Hikaru Utada · Japanese · 24 words
Fantôme
Fantôme (2016) was Utada's return after six years and her mother's death, and the writing is the most literary of her career. Michi and Sakura Nagashi work in a formal register - 岐路, 標識, 如何なる, 健やか, 木立 - while Manatsu no Tooriame keeps to the plain vocabulary of a summer shower: 瞼, 汗ばむ, 若葉, 芽吹く.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 気配 | a sign, an indication, a presence (けはい) | 人の気配がして振り返った。I sensed someone there and turned round. |
| 彩る | to colour, to adorn (いろどる) | 紅葉が山を彩っている。Autumn leaves colour the mountainside. |
| 岐路 | a crossroads, a turning point (きろ) | 人生の岐路に立っている。I'm standing at a crossroads in life. |
| 標識 | a signpost, a road sign (ひょうしき) | 標識を見落として道を間違えた。I missed the sign and took a wrong turn. |
| 普段 | usually, ordinarily (ふだん) | 普段は自転車で通勤している。I usually commute by bicycle. |
| 薄化粧 | light makeup (うすげしょう) | 薄化粧で十分きれいだ。Light makeup is quite enough. |
| 狭間 | a gap, the space between (はざま) | 理想と現実の狭間で悩む。I'm caught between the ideal and reality. |
| 愛おしい | dear, precious (いとおしい) | その仕草が愛おしくてたまらない。That gesture is unbearably endearing. |
| 眩い | dazzling, radiant (まばゆい) | 眩い朝日に目を細めた。I squinted at the dazzling morning sun. |
| 水面 | the surface of the water (みなも) | 水面に月が映っている。The moon is reflected on the water. |
| 靴紐 | a shoelace (くつひも) | 靴紐がほどけていますよ。Your shoelace is undone. |
| 黄昏 | dusk, twilight (たそがれ) | 黄昏の空が赤く染まる。The twilight sky turns red. |
| 人魚 | a mermaid (にんぎょ) | 人魚の伝説が残る海だ。It's a sea with a mermaid legend. |
| 真珠 | a pearl (しんじゅ) | 母から真珠の首飾りをもらった。My mother gave me a pearl necklace. |
| 瞼 | an eyelid (まぶた) | 眠くて瞼が重い。I'm sleepy and my eyelids are heavy. |
| 汗ばむ | to become slightly sweaty (あせばむ) | 少し歩いただけで汗ばむ。I work up a sweat on even a short walk. |
| 若葉 | young leaves, new foliage (わかば) | 若葉の季節が一番好きだ。I like the season of new leaves best. |
| 思い馳せる | to let one's thoughts turn to (おもいはせる) | 遠い故郷に思い馳せる。My thoughts turn to my distant hometown. |
| 芽吹く | to bud, to come into leaf (めぶく) | 枝が一斉に芽吹き始めた。The branches all began to bud. |
| 展開 | a development, a turn of events (てんかい) | 思わぬ展開に驚いた。I was surprised by the unexpected turn. |
| 平常心 | composure, an even mind (へいじょうしん) | 本番でも平常心を保ちたい。I want to keep my composure on the day. |
| 寸前 | on the verge of, just before (すんぜん) | 電車は発車寸前だった。The train was on the point of departing. |
| 健やか | healthy, sound (すこやか) | 健やかな成長を願っています。I wish them healthy growth. |
| 木立 | a grove, a stand of trees (こだち) | 木立の間から光が差す。Light comes through the stand of trees. |
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