初

There are two ways to pronounce a Kanji - the onyomi (音読み) and the kunyomi (訓読み). Onyomi is similar to the Chinese pronunciation, and kunyomi is the Japanese pronunciation. A Kanji normally has two to three pronunciations, and some can have up to a dozen. In general, there are no rules regarding which pronunciation should be used, so memorization seems to be the only way.

Today we look at the following Kanji:

The various pronunciations are はつ, しょ and うい (there may be more.) The meanings associated with this Kanji are "the first", "the beginning", "the early stage".

Examples:
初恋 (はつこい) = one's first love
初耳 (はつみみ) = the first time I heard about this
最初 (さいしょ) = in the beginning, at first
初学者 (しょがくしゃ) = a beginner
初孫 (ういまご) = one's first grandchild
初産 (ういざん) = one's first childbirth

Sugoi (すごい)

すごい is a commonly used word to mean "great". It is used when people is surprised or excited about something. It can have positive or negative meanings, depending on the context. So it can be translated to "great", "excellent", "cool" in a positive context, and "terrible", "horrible" in a negative context.
Example:
すごい = That's great! / That's horrible!
すごいでしょう= Isn't it great?
すごい映画 = A great movie

すごい is also often used in front of an adjective to mean "very". When used in this way, its form is changed to すごく (change the い to く).
Example:
おいしかった = That was delicious
すごくおいしかった = That was very delicious
美しい女性 = a beautiful lady
すごく美しい女性 = a very beautiful lady

The slang version of すごい is すげえ. This should only be used in informal conversations. And since it is a slang, there is no need to follow grammar rules when used in front of an adjective.
Example:
すげえおいしかった = That was very delicious

Lucky (ラッキー)

Often in Japanese dramas I heard the word "Lucky" (ラッキー) being used. This is the direct use of the English word "lucky", and is usually used to express surprise at one's good luck. 超(ちょう)ラッキー means super lucky.

To express good luck in other ways, we can use こううん/幸運 or うんがよい/運が良い.

To wish someone good luck before an exam or competition, がんばって/頑張って is often used although it does not directly translate to "good luck".
Example:
明日の試験頑張ってね = Good luck in your exam tomorrow
(The literal translation of this sentence is "Work hard in your exam tomorrow")

Another way to wish someone good luck is to use うまくいく. This means "things go smoothly". Example:
新しい学校で、うまくいくといいね = Good luck in your new school
(The literal translation of this sentence is "It would be great if things go well in your new school")

To really include "good luck" in your wish, こううんをいのる/幸運を祈る can be used, but I think this is more formal and is seldom used in conversation.

Takami no kenbutsu

In the beginning of the movie "L change the world", L was watching a female agent in the field via his computer. Watari came and L mentioned "Takami no kenbutsu" (たかみのけんぶつ/高みの見物).

This expression is often translated as "stand by idly", or "observe from a vantage point". It means you are watching the situation (usually from a distance), without directly involved in it, and making decisions based on what you see. You may decide to act, or may just decide not to act.

There seems to be a similar proverb in English "To see it rain is better than to be in it", although I have never heard anyone using it.

H (エッチ)

The word エッチ refers to anything sexual. This slang comes from the alphabet "H", I am not sure how but some say it comes from the initial of the word "Hentai" (へんたい/変態).

For example: エッチ 小説 means "x-rated novels".

エッチ can also mean "to have sex" or "to make love".

For example: エッチしようか means "want to make love?"

Kare and Karee

In Hiragana, kare (かれ/彼) means "he" or "him". Depending on the context, it can also mean "boyfriend", although the word for boyfriend is kareshi (かれし/彼氏). If two girls are talking about their boyfriends, it is possible that they use kare (かれ/彼) as "boyfriend". If they are talking about ex-boyfriends, they would use the word motokare (もとかれ/元彼).

In Katakana, karee (カレー) means curry. Curry is a very common Japanese dish, and it is very different from Indian or Malay curry. Japanese curry is usually made of carrots, potatoes, onions and meat. It is made into a gravy form, and is often served with rice, called カレーライス (curry rice).