N1 vocabulary is abstract and precise: it is the language of editorials, reports and novels. These words appear in the N1 lessons and match the N1 kanji list. Learn each word with its reading, then use it in a sentence of your own.
Society, politics and economy
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 施策 | しさく | measure; policy |
| 指針 | ししん | guideline |
| 協定 | きょうてい | agreement; accord |
| 摩擦 | まさつ | friction; conflict |
| 紛争 | ふんそう | dispute; conflict |
| 賠償 | ばいしょう | compensation |
| 秩序 | ちつじょ | order |
| 格差 | かくさ | disparity |
| 雇用 | こよう | employment |
| 需要 | じゅよう | demand |
| 供給 | きょうきゅう | supply |
| 景気 | けいき | business conditions |
| 不況 | ふきょう | recession |
| 財政 | ざいせい | public finance |
| 融資 | ゆうし | financing; loan |
| 買収 | ばいしゅう | acquisition; buyout |
| 提携 | ていけい | partnership; tie-up |
| 撤退 | てったい | withdrawal |
| 実態 | じったい | actual state; reality |
| 動向 | どうこう | trend; movement |
Abstract concepts
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 概念 | がいねん | concept |
| 価値観 | かちかん | values; sense of worth |
| 本質 | ほんしつ | essence |
| 前提 | ぜんてい | premise |
| 根拠 | こんきょ | grounds; basis |
| 矛盾 | むじゅん | contradiction |
| 葛藤 | かっとう | inner conflict |
| 姿勢 | しせい | stance; posture |
| 側面 | そくめん | aspect; side |
| 趣旨 | しゅし | gist; purpose |
| 意義 | いぎ | significance |
| 思惑 | おもわく | intention; calculation |
| 兆し | きざし | sign; omen |
| 弊害 | へいがい | harmful effect |
| 傾向 | けいこう | tendency |
| 要因 | よういん | factor; cause |
| 課題 | かだい | issue; task |
| 懸念 | けねん | concern; worry |
| 配慮 | はいりょ | consideration |
Verbs
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 担う | になう | to bear; to shoulder |
| 掲げる | かかげる | to hoist; to put forward |
| 促す | うながす | to urge; to promote |
| 阻む | はばむ | to block; to hinder |
| 覆す | くつがえす | to overturn |
| 損なう | そこなう | to harm; to damage |
| 招く | まねく | to invite; to cause |
| 補う | おぎなう | to make up for |
| 偏る | かたよる | to be biased |
| 滞る | とどこおる | to be delayed; to stagnate |
| 著す | あらわす | to write (a book) |
| 怠る | おこたる | to neglect |
| 施す | ほどこす | to apply; to give |
| 蓄える | たくわえる | to store; to save |
| 遂げる | とげる | to accomplish |
| 企てる | くわだてる | to plan; to attempt |
| 戒める | いましめる | to warn; to admonish |
| 貫く | つらぬく | to pierce; to carry through |
| 省みる | かえりみる | to reflect on |
| 振り返る | ふりかえる | to look back |
Adjectives and adverbs
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 著しい | いちじるしい | remarkable; marked |
| 甚だしい | はなはだしい | extreme; grave |
| 乏しい | とぼしい | scarce; poor |
| 著名 | ちょめい | prominent; famous |
| 曖昧 | あいまい | vague; ambiguous |
| 露骨 | ろこつ | blunt; undisguised |
| 顕著 | けんちょ | conspicuous |
| 懸命 | けんめい | earnest; desperate |
| 巧妙 | こうみょう | skillful; clever |
| 繊細 | せんさい | delicate; sensitive |
| 斬新 | ざんしん | novel; innovative |
| 些細 | ささい | trivial |
| 地道 | じみち | steady; down-to-earth |
| あくまで | あくまで | to the end; strictly |
| あえて | あえて | daringly; purposely |
| ひたすら | ひたすら | earnestly; single-mindedly |
| おのずと | おのずと | naturally; of itself |
| もはや | もはや | no longer |
| かろうじて | かろうじて | barely |
| あらかじめ | あらかじめ | beforehand |
Set phrases and idioms
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一概に | いちがいに | unconditionally; across the board |
| 一目置く | いちもくおく | to defer to; to respect |
| 手を焼く | てをやく | to be at a loss with |
| 目に余る | めにあまる | to be too much to ignore |
| 耳を疑う | みみをうたがう | to not believe one's ears |
| 歯が立たない | はがたたない | to be no match for |
| 口を挟む | くちをはさむ | to interrupt; to chip in |
| 首を長くする | くびをながくする | to wait eagerly |
| 鼻にかける | はなにかける | to boast about |
| 気が引ける | きがひける | to feel hesitant or awkward |
| しのぎを削る | しのぎをけずる | to compete fiercely |
| 波紋を呼ぶ | はもんをよぶ | to cause a stir |
| 拍車をかける | はくしゃをかける | to accelerate; to spur |
| 歯止めをかける | はどめをかける | to put a brake on |
| 一石二鳥 | いっせきにちょう | two birds with one stone |
Study Tips
Tip: Learn collocations, not isolated words. 懸念 goes with を示す, 拍車 with をかける, 格差 with が広がる.
Tip: Many N1 verbs share a stem with N2 words: 招く (invite) also means "cause" in 誤解を招く.
Tip: Say each idiom aloud in a full sentence and keep a list of body-part idioms (手, 目, 耳, 口, 鼻, 歯).
Tip: Practice with the N1 dialogues, then test yourself on the N1 practice pages.