N1 Vocabulary · Test 54

肝心 is read かんじん, meaning 'crucial, essential, of utmost importance.' The sentence means 'In everything, the beginning is what matters most.' かんじん is the correct reading.

• 1たんしん is not a valid reading for 肝心. It may be confused with 丹心 (たんしん), meaning 'sincerity / devotion,' a different word.
• 2かんしん is the reading of 感心 (かんしん), meaning 'admiration / to be impressed,' or 関心 (かんしん), meaning 'interest / concern' — neither is 肝心.
• 3たんじん is not a valid reading for 肝心. There is no common word with this reading.

• 肝心かんじん — crucial, essential, of utmost importance
• 関心かんしん — interest, concern
• 感心かんしん — admiration, being impressed

The correct phrase is ほこりまみれ (埃まみれ), meaning 'covered in dust.' The suffix まみれ (from まみれる) attaches to a noun to indicate being covered or smeared in something undesirable. ほこりまみれになっている describes the old doll sitting in the corner of the storage room, covered in dust. Note: option 3 appears to contain a transcription error—it should read まみれ, not ままみれ (see issues).

• 1ぐるみ means 'including/covering all' (e.g., 家族ぐるみ 'the whole family'). It does not collocate with ほこり.
• 2がらみ means 'related to/tied to' (e.g., 事件がらみ 'connected to an incident'). It does not collocate with ほこり.
• 4ずくめ means 'entirely/consisting only of' (e.g., 黒ずくめ 'all in black'). While it can attach to nouns, ほこりずくめ is not an established expression and does not convey 'covered in dust.'

• まみれ — covered in / smeared with (something undesirable, e.g., dust, blood, sweat)
• ぐるみ — including / as a whole (group)
• がらみ — connected with / related to
• ずくめ — entirely / consisting only of

弾む (はずむ) means 'to become lively/animated' and the collocation 会話が弾む is a common expression meaning 'the conversation flows well / is lively.' The sentence says that because Kimura-san shares the same hobbies, their conversations are always lively.

• 1舞う (まう) means 'to dance / flutter' (e.g., 落ち葉が舞う 'leaves flutter'). It does not collocate with 会話.
• 3転がる (ころがる) means 'to roll over / tumble.' It does not collocate with 会話.
• 4跳ねる (はねる) means 'to jump / bounce / splash.' It does not collocate with 会話.

• 弾はずむ — to become lively (of conversation); to bounce; to swell
• 舞まう — to dance / flutter in the air
• 転ころがる — to roll / tumble
• 跳はねる — to jump / bounce / splash

実情 (じつじょう) means 'actual conditions / real circumstances.' 地域の実情に合った医療のシステム means 'a medical system suited to the actual conditions of the region.' This is the natural collocation.

• 2実況 (じっきょう) means 'live broadcast / play-by-play commentary' (e.g., 実況中継). It does not fit the context of regional medical systems.
• 3実権 (じっけん) means 'real power / actual authority' (e.g., 実権を握る 'seize real power'). It does not fit here.
• 4実在 (じつざい) means 'actual existence' (e.g., 実在する人物 'a real/historical person'). It does not fit here.

• 実情じつじょう — actual conditions / real circumstances
• 実況じっきょう — live broadcast / play-by-play commentary
• 実権じっけん — real power / actual authority
• 実在じつざい — actual existence

逸材 (いつざい) means 'outstanding talent / exceptional person.' 十年に一人の逸材 is a set expression meaning 'a once-in-a-decade talent,' perfectly describing an extraordinary athlete.

• 1玄人 (くろうと) means 'expert / professional (as opposed to amateur).' While it denotes skill, it contrasts with 素人 (amateur) and does not convey the rarity or exceptional nature implied by 十年に一人.
• 2大家 (たいか) means 'master / authority' in a field (e.g., 学問の大家). It is typically used for scholars or artists, not athletes, and does not pair with 十年に一人.
• 3巨匠 (きょしょう) means 'great master,' used especially for renowned artists, directors, or writers. It is not used for athletes and does not fit the pattern 十年に一人の___.

• 逸材いつざい — outstanding talent / exceptional person
• 玄人くろうと — expert / professional (vs. amateur)
• 大家たいか — master / authority in a field
• 巨匠きょしょう — great master (esp. in arts/film)

兆し（きざし）means 'sign, indication, omen (of something beginning to appear).' The sentence says signs of economic recovery are finally becoming visible. The correct reading is きざし (option 3).

• 1しるし is the reading of 印/標 (mark/sign), a different word from 兆し.
• 2あかし is the reading of 証 (proof/evidence), not used for 兆し.
• 4ひざし is the reading of 陽射し/日差し (sunlight/sunshine), unrelated to 'sign.'

• 兆きざし — sign, indication, omen (of something starting to appear)

猛（もう） is correct. The phrase 猛反対（もうはんたい） is a common compound noun meaning 'fierce/strenuous opposition.' The sentence means 'When I said I would quit university, my mother fiercely opposed it.' 猛反対される is a very standard collocation.

• 2強（きょう） does not form the compound 強反対 in standard Japanese. While 強 means 'strong,' the fixed word for 'strong/fierce opposition' is 猛反対, not 強反対.
• 3頑（がん） does not combine with 反対. 頑 appears in words like 頑固（がんこ, stubborn） or 頑張る, but 頑反対 is not a word.
• 4厳（げん） means 'strict/severe,' but 厳反対 is not an established compound. The correct collocation for 'fierce opposition' is 猛反対.

• 猛反対もうはんたい — fierce/strenuous opposition
• 猛もう — fierce, violent, drastic

無謀（むぼう） is correct. It means 'reckless, rash, foolhardy' — undertaking something without proper planning or regard for danger. Climbing a winter mountain in light clothing (軽装) is exactly the kind of reckless act 無謀 describes.

• 1無残（むざん） means 'cruel, merciless' or 'miserable/tragic (e.g., a miserable defeat).' It describes an outcome or state of cruelty, not the recklessness of an action.
• 3無実（むじつ） means 'innocence, not guilty' or 'baseless (as in 無実の罪).' It has nothing to do with recklessness.
• 4無念（むねん） means 'regret, chagrin, vexation' — a feeling of deep disappointment. It describes an emotion, not a reckless action.

• 無謀むぼう — reckless, rash, foolhardy
• 軽装けいそう — light clothing, traveling light

会心（かいしん） is correct. 会心の出来（かいしんのでき） is a set phrase meaning 'a result one is thoroughly satisfied with' or 'a masterpiece one can be proud of.' The sentence means 'This work can be said to be a result he is truly satisfied with.'

• 1核心（かくしん） means 'core, crux, heart (of a matter).' 核心の出来 is not a meaningful collocation.
• 2真心（まごころ） means 'sincerity, devotion, heartfelt effort.' While it can describe effort, 真心の出来 is not an established expression.
• 4気心（きごころ） means 'disposition, temperament (as in 気心が知れる, to understand each other's personality).' 気心の出来 is not a valid phrase.

• 会心の出来（かいしんのでき） — a result one is fully satisfied with; a proud achievement
• 会心かいしん — satisfaction, gratification

ニュアンス (nuance) is correct. The sentence means 'This word contains a slightly critical nuance.' ニュアンス refers to a subtle shade of meaning or feeling conveyed by language, which fits perfectly with やや批判的な ('slightly critical').

• 1センス (sense) refers to aesthetic taste or good judgment (e.g., ファッションセンス). A word does not 'contain' a センス.
• 2キャラクター (character) refers to a person's personality or a fictional character. It does not apply to a subtle meaning within a word.
• 4インスピレーション (inspiration) refers to a sudden creative idea or flash of insight. It is unrelated to a subtle critical tone embedded in a word.

• ニュアンス（にゅあんす） — nuance, subtle shade of meaning
• 批判的ひはんてき — critical