knowing; (an) acquaintance
indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; regardless of; whether (or not)
to live; to exist; to make a living; to subsist; to be in effect; to be in use
period; epoch; the times; those days; oldness; ancientness
indicates sentence topic; indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated); adds emphasis
ukiyo-e; ukiyoe; Edo-period woodblock print
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
to be called ...; to be referred to as ...
Edo (shogunate capital, now Tokyo); Yedo
chōnin (Edo-period social class of town-dwelling commoners, esp. landowning merchants); townspeople; townsfolk; tradespeople
culture; civilization; civilisation; Bunka era (1804.2.11-1818.4.22)
to blossom; to flower; to bloom
meanwhile; in the meantime; by the same token; in contrast
at; in; at; when; by; with; and then
administration by close advisers; kitchen cabinet
to become overgrown; to grow thick; to spread; to run rampant; to thrive
public morals; discipline; rules governing social behavior
to be disordered; to be disarranged; to be discomposed; to be upset; to lapse into chaos (due to war, etc.)
apt to (do); liable to; predominantly; mostly; ... reaps the rewards; ... takes the prize
town; block; street; road; 109.09 m; 0.99 hectares
at (place, time); in; to (direction, state); toward; for (purpose); because of (reason); for
common people; ordinary people; masses
(way of) life; living; livelihood; life circumstances
that; the; part (as in "part two"); um ...; er ...
painful; difficult; distressing; (psychologically) difficult; straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation)
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.
only; merely; approximately; about; just (finished, etc.); as if to; (as though) about to
door (esp. Japanese-style); shutter; window shutter; (arch.) entrance (to a home); (arch.) narrows
to strike; to clap; to play drums; to abuse; to bash; to consult; to sound out
sound; noise; note; fame; Chinese-derived character reading
honorific/polite/humble prefix
abundant; plentiful; rich; wealthy; open (mind); relaxed
suffix for familiar person
what's the matter?; what's wrong?; what happened (to) ...?; what have you done (with) ...?; where is ...?
to say; to utter; to name; to call; to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"); to make a noise
older brother; elder brother; brother (as older-brother figure in friendly and or work relationship); young man; buddy
where; what place; how much (long, far); what extent
to go; to move (in a direction or towards a specific location); to proceed; to take place; to pass through; to come and go; to walk
spirit; mind; nature; disposition; motivation; intention
be; is; did; (have) done; please; do
just (e.g. "just wait here"); come now; tolerably; passably; well...; I think...
to enter; to go into; to break into; to join; to enroll; to contain; to hold
good fortune (esp. omikuji fortune-telling result); good luck; auspiciousness; unspecified day of the month (used to obscure the date a letter, invitation, etc. was written)
original; primitive; primary; fundamental; raw
to go; to come; to be defeated; to collapse; to be annoyed; to be nonplussed