; start; opening credits; title sequence; theme song (played during the opening credits of a TV show, etc.)
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
hey; you; hey; hey; hold on; yo
How do you do?; I am glad to meet you
announcer; presenter; broadcaster; in-house television talent who does on-location fluff pieces for variety shows
indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question
if; when; and; with; used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.); promoted pawn; indicates a question
to say; to be called; to do
from (e.g. time, place, numerical quantity); since; from (originator); by; because; since; out of (constituent, part)
more and more; all the more; at last; finally; (at the) last moment; worst possible time
to begin; to start; to happen (again); to begin (anew); to date (from); to originate (in)
national convention; national competition; national athletic meet
state; state of affairs; appearance; look; sign; indication
indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.
honorific/polite/humble prefix
to convey; to report; to transmit; to communicate; to tell; to impart
to do; to carry out; to cause to become; to make (into); to serve as; to act as; to wear (clothes, a facial expression, etc.)
red; crimson; red-containing colour (e.g. brown, pink, orange); Red (i.e. communist); red light (traffic); red ink (i.e. in finance or proof-reading); (in) the red
blocking (e.g. the way); obstructing; block (lump of something (usu. square), area of town, etc.); block; physical record (e.g. on magnetic tape); concrete block; blocking (from view, esp. of websites, on social media, etc.)
participants; participating athletes
beginning; start; first (in line, etc.); origin; such as ...; not to mention ...
player (of a sport); athlete; team member
victory; triumph; conquest; success; win
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
to begin grandly; to start with a bang; to make a spectacular beginning; (lit.) to throw open the curtains
once; one time; one round; one game; one bout; one heat
war; battle; match; game; competition
to lose; to be defeated; to succumb; to give in; to be inferior to; to break out in a rash due to (e.g. lacquer, shaving, etc.)
bittersweet; having mingled feelings of joy and sorrow; joy and sorrow alternating in one's heart
(non-documentary) television series; TV drama; teledrama; drama; dramatic incident; spectacle
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
high praise; great admiration; rave reviews
ongoing; in progress; afoot
and; and then; thus; and now; and finally
just now; a moment ago; this very minute
to decide; to choose; to clinch (a victory); to decide (the outcome of a match); to persist in doing; to go through with; to always do
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
same; identical; equal; anyway; anyhow; in either case
shelf; ledge; rack; trellis
will; resolution; kindness; goodwill; gift (as a token of gratitude)
oh!; good heavens!; ugh!; oh no!; ah!; the penny drops!