明日への手紙 – Bilingual Lyrics Japanese/English

• By: 手嶌葵

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the beautiful world of Japanese music with Aoi Teshima's "Ashita e no Tegami." This moving ballad, featured in a popular drama, offers a unique opportunity to learn empathetic Japanese phrases and expressions related to hope, reflection, and the passage of time. Its clear vocals and poignant lyrics make it an accessible and emotionally rich song for language learners.

[English]

Are you doing well?

Have you found someone important?

Will your dreams come true someday?

Ahead on this road

Do you remember?

The swaying wheat ears, that evening glow

The endless horizon, searching the sky

While struggling to draw tomorrow

Now, into the dream

The brilliance of intangible things

Gently, gently holding them close

We keep moving forward

Are you smiling?

With innocent eyes like that day

Through cold nights and rainy mornings

Surely, there were

My hometown

If a place to return to exists, it's here

Always unchanged

Waiting for you

Don't stop dreaming of tomorrow

Now, into the dream

The warmth of someone precious

Never, ever forgetting

We keep moving forward

People stumble and sway as they walk

Continuing onward

Wanting to see the fleeting brilliance of time that will never come again

Hold it close in your heart

While struggling to draw tomorrow

Now, in the dream

The brilliance of intangible things

Gently, gently holding them close

We keep moving forward

[Japanese]

元気でいますか

大事な人はできましたか

いつか夢は叶いますか

この道の先で

覚えていますか

揺れる麦の穂 あの夕映え

地平線 続く空を探し続けていた

明日を描こうともがきながら

今 夢の中へ

形ないものの輝きを

そっと そっと抱きしめて

進むの

笑っていますか

あの日のように無邪気な目で

寒い夜も雨の朝も

きっとあったでしょ

ふるさとの街は

帰る場所ならここにあると

いつだって変わらずに

あなたを待っている

明日を描くことを止めないで

今 夢の中へ

大切な人のぬくもりを

ずっと ずっと 忘れずに

進むの

人は迷いながら揺れながら

歩いてゆく

二度とない時の輝きを

見つめていたい

明日を描こうともがきながら

今 夢の中で

形ないものの輝きを

そっと そっと 抱きしめて

進むの

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
元気 /ɡenki/ A2	noun - health, vitality
夢 /yume/ A2	noun - dream
道 /michi/ A2	noun - road, path
空 /sora/ A2	noun - sky
進む /susumu/ B1	verb - to advance, to proceed
描く /kaku/ B1	verb - to draw, to depict
大切 /taisetsu/ B1	adjective - important, precious
抱きしめる /dakishimeru/ B2	verb - to hug, to embrace
無邪気 /mujaki/ B2	adjective - innocent, naive
街 /machi/ A2	noun - town, street
帰る /kaeru/ A2	verb - to return, to go back
寒い /samui/ A1	adjective - cold
雨 /ame/ A1	noun - rain
時 /toki/ A2	noun - time
迷う /mayou/ B1	verb - to hesitate, to be lost
輝き /kagayaki/ B2	noun - shine, radiance

Key Grammar Structures

• 大事な人はできましたか

  ➔ Use of the particle 'は' to indicate the topic of the sentence.

  ➔ "は" marks the topic of the sentence, emphasizing "大事な人" (important person).

• 夢は叶いますか

  ➔ Use of the verb in potential form to ask about the possibility.

  ➔ "叶います" (can be fulfilled) is in potential form, indicating ability or possibility.

• あの日のように無邪気な目で

  ➔ Use of the noun "ように" to make a comparison or similarity.

  ➔ "ように" means "like" or "as", expressing similarity to a past state.

• 進むの

  ➔ Use of の to nominalize a verb, turning it into a noun phrase.

  ➔ "の" turns verbs into a noun phrase, here indicating the action of moving forward.

• 形ないものの輝きを

  ➔ Use of the possessive の to connect "もの" (things) and "輝き" (brightness) indicating possession or characteristic.

  ➔ "の" connects "もの" and "輝き" to describe the brightness of intangible things.

• 歩いてゆく

  ➔ Use of the verb in te-form combined with 行く (ゆく) to express movement proceeding forward.

  ➔ The combination of the te-form of a verb with "ゆく" indicates continuous or onward movement.