Kenshi Yonezu · Japanese · 30 words
Yankee, Part 1
Yankee (2014) is Kenshi Yonezu's second album under his own name, the record that moved him out of the Vocaloid scene and onto stages. This first half covers the opening six tracks, including the widely loved Eine Kleine. The vocabulary leans on the everyday verbs and nouns his narrators use to talk about hesitating, arguing, being seen and belonging somewhere.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 手放す | to let go of, to part with (てばなす) | 古い自転車をとうとう手放した。I finally parted with my old bicycle. |
| 抱きしめる | to hold tight, to embrace (だきしめる) | 泣いている妹をそっと抱きしめた。I gently hugged my little sister, who was crying. |
| 躊躇う | to hesitate, to waver (ためらう) | 返事をするのを少し躊躇った。I hesitated a little before answering. |
| 見逃す | to overlook, to let something slip past (みのがす) | 大事なメールを見逃してしまった。I ended up missing an important email. |
| 味方 | ally, someone on your side (みかた) | 困った時はいつでも味方だよ。I'm on your side whenever you're in trouble. |
| 醜い | ugly, unsightly (みにくい) | そんな醜い言い方はやめてほしい。I wish you'd stop talking in such an ugly way. |
| 見つめる | to gaze at, to stare at (みつめる) | 彼は黙って窓の外を見つめていた。He silently stared out the window. |
| 喧嘩 | a fight, a quarrel (けんか) | 弟と小さなことで喧嘩になった。I got into a fight with my brother over something small. |
| 記憶 | memory, recollection (きおく) | 子供の頃の記憶はもう薄い。My memories of childhood are faint by now. |
| 疲れ果てる | to be worn out, to be utterly exhausted (つかれはてる) | 引っ越しが終わって疲れ果てた。I was completely worn out after the move. |
| 恐ろしい | frightening, terrifying (おそろしい) | 夜の山道は思ったより恐ろしい。The mountain road at night is scarier than I expected. |
| 見下す | to look down on, to despise (みくだす) | 人を見下すような話し方は嫌だ。I hate the way he talks down to people. |
| 疑う | to doubt, to be suspicious of (うたがう) | 彼女の言葉を疑ったことはない。I have never doubted what she says. |
| 逃げ出す | to run away, to flee (にげだす) | 犬が庭から逃げ出してしまった。The dog ran off out of the yard. |
| 数える | to count (かぞえる) | 財布の小銭を一枚ずつ数えた。I counted the coins in my wallet one by one. |
| 居場所 | a place where one belongs, whereabouts (いばしょ) | この店が私の居場所になっている。This shop has become the place where I belong. |
| 勘違い | a misunderstanding, getting something wrong (かんちがい) | 待ち合わせの時間を勘違いしていた。I had the meeting time wrong. |
| 秘密 | a secret (ひみつ) | 二人だけの秘密にしておこう。Let's keep it a secret between the two of us. |
| 奇跡 | a miracle (きせき) | ここで君に会うなんて奇跡みたいだ。Running into you here feels like a miracle. |
| 繰り返す | to repeat, to do over again (くりかえす) | 同じ失敗を繰り返したくない。I don't want to repeat the same mistake. |
| 横顔 | a profile, the side of someone's face (よこがお) | 電車の窓に彼の横顔が映った。His profile was reflected in the train window. |
| 並ぶ | to line up, to stand side by side (ならぶ) | 本棚に写真が三枚並んでいる。Three photos are lined up on the bookshelf. |
| 噛む | to chew, to bite (かむ) | 固い肉をゆっくり噛んだ。I chewed the tough meat slowly. |
| 素直 | honest, frank, unguarded (すなお) | 素直に謝ればすぐ終わる話だ。If you just apologize honestly, it'll be over quickly. |
| 差し出す | to hold out, to offer (さしだす) | 彼女は黙って傘を差し出した。She silently held out an umbrella. |
| 掌 | the palm of the hand (てのひら) | 冷えた掌を火にかざした。I held my cold palms over the fire. |
| 重ねる | to stack, to place one on top of another (かさねる) | 洗った皿を静かに重ねる。I quietly stack the washed plates. |
| 沈黙 | silence (ちんもく) | 長い沈黙のあとで彼が口を開いた。After a long silence, he spoke. |
| 背負う | to carry on one's back, to shoulder (せおう) | 重い荷物を背負って山を登った。I climbed the mountain carrying a heavy pack. |
| 漸く | at last, finally (ようやく) | 工事が漸く終わったらしい。It seems the construction is finally over. |
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