JLPT N2 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

〜わけにはいかない

Cannot do something because of social, moral or situational obligation; 'must not / cannot bring myself to'. Attaches to the dictionary form of verbs and always carries a sense of external pressure.

〜ざるを得ない

Have no choice but to do something. Attaches to the ない-stem of verbs (する becomes せざるを得ない). More formal and written than 〜しかない, and used for unwilling decisions.

〜に違いない

Expresses strong conviction that something must be true, based on evidence the speaker has. 〜に相違ない is the stiffer written equivalent. Both follow plain forms and nouns.

〜ばかりか

Means 'not only A but also B', where B is presented as more surprising or extreme than A. 〜ばかりでなく is the neutral equivalent that simply adds information without the surprise nuance.

〜ながらも

Means 'although / even while'. Attaches to verb stems, adjective stems and nouns, and marks a genuine contrast between two facts about the same subject rather than two simultaneous actions.

〜次第

After a verb stem it means 'as soon as'. After a noun it means 'depending on / up to', as in 天気次第で. The element before the word decides which meaning applies.

〜上で

After a た-form it means 'after doing X as a necessary step'. After a dictionary form it means 'in doing X'. After の it means 'from the standpoint of'.

〜てはじめて

Means 'only after / only when'. The clause that follows states a new realisation, so it occurs with verbs such as わかった, 知った and 気づいた, not with requests or intentions.

〜おそれがある

Means 'there is a risk that'. Attaches to a dictionary form or to a noun plus の, and appears mainly in news and formal writing about possible undesirable outcomes.

〜に伴って

Means 'as / along with', marking a change that follows another change. 〜に伴う is the attributive form used directly before a noun. Common in written and news Japanese.

〜に応じて

Means 'according to / in proportion to'. The preceding noun is a variable such as 年齢, 収入 or レベル, and the result changes to match that variable.

〜をめぐって

Means 'over / concerning' a disputed topic. Attaches to nouns such as 問題, 計画 or 遺産, and describes argument, conflict or debate among several parties.

〜つつある

Means 'be in the process of changing'. Attaches to verb stems and describes a gradual ongoing change rather than a simple state; it is more literary than 〜ている.

〜かねる

Means 'cannot / find it difficult to'. It attaches to verb stems and appears frequently in business refusals such as わかりかねます, softening a negative answer without saying いいえ directly.

〜がたい

Means 'hard to do'. It attaches to verb stems and appears in set phrases like 信じがたい and 理解しがたい, describing difficulty felt by the speaker rather than physical impossibility.

〜得る／得ない

Means 'can / cannot possibly'. It attaches to verb stems, as in あり得る and あり得ない, and expresses logical possibility or impossibility rather than someone's ability.

〜気味・〜がち・〜っぽい

All attach to nouns or stems and show a tendency. 〜気味 is a slight temporary state (疲れ気味), 〜がち is a recurring bad habit (遅れがち), 〜っぽい is a strong impression of that quality.

いらいらする vs はらはらする

いらいらする is the speaker's own irritation at a delay or annoyance. はらはらする is anxious watching of someone else doing something risky. Both are onomatopoeic adverbs taking する.

指示語の解決

In reading, a そ-series pronoun refers back to content just mentioned, while a こ-series pronoun usually points forward to what the writer is about to explain. Match it to the nearest phrase that fits the predicate.

逆接の接続詞

Connectives such as しかし, ところが, ただ and もっとも commonly introduce the author's real claim. In content and opinion questions the correct option usually paraphrases the sentence right after them.

課題理解

The first N2 listening task type. The question is printed and read before the dialogue, and the correct option is the action the main speaker finally decides to take.

ポイント理解

The second N2 listening task type. One specific point such as a reason, place, time or person is asked. Wrong options are usually mentioned first and then corrected in the dialogue.

概要理解

The third N2 listening task type. No question is printed, so the answer must summarise the overall point. Concrete numbers, names and side remarks are distractors, not the main idea.

統合理解

The fourth N2 listening task type. Several alternatives are compared before one is chosen, so note the deciding condition such as price, distance or availability and which option it rules out.

即時応答

The fifth N2 listening task type. A short utterance is followed by three replies; choose the one matching the speech act, such as a request answered by acceptance or refusal.

数字の訂正

In N2 listening, a number or time is often stated, then revised with いや, じゃなくて or 訂正ですが. The final answer usually uses the corrected figure, so note both values.

尊敬語と謙譲語の識別

尊敬語 such as いらっしゃる, おっしゃる and ご覧になる describe the other person's actions, while 謙譲語 such as 伺う, 申し上げる and お目にかかる describe the speaker's. Use this to identify who acts.

依頼の表現

Requests in listening appear as 〜ていただけませんか, 〜てほしいんですが or 〜てもらえると助かる. The response that follows usually contains the action the answer option describes.

断りの表現

Refusals are often indirect: ちょっと…, 〜のは難しい, 〜かねます and 考えておきます all function as 'no'. Acceptance typically uses ぜひ, 喜んで or いいですね instead.

〜なくてもいい vs 〜ないといけない

〜なくてもいい grants permission to skip an action, while 〜ないといけない and 〜なくてはいけない state an obligation. In 課題理解 this distinction decides what the speaker will actually do.

終助詞 よ・ね

よ presents information the listener is assumed not to know, ね seeks agreement or confirms shared knowledge, and かな shows the speaker is wondering. These cues show whether a line is news or confirmation.

位置語彙

Direction words in listening include 右, 左, 正面, 奥, 手前, 向かい and 隣. Note them as they are heard, because the final question often asks where an object or place ends up.