い JLPT N1 Vocabulary
Browse 99 JLPT N1 Vocabulary entries for Japanese under い.
Kana い
- 威圧 いあつ Coercion; intimidation; pressure. Using authority or force to suppress or dominate others.
- 遺憾 いかん Regrettable; deplorable; unsatisfactory. Expressing deep disappointment or dissatisfaction with a situation.
- 遺憾なく いかんなく Fully; to the utmost; completely; without reserve. Used to describe doing something to its fullest extent.
- 意義 いぎ Meaning; significance; importance. The deeper value or purpose behind something.
- 異議 いぎ Objection; dissent; protest. A formal or informal expression of disagreement.
- 威厳 いげん Dignity; majesty; authority. An imposing presence that commands respect.
- 遺産 いさん Inheritance; legacy; heritage. Something of value passed down from the past.
- いかがわしい いかがわしい Dubious; questionable; shady; indecent. Describes something or someone that arouses suspicion or moral unease.
- 厳めしい いかめしい Stern; imposing; solemn; formidable. Describes a forbidding, commanding presence or appearance that inspires awe or respect.
- 意固地 いこじ Stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded. Describes someone who refuses to change their position out of ego rather than principle.
- 勇ましい いさましい Brave; gallant; valiant; bold; spirited. Describes courageous, heroic behaviour or a bold, vigorous appearance.
- いじらしい いじらしい Touching; endearing; pitiable; plucky despite hardship. Describes someone whose innocent struggle is deeply moving to the observer.
- 意地悪い いじわるい Mean; spiteful; nasty; malicious. Describes someone who deliberately causes discomfort or distress to others.
- 痛々しい いたいたしい Pitiful; pathetic; painful to witness. Describes something so visibly distressing that the observer shares in the suffering.
- いとおしい いとおしい Dear; precious; lovable; tenderly beloved. Describes an intense, aching tenderness for someone cherished.
- いぶかしい いぶかしい Suspicious; dubious; puzzling; questionable. Describes a feeling of unease or doubt about something that does not add up.
- 忌まわしい いまわしい Detestable; abominable; ominous; repulsive. Describes something deeply abhorrent, cursed, or associated with shame and ill fortune.
- 色褪せた いろあせた Faded; discoloured; stale; outdated. Describes something that has lost its original vibrancy, freshness, or relevance.
- 陰湿 いんしつ Insidious; underhanded; malicious; persistently harmful. Describes behaviour that operates covertly and is difficult to confront directly.
- 言い得て妙 いいえてみょう Aptly put; well said; a felicitous expression. Describes a turn of phrase that captures something perfectly.
- 言い掛かり いいがかり False accusation; unfounded complaint; trumped-up charge. Picking a fight with baseless or exaggerated claims.
- 言い伝え いいつたえ Oral tradition; legend; folklore; something handed down through generations by word of mouth.
- 言い逃れ いいのがれ Evasion; excuse-making; prevarication; alibi. Talking one's way out of responsibility through clever or dishonest speech.
- 言い分 いいぶん One's say; one's argument or position; complaint; excuse. What one has the right or need to express.
- 言い寄る いいよる To make romantic advances; to court someone; to approach someone with declarations of affection.
- 意見交換 いけんこうかん Exchange of views; sharing of opinions; consultation. A discussion where participants express their perspectives to each other.
- 意思疎通 いしそつう Communication; mutual understanding; the successful transmission of intention or meaning between people.
- 以心伝心 いしんでんしん Telepathy; tacit understanding; heart-to-heart communication without words. Conveying meaning through pure mutual understanding.
- 一言居士 いちげんこじ A person who always has something to say; an opinionated person who must comment on everything.
- 慇懃 いんぎん Courteous; polite; civil. Can also describe excessively formal or obsequious politeness that masks contempt.
- 異質 いしつ Heterogeneous; different in nature or quality. Describes something fundamentally unlike others of its kind.
- 一途 いちず Wholehearted; single-minded; devoted to one thing exclusively. Describes unwavering focus or dedication.
- 一挙 いっきょ One effort; one action; at a stroke. Describes accomplishing something in a single decisive move.
- 一切 いっさい Everything; all; entirely; without exception. Used to express totality, often in negative or sweeping statements.
- 一端 いったん One end; one aspect; a part or fragment of a whole. Used when presenting only a portion of something larger.
- 一端を担う いったんをになう To play a part; to bear a share of responsibility; to contribute to a larger whole.
- 一朝一夕 いっちょういっせき Overnight; in a brief time; in a single day. Used almost exclusively in negative contexts: not achievable quickly.
- 逸脱 いつだつ Deviation; departure from a norm or standard; digression. Implies a straying from the expected path.
- 居場所 いばしょ Whereabouts; a place where one belongs; one's niche. Refers both to a physical location and to a sense of social belonging.
- 異変 いへん An unusual event; an unexpected accident or disturbance; a catastrophe or sign of trouble.
- 因果 いんが Cause and effect; karma; fate resulting from past actions. Describes the interconnected chain of action and consequence.
- 因果応報 いんがおうほう Karma; what goes around comes around; retribution for one's actions. Good deeds bring good results, bad deeds bring bad.
- 因縁 いんねん Fate; karmic connection; deep ties between people; pretext or excuse for a quarrel.
- 陰謀 いんぼう Plot; conspiracy; scheme. An underhanded plan carried out in secret, often against someone in power.
- 言い回し いいまわし Expression; turn of phrase; phrasing. The specific way in which something is worded or said.
- 遺作 いさく Posthumous work; a creative work left behind after the creator's death, often unfinished or unpublished during their lifetime.
- 一節 いっせつ Passage; section; verse; stanza; phrase. A discrete unit of a longer literary or musical work.
- 逸話 いつわ Anecdote; episode; memorable story. A short, interesting account of an incident, usually concerning a well-known person.
- 異本 いほん Variant text; a version of a literary work that differs from the standard or received text due to scribal variation, editing, or separate...
- 異名 いみょう Alias; another name; pseudonym; epithet. An alternative name by which a person or thing is known.
- 韻文 いんぶん Verse; poetry as a form of writing, as opposed to prose. Literary work characterised by structured metre, rhythm, or rhyme.
- 引喩 いんゆ Allusion; a literary reference. An indirect reference to a person, event, work, or idea that the reader is expected to recognise.
- 韻律 いんりつ Metre; rhythm; prosody. The organised pattern of sound, stress, and timing that gives poetry its musical quality.
- 韻を踏む いんをふむ To rhyme; to use rhyme. To compose words or lines so that their endings share similar sounds.
- 入り江 いりえ Inlet; bay; cove; creek. A small, sheltered body of water where the sea or a river penetrates inland.
- インフラ インフラ Infrastructure; the fundamental physical and organisational systems that support society and the economy.
- 委細 いさい Details; particulars; full circumstances. Used to indicate that comprehensive information about a matter has been or will be communicated.
- 委託販売 いたくはんばい Consignment sales; selling goods on behalf of another party, with the consignor retaining ownership until the goods are sold.
- 移転 いてん Transfer; relocation; assignment. The movement of rights, property, a business, or a physical location from one place or owner to another.
- 委任 いにん Delegation; commission; mandate. The formal act of entrusting another person or body with authority to act on their behalf.
- 委任状 いにんじょう Power of attorney; letter of proxy; a written document authorising another person to act on the issuer's behalf in legal or business matt...
- 一夜 いちや One night; a single night; overnight. Refers to the duration of a single night or events occurring within one night.
- 一刻 いっこく A moment; an instant; a brief period of time. Also used as a na-adjective meaning stubborn or headstrong.
- 一昼夜 いっちゅうや A full day and night; a complete 24-hour period. Emphasises the unbroken continuity of both daytime and nighttime together.
- 胃腸 いちょう Stomach and intestines; the gastrointestinal tract. Refers collectively to the digestive organs.
- 慰労 いろう Consolation; recognition of hard work; expressing appreciation and comfort to someone who has worked hard or been through hardship.
- 委員会 いいんかい Committee; commission; board. A formal body of people appointed or elected to perform a specific function within an organisation or gover...
- 意識調査 いしきちょうさ Opinion poll; attitude survey; awareness survey. A systematic inquiry into what a population thinks, feels, or knows about a particular i...
- 慰謝料 いしゃりょう Consolation money; damages; financial compensation paid as reparation for emotional distress, injury, or suffering caused by another party.
- 一揆 いっき Revolt; uprising; rebellion. Historically refers to collective uprisings by peasants or commoners against ruling authorities during Japan...
- 隠蔽 いんぺい Cover-up; concealment; suppression. The deliberate hiding or obscuring of information, evidence, or wrongdoing.
- 言い含める いいふくめる To give careful private instructions; to caution someone beforehand; to tell someone what to do or not do in no uncertain terms.
- 言い渡す いいわたす To pronounce; to hand down (a verdict or sentence); to formally notify someone of a decision. Used in legal, medical, and institutional c...
- 行き詰まる いきづまる To reach a deadlock; to come to a standstill; to be stuck with no way forward. Describes a situation where progress has become impossible.
- 行き届く いきとどく To be thorough; to be meticulous; to be attentive and complete in every detail. Often used to describe service, care, or oversight that r...
- いきり立つ いきりたつ To get worked up; to fly into a rage; to bristle with anger or excitement. Describes a sudden surge of intense emotion, typically anger.
- 萎縮する いしゅくする To shrink; to cower; to become inhibited or intimidated. Describes the physical and psychological contraction caused by fear, pressure, o...
- いじける いじける To become timid or withdrawn; to sulk; to cower; to develop a warped or twisted personality due to harsh treatment.
- 弄る いじる To fiddle with; to tamper with; to tinker or play around with something. Often implies casual, unsystematic, or unauthorised manipulation.
- 燻す いぶす To smoke; to fumigate; to expose to smoke; to smoulder. Used for smoking food, repelling insects with smoke, or burning something slowly.
- 域内 いきない Within the region; intra-regional. Inside a defined geographic or administrative area.
- 一党 いっとう One party; single party. Rule or domination by a single political party.
- 院政 いんせい Cloistered rule; governance by a retired emperor or powerful figure operating from behind the scenes.
- 陰謀論 いんぼうろん Conspiracy theory. An explanation that attributes events to secret plots by powerful hidden groups.
- 居座る いすわる To remain; to stay put; to refuse to leave. Describes stubbornly occupying a place or position and refusing to vacate it.
- 逸する いっする To miss; to let slip; to deviate from; to be lost. Describes failing to seize an opportunity or straying from an expected norm.
- 慈しむ いつくしむ To love; to cherish; to show compassion. Implies tender, nurturing affection directed toward the vulnerable or precious.
- 偽る いつわる To lie; to deceive; to falsify; to pretend. Covers deliberate misrepresentation of facts, identity, feelings, or intent.
- 厭う いとう To dislike; to hate; to be reluctant to do. Suggests a deep aversion or unwillingness, often tinged with weariness or moral distaste.
- 戒める いましめる To warn; to admonish; to caution. Also means to punish or restrain as a corrective measure. Used when someone in authority corrects or ca...
- 忌み嫌う いみきらう To detest; to loathe; to abhor. A strong expression of intense hatred or aversion, often rooted in deep disgust or a sense of taboo.
- 嫌がる いやがる To dislike; to be reluctant; to be unwilling. Shows visible or expressed resistance or aversion to a task, person, or situation.
- 色めく いろめく To become agitated; to stir with excitement; to be roused. Describes a sudden shift in atmosphere when something unexpected or provocativ...
- 憤り いきどおり Indignation; anger; resentment; outrage. A burning sense of anger arising from perceived injustice or moral wrong.
- 畏敬 いけい Awe; reverence; veneration. A profound sense of respect mingled with a humbling awareness of one's own smallness before something vast or...
- 遺恨 いこん Grudge; resentment; regret; bitterness. A deep resentment that lingers long after the original wound, as if left behind in the soul.
- 一喜一憂 いっきいちゆう Alternating between hope and fear; emotional ups and downs. Being tossed between joy and anxiety in response to each development.
- 畏怖 いふ Awe; dread; fear and reverence. A primal feeling of reverential terror before something overwhelmingly powerful or sacred.
- 陰鬱 いんうつ Gloomy; melancholy; dismal; depressing. Describes a pervasive, suffocating atmosphere of darkness and low spirits.