Mother West Wind "Why" Stories — Page 2

Vocabulary

ラビット

Rabitto — Rabbit, a small furry mammal.

猟犬

ryōken — Hunting dog bred to assist hunters.

の

no — Possessive or linking particle indicating relationship.

老い

oi — Old age, the state of being elderly.

たる

taru — Classical verb suffix meaning 'being' or 'that is'.

フォックス

Fokkusu — Fox, a cunning wild canine animal.

子ども

kodomo — Child or children, young human beings.

向け

muke — Aimed at, intended for a specific audience.

鳥

tori — Bird, a feathered winged vertebrate animal.

本

hon — Book, a written or printed publication.

動物

dōbutsu — Animal, a living organism that moves.

目次

mokuji — Table of contents listing chapter titles.

章

shō — Chapter, a main division of a book.

第

dai — Prefix indicating ordinal number such as first.

一

ichi — One, the first number.

縞

shima — Stripe or stripes, a pattern of lines.

リス

risu — Squirrel, a small bushy-tailed tree rodent.

が

ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.

なぜ

naze — Why, asking for a reason or cause.

自分

jibun — Oneself, referring to one's own self.

を

wo/o — Object marker particle in Japanese grammar.

誇り

hokori — Pride, a feeling of self-respect and achievement.

に

ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or purpose.

し

shi — Verb stem of suru, meaning to do.

て

te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases together.

いる

iru — To exist, be present; auxiliary for ongoing action.

か

ka — Question particle placed at end of sentence.

二

ni — Two, the second number.

手

te — Hand, the body part at arm's end.

組め

kume — Imperative or potential form of kumu, to cooperate.

ない

nai — Negative auxiliary; not, does not exist.

三

san — Three, the third number.

おじさん

ojisan — Uncle or middle-aged man, familiar male address.

ポッサム

Possamu — Possum, a marsupial animal known for feigning death.

死ん

shin — Past stem of shinu, to die.

だ

da — Copula meaning 'is' or 'are' in Japanese.

ふり

furi — Pretense or acting as if something is true.

する

suru — To do, the basic action verb in Japanese.

四

shi/yon — Four, the fourth number.

赤い

akai — Red, describing something of red color.

毛皮

kegawa — Fur or pelt, animal hair used as covering.

まとっ

matot(te) — Conjunctive form of matou, to wear or drape.

五

go — Five, the fifth number.

スカンク

Sukanku — Skunk, an animal known for spraying foul odor.

決し

kesshi — Stem of kesshite, meaning never or absolutely not.

急が

isoga — Stem of isogu, to hurry or rush.

六

roku — Six, the sixth number.

ジェイ

Jei — Jay, a colorful crested bird species.

立派な

rippa na — Splendid, magnificent, or impressive in appearance.

な

na — Adjectival suffix linking na-adjectives to nouns.

羽衣

hagoromo — Feather robe, a beautiful cloak of feathers.

持っ

mot(te) — Conjunctive form of motsu, to have or hold.

七

shichi/nana — Seven, the seventh number.

マスクラット

Masukuratto — Muskrat, a semi-aquatic rodent with musky scent.

水

mizu — Water, the clear liquid essential for life.

中

naka — Inside or middle, referring to interior location.

家

ie/uchi — House or home, a place where one lives.

建てる

tateru — To build or construct a structure.

八

hachi — Eight, the eighth number.

コヨーテ

Koyōte — Coyote, a wild North American canine animal.

じいさん

jiisan — Old man or grandfather, familiar elderly male address.

多く

ōku — Many, much; a large number or quantity.

声

koe — Voice, the sound produced by speaking or singing.

九

ku/kyū — Nine, the ninth number.

モグラ

mogura — Mole, a small burrowing mammal with tiny eyes.

地下

chika — Underground, below the surface of the earth.

住ん

sun(de) — Conjunctive stem of sumu, to live or reside.

で

de — Particle indicating location of action or means.

十

jū — Ten, the tenth number.

スネーク

Sunēku — Snake, a legless reptile that slithers along ground.

さん

san — Honorific suffix added to names, meaning Mr./Ms.

まばたき

mabataki — Blinking of the eyes, a rapid eyelid movement.

でき

deki — Stem of dekiru, to be able to do.

十一

jūichi — Eleven, the eleventh number.

しっぽ

shippo — Tail, the rear appendage of an animal.

輪

wa — Ring or circle, a round loop shape.

模様

moyō — Pattern or design appearing on a surface.

十二

jūni — Twelve, the twelfth number.

バザード

Bazādo — Buzzard, a large scavenging bird of prey.

一族

ichizoku — Clan or family group sharing common ancestry.

黒い

kuroi — Black, describing something of dark black color.

頭

atama — Head, the uppermost part of the body.

もの

mono — Thing or person; a general reference to something.

十三

jūsan — Thirteen, the thirteenth number.

ベア

Bea — Bear, a large omnivorous mammal.

よう

yō — Seeming like or appearing to be something.

見える

mieru — To appear or be visible to the eye.

十四

jūshi/jūyon — Fourteen, the fourteenth number.

コウモリ

kōmori — Bat, a nocturnal flying mammal using echolocation.

夜

yoru — Night, the dark period after sunset.

飛ぶ

tobu — To fly or jump through the air.

十五

jūgo — Fifteen, the fifteenth number.

カメ

kame — Turtle or tortoise, a reptile with a shell.

背負っ

seot(te) — Conjunctive form of seou, to carry on back.

歩く

aruku — To walk, to move on foot.

十六

jūroku — Sixteen, the sixteenth number.

ビーバー

Bībā — Beaver, a dam-building semi-aquatic rodent.

幅広い

habahiroi — Wide or broad, having great width or range.

挿絵

sashie — Illustration, a picture inserted within a book.

一覧

ichiran — List or overview, a comprehensive display of items.

彼

kare — He or him, third-person masculine pronoun.

は

wa — Topic marker particle highlighting the sentence topic.

そのまま

sono mama — As is, without change; continuing in same state.

用事

yōji — Errand or business, a task to be done.

続け

tsuzuke — Stem of tsuzukeru, to continue or keep doing.

た

ta — Past tense auxiliary indicating a completed action.

みんな

minna — Everyone, all people in a group.

とても

totemo — Very, extremely; an intensifying adverb.

お腹

onaka — Stomach or belly, the abdomen area.

空い

sui — Conjunctive stem of suku, to become empty or hungry.

い

i — Stem of iru, auxiliary for ongoing state.

ごちそう

gochisō — Feast or treat, a delicious elaborate meal.

いつ

itsu — When, asking about a time or occasion.

できる

dekiru — To be able to, can; to be completed.

知り

shiri — Stem of shiru, to know or find out.

たがっ

tagat(te) — Stem of tagaru, wanting to do something eagerly.

まさか

masaka — Surely not, no way; expressing disbelief or surprise.

そんな

sonna — Such, that kind of; referring to something mentioned.

こと

koto — Thing or matter; nominalizer for verbs and phrases.

でしょう

deshō — Probably, right?; expressing conjecture or seeking agreement.

と

to — Quotation or companion particle; and, with, that.

カエル

kaeru — Frog, a small amphibian that lives near water.

おじいさん

ojiisan — Grandfather or old man, respectful elderly male term.

口

kuchi — Mouth, the opening used for eating and speaking.

挟ん

hasan(de) — Conjunctive stem of hasamu, to insert or interpose.

彼ら

karera — They or them, third-person plural pronoun.

舌

shita — Tongue, the muscular organ inside the mouth.

突き出す

tsukidasu — To thrust out or stick out suddenly.

だけ

dake — Only or just, limiting the scope of something.

何

nani/nan — What, an interrogative pronoun asking about things.

返事

henji — Reply or response to a question or call.

も

mo — Also, too, or even; an inclusive particle.

なかっ

nacat(ta) — Past negative form of nai, there was not.

そのとき

sono toki — At that time, at that moment.

熊

kuma — Bear, a large powerful omnivorous mammal.

王

ō — King or ruler, the monarch of a domain.

など

nado — Et cetera, and so on; listing examples.

なけれ

nakere — Conditional negative stem of nai, if there were not.

ば

ba — Conditional particle meaning if or when something occurs.

よかっ

yokat(ta) — Past form of yoi, it was good or fine.

思っ

omot(te) — Conjunctive stem of omou, to think or feel.

飛べ

tobe — Conditional or imperative form of tobu, to fly.

たら

tara — Conditional suffix meaning if or when done.

きっと

kitto — Surely, certainly; expressing strong conviction.

素晴らしい

subarashii — Wonderful, splendid, marvelous; expressing great admiration.

だろう

darō — Probably, I suppose; expressing conjecture informally.

空

sora — Sky, the expanse above the earth.

いい

ii — Good, nice, or fine; expressing approval.

やあ

yā — Hey or hi, an informal greeting or exclamation.

叫ん

sakebn(de) — Conjunctive stem of sakebu, to shout or cry out.

どこ

doko — Where, an interrogative asking about location.