N2 Vocabulary · Test 106

「むれ」is 群れ, meaning 'flock/herd/group (of animals or people)'. The sentence means 'A flock of birds drew a large circle and flew off into the northern sky.' 群 (むれ/ぐん) means 'crowd/flock/herd'.

• 2組れ — 組 (くみ) means 'group/set/team' (e.g., a 組 of people), but it is read くみ, not むれ, and is not used for a flock of birds.
• 3族れ — 族 (ぞく) means 'tribe/family/clan' (as in 家族, 民族); it is not read むれ and is not used for a flock of birds.
• 4団れ — 団 (だん) means 'group/association' (as in 団体, 団子); it is not read むれ and is not used for a flock of birds.

• 群むれ — flock, herd, swarm, group (of animals/people)
• 描えがいて — drawing (a shape), tracing

輪 (わ) is the correct kanji for わ in this sentence. 大きな輪をえがいて means 'drawing a large ring/circle.' 輪 refers to a physical ring, loop, or circular formation — exactly the shape a flock of birds makes when flying together in a circle.

• 1円 (えん) means 'circle' but is used in more abstract, mathematical, or geometric contexts (e.g., 円を描く). It is not read as わ in this usage and does not naturally describe a flock's flight pattern.
• 2丸 (まる) means 'round' or 'circle' and is typically used as an adjective/noun for roundness (e.g., 丸い). It is not read as わ and does not fit the compound 輪をえがく.
• 3周 (しゅう) means 'circumference' or 'week' and is read しゅう, not わ. It does not mean a ring or circular shape.

• 輪わ — ring, loop, circle (physical shape)
• えがいて（描いて） — drawing, tracing (te-form of 描く)
• むれ（群れ） — flock, herd, group

飛んで (とんで) is the te-form of 飛ぶ (とぶ, 'to fly'). 飛んでいった means 'flew away.' This is the correct verb for birds moving through the sky.

• 1羽んで is not a valid Japanese word. 羽 (はね/う) means 'feather/wing' and cannot form a verb this way. It is a plausible-looking distractor using a bird-related kanji.
• 2昇んで is not a valid conjugation. 昇る (のぼる) means 'to ascend/rise,' and its te-form is 昇って (のぼって), not 昇んで. The kanji is also read のぼる, not とぶ.
• 4離んで is not a valid conjugation. 離れる (はなれる, 'to separate') has te-form 離れて, and 離す (はなす) has te-form 離して. Neither produces 離んで. The kanji resembles 飛 visually, making it a deliberate distractor.

• 飛とぶ — to fly
• 飛とんでいった — flew away (past tense)

総人口 (そうじんこう) means 'total population.' 総 (そう) means 'total/overall,' and 人口 (じんこう) means 'population.' Together they form the standard compound 総人口, read exactly as そうじんこう, fitting the sentence 'This country's total population is about 100 million.'

• 1計人口 is not a standard Japanese compound. 計 (けい) means 'calculation/total,' but 計人口 is not an established word. The reading would also not be そうじんこう.
• 2算入口 is not a real word. 算 (さん) and 入 (にゅう) are unrelated kanji that do not form a population-related term. This is a fabricated distractor using similar-looking kanji.
• 3全人口 (ぜんじんこう) means 'entire population' and is a real word, but its reading is ぜんじんこう, not そうじんこう. The kanji 全 is read ぜん, not そう, so it does not match the underlined reading.

• 総人口そうじんこう — total population
• 約やく — approximately, about
• 1おく人（いちおくにん） — 100 million people

億 (おく) is the correct kanji, meaning 'one hundred million' (10^8). 約1億人 means 'approximately 100 million people.' This is the standard numeral kanji used in Japanese for this quantity.

• 2憶 (おく) has the same reading おく but means 'to remember/recall' (as in 記憶, memory). It is a lookalike kanji sharing the same phonetic component, but it is not used as a numeral.
• 3臆 (おく) also reads おく but means 'timid/fearful' (as in 臆病, cowardice). It is another lookalike distractor with the same reading but an unrelated meaning.

• 億おく — one hundred million (10^8)
• 憶おく — to remember, recollection
• 臆おく — timid, fearful

The reading ひつよう corresponds to 必要, meaning 'necessary / need.' 必 (ひつ) means 'inevitable/necessary' and 要 (よう) means 'need/essential.' 必要だ means 'is necessary,' fitting the sentence 'It is necessary for couples to understand each other.'

• 1秘容 uses 秘 (ひ, 'secret') and 容 (よう, 'appearance/contain'). 秘 has a similar reading to 必 but means 'secret,' not 'necessary.' 容 looks similar to 要 but has a different meaning.
• 2秘要 uses 秘 (ひ, 'secret') instead of 必. While 要 is correct, 秘 does not match the reading ひつ and means 'secret,' not 'necessary.'
• 3必容 uses 必 (ひつ, correct) but 容 (よう, 'appearance/contain') instead of 要. 容 and 要 share the reading よう but 容 does not mean 'need/essential.'

• 必要ひつよう — necessary, need
• 必要ひつようだ — is necessary

The reading しゅしよう corresponds to 首相 (しゅしょう), meaning 'prime minister.' The sentence says 'Our country's prime minister will visit Japan next month.' 首相 is the correct kanji compound: 首 (head/chief) + 相 (minister/premier).

• 1首政 is not a real word. 政 (せい) means 'politics/government,' but this compound does not exist.
• 2首省 is not a real word. 省 (しょう) means 'ministry,' but this compound does not exist.
• 4首正 is not a real word. 正 (しょう/せい) means 'correct/right,' but this compound does not exist.

• 首相しゅしょう — prime minister
• 訪問ほうもん — visit (formal)
• わが国（わがくに） — our country

The reading ほうもん corresponds to 訪問 (ほうもん), meaning 'visit.' The sentence says 'Our country's prime minister will visit Japan next month.' 訪 (visit) + 問 (ask/question, but here part of the compound for 'visit') = 訪問, a common formal word for a diplomatic or official visit.

• 2訪門 is not a real word. 門 (もん) means 'gate,' not the correct second kanji.
• 3防問 is not a real word. 防 (ぼう) means 'defense/prevention' — a lookalike with a different radical meaning.
• 4防門 is not a real word. Both kanji are wrong: 防 (defense) + 門 (gate).

• 訪問ほうもん — visit (formal/diplomatic)
• 訪おとずれる — to visit (verb)
• 防ぼう — defense, prevention (as in 防犯, 防災)

The reading たたみ corresponds to 畳 (たたみ), meaning 'tatami mat.' The sentence says 'If you sit on tatami for a long time, your legs go numb.' 畳 is the correct kanji for Japanese tatami flooring.

• 2萱 (かや) means 'miscanthus grass' — a different plant/material, not tatami.
• 3宣 (せん) means 'proclaim/declare' — unrelated in meaning and reading.
• 4宜 (ぎ) means 'proper/fitting' (as in 宜しい) — unrelated in meaning and reading.

• 畳たたみ — tatami mat (Japanese straw flooring)
• しびれる — to go numb (legs, etc.)
• 長時間ちょうじかん — long time

The reading すわる corresponds to 座る (すわる), meaning 'to sit.' The sentence says 'If you sit on tatami for a long time, your legs go numb.' 座る is the standard verb for 'to sit (down).'

• 1席る is not a valid verb form. 席 (せき) means 'seat,' but it is not used as a verb すわる.
• 3並る is not a real word. 並 (なら) appears in 並ぶ (ならぶ, to line up), but 並る does not exist.
• 4列る is not a real word. 列 (れつ) means 'row/line,' but it cannot form this verb.

• 座すわる — to sit (down)
• 席せき — seat
• 並ならぶ — to line up, to stand in a line