► 副助詞
は [わ] meaning: object direct rank: 1
☆ そうは言ってもこのまま放っておく訳にもいかないだろう ⇨ We can just leave it like this, even if you say so
☆ そんな事は誰も言っていない ⇨ Nobody’s saying things like that
☆ もうそのことを心配するのは止めた ⇨ I stopped worrying about that anymore
☆ 何とかなる等とは言っていられない状況だ ⇨ This is a situation where you can’t just say it will somehow work out
☆ 未だかなり残っているから牛乳は買わなくてもいい ⇨ There is still enough left so I don’t have to buy milk
☆ 未だ最終結果は聞いていない ⇨ I still haven’t heard the final result
☆ 私はスポーツが好きだが、野球は好きではない ⇨ I like sports but don’t like baseball
☆ お酒は好きですか？いえ、私はお酒は飲みません ⇨ Do you like alcohol? No, I don’t drink alcohol (☛ は is used in the reply because alcohol is the topic of the conversation. を cannot be used in this context)
は [わ] meaning: qualifying rank: 1
☆ その値段は理不尽に高くはない ⇨ That price is not unreasonably high (if not low)
☆ その考えは正しくはあっても人には受け入れられないだろう ⇨ That idea won’t be accepted by people, even though it is correct
☆ その考え方は間違ってはいない ⇨ That way of thinking is not exactly wrong
は [わ] meaning: subject rank: 1
☆ お母さんは？ ⇨ Where is mom? What about mom?
☆ それは私は決められない ⇨ I cannot decide that. (Somebody else should)
☆ 彼はイタリア人だ ⇨ He is an Italian
☆ 彼女の目は青い ⇨ Her eyes are blue
☆ 彼女の脚は長い ⇨ Her legs are long
☆ 彼女はパーティーに来なかった ⇨ She didn’t come to the party (unlike others)
☆ 彼女は三児の母親だ ⇨ She is a mother of three children
☆ 熱は有るが、お腹は痛くない ⇨ I have a fever, but my stomach doesn’t hurt
☆ 私の家は小さい ⇨ My house is small
☆ 私はそうは思わない ⇨ I don’t think so (unlike others)
☆ 君は間違っている ⇨ You are wrong (☛ Note the difference with “君が間違っている” which emphasizes “it is you who is wrong”)
は [わ] meaning: then rank: 3
☆ あいつ、毎日やって来ては文句を言う ⇨ He comes here every day and just bitch and moan
► 終助詞
わ [わ] [coll] [peer] [女] meaning: declare rank: 1
☆ 私は嫌だわ ⇨ I don’t like it. I don’t want to
☆ 私は知らないわ ⇨ I don’t know
わ [わ] [coll] [peer] meaning: surprise rank: 1
☆ あ、こりゃ駄目だわ ⇨ Oh, this ain’t working (☛ Especially in the western dialects “わ” is used by both men and women in casual conversations)
☆ これは美味しいわ ⇨ This is delicious (☛ Especially in the western dialects “わ” is used by both men and women in casual conversations)
► 成句
輪 [わ] [輪を掛ける] meaning: increase rank: 4
☆ 彼は年をとって短気が輪をかけてひどくなった ⇨ His short-temperedness has gotten even worse as he has gotten older (☛ Literally means “put a ring over”. Something to increase in size, intensity, etc. one more notch)
► 名詞
和 [わ] [liter] meaning: harmony rank: 2
☆ 和を大切にする ⇨
輪 [わ] meaning: circle rank: 2
☆ 友情の輪を広げよう ⇨ Let’s spread the circle, network, of friendship
☆ 皆、輪になって！ ⇨ Everybody, form a circle!
☆ 輪ゴム ⇨ A (circular) rubber band
輪 [わ] meaning: ring rank: 2
☆ 土星の輪 ⇨ The rings of Saturn
► 感嘆詞
わ [(1)わ] [coll] meaning: surprise rank: 2
☆ わ～、何これ？ ⇨ Woah, what is this?
☆ わっ！ ⇨ Boo! (☛ To surprise, scare someone)
► 接頭辞
和 [わ] [liter] meaning: japanese rank: 2
☆ 和菓子 ⇨ Traditional Japanese sweets
More examples:
- 行方不明者の安否が気遣われている ⇨ There is a serious concern for the safety of the missing
- 締切りに間に合わなかった ⇨ I was not in time for, didn’t make, the deadline
- 彼は他の走者の追撃をかわして優勝した ⇨ He evaded other runners trying to catch him and won the race
- 彼は弟の借金を肩代わりした ⇨ He shouldered, paid, the debt of his little brother
- 組織内にスパイがいると言われて彼はぎくっとした ⇨ He jumped, reacted, when he was told there was a spy in the organization
- 彼女は彼を辱めるためにわざと人前で批判した ⇨ She criticised him in public on purpose to humiliate him
- 話が変わるのでここで改行すべきだ ⇨ You should start a new paragraph because the topics change here
- あんな事を言われたら誰だって怒る ⇨ Anybody will be angry when someone tells him/her such thing
- わざわざ指摘しなくても皆気が付いているよ ⇨ You don’t have to point that out specifically. Everybody already knows
- レースは二百周で争われる ⇨ The race is competed in 200 laps
- 値段が高すぎたから買わなかった ⇨ I didn’t buy because the price was too high
- オリンピックに先立って代表選手団の壮行会が行われた ⇨ A send-off ceremony was held for the national team preceding, right before, the Olympics
- 表彰台を目標にあわよくば優勝を狙いたい ⇨ I am shooting for a podium finish, or even a win if I am lucky
- 最近の日本人は正しい日本語が使えず嘆かわしい ⇨ It is deplorable that today’s Japanese cannot speak and write proper Japanese
- 彼女の水着姿を見て思わずもっこりしてしまった ⇨ I saw her in a swimsuit and I got an unintended boner