Eureka – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 星野源

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the lyrical depth of Gen Hoshino's “Eureka,” a soul-stirring J-pop ballad that offers a unique perspective on navigating life's uncertainties. This song, with its rich emotional landscape and thoughtful lyrics, provides an excellent opportunity to engage with Japanese language through its nuanced expressions of self-discovery and connection.

[English]

I’ve come back to life

The days I’ve been myself

Have started to move

Towards the unknown

The unknown is dark

People are completely fooling around

It was silly

The more I head toward it

My exhausted hope is

Still unnecessary

Sunshine spills in through the window and blurs

The seasons dance with the wind and sing a song

It's meaningless, right?

Strangely beautiful and gritty

While I don’t understand

I’ve overcome sadness

Just by breathing

That’s the proof

Like weaving together

Walking, then stopping

Losing and reclaiming

That’s all there is

The more it dances

The loneliness I received

Because I can share it

Let’s talk under the breaking night sky here

The ‘now’ is beyond the past and future

You’ll do well

Even words that lack responsibility

Are things I don’t understand

Sunshine pours in through the window and blurs

Seasons dance with the wind and sing a poem

It's all nonsense, right?

Strangely beautiful and earthy

While I don’t understand

[Japanese]

息を吹き返した Iki o fukikaeshita

私でいる日々が Watashi de iru hibi ga

動き出していた Ugoki dashite ita

知らない方に Shiranai Hōni

未知は暗くて Michi wa kurakute

人はふざけ切って Hito wa fuzake kitte

馬鹿げてた Baka ge teta

向かうほどに Mukau hodo ni

呆れた　希望は Akireta kibō wa

要らないまま Iranai mama

窓から陽が射して滲む Mado kara hi ga sashite nijimu

季節が風と踊り纏い詩を歌う Kisetsu ga kaze to odori matoi uta o utau

くだらないだろ Kudaranai daro

妙に綺麗で　泥臭い Myō ni kirei de doro kusai

わからない中で Wakaranai naka de

悲しみに勝った Kanashimi ni katta

息をするそれだけで Iki o suru soredake de

その証拠なんだった Sono shōko nan datta

織りなす様に Ori nasu yōni

歩いて　止まって Arui te tomatte

失くして　取り戻して Nakushi te tori modoshi te

それだけだ Sore dake da

舞うほどに Mau hodo ni

もらった　寂しいは Moratta Sabishī wa

分け合えるから Wake aeru kara

明ける夜空ここで話そう Akeru yozora koko de hanasō

“今”は過去と未来の先にあるんだ Ima wa kako to mirai no saki ni arunda

君は　うまくいくだろう Kimi wa umaku iku darō

無責任な言葉でも Musekinin na kotoba demo

わからないもので Wakaranai mono de

窓から陽が射して滲む Mado kara hi ga sashite nijimu

季節が風と踊り纏い詩を歌う Kisetsu ga kaze to odori matoi uta o utau

くだらないだろ Kudaranai daro

妙に綺麗で　泥臭い Myō ni kirei de doro kusai

わからない中で Wakaranai naka de

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
息 (iki) /iki/ A1	noun - breath
日 (hi) /hi/ A1	noun - day, sun
風 (kaze) /kaze/ A1	noun - wind
歌 (uta) /uta/ A1	noun - song
窓 (mado) /mado/ A2	noun - window
夜空 (yozora) /jozora/ A2	noun - night sky
季節 (kisetsu) /kisetsɯ/ A2	noun - season
希望 (kibō) /kiboː/ B1	noun - hope
未来 (mirai) /miɾai/ B1	noun - future
過去 (kako) /kako/ B1	noun - past
踊り (odori) /oꜜdoɾi/ B1	noun - dance verb - to dance
悲しみ (kanashimi) /kanaʃimi/ B2	noun - sadness
証拠 (shōko) /ʃoːko/ B2	noun - proof, evidence
無責任 (musekinin) /mɯsekiɲiɴ/ C1	adjective - irresponsible
泥臭い (dorokusai) /doɾoꜜkɯsai/ C1	adjective - earthy, rustic, unsophisticated

Key Grammar Structures

• 知らない方に

  ➔ Target particle + に indicating direction or target

  ➔ The particle "に" is used here to indicate the direction towards "the unknown" or "the other side".

• 動き出していた

  ➔ Past continuous form of the verb "動き出す" (to start moving)

  ➔ This is the past continuous tense expressing that "started moving" was happening in the past.

• 呆れた　希望は

  ➔ Past tense of "呆れる" (to be amazed/disbelieve) + topic marking particle

  ➔ Using the past tense "呆れた" indicates that the feeling of being amazed or disillusioned occurred in the past.

• 分け合えるから

  ➔ Potential form of "分け合う" (to share) + から (because/as)

  ➔ The potential form "分け合える" expresses the ability or possibility to share, and "から" means "because" or "since".

• 明ける夜空ここで話そう

  ➔ Volitional form "話そう" of "話す" (to talk) + location indicator

  ➔ The volitional form "話そう" is used to express the speaker's intention to talk, combined with the location "here".