► 接続助詞
て [て] meaning: adverbialize rank: 1
☆ 子供達は学校まで歩いて行く ⇨ The children go to the school by walking
☆ 彼は怪獣に食べられてしまった ⇨ He ended up getting eaten by a monster
☆ 彼は昼寝をしている ⇨ He is taking a nap
☆ 早めに準備しておいたほうが良い ⇨ We should get the preparation done early
☆ 皆汚職に見て見ぬ振りをしている ⇨ Everybody looks and then pretends not to look at the corruption
て [て] meaning: and rank: 1
☆ 優しくて力持ちのお父さん ⇨ Dad who is sweet and strong
☆ 安くて美味い牛丼 ⇨ Inexpensive and delicious beef bowls
て [て] meaning: because rank: 1
☆ 悔しくて涙が出た ⇨ I was so disappointed I cried
☆ 時間が無くて全部やりきれなかった ⇨ I wasn’t able to finish everything because there was not enough time
て [て] [ては] [て＋は] [liter] meaning: if rank: 1
☆ そんなことしてはいけない ⇨ It is not OK if you do that. You shouldn’t do that
☆ そんなことになっては不味い ⇨ It’ll be bad if something like that happens
☆ 中を見てはいけない ⇨ It is not OK if you look inside. Don’t look inside
て [て] meaning: then rank: 1
☆ 彼は大学を卒業して仕事に就いた ⇨ He graduated from college and then got a job
☆ 言われて初めて気がついた ⇨ Someone told me and then I realized for the first time. I didn’t realize until someone told me
☆ 風呂に入って寝た ⇨ I took a bath and then went to sleep
て [て] meaning: even though rank: 4
☆ 彼は知っていて何もしなかった ⇨ He didn’t do anything even though he knew of it
► 格助詞
て [て] [coll] meaning: indirect speech rank: 1
☆ お母さんがこれで十分だって言ってたよ ⇨ Mom said this is enough
☆ どう思うって聞かれても答えようが無い ⇨ I don’t know how to answer even if someone asks me what I think
☆ 何て言っているのか良く解らない ⇨ I don’t really understand what it is saying
☆ 彼は何て言った？ ⇨ What did he say?
☆ 彼は後で電話するって言ってたよ ⇨ He said he would call you later
☆ 心配するなって言われても心配してしまう ⇨ I can’t help worrying about it even if I’m told not to
て [て] [coll] meaning: attribute rank: 2
☆ それって馬鹿じゃない？ ⇨ Isn’t that stupid?
て [て] [coll] [女] meaning: attribute rank: 2
☆ 彼って可愛いわよね ⇨ He is cute
► 終助詞
て [て] [coll] [peer] meaning: command rank: 1
☆ こっちを見ないで！ ⇨ Don’t look this way! Don’t look at me!
☆ ちょっと待って！ ⇨ Wait a second!
☆ やめて！ ⇨ Stop it!
☆ 話を聞いて！ ⇨ Listen to my (side of the) story!
て [て] [coll] [peer] meaning: indirect speech rank: 1
☆ うるさいって！ ⇨ I said shut your mouth!
☆ そうじゃないって！ ⇨ I said it’s not so!
☆ 今何て？ ⇨ What did you (just say)?
☆ 今行くってば！ ⇨ I said I was coming right away!
☆ 新しい車買ったんだって？ ⇨ I heard you got a new car, right?
☆ 諦めろって ⇨ I told you to forget it
☆ 牛乳は売り切れだって ⇨ I was told milk had been sold out (☛ Note っ will be inserted between 売り切れだ and て to make it easier to pronounce)
て [て] [coll] [peer] meaning: indirect speech rank: 2
☆ ちょっと待ってって ⇨ He, she, said “give me a minute”. He, she, told us to wait a minute (☛ Note っ will be inserted between 待って and て to make it easier to pronounce. Also note the difference with 待ってて which is an abbreviation of 待っていて (= please keep waiting))
► 成句
手 [て] [手に入る] meaning: obtain rank: 1
☆ 彼等のコンサートのチケットはなかなか手に入らない (てにはいる) ⇨ Their concert tickets are hard to come by
☆ 本当に価値の有るものは簡単には手に入らない (てにはいる) ⇨ Something really valuable is harder to get
手 [て] [手に入れる] meaning: obtain rank: 1
☆ 我々は敵の機密情報を手に入れた (てにいれる) ⇨ We obtained the classified information of the enemy
手 [て] [手を打つ] [coll] meaning: act rank: 2
☆ この問題は早く手を打ったほうがいい ⇨ We should act on this issue quickly (☛ Act against a problem)
手 [て] [手が出る] [coll] meaning: afford rank: 2
☆ その車は高過ぎてとても手が出ない ⇨ That car is too expensive and I can’t afford it (☛ Usually used in negative as 手が出ない)
手 [て] [手が届く] meaning: afford rank: 2
☆ 普通の人でも手が届く家 ⇨ A house even regular people can afford
手 [て] [手を打つ] [coll] meaning: agree rank: 2
☆ この値段で手を打とう ⇨ Let’s get the deal done with this price (☛ Agree to a deal, with some compromise)
手 [て] [手を抜く] meaning: cut corners rank: 2
☆ 彼は仕事で手を抜いている ⇨ He is cutting corners at work, not working hard
手 [て] [手に負えない] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 山火事は手に負えない状態にあった ⇨ The wildfire was too much to handle
☆ 手に負えない子供 ⇨ An impossible child. A child impossible to handle
手 [て] [手を切る] meaning: end rank: 2
☆ 私達はあの会社と手を切った ⇨ We cut hands, ties, with that company (☛ End a relationship)
手 [て] [手を出す] [coll] meaning: interfere rank: 2
☆ あいつは俺が始末するからお前達は手を出すな ⇨ I will take care of him myself, so you guys don’t do anything
☆ あの暴力団はやり方が巧妙で警察も手が出せないでいる ⇨ The gang is very shrewd and the police haven’t been able to get to them
手 [て] [手を出す] [coll] meaning: involve rank: 2
☆ 彼は他人の奥さんに手を出した ⇨ He got involved with somebody else’s wife (☛ Get involved with something you shouldn’t)
☆ 彼は博打に手を出して全てを失った ⇨ He got involved with gambling and lost everything (☛ Get involved with something you shouldn’t)
手 [て] [手を入れる] meaning: modify rank: 2
☆ 彼は小説の原稿に手を入れた ⇨ He modified the manuscript of his novel (☛ Note that 手入れ is “maintenance” while “手を入れる” is usually means “modify”)
手 [て] [手を加える] meaning: modify rank: 2
☆ 上手く行っているものに余計な手を加えない方が良い ⇨ It is better not tinker with what’s working. Don’t fix what’s not broken
手 [て] [手にする] meaning: obtain rank: 2
☆ 彼は長年の苦労の末やっと成功を手にした ⇨ He finally got success after years of struggle
手 [て] [手が出る] [coll] meaning: reach rank: 2
☆ ピザにはどうしても手が出てしまう ⇨ I can’t stop reaching out for and grab some pizza
手 [て] [手を出す] [coll] meaning: reach rank: 2
☆ 動物には手を出さないように ⇨ Don’t reach out for the animals
手 [て] [手を付ける] meaning: start rank: 2
☆ 問題が多過ぎて何処から手を付けていいか分からない ⇨ There are too many problems and I don’t know which one to handle first
手 [て] [手が掛かる] meaning: work rank: 2
☆ 子供の世話には手が掛かる ⇨ Taking care of children is a lot of work
手 [て] [手に付かない] meaning: anxious rank: 3
☆ 検査の結果が心配で仕事が手に付かない ⇨ I am so worried about the test result that I cannot focus on my work (☛ Always in a negative sentence as 手に付かない)
手 [て] [手が離せない] meaning: busy rank: 3
☆ 御免、ちょっと今手が離せない ⇨ Sorry, I can’t let my hands go, I’m all tied up, right now
手 [て] [手を結ぶ] meaning: cooperate rank: 3
☆ 彼等は裏で手を結んでいた ⇨ They had their hands tied behind the scene, had a secret deal
手 [て] [手に掛かる] meaning: deal rank: 3
☆ 彼は秘密警察の手にかかって暗殺された ⇨ He was assassinated by the secret police
手 [て] [手に乗る] meaning: deceive rank: 3
☆ その手には乗らないよ ⇨ I won’t get on that hand, won’t be duped by that
手 [て] [手が焼ける] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ うちの息子には本当に手が焼ける ⇨ My son burns my hand, causes a lot of problems (☛ Usually only refers to a person)
手 [て] [手の込んだ] meaning: elaborate rank: 3
☆ 彼は随分手の込んだ嘘をついたものだ ⇨ He told us a very elaborate lie
☆ 手の込んだ細工 ⇨ Very elaborate detailed craftwork
手 [て] [手に落ちる] meaning: fall rank: 3
☆ 首都は敵の手に落ちた ⇨ The capital has been fell into the enemy’s hands, occupied
手 [て] [手に掛かる] meaning: handle rank: 3
☆ 素人には無理でもプロの手にかかると簡単に出来てしまう ⇨ It is impossible for amateurs, but can be done easily in the hands of professionals
手 [て] [手が出る] meaning: hit rank: 3
☆ 彼は言葉より手が先に出る ⇨ He punches, shoves, someone before saying something. He has a violent streak (☛ Literally “a hand comes out”)
手 [て] [手を上げる] meaning: hit rank: 3
☆ 昔は妻子に手を上げる男が多かった ⇨ In the past there were many men who hit wives and children (☛ Literally “raise a hand”)
手 [て] [手を汚す] meaning: involve rank: 3
☆ 彼は自分の手を汚したがらない ⇨ He doesn’t want to soil his hands, do dirty work
手 [て] [手も足も出ない] meaning: overwhelm rank: 3
☆ 彼等の打者は相手の投手に手も足も出なかった ⇨ Their hitters couldn’t use either their hands or feet, had no answer, for the opponent’s pitcher
手 [て] [手を焼く] meaning: struggle rank: 3
☆ 彼は年頃の息子に手を焼いている ⇨ He is having a hard time dealing with his adolescent son (☛ Struggle to handle, control)
手 [て] [手を付ける] meaning: touch rank: 3
☆ この御弁当誰も手を付けてないから良かったら食べなよ ⇨ Nobody touched these lunchboxes, so have them if you’d like
手 [て] [手に渡る] meaning: transfer rank: 3
☆ 家の権利は銀行の手に渡った ⇨ The title of the house was transferred to the bank
☆ 情報は敵の手に渡った ⇨ The information was obtained by the enemy
手 [て] [手が塞がる] meaning: busy rank: 4
☆ 御免、ちょっと今手が塞がっちゃってるの ⇨ Sorry, my hands are clogged, I’m all tied up, right now
手 [て] [手を拱く] meaning: do nothing rank: 4
☆ 手をこまねいて見ているわけにはいかない ⇨ You can’t just fold your hands, do nothing, and watch (☛ In Japan folding hands used to be a gesture of respect)
手 [て] [手を離れる] meaning: independent rank: 4
☆ 彼は未だ親の手を離れずにいる ⇨ He still hasn’t left his parents hands. He is still living off his parents
手 [て] [手に掛ける] [liter] [euphemism] meaning: kill rank: 4
☆ 彼は父親を自らの手に掛けた ⇨ He killed his father with his own hands
手 [て] [手が早い] [coll] meaning: quick rank: 4
☆ 彼は女にかけてはとにかく手が早い ⇨ He is really quick to make a move with a woman (☛ Only about men toward women)
手 [て] [あの手この手] [coll] meaning: various rank: 4
☆ 彼等はあの手この手を使って選挙を妨害しようとしている ⇨ They have been using all kinds of schemes to interfere with the election
手 [て] [手を替え品を替え] meaning: various rank: 4
☆ 彼は手を替え品を替え彼女を説得しようとした ⇨ He tried to persuade her using all kinds of different tactics
► 名詞
手 [て] [手を取る] meaning: hand rank: 1
☆ お母さんが子供の手を取った ⇨ A mother took her child’s hand
手 [て] [手を借りる] [coll] meaning: help rank: 1
☆ 人の手を借りずに自分の力でやりたい ⇨ I want to do it myself without getting help
手 [て] [手を貸す] [coll] meaning: help rank: 1
☆ 彼は色々手を貸してくれた ⇨ He’s helped me in many occasions
手 [て] [あの手] [coll] meaning: kind rank: 1
☆ あの手の人達と関わるのは止めたほうが良い ⇨ You’d better not hang out with that kind of people
手 [て] [この手] [coll] meaning: kind rank: 1
☆ この手の事は専門家に頼んだほうが良い ⇨ It is better to ask professionals to do this kind of things
手 [て] [その手] [coll] meaning: kind rank: 1
☆ その手の商売は浮き沈みが激しい ⇨ That kind of business has a lot of ups and downs
手 [て] [coll] meaning: way rank: 1
☆ ああ、そういう手があったか！ ⇨ Oh, I didn’t think about doing it that way!
☆ このまま何もしないという手もある ⇨ We don’t do anything and just let it go. That’s an option
☆ その手は通用しない ⇨ That way of doing things, that kind of trick, won’t work
☆ それは最後の手だ ⇨ That’s the last resort
手 [て] [手は無い] [coll] meaning: way rank: 1
☆ この機会を利用しない手は無い ⇨ There is no way we don’t take advantage of this opportunity
☆ 彼女みたいな美人に誘われて断る手は無い ⇨ There is no way you say no when a beauty like her approaches you
手 [て] [手を使う] [coll] meaning: way rank: 1
☆ 彼は勝つためならどんな手でも使う ⇨ He will resort to anything in order to win
☆ 彼は汚い手を平気で使う ⇨ He uses dirty trick without hesitation
More examples:
- 樹脂を金型に注入して成形する ⇨ We inject resin into metal molds to form
- 彼女は結婚してからすっかり所帯じみてしまった ⇨ She has completely become a soccer mom since she got married
- 近所の人が音楽をガンガンかけている ⇨ My neighbor is playing music very loudly
- 壊れた車が放置されている ⇨ A broken car is deserted
- 判断は双方の意見を聞いてからにしよう ⇨ Let’s make a decision after listening to the opinions of the two sides
- 御祭りは家族連れで溢れていた ⇨ The festival was full of families
- どの道で行っても時間は変わらない ⇨ It takes the same amount of time whichever way we go
- 子供がスパイダーマンのお面を被っている ⇨ A kid is wearing a Spiderman mask
- 新しい税法は賛否が分かれている ⇨ The new tax laws have both supporters and detractors, are polarizing
- 彼は質問に対して直接答えなかった ⇨ He didn’t answer directly to the question
- このまま生きて行く気力が無い ⇨ I don’t have the will to keep living this way
- あいつの根性を叩き直してやる ⇨ I’m gonna beat his personality straight
- 彼は借りた金を未だ返していない ⇨ He hasn’t pay back the money he borrowed
- 彼等は生産性改善運動を推進している ⇨ They are pushing the productivity improvement project
- 彼は人間的な感情が欠落している ⇨ He is missing human emotions. Human emotions are absent in him