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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,238words (N1–N5 total)
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N1
傍若無人
ぼうじゃくぶじん
Refers to behaving as one pleases as if no one were around, lacking consideration for others. It is a four-character idiom used in expressions like 「傍若無人な振る舞い (high-handed conduct)」「傍若無人に振る舞う (to behave as if no one else exists)」. Read in classical Chinese style as 「傍らに人無きが若し (as if there were no one beside one)」, its literal meaning is "as if there were no one beside you". It is used in contexts strongly criticizing an attitude that pays absolutely no regard to those around.
AI-generated translation
N2
報酬
ほうしゅう
Refers to money or its equivalent paid in return for work, labor, or achievement. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「報酬を得る (to receive remuneration)」「高額な報酬 (a high reward)」「成功報酬 (success-based remuneration)」, used widely in business documents, contracts, and tax matters, functioning as an umbrella concept covering wages, salaries, and honoraria. It also appears as a contrasting term in contexts that emphasize the absence of remuneration, such as 「ボランティア (volunteer work)」.
AI-generated translation
N2
報じる
ほうじる
Refers to news organizations such as newspapers, television, or news agencies conveying events to the public. Used in expressions like 「事件を報じる (to report an incident)」「速報で報じる (to report as breaking news)」「各紙が一斉に報じた (all newspapers reported simultaneously)」. It is not used for the act of an ordinary individual conveying information, but is a formal word expressing the organizational, public act by the reporting side. In classical usage it also has the meaning 「恩に報いる (to repay a debt of gratitude)」, but in modern usage the reporting sense is dominant.
AI-generated translation
N1
呆然
ぼうぜん
Refers to the appearance of standing dazed, with one's mind unable to function, when confronted with an unexpected event or a strong shock. Used in expressions like 「呆然と立ち尽くす (to stand stunned)」「呆然とする (to be stunned)」「呆然自失 (utterly stupefied)」. 「然」 is a suffix expressing a manner, and the word expresses 「a state as if dazed」. It refers to a temporary state of blank-mindedness in which both thought and reaction have come to a halt, caused by surprise, sorrow, loss, despair, and the like.
AI-generated translation
N2
膨大
ぼうだい
Refers to a quantity or scale that is extremely large. It is a formal na-adjective used in expressions like 「膨大な資料 (an enormous amount of material)」「膨大な費用 (huge expenses)」「膨大なデータ (massive data)」. Rather than physical size, it is often used for quantifiable objects such as volumes of information, amounts of money, or number of items, and frequently carries the nuance that there is 「処理しきれないほど多い (so much it cannot be fully handled)」. While 「莫大」 emphasizes the absolute magnitude of an amount or quantity, 「膨大」 carries a sense of having swollen up through accumulation.
AI-generated translation
N1
忙中
ぼうちゅう
Refers to the midst of being busy. It is a formal word known for the proverb 「忙中閑あり (even in the midst of busyness, there are moments of leisure)」, and is rarely used on its own — it almost always appears as a component of this set phrase. Carrying a classical-Chinese resonance, it is used in formal styles.
AI-generated translation
N2
膨張
ぼうちょう
Refers to size, quantity, or scale swelling and increasing. As in 「気体が膨張する (a gas expands)」「予算が膨張する (the budget balloons)」「人口が膨張する (the population swells)」, it is used broadly from physical volume increases to abstract expansions of budgets, organizations, debt, or population. Rather than indicating a natural increase, it carries the nuance of swelling beyond what was anticipated or permissible, and is often used with negative evaluation.
AI-generated translation
N2
法廷
ほうてい
Refers to the place where trials are held. Used in expressions like 「法廷に立つ (to stand in court)」「法廷で証言する (to testify in court)」「法廷闘争 (a legal battle)」. It is a formal word referring to the public venue where defendants, plaintiffs, judges, lawyers, and others gather to conduct legal proceedings. It appears frequently in news reports, legal documents, and novels. Whereas 「裁判所」 refers to the entire building of a court, 「法廷」 refers to the specific room or scene where proceedings are held.
AI-generated translation
N2
暴動
ぼうどう
Refers to a crowd collectively engaging in violent acts such as destruction and looting against a background of political or social discontent. Used in expressions like 「暴動が起きる (a riot breaks out)」「暴動を鎮圧する (to suppress a riot)」. It is a formal word referring to collective violence on a scale that threatens social order, rather than a fight between individuals or a small group. It is frequently used in news reports and historical writing.
AI-generated translation
N2
冒頭
ぼうとう
Refers to the very first part of a piece of writing, speech, event, or work. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「冒頭で挨拶する (to give greetings at the opening)」「冒頭の場面 (the opening scene)」「冒頭発言 (opening remarks)」. It refers to the beginning portion of some coherent whole such as a speech, book, film, or meeting. Rather than 「最初 (the very first)」, it is a word conscious of structural position, used in situations where one treats it as a specific segment, as in 「冒頭から/冒頭部分 (from the opening / the opening section)」.
AI-generated translation
N1
冒涜
ぼうとく
Refers to defiling and treating with contempt what is sacred, exalted, or worthy of reverence. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「神を冒涜する (to blaspheme against the gods)」「死者への冒涜 (a desecration of the dead)」「芸術の冒涜 (a desecration of art)」. It is used for acts of insulting things that ought to be respected — religious objects, the deceased, art, lofty ideals — and carries a strongly condemnatory implication. It is used frequently in news reports, criticism, and protest statements.
AI-generated translation
N1
放任
ほうにん
Refers to a person who is in a position to manage or guide deliberately refraining from interference and leaving the subject to act freely. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「子供を放任する (to leave a child to themselves)」「自由放任 (laissez-faire)」「放任主義 (a hands-off policy)」. It is used in contexts of education, economic policy, and organizational management, and can be used with either positive or negative evaluation. Because it expresses intentional hands-off behavior, its nuance differs from 「放置 (irresponsible neglect)」, but there are also contexts in which the result is criticized as abandonment of responsibility.
AI-generated translation
N2
褒美
ほうび
Refers to money, goods, or opportunities given by someone in a higher position to commend a good deed or achievement. Used in expressions like 「褒美を与える (to give a reward)」「褒美に旅行に連れて行く (to take someone on a trip as a reward)」. Historically the word referred to items granted by a lord to his retainers, but in modern usage the focus has shifted to casual situations within the family or workplace, such as parents rewarding their children or superiors rewarding their subordinates. In formal official documents, terms such as 「報奨 (commendation award)」 or 「賞与 (bonus)」 are used instead.
AI-generated translation
N2
抱負
ほうふ
Refers to a plan or resolve held in one's heart that one wishes to realize from now on. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「新年の抱負 (New Year's resolutions)」「抱負を語る (to speak of one's aspirations)」. Rather than a vague wish, it is used in situations where one states a goal or intention with a certain degree of concreteness. It appears frequently in remarks at formal milestones such as New Year's greetings, greetings on assuming a new post, entrance ceremonies, and inauguration press conferences.
AI-generated translation
N1
彷彿
ほうふつ
Refers to the appearance of vividly coming to mind, or the appearance of so resembling something as to bring it to mind. It is a formal word used most often in expressions like 「彷彿させる (to evoke)」「彷彿たる思い (a hazily evocative feeling)」, especially in the form 「〜を彷彿させる」. It expresses the sensation that a past person, event, or scene is vividly revived through something in the present, and appears frequently in literary and critical contexts.
AI-generated translation
N1
方便
ほうべん
Refers to an expedient, temporary means used to achieve a goal. It is originally a Buddhist term referring to the various staged methods of teaching used to guide people to the truth, but today, as represented by the idiom 「うそも方便 (even a lie can be a means to an end)」, it is used to mean a means that is not the main path but is used out of necessity to achieve a goal. It is used in contexts indicating that something is a means that is not one's true intention, as in 「方便として (as a means)」「方便にすぎない (nothing more than a means)」.
AI-generated translation
N2
方々
ほうぼう
Refers to here and there, in various places. It is a word with both adverbial and nominal uses, used in expressions like 「方々を探す (to search all over)」「方々から苦情が来る (complaints come from all over)」. It expresses the appearance of something being done not in just one location but across many places and directions. Since the same written form is also read 「かたがた (an honorific for plural persons)」, the reading must be distinguished by context.
AI-generated translation
N1
放免
ほうめん
Refers to releasing someone being held in custody and setting them free. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「容疑者を放免する (to release a suspect)」「無罪放免 (acquittal and release)」. It refers to the public act of release from a state of confinement such as arrest or detention, and is widely used in legal and criminal contexts. There is also a metaphorical use expressing release from obligation or burden, as in 「ようやく仕事から放免された (at last released from work)」.
AI-generated translation
N1
包容
ほうよう
Refers to embracing another person with a broad heart, including their flaws and mistakes. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「包容力のある人 (a person of broad-minded tolerance)」「包容して受け入れる (to embrace and accept)」. It expresses generosity and largeness of spirit, and is used in a positive sense in evaluating character. Both 「包」 and 「容」 mean "to wrap up and receive", forming a compound that stacks two characters to emphasize meaning. It is used frequently in contexts discussing business and human relationships.
AI-generated translation
N1
崩落
ほうらく
Refers to earth and sand, rocks, or parts of buildings collapsing and falling down. Used in expressions like 「土砂崩落 (a landslide)」「天井が崩落する (the ceiling collapses)」「橋が崩落する (a bridge collapses)」. Whereas 「崩壊」 refers broadly to a state in which something ceases to hold together, 「崩落」 focuses on the physical process of falling downward. It also has a metaphorical economic usage as in 「相場の崩落 (a collapse of market prices)」, expressing a sudden drop.
AI-generated translation
N1
暴落
ぼうらく
Refers to a sharp and large drop in stock prices, commodity prices, or market prices within a short period. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「株価が暴落する (stock prices crash)」「不動産価格の暴落 (a crash in real estate prices)」, appearing frequently in economic and financial contexts, with the antonym 「暴騰」. Unlike a mere 「値下がり (price decline)」, this word expresses a sudden, large-scale collapse of market prices, and is often discussed in connection with market turmoil or economic crises.
AI-generated translation
N2
法令
ほうれい
A general term covering laws enacted by the Diet and orders issued by administrative agencies. Used in expressions like 「法令を遵守する (to comply with laws and regulations)」「関連法令 (related laws and regulations)」「法令違反 (violation of laws and regulations)」. It is a formal word that encompasses the constitution, statutes, cabinet orders, ministerial ordinances, and rules, and is used widely in administrative, business, and compliance contexts. Compared to 「法律」, its scope is broader, also covering administrative legislation.
AI-generated translation
N1
飽和
ほうわ
Refers to a state of being so full that there is no more room to accept anything. Used in expressions like 「市場が飽和する (the market becomes saturated)」「飽和状態 (saturated state)」「飽和点に達する (to reach the saturation point)」. Originally a chemistry term denoting a state in which a liquid has dissolved a substance to its maximum, the meaning has shifted to metaphorically express situations such as markets, demand, capacity, or information volume having reached their limit. It is a formal word used frequently in economic and social contexts.
AI-generated translation
N2
捕獲
ほかく
Refers to capturing an animal or a fleeing person. Used in expressions like 「野生の鹿を捕獲する (to capture a wild deer)」「容疑者を捕獲する (to apprehend a suspect)」. The central context is planned capture as part of some operation, such as fishing, hunting, or police activity, and it carries a nuance of placing the target under some form of control. It is a formal word, not used in everyday situations where one would simply say 「捕まえる (to catch)」.
AI-generated translation
N2
保管
ほかん
To keep an item in one's custody and protect it so that it is not damaged or lost.
AI-generated translation
N2
補給
ほきゅう
To replenish and add to something that has run short.
AI-generated translation
N1
墓穴
ぼけつ
Refers to a hole for burying the dead. However, in modern Japanese it is almost always used as the idiom 「墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave)」, expressing the idea of bringing oneself into a tight spot through one's own careless words or actions. Used in expressions like 「不用意な発言で墓穴を掘る (to dig one's own grave with a careless remark)」「弁解しようとして墓穴を掘った (one ended up digging one's own grave while trying to make excuses)」. The contexts in which it is used in its literal sense are limited, and the metaphorical usage overwhelmingly dominates in everyday conversation and news reports.
AI-generated translation
N2
補佐
ほさ
Refers to assisting and supporting from the side the duties of someone in a high position or position of responsibility. Used in expressions like 「社長を補佐する (to assist the president)」「補佐役 (an assistant role)」「課長補佐 (assistant section chief)」. It is a formal word expressing an official supporting relationship in duties, and is also used as a title within organizations. Compared to simply 「手伝う (to help)」, it implies a relationship in which responsibility for carrying out duties is shared.
AI-generated translation
N2
保守
ほしゅ
Refers to maintaining and preserving existing states, structures, and equipment without changing them. It encompasses both the technical sense as in 「機械を保守する (to maintain machinery)」「保守点検 (maintenance inspection)」「サーバーの保守 (server maintenance)」, and the political stance of valuing existing values and traditions as in 「保守派 (the conservative faction)」「保守的な考え (conservative thinking)」. In the latter sense it is paired with 「革新」. The meaning shifts greatly depending on context, so it is a word that requires care in interpretation.
AI-generated translation
N2
補充
ほじゅう
To supplement and fill in a part that has become deficient or insufficient.
AI-generated translation
N2
補償
ほしょう
Refers to compensating for damages, disadvantages, or losses with money or the like. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「事故の補償 (compensation for an accident)」「補償金 (compensation money)」「損害補償 (damage compensation)」. It is used in situations where the perpetrator, the state, an insurance company, or the like compensates the injured party for their loss. There is an important distinction in meaning from the homophones 「保証 (to guarantee, taking responsibility)」 and 「保障 (to safeguard a status or condition)」, and the three are strictly distinguished in legal, insurance, and business documents.
AI-generated translation
N2
保証
ほしょう
To vouch that something is correct and certain; also, to take on something with responsibility.
AI-generated translation
N1
保身
ほしん
Refers to trying to protect one's own position, standing, and personal safety while evading responsibility and danger. Used in expressions like 「保身を図る (to seek to protect oneself)」「保身に走る (to resort to self-preservation)」「保身的な態度 (a self-protective attitude)」. It is a formal word used frequently in critical contexts pointing to an attitude of evading one's organizational responsibilities and seeking only to secure one's own safe position. It appears often in discussions of political and corporate scandals.
AI-generated translation
N1
母性
ぼせい
Refers to qualities one has as a mother, or the instinctive tendency to cherish and protect one's child. Used in expressions like 「母性愛 (maternal love)」「母性本能 (maternal instinct)」「母性が芽生える (maternal feelings begin to grow)」. It is also a word used in psychological and sociological contexts, but in recent years there has been criticism of the view that takes this as something unique to women, and usage is shifting. Its conceptual counterpart is 「父性」.
AI-generated translation
N2
舗装
ほそう
Refers to hardening and finishing the surface of roads using asphalt, concrete, and the like. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「道路を舗装する (to pave a road)」「舗装工事 (pavement construction)」「未舗装の道 (an unpaved road)」. It refers to construction work that brings an earthen road to a state convenient for vehicles and pedestrians to use, and is used both in the specialized contexts of civil engineering and construction, and in everyday contexts discussing urban development and road maintenance.
AI-generated translation
N2
補足
ほそく
To later add something to make up for what is lacking.
AI-generated translation
N1
母胎
ぼたい
Refers to inside the mother's body, the womb. From there, by extension, it is used metaphorically for the organization or foundation that gives birth to something. It is a formal word used both in the physical sense, as in 「母胎から離れる (to leave the mother's body)」, and in the metaphorical sense, as in 「文化の母胎 (the matrix of culture)」「会社の母胎となった研究所 (the research institute that served as the matrix of the company)」. In the metaphorical sense, it often refers to the organization or environment that was the origin and starting point of what is now a developed form.
AI-generated translation
N1
没収
ぼっしゅう
Refers to the act of forcibly taking away someone's property by authority based on law or regulation. Used in expressions like 「財産を没収する (to confiscate property)」「違反者から免許を没収する (to revoke a violator's license)」「カードを没収される (to have one's card confiscated)」. Unlike private 「取り上げ (taking away)」, its distinctive feature is that it accompanies the exercise of public authority, and it is a formal word used in legal, sports, and customs contexts.
AI-generated translation
N2
没頭
ぼっとう
Refers to becoming so absorbed in one thing that one disregards everything else. Used in expressions like 「研究に没頭する (to immerse oneself in research)」「執筆に没頭する (to be absorbed in writing)」. Its original meaning is 「頭を没する (to sink one's head into)」, expressing the state of being so deeply engaged that even one's head is submerged. It is used for objects one actively engages with, such as work, creative activity, or hobbies, and often carries a positive evaluation.
AI-generated translation
N1
没落
ぼつらく
Refers to a family, nation, or organization that once flourished losing its status, wealth, and power, and falling into decline. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「名家が没落する (a noble family falls into ruin)」「没落貴族 (the fallen aristocracy)」. Rather than a temporary downturn, it expresses a decisive decline involving the loss of social standing, and often implies an irreversible change. It is frequently used in historical writings and literary works.
AI-generated translation
N1
本意
ほんい
Refers to the true intention or feeling that one desires from the bottom of one's heart. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「本意ではない (it is not my true intention)」「本意を遂げる (to fulfill one's true wish)」. It expresses the genuine inner wish, not the surface words or the result of compromise. It is often used in the form 「本意ではないが (although it is not my true intention)」 as a preface when accepting a conclusion that differs from one's wishes. There is a tendency for 「本心」 to point to the emotional side and 「本意」 to point to the volitional, intentional side.
AI-generated translation
N1
翻意
ほんい
Refers to changing a thought or decision that one has once made. Used in expressions like 「翻意を促す (to urge someone to reconsider)」「翻意する (to change one's mind)」. It is a formal word used primarily in contexts where one tries to persuade a person who has announced resignation, retirement, withdrawal, or cancellation to retract that decision. It is hardly used in everyday conversation and is biased toward the style of news reports and official statements.
AI-generated translation
N2
本腰
ほんごし
Refers to the posture of settling oneself in and tackling something in earnest. Used idiomatically as 「本腰を入れる (to put one's lower back into something — i.e., to get serious)」, it describes a situation in which one revises a previously halfhearted or sideline approach and begins to engage seriously. It is an expression rooted in bodily sensation: 「腰 (the lower back/hips)」 is the center of the body, and the steadiness of the hips reflects the seriousness of one's commitment. It is a relatively casual word that can be used even in everyday conversation.
AI-generated translation
N2
本心
ほんしん
Refers to the true feelings or thoughts hidden deep in one's heart. Used in expressions like 「本心を打ち明ける (to reveal one's true feelings)」「本心を隠す (to conceal one's true feelings)」. It refers to the genuine emotion that lies behind the attitude or statements one shows on the surface. It is nearly synonymous with 「本音」, but while 「本音」 is more colloquial and casual, 「本心」 is used in a somewhat more formal, harder-edged context.
AI-generated translation
N2
本筋
ほんすじ
Refers to the main current, the central core of a conversation, discussion, or story. Used in expressions like 「議論が本筋から外れる (the discussion strays from the main point)」「話を本筋に戻す (to bring the conversation back to the main thread)」. As opposed to side-tracks or peripheral details, it refers to the original theme or main axis that should be addressed. It is frequently used in contexts of organizing the flow of meetings and discussions, and in discussions of story structure. Compared to 「本論」, it is more colloquial and used practically in the setting of meeting facilitation.
AI-generated translation
N2
本音
ほんね
Refers to what one truly thinks in one's heart, as opposed to one's 「建前 (tatemae, official public stance)」. Used in expressions like 「本音を漏らす (to let slip one's true feelings)」「本音と建前 (one's true feelings and one's public stance)」「本音で話す (to speak frankly)」. As a concept paired with 「建前 (the public statements valued in Japanese society)」, it refers to honest feelings that are hard to express publicly. More colloquial than 「本心」, it is used widely in everyday conversation, workplace chatter, and contexts that discuss human relationships.
AI-generated translation
N1
本末転倒
ほんまつてんとう
Refers to mistaking the essential parts of a matter for trivial ones. It is a four-character idiom that critically describes a state in which means have been substituted for ends, or in which priorities of importance have been reversed. Used in expressions like 「本末転倒な議論 (an argument that puts the cart before the horse)」「健康のためのダイエットで体を壊しては本末転倒だ (ruining one's health on a diet for one's health is putting the cart before the horse)」. 「本」 means the root or essence, 「末」 means the branches or tip, and the word expresses that this relationship has been 「転倒 (inverted)」.
AI-generated translation
N1
本望
ほんもう
Refers to the feeling of satisfaction that comes when a long-cherished wish is fulfilled. Used in expressions like 「本望を遂げる (to achieve one's heart's desire)」「これで本望だ (this is enough to satisfy me)」. It is a formal word expressing the sense of fulfillment when a long-held wish or a determined goal is achieved, and is often used for great wishes worth even risking one's life for. There is also an idiomatic expression like 「死んでも本望 (it would be worth dying for)」, indicating a resolve that accepts even sacrifice.
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
ぼんやり
ぼんやり
A state in which the shape of something, a memory, or the like is not clear. 「遠くの山がぼんやり見える」 (the distant mountains look hazy). It also describes a state of thinking about nothing, with one's attention directed nowhere in particular. 「授業中にぼんやりする」 (to space out during class), 「ぼんやりしていて駅を乗り過ごした」 (I was spacing out and missed my station).
AI-generated translation
N1
凡庸
ぼんよう
Refers to something mediocre, lacking any distinguishing features, and unremarkable. Used in expressions like 「凡庸な作品 (a mediocre work)」「凡庸な人物 (a mediocre person)」. It is a formal na-adjective used by an evaluator to describe an object as having no notable qualities in terms of talent, personality, or quality. Compared to simply saying 「普通 (ordinary)」, this word carries a stronger negative, critical undertone, and is frequently used in critical or commentary-style writing. Its antonym is 「非凡 (extraordinary)」.
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.