Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version- – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 宇多田ヒカル, Utada Hikaru

Lyrics & Translation

[Japanese]

[English]

ありがとう、と君に言われると

Thank you. When you say that to me,

なんだかせつない

Somehow, it makes me lonely.

さようならの後も解けぬ魔法

Even after saying goodbye, the magic remains unbroken.

淡くほろ苦い

Faint and just a little bitter.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

友達でも恋人でもない中間地点で

In the middle ground between friends and lovers,

収穫の日を夢見てる 青いフルーツ

Dreaming of the day of harvest, blue fruits.

あと一歩が踏み出せないせいで

Because I can't take that one step forward,

じれったいのなんのってbaby

It's so frustrating, baby.

ありがとう、と君に言われると

Thank you. When you say that to me,

なんだかせつない

Somehow, it makes me lonely.

さようならの後も解けぬ魔法

Even after saying goodbye, the magic remains unbroken.

淡くほろ苦い

Faint and just a little bitter.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

甘いだけの誘い文句

A sweet, empty line of flattery,

味っけの無いトーク

Tasteless talk,

そんなものには興味をそそられない

I'm not interested in that kind of thing.

思い通りにいかない時だって

Even when things don’t go as planned,

人生捨てたもんじゃないって

It’s not the end of the world.

どうしたの?と急に聞かれると

When I’m suddenly asked, “What’s wrong?”,

ううん、なんでもない

No, it’s nothing.

さようならの後に消える笑顔

The smile that disappears after saying goodbye.

私らしくない

Not really myself.

信じたいと願えば願うほど

The more I want to believe,

なんだかせつない

Somehow, it makes me lonely.

「愛してるよ」よりも「大好き」の方が

More than “I love you,”

君らしいんじゃない?

Wouldn’t “I really like you” suit you better?

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

忘れかけていた人の香りを 突然思い出す頃

Just as I start to forget someone's scent,

降りつもる雪の白さをもっと 素直に喜びたいよ

I want to honestly enjoy the whiteness of the falling snow.

ダイアモンドよりもやわらかくて

Soft and warm, more than a diamond,

あたたかな未来 手にしたいよ

I want to hold a warm future in my hands.

限りある時間を 君と過ごしたい

I want to spend this limited time with you.

ありがとう、と君に言われると

Thank you. When you say that to me,

なんだかせつない

Somehow, it makes me lonely.

さようならの後も解けぬ魔法

Even after saying goodbye, the magic remains unbroken.

淡くほろ苦い

Faint and just a little bitter.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

The flavor of life

The flavor of life.

Flavor of life

Flavor of life.

The flavor of life (the flavor of life)

The flavor of life (the flavor of life).

...

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
ありがとう /aɾiŋato/ A2	expression - thank you
言わる /iˈwaɾaɾu/ A2	verb - to be said
せつない /setsu nai/ B1	adjective - painful, heart-wrenching
さようなら /saˈjoi̯ naɾa/ A2	expression - goodbye
解けぬ /toke nu/ B2	verb - unable to melt, unable to untie
魔法 /mahou/ B2	noun - magic
ほろ苦い /horo nikui/ B2	adjective - slightly bitter
人生 /jinsei/ B1	noun - life
収穫 /shuukaku/ B2	noun - harvest
夢見る /yumemiru/ B2	verb - to dream
青い /aoi/ A2	adjective - blue
一歩 /ippo/ A2	noun - one step
踏み出す /fumikasu/ B2	verb - to take a step forward
未来 /mirai/ B1	noun - future
時間 /jikan/ A2	noun - time

Key Grammar Structures

• と君に言われると

  ➔ When (I) am told by you

  ➔ The particle "と" is used here as an indirect quote marker, indicating that the following phrase is what is being said or perceived.

• 解けぬ魔法

  ➔ Unbreakable magic / magic that cannot be undone

  ➔ The adjective "解けぬ" is a classical or literary form of "解けない" meaning "cannot be undone or broken".

• 淡くほろ苦い

  ➔ Light and bittersweet

  ➔ Both words are adjectives describing a flavor or feeling; "淡く" is an adverbial form meaning "lightly" or "faintly," and "ほろ苦い" is an i-adjective meaning "slightly bitter."

• 信じたいと願えば願うほど

  ➔ The more (you) wish to believe, the more (you) wish for

  ➔ The pattern "ils-ば-ほど" expresses "the more ... the more ..." meaning an increasing or diminishing relationship.

• あたたかな未来

  ➔ A warm future

  ➔ "あたたか（な）" is an i-adjective in its な-adjective form, meaning "warm" or "温暖."