ALL LEVELS・N1–N5

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)」.

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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.

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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)」.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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N4 法律ほうりつ

law. Rules decided by a country that must be followed.

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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.

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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.

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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)」.

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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.

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N2 補給ほきゅう

To replenish and add to something that has run short.

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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.

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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.

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N4 星ほし

star. A shining point seen in the night sky.

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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.

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N2 補充ほじゅう

To supplement and fill in a part that has become deficient or insufficient.

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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.

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N2 保証ほしょう

To vouch that something is correct and certain; also, to take on something with responsibility.

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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.

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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」.

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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.

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N2 補足ほそく

To later add something to make up for what is lacking.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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N4 ほとんどほとんど

Not all, but very close to it. Example: 「しゅくだいはほとんどおわった」 (the homework is almost finished). When used together with 「〜ない」, it expresses that the amount or the number of times is very small. Examples: 「お金がほとんどない」 (to have almost no money), 「ほとんど話さない」 (to hardly speak).

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N4 褒めるほめる

To find something good in someone and say so.

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N4, N5 本ほん

book. Something with letters or pictures on it, made to be read. It is also used as a word for counting long, thin things such as pencils and bottles. いっぽん・にほん・さんぼん・よんほん・ごほん・ろっぽん・ななほん・はっぽん・きゅうほん・じゅっぽん, and 「なんぼん」. For 1, 6, 8 and 10 it becomes 「ぽん」, and for 3 and 「なん」 it becomes 「ぼん」.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)」.

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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.

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N4 翻訳ほんやく

To convert the language of one country into the language of another.

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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).

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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)」.

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N1 翻弄ほんろう

Refers to being tossed about as if being toyed with by some other force, regardless of one's own will. As in 「波に翻弄される (to be tossed about by the waves)」「運命に翻弄される (to be played with by fate)」「相手の戦術に翻弄される (to be confounded by the opponent's tactics)」, it is normally used in the passive form. It is a written-language word expressing situations of being swayed by great irresistible forces, such as the power of nature, fate, the intentions of the strong, or emotions.

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N4 参るまいる

A humble way of saying 「行く」 (to go) or 「来る」 (to come).

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N4, N5 曲がるまがる

turn. To no longer be straight. Also used when turning on a road. Example: 「右に曲がる」 (to turn right).

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N2 巻き込むまきこむ

To draw in the people or things around one and involve them together; to pull someone into a certain situation.

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N2 紛らわしいまぎらわしい

A state of being hard to distinguish because things resemble each other and are easily mistaken. It shares the same origin as the verb 「紛れる」 (to become indistinguishable by mixing in with other things), with the original meaning "easily blended in." Used as in 「紛らわしい名前」, 「紛らわしい表現」, 「紛らわしい行為」. Used when appearance, name, expression, or behavior is similar to something else and thus apt to invite misunderstanding. It carries a nuance of treating the cause of misrecognition or confusion as a problem, rather than the neutral "resembling."

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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.