yoji list
four character Japanese words, with the reading, the meaning, and a breakdown of every kanji. sorted by jlpt level.
jlpt n5
- 十中八九 じっちゅうはっく · nine times out of ten; in all likelihood
jlpt n4
- 足が重い あしがおもい · feeling reluctant to go somewhere, dragging one's feet
- 百発百中 ひゃっぱつひゃくちゅう · hitting the mark every single time
- 一日千秋 いちじつせんしゅう · waiting so impatiently that one day feels like a thousand years
- 一問一答 いちもんいっとう · one question, one answer, taken one at a time
- 一世一代 いっせいちだい · once in a lifetime; the greatest moment of one's life
- 一心同体 いっしんどうたい · acting and feeling completely as one, like sharing a single heart and body
- 一朝一夕 いっちょういっせき · overnight, not achieved in a short time
- 自問自答 じもんじとう · asking yourself a question and answering it yourself
- 十人十色 じゅうにんといろ · to each their own
- 花鳥風月 かちょうふうげつ · the beauties of nature (flowers, birds, wind, and the moon); appreciation of natural beauty
- から元気 からげんき · fake or forced cheerfulness; putting on a brave face
- 古代文明 こだいぶんめい · ancient civilization
- 空間自体 くうかんじたい · space itself, the space as it is
- 空気読む くうきをよむ · reading the room, picking up on social cues
- 明々白々 めいめいはくはく · perfectly clear, beyond any doubt
- 七転八起 ななころびやおき · fall seven times, rise eight
- 正々堂々 せいせいどうどう · fair and square; openly and honorably, without tricks
- 生死不明 せいしふめい · unknown whether alive or dead
- 四方八方 しほうはっぽう · in every direction; all around
- 書道学者 しょどうがくしゃ · calligraphy scholar
- 正体不明 しょうたいふめい · unidentified
- 春夏秋冬 しゅんかしゅうとう · all four seasons; the whole year round
- 行方不明 ゆくえふめい · whereabouts unknown
jlpt n3
- 赤の他人 あかのたにん · complete stranger
- 馬耳東風 ばじとうふう · turning a deaf ear, ignoring everything
- 夫婦円満 ふうふえんまん · a harmonious marriage; a couple on good terms with each other
- 不言実行 ふげんじっこう · actions over words; doing instead of talking
- 言語道断 ごんごどうだん · absolutely outrageous, beyond words
- 半信半疑 はんしんはんぎ · half believing, half doubting
- 八方美人 はっぽうびじん · people pleaser, tries to please everyone
- 腹を割る はらをわる · to speak frankly, to open up to someone
- 本末転倒 ほんまつてんとう · putting the cart before the horse; getting your priorities backwards
- 一期一会 いちごいちえ · once in a lifetime
- 意気投合 いきとうごう · hitting it off instantly with someone
- 一件落着 いっけんらくちゃく · the matter is settled; case closed
- 一刻千金 いっこくせんきん · every moment is precious; time is worth gold
- 意味深長 いみしんちょう · deeply meaningful; full of suggestive implication
- 以心伝心 いしんでんしん · communicating without words, understanding each other intuitively
- 一石二鳥 いっせきにちょう · two birds one stone
- 自業自得 じごうじとく · you reap what you sow
- 自給自足 じきゅうじそく · self-sufficiency, providing for oneself
- 人格形成 じんかくけいせい · character development, personality formation
- 自由行動 じゆうこうどう · free action, acting freely, doing as one pleases
- 顔が広い かおがひろい · well-connected, knows many people
- 期間限定 きかんげんてい · limited time only
- 危機一髪 ききいっぱつ · a hair's breadth from disaster; a very close call
- 起死回生 きしかいせい · dramatic comeback from the brink
- 二重存在 にじゅうそんざい · dual existance
- 三者三様 さんしゃさんよう · each in their own way, everyone's different
- 千差万別 せんさばんべつ · great variety, all sorts of differences
- 四苦八苦 しくはっく · struggling hard, going through great difficulty
- 心機一転 しんきいってん · a fresh start; turning over a new leaf
- 私利私欲 しりしよく · self-interest
- 相思相愛 そうしそうあい · mutual love, loving each other equally
- 旅の途中 たびのとちゅう · mid journey
- 多種多様 たしゅたよう · diverse, varied, of many kinds
- 適者生存 てきしゃせいぞん · survival of the fittest
- 用途不明 ようとふめい · purpose unknown, of unknown use
- 有言実行 ゆうげんじっこう · announcing your goal out loud and then actually following through on it (opposite of 不言実行)
- 友情関係 ゆうじょうかんけい · friendship, bonds between friends
- 絶対中立 ぜったいちゅうりつ · absolute neutrality
jlpt n2
- 朝令暮改 ちょうれいぼかい · a rule changed as soon as it's made
- 同調圧力 どうちょうあつりょく · peer pressure; pressure to conform
- 永遠連休 えいえんれんきゅう · endless holiday
- 風林火山 ふうりんかざん · swift as wind, quiet as forest, fierce as fire, immovable as mountain
- 一心不乱 いっしんふらん · with single-minded focus, wholeheartedly
- 一長一短 いっちょういったん · having both merits and demerits
- 弱肉強食 じゃくにくきょうしょく · survival of the fittest
- 確固不動 かっこふどう · unwavering
- 各駅停車 かくえきていしゃ · local train (stops at every station)
- 感情移入 かんじょういにゅう · empathizing with, emotionally projecting into a story, character, or situation
- 完全燃焼 かんぜんねんしょう · giving something your absolute all, holding nothing back
- 経験豊富 けいけんほうふ · experienced, rich in experience
- 社交辞令 しゃこうじれい · social pleasantries, saying things just to be polite
- 針小棒大 しんしょうぼうだい · blowing things out of proportion; making a mountain out of a molehill
- 承認欲求 しょうにんよっきゅう · desire for approval or recognition from others; need for validation
- 立入禁止 たちいりきんし · no trespassing, keep out
- 単純明快 たんじゅんめいかい · simple and clear, easy to understand
- 天体観測 てんたいかんそく · astronomical observation, stargazing
- 焼肉定食 やきにくていしょく · grilled meat set meal
- 油断禁物 ゆだんきんもつ · no room for carelessness, stay alert
- 残像効果 ざんぞうこうか · afterimage
jlpt n1
- 猪突猛進 ちょとつもうしん · rushing recklessly
- 中途半端 ちゅうとはんぱ · half-hearted, halfway done, incomplete
- 大同小異 だいどうしょうい · mostly the same with only minor differences
- 伝統芸能 でんとうげいのう · traditional performing arts
- 栄枯盛衰 えいこせいすい · the rise and fall of fortune, prosperity and decline
- 演奏停止 えんそうていし · stop playing (music), performance halted
- 会者定離 えしゃじょうり · all who meet are destined to part (Buddhist concept of impermanence)
- 不撓不屈 ふとうふくつ · indomitable, unyielding spirit
- 二日酔い ふつかよい · hangover
- 我田引水 がでんいんすい · drawing water to your own field; bending things to your own advantage
- 我武者羅 がむしゃら · reckless, all-out effort without regard for whether it's wise; heedless determination
- 現実逃避 げんじつとうひ · escaping from reality; escapism
- 疑心暗鬼 ぎしんあんき · once you start doubting, everything looks suspicious
- 呉越同舟 ごえつどうしゅう · rivals thrown together and forced to cooperate
- 五里霧中 ごりむちゅう · completely at a loss, lost in a fog
- 八面六臂 はちめんろっぴ · doing the work of many; active and capable on every front
- 判断基準 はんだんきじゅん · standard of judgment, decision criteria
- 腹八分目 はらはちぶんめ · eating until about 80% full, for health's sake
- 疲労困憊 ひろうこんぱい · utterly exhausted, completely worn out
- 一時凌ぎ いちじしのぎ · stopgap, temporary fix
- 一目瞭然 いちもくりょうぜん · obvious at a single glance, no explanation needed
- 一蓮托生 いちれんたくしょう · sharing the same fate with someone, for better or worse
- 一獲千金 いっかくせんきん · striking it rich in one go
- 一喜一憂 いっきいちゆう · swinging between joy and worry over every small change
- 因果応報 いんがおうほう · cause and effect; one's actions eventually bring corresponding results
- 一生懸命 いっしょうけんめい · with all one's effort, earnestly
- 自分自身 じぶんじしん · oneself; one's own self (emphatic reflexive)
- 自己啓発 じこけいはつ · self-improvement, self-development
- 自己成長 じこせいちょう · personal growth, self-development
- 実現可能 じつげんかのう · feasible, achievable
- 順風満帆 じゅんぷうまんぱん · everything going smoothly, like sailing with a favourable wind
- 完全無欠 かんぜんむけつ · flawless; absolute perfection
- 記憶障害 きおくしょうがい · memory disorder, memory impairment
- 珈琲生活 こーひーせいかつ · coffee life
- 根本改善 こんぽんかいぜん · fundamental improvement, getting to the root of the problem
- 空即是色 くうそくぜしき · emptiness is form (Buddhist teaching from the Heart Sutra — the physical world arises from emptiness)
- 強迫観念 きょうはくかんねん · an obsession; a thought you can't shake off
- 京都抹茶 きょうとまっちゃ · Kyoto matcha
- 満身創痍 まんしんそうい · battered all over, covered in wounds
- 麻薬中毒 まやくちゅうどく · drug addiction
- 無我夢中 むがむちゅう · Devoting oneself to
- 無限列車 むげんれっしゃ · infinite train, unstoppable momentum
- 年中無休 ねんじゅうむきゅう · open year round
- 二人三脚 ににんさんきゃく · working in such close coordination two people move as one, from the three-legged race
- 桜梅桃李 おうばいとうり · each person has their own unique beauty and talent
- 桜花爛漫 おうからんまん · cherry blossoms in full bloom, splendid and glorious
- 温故知新 おんこちしん · learn from the past to understand the present
- 臨機応変 りんきおうへん · adapting flexibly to circumstances
- 竜頭蛇尾 りゅうとうだび · starting with great vigor but ending weakly
- 才色兼備 さいしょくけんび · gifted with both brains and beauty
- 戦闘不能 せんとうふのう · incapacitated, unable to continue fighting
- 千載一遇 せんざいいちぐう · once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity
- 潜在能力 せんざいのうりょく · latent potential, hidden ability
- 遮二無二 しゃにむに · desperately
- 色即是空 しきそくぜくう · form is emptiness (Buddhist teaching — all matter/form is ultimately empty and impermanent)
- 信号無視 しんごうむし · running a red light; disregarding a traffic signal
- 森羅万象 しんらばんしょう · all things in the universe; everything in nature
- 私的施設 してきしせつ · private property
- 質実剛健 しつじつごうけん · simple and sturdy, unshowy and strong, valuing substance over decoration
- 諸行無常 しょぎょうむじょう · all things are impermanent and constantly changing (Buddhist concept)
- 正真正銘 しょうしんしょうめい · genuine, the real deal, certified authentic
- 終始一貫 しゅうしいっかん · consistent from start to finish
- 喪失相愛 そうしつそうあい · love that has been lost
- 睡眠不足 すいみんぶそく · lack of sleep, sleep deprivation
- 大器晩成 たいきばんせい · late bloomer, great talent takes time to develop
- 単刀直入 たんとうちょくにゅう · getting straight to the point, direct
- 東奔西走 とうほんせいそう · running busily here and there for a purpose
- 搭乗拒否 とうじょうきょひ · boarding denied, refused entry
- 等価交換 とうかこうかん · equivalent exchange; trading things of equal value
- 有為転変 ういてんぺん · the constant, fleeting change of all worldly things
- 雲散霧消 うんさんむしょう · vanishing like clouds and mist, disappearing completely
- 右往左往 うおうさおう · running back and forth in confusion, no plan
- 紆余曲折 うよきょくせつ · twists and turns on the way to a goal
- 油断大敵 ゆだんたいてき · carelessness is your greatest enemy
- 有害無益 ゆうがいむえき · more harm than good; harmful and useless
- 唯我独尊 ゆいがどくそん · I alone am honored
- 唯一無二 ゆいつむに · the one and only
- 贅沢三昧 ぜいたくざんまい · total immersion in luxury; indulging oneself lavishly without holding back