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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,238words (N1–N5 total)
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N1
不明瞭
ふめいりょう
Refers to being unclear — the appearance of the outline of an object, sound, intention, or description being indistinct. Used in expressions like 「不明瞭な発音 (unclear pronunciation)」「不明瞭な指示 (vague instructions)」「責任の所在が不明瞭だ (responsibility lies unclearly)」. 「明瞭」 means "clear and distinct", and the prefix 「不」 indicates the state of "not being clear". It can apply both to physical indistinctness and to the vagueness of logic or intention, and often carries a critical evaluation.
AI-generated translation
N1
浮揚
ふよう
Refers to rising up in water or in the air. By extension, it expresses recovering upward from a depressed state. Used in expressions like 「景気浮揚 (an economic upturn)」「浮揚力 (lift / buoyancy)」. 「浮」 means to float, 「揚」 means to raise up; together they express "to rise up". It is used widely from physical rising to economic and moral recovery.
AI-generated translation
N1
不履行
ふりこう
Refers to the failure to perform an obligation set out in a contract or promise. It is a formal word used widely in legal and economic contexts. Used in expressions like 「契約不履行 (breach of contract)」「債務不履行 (default on a debt)」. 「履」 means to carry out, 「行」 means to perform; 「履行」 means "to fulfill a promise", and the prefix 「不」 indicates the state of "not performing".
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
振る
ふる
To shake or swing something. Example: 「手を振る」 (to wave a hand), 「首を振る」 (to shake one's head). Also used to mean rejecting a romantic partner, as in 「彼女に振られる」 (to be dumped by one's girlfriend).
AI-generated translation
N2, N3, N5
古い
ふるい
A state of much time having passed since something was made. The antonym is 「新しい」 (new).
AI-generated translation
N3
震える
ふるえる
tremble. To shake with small, repeated movements. Example: 「寒さで手が震える」 (hands tremble from the cold), 「声が震える」 (voice trembles).
AI-generated translation
N3
ふるさと
ふるさと
hometown. The land where one was born and raised. Written with the kanji 「故郷」, which can also be read 「こきょう」.
AI-generated translation
N1
古めかしい
ふるめかしい
Refers to an appearance that strongly feels old and is not contemporary. It expresses the state in which buildings, clothing, expressions, and the like look out of date. Used in expressions like 「古めかしい屋敷 (an old-fashioned mansion)」「古めかしい言い回し (an old-fashioned phrasing)」. It is a word formed by combining 「古い (old)」 and 「めかしい (looking as if ~)」, focusing on the impression of "evoking a sense of oldness" rather than the actual age. It also carries a slightly negative undertone.
AI-generated translation
N1
憤慨
ふんがい
Refers to being intensely angry, with the feeling not subsiding. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「彼の発言に憤慨する (to be indignant at his remarks)」「憤慨に堪えない (to be unable to suppress one's indignation)」「憤慨の念 (a sense of indignation)」. It expresses strong anger toward injustice or what is contrary to reason, carrying a sense closer to "righteous indignation" than mere 「怒り (anger)」. 「憤」 means anger, 「慨」 means lament; together they express an emotion mingled with anger and lament. It is used widely in news reports, protests, and criticism.
AI-generated translation
N1
紛糾
ふんきゅう
Refers to a situation in which opinions or interests clash and the matter becomes tangled and unresolved. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「議論が紛糾する (a debate becomes tangled)」「会議が紛糾する (a meeting becomes turbulent)」「事態が紛糾する (the situation becomes confused)」. 「紛」 means to be tangled, 「糾」 means to be intertwined; together they express the appearance of an affair that cannot be untangled, like threads knotted together. It is used widely in scenes of impasse such as meetings, negotiations, and Diet deliberations.
AI-generated translation
N1
憤然
ふんぜん
Refers to the appearance of being intensely angry and openly displaying that emotion. Used in expressions like 「憤然と席を立つ (to rise from one's seat in fury)」「憤然たる態度 (an indignant attitude)」「憤然として抗議する (to protest indignantly)」. 「憤」 means anger, 「然」 is a suffix indicating manner; together they express "a manner full of anger". It is a written-language, hard-edged expression that depicts not suppressing one's anger but openly expressing it, used in scenes describing strong dissatisfaction or protest. It is hardly used in everyday conversation and appears in narrative prose of news reports and novels.
AI-generated translation
N1
踏ん張る
ふんばる
Refers to bracing one's legs and standing firm so as not to fall. Metaphorically, it also expresses enduring difficult circumstances and seeing things through. Used in expressions like 「最後まで踏ん張る (to hold out until the end)」「土俵際で踏ん張る (to dig in at the edge of the ring)」. It is used broadly, from physical bracing to mental endurance and tenacity. It is frequently used in contexts describing trying times in sports and business.
AI-generated translation
N1
墳墓
ふんぼ
Refers to a grave built by piling up earth. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「墳墓の地 (one's ancestral land)」「古代の墳墓 (an ancient burial mound)」「巨大な墳墓 (a colossal tomb)」. It often refers to the tombs of powerful figures of antiquity, and is widely used in archaeological and historical contexts. 「墳墓の地」 is an idiomatic expression that has shifted from "the land containing one's ancestral graves" to mean "homeland", and is often seen in literary works.
AI-generated translation
N1
弊害
へいがい
Refers to a harmful influence or outcome that arises along with some matter. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「制度の弊害 (the ill effects of a system)」「弊害が生じる (ill effects arise)」「弊害をもたらす (to bring about ill effects)」. It points to the negative side that an originally desirable mechanism or act brings about as a secondary consequence. It is used widely in contexts discussing reforms, systems, and customs in a critical light.
AI-generated translation
N3
平気
へいき
A calm state, not worrying about something. Example: 「失敗しても平気だ」 (fine even if it fails). Also used when someone does something bad without any concern, as in 「平気でうそをつく」 (to lie without any qualms).
AI-generated translation
N3
平均
へいきん
average. The middle value obtained by leveling out numbers or amounts. Example: 「平均点」 (average score).
AI-generated translation
N1
閉塞
へいそく
Refers to a state in which exits or passages are blocked. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「閉塞感 (a sense of stagnation)」「閉塞した状況 (a stagnant situation)」「腸閉塞 (intestinal obstruction)」. There are both physical uses, referring to roads or blood vessels being blocked, and metaphorical uses, referring to society, the economy, or life situations in which no way forward can be seen. In the metaphorical sense, 「閉塞感」 has become an established cliché expressing the stagnation of modern society, and is used widely in news reports and editorials.
AI-generated translation
N3
平和
へいわ
peace. A state with no war or conflict, being calm. Example: 「世界平和」 (world peace). The antonym is 「戦争」 (war).
AI-generated translation
N1
辟易
へきえき
Refers to becoming fed up with another's words or a situation, and feeling thoroughly weary. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「彼の長話に辟易する (to be worn out by his long-winded talk)」「同じ苦情に辟易した (to be fed up with the same complaints)」. The old meaning is "to give way under the force of the other's momentum", from which the modern sense "to be fed up" developed. It is synonymous with 「閉口」, but 「辟易」 is more written-language in style, accompanied by a stronger sense of exhaustion and aversion to repeated matters.
AI-generated translation
N1
別個
べっこ
Refers to things being separate and independent of one another. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「別個の問題 (separate problems)」「別個に検討する (to examine separately)」「別個に扱う (to handle separately)」. It is used in contexts that explicitly distinguish two or more matters that are easily confused, indicating that "they are not the same" or "they should be considered separately". It is used widely in discussions, analyses, and administrative documents.
AI-generated translation
N1
蔑視
べっし
Refers to looking down on and despising another as a thing of low value. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「人種蔑視 (racial contempt)」「女性蔑視 (contempt for women)」「蔑視のまなざし (a contemptuous gaze)」. It often refers to a discriminatory view directed at a particular group or attribute, and appears frequently in contexts discussing social problems. Whereas 「軽蔑」 is often directed at an individual target, 「蔑視」 tends to be used in the sense of collective, structural discrimination.
AI-generated translation
N3
減らす
へらす
To make a number or amount smaller. Example: 「体重を減らす」 (to lose weight). 「減らす」 is used when a person makes it smaller, while 「減る」 is used when it decreases on its own: compare 「体重を減らす」 with 「体重が減る」. The word with the opposite meaning is 「増やす」 (to increase).
AI-generated translation
N1
へりくだる
へりくだる
Refers to elevating the other party while lowering one's own status or standing and adopting a modest attitude. Used in expressions like 「へりくだった物言い (a humble manner of speaking)」「相手にへりくだる (to humble oneself before the other party)」. It is closely tied to Japanese honorific expression, appearing through the use of humble forms and reserved conduct. Excessive practice can border on 「卑屈」, but within an appropriate range it is evaluated positively as politeness.
AI-generated translation
N3
減る
へる
For a number or amount to become smaller. Example: 「人口が減る」 (the population decreases). 「おなかが減る」 means "to become hungry." 「減る」 is used when something decreases on its own, while 「減らす」 is used when a person makes it smaller: compare 「体重が減る」 with 「体重を減らす」. The word with the opposite meaning is 「増える」 (to increase).
AI-generated translation
N3, N5
辺
へん
The area, the vicinity of a place. Example: 「この辺」 (around here).
AI-generated translation
N3
変化
へんか
change. A state or quality of something changing. Example: 「気温の変化」 (change in temperature).
AI-generated translation
N1
便宜
べんぎ
Refers to arranging things conveniently as the situation calls for, or such an arrangement itself. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「便宜を図る (to give favorable consideration)」「便宜上 (for convenience)」「便宜的な措置 (an expedient measure)」. In 「便宜を図る」 the meaning is to grant benefit to a particular party, and is sometimes used in contexts that criticize illicit favoritism. 「便宜上」 is an adverbial expression meaning "not officially, but as a present-day convenience".
AI-generated translation
N3, N5
勉強
べんきょう
study. To learn and remember something one doesn't know.
AI-generated translation
N1
偏向
へんこう
Refers to thinking, reporting, education, etc. leaning from neutrality toward a particular direction. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「偏向報道 (biased reporting)」「思想の偏向 (ideological bias)」「偏向した教育 (biased education)」. It is used widely in contexts that point out and criticize the unfairness of what should originally be impartial and neutral. It is often used in fields where neutrality is institutionally required, such as journalism, education, and the judiciary.
AI-generated translation
N3
変更
へんこう
To change something that had been decided. Example: 「予定を変更する」 (to change a plan). While 「変化」 includes natural change, 「変更」 refers to a change made intentionally by a person.
AI-generated translation
N3
弁護士
べんごし
lawyer. A legal expert who helps resolve disputes and assists in court trials.
AI-generated translation
N1
変遷
へんせん
Refers to things gradually shifting and changing with the flow of time. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「時代の変遷 (the changes of an era)」「制度の変遷をたどる (to trace the development of a system)」「言葉の変遷 (the evolution of language)」. Rather than a single dramatic change, it refers to gradual progression over a long period, and is widely used in contexts describing the historical flow from past to present.
AI-generated translation
N1
偏重
へんちょう
Refers to placing excessive importance on one aspect of something while neglecting the other aspects. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「学歴偏重 (overemphasis on educational background)」「結果偏重 (overemphasis on results)」「成績偏重の教育 (education that overemphasizes grades)」. It is used frequently in contexts where biased emphasis is treated as problematic in matters that ought to maintain balance. It appears often in discussions of education, personnel evaluation, and journalistic style, and carries critical connotations.
AI-generated translation
N1
変貌
へんぼう
Refers to a great change in appearance or form. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「変貌を遂げる (to undergo a transformation)」「街が変貌する (the city is transformed)」「変貌ぶり (the extent of transformation)」. Its focus is on outward, overall change — the look or atmosphere of a building, townscape, or person — and is distinguished from 「変容」, which refers to inner change. It is often used in contexts emphasizing dramatic change over a short period.
AI-generated translation
N1
某
ぼう
A word that vaguely refers to a person, place, or time without specifying the name. It is a formal written word used in a prefix-like manner, as in 「某氏 (a certain Mr. X)」「某社 (a certain company X)」「某月某日 (on a certain date)」. It is used both when one wishes to anonymize intentionally and when the details are not clearly known. It appears frequently in news reports, official documents, and historical writings; in spoken language it is usually replaced with 「ある〜 (some...)」 or 「どこかの〜 (a certain...)」.
AI-generated translation
N1
忘恩
ぼうおん
Refers to forgetting a kindness received and not trying to repay it. It is a formal written word used in expressions like 「忘恩の徒 (an ingrate)」「忘恩の行為 (an act of ingratitude)」, hardly used in everyday modern conversation. Against a background of Confucian and moral values, it is used in contexts that strongly denounce acts that turn one's back on indebtedness. It is a word often seen in literary works, biographies, and historical writings.
AI-generated translation
N1
崩壊
ほうかい
Refers to a building, organization, relationship, or system being broken and losing its original form. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「家庭の崩壊 (the collapse of a family)」「制度が崩壊する (a system collapses)」「ベルリンの壁の崩壊 (the fall of the Berlin Wall)」. It is used both for physical collapse and for abstract disintegration of organizations, nations, human relationships, or order. Rather than a temporary downturn, it expresses a decisive change in which the very structure ceases to be tenable.
AI-generated translation
N1
傍観
ぼうかん
Refers to remaining inactive and merely watching from the sidelines despite being in a position where one ought to be directly involved. Used in expressions like 「事態を傍観する (to look on at events)」「傍観者 (a bystander)」. Rather than neutral "looking", the word often carries a critical implication, pointing to an attitude of inaction in situations where intervention is called for. It appears frequently in contexts that denounce indifference to social problems or incidents.
AI-generated translation
N1
放棄
ほうき
Refers to voluntarily abandoning and not exercising one's rights, responsibilities, or possessions. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「権利を放棄する (to renounce one's rights)」「育児を放棄する (to abandon child-rearing)」「試合を放棄する (to forfeit a match)」. It refers to the intentional act of letting go of a right one holds or a duty one ought to perform, and is widely used in legal, sports, and administrative contexts. It is distinguished from 「喪失 (loss)」 and 「剥奪 (deprivation)」 in that the cause of loss lies in one's own will.
AI-generated translation
N1
暴挙
ぼうきょ
Refers to violent, reckless conduct that ignores common sense and reason. Used in expressions like 「暴挙に出る (to resort to a reckless act)」「許されざる暴挙 (an unpardonable outrage)」. It is a formal word that strongly condemns acts unacceptable in social or moral terms, and is more often used for acts by organizations or states than for private acts of violence by individuals. The style is biased toward news reports, editorials, and protest statements.
AI-generated translation
N1, N2
冒険
ぼうけん
Boldly taking on something with an uncertain outcome despite danger; an adventure. 冒険小説 (adventure novel). Also used for an attempt whose success is uncertain (その計画は冒険だ "that plan is a gamble").
AI-generated translation
N2, N3
方向
ほうこう
direction. Which way something faces. Example: 「駅の方向」 (the direction of the station). Also used to mean the course/policy of something, as in 「話の方向が変わる」 (the direction of the conversation changes).
AI-generated translation
N1
方策
ほうさく
Refers to concrete methods or means for solving a problem and achieving a goal. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「方策を講じる (to devise measures)」「対応方策 (response measures)」「方策を練る (to work out a plan)」. Compared to the vague 「方法 (method)」, it is a word that includes planning and concreteness, and is used widely in administrative, managerial, and policy contexts. It carries the nuance of presupposing a problem and indicating a prescription-like response to it.
AI-generated translation
N1
忙殺
ぼうさつ
Refers to the state of being so overwhelmed by work or errands that one has no time at all for anything else. As in 「仕事に忙殺される (to be swamped by work)」「雑務に忙殺される日々 (days buried under miscellaneous tasks)」, it is almost always used in the passive form 「忙殺される」, and is a formal word. Active usage is rare; the word expresses a passive situation of being overwhelmed by sheer workload rather than by one's own will. It is used in formal styles such as reports, letters, and newspaper articles.
AI-generated translation
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
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
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
N3
包丁
ほうちょう
A knife used for cooking. Example: 「包丁で野菜を切る」 (to cut vegetables with a kitchen knife).
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
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.