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ALL LEVELS・N1–N5
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4,238words (N1–N5 total)
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
N1
張り合い
はりあい
Refers to the sense of worthwhileness and feedback when one tackles something. Used in expressions like 「張り合いのある仕事 (a rewarding job)」「張り合いがない (there is no satisfaction in it)」「張り合いを失う (to lose one's drive)」. It is a daily-use word expressing emotional fulfillment and the sense that one's effort is worthwhile, used in contexts that positively evaluate a state of having purpose and motivation. It is a different word from 「張り合い (rivalry)」, which also derives from 「張り合う」, and the meanings are distinguished by context.
AI-generated translation
N1
張り詰める
はりつめる
Refers to feelings or atmosphere being so tense that they are pulled tight. Used in expressions like 「神経を張り詰める (to keep one's nerves taut)」「張り詰めた空気 (a taut atmosphere)」「張り詰めた糸のような心 (a mind taut as a stretched string)」. It is a derivative usage from the sense of something being stretched tight across a surface, established as a metaphor for a psychological state with no slack or for the tension of a scene. Its focus is on prolonged high tension, indicating a sustained state of concentration rather than a momentary surprise or fear.
AI-generated translation
N1
破廉恥
はれんち
Refers to behavior that lacks restraint and does not regard shame as shame. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「破廉恥な行為 (a shameless act)」「破廉恥極まりない (utterly shameless)」「破廉恥漢 (a shameless scoundrel)」. 「廉」 means a heart that is pure and upright, 「恥」 means the sense of shame; the original sense is "to break (disregard) these". It is an old-fashioned expression used in contexts that strongly condemn morally inexcusable speech or behavior, especially violations of sexual or financial morality.
AI-generated translation
N5
半
はん
half. Attached after a number or a time, it adds the sense of one more half. 「三時半」 is midway between three and four o'clock, and 「一個半」 means one item and a half. It can also come in front, as in 「半年」「半日」. Unlike 「半分」, 「半」 is not used by itself as an independent word.
AI-generated translation
N5
晩
ばん
Night. Often used connected with other words, as in 「今晩」 (tonight), 「毎晩」 (every night).
AI-generated translation
N1
反旗
はんき
Refers to the posture of rebellion against a ruler or superior. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「反旗を翻す (to raise the banner of revolt)」「反旗を掲げる (to hoist the banner of rebellion)」. It originally meant to raise a flag indicating the intention to revolt, and in modern usage is most often used as the idiom 「反旗を翻す」, used in scenes of clearly declaring rebellion against an entity one had previously been following. It is used in contexts that discuss political confrontation, organizational strife, and historical rebellions.
AI-generated translation
N5
番号
ばんごう
number. A number assigned for order or to distinguish things.
AI-generated translation
N5
晩御飯
ばんごはん
A meal eaten at night. 「夕飯」 has nearly the same meaning.
AI-generated translation
N1
煩雑
はんざつ
Refers to the appearance of a matter being complicated and laborious. Used in expressions like 「煩雑な手続き (cumbersome procedures)」「業務が煩雑だ (the work is intricate)」「煩雑な事務作業 (complicated clerical work)」. 「煩」 means troublesome, 「雑」 means tangled; together they express "a state of being troublesome and tangled". Rather than mere complexity, it focuses on the burden and bothersomeness for the one handling it, used widely in evaluations of administrative procedures, clerical work, and regulations.
AI-generated translation
N1
半信半疑
はんしんはんぎ
Refers to a state of half-belief, half-doubt. It is a four-character idiom expressing the hesitant feeling of being unable to judge whether a story is true or false. Used in expressions like 「半信半疑で話を聞く (to listen with half-belief)」「半信半疑のまま試す (to try while remaining doubtful)」「半信半疑だった (was half in doubt)」. It expresses the intermediate psychological state of being unable to fully trust, yet unable to dismiss outright. It is an established expression used in everyday conversation, novels, and news reports.
AI-generated translation
N1
反芻
はんすう
Refers to animals such as cows bringing food they have once swallowed back into the mouth to chew again. By extension, it refers to thoughts or words being repeatedly recalled. Used in expressions like 「言葉を反芻する (to ruminate on a word)」「教訓を反芻する (to ruminate on a lesson)」「会話を反芻する (to replay a conversation in one's mind)」. It is a metaphor derived from the zoological term, expressing the act of savoring memories, emotions, or knowledge over and over in the mind. It is widely used in contexts of book impressions, recollection, and meditation.
AI-generated translation
N1
判然
はんぜん
Refers to the appearance of a matter becoming clearly understood. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「原因が判然としない (the cause is not clear)」「判然たる証拠 (clear evidence)」. 「判」 means to distinguish or clarify, 「然」 is a suffix indicating manner; together they express "a state of being clearly distinguished". It is mostly used in the negative form 「判然としない」, appearing widely in contexts that describe ambiguous, indeterminate situations. The style is biased toward news reports, official documents, and analysis.
AI-generated translation
N1
反駁
はんばく
Refers to refuting and denying another's opinion or claim by providing grounds. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「論文に反駁する (to rebut a paper)」「反駁の余地がない (there is no room for rebuttal)」「鋭く反駁する (to rebut sharply)」. 「反」 means to oppose, 「駁」 means to argue down; together they express "to argue back and refute". Rather than mere opposition, it carries the nuance of rebutting the other party's claim with supporting reasons, used in discussion, academic, and legal contexts.
AI-generated translation
N2, N5
半分
はんぶん
half. One of the two equal parts into which a whole is divided. 「ケーキを半分に切る」「半分だけたべる」. 「半」 also means half, but it attaches to numbers or times, as in 「三時半」「一個半」, and is not used by itself.
AI-generated translation
N1
繁忙
はんぼう
Refers to work and the like being extremely busy. It is a formal word used in expressions like 「繁忙期 (a busy season)」「繁忙な日々 (busy days)」「繁忙を極める (to be extremely busy)」. 「繁」 means abundant or thriving, 「忙」 means busy; together they express "a state in which busyness is at its peak". It is mostly used in the form 「繁忙期」, as a noun referring to a time when workload concentrates in a particular industry. It is widely used in business and economic contexts, while in everyday conversation 「忙しい」 is the common form.
AI-generated translation
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
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
N5
東
ひがし
east. One of the directions. The antonym is 「西」 (west).
AI-generated translation
N5
匹
ひき
counter for small animals. A word for counting small animals such as dogs, cats, fish, and insects. いっぴき・にひき・さんびき・よんひき・ごひき・ろっぴき・ななひき・はっぴき・きゅうひき・じゅっぴき, 「なんびき」. With 1, 6, 8, and 10 it becomes 「ぴき」, and with 3 and 「なん」 it becomes 「びき」.
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
N5
弾く
ひく
To play an instrument such as a piano or guitar. Same reading as 「引く」, but used only for musical instruments.
AI-generated translation
N3, N5
低い
ひくい
low. A state where the length from bottom to top is small. The antonym is 「高い」 (high).
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
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
N5
飛行機
ひこうき
airplane. A large vehicle that flies through the sky.
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
N5
左
ひだり
left. One of the directions. The antonym is 「右」 (right).
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
N2, N5
人
ひと
person. A human being. It is also used as a word for counting people. ひとり・ふたり・さんにん・よにん・ごにん・ろくにん・しちにん・はちにん・きゅうにん・じゅうにん, and 「なんにん」. For 1 and 2 it becomes 「ひとり」 and 「ふたり」, and for 4 it becomes 「よにん」.
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
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.