White nights, and other stories — Page 12

Vocabulary

しかし

shikashi — Conjunction meaning 'however' or 'but'.

彼女

kanojo — She; her; also used to mean girlfriend.

の

no — Possessive or nominalizing particle.

唇

kuchibiru — Lips, the fleshy parts of the mouth.

に

ni — Particle indicating location, direction, or target.

は

wa — Topic marker particle in Japanese grammar.

すでに

sudeni — Already; by this time something has occurred.

微笑み

hohoemi — A smile; gentle, warm facial expression.

輝き

kagayaki — Radiance, brilliance, or glowing light.

が

ga — Subject marker particle in Japanese grammar.

あった

atta — Past tense of 'aru'; there was, existed.

も

mo — Particle meaning 'also', 'too', or 'even'.

ちらり

chirari — A quick, fleeting glance at something.

と

to — Particle meaning 'and', 'with', or quotation marker.

私

watashi — First-person pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me'.

を

wo — Object marker particle indicating direct object.

見て

mite — Te-form of 'miru'; looking at, seeing.

かすかに

kasuka ni — Faintly, slightly, barely perceptibly.

赤らめ

akarame — To blush or redden the face.

て

te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases.

目

me — Eye; the organ used for seeing.

伏せた

fuseta — Cast down or lowered (eyes); past tense.

ほら

hora — Interjection meaning 'look', 'see', or 'hey'.

ごらんなさい

goran nasai — Polite imperative meaning 'please look' or 'see'.

なぜ

naze — Why; for what reason or purpose.

追い払った

oiharatta — Drove away, chased off someone or something.

です

desu — Polite copula meaning 'is', 'am', 'are'.

か

ka — Question marker particle at end of sentence.

もし

moshi — If; introduces a conditional or hypothetical statement.

ここ

koko — Here; this place close to the speaker.

いた

ita — Past tense of 'iru'; was present, existed.

なら

nara — Conditional particle meaning 'if' or 'in that case'.

何

nani — What; an interrogative pronoun asking for identity.

起こら

okora — Stem of 'okoru'; to happen or occur.

なかった

nakatta — Past negative; something did not exist or happen.

でしょう

deshou — Probably, right; expresses conjecture or soft assertion.

でも

demo — But, however; introduces a contrasting statement.

あなた

anata — You; second-person pronoun, somewhat formal.

こと

koto — Thing; nominalizer for facts or abstract matters.

知ら

shira — Stem of 'shiru'; to know or be aware.

思って

omotte — Te-form of 'omou'; thinking, believing something.

では

dewa — Well then; transitional expression moving topic forward.

今

ima — Now; the present moment in time.

わかり

wakari — Stem of 'wakaru'; to understand, comprehend.

ます

masu — Polite verb ending for present or future tense.

少し

sukoshi — A little, a small amount or degree.

たとえば

tatoeba — For example; used to introduce an illustration.

震えて

furuete — Te-form of 'furueru'; trembling, shaking with emotion.

いる

iru — To exist; auxiliary indicating ongoing action or state.

ああ

aa — Interjection meaning 'ah', expressing realization or feeling.

最初

saisho — The very first; the beginning or outset.

推測

suisoku — Guess, conjecture, or inference about something.

で

de — Particle indicating means, location of action, or reason.

当たり

atari — A hit; being correct or on target.

答えた

kotaeta — Answered; past tense of 'kotaeru', to respond.

この

kono — This (modifies a noun close to the speaker).

娘

musume — Daughter; a young woman or girl.

知性

chisei — Intelligence, intellect, or mental acuity.

持って

motte — Te-form of 'motsu'; holding, possessing something.

嬉しかった

ureshikatta — Was happy, glad; past tense of 'ureshii'.

美し

utsukushi — Beautiful; adjectival stem of 'utsukushii'.

さ

sa — Nominalizing suffix turning adjective into a noun.

決して

kesshite — Never, by no means; used with negative.

不釣り合い

futsuriai — Mismatched, disproportionate, or out of balance.

ない

nai — Negative form; does not exist or is not.

そう

sou — That way, so; expressing agreement or confirmation.

一目

hitome — A single glance; seeing something just once.

見た

mita — Saw; past tense of 'miru', to look.

だけ

dake — Only, just; limiting the scope to one thing.

相手

aite — The other party, partner, or opponent.

どんな

donna — What kind of; asking or describing a type.

人物

jinbutsu — A person's character or a notable individual.

見抜いた

minuita — Saw through, perceived accurately someone's true nature.

まさに

masani — Exactly, precisely; emphasizing accuracy or appropriateness.

その

sono — That (modifies a noun near the listener).

通り

toori — As stated, exactly as; also means street or avenue.

女性

josei — Woman, female; a general term for women.

前

mae — Before, in front of; referring to position or time.

恥ずかしがり屋

hazukashigariya — A shy person; someone who is easily embarrassed.

動揺

douyou — Agitation, upset, or emotional disturbance.

して

shite — Te-form of 'suru'; doing, performing an action.

しまい

shimai — Stem of 'shimau'; ends up doing unintentionally.

それ

sore — That; pronoun referring to something near the listener.

否定

hitei — Denial, negation; refusing or contradicting a claim.

し

shi — Conjunctive form of 'suru' or listing particle.

ませ

mase — Polite imperative suffix used in formal speech.

ん

n — Colloquial contraction of 'no' or negative ending.

ちょうど

choudo — Exactly, just; precisely at a time or amount.

少し前

sukoshi mae — A little while ago; shortly before this moment.

あの

ano — That (over there); refers to something distant from both.

紳士

shinshi — A gentleman; a refined, well-mannered man.

怖がらせた

kowagaraseta — Frightened or scared someone; causative past tense.

時

toki — Time, moment; when a certain event occurs.

同じ

onaji — Same, identical; no difference between two things.

くらい

kurai — About, approximately; indicating degree or extent.

怯えて

obiete — Cowering, trembling in fear; te-form of 'obieru'.

まるで

marude — Just like, as if; introduces a simile or comparison.

夢

yume — A dream; images experienced during sleep or aspirations.

よう

you — Like, as if; expresses resemblance or manner.

中

naka — Inside, middle, within a space or situation.

さえ

sae — Even; emphasizing an extreme or unexpected case.

話す

hanasu — To speak, talk; communicating verbally with others.

なる

naru — To become; indicating a change of state.

思い

omoi — Thought, feeling, or strong emotional sentiment.

でした

deshita — Polite past copula meaning 'was' or 'were'.

え

e — Interjection expressing surprise or disbelief.

本当

hontou — True, real; something genuine or actually occurring.

腕

ude — Arm; also used figuratively to mean skill or ability.

したら

shitara — If done; conditional form of 'suru'.

な

na — Sentence-final particle expressing emotion or mild emphasis.

可愛らしい

kawairashii — Cute, adorable, charming in appearance or manner.

小さな

chiisana — Small, little; attributive form modifying a noun.

手

te — Hand; the body part at the end of the arm.

握られた

nigirareta — Was grasped or held; passive past of 'nigiru'.

から

kara — From, because; indicates origin or reason.

とって

totte — For (someone); te-form of 'toru' or 'to totte'.

まったく

mattaku — Completely, entirely; also expresses exasperation.

異邦人

ihoujin — Foreigner, stranger; a person from another land.

つまり

tsumari — In other words, that is to say; a clarifier.

慣れた

nareta — Became accustomed, got used to something.

ご覧

goran — Honorific form of 'miru'; please look or see.

孤独

kodoku — Loneliness, solitude; the state of being alone.

話し方

hanashikata — Way of speaking; one's manner or style of talking.

すら

sura — Even; emphasizes an extreme or unexpected example.

知り

shiri — Stem of 'shiru'; knowing or coming to know.

何か

nanika — Something; an unspecified thing or matter.

馬鹿げた

bakageta — Absurd, foolish, ridiculous; describing silly behavior.

言って

itte — Te-form of 'iu'; saying, telling something.

しまった

shimatta — Ended up doing (regrettably); past of 'shimau'.

どうか

douka — Please (a request); or 'somehow', expressing a wish.