やばい · YABAI  ·  可愛い · KAWAII  ·  仲間 · NAKAMA  ·  侘び寂び · WABI-SABI  ·  生き甲斐 · IKIGAI  ·  木漏れ日 · KOMOREBI  ·  頑張る · GANBARU  ·  乙女 · OTOME  ·  刹那 · SETSUNA  ·    やばい · YABAI  ·  可愛い · KAWAII  ·  仲間 · NAKAMA  ·  侘び寂び · WABI-SABI  ·  生き甲斐 · IKIGAI  ·  木漏れ日 · KOMOREBI  ·  頑張る · GANBARU  ·  乙女 · OTOME  ·  刹那 · SETSUNA  · 
Japanese Dictionary for English Speakers

Every Word Has a Story.

Discover Japanese through anime, manga, and real culture. Not just definitions — context, nuance, and the why behind every word.

POPULAR sugoi senpai isekai tsundere ganbatte
1040+
WORDS & PHRASES
N5 – N1
ALL JLPT LEVELS
Free
ALWAYS
Word of the Day · 今日の単語
五
GO · ご
five
JLPT N5 Everyday Japanese
Read full entry → 28 / 31
Browse by Category

What are you looking for?

語
JLPT Vocabulary
N5 to N1 — essential words for the official Japanese proficiency test.
255 words →
日
Everyday Japanese
Words for daily life, food, and the rhythms of Japanese culture.
791 words →
俗
Pop Culture & Slang
Words from anime, manga, social media, and modern youth culture.
161 words →
侘
Untranslatable & Unique
Concepts with no English equivalent — names, kanji, and loanwords.
154 words →
Study by Level

Study by JLPT Level

JLPT is Japan's official Japanese proficiency test — N5 is the entry level, N1 is near-native.

Beginner
N5
800 words
Start here
Elementary
N4
1,500 words
Building up
Intermediate
N3
3,750 words
Getting there
Upper-Int
N2
6,000 words
Advanced level
Advanced
N1
10,000 words
Near-native
Recently Added

Latest Words

kendo
Japanese fencing / way of the sword
N3
kodawari
obsessive attention to detail / personal commitment
N3
koi
romantic love / being in love
N4
konbini
convenience store
N4
machiya
traditional Japanese townhouse
N3
natsu
summer
N5
nemawashi
laying groundwork / behind-the-scenes consensus building
N2
noren
shop curtain / fabric divider
N3
omiyage
souvenir / gift brought from travel
N4
omoiyari
empathy / consideration for others
N3
otsukaresama
thank you for your hard work
N3
sakuranbo
cherry (fruit)
N5
Why NihongoWords is Different
Words without context
are just noise.
Every entry includes cultural context, usage examples, and the nuances that textbooks leave out. Because understanding a language means understanding its people.