Vocabulary– category –
Japanese vocabulary in context. Nuance between similar words, JLPT vocabulary by level, loanwords, and practical usage. Browse by level: N4/N5, N2/N3, N1/N2. Full overview at the Japanese Vocabulary Hub.
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付き合う vs デートする vs 交際する vs 婚約する: Japanese Dating, Being in a Relationship, Formal Relationship Status, and Engagement
Imagine this: you meet someone at a language exchange meetup in Tokyo, go on a few coffee dates, and things are going well. You text your Japanese friend in excitement and say, 私たち、デートしています！ — "We're dating!" Your friend smi... -
浮気 vs 不倫 vs 二股: The Difference Between Cheating, Affair, Infidelity, Two-Timing, and Japanese Drama Vocabulary
You're watching a Japanese drama and the plot is getting juicy. One episode uses 浮気（うわき）, the next has a character tearfully accusing their spouse of 不倫（ふりん）, and the tabloid magazine on screen screams 二股（ふたまた） in b... -
Japanese Spouse Words Explained: 夫, 主人, 旦那, 妻, 奥さん, 嫁, 家内, and パートナー in Modern Japanese
Imagine you are speaking Japanese with a colleague and you want to say, "My wife is Japanese." You reach for the most familiar word — 奥さん（おくさん）— and say 奥さんは日本人です. Your Japanese colleague pauses, and you notice somethin... -
彼氏 vs 彼女 vs 恋人 vs パートナー: Japanese Boyfriend, Girlfriend, Lover, Romantic Partner, Life Partner, and Safe Relationship Words
Imagine you have just made a wonderful female friend in Japan. You want to tell someone about her, so you say, "彼女（かのじょ）はとても面白いです" — and the room goes quiet. Because while you meant "She is very interesting," everyone ar... -
友達 vs 友人 vs 知り合い vs 仲間: The Difference Between Friend, Formal Friend, Acquaintance, Teammate, and Group Bond in Japanese
You just got back from a trip to Japan and you want to tell someone about the people you met. Some were close, some you barely know, some were your travel group. In English, "friend" does most of the work — but in Japanese, the word you ... -
父 vs お父さん vs 父親 vs パパ: The Difference Between “My Father,” “Your Father,” “Dad,” and Formal Japanese
You are introducing yourself at a new job in Japan. Someone asks about your family. You want to say "My father is an engineer." You reach for the word you learned in your first week of Japanese — but now you are not sure: is it 父（ちち... -
母 vs お母さん vs 母親 vs ママ: The Difference Between “My Mother,” “Your Mother,” “Mom,” and Formal Japanese
Imagine you are at work and your phone rings mid-meeting. You glance at the screen — it is your mother. Later, your Japanese colleague asks who called. You want to say "It was my mother." Which word do you reach for — 母（はは）, お母さ... -
先生 vs 教師 vs 講師: The Difference Between Teacher, Instructor, Lecturer, Honorific Title, Profession, and Polite Japanese
If you have ever studied Japanese, someone has probably called your teacher 先生（せんせい）. It is one of the first Japanese words most learners encounter. But here is something that surprises many English speakers: 先生 is not really a... -
学生 vs 生徒 vs 児童: The Difference Between Student, Pupil, Learner, School Level, Classroom Relationship, and Japanese Education Words
学生（がくせい）生徒（せいと）児童（じどう）Core meaningStudent (social status/identity)Pupil (in a teacher-learner relationship)Elementary school child (formal/institutional)School levelUniversity / higher educationMiddle school, high s... -
気持ち vs 気分 vs 感情: The Difference Between Feeling, Mood, Emotion, Physical Condition, and Japanese Nuance
You learned the word 気持ち（きもち）early on, and it seemed to cover everything: feelings, emotions, sensations. Then someone said 気分（きぶん）and you nodded along. Then a textbook used 感情（かんじょう）and suddenly you were not sure...
