Being safe, with no accident or illness. Example: 「無事に着いた」 (arrived safely).
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N3不思議ふしぎ
mysterious. Something puzzling that cannot normally be explained. Example: 「不思議な出来事」 (a mysterious event).
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N2, N3不自由ふじゆう
Lacking necessary things or freedom, and being troubled by it. Example: 「お金に不自由しない」 (not lacking money). Also used for the body not moving as one wishes, as in 「目が不自由だ」 (visually impaired).
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N2扶助ふじょ
Refers to lending help to support someone. It is a formal word denoting economic or social assistance. Used in expressions like 「相互扶助 (mutual aid)」「生活扶助 (livelihood assistance)」. Both 「扶」 and 「助」 mean "to help", forming a compound that stacks two characters to emphasize the meaning. It is used widely in the names of legal, administrative, and other systems.
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N2腐食ふしょく
Refers to metals and the like gradually degrading and being damaged from the surface through chemical reactions. Used in expressions like 「金属の腐食 (the corrosion of metal)」「腐食が進む (corrosion progresses)」. It can also be used metaphorically for the degradation of organizations and institutions. 「腐」 means to rot, 「食」 means to erode; together they express the process of "rotting and being eaten away".
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N2侮辱ぶじょく
Refers to looking down on another and committing words or acts that wound their personality and dignity. Used in expressions like 「侮辱を受ける (to be insulted)」「侮辱罪 (the crime of insult)」「公衆の面前で侮辱する (to insult someone in public)」. 「侮」 means to make light of, 「辱」 means to shame; together they express "to belittle and shame". It is established as a legal term (the crime of insult), and is an important word used widely from everyday conversation to legal documents.
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N3防ぐふせぐ
prevent. To keep a bad thing from happening. Example: 「事故を防ぐ」 (to prevent an accident). Also used for blocking an enemy or wind and rain, as in 「寒さを防ぐ」 (to keep out the cold).
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N2武装ぶそう
To equip oneself with weapons and gear for fighting.
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N2附属ふぞく
Refers to being attached to and belonging to a main entity, or such an attached thing. Used in expressions like 「附属品 (an accessory)」「附属病院 (an attached hospital)」. Both 「附」 and 「属」 mean "to be attached", expressing a relationship of "being incidental to the main entity". It can also be written 「付属」 with the same meaning. It is a formal word expressing the relationship between schools, institutions, and components.
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N3不足ふそく
shortage. Not being enough. Example: 「睡眠不足」 (lack of sleep), 「人手不足」 (labor shortage).
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N2札ふだ
A small piece of paper or board on which a name, number, price, or the like is written and attached as a marker. Used as in "番号の書かれた札を受け取る" (to receive a tag with a number on it), "荷札", or "名札". The same "札" read as "さつ" is a different word meaning paper money.
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N2, N3舞台ぶたい
stage. A raised platform for presenting plays, dances, etc. Example: 「舞台に立つ」 (to stand on stage). Also used to mean the setting/background of a story, as in 「京都を舞台にした小説」 (a novel set in Kyoto).
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N3双子ふたご
twins. Two children born from the same mother at the same time.
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N3再びふたたび
again. Once more. Example: 「再び会う」 (to meet again). This is a literary word; in spoken language, 「また」 is normal.
At a company, etc., the person who leads a department.
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N4普通ふつう
A state of being not special, the same as usual.
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N2物価ぶっか
The general level of prices for goods and services in society. Used for overall price movements across society, as in 物価が上がる (prices rise), not for the price of a single item.
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N2, N3ぶつかるぶつかる
To collide with force. Example: 「車が壁にぶつかる」 (a car crashes into a wall). Also used when opinions conflict or schedules overlap, as in 「意見がぶつかる」 (opinions clash), 「日程がぶつかる」 (schedules conflict). 「ぶつかる」 is used when something strikes against something else, while 「ぶつける」 is used when a person makes something strike: compare 「車が壁にぶつかる」 with 「車を壁にぶつける」.
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N3筆ふで
A tool for writing characters or painting, made by bundling hair together. Example: 「筆で書く」 (to write with a brush). 「筆が速い」 is also used as a metaphor for writing quickly.
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N5太いふとい
A state where the width of a round thing is large. The antonym is 「細い」 (thin).
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N4太るふとる
To gain weight. The antonym is 「痩せる」 (to lose weight).
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N4布団ふとん
futon. Something laid out or draped over oneself when sleeping.
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N2赴任ふにん
Refers to going to one's assigned post and taking up duty. Used in expressions like 「海外赴任 (overseas posting)」「単身赴任 (a posting away from one's family)」. 「赴」 means to go off to, 「任」 means duty; together they express "going to one's post". It is widely used in contexts describing transfers of employees, public officials, teachers, and the like.
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N4舟ふね
boat. A small vehicle that moves over water. The homophone「船」is also used for large ones, while「舟」is often used for small ones.
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N3部品ぶひん
Each individual piece that makes up a machine, etc. Example: 「車の部品」 (car parts).
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N3部分ぶぶん
part. A section within a whole. Example: 「壊れた部分」 (the broken part). The antonym is 「全体」 (the whole).
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N4不便ふべん
A state of being hard to use and inconvenient. The antonym is「便利(べんり)」(convenient).
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N3不満ふまん
Not being satisfied. Example: 「給料に不満がある」 (dissatisfied with one's salary). The antonym is 「満足」 (satisfaction).
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N4踏むふむ
To press down hard on top of something with one's foot. Example:「足を踏む」(to step on someone's foot).
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N5冬ふゆ
winter. The coldest season of the year.
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N2扶養ふよう
Refers to taking care of someone's livelihood and supporting them, namely sustaining their life through economic means. Used in expressions like 「扶養家族 (dependent family members)」「扶養義務 (the duty to support)」. 「扶」 means to help, 「養」 means to nurture; together they express "to help and nurture". It is a formal word appearing frequently in legal, tax, and social-security contexts.
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N4降り出すふりだす
For rain or snow to start falling.
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N2, N3振るふる
To shake or swing something. Example: 「手を振る」 (to wave a hand), 「首を振る」 (to shake one's head). Also used to mean rejecting a romantic partner, as in 「彼女に振られる」 (to be dumped by one's girlfriend).
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N5降るふる
For rain or snow to fall from the sky. Example: 「雨が降る」 (rain falls).
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N2, N3, N5古いふるい
A state of much time having passed since something was made. The antonym is 「新しい」 (new).
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N3震えるふるえる
tremble. To shake with small, repeated movements. Example: 「寒さで手が震える」 (hands tremble from the cold), 「声が震える」 (voice trembles).
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N3ふるさとふるさと
hometown. The land where one was born and raised. Written with the kanji 「故郷」, which can also be read 「こきょう」.
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N2古びるふるびる
Refers to becoming aged with the passage of time and losing the appearance of newness. Used in expressions like 「古びた建物 (a weathered building)」「古びた写真 (an aged photograph)」「古びた看板 (a faded signboard)」. It expresses a state in which objects show changes such as fading, dimming, or wear, and is a word formed by combining 「古い (old)」 with 「びる (a suffix meaning "to become in a state of ~")」. It implies the process of gradually taking on age — not becoming old suddenly, but the appearance of having passed through time.
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N5風呂ふろ
A place for washing the body or soaking in warm water. Example: 「お風呂に入る」 (to take a bath).
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N5分ふん
minute. A unit of short time, one hour divided into 60. いっぷん・にふん・さんぷん・よんぷん・ごふん・ろっぷん・ななふん・はっぷん・きゅうふん・じゅっぷん, 「なんぷん」. With 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 it becomes 「ぷん」. When the same characters are read 「じゅうぶん」, they become a different word meaning that something is enough.
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N2雰囲気ふんいき
Refers to the atmosphere or air given off by a place or person, which can be sensed. It points to an impression that cannot be clearly stated but is conveyed from the whole. Used in expressions like 「和やかな雰囲気 (a peaceful atmosphere)」「店の雰囲気 (the ambience of a shop)」. It is used widely in expressing impressions of places, groups, or persons.
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N4文化ぶんか
The ways of thinking, art, etc., that have grown within the daily life of a country or region.
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N2分解ぶんかい
To break something that forms a single whole down into its constituent parts.
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N4文学ぶんがく
Art expressed through words, such as novels and poetry.
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N2奮起ふんき
Refers to summoning up one's spirit and tackling a task. Used in expressions like 「奮起を促す (to urge someone to rouse themselves)」「敗戦を機に奮起する (to rouse oneself on the occasion of a defeat)」「再起奮起 (rising again with renewed vigor)」. 「奮」 means to enliven one's spirit, 「起」 means to rise; together they express "to rouse one's spirit and rise". It expresses the appearance of pulling up sunken feelings and moving toward action, and is used widely in contexts of encouragement, sports, and recovery from defeat.
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N2分岐ぶんき
Refers to a single flow or path dividing into several branches. It is used not only for physical roads or railway lines, but also for the branching points of discussions, choices, or careers. Used in expressions like 「分岐点 (a turning point)」「議論が分岐する (a discussion branches off)」. 「分」 means to divide, 「岐」 means a fork in the road. It is also widely used as a metaphor to express critical points of judgment or moments of transition.