Ado · Japanese · 35 words

Kyogen, Part 1

Kyogen (狂言) is Ado's 2022 debut album, and every song on it was written by a different Vocaloid producer. That makes the first half a tour through very different registers — the defiant self-assertion of "レディメイド" and "FREEDOM", the ordinary spring streets of "花火", the plain longing of "会いたくて". This set covers the everyday verbs and feeling-words those songs run on: admitting things, hiding things, waiting, and saying what you actually mean.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
寂しさ	loneliness, the feeling of being lonely (さびしさ)	一人の部屋にいると、急に寂しさが押し寄せてくる。When I'm alone in my room, loneliness suddenly washes over me.
本音	one's real feelings, what a person actually thinks (ほんね)	本音を言うと、この仕事はもう続けたくない。If I'm being honest, I don't want to keep doing this job.
叫ぶ	to shout, to cry out (さけぶ)	誰もいない海に向かって思いきり叫んだ。I shouted with everything I had toward the empty sea.
後悔	regret, wishing you had done otherwise (こうかい)	あの時何も言わなかったことを今も後悔している。I still regret not saying anything back then.
認める	to admit, to acknowledge (みとめる)	自分が間違っていたことをやっと認めた。I finally admitted that I had been wrong.
踊る	to dance (おどる)	音楽がかかると、体が勝手に踊りだす。The moment the music starts, my body just begins dancing on its own.
孤独	solitude, isolation from other people (こどく)	人混みの中でこそ孤独を感じることがある。There are times you feel most isolated precisely when you're in a crowd.
本気	seriousness, really meaning it (ほんき)	冗談じゃなくて、本気で言っているんだ。This isn't a joke — I mean it.
頑張る	to do one's best, to keep at it (がんばる)	結果はどうあれ、最後まで頑張るつもりだ。Whatever the result, I plan to give it my all to the end.
繋がる	to be connected, to link up (つながる)	この細い道は駅の裏まで繋がっている。This narrow road connects all the way to the back of the station.
甘い	sweet; also too soft or naive about something (あまい)	そのケーキは思ったより甘かった。That cake was sweeter than I expected.
奪う	to take away by force, to rob someone of something (うばう)	突然の事故が家族から普通の毎日を奪った。A sudden accident took an ordinary life away from the family.
許す	to forgive; to let something pass (ゆるす)	一度だけなら許してあげる。I'll let it go, but just this once.
崩れる	to collapse, to fall apart (くずれる)	積み上げた本の山が音を立てて崩れた。The stack of books I'd piled up collapsed with a crash.
繰り返す	to repeat, to do the same thing over and over (くりかえす)	同じ失敗を繰り返さないように気をつけている。I'm being careful not to repeat the same mistake.
迷う	to be unable to decide, to waver; to get lost (まよう)	どっちを買うか、朝からずっと迷っている。I've been going back and forth all morning about which one to buy.
隠す	to hide, to keep something concealed (かくす)	本当の気持ちを隠すのはもうやめた。I've stopped hiding how I really feel.
逃げる	to run away, to escape (にげる)	嫌なことから逃げてばかりもいられない。I can't just keep running away from things I don't want to face.
挑戦	a challenge, taking on something difficult (ちょうせん)	今年は新しいことに挑戦してみたい。This year I want to take on something new.
立ち向かう	to face up to, to stand against something (たちむかう)	一人でも、その理不尽に立ち向かうつもりだ。Even on my own, I intend to stand up to that unfairness.
未来	the future (みらい)	十年後の未来なんて誰にも分からない。Nobody knows what the future ten years from now will look like.
青春	one's youth, the school years you look back on (せいしゅん)	この写真を見ると青春を思い出す。Looking at this photo brings my youth back to me.
平凡	ordinary, unremarkable (へいぼん)	平凡な毎日にも小さな幸せはある。Even ordinary days have small happinesses in them.
生活	daily life, the way one lives (せいかつ)	一人暮らしの生活にもやっと慣れてきた。I've finally started getting used to living on my own.
消える	to disappear, to vanish; to go out (きえる)	空に上がった花火はすぐに消えた。The fireworks that rose into the sky vanished right away.
会う	to meet, to see someone (あう)	久しぶりに友達に会うことになった。It turned out I'd be seeing a friend for the first time in ages.
伝える	to convey, to get something across to someone (つたえる)	この気持ちをうまく伝えられる自信がない。I'm not confident I can put this feeling into words properly.
心	heart, mind, how one feels inside (こころ)	その一言で心が軽くなった。That one remark made my heart feel lighter.
すれ違う	to pass each other by; to keep missing each other (すれちがう)	連絡がうまくいかず、二人はすれ違ったままだ。Their messages never lined up, and the two of them stayed out of step.
限界	one's limit, the point where you can't take more (げんかい)	もう限界だと思ったところで、少しだけ力が戻った。Right when I thought I'd hit my limit, a little strength came back.
黙る	to fall silent, to say nothing (だまる)	何を言っても無駄だと思って黙った。I figured saying anything was pointless, so I kept quiet.
待つ	to wait (まつ)	返事をもう三日も待っている。I've been waiting three days for a reply.
嘆く	to lament, to grieve over something (なげく)	過ぎたことを嘆いても何も変わらない。Lamenting what's already past changes nothing.
狂う	to go mad; to go badly out of order (くるう)	一本の電話で今日の予定がすっかり狂った。One phone call threw today's plans completely off.
望み	a hope, something one wishes for (のぞみ)	わずかでも望みがあるなら続けたい。If there's even a sliver of hope, I want to keep going.