noun:

• useless employees (shunted off by a window to pass their remaining time until retirement)

noun:

• capital letter
• first character of a dictionary entry
• matrix (printing)
• kanji corresponding to furigana

noun:

• stealthy steps
• spurt to overtake a leading horse just before the finish line

noun / ~の noun:

• atavism; throwback; reappearance of an earlier characteristic; skipping a generation; reversion to ancestral type

noun:

• thin strip of wood smeared with sulfur, used to light a fire

noun:

• popularly accepted "on" reading of a kanji (as opposed to those derived from Chinese)

noun:

• seeds
• producer-driven solutions; ideas, products, services, etc. proposed by a company to consumers

noun:

• a good chance coming along; the time has come (for, to, when...); opportunity knocking - four character idiom

noun:

• money needed to buy a geisha or prostitute out of bondage ➜ 身請け

expression:

• cannot live even a minute without someone or something; meaning the world to one

expression:

• giving something a try because one has nothing to lose ➜ 駄目元

noun:

• Cain complex (jealousy of a sibling, ultimately leading to hatred)

noun:

• plan to overcome an obstacle or break out of a deadlock; breakthrough solution

noun:

• invitation letter (e.g. document in support of a visa to enter Japan)

noun:

• hu (ancient Chinese vessel shaped like a vase, usually used to store alcohol)

noun:

• creeper (plant that grows along the ground, etc. similar to a vine)

adverb:

• absolutely every little bit; everything from A to Z; systematically; thoroughly; one after another ➜ 片っ端から

noun:

• corridor connecting an annex to a pond-side building (in traditional palatial-style architecture) ➜ 中門・寝殿造り

noun:

• corridor connecting an annex to a pond-side building (in traditional palatial-style architecture) ➜ 中門・寝殿造り

expression / noun:

• a long way off; matter for the future; not going to happen anytime soon

noun:

• 17C male hairstyle (shaved forehead, chignon, sideburns thinned to the size of a thread)

noun:

• device that plays a melody or flushing sound to mask excretion sounds ➜ 音姫

noun:

• woven mat tied around a plant to prevent damage from the weight of snow

noun:

• playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who will carry out a task ➜ じゃんけん

noun:

• popularly accepted "on" reading of a kanji (as opposed to those derived from Chinese) ➜ 慣用音