Everyday Life Words

Everyday Life Words

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口を滑らせる Slip of the Tongue (mouth)

口を滑らせる

slip of the tongue (mouth)


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

口を滑らせる
kuchi o suberaseru
slip of the tongue (mouth)

口 kuchi mouth
滑 sube(raseru) slip



入り口 iri guchi - entrance [B]
 人口 jin kou - population [I]
滑り台 suberi dai - playground slide [I]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

つい、口を滑らせて「あなたの顔はいのししみたい。」と言っちゃった。
tsui, kuchi o suberasete, anata no kao wa inoshishi mitai. to icchatta.
Quite unintentionally, I let, Your face looks like a wild boar. slip from my mouth.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

つい tsui - unintentionally, by mistake
口を滑らせて kuchi o suberasete - The -te form of todays word You can think of this as an and -[My mouth slipped and your face looks like a wild boar. came out.]
 あなたの anata no - your just anata alone means you - adding the no makes it possessive
 顔 kao - face
いのしし inoshishi - wild boar
～みたい ~mitai - seems like, looks like put after a noun - nihon mitai (looks like Japan) - kuma mitai (looks like a bear)
 と言っちゃった to icchatta - I unfortunately said... ～ちゃった ~chatta means something is completed, but usually shows a bit of remorse over what has occurred. It is used in casual speech and its more formal counterpart is しまった shimatta acts and means the same.

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断っておくけど Let me Hasten to Mention...

断っておくけど

let me hasten to mention...


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

断っておくけど
kotowatte oku kedo
let me hasten to mention...

断って kotowatte give notice, warn someone [-te form of kotowaru]
おく oku place, put [after the -te form means to do that immediately]
けど kedo but...


横断 ou dan - crossing (a road...) [I]
 優柔不断 yuu juu fu dan - indecisiveness, wishy washy [A]
断食 dan jiki - fasting [I]


Superman never had it so good...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

断っておくけど、酔っ払いではありまヘン、ワシはスーパーマンだ！
I hasten to add, I am not drunk! But I am Superman, though.
kotowatte oku kedo, yopparai dewa arimahen, washi wa su-pa-man da!

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

酔っ払い yopparai - drunk
では de wa - used to mean as for being in the state of
ありまヘン arimahen - not
ワシ washi - I used by older men
 スーパーマン su-pa-man - Superman
だ da - am casual form of desu

You can also say 'ga' instead of 'kedo': 断っておくが

断って is from 断る which means to give notice or warn. The おく implies doing the action immediately. Therefore 断っておくけど can be translated as "I should add..." or "Let me just say"

KOTOWARU is perhaps most often used to decline as in this example: 結婚を申し込んだが断られた。 kekkon o moushi konda ga kotowarareta. I proposed (marriage) but was turned down.
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いつのまにか Before you Know it

いつのまにか

before you know it


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

いつのまにか
itsu no ma ni ka
before you know it

いつ itsu when [kanji is not used but... - 何時]
間 ma time



何時 nan ji - What time is it? (same kanji as itsu) [B]
 一時間 ichi ji kan - one hour [B]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゆすけくんは英語の勉強しようと思ったが、いつのまにか眠ってしまった。
yusuke kun wa eigo no benkyou shiyou to omotta ga, itsunomanika nemutte shimatta.
Yusuke thought to study some English, but before he knew it, he fell asleep.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゆすけくん yusuke kun - Yusuke a common boy's name; kun name title used with boys
 英語 eigo - the English language
勉強 ben kyou - study
しようと思った shou to omotta - thought to do..., intended to do...
眠ってしまった nemutte shimatta - (unfortunately) fell asleep

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おまけに To make matters worse...

おまけに

To make matters worse...


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

おまけに
omake ni
To make matters worse...


According to my dictionary the kanji would be:


御 o added before something to make it honorific (here used sarcastically of course!)
負 make(ru) to lose, defeat, to bear (a burden)


御菓子 o ka shi - candy (also always written in hiragana) [B]
 御願いします o negai shimasu - please do this... (I have) a favor to ask [B]
御客様 o kyaku sama - customer [B]
勝負 shou bu - match, game, contest [I]


Wilber awoke to...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

しわだ。おまけに、初白髪を発見して　しまいました。
shiwa da. omake ni, hatsu shiraga o hakken shite shimaimashita.
A wrinkle. To make matters worse, (he) discovered (his) first silver hair.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

しわ shiwa - wrinkle
だ da - simple past (of desu)
初 hatsu - the first...
白髪 shiraga - gray / white hair
発見 hakken - discover, discovery
しまいました shimaimashita - past tense of shimau (meaning 'to finish') shimau also is used to show regret at what has occurred (and finished).

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ほっぺが落ちる Delicious

ほっぺが落ちる

very oishii (its so delicious, my cheek will fall)


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

ほっぺが落ちる
hoppe ga ochiru
very oishii (its so delicious, my cheek will fall)

ほっぺ hoppe cheek (face part)
落ちる ochiru fall, drop



見落とし mi otoshi - overlook [I]
 猿も木から落ちる saru mo ki kara ochiru - even monkeys fall from trees (proverb) [I]
ほっぺ hoppe - cheek [B]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

日本に住んでいる外人クレイは、久し振りに蛸じゃないメキシコ料理のタコスを食べてほっぺが落ちそうだった。
nihon ni sundeiru gaijin kurei wa hisashiburi ni tako janai mekishiko ryouri no takosu o tabete hoppe ga ochisou datta.
The foreigner Clay living in Japan had a very rare Mexican non-octopus (tako) taco, which resulted in having his cheeks fall.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

日本 ni hon - Japan
に住んでいる ni sundeiru - Is living in...
外人 gai jin - foreigner (more polite is 外国人 gai koku jin)
クレイ kurei - Clay (my name)
久し振り hisashi buri - its been a long time
蛸 tako - octopus (the play with words here is that the sound tako can mean octopus or Taco)
 じゃない ja nai - not
メキシコ料理 mekishiko ryou ri - Mexican food
タコス takosu - taco
食べて tabete - eat and...
そうだった sou datta - it seemed as though...

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万年床 Unmade Bedding

万年床

unmade bedding


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

万年床
man nen doko
unmade bedding

万 man 10,000
年 nen year(s)
床 doko bed, floor, tatami


百万 hyaku man - 1,000,000 - a million [B]
 万歳 ban zai - hurrah! banzai! hooray! [usually said 3 times in a row] [B]
来年 rai nen - next year [B]
半年 han toshi - half a year [I]
病床 byou shou - sick bed [A]
床屋 toko ya - barber shop [A]


Fred keeps an orderly house.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

１０年間敷きっぱなしの万年床は、僕の自慢だ。
juu nen kan shikippanashi no mannendoko wa, boku no jiman da.
My 10 year long unmade futon is the source of my pride.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

１０年間 juu nen kan - 10 year long the KAN makes it 10 years long instead of just the tenth year.
 敷きっぱなし shikippanashi - left spread out SHIKU means spread out, laid out; PANASHI comes from HANASU and means left loose
 の no - the possessive This connects SHIKIPPANASHI with MANNENDOKO
 僕の boku no - my I with the possessive particle
 自慢 ji man - pride
だ da - the simple form of DESU

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世界一 World's best

世界一

Worlds best


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

世界一
se kai ichi
Worlds best

世 se world, generation
界 kai world
一 ichi one, first


この世 kono yo - this world [I]
 世界一周 se kai isshuu - trip around the world [A]
二十一世紀 ni juu issei ki - 21st Century [B]
一月 ichi gatsu - January [B]
一目惚れ hito me bore - love at first sight [I]


A well-known secret: Clark Kent without his glasses is Superman.
A little known secret: Superman without his glasses is blind.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

教養好きなスーパーマンは、間違って世界一のクリプトナイト博物館に入っちゃった。
kyou you zuki na su-pa-man wa, machigatte sekaiichi no kuriputonaito hakubutsukan ni haicchatta.
The culturally refined Superman mistakenly entered the worlds biggest Kyrptonite museum.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

教養 kyou you - culture, education, refinement
好きな zuki na - to like It is really suki but when certain sounds are combined the first sounds changes to a harder sound s ->z; the -na is used to stick suki with a noun (Superman)
 スーパーマン su-pa-man - Superman
間違って machigatte - mistakenly
クリプトナイト kuriputonaito - Kryptonite
博物館 hakubutsukan - museum
入っちゃった haicchatta - entered the -chatta indicates somewhat regret over having done the action

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内気 Shy, Bashfulness, Timid

内気

shy, bashfulness, timid


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

内気
uchi ki
shy, bashfulness, timid

内 uchi inside
気 ki spirit, energy, power



内緒 nai sho - secret [I]
 案内 an nai - guidance, information [B]
気をつけて ki o tsukete - take care, be careful [B]
電気 den ki - electricity [B]
元気 gen ki - healthy, feeling well, strong [B]


No one could sing UFO like ole Wilbert.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

カラオケで歌ったウィルバートはいつもの内気なウィルバートではなかった。彼は、ピンクレディーのファンだったのだ。
karaoke de utatta wiruba-to wa itsumo no uchiki na wiruba-to dewa nakatta. kare wa, pinku redi- no fan datta no da.
The karaoke-singing Wilbert was not the everyday bashful Wilbert. Turns out he was a Pink Lady fan.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

カラオケ karaoke - karaoke KARA comes from the Japanese word meaning (empty) or (without) and OKE comes from the English word (Orchestra)
 歌った utatta - sang This is placed before Wilbert, so it modifies Wilbert
 ウィルバート wiruba-to - Wilbert Foreigners names are always written in katakana
 いつもの itsumo no - the usual..., as always いつも itsumo means (always) but here it is used before a person to mean his (usual behavior).
 彼 kare - he
ピンクレディー pinku redi- - Pink Lady This was a disco singing/dancing duo from the 70s. Their most famous song was UFO (pronounced like the English words YOU - FOE)
 ファン fan - fan This is from the English meaning someone who likes a sport, star or...
 だったのだ datta no da - was - past simple of DESU I translate this (Turns out he was) because the last NO DA convey a sense of explanation.

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冷静 Calm, Cool

冷静

calm, cool


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

冷静
rei sei
calm, cool

冷 rei cold
静 sei quiet, still



冷たい tsumetai - cold (to the touch), chilly [B]
 冷酷 rei koku - cruel, cold-hearted [A]
冷蔵庫 rei zou ko - refrigerator [I]
静か shizuka - quiet [B]
静電気 sei den ki - static electricity [A]


Detective Wilbert decisively fingers the suspect

SUGGESTED USAGE:

刑事ウィルバートは冷静に犯人を指差した。
kei ji wiruba-to wa reisei ni hannin o yubisashita. hannin wa... anata desu. i,ie... jitsu wa watashi desu. gomen.
Detective Wilbert calmly pointed out the suspect. The criminal is... you. Oops, actually, I mean, ME. Sorry
In Japan, when people want to point to themselves, they point to their noses and not to their hearts.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

刑事 kei ji - police detective
ウィルバート wiruba-to - Wilbert foreigner names are always written in katakana
 冷静に rei sei ni - calmly adding a ni makes it an adverb: CALM -> CALMLY
 犯人 han nin - suspect, criminal, offender, bad guy
指差した yubi sashita - pointed out, point at
あなた anata - you more pronouns
 い、いえ・・・ i, ie... - n... no usually it would be いいえ iie - another way of saying no is いや iya, which when said fast sounds like the English Yeah! which is the direct opposite of the intended meaning!
 実は jitsu wa - actually, in truth, as a matter of fact
私 watashi - me, I more pronouns
 ごめん gomen - sorry, pardon me

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夢遊病 Sleepwalking

夢遊病

Sleepwalking


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

夢遊病
mu yuu byou
Sleepwalking

夢 mu dream
遊 yuu play
病 byou sickness


夢中 mu chuu - in a daze, in the clouds [I]
 遊園地 yuu en chi - amusement park [I]
病気 byou ki - sick, sickness [B]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

僕は夢遊病のためにベッドにシートベルトを付けました。
I attached a seat belt to my bed because of my sleepwalking.
boku wa muyuubyou no tameni beddo ni shi-toberuto o tsukemashita.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

僕 boku - I used by males
 ために tame ni - for that reason, because of, to that goal
ベッド beddo - katakana for bed
シートベルト shittoberuto - katakana for seat belt
付けました tsukemashita - set, attached, put

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女の直感 Woman's Intuition

女の直感

womans intuition


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

女の直感
onna no chokkan
womans intuition

女 onna woman
の no possessive marker
直 choku straight, honesty, to fix
感 kan to feel, emotion

彼女 kanojo - she, girlfriend [B]
 雪女 yuki onna - snow woman from a Japanese traditional story [I]
正直 shou jiki - honesty, integrity [I]
やり直す yari naosu - to redo, do again [I]
感じ kan ji - feeling, sense [not Chinese characters!] [I]
感謝 kan sha - thanks, gratitude [I]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

女の直感で、キティちゃんはゴジラのナンパを巧みにかわした。
onna no chokkan de, kitichan wa gojira no nanpa o takumi ni kawashita.
By her womans intuition, Hello Kitty cleverly thwarted Godzillas romantic advances.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

で de - by; using (womans intuition)
キティちゃん kiti chan - Hello Kitty
ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla
の no - possessive (Godzillas hitting on ...) Godzillas hitting on ...)
 ナンパ nanpa - make a pass, hit on (usually from a man to a woman, however in the case of Hello Kitty wanting to hit on Godzilla usually GYAKU NAMPA would be used (reverse pass).
巧みに takumi ni - cleverly just kakumi means skill, clever but with the ni it becomes an adverb modifying kawashita.
 かわした kawashita - to dodge, to avoid (thwart)

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安心感 Sense of Security

安心感

Sense of Security


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

安心感
an shin kan
Sense of Security

安 an relax, cheap, quiet
心 shin heart
感 kan feeling, sense, to feel


不安` fu an - uneasiness [I]
 安い yasui - cheap, inexpensive [B]
心 kokoro - heart [B]
熱心 nesshin - zeal, enthusiastic [I]
直感 chokkan - intuition [A]
感じる kanjiru - to feel, to sense [I]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

強盗にあってる最中に、ハワードが現れたので、皆に安心感が広がった。
goutou ni atteru saichuu ni, hawa-do ga arawareta node, mina ni anshinkan ga hirogatta.
In the midst of a robbery, Howards appearance filled the bank with a great sense of security.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

強盗 gou tou - robbery
あってる atteru - occured atteru - means to meet but is used to say that a bad experience has occured
 最中に sai chuu ni - in the very midst of, during
ハワード hawa-do - Howard
現れた arawareta - appeared
ので node - therefore
皆 mina - everyone
広がった hirogatta - spread widely

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寝癖 "Morning Hair" that is, hair that sticks up due to sleeping

寝癖

morning hair that is, hair that sticks up due to sleeping


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

寝癖
ne guse
morning hair that is, hair that sticks up due to sleeping

寝 ne sleep
癖 kuse habit, fault [In our example there is a phonetic change to guse]



口癖 kuchi guse - favorite saying, what one says often [A]
 昼寝 hiru ne - (noon) nap [B]
朝寝坊 asa ne bou - oversleep in morning; late riser [I]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

しまった。また寝癖！
shimatta. mata neguse!
Oh no. Morning hair again!

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

しまった shimatta - darn!
また mata - again

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寝言 Talking in one's Sleep

寝言

Talking in one's Sleep


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

寝言
ne goto
Talking in one's Sleep

寝 ne sleep
言 koto (goto) speak, say



昼寝 hiru ne - nap, siesta [B]
 寝坊 ne bou - oversleep, sleep in late [I]
独り言 hitori goto - monologue, speaking to oneself [A]
方言 hou gen - dialect (of a language) [I]
言語 gen go - language [B]


Confessions from the heart...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

恥ずかしいんだけど、寝言では僕は猫語がぺらぺらなんだって。
hazukashiin dakedo, negoto dewa boku wa nekogo ga perapera nandatte.
Ashamed to say it, but while I sleep I am fluent in catnese.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

恥ずかしいん hazukashiin - ashamed, shy the ん at the end gives it a more casual feel. It is a shortened form of ~NO DESU used often after -i adjectives. takain desu (it is expensive).
だけど dakedo - however (conjuction)
では dewa - as for...
僕 boku - I, me This is a casual male form
 猫語 neko go - cat language of course, this isn't really a word, but you can make language names by adding 語
 ぺらぺら pera pera - fluent One reason Japanese is so much fun is it has so many of these fun onomatopoeia words
 なんだって nandatte - (emphatic) Keeping with the casual theme, our hero uses this to wrap up his speech. In formal speech, this would be NA NO DA - TTE (The trailing TTE is like a quotation mark and the first NA is the NA from the NA adjective PERAPERANA)

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思いがけない Unexpected

思いがけない

unexpected


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

思いがけない
omoi gakenai
unexpected

思い omoi think, a thought
がけない gakenai catch, hang



手掛かり te gakari - clue, trail [A]
 腰掛け koshi kake - seat, bench [A]
片思い kata omoi - unrequited love [B]

SUGGESTED USAGE:

思いがけないことに、ドラキュラはにんにくサンドウィッチを注文しました。
omoigakenai koto ni, dorakyura wa ninniku sandouicchi o chuumon shimashita
In an unexpected move, Dracula ordered a garlic sandwich.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

こと koto - thing, matter
ドラキュラ dorakyura - Dracula
にんにく nin niku - garlic (vampires do not like garlic)
 サンドウィッチ sandowicchi - sandwich
注文 chuu mon - order (at a shop...)

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接着剤 Super Glue

接着剤

super glue


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

接着剤
secchaku zai
super glue

接 setsu contact, touch
着 chaku wear clothes, arrive
剤 zai medicine, drug


接着 secchaku - to attach, fasten (with glue) [A]
 面接 men setsu - interview [I]
直接 choku setsu - direct, directly [B]
雨着 ama gi - rain gear [be careful, it is not ame gi] [I]
不時着 fu ji chaku - emergency landing (planes) [A]
洗剤 sen zai - detergent (for washing clothes...) [B]


SUGGESTED USAGE:

彼の悪巧みで私のいつもの歯磨きは接着剤と取り替えられていました。
kare no warudakumi de watashi no itsumo no hamigaki wa secchakuzai to tori kaerarete imashita.
Through his evil plot, my usual toothpaste was replaced with super glue.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

彼 kare - he the の no makes it his
 悪巧み waru dakumi - sinister trick; evil plan The で de after makes it mean using his trick...
 私の watashi no - my again without the の no it just means I
 いつも itsumo - always with the の no before a noun means usual
 歯磨き ha migaki - tooth paste
取り替えられていました tori kaerarete imashita - was replaced [lit. taken and changed]

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根負け Beat & Worn Out

根負け

BEAT & WORN OUT


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

根負け
kon make
BEAT & WORN OUT

根 kon root
負 make(ru) to lose, defeat, to bear (a burden)



大根 dai kon - Japanese radish [B]
 屋根 ya ne - roof, housetop [B]
勝負 shou bu - match, game, contest [I]
負んぶ on bu - carrying someone on one's back (piggy back ridding | usually written in hiragana) [onbu shite. - give me a piggy-back-ride!] [I]


Perceiving the order of things to be in reverse, the victor joyously danced before humbled.

SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラは熊のプーさんの熱心さに根負けした。
gojira wa kuma no pu- san no nesshin sa ni konmake shita.
Godzilla, perceiving Winnie the Poohs unbounded courage, admitted defeat.

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ゴジラ gojira - Godzilla The Japanese gojira comes from gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale)
 熊のプーさん kuma no pu-san - Winnie the Pooh in Japanese!
の no - possessive particle
熱心さ nesshin sa - level of earnestness nesshin means eager, hard willed... & sa shows level or degree of...)
 に ni - particle showing the nesshinsa caused the defeat

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油を売る Sell Oil (slang: goof off when you should be working)

油を売る

lit: sell oil (slang: goof off when you should be working)


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

油を売る
abura o uru
lit: sell oil (slang: goof off when you should be working)

油 abura oil
売る uru to sell



石油 seki yu - oil (black stuff) [I]
 油田 yu den - oil field [A]
サラダ油 sarada yu - salad (cooking) oil [I]
売り場 uri ba - market place [B]
売り切れ uri kire - sold out [B]


Bring me another one, Joe...

SUGGESTED USAGE:

ジョー、本当に油をうっても、誰も信じてくれませんよ。
jo-, hontou ni abura o utte mo, dare mo shinjite kuremasen yo.
Joe, even when I truly sell oil, no one believes me!

ABOUT SUGGESTED USAGE:

ジョー jo- - Joe The cliche bartender
 本当に hontou ni - really, truly This is one of those 'if you were lost in Japan with only 100 words' words
 誰も dare mo - nobody the MO is often added to show nothing: nanimo = nothing; itsumo = always (never a when);
信じる shinjiru - trust, believe, have faith
信じてくれません shinjite kuremasen - wont believe KUREMASEN actually means wont receive; wont receive belief
 よ yo - emphatic its what you add to emphasis your distress!

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目立つ Stand Out; be Conspicuous

目立つ

stand out; be conspicuous [lit. eye stand up]


The word:
Closer look at the kanji:
B = Beginner | I = Intermediate | A = Advanced

目立つ
me datsu
stand out; be conspicuous [lit. eye stand up]

目 me eye