Daily Words

Learn a new word a day for Japanese success!

Today’s Words

Sep 28, 2023
N5
おかね
Definition
money
N4
こうむいん
Definition
government worker, public servant, civil servant
N3
しょうじょ、おとめ
Definition
little girl, maiden, young lady, female usually between 7 and 18 years old
N2
しょうじ
Definition
shoji (paper sliding door)
N1
ごと、ぐち
Definition
including..., with ..., inclusive of, ...and all

Daily Word History

September 27

N5

お母さん

御母さん
おかあさん
mother
N4

講堂

こうどう
auditorium; lecture hall
N3

正直

しょうじき
honesty; integrity; frankness; honestly; frankly
N2

賞金

しょうきん
prize; monetary award
N1

窮乏

きゅうぼう
poverty; destitution; privation; indigence; penury

September 26

N5

大勢

たいせい
general trend; current thought
N4

交通

こうつう
traffic; transportation; communication; exchange (of ideas, etc.); intercourse
N3

正午

しょうご
noon; mid-day
N2

消極的

しょうきょくてき
negative; half-hearted; passive; unmotivated; pessimistic
N1

宮殿

きゅうでん
palace

September 25

N5

大きな

おおきな
big; large; great
N4

校長

こうちょう
principal; headmaster
N3

条件

じょうけん
condition; conditions; term; terms; requirement; requirements
N2

商業

しょうぎょう
commerce; trade; business
N1

旧知

きゅうち
old friend; old friendship

September 24

N5

大きい

おおきい
big; large; great; loud
N4

工場

こうじょう、こうば
factory; plant; mill; workshop
N3

状況

情況
じょうきょう
state of affairs (around you); situation; circumstances
N2

上級

じょうきゅう
advanced level; high grade; senior
N1

休戦

きゅうせん
cease-fire; truce; armistice

September 23

N5

多い

おおい
many; numerous
N4

高校生

こうこうせい
senior high school student
N3

上京

じょうきょう
proceeding to the capital (Tokyo)
N2

定規

定木
じょうぎ
(measuring) ruler
N1

給仕

きゅうじ
waiting on a table; serving (at dinner); waiter; waitress; waitperson; server; cabin boy; bellboy; page; pageboy; office boy; office girl

September 22

N5

美味しい

おいしい、オイシイ
delicious; tasty; sweet
N4

高校

こうこう
senior high school; high school
N3

乗客

じょうきゃく、じょうかく
passenger
N2

蒸気

蒸汽
じょうき
steam; vapour; vapor; steamship; steamboat; steamer
N1

給食

きゅうしょく
provision of lunch (e.g. at office, school, etc.); providing a meal; lunch service

September 21

N5

鉛筆

えんぴつ
pencil
N4

工業

こうぎょう
(manufacturing) industry
N3

奨学金

しょうがくきん
scholarship; stipend; bursary; student loan
N2

将棋

象棋、象戯
しょうぎ
shogi; Japanese chess; xianqi
N1

救済

きゅうさい
relief; aid; rescue; salvation; help

September 20

N5

エレベーター

エレベーター、エレベータ
elevator; lift; elevator (aviation)
N4

講義

こうぎ
lecture
N3

障害

障がい、障碍、障礙
しょうがい、しょうげ
obstacle; impediment; hindrance; difficulty; barrier; handicap; impairment; disability; disorder; malfunction
N2

仕様が無い

仕様がない、しょうが無い
しようがない、しょうがない
it can't be helped; it is inevitable; nothing can be done; there's no point (in doing something); there's no reason (to do something)
N1

球根

きゅうこん
(plant) bulb

September 19

N5

えき
station
N4

郊外

こうがい
suburb; outskirts
N3
うえ
above; up; over; elder (e.g. daughter); top; summit; surface; on; before; previous; superiority; one's superior (i.e. one's elder); on top of that; besides; what's more; upon (further inspection, etc.); based on (and occurring after); matters concerning...; as concerns ...; since (i.e. "for that reason"); suffix indicating higher social standing; place of one's superior (i.e. the throne); emperor; sovereign; shogun; daimyo; noblewoman (esp. the wife of a nobleman)
N2

小学生

しょうがくせい
elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student
N1

窮屈

きゅうくつ
narrow; tight; cramped; formal; stiff; strict; ceremonious; rigid; constrained; uncomfortable; tight (e.g. finances)

September 18

N5

ええ

int
ええ、えー
yes; that is correct; right; um; errr; huh?; grrr; gah; Must I?; good
N4

稲子

いなご、こう
rice grasshopper (of genus Oxya); grasshopper; locust (of family Catantopidae)
N3

使用

しよう
use; application; employment; utilization; utilisation
N2

消化

しょうか
digestion; thorough understanding; selling accumulated (excess) products; dealing with a large amount of work; losing one's form and turning into something else
N1

究極

窮極
きゅうきょく
ultimate; extreme; final; eventual

September 17

N5

英語

えいご
English (language)
N4

こう
child; interest
N3

しょう
prize; award
N2

純粋

じゅんすい
pure; true; genuine; unmixed
N1

休学

きゅうがく
temporary absence from school; suspension

September 16

N5

映画館

えいがかん
movie theatre; movie theater; cinema
N4

見物

けんぶつ
sightseeing; watching; viewing; sightseer; watcher; spectator
N3

しょう
chapter; section; medal
N2

純情

じゅんじょう
pure heart; naivete; self-sacrificing devotion
N1

救援

きゅうえん
relief; rescue; reinforcement

September 15

N5

映画

えいが
movie; film
N4

研究室

けんきゅうしつ
laboratory; seminar room; professor's office
N3

narrow; thin
N2

順序

じゅんじょ
order; sequence; procedure
N1

規約

きやく
agreement; rules; code; protocol; convention; bylaw

September 14

N5

picture; drawing; painting; sketch
N4

研究

けんきゅう
study; research; investigation
N3

準備

じゅんび
preparation; setup; arrangements; provision; reserve
N2

順々

順順
じゅんじゅん
in order; in turn
N1

客観

きゃっかん、かっかん、かくかん
object (as opposed to subject)

September 13

N5

上着

上衣、表着
うわぎ、じょうい
coat; tunic; jacket; outer garment
N4

喧嘩

諠譁
けんか
quarrel; brawl; fight; squabble; scuffle; argument
N3

順番

じゅんばん
turn (in line); order of things; sequential order
N2

巡査

じゅんさ
police; policeman
N1

脚本

きゃくほん
script; screenplay; scenario

September 12

N5

煩い

五月蝿い、五月蠅い、煩さい
うるさい、ウルサイ
noisy; loud; annoying; troublesome; tiresome; persistent; importunate; fussy; finicky; picky; particular; nagging; fastidious; bossy; shut up!; be quiet!
N4

原因

げんいん
cause; origin; source
N3

順調

じゅんちょう
favourable; favorable; doing well; OK; all right
N2

循環

じゅんかん
circulation; rotation; cycle
N1

脚色

きゃくしょく
dramatization (e.g. film); dramatisation

September 11

N5

売る

うる
to sell
N4

けど

けど、けれども、けれど、けども、けんど
but; however; although
N3

瞬間

しゅんかん
moment; second; instant
N2

受話器

じゅわき
(telephone) receiver
N1

記名

きめい
signature; register; to put one's name on; to sign; stamped name; typed name

September 10

N5

うみ、み、わた、わだ
sea; ocean; waters
N4

決して

adv
けっして、けして
never; by no means; not in the least; in no way
N3
じゅん、ずん
order; turn; obedient; docile; submissive; meek
N2

主役

しゅやく
leading part; leading actor; leading actress
N1

決まる

決る、極る
きまる
to be decided; to be settled; to look good in (clothes)

September 09

N5

生まれる

産まれる、生れる、産れる
v1
vi
うまれる
to be born
N4

下宿

げしゅく
boarding; lodging; boarding house
N3

種類

しゅるい
variety; kind; type; category; counter for different sorts of things
N2

寿命

じゅみょう
life span
N1

きまり悪い

決まり悪い、決り悪い、極まり悪い
きまりわるい
feeling awkward; being ashamed; being bashful

September 08

N5

歌う

唄う、謡う、詠う、唱う
うたう
to sing; to sing (one's praises in a poem, etc.); to compose a poem; to recite a poem
N4

消しゴム

けしゴム
eraser; India rubber
N3

需要

じゅよう
demand; request
N2

出張

しゅっちょう
official tour; business trip
N1

期末

きまつ
end of term