ALL LEVELS・N1–N5

Four-Character Idioms: Japanese Word List (JLPT N1–N5)

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N1 大義名分たいぎめいぶん

「大義」means a moral principle to be honored, and「名分」means the duty one must uphold according to one's position. Together, the word refers to a noble reason that everyone can acknowledge, used to justify an action. Used in contexts that show public legitimacy, as in「大義名分を掲げる」(to hold up a just cause) or「大義名分が立つ」(to have legitimate grounds).

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N1 単刀直入たんとうちょくにゅう

Skipping introductions and roundabout expressions, getting straight to the main point. Used in expressions such as 「単刀直入に言う」「単刀直入に質問する」 in contexts of starting a conversation or negotiation directly.

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N1 朝令暮改ちょうれいぼかい

Policies changing constantly and being unreliable, as if an order issued in the morning has already changed by evening. A formal four-character idiom used critically, as in 「朝令暮改の政策」.

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N1 津々浦々つつうらうら

A word meaning "every corner of the nation, everywhere in the country." The character 「津」 refers to a port where ships come and go, and 「浦」 refers to a seashore or inlet; doubling each creates the meaning "every port, every shore," extended to "every nook and cranny of the country." It is somewhat formal written language, used as in 「津々浦々に知れ渡る」「全国津々浦々から人が集まる」. This expression reflects the geography of Japan as a country surrounded by sea, and is used to refer broadly to all regions and areas.

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N1 手前味噌てまえみそ

Praising oneself in a self-satisfied manner. An idiomatic expression used as the opening phrase 「手前味噌ですが」.

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N1 手練手管てれんてくだ

All manner of cunning means and maneuvering used to deceive or manipulate others. Both 「手練」 and 「手管」 mean "skillful techniques for manipulating an opponent," and combining the two creates a formal expression that intensifies the meaning. Used as in 「手練手管を尽くす」「手練手管に長ける」「手練手管にかかる」. While employed in a wide range of contexts including business, negotiation, and human relationships, it is particularly often used to refer to tactics for seducing the opposite sex.

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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.