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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,238words (N1–N5 total)
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Filtered by N1・N2・N3・N4・N5
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N1
緊縮
きんしゅく
「緊」 means to tighten, and 「縮」 means to shrink; together they mean to tighten and shrink. It refers to constraining and reducing expenditure or scale. Used in expressions like 「緊縮財政」 or 「緊縮政策」, it is a formal word frequently appearing in economic and administrative contexts, contrasted with 「拡大」.
AI-generated translation
N4
近所
きんじょ
A nearby place close to where one lives.
AI-generated translation
N2
均等
きんとう
It refers to all being equal with no differences. Used in expressions like 「均等に配分する」 or 「機会均等」. It is a somewhat formal word expressing fairness in distribution, opportunity, or ratio.
AI-generated translation
N1
緊迫
きんぱく
「緊」 means tense, and 「迫」 means to press in; together they mean tense and pressing in. It refers to a situation in a strained, imminent state. Used in expressions like 「緊迫した情勢」 or 「現場が緊迫する」, it is a formal word frequently appearing in news reports, used for political, diplomatic, or incident-scene contexts.
AI-generated translation
N1
吟味
ぎんみ
「吟」 means to recite poetry and savor it, and 「味」 means to taste; the word combines two characters both meaning to savor and consider. It refers to closely examining content or quality and selecting carefully. Used in expressions like 「材料を吟味する」 or 「言葉を吟味する」, it means to carefully consider in order to choose what is good, and is a formal word used broadly for selecting ingredients, language, and products.
AI-generated translation
N5
金曜日
きんようび
Friday. A day of the week. The day after Thursday.
AI-generated translation
N4
具合
ぐあい
The condition of one's body or a machine, etc. Example: 「体の具合がわるい」 (not feeling well).
AI-generated translation
N2
区域
くいき
It refers to a fixed range of land or space partitioned for a particular purpose. Used in expressions like 「立入禁止区域」 or 「居住区域」, it is a formal word that partitions and indicates a geographical or spatial range.
AI-generated translation
N1
食い込む
くいこむ
It refers to going beyond the original range and entering another domain. Used in expressions like 「予算に食い込む」 or 「上位に食い込む」, in situations where what should originally be on the outside enters the inside, such as time, budget, or ranking. It also has the physical meaning of being deeply embedded.
AI-generated translation
N1
食い下がる
くいさがる
It refers to not giving up and persistently pressing on the other party. Used in expressions like 「記者が大臣に食い下がる」, in situations of pursuing without retreating even when the other party hesitates to answer. It is derived from the original meaning of physically clinging on.
AI-generated translation
N2
食い違う
くいちがう
It refers to two or more things being misaligned and not matching. Used in expressions like 「意見が食い違う」 or 「証言が食い違う」, in situations where statements or perceptions do not match. It can also be used for physical misalignment of joinery.
AI-generated translation
N2
食い止める
くいとめる
It refers to preventing a bad situation from spreading further. Used in expressions like 「被害を食い止める」 or 「進行を食い止める」, in situations of stopping ongoing harm or momentum partway through.
AI-generated translation
N4
空気
くうき
air. What is around us for people to breathe. Also used to mean the atmosphere of a place.
AI-generated translation
N4
空港
くうこう
airport. A place where airplanes take off and land.
AI-generated translation
N2
区画
くかく
It refers to a range of land or space divided by a fixed boundary line. Used in expressions like 「区画整理」 or 「住宅区画」, it refers to a domain demarcated on a map.
AI-generated translation
N5
九月
くがつ
The 9th month of the year. It is read 「くがつ」, not 「きゅうがつ」.
AI-generated translation
N1
苦境
くきょう
「苦」 means hardship, and 「境」 means situation; together they mean a painful situation. It refers to a position or circumstance that is extremely painful. Used in expressions like 「苦境に立たされる」 or 「苦境に陥る」, it is a formal word for situations of being driven into difficulty. It frequently appears in economic and political articles.
AI-generated translation
N2
区切り
くぎり
A break in things, or the point at which a continuous task reaches a stopping point. Used in expressions like 「区切りをつける」 or 「区切りがいい」, it is an abstract noun used in situations of partitioning the stages of work or of life.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦言
くげん
「苦」 means bitter, and 「言」 means words; together they mean words that taste bitter to the ear. It refers to advice given out of consideration for the listener, though hard for them to hear. Used in expressions like 「苦言を呈する」 or 「苦言を聞く」, it is a formal word for stern advice from a senior or experienced person.
AI-generated translation
N1
具現化
ぐげんか
「具」 means concrete, 「現」 means to manifest, and 「化」 means to turn into; together they mean to manifest in a concrete form. It refers to giving an abstract idea or ideal a visible, concrete form and realizing it. Used in expressions like 「理想を具現化する」 or 「夢を具現化する」, it is a formal word used when bringing a concept into actual form.
AI-generated translation
N4
草
くさ
grass. A green plant that grows in gardens or mountains, etc. Not a tree.
AI-generated translation
N3
鎖
くさり
chain. Metal rings linked together to form something like a rope. Example: 「犬を鎖でつなぐ」 (to tie a dog with a chain).
AI-generated translation
N3
腐る
くさる
rot. For food, etc., to go bad from age. Example: 「魚が腐る」 (fish rots). Also used to mean losing motivation, as in 「気持ちが腐る」 (to become dispirited).
AI-generated translation
N1
駆使
くし
「駆」 means to drive forward, and 「使」 means to use; together they mean to drive forward and use at will. It refers to skillfully using knowledge, technique, or language that one possesses, as one wishes. Used in expressions like 「最新技術を駆使する」 or 「三カ国語を駆使する」, in situations of freely employing high-level abilities.
AI-generated translation
N1
くしくも
くしくも
By a mysterious turn of events. Used in expressions like 「くしくも同じ日に」, it is an adverb leaning toward written language, used in situations where a coincidental match is felt to be fateful. It is also written with the kanji 「奇しくも」.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦し紛れ
くしまぎれ
It refers to actions or remarks given in the moment without thinking about consequences, due to extreme distress. Used in expressions like 「苦し紛れの言い訳」, it indicates the desperate response given when one is driven into a corner.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦渋
くじゅう
「苦」 means bitter, and 「渋」 means astringent; the word shifts from the taste sensations of bitterness and astringency to mental anguish. It refers to suffering and being troubled. Used in expressions like 「苦渋の決断」 or 「苦渋に満ちた表情」, it is a formal word for inner anguish faced when confronting problems with no easy answer.
AI-generated translation
N2
駆除
くじょ
「駆」 means to drive away, and 「除」 means to remove; together they mean to drive away and remove. It refers to removing creatures that cause harm. Used in expressions like 「害虫駆除」 or 「ネズミの駆除」, in situations of eliminating pests, harmful animals, or weeds that are harmful to humans.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦笑
くしょう
A bitter laugh in which feelings of perplexity or exasperation outweigh amusement. Used in expressions like 「苦笑を浮かべる」, it refers to the weak laugh shown in situations where laughing is the only thing one can do.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦情
くじょう
A complaint one voices to another party about trouble or dissatisfaction one has experienced.
AI-generated translation
N2
苦心
くしん
To rack one's brains and go through difficulty in order to accomplish something.
AI-generated translation
N5
薬
くすり
medicine. Something taken or applied to cure illness or injury. Used with the verb 「薬をのむ」 (to take medicine).
AI-generated translation
N3
癖
くせ
habit. A behavior peculiar to a person that they do unconsciously; often used for undesirable behaviors. Example: 「爪をかむ癖」 (a habit of biting one's nails), 「口癖」 (a pet phrase). While 「習慣」 can also be used for groups, 「癖」 is used for individuals, including animals. Also used to mean a trait different from the ordinary, as in 「癖のある字」 (handwriting with quirks).
AI-generated translation
N2
苦戦
くせん
「苦」 means hardship, and 「戦」 means battle; together they mean a difficult battle. It refers to opponents or circumstances in matches, competitions, or work being so tough that things do not progress as intended. Used in expressions like 「苦戦を強いられる」 or 「販売が苦戦する」, it is often used in sports and business contexts.
AI-generated translation
N3
管
くだ
tube. A long, thin pipe through which water or air, etc., passes. Example: 「ゴムの管」 (a rubber tube). Read as 「かん」 in words like 「血管」 (blood vessel) and 「水道管」 (water pipe).
AI-generated translation
N3
砕く
くだく
crush. To break a hard object into small pieces. Example: 「氷を砕く」 (to crush ice). There is also the expression 「心を砕く」 (to take great pains over something). 「砕く」 is used when someone applies force to break something, and 「砕ける」 when it breaks apart of its own accord: 「氷を砕く」 versus 「氷が砕ける」.
AI-generated translation
N3
下り
くだり
Heading from a high place to a low place. Example: 「下り坂」 (a downhill slope), 「下りの電車」 (a train heading away from the city center). The antonym is 「上り」 (going up).
AI-generated translation
N2
愚痴
ぐち
It refers to repeatedly grumbling with dissatisfaction about things that are useless to talk about. Used in expressions like 「愚痴をこぼす」 or 「愚痴を言う」, in situations of letting out complaints that lead to no solution.
AI-generated translation
N1
口裏
くちうら
「口裏」 refers to the back side of spoken words—that is, the content of what has been said. It expresses multiple people aligning the content of their stories. It is a noun used in a virtually fixed form as 「口裏を合わせる」, and often appears in contexts suggesting illicit collusion.
AI-generated translation
N2
口数
くちかず
The amount of words a person speaks. Used in expressions like 「口数が少ない」 or 「口数が多い」, it is an everyday word used in situations of expressing a person's character or mood through how much they speak.
AI-generated translation
N1
駆逐
くちく
「駆」 means to drive away, and 「逐」 means to drive away; the word combines two synonymous characters. It refers to driving away undesirable things. Used in expressions like 「悪貨は良貨を駆逐する」 or 「敵を駆逐する」, it is a formal word used in the sense of completely removing something from a certain area.
AI-generated translation
N1
口車
くちぐるま
「口車」 is a metaphorical term referring to something that, like a wheel, uses skillful words to move the other person. It refers to a way of speaking that tries to deceive others through clever talk. Used idiomatically in the forms 「口車に乗る」 or 「口車に乗せる」, in situations of being deceived by clever speech.
AI-generated translation
N1
口先
くちさき
A word transferred from the original meaning of the tip of the mouth, referring to superficial words that have no heart in them. Used in expressions like 「口先だけ」 or 「口先で言う」, it critically points to a manner in which words do not match action or one's true heart.
AI-generated translation
N1
口添え
くちぞえ
It refers to adding helpful words from the side so that another's request or negotiation goes smoothly. Used in expressions like 「口添えを頼む」, in situations where a third party steps in between to provide support.
AI-generated translation
N2
口出し
くちだし
It refers to adding unnecessary opinions or interference to matters with which one is not directly involved. Used in expressions like 「口出しをするな」 or 「他人に口出しする」, it is a noun used in critical contexts.
AI-generated translation
N1
口止め
くちどめ
It refers to telling someone not to mention something to others. Used in expressions like 「口止めをする」 or 「口止め料」, in situations of warning someone in advance to keep something secret.
AI-generated translation
N1
口走る
くちばしる
It refers to thoughtlessly, or in excitement, blurting out something one should not say. Used in expressions like 「秘密を口走る」 or 「失言を口走る」, it indicates a remark made contrary to the speaker's intention.
AI-generated translation
N2
朽ち果てる
くちはてる
It refers to completely rotting to the point of losing its original form. Used in expressions like 「朽ち果てた廃屋」, it describes the state of an object that has rotted and decayed to the utmost over a long period. It is also used metaphorically in the sense of fame fading away.
AI-generated translation
N1
口火
くちび
「口火」 originally referred to the part used to light the first fire in a matchlock gun or a stove. From this, it came to be used metaphorically for the trigger that starts something. As in 「議論の口火を切る」 or 「事件の口火となる」, it refers to an action or event that becomes the initial trigger for something to occur.
AI-generated translation
N3
唇
くちびる
lips. The soft part around the mouth. There is also the expression 「唇をかむ」 (to bite one's lip, i.e., to hold back frustration).
AI-generated translation
Vocabulary data on this site is based on the JMdict/EDICT project (© Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0). JLPT level classification is our own assessment using AI (Claude) and is not an official JLPT standard.