N1 Vocabulary · Test 27

Option 2 (あやぶまれて) is correct. The verb 危ぶむ (あやぶむ) means 'to be anxious/worried about, to doubt (the safety/success of something).' Here it appears in the passive continuative form + て: 危ぶまれて ('was feared to be in danger / was causing concern'). The sentence means 'The store's management was feared to be in trouble, but entering this month it turned to profitability...'.

• 1あわうぶまれて is not a valid reading for any word. It inserts an extra う and uses あわ instead of あや, making it a fabricated distractor.
• 3あわぶまれて uses あわ instead of あや. There is no verb あわぶむ in standard Japanese.
• 4あやうぶまれて inserts an extra う into the correct stem あやぶ, producing a non-existent form.

• 危あやぶむ — to be anxious about, to doubt the safety/success of

Option 1 (てんかん) is correct. 転換 (てんかん) means 'a shift, conversion, turnaround.' In the phrase 黒字に転換し ('turned around into the black / became profitable'), てんかん is the standard reading. The kanji 転 is read てん and 換 is read かん.

• 2てんせん is not a valid reading for 転換. The kanji 換 is not read せん.
• 3てんこう is not a valid reading for 転換. The kanji 換 is not read こう.
• 4てんそう is not a valid reading for 転換. The kanji 換 is not read そう.

• 転換てんかん — conversion, shift, turnaround

Option 3 (へんさい) is correct. 返済 (へんさい) means 'repayment (of a debt/loan).' It is a compound of 返 (へん, 'return') + 済 (さい, 'settle/clear'). The phrase 借金の返済に追われる means 'being chased/hounded by debt repayment.'

• 1へんぜい is an incorrect reading. The kanji 済 is not read ぜい in this compound. へんぜい could be confused with 変税 but is not a real word.
• 2へんせい is an incorrect reading. The kanji 済 is not read せい here. へんせい could be confused with 編成 (へんせい, 'organization/formation').
• 4へんざい is an incorrect reading. The kanji 済 is not read ざい in this compound. へんざい could be confused with 返済 via a voiced/voiceless consonant error.

• 返済へんさい — repayment (of a debt or loan)
• 借金しゃっきん — debt, borrowing

Option 2 (だっする) is correct. 脱する (だっする) means 'to escape from, to get out of, to free oneself from.' It is a サ変 (irregular) verb: the kanji 脱 is read だつ in its on'yomi, and the verb form is だっする (with gemination of つ→っ before す). The phrase …生活から脱することができた means 'was able to escape from the lifestyle of...'.

• 1さっする is not a valid reading for 脱する. There is no reading さつ for 脱. This may be a distractor designed to resemble other っする verbs.
• 3ぜっする is not a valid reading for 脱する. This could be confused with 絶する (ぜっする, 'to exhaust/cut off'), which uses a different kanji.
• 4いっする is not a valid reading for 脱する. This could be confused with 一する (いっする), which is not a common verb and uses a different kanji.

• 脱だっする — to escape from, to get out of, to free oneself from

Option 4 (こうしんりょう) is correct. 香辛料 (こうしんりょう) means 'spices, condiments.' It is a compound of 香 (こう, 'fragrance/aroma') + 辛 (しん, 'pungent/spicy') + 料 (りょう, 'material/ingredient'). The sentence means 'There is a wholesale store nearby that sells spices, so a good smell drifts around this area.'

• 1こうこうりょう incorrectly reads 辛 as こう. The kanji 辛 does not have a reading of こう.
• 2かしんりょう incorrectly reads 香 as か. While 香 can be read か in some contexts (e.g., お香), in this compound the on'yomi こう is standard.
• 3かこうりょう incorrectly reads 香 as か and 辛 as こう, combining two wrong readings.

• 香辛料こうしんりょう — spices, condiments
• 漂ただよう — to drift, to float (in the air), to hang over

折衷 is read せっちゅう. The kanji 折 can be read せつ (on'yomi) and 衷 is read ちゅう. The small つ in せっちゅう reflects the gemination (促音化) that occurs when せつ combines with ちゅう — the つ of せつ assimilates into the ち row, producing せっちゅう. 折衷 means 'compromise' or 'eclectic blend' (combining elements from different sources).

• 1せきちゅう — wrong reading of 折. The on'yomi of 折 is せつ, not せき. せき would be the reading of 関(せき) or 席(せき), making this a lookalike distractor.
• 2せきちょう — wrong on both syllables: せき for 折 (should be せつ) and ちょう for 衷 (should be ちゅう).
• 4せっちょう — the first part せっ is correct, but 衷 is read ちゅう, not ちょう. ちょう is the reading of 調(ちょう) or 帳(ちょう), making this a plausible near-miss.

• 折衷せっちゅう — compromise; eclectic blend (of styles, elements, etc.)
• 献立こんだて — menu; meal plan

献立 is read こんだて. 献 (on'yomi こん) + 立 (kun'yomi だて, a specialized reading used in this compound). 献立 means 'menu' or 'meal plan' — the list of dishes prepared for a meal.

• 1けんだて — wrong reading of 献. The on'yomi of 献 is こん, not けん. けん is the reading of 建(けん) or 検(けん), making this a lookalike distractor.
• 2けんりつ — wrong on both parts: けん for 献 (should be こん) and りつ for 立 (should be だて). りつ is the on'yomi of 立 as in 独立(どくりつ), but 献立 uses the kun'yomi だて.
• 4こんりつ — the first part こん is correct, but 立 is read だて in this compound, not りつ. りつ is the on'yomi seen in words like 建立(こんりつ) or 独立(どくりつ).

• 献立こんだて — menu; meal plan; list of dishes
• 和洋折衷わようせっちゅう — blend of Japanese and Western styles

典型 is read てんけい. 典 (on'yomi てん) + 型 (on'yomi けい). 典型 means 'typical example' or 'model/paradigm' — something that perfectly represents a category or pattern.

• 1ていがた — wrong reading of 典. The on'yomi of 典 is てん, not てい. てい is the reading of 程(てい) or 停(てい). Also, がた is a kun'yomi-style ending for 型, but in 典型 the on'yomi けい is used.
• 2ていけい — wrong reading of 典: てい instead of てん. Both characters would need to be てんけい, so this fails on the first syllable.
• 3てんがた — the first part てん is correct, but 型 is read けい (on'yomi) in this compound, not がた. がた appears in words like 型(かた) as a kun'yomi, but 典型 uses the on'yomi けい.

• 典型てんけい — typical example; model; paradigm

真珠 is read しんじゅ. 真 (on'yomi しん) + 珠 (on'yomi じゅ). 真珠 means 'pearl'. Note the dakuten on じゅ — 珠 is read しゅ in words like 珠玉(しゅぎょく), but in 真珠 it becomes voiced (連濁) to じゅ.

• 1しんしゅ — missing the voicing (連濁). 珠 alone is しゅ, but when combined with 真 in 真珠, the しゅ becomes voiced to じゅ. This is a common trap.
• 3しんしゅう — wrong reading of 珠. しゅう is the reading of 宗(しゅう) or 集(しゅう), not 珠. This adds an extra vowel sound.
• 4しんじゅう — has the correct dakuten じゅ, but adds an extra う at the end. じゅう is the reading of 重(じゅう) or 獣(じゅう), not 珠.

• 真珠しんじゅ — pearl
• 陶器とうき — pottery; ceramics

陶器 is read とうき. 陶 (on'yomi とう) + 器 (on'yomi き). 陶器 means 'pottery' or 'ceramics' — vessels or objects made of fired clay.

• 2どうき — wrong reading of 陶. 陶 is read とう, not どう. どう is the reading of 同(どう) or 銅(どう). This is a lookalike/rendaku trap, but 陶 does not undergo voicing here.
• 3とき — missing the long vowel う. 陶 is とう (with a long お sound), not と. This is a common trap for learners who shorten long vowels.
• 4どき — both wrong: ど instead of とう (wrong voicing and missing long vowel). どき is the reading of 土気 or 時(とき) with dakuten, none of which apply here.

• 陶器とうき — pottery; ceramics
• 土産みやげ — souvenir; gift