Kenshi Yonezu · Japanese · 32 words

STRAY SHEEP, Part 1

STRAY SHEEP (2020) is Kenshi Yonezu's best-selling album, and this first half holds Kanden, Paprika, Uma to Shika and Lemon. The vocabulary is the plain, useful Japanese those songs are built from: everyday verbs like to walk, to think, to look back and to ask, plus common words such as reply, breath, sweet and correct. Learn these and you can follow most of what he is actually saying, and reuse nearly all of it in ordinary conversation.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
残す	to leave behind, to leave (something) (のこす)	冷蔵庫にケーキを一つ残しておいた。I left one piece of cake in the fridge.
続ける	to keep doing, to continue (つづける)	毎朝三十分だけ勉強を続けている。I keep studying for just thirty minutes every morning.
受け止める	to catch, to take in, to accept (うけとめる)	彼の言葉を真剣に受け止めた。I took his words seriously.
振り返る	to look back, to turn around (ふりかえる)	名前を呼ばれて振り返った。I turned around when my name was called.
嫉妬	jealousy, envy (しっと)	友達の成功につい嫉妬してしまう。I can't help feeling jealous of my friend's success.
大事	important, precious (だいじ)	この写真は私にとって大事なものだ。This photo is something precious to me.
稼ぐ	to earn (money) (かせぐ)	夏休みにアルバイトでお金を稼いだ。I earned some money with a part-time job over the summer.
話す	to talk, to speak (はなす)	後でゆっくり話しませんか。Shall we talk properly later?
目指す	to aim for, to head for (めざす)	来年の試験合格を目指している。I'm aiming to pass the exam next year.
考える	to think, to consider (かんがえる)	答えを出す前によく考えよう。Let's think it over before we give an answer.
財布	wallet, purse (さいふ)	駅で財布を落としてしまった。I dropped my wallet at the station.
返事	reply, answer (へんじ)	メールの返事がまだ来ない。I still haven't had a reply to my email.
笑顔	smile, smiling face (えがお)	彼女は笑顔で迎えてくれた。She greeted me with a smile.
甘い	sweet (あまい)	このコーヒーは少し甘い。This coffee is a little sweet.
偶然	coincidence, by chance (ぐうぜん)	駅で偶然、昔の友達に会った。I ran into an old friend at the station by chance.
冗談	joke (じょうだん)	今のは冗談だから怒らないで。That was a joke, so don't be angry.
晴れる	to clear up, to become sunny (はれる)	午後には晴れるらしい。Apparently it'll clear up in the afternoon.
描く	to draw, to picture in one's mind (えがく)	彼は将来の自分を頭の中に描いた。He pictured his future self in his head.
呼ぶ	to call, to call out to (よぶ)	母が下から私を呼んでいる。My mother is calling me from downstairs.
種	seed (たね)	庭に朝顔の種をまいた。I sowed morning glory seeds in the garden.
歩く	to walk (あるく)	駅まで二十分ほど歩いた。I walked about twenty minutes to the station.
呼吸	breathing, breath (こきゅう)	緊張したら深く呼吸をしよう。When you get nervous, take a deep breath.
尋ねる	to ask, to inquire (たずねる)	道が分からず、店員に尋ねた。I didn't know the way, so I asked a shop assistant.
微笑む	to smile (ほほえむ)	彼は静かに微笑んで頷いた。He smiled quietly and nodded.
安心	relief, peace of mind (あんしん)	無事だと聞いて安心した。I was relieved to hear she was safe.
治す	to cure, to heal, to fix (なおす)	早く風邪を治したい。I want to get over this cold quickly.
正しい	correct, right (ただしい)	その答えは正しいと思う。I think that answer is correct.
叱る	to scold, to tell off (しかる)	遅刻して先生に叱られた。I was late and got told off by the teacher.
苦い	bitter (にがい)	この薬はとても苦い。This medicine is very bitter.
覚える	to remember, to learn by heart (おぼえる)	新しい単語を五つ覚えた。I memorised five new words.
払う	to brush off, to wipe away (はらう)	机の上の埃を払った。I brushed the dust off the desk.
悲しい	sad (かなしい)	その知らせを聞いて悲しくなった。I felt sad when I heard the news.