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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,238words (N1–N5 total)
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N5
初めて
はじめて
for the first time. A state of something happening that has never happened before.
AI-generated translation
N4
始める
はじめる
To newly start doing something. The antonym is「終える（おえる）」(to finish). The paired word is「始まる」(to begin).
AI-generated translation
N4
場所
ばしょ
place. A location where an object is, or where something happens.
AI-generated translation
N1
恥じらう
はじらう
Refers to feeling embarrassed and showing a shy demeanor. Used in expressions like 「頬を染めて恥じらう (to blush bashfully)」「恥じらいながら答える (to answer with shyness)」「恥じらいの色 (a hint of bashfulness)」. It is a somewhat classical word, mostly used for the gestures of young women or girls. Whereas 「恥じる (to feel ashamed)」 includes a sense of guilt or reflection, 「恥じらう」 often carries positive nuances such as feminine modesty or fresh innocence.
AI-generated translation
N2, N4, N5
走る
はしる
run. To move forward by moving one's legs quickly.
AI-generated translation
N4
はず
はず
A feeling that something should naturally be the case. Example: 「あした来るはずです」 (they should be coming tomorrow).
AI-generated translation
N4
恥ずかしい
はずかしい
A feeling that makes one's face turn red from being seen by others.
AI-generated translation
N1
恥ずかしめ
はずかしめ
Refers to treatment that damages another's honor — humiliation. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「恥ずかしめを受ける (to suffer humiliation)」「恥ずかしめを与える (to inflict humiliation)」「恥ずかしめに耐える (to endure humiliation)」. It is the noun form of 「恥ずかしむ (to put to shame)」, referring to speech or acts that damage another's dignity. With a classical resonance, it is hardly used in modern everyday conversation, and is found in historical novels, classical texts, and formal writing.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
外す
はずす
To remove something that is attached. Example: 「ボタンを外す」 (to undo a button), 「眼鏡を外す」 (to take off one's glasses). Also used to mean leaving a place, as in 「席を外す」 (to step away from one's seat). 「外す」 is used when a person removes something, while 「外れる」 is used when it comes off on its own: compare 「ボタンを外す」 with 「ボタンが外れる」.
AI-generated translation
N1
罵声
ばせい
Refers to harsh shouts and words that revile another party. Used in expressions like 「罵声を浴びせる (to hurl abuses)」「罵声が飛ぶ (jeers fly)」「罵声を浴びる (to be showered with abuse)」. 「罵」 means to revile, 「声」 means voice; together they express "the voice of reviling". It refers to voices uttered with feelings of anger, denunciation, or insult, used widely in contexts of collective abuse from crowds, spectators, or protestors. It is a formal word appearing frequently in news reports and sports articles.
AI-generated translation
N1
馳せる
はせる
Refers to making a horse or vehicle run at speed. By extension, it refers to letting one's thoughts or fame reach a distant place. It is a formal written word used in expressions like 「馬を馳せる (to let one's horse gallop)」「思いを馳せる (to let one's thoughts roam)」「名を馳せる (to make a name for oneself)」. 「馳」 means for a horse to run swiftly, and in modern usage the metaphorical senses — 「思いを馳せる (to think with one's heart of distant people or past matters)」「名を馳せる (to gain wide fame)」 — are central, rather than the physical use for running. It appears frequently in literature and historical writing.
AI-generated translation
N1
肌合い
はだあい
Refers to a temperament felt from a person's disposition and atmosphere. Or, the texture of a thing. Used in expressions like 「肌合いが合う (to have compatible temperaments)」「肌合いの違う作品 (works of differing texture)」「肌合いの良い人 (a personable individual)」. It is a derivative usage from the sense of skin's feel, expressing abstract "compatibility" or "distinctive character". It is a literary word expressing sensory affinity or difference rather than logical similarity, and is widely used in personality assessment and criticism.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
畑
はたけ
Land used for growing vegetables and fruits. As opposed to a 「田」 (paddy field), which is flooded to grow rice, this refers to land that is not flooded.
AI-generated translation
N1
畑違い
はたけちがい
Refers to a field different from one's specialty or area of strength. Used in expressions like 「畑違いの仕事 (work outside one's field)」「畑違いの分野 (a field outside one's specialty)」「畑違いから転職する (to change careers from a different field)」. It is a derivative usage from the agricultural metaphor that the type of cultivated field is different, referring to a field far removed from one's original experience or specialty. Compared with 「専門外」, it is more colloquial and casual, used both in humble contexts that note one's own unfamiliarity and in contexts that point out another's being in the wrong field.
AI-generated translation
N2
肌触り
はだざわり
Refers to the feel of an object's surface when it touches the skin. Used in expressions like 「肌触りのよいシャツ (a shirt with a pleasant feel)」「優しい肌触り (a soft touch)」「ざらついた肌触り (a rough texture)」. It is a daily-use word for expressing the texture of fabrics, materials, or products, appearing frequently in introductions and reviews for clothing, bedding, and cosmetics. There is also a metaphorical usage expressing the sensory impression received from prose or expressions, as in 「言葉の肌触り (the texture of words)」.
AI-generated translation
N1
旗印
はたじるし
Refers to a goal that is held up as the purpose of an action or claim. Used in expressions like 「改革を旗印に掲げる (to raise the banner of reform)」「自由を旗印とする (to make freedom one's banner)」「旗印のもとに集まる (to gather under a banner)」. It is a derivative usage from the original meaning of a flag set up on the battlefield as a marker of one's own side, and has become established as a metaphor for the central ideal or slogan that a movement, organization, or campaign displays to the outside world. It is widely used in political, social-movement, and business contexts.
AI-generated translation
N5
二十歳
はたち
20 years old. Read as "はたち," not read according to the characters as written.
AI-generated translation
N2, N5
働く
はたらく
work. To do a job.
AI-generated translation
N1
破綻
はたん
Refers to the structure of a matter collapsing and ceasing to be tenable. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「経営が破綻する (the business fails)」「論理が破綻する (the logic falls apart)」「破綻寸前 (on the verge of collapse)」. 「破」 means to break, 「綻」 means to come apart at the seams; together they express "a state of being torn and unraveled". It is derived from the sense of garments fraying, and is widely used in situations where plans, relationships, finances, or organizations cease to function. Whereas 「破産」 carries a legal meaning, 「破綻」 refers more broadly to structural collapse.
AI-generated translation
N1
破談
はだん
Refers to a settled matter, especially a marriage talk or contract, being called off. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「縁談が破談になる (a marriage proposal is called off)」「破談にする (to call it off)」「破談を申し入れる (to ask to call it off)」. 「破」 means to break, 「談」 means a negotiation; together they express "to break a negotiation". Originally a word related to marriage talks, in modern usage it is also widely used for business negotiations, engagements, and transactions.
AI-generated translation
N2
場違い
ばちがい
Refers to being unsuited to the atmosphere or situation of a place. Used in expressions like 「場違いな服装 (out-of-place attire)」「場違いな発言 (an out-of-place remark)」「場違いな所に来てしまった (to have ended up in the wrong place)」. It expresses an appearance that stands out from one's surroundings, used in contexts that critically or self-deprecatingly comment on the mismatch with time, place, and occasion. It is a word usable widely in everyday conversation, a typical expression for the mismatch between formal settings and casual behavior.
AI-generated translation
N5
八月
はちがつ
The 8th month of the year.
AI-generated translation
N5
発音
はつおん
pronunciation. The way sounds are produced when saying words aloud.
AI-generated translation
N5
二十日
はつか
the 20th day; twenty days. The twentieth day of the month. It can also mean a period of twenty days. It is a special reading that is not read 「にじゅうにち」, of the same kind as calling twenty years of age 「はたち」.
AI-generated translation
N2
発覚
はっかく
Refers to wrongdoing or secrets that have been concealed coming to light. Used in expressions like 「不正が発覚する (corruption comes to light)」「事件が発覚する (an incident comes to light)」「発覚を恐れる (to fear exposure)」. 「発」 means to appear, 「覚」 means to be perceived; together they express "to be perceived and come out into the open". It is mostly used in contexts of facts that one wished to hide being exposed, and is a news-reporting term widely used in scenes where scandals, crimes, or secret relationships become public knowledge.
AI-generated translation
N4
はっきり
はっきり
A clear state, so as to be easily understood. Example:「はっきり言う」(to say clearly).
AI-generated translation
N2
発掘
はっくつ
Refers to digging out something buried in the ground. By extension, it refers to finding talent or ability that is not yet known to the world. Used in expressions like 「遺跡を発掘する (to excavate ruins)」「新人を発掘する (to discover new talent)」「埋もれた名作を発掘する (to unearth a buried masterpiece)」. 「発」 means to bring forth, 「掘」 means to dig; together they express "to dig out and bring forth". It is used broadly in both physical excavation (archaeology) and metaphorical discovery (talent, ability, hidden value).
AI-generated translation
N1
跋扈
ばっこ
Refers to undesirable things gaining momentum and behaving as if they own the place. It is a very formal word used in expressions like 「悪徳業者が跋扈する (unscrupulous merchants run rampant)」「不正が跋扈する (corruption runs rampant)」「跋扈跳梁 (rampant and wild)」. It is a derivative expression from the idea of fish leaping over a bamboo weir, used in scenes where evils that should be checked spread because they have escaped restraint. It is the written language of news reports, editorials, and historical writings, and is hardly used in everyday conversation.
AI-generated translation
N2
発散
はっさん
Something accumulated inside dispersing outward; also, releasing it to relieve oneself.
AI-generated translation
N1
抜擢
ばってき
Refers to specially selecting someone from many people and promoting them to an important position or role. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「主役に抜擢される (to be picked for a leading role)」「若手を抜擢する (to promote a junior)」「異例の抜擢 (an extraordinary promotion)」. 「抜」 means to pull out, 「擢」 also means to pull out and promote; the two stacked characters emphasize "carefully selecting and elevating". It expresses a special appointment that bypasses seniority, used widely in personnel matters, entertainment, and sports.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
発展
はってん
When the momentum of something grows and it becomes bigger or more active. Example: 「経済の発展」 (economic development), 「町が発展する」 (a town develops).
AI-generated translation
N1
発奮
はっぷん
Refers to receiving stimulus and strongly summoning up one's spirit. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「叱られて発奮する (to be roused by being scolded)」「敗戦を機に発奮する (to be roused on the occasion of a defeat)」「発奮を促す (to spur on)」. 「発」 means to start, 「奮」 means to enliven one's spirit; together they express "to summon up one's spirit". It expresses the appearance of using failure, criticism, or chagrin as a trigger to surpass one's former self and move to action, used widely in contexts of encouragement, sports, and academics.
AI-generated translation
N1
抜本的
ばっぽんてき
Refers to changing something greatly from its very root. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「抜本的な改革 (radical reform)」「抜本的に見直す (to review fundamentally)」「抜本的な対策 (drastic measures)」. 「抜本」 means to pull out the roots, expressing the stance of going into the cause itself to change things, rather than superficial symptomatic treatment. Note the pronunciation: it is 「ばっぽんてき」 with the small 「っ」, not 「ばつほんてき」. It is used widely in contexts that discuss reforms in policy, management, and systems.
AI-generated translation
N1
発露
はつろ
Refers to emotions or one's true nature, kept hidden within, coming out into the open. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「愛情の発露 (an outpouring of affection)」「本心の発露 (a manifestation of one's true feelings)」「自然な発露 (a natural outpouring)」. 「発」 means to appear, 「露」 means to reveal; together they express "to emerge from within". Rather than deliberate expression, it refers to the appearance of suppressed things welling forth naturally, and is used widely in contexts of psychology, literature, and aesthetic theory.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
派手
はで
A manner in which colors or behavior stand out and are showy. Example: 「派手な服」 (flashy clothes). The antonym is 「地味」 (plain/subdued).
AI-generated translation
N1
罵倒
ばとう
Refers to abusing another party with violent words. Used in expressions like 「罵倒を浴びせる (to heap abuse upon someone)」「罵倒する (to revile)」「罵倒の限りを尽くす (to exhaust all forms of abuse)」. 「罵」 means to revile, 「倒」 adds the sense of "thoroughly"; together they express "to revile violently". It is used in scenes of hurling strong anger or contempt at another, with a more emotional and aggressive nuance than 「叱責」「批判」. It appears frequently in contexts of confrontations on SNS, Diet debates, and personal conflicts.
AI-generated translation
N2
歯止め
はどめ
Refers to the function of stopping the progress or worsening of something. Used in expressions like 「価格上昇に歯止めをかける (to put a brake on rising prices)」「歯止めが利かない (the brakes do not work)」「歯止めを失う (to lose all check)」. It is a derivative usage from the original meaning of a device that stops the motion of a wheel, established as a metaphor for restraint and control. It is mostly used in the forms 「歯止めをかける」「歯止めが利く／利かない」, used widely in scenes of curbing undesirable movements in the economy, society, or organizations.
AI-generated translation
N1
華々しい
はなばなしい
Refers to an appearance so brilliant and lustrous as to catch the eye. Used in expressions like 「華々しい活躍 (a brilliant performance)」「華々しいデビュー (a spectacular debut)」「華々しい成功 (a spectacular success)」. As a reduplicated form stacking the character 「華」, it expresses an appearance that is conspicuous, dazzling, and visually fine. It is mostly used as positive praise, but depending on context can take on nuances of "too flashy" or "lacking substance". It is used widely in sports, entertainment, and historical writing.
AI-generated translation
N4
花見
はなみ
Viewing and enjoying「桜（さくら）」(cherry) blossoms.
AI-generated translation
N1
撥ねる
はねる
Refers to forcefully flicking or splashing something away. Used in expressions like 「車が水を撥ねる (a car splashes water)」「不良品を撥ねる (to reject defective products)」「税金を撥ねる (to skim off taxes)」. In addition to physically splashing, it has the sense of "excluding what does not meet standards" in screening, and the sense of taking a portion of profit, as in 「上前を撥ねる (to skim off a cut)」. It is a verb whose meaning branches widely depending on context, and there are several kanji forms such as 「跳ねる」 and 「刎ねる」, distinguished by meaning.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
幅
はば
width. The length across something. Example: 「道の幅」 (the width of a road). Also used to mean breadth of range, as in 「幅広い知識」 (broad knowledge).
AI-generated translation
N1
はばかる
はばかる
Means to hold back or be reserved out of consideration. A stiff word used as in 「人目をはばかる」, 「世間をはばかる」, and 「はばかりながら申し上げる」, describing restraining one's actions or speech out of concern for how others see them. 「はばかりながら」 is a humble set phrase used as a preface. In the proverb 「憎まれっ子世にはばかる」 (the disliked thrive in the world), it is used in an older, different sense of "to spread, to flourish." In kanji it is written 「憚る」, but it is more often written in hiragana.
AI-generated translation
N1
派閥
はばつ
Refers to small groups formed by people who share interests or ways of thinking within large organizations such as political parties or companies. Used in expressions like 「派閥争い (factional struggle)」「派閥に属する (to belong to a faction)」「派閥を超えて (across factions)」. 「派」 means branch, 「閥」 means clique or group; together they express "a divided group". It is mostly accompanied by negative connotations, used widely in contexts that critically describe factional confrontation and personnel struggles within organizations. It is a word frequently encountered in news reports about politics and large corporations.
AI-generated translation
N2
阻む
はばむ
Refers to blocking something that is trying to advance and not allowing it to proceed further. Used in expressions like 「行く手を阻む (to block one's way)」「進出を阻む (to block an advance)」「優勝を阻む (to block a championship)」. It is used broadly, from physical obstruction of a path to scenes in which abstract realization is hindered, such as plans, advances, or achievements, expressing the sense of halting partway a movement toward a goal or success. It appears frequently in diverse contexts such as sports, business, and geographical description.
AI-generated translation
N1
はびこる
はびこる
Refers to plants or harmful things spreading vigorously. Used in expressions like 「悪習がはびこる (bad customs run rampant)」「不正がはびこる (corruption runs rampant)」「雑草がはびこる (weeds spread)」. It is a derivative usage from the original sense of weeds growing thickly over a whole area, and in modern usage is widely used in situations where undesirable things — vices, corruption, misinformation, harmful forces — gain in power. It carries a negative evaluation, used in contexts criticizing situations where what ought to be kept in check is not being kept in check.
AI-generated translation
N1
羽振り
はぶり
Refers to one's clout in the world or one's economic prosperity. Used in expressions like 「羽振りがいい (to be prosperous)」「羽振りを利かせる (to throw one's weight around)」「羽振りのいい商売人 (a prosperous merchant)」. It is a derivative usage from the image of a bird flapping its wings, established as a metaphor for the appearance of being economically well-off and full of momentum. It is mostly used in the form 「羽振りがいい」, appearing frequently in contexts that describe a flush of cash and great social influence.
AI-generated translation
N1
刃向かう
はむかう
Refers to standing up against and going against a powerful opponent. Used in expressions like 「権力に刃向かう (to defy power)」「親に刃向かう (to defy one's parents)」「刃向かう者は許さない (those who defy will not be forgiven)」. It is a derivative expression from the original sense of literally pointing a blade at the other party, used in scenes of resisting a great existence above oneself. Rather than physical attack, it is a word expressing the structure in which the lower party in a hierarchy of position or power opposes the upper party.
AI-generated translation
N1
羽目
はめ
Refers to a troublesome situation or unfavorable position. Used in expressions like 「羽目になる (to find oneself in a tight spot)」「羽目に陥る (to fall into a predicament)」「面倒な羽目になった (one ended up in a troublesome situation)」. There is the noun use expressing a situation in which one finds oneself as an unwanted result, and the idiomatic use 「羽目を外す (to go too far, to let loose)」 expressing "appropriate limits". The 「羽目」 in the latter is originally a kind of part of a horse's bit, and the sense "to lose moderation" was established from the idea that, once removed, the horse runs wild.
AI-generated translation
N2
破門
はもん
Refers to expelling a disciple or follower from a master-disciple relationship or a religious order. Used in expressions like 「師匠から破門される (to be expelled by one's master)」「破門状 (a letter of expulsion)」「破門に処する (to mete out expulsion)」. 「破」 means to break, 「門」 means the master's gate or sect; together they express "expelling from the gate". Originally a word concerning master-disciple relationships in Buddhism, martial arts, and traditional arts, it refers to the severe punishment of stripping away one's status as a disciple. In modern usage it is often encountered in contexts of the entertainment world and traditional performing arts.
AI-generated translation
N4
林
はやし
woods. A place with many trees growing. Often refers to something smaller than a 「森」 (forest).
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.