Daily Words

Learn a new word a day for Japanese success!

Today’s Words

Jul 16, 2025
N5
Definition
picture, drawing, painting, sketch
N4
しんせつ
Definition
kindness, gentleness
N3
ぶっか
Definition
prices of commodities, prices (in general), cost-of-living
N2
ひとみ
Definition
pupil (of eye), eye
N1
しょう
Definition
quotient, dealing, dealer, store, Shang (dynasty of China)

Daily Word History

July 15

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

人口

じんこう
population; common talk
N3

ふち
rim; brim; edge; brink
N2

人通り

ひとどおり
pedestrian traffic
N1
しょう
illness

July 14

N5

売る

うる
to sell
N4

調べる

v1
vt
しらべる
to examine; to investigate; to check up; to sense; to study; to inquire; to search
N3

普段

ふだん
usual; habitual; ordinary; everyday; always
N2

一通り

ひととおり
(in) general; broad (e.g. knowledge); the basics; ordinary; usual; common; briefly; roughly; one method
N1

しょう
phenomenon

July 13

N5

うみ、み、わた、わだ
sea; ocean; waters
N4

知らせる

報せる
v1
vt
しらせる
to notify; to advise; to inform
N3

再び

二度
adv
ふたたび
again; once more; a second time
N2

人差し指

人差指、人指し指、人さし指
ひとさしゆび
index finger
N1

背負う

脊負う
せおう、しょう
to be burdened with; to take responsibility for; to carry on back or shoulder; to have (something) in the background; to be in front (of something)

July 12

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

女性

じょせい、にょしょう
woman; female; feminine gender
N3

双子

二子
ふたご、そうし
twins; twin
N2

必需品

ひつじゅひん
necessities; necessary article; requisite; essentials; staple
N1

しょ
various; many; several

July 11

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

食料品

しょくりょうひん
foodstuff; groceries
N3

舞台

ぶたい
stage (theatre, theater); scene or setting (e.g. of novel, play, etc.)
N2

筆者

ひっしゃ
writer (often in self-reference); author
N1

私有

しゆう
private ownership

July 10

N5

唄、詩
うた
song; classical Japanese poetry (esp. tanka); modern poetry
N4

将来

しょうらい
future (usually near); prospects
N3

不足

ふそく
insufficiency; shortage; deficiency; lack; dearth
N2

引っ込む

引っこむ
ひっこむ
to draw back; to sink; to cave in; to be set back (e.g. from a road); to withdraw (e.g. from the public eye); to retire to (somewhere); to stay indoors; to butt out; to stay out of it
N1

手法

しゅほう
technique; method

July 09

N5

薄い

うすい
thin; pale; light; watery; dilute; sparse; weak (taste, etc.); slim (probability, etc.); small
N4

小説

しょうせつ
novel; (short) story
N3

防ぐ

禦ぐ、拒ぐ
ふせぐ
to defend (against); to protect; to prevent
N2

引っ越し

引越、引越し
ひっこし
moving (dwelling, office, etc.); changing residence
N1

守備

しゅび
defense; defence

July 08

N5

後ろ

うしろ
back; behind; rear
N4

小学校

しょうがっこう
primary school; elementary school; grade school
N3

不正

ふせい
injustice; unfairness; iniquity; impropriety; irregularity; dishonesty; illegality; fraud
N2

引っ繰り返る

引っくり返る、ひっくり返る、引繰り返る
ひっくりかえる
to be overturned; to be upset; to topple over; to be reversed
N1

首脳

主脳
しゅのう
head; leader; leading spirit; important part

July 07

N5
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)
N4

紹介

しょうかい
introduction; presentation; referral; listing
N3

婦人

ふじん
woman; lady; adult female
N2

ひっくり返す

引っくり返す、引っ繰り返す、引繰り返す
ひっくりかえす、ひっくりがえす
to turn over; to turn upside down; to turn up; to turn inside out; to turn out; to knock over; to tip over; to overturn (e.g. a decision); to upset; to reverse
N1

主任

しゅにん
person in charge; responsible official; senior staff

July 06

N5

色々

色色
いろいろ
various; various colors (colours)
N4

趣味

しゅみ
hobby; pastime; tastes; preference; liking
N3

夫人

ふじん、ぶにん、はしかし
wife; Mrs; madam; wife of a nobleman (aristocrat, etc.); consort of the emperor
N2

筆記

ひっき
(taking) notes; copying
N1

主導

しゅどう
leadership; initiative; spearhead

July 05

N5

いろ
colour; color; complexion; appearance; look; love; lust; sensuality; love affair; lover; kind; type; variety
N4

10分

十分
じっぷん、じゅっぷん
10 minutes
N3

不自由

ふじゆう
discomfort; inconvenience; poverty; want; destitution; disability; impairment (physical, mental, etc.)
N2

引っかかる

引っ掛かる、引っ掛る
ひっかかる
to be caught in; to be stuck in; to stop by; to drop in for a short visit; to be delayed; to take time; to get mixed up in (trouble); to get entangled in (a problem); to be involved with; to fall for (a trick); to be deceived; to be cheated; to be on one's mind; to worry one; to be bothered by; to feel uneasy; to be obstructed; to be hindered; to splash
N1

出動

しゅつどう
sailing; marching; going out; dispatch

July 04

N5

入れる

容れる、函れる
v1
vt
いれる
to put in; to let in; to take in; to bring in; to insert; to set (a jewel, etc.); to ink in (e.g. a tattoo); to admit; to accept; to employ; to hire; to accept; to comply; to grant; to adopt (a policy, etc.); to take (advice, etc.); to listen to; to pay attention to; to include; to pay (one's rent, etc.); to cast (a vote); to make (tea, coffee, etc.); to turn on (a switch, etc.); to send (a fax); to call
N4

柔道

じゅうどう
judo
N3

不思議

ふしぎ
wonder; miracle; strange; mystery; marvel; curiosity
N2

ぴったり

ぴったり、ぴたり、ぴったし
tightly; closely; exactly; precisely; suddenly (stopping); perfectly (suited); ideally
N1

出題

しゅつだい
setting a question (for an exam); setting a theme (for composition of poetry)

July 03

N5

要る

いる
to need; to want
N4

住所

住処
じゅうしょ
address (e.g. of house); residence; domicile
N3

無事

ぶじ
safety; peace; quietness
N2

ビタミン

ビタミン、ヴィタミン、バイタミン
vitamin
N1

出演

しゅつえん
performance; stage appearance; to act (in a play)

July 02

N5

居る

いる
to be (of animate objects); to exist; to stay; (after the -te form of a verb) verb indicating continuing action or state (i.e. to be ..ing, to have been ..ing)
N4

習慣

しゅうかん
habit; custom; cultural practice
N3

せつ
occasion; time; section (of a literary work); paragraph; verse; stanza; passage; principle; integrity; node (of a plant stem); clause; (taxonomical) section
N2

ピストル

ピストル
pistol
N1

出品

しゅっぴん
exhibit; display; putting something up for sale

July 01

N5

入口

入り口
いりぐち、いりくち、はいりぐち、はいりくち
entrance; entry; gate; approach; mouth
N4

自由

じゆう
freedom; liberty; as it pleases you
N3

不幸

ふこう
unhappiness; sorrow; misfortune; disaster; accident; death
N2

肱、臂
ひじ
elbow
N1

出費

しゅっぴ
expenses; disbursements

June 30

N5

厭、厭や
いや、や
disagreeable; detestable; unpleasant; reluctant
N4

社長

しゃちょう
company president; manager; director
N3

たい
counter for things inside a bag
N2

日差し

日射し、陽射、陽射し、日ざし
ひざし
sunlight; rays of the sun
N1

出世

しゅっせ
success in life; getting ahead; successful career; promotion; climbing the corporate ladder; eminence

June 29

N5

いも
darling (only of a woman); dear; honey; my betrothed; one's sister; friend
N4

社会

しゃかい
society; public; community; the world; social studies
N3

含む

銜む
ふくむ、くくむ
to contain; to comprise; to have; to hold; to include; to embrace; to hold in the mouth; to bear in mind; to understand; to harbor (grudge, etc.); to harbour; to express (emotion, etc.); to imply
N2

鬚、髯
ひげ、ヒゲ
moustache; beard; whiskers; extremely short pulse appearing on an electrical signal
N1

出生

しゅっしょう、しゅっせい
birth

June 28

N5

意味

いみ
meaning; significance
N4

事務所

じむしょ
office
N3

服装

ふくそう
garments; attire
N2

引き分け

引分け
ひきわけ
draw (in competition); tie game
N1

出社

しゅっしゃ
going to work (e.g. in the morning); coming to work

June 27

N5

いま
now; the present time; just now; soon; immediately; (one) more
N4

市民

しみん
citizen; citizenry; public; city inhabitant; townspeople; bourgeoisie; middle class
N3

武器

ぶき
weapon; arms; ordnance; weapon (something used to gain an advantage); asset
N2

卑怯

ひきょう
cowardice; meanness; unfairness
N1

出産

しゅっさん
childbirth; (giving) birth; delivery; parturition; confinement; production (of goods)

June 26

N5

いぬ
dog (Canis (lupus) familiaris); snoop (i.e. a detective, a spy, etc.); loser; asshole; counterfeit; inferior; useless; wasteful
N4

とう
Island; insula; island; islet
N3

不可

ふか
wrong; bad; improper; unjustifiable; inadvisable; not allowed; not possible; failing grade
N2

引き止める

引止める、引き留める
v1
vt
ひきとめる
to detain; to check; to restrain
N1

出血

しゅっけつ
bleeding; haemorrhage; hemorrhage; bleeding money; red ink; selling below cost