Hikaru Utada · Japanese · 24 words
Distance, Part 2
The rest of Distance. Kettobase! is the most idiomatic writing on the album - 泣きっ面, 腹が立つ, 待ち伏せ, 玉に傷, 裏目に出る - Parody works in the late-night vocabulary of a flat with the television on (深夜, 視線, 振り切る, 目前), and Time Limit borrows the language of food going off: 飽き易い, 賞味期限.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 足音 | footsteps, the sound of steps (あしおと) | 廊下に足音が響いた。Footsteps echoed in the corridor. |
| 存在 | existence, a presence (そんざい) | 彼は職場で大きな存在だ。He's a big presence at work. |
| 確認 | confirmation, checking (かくにん) | 出発前に持ち物を確認した。I checked my belongings before leaving. |
| 泣きっ面 | a tearful face (なきっつら) | 泣きっ面に蜂とはこのことだ。This is what they mean by adding insult to injury. |
| 腹が立つ | to get angry (はらがたつ) | その言い方には腹が立った。That way of putting it made me angry. |
| 成長 | growth (せいちょう) | 子供の成長は早い。Children grow quickly. |
| 待ち伏せ | an ambush, lying in wait (まちぶせ) | 記者が出口で待ち伏せしていた。Reporters were lying in wait at the exit. |
| 蹴っ飛ばす | to kick away (けっとばす) | 缶を蹴っ飛ばして歩いた。I walked along kicking a can. |
| うしろめたさ | a guilty conscience | 断ったうしろめたさが残る。A guilty feeling lingers from refusing. |
| 玉に傷 | the one flaw in something otherwise fine (たまにきず) | 気が短いのが玉に傷だ。His short temper is the one flaw. |
| 裏目に出る | to backfire (うらめにでる) | 気遣いが裏目に出てしまった。My consideration backfired. |
| 深夜 | the dead of night, late night (しんや) | 深夜まで作業が続いた。The work went on into the small hours. |
| 視線 | a gaze, a line of sight (しせん) | 視線を感じて振り返った。I felt eyes on me and turned round. |
| 振り切る | to shake off, to break away from (ふりきる) | 追手を振り切って逃げた。He shook off his pursuers and fled. |
| 目前 | right in front, imminent (もくぜん) | 締切が目前に迫っている。The deadline is imminent. |
| 高速道路 | a motorway, an expressway (こうそくどうろ) | 高速道路が渋滞している。The motorway is congested. |
| 感動 | being moved, deep emotion (かんどう) | その手紙に感動して涙が出た。The letter moved me to tears. |
| ためらい | hesitation, wavering | ためらいなく手を挙げた。She raised her hand without hesitation. |
| 賞味期限 | a best-before date (しょうみきげん) | 賞味期限を確かめてから買う。I check the best-before date before buying. |
| 瞬き | a blink (まばたき) | 瞬きする間に消えていた。It was gone in the blink of an eye. |
| 足元 | one's feet, the ground underfoot (あしもと) | 足元が暗いので気をつけて。Mind your step, it's dark underfoot. |
| かたむく | to lean, to tilt | 棚が少しかたむいている。The shelf is leaning slightly. |
| はやとちり | jumping to the wrong conclusion | はやとちりで恥をかいた。I embarrassed myself by jumping to conclusions. |
| カラカラ | bone dry, parched | 喉がカラカラで声が出ない。My throat is parched and I can't speak. |
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