N1 Vocabulary · Test 62

The correct reading of 偽造 is ぎぞう (gizō). 偽 is read here with its on'yomi ぎ, and 造 is read with its on'yomi ぞう. The word means 'counterfeiting' or 'forgery', which fits the context of the sentence: 'Counterfeiting of currency is severely punished as a serious crime because it threatens to undermine trust in economic transactions.'

• 1いそう is incorrect. Neither kanji is read this way in this compound. 偽 is not read as い here, and 造 is not read as そう.
• 2ぎそう is incorrect. While 偽 is correctly read as ぎ, 造 is read as ぞう, not そう.
• 3いぞう is incorrect. 造 is correctly read as ぞう, but 偽 is read as ぎ in this compound, not い.

• 偽造ぎぞう — counterfeiting, forgery
• 貨幣かへい — currency, coin, money
• 損そこなう — to impair, to damage, to compromise
• 処罰しょばつ — punishment, penalization

The correct reading for 損なう is そこなう. In this context, 信用を損なう means 'to damage/impair trust'. The sentence states that counterfeiting currency carries the risk of damaging the trust in economic transactions, which is why it is severely punished as a serious crime.

• 2まかなう (賄う) means 'to provide, to cover (e.g., expenses)'. It does not fit the context of damaging trust.
• 3おぎなう (補う) means 'to supplement, to make up for a shortage'. It does not mean to damage or impair.
• 4やしなう (養う) means 'to raise, to support, to nurture (e.g., a family)'. It is completely unrelated to the context of trust.

• 損そこなう — to damage, to impair, to compromise
• 賄まかなう — to provide, to cover (expenses)
• 補おぎなう — to supplement, to compensate for a lack
• 養やしなう — to raise, to support, to feed
• 貨幣かへい — currency, coin
• 偽造ぎぞう — counterfeiting, forgery
• 処罰しょばつ — punishment, penalization

犯罪 (はんざい) means 'crime' or 'criminal offense.' The stem states that counterfeiting currency is severely punished as a serious 犯罪 because it threatens trust in economic transactions. The standard reading of 犯 is はん (as in 犯人 はんにん), and 罪 is ざい (as in 罪悪 ざいあく), so together they form はんざい. Option 2 is correct.

• 1はんさい uses an unvoiced さ instead of the voiced ざ for 罪. The compound 犯罪 requires rendaku (sequential voicing), making 罪 read as ざい, not さい. This is a deliberate distractor for learners who forget rendaku.
• 3ばんさい has the wrong initial consonant for 犯. 犯 is read はん, not ばん. This option may also evoke 万歳 (ばんざい), a completely different word.
• 4ばんざい is the reading of 万歳 ('banzai! / long life!'), an unrelated word. Both characters' readings are wrong for 犯罪: 犯 is はん, not ばん, and while 罪 can become ざい, the first character is incorrect.

• 犯罪はんざい — crime, criminal offense
• 貨幣かへい — currency, coin/money
• 偽造ぎぞう — counterfeiting, forgery
• 損そこなう — to damage, impair, harm
• 処罰しょばつ — punishment, penalization

The correct reading of 厳しく is きびしく. In this sentence, 厳しく処罰される means 'punished strictly/severely.' 厳しい(きびしい) is the standard adjective used with 処罰 (punishment) to indicate strict, severe legal punishment, making option 2 the natural and correct choice.

• 1はげしく (激しく) means 'intensely, violently, fiercely' and is used for physical or emotional intensity (e.g., 激しい雨, 激しく怒る). It does not collocate naturally with 処罰される, which calls for strictness rather than violence/intensity.
• 3けわしく (険しく) means 'steep, rugged, stern' and typically describes terrain (険しい山道) or a stern expression/difficult situation. It is not used to modify 処罰 (punishment).
• 4ひとしく (等しく) means 'equally, alike.' While the sentence mentions that counterfeiting is a serious crime, the tested word 厳しく means 'strictly,' not 'equally,' so this reading does not fit the context.

• 厳きびしい — strict, severe, rigorous
• 処罰しょばつ — punishment, penalization
• 偽造ぎぞう — counterfeiting, forgery
• 損そこなう — to damage, impair, harm
• 激はげしい — intense, violent, fierce
• 険けわしい — steep, rugged, stern
• 等ひとしい — equal, identical

The correct reading of 処罰 is しょばつ. In this sentence, it means 'punished' or 'penalized.' The context is that counterfeiting currency is strictly punished as a serious crime because it threatens the trust in economic transactions.

• 2しょうばつ is incorrect because it inserts an unnecessary long vowel う. The kanji 処 is read しょ, not しょう.
• 3しょばち is incorrect because the second kanji 罰 is read ばつ, not ばち.
• 4しょうばち is incorrect for both reasons: it adds an unnecessary う to 処 and misreads 罰 as ばち instead of ばつ.

• 処罰しょばつ — punishment, penalty
• 貨幣かへい — currency, coin
• 偽造ぎぞう — counterfeiting, forgery
• 損そこなう — to impair, to damage

Option 4 is correct. The word 印象 (いんしょう) means 'impression'. In this sentence, it is used in the verb 印象づける (いんしょうづける), meaning 'to make an impression' or 'to emphasize so as to impress upon someone'. The kanji 印 is read as いん, and 象 is read as しょう in this compound.

• 1Option 1 (いんぞう) is wrong. While the kanji 象 can be read as ぞう when referring to an elephant (象), it does not take this reading in the compound 印象.
• 2Option 2 (いんそう) is wrong. The reading そう is not a valid reading for the kanji 象.
• 3Option 3 (いんじょう) is wrong. The reading じょう is not a valid reading for the kanji 象.

• 印象いんしょう — impression
• 印象いんしょうづける — to impress, to make a strong impression

The correct option is 3. The kanji 「狙い」 is read as 「ねらい」 and means 'aim', 'objective', or 'intention'. In the context of the sentence, 'with the aim of (ねらいであろう) especially emphasizing the government's stance of valuing foreign relations', it fits perfectly.

• 1「はからい」(計らい) means 'arrangement', 'management', or 'measure'. It does not match the kanji 「狙い」 nor the context of having an aim or intention.
• 2「ねぎらい」(労い) means 'reward', 'consolation', or 'appreciation' (as in rewarding someone's hard work). It is completely different in meaning and reading from 「狙い」.
• 4「いらい」(依頼) means 'request', 'commission', or 'entrustment'. While it might look somewhat similar to the shape of 「狙い」, it is a different word with a different meaning and reading.

• 狙ねらい — aim, objective, intention
• 計はからい — arrangement, management, measure
• 労ねぎらい — reward, consolation, appreciation
• 依頼いらい — request, commission, entrustment

The correct reading of 普及 is ふきゅう. 普 is read ふ and 及 is read きゅう. There is no 促音っ needed. The word means 'spread,' 'diffusion,' or 'popularization,' which fits the context: '教育の普及こそ近代国家発展の源である' (The spread of education is the very source of the development of a modern nation).

• 1ふっきゅう is incorrect because it inserts an unnecessary 促音っ. The kanji 普 does not trigger 促音化 before 及.
• 2ふっきょう is incorrect for two reasons: it inserts an unnecessary 促音っ, and it uses the wrong vowel for 及 (きょう instead of きゅう).
• 4ふきょう is incorrect because it uses the wrong vowel for 及. The kanji 及 is read きゅう (as in およぶ / 及ぶ), not きょう.

• 普及ふきゅう — spread, diffusion, popularization
• 源みなもと — source, origin
• 徹底てっていした — thorough, complete
• 義務教育ぎむきょういく — compulsory education

The correct reading for 源 in this context is みなもと. The word 源 (みなもと) means 'source', 'origin', or 'fountainhead'. In the sentence, it refers to the fundamental source or driving force behind the development of a modern nation. As a standalone word expressing this concept, it is read using its kun'yomi (みなもと).

• 1もと is a valid word meaning 'base', 'origin', or 'source', but it is typically written with the kanji 元 or 基. The kanji 源 is not read simply as もと.
• 2げん is the on'yomi (Chinese reading) of the kanji 源. While it is used in many compound words like 資源 (しげん - resources) or 電源 (でんげん - power source), when the kanji stands alone to mean 'source' or 'origin' followed by である, it is read as みなもと.
• 3おおもと means 'the very beginning' or 'origin', but it is written with the kanji 大元. It does not use the kanji 源.

• 源みなもと — source, origin, fountainhead
• 普及ふきゅう — spread,普及, diffusion
• 発展はってん — development, growth
• 徹底てっていした — thorough, exhaustive
• 義務教育ぎむきょういく — compulsory education

The correct reading for 徹底 is てってい. The kanji 徹 is read てつ and 底 is read てい. When combined, the つ of 徹 undergoes 促音便 (sokuonbin, sound change to a small 'っ') before the て of 底, resulting in てってい. In this context, 徹底した means 'thorough' or 'carried through completely'.

• 1とうてい is the reading for 到底 (とうてい), which means 'to the end' or 'in the first place' (usually used with a negative verb, e.g., 到底できない 'impossible'). It is a lookalike/distractor option.
• 2とってい is not a valid reading for 徹底. It is a distractor that mimics the correct 促音便 (sokuonbin) pattern but starts with the wrong initial kana.
• 4てつてい is a plausible but incorrect reading. It correctly identifies the base readings of the individual kanji (てつ + てい) but fails to apply the 促音便 (sokuonbin) sound change, which is required for the correct pronunciation てってい.

• 徹底てってい — thoroughness, carrying through completely
• 到底とうてい — to the end, altogether (used with negative verbs)
• 普及ふきゅう — spread,普及, popularization
• 義務教育ぎむきょういく — compulsory education