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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,256words (N1–N5 total)
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N1
氾濫
はんらん
Refers to river water overflowing and spreading. By extension, it refers to a state in which things or information are so abundant that they overflow. Used in expressions like 「川が氾濫する (a river floods)」「情報が氾濫する (information floods)」「商品が氾濫する (goods are flooding the market)」. Both 「氾」 and 「濫」 mean water overflowing, forming a compound that stacks two characters to emphasize meaning. From the physical sense of flooding, it has extended in modern usage to metaphorical uses for information, goods, buzzwords, and the like spreading excessively, used widely in media and criticism contexts.
AI-generated translation
N4
火
ひ
fire. The hot thing or light that comes out when something is burning.
AI-generated translation
N1
ひいては
ひいては
An adverb expressing that as one matter spreads, its influence reaches another related matter as well. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「個人の利益、ひいては社会全体の利益 (the benefit of the individual, and by extension the benefit of society as a whole)」「健康、ひいては人生の質 (health, and by extension the quality of life)」. It expresses spreading and expansion to a larger scope, used in contexts that develop reasoning step by step. It mostly appears in formal styles such as academic papers, editorials, and speeches, and is hardly used in everyday conversation.
AI-generated translation
N4
冷える
ひえる
For the temperature to drop and become cold.
AI-generated translation
N4
光
ひかり
light. Something that appears bright. The brightness coming from the sun, electricity, etc.
AI-generated translation
N4
光る
ひかる
To give off light. To shine brightly. Example:「星が光る」(a star shines).
AI-generated translation
N4
引き出し
ひきだし
The box-like part attached to a desk, etc., for putting things in.
AI-generated translation
N4
引き出す
ひきだす
To take something that is inside to the outside. Also used to mean withdrawing money from a bank, as in 「お金を引き出す」 (to withdraw money).
AI-generated translation
N1
卑近
ひきん
Refers to an appearance of being familiar, commonplace, and easily understandable by anyone. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「卑近な例 (a familiar example)」「卑近な話題 (a familiar topic)」「卑近な比喩 (a familiar metaphor)」. 「卑」 means low, 「近」 means near; together they express "something at a low, near position". As opposed to the abstract and difficult, it refers to the concrete and close at hand, and is widely used as an introductory phrase in explanation, as in 「卑近な例で言えば (to give a familiar example)」.
AI-generated translation
N2〜N5
引く
ひく
pull. To move something toward oneself by applying force. Example: 「戸を引く」 (to pull a door). The antonym is 「押す」 (to push). There is also the homophone 「弾く」 (to play a musical instrument), among others.
AI-generated translation
N1
卑屈
ひくつ
Refers to viewing oneself lower than necessary, becoming dejected or fawning. Used in expressions like 「卑屈な態度 (a servile attitude)」「卑屈になる (to become servile)」「卑屈な笑い (a fawning smile)」. 「卑」 means low, 「屈」 means to bend; together they express a posture of lowering and bending oneself. It refers to a negative posture arising from failure, inferiority complexes, or differences in status, distinguished from appropriate modesty ('「謙虚」'). Whereas 「謙虚」 is a virtue, 「卑屈」 is excessive self-deprecation that becomes the object of criticism.
AI-generated translation
N4
髭
ひげ
beard. Hair that grows around the mouth or on the chin.
AI-generated translation
N1
秘訣
ひけつ
Refers to a knack or method, little known to others, for doing something well. Used in expressions like 「成功の秘訣 (the secret of success)」「長寿の秘訣 (the secret of long life)」「秘訣を伝授する (to pass on a secret)」. 「秘」 means secret, 「訣」 means the heart of a mystery; together they express "the secret essence". It is a word for essential know-how hard to see from the surface, appearing frequently in self-help books, interview articles, and contexts that discuss the skills of artisans.
AI-generated translation
N4
飛行場
ひこうじょう
airfield. A place where airplanes take off and land. Close in meaning to 「空港」 (airport).
AI-generated translation
N4
久しぶり
ひさしぶり
A long time having passed since one last met someone. Example: 「久しぶりですね」 (it's been a while).
AI-generated translation
N4
美術館
びじゅつかん
art museum. A building that displays art such as paintings.
AI-generated translation
N3, N4
非常に
ひじょうに
Expresses that the degree of something is very strong. It has the same meaning as 「とても」 and 「たいへん」, and is often used in written language. It is formed by adding 「に」 to the noun 「非常」 (an unusual, urgent situation; 「非常口」「非常ベル」); 「非常」 on its own does not mean 「とても」. Compare 「非常の場合」, which means in an emergency, with 「非常に寒い」, which means very cold.
AI-generated translation
N1
ひた隠し
ひたがくし
Refers to thoroughly concealing something so that others will not learn of it. Used in expressions like 「過去をひた隠しにする (to keep one's past tightly hidden)」「真相をひた隠す (to keep the truth tightly hidden)」「ひた隠しに隠す (to hide thoroughly)」. 「ひた」 is a prefix meaning 「ひたすら (single-mindedly) / もっぱら (entirely)」, expressing consistent dedication. It is mostly used for serious matters or the concealment of inconvenient information, and is used in news reports and the narrative prose of novels.
AI-generated translation
N1
ひたむき
ひたむき
Refers to the appearance of devoting oneself to a single thing without looking aside. Used in expressions like 「ひたむきな努力 (single-minded effort)」「ひたむきに取り組む (to tackle wholeheartedly)」「ひたむきな姿勢 (a wholehearted attitude)」. 「ひた」 is a prefix meaning 「ひたすら (single-mindedly)」, expressing a pure and earnest posture, used in contexts of positive evaluation. It carries praise for pure, unselfish effort without calculation or expectation of return, and appears frequently in contexts of youth, sports, and depictions of artisans.
AI-generated translation
N4, N5
びっくりする
びっくりする
To be surprised because something unexpected happened.
AI-generated translation
N4
引っ越す
ひっこす
To change where one lives to another place.
AI-generated translation
N1
匹敵
ひってき
Refers to capacity, value, or scale being at a level equal to the object of comparison. It is a formal word used in the form 「Aに匹敵するB (a B that matches A)」, or in expressions like 「世界に匹敵する技術 (technology that matches that of the world)」「彼に匹敵する選手はいない (there is no player who matches him)」. Both 「匹」 and 「敵」 mean "counterpart, equal"; together they express "to stand shoulder to shoulder". It expresses a relationship in which it is hard to rank one above the other, and carries the nuance that the evaluator acknowledges "taking A's level as the standard, B is equal to that level".
AI-generated translation
N4
必要
ひつよう
necessary. A state of being indispensable.
AI-generated translation
N3, N4
酷い
ひどい
A very bad state. Example:「酷いあめ」(terrible rain),「酷いことを言う」(to say cruel things).
AI-generated translation
N1
一頃
ひところ
Refers to a certain past period of time. Used in expressions like 「一頃の勢いを失う (to lose the momentum one once had)」「一頃は流行した (was once in fashion)」「一頃に比べて (compared with a former time)」. It is a noun referring to a past period in which conditions differed from the present, used when speaking of past circumstances in contrast with the present. It is a word with a specific period of time in mind rather than a vague past, used widely in contexts that look back on changes.
AI-generated translation
N1
一筋縄
ひとすじなわ
A set phrase used in the form 「一筋縄ではいかない」, meaning that something is so difficult to handle that ordinary means will not work. Used in expressions like 「彼は一筋縄ではいかない相手だ (he is no easy opponent)」「一筋縄ではいかない問題 (a tricky problem)」. The original meaning is "a single rope", and the phrase was born from the metaphor that the target is too tough to be caught with simple equipment. 「一筋縄」 is hardly used on its own, and almost always appears within this idiomatic expression.
AI-generated translation
N1
ひねくれる
ひねくれる
Refers to losing one's natural straightforwardness and coming to receive things in a twisted way. Used in expressions like 「ひねくれた性格 (a warped disposition)」「ひねくれた解釈 (a twisted interpretation)」「ひねくれた物の見方 (a contrarian way of seeing things)」. It expresses the appearance of taking goodwill or kindness in reverse, or deliberately adopting an oppositional attitude, and carries a negative evaluation. 「捻」 means to twist, expressing the nuance of being unstraight, not earnest. It is a word for everyday use in character description.
AI-generated translation
N1
響き渡る
ひびきわたる
Refers to a sound or voice traveling so strongly that it reaches every corner of a wide area. It is a compound verb used in expressions like 「鐘の音が響き渡る (the sound of the bell rings out)」「歓声が響き渡る (cheers ring out)」「号砲が響き渡る (the starting signal rings out)」. It expresses the appearance of sound reaching every corner of a space; in addition to the physical propagation of sound, it is also used as a metaphor for the spread of fame, as in 「名声が響き渡る」. It implies a wider scope and stronger impression than 「響く」.
AI-generated translation
N1
微々たる
びびたる
Refers to an appearance of being so small in quantity or degree as to be insignificant. It is an adnominal used in expressions like 「微々たる金額 (a trifling sum)」「微々たる成果 (paltry results)」「微々たる差 (a negligible difference)」. It must modify a following noun, emphasizing smallness of scale. As a reduplicated form stacking 「微」, it carries the nuance of "scant, barely worth mentioning", expressing self-deprecation or dismissiveness rather than mere "smallness".
AI-generated translation
N1
疲弊
ひへい
Refers to organizations, economies, or physical strength growing tired and weakened, losing their natural vitality. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「経済が疲弊する (the economy is exhausted)」「現場が疲弊する (the front lines are exhausted)」「国土が疲弊する (the country is depleted)」. 「疲」 means to be tired, 「弊」 means to weaken or break down; together they express "becoming tired and worn out". It expresses a state of weakening as the result of long-lasting burden, indicating a state more serious and structural than the temporary tiredness of 「疲労」.
AI-generated translation
N1
美貌
びぼう
Refers to a person whose appearance is strikingly beautiful. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「美貌の持ち主 (a person of beauty)」「美貌を誇る (to be proud of one's beauty)」「絶世の美貌 (peerless beauty)」. 「美」 means beautiful, 「貌」 means face or appearance; together they express "a beautiful appearance". It is mostly used in contexts that praise the appearance of women or young men, pointing to the beauty of well-proportioned features. The focus is on outward beauty rather than inner attractiveness, and it is used in literary works, biographies, and entertainment journalism.
AI-generated translation
N1
備忘録
びぼうろく
Refers to a document or notebook in which one records key points so as not to forget them. Used in expressions like 「備忘録に記す (to write in one's memorandum)」「備忘録として残す (to leave as a memorandum)」「備忘録代わりのメモ (a memo serving as a memorandum)」. 「備」 means to prepare, 「忘」 means to forget, 「録」 means a record; together they express "something recorded in preparation for forgetting". A typical example is a document briefly summarizing the key points of a meeting or daily observations, and it is a word used in formal and business contexts.
AI-generated translation
N1, N2
微妙
びみょう
Having fine differences that are hard to state clearly; subtle. 微妙な色の違い (a subtle difference in color). In conversation, also used as an indirect way of saying something is not good (味は微妙だった "the taste was so-so").
AI-generated translation
N4
秒
びょう
second. The smallest unit of time. Sixty seconds make one minute. Time is expressed with the three units of hours, minutes and seconds.
AI-generated translation
N1
肥沃
ひよく
Refers to land being fertile and crops growing well. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「肥沃な土壌 (fertile soil)」「肥沃な大地 (a fertile earth)」「肥沃な三日月地帯 (the Fertile Crescent)」. 「肥」 means to be plump and rich, 「沃」 means to be moistened with water; together they express "land rich in nutrients and well-watered". It is widely used in agricultural, geographical, and historical contexts, appearing frequently in geographical descriptions such as the birthplaces of civilizations. There is also a metaphorical use expressing rich creativity, as in 「肥沃な想像力 (a fertile imagination)」.
AI-generated translation
N4
開く
ひらく
To open something that was closed, such as a door, a book, or one's eyes. It is also used to mean holding an event, as in 『かいぎを開く』 (to hold a meeting), and to start a new business, as in 『店を開く』 (to open a shop).
AI-generated translation
N1
非力
ひりき
Refers to lacking strength. Used in expressions like 「非力ながら全力を尽くす (lacking power, but doing one's utmost)」「非力な自分を恥じる (to be ashamed of one's powerlessness)」「非力さを痛感する (to keenly feel one's powerlessness)」. 「非」 is a negative, 「力」 means capability or physical strength; together they express the state in which "one's power does not reach". It is used both for modestly saying that one's own ability falls short and for objectively pointing to a lack of capability, and is often used as an expression of humility.
AI-generated translation
N1
翻す
ひるがえす
Refers to quickly changing direction or attitude to the opposite. Used in expressions like 「身を翻す (to turn one's body)」「前言を翻す (to retract a previous statement)」「旗を翻す (to wave a flag)」. It is used both for the physical reversal of the body or a flag and for the retraction of promises, assertions, or decisions, accompanied by the nuance of a sudden change that catches the other party off guard. In metaphorical use it shares its root with 「翻意」, referring to the act of overturning what has once been decided, and often carries the nuance of damaging trust.
AI-generated translation
N4
昼間
ひるま
daytime. The bright hours from morning to evening.
AI-generated translation
N1
ひるむ
ひるむ
Refers to one's spirit being broken and one shrinking back in the face of an opponent's momentum or a difficult situation. Used in expressions like 「敵の威圧にひるむ (to flinch at the enemy's intimidation)」「批判にひるまず立ち向かう (to confront criticism without flinching)」「ひるむことなく (without flinching)」. It is a word focused on psychological wavering and retreat rather than physical withdrawal, and is used both in positive contexts that show strength of will through the negative form 「ひるまず」 and in contexts that depict weakness through the positive form 「ひるんだ」.
AI-generated translation
N4
昼休み
ひるやすみ
The break time for eating lunch.
AI-generated translation
N4
拾う
ひろう
To pick up something that has fallen with one's hand.
AI-generated translation
N1
吹聴
ふいちょう
Refers to bragging about one's own achievements or information all around in a triumphant tone. As in 「自慢話を吹聴する (to brag everywhere)」「手柄を吹聴する (to boast of one's exploits)」「噂を吹聴して回る (to go around spreading rumors)」, it is used in scenes that critically describe the appearance of oneself proudly spreading word. It mostly carries negative connotations and is evaluated as a lack of modesty. 「吹」 means to spread as if blowing, 「聴」 means to make others hear.
AI-generated translation
N1
風格
ふうかく
Refers to the dignity and gravitas naturally inherent in a person or object. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「風格のある建物 (a building of dignified bearing)」「大物の風格 (the air of a great figure)」「横綱の風格 (the dignity of a yokozuna)」. It refers to the dignity that emerges naturally from long-cultivated experience or essential quality, and is spoken of as something unattainable through surface decoration. It is often used with praise, in evaluations of people, architecture, and works of art.
AI-generated translation
N1
風采
ふうさい
Refers to the outward impression of a person received from their dress and bearing. Used in expressions like 「風采が上がらない (one's bearing is unimpressive)」「立派な風采 (a fine appearance)」. 「采」 means coloring or manner, and together the two characters express "a manner viewed from outside". Rather than physical features alone, it refers to overall appearance including clothing and demeanor.
AI-generated translation
N1
風潮
ふうちょう
Refers to a trend in views or behavior spreading throughout an era or society. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「最近の風潮 (recent trends)」「悪しき風潮 (an unfortunate trend)」「世の風潮 (the prevailing trend)」. 「風」 means the movement of the times, 「潮」 means a current; together they form a metaphor expressing the flow of society as a whole. The word includes a sense of being temporary and fashion-like in character, and is often referred to critically. Compared to 「傾向 (tendency)」, it is more fleeting, and is widely used in news reports and editorials as a term that captures the spirit of the times.
AI-generated translation
N1
風貌
ふうぼう
Refers to the outward impression of a person received from their face, build, and dress. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「異様な風貌 (a strange appearance)」「学者らしい風貌 (a scholarly appearance)」「貫禄のある風貌 (an appearance of authority)」. 「風」 means manner, 「貌」 means face; rather than referring to appearance itself, the word refers to the overall impression including atmosphere. It is a stylistic expression in character description, widely used in novels, criticism, and profiles.
AI-generated translation
N4
増える
ふえる
For a number or amount to grow larger. The antonym is「減る（へる）」(to decrease).
AI-generated translation
N1
不穏
ふおん
Refers to an appearance that is not peaceful, in which something dangerous is likely to happen. Used in expressions like 「不穏な空気 (an uneasy atmosphere)」「不穏な動き (an ominous movement)」. 「穏」 means calm, and 「不」 added to it expresses the state of "not being calm". It is used in situations where tension or conflict lies beneath the surface in society, politics, or human relations.
AI-generated translation
N4
深い
ふかい
A state where the distance from the surface to the bottom is great. The antonym is「浅い（あさい）」(shallow).
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.