RADWIMPS · Japanese · 32 words
Zettai Zetsumei, Part 1
絶体絶命 (2011) is the album RADWIMPS made after the Tohoku earthquake, and it argues with the world rather than a lover. Gakugeikai casts the singer as 少年D, an extra in his own life, which makes it a compact lesson in theatre vocabulary (主役, 脇役, 独壇場), while Kyoshinsho supplies the body words - 涙腺, 塞ぐ, 縫う - the song is built from.
Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 遠回り | a detour, going the long way (とおまわり) | 工事で遠回りして帰った。I went home the long way because of roadworks. |
| 近道 | a shortcut (ちかみち) | 公園を抜けるのが近道だ。Cutting through the park is a shortcut. |
| 神頼み | praying to the gods as a last resort (かみだのみ) | 準備もせずに神頼みでは困る。Relying on prayer without preparing won't do. |
| 抜かす | to skip, to blurt out (ぬかす) | 大事な手順を一つ抜かしてしまった。I skipped one important step. |
| 潔い | graceful in defeat, clean, manly (いさぎよい) | 彼は潔く非を認めた。He admitted his fault with good grace. |
| 狭間 | a gap, the space between (はざま) | 理想と現実の狭間で悩んでいる。I'm caught between the ideal and reality. |
| 纏う | to wear, to be clad in (まとう) | 彼女は白い衣を纏っていた。She was clad in white robes. |
| 鈍行 | a local (slow) train (どんこう) | 急がないので鈍行で行く。I'm not in a hurry so I'll take the local train. |
| 里帰り | a visit home to one's parents (さとがえり) | 正月に久しぶりの里帰りをした。I made a long-overdue visit home at New Year. |
| 手当たり次第 | at random, indiscriminately (てあたりしだい) | 手当たり次第に本を読んでいた。I was reading books indiscriminately. |
| 喜怒哀楽 | the full range of human emotion (きどあいらく) | 彼は喜怒哀楽がはっきりしている。His emotions are plain to read. |
| 縦横無尽 | freely in every direction, unrestrained (じゅうおうむじん) | 選手は縦横無尽に走り回った。The player ran all over the pitch. |
| 残像 | an afterimage (ざんぞう) | 強い光の残像が目に残った。The afterimage of the bright light stayed in my eyes. |
| 皮膚 | skin (ひふ) | 乾燥で皮膚がかさかさする。My skin is dry and rough. |
| 肩書き | a title, one's official position (かたがき) | 肩書きよりも中身が大事だ。What matters is substance, not titles. |
| 失敗作 | a failed piece of work (しっぱいさく) | 今回のケーキは失敗作だった。This cake was a failure. |
| 答え合わせ | checking one's answers (こたえあわせ) | テストの後で答え合わせをした。We checked our answers after the test. |
| 切磋琢磨 | improving through friendly rivalry (せっさたくま) | 仲間と切磋琢磨してきた。We've pushed each other to improve. |
| 変哲 | anything out of the ordinary (へんてつ) | 何の変哲もない一日だった。It was a perfectly unremarkable day. |
| 脇役 | a supporting role (わきやく) | 彼は脇役ながら印象に残った。He was memorable despite the supporting role. |
| 主役 | the leading role, the star (しゅやく) | 今日の主役は君だよ。Today you're the star. |
| 独壇場 | one's own domain, a one-man show (どくだんじょう) | 後半は彼の独壇場だった。The second half was all his. |
| 到底 | (not) possibly, by no means (とうてい) | その量は到底終わらない。There's no way that amount can be finished. |
| 至る所 | everywhere, all over (いたるところ) | 町の至る所に桜が咲いている。Cherry blossoms are blooming all over town. |
| 塞ぐ | to block up, to stop up (ふさぐ) | 耳を塞いでも音が入ってくる。The sound gets in even if I block my ears. |
| 縫う | to sew, to stitch (ぬう) | ボタンを自分で縫いつけた。I sewed the button on myself. |
| 涙腺 | tear ducts (るいせん) | 年のせいか涙腺が弱くなった。Maybe it's age, but I tear up easily now. |
| 時速 | speed per hour (じそく) | この道は時速40キロ制限だ。This road has a 40 km/h limit. |
| 投げ捨てる | to throw away, to cast aside (なげすてる) | ごみを道に投げ捨てないで。Don't throw rubbish onto the road. |
| 血走る | to become bloodshot (ちばしる) | 徹夜で目が血走っている。My eyes are bloodshot from staying up all night. |
| 息巻く | to bluster, to rage (いきまく) | 彼は絶対に許さないと息巻いていた。He was raging that he'd never forgive it. |
| 金輪際 | absolutely never again (こんりんざい) | 金輪際あの店には行かない。I'm never going to that shop again. |
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