動詞・慣用表現

不安ふあんが募つのるばかりで、夜よるもよく眠ねむれない。

My unease only grows, and I cannot sleep at night.

Usage Two senses. Intransitive: 不安が募る, 思いが募る — a feeling building up. Transitive: 参加者を募る, 寄付を募る — soliciting. The first is the exam's favourite.

Remember it 募 (recruit, gather in, as in 募集) → gathered up bit by bit until it mounts.

返事へんじがないことに、彼かれは苛立いらだちを募つのらせた。

Getting no reply, he grew increasingly irritated.

Usage The causative of 募る, used transitively: 不満を募らせる, 不信感を募らせる. The subject is a person, the object a negative feeling they let build.

Remember it 募る (mount up) + せる (causative) → letting the feeling mount inside you.

その作品さくひんは何度なんども鑑賞かんしょうに堪たえる深ふかみを持もっている。

The work has a depth that bears viewing many times over.

Usage Two senses, both N1. 〜に堪える can mean to endure — 苦痛に堪える — or to be worth doing: 鑑賞に堪える, 批判に堪える. The negative 〜に堪えない means unbearable or unworthy.

Remember it 堪 (bear, be equal to, as in 堪能) → able to carry the weight of it.

立場たちばを弁わきまえた発言はつげんをするべきだ。

You should speak in a way that knows its place.

Usage 立場を弁える, 分を弁える, 礼儀を弁える. Carries a moral judgement, and usually appears when someone is being reminded of their position.

Remember it 弁 (distinguish, as in 弁別) → telling clearly what is fitting from what is not.

資金しきん不足ぶそくで工事こうじが滞とどこおっている。

Construction is held up for lack of funds.

Usage 支払いが滞る for falling into arrears, 業務が滞る for work backing up. The image is of flow blocked — money, tasks, procedures. Its opposite is 円滑に進む.

Remember it 滞 (stagnate, as in 停滞) carries the water radical 氵 → water that has stopped flowing.

台風たいふうで農家のうかが大おおきな損害そんがいを被こうむった。

Farmers suffered heavy damage from the typhoon.

Usage 損害を被る, 被害を被る, 迷惑を被る. Read こうむる — not かぶる, which is putting on a hat, the same character. The subject is the party who suffers.

Remember it 被 (passive, as in 被害, 被告) → on the receiving end of it.

半生はんせいを顧かえりみると、後悔こうかいよりも感謝かんしゃの念ねんが強つよい。

Looking back over my life, gratitude is stronger than regret.

Usage Two senses: looking back — 過去を顧みる — and paying attention to, usually negated: 家庭を顧みない, neglecting one's family. Also written 省みる when it means self-reflection.

Remember it 顧 (turn and look back, as in 回顧) → turning your head to what is behind you.

新あらたな証拠しょうこが一審いっしんの判決はんけつを覆くつがえした。

New evidence overturned the first-instance judgment.

Usage Transitive: 判決を覆す, 常識を覆す, 定説を覆す. Its intransitive partner is 覆る. The object is a settled conclusion, and the pair is a favourite of usage questions.

Remember it 覆 (turn over, as in 転覆) → flipped upside down.

世論よろんの反発はんぱつで政府せいふの方針ほうしんが覆くつがえった。

Public opposition overturned the government's policy.

Usage Intransitive: 判決が覆る, 方針が覆る. Learn it against 覆す — someone overturns a thing, a thing gets overturned. The exam tests exactly this pairing.

Remember it 覆 (turn over) with the intransitive ending る → it turns over of itself.

目先めさきの利益りえきにとらわれて、本来ほんらいの目的もくてきを見失みうしなってはいけない。

You must not be caught up in immediate profit and lose sight of your original purpose.

Usage Literally 姿を見失う, losing sight of someone. Figuratively — the exam sense — 目的を見失う, 自分を見失う.

Remember it 見る (see) + 失う (lose) → losing the thing you had in sight.

相手あいての反論はんろんを封ふうじるだけの論拠ろんきょを用意よういした。

We prepared grounds solid enough to block any rebuttal.

Usage 反論を封じる, 動きを封じる. Also written 封ずる. Compare 阻む, blocking a path — 封じる seals something so it cannot get out at all.

Remember it 封 (seal, as in 密封, 封鎖) → sealed shut.

その不祥事ふしょうじは企業きぎょうの信頼しんらいを根底こんていから揺ゆるがした。

The scandal shook the company's credibility to its foundations.

Usage 根底から揺るがす is the set phrase. Objects are abstract: 信頼, 基盤, 常識. Its intransitive partner is 揺らぐ.

Remember it 揺 (sway, as in 動揺) + がす (make) → making the ground under it sway.

薬くすりで痛いたみを和やわらげることはできても、根本こんぽん治療ちりょうにはならない。

Medicine can ease the pain, but it is no cure.

Usage 痛みを和らげる, 緊張を和らげる, 表現を和らげる. Its intransitive form is 和らぐ. Warmer and more everyday than 緩和する, which belongs to policy language.

Remember it 和 (harmony, calm) + らげる → bringing it back toward calm.

軽率けいそつな発言はつげんが思おもわぬ誤解ごかいを招まねいた。

A careless remark brought about an unexpected misunderstanding.

Usage The N1 sense is the second: 誤解を招く, 混乱を招く, 危険を招く — bringing an unwanted result on yourself. The beginner sense, inviting a guest, is rarely what is tested.

Remember it 招 (beckon, as in 招待) → waving it over to you, including what you did not want.

この論文ろんぶんは問題もんだいの本質ほんしつを的確てきかくに捉とらえている。

This paper grasps the essence of the problem exactly.

Usage 本質を捉える, 特徴を捉える, 意図を捉える. Distinguish 捕らえる, physically catching a person or animal — 捉える is for grasping with the mind.

Remember it 捉 (seize, as in 捕捉) carries the hand radical 扌 → the mind's hand closing on it.

周囲しゅういの反対はんたいにあっても、彼かれは信念しんねんを貫つらぬいた。

Even against opposition from those around him, he carried his convictions through.

Usage 信念を貫く, 初志貫徹 for holding to your first resolve. Also literal — piercing through. Related nouns: 一貫, 一貫性.

Remember it 貫 (run right through, as in 一貫) → carried straight through from end to end.

今回こんかいの失敗しっぱいを踏ふまえて、計画けいかくを練ねり直なおす必要ひつようがある。

Taking this failure into account, the plan needs reworking.

Usage 〜を踏まえて functions almost as a grammar pattern — on the basis of, in the light of. Objects: 結果, 現状, 意見, 経験. Extremely common in formal writing.

Remember it 踏む (step on) + える → setting your foot on it and standing there to argue.

話はなしが本題ほんだいから逸それてしまったので、元もとに戻もどそう。

The talk has strayed from the main subject, so let us get back to it.

Usage 話が逸れる for going off topic, 進路が逸れる for a storm changing course. Read それる. Do not confuse 逸する (いっする), to miss an opportunity.

Remember it 逸 (slip out, as in 逸脱) → slipping off the line you were on.

彼かれの議論ぎろんは具体性ぐたいせいを欠かいている。

His argument lacks concreteness.

Usage 〜を欠く, and two phrases worth memorising: 欠かせない for indispensable and 〜を欠かさない for never missing a single time. More formal than 足りない.

Remember it 欠 (lack, as in 欠陥, 欠席) → the piece that should be there and is not.

被害ひがいは一部いちぶの地域ちいきに留とどまらず、全国ぜんこくに広ひろがった。

The damage did not stop at part of the region but spread nationwide.

Usage 〜に留まる, to be confined to a level, and above all 〜に留まらず — not merely X but also Y — one of the highest-yield N1 patterns. Also written 止まる.

Remember it 留 (stay put, as in 留保, 滞留) → staying at that point and going no further.

責任せきにんの所在しょざいをぼかしたままでは、同おなじ問題もんだいが繰くり返かえされる。

Leave the question of responsibility blurred and the same problem repeats.

Usage 表現をぼかす, 焦点をぼかす, 責任をぼかす. Its intransitive form is ぼける. Applied to speech it is usually critical — deliberate vagueness to avoid commitment.

Remember it ぼかす shares its root with ぼんやり, hazy → smudging the edges until nothing is sharp.

来年度らいねんどは五ごパーセントの成長せいちょうが見込みこまれている。

Growth of five percent is expected for next fiscal year.

Usage Three uses: 〜が見込まれる in the passive for projections, 〜を見込んで for allowing in advance, and 人を見込む for having faith in someone's ability. Noun: 見込み.

Remember it 見る (see) + 込む (into) → seeing ahead into what has not happened.

報道ほうどうが一方いっぽうの立場たちばに偏かたよっているという批判ひはんが出でた。

Criticism arose that the reporting was biased toward one side.

Usage 意見が偏る, 栄養が偏る, 報道が偏る. The noun is 偏り. Its formal relatives are 偏向, 偏見 and 偏重.

Remember it 偏 (lean to one side, as in 偏見) → tipped over toward one side.

理想りそうではなく、現実げんじつに即そくした対策たいさくが求もとめられる。

What is needed are measures in line with reality, not with the ideal.

Usage 実情に即して, 現実に即した対策. Usually in 〜に即した before a noun. Compare 沿う, following a line or policy; 即する means fitting the facts as they are.

Remember it 即 (immediately adjacent, as in 即座) → held right up against the facts with no gap.

状況じょうきょうを見誤みあやまると、取とり返かえしのつかない事態じたいを招まねく。

Misjudge the situation and you invite an irreversible outcome.

Usage 状況を見誤る, 本質を見誤る, 時期を見誤る. More formal than 間違える, and specifically about misreading something you were looking at.

Remember it 見る (see) + 誤る (err) → seeing it and reading it wrong.

彼かれの指摘してきは問題もんだいの核心かくしんを突ついていた。

His observation hit the heart of the problem.

Usage The N1 sense is figurative: 核心を突く, 弱点を突く, 急所を突く. Also 意表を突く, to catch someone completely off guard.

Remember it 突 (thrust, as in 衝突, 突然) → driven straight into the point.

早期そうきに対応たいおうしたおかげで、最悪さいあくの事態じたいは免まぬかれた。

Thanks to the early response, the worst was avoided.

Usage 責任を免れる, 批判を免れる, 危機を免れる. Read まぬかれる or まぬがれる. The phrase 〜を免れない means something cannot be escaped.

Remember it 免 (be exempted, as in 免除, 免疫) → let off from what was coming.

二ふたつの価値観かちかんは根本こんぽん的てきに相容あいいれない。

The two value systems are fundamentally incompatible.

Usage Always negative in form: 〜とは相容れない. The subjects are principles, positions or worldviews that cannot hold together. Academic and written.

Remember it 相 (mutually) + 容れる (admit, accept) → neither able to take the other in.

資金しきん難なんにより、計画けいかくの中止ちゅうしを余儀よぎなくされた。

Financial difficulty forced the cancellation of the plan.

Usage 〜を余儀なくされる — one of the highest-frequency N1 patterns. The subject is the person left with no choice; the causative 余儀なくさせる puts the pressure the other way round.

Remember it 余儀 (another way out) + ない → no other way left, so this one is forced on you.

彼女かのじょの質問しつもんは実じつに的まとを射いていた。

Her question was exactly to the point.

Usage Usually 的を射た質問 or 的を射ている. Note the trap: 的を得る is a widespread error for this idiom — 当を得る is the correct expression using 得る.

Remember it 的 (target) + 射る (shoot) → the arrow in the centre of the target.

説明せつめいは聞きいたが、どうも腑ふに落おちない点てんが残のこる。

I heard the explanation, but something about it still does not sit right.

Usage Almost always negative: 腑に落ちない. Describes lingering unease after an explanation that was logically complete but somehow unconvincing.

Remember it 腑 (the internal organs) + 落ちない (does not go down) → it will not go down into your gut.

建設けんせつ的てきな議論ぎろんをせず、揚あげ足あしを取とってばかりでは前まえに進すすまない。

Nitpicking instead of debating constructively gets you nowhere.

Usage 揚げ足を取る, and the noun 揚げ足取り. Catching someone out on a slip of wording rather than engaging with what they meant. Always critical.

Remember it 揚げ足 (a raised foot, in wrestling) + 取る (grab) → grabbing the leg your opponent lifted and throwing them with it.