N2 Vocabulary · Test 50

方針 (ほうしん) means 'policy' or 'course of action/direction,' typically used by organizations, governments, or companies to indicate the direction they will take. Option 4, '教育に関する政府の方針が大きく変わった' (The government's policy on education changed significantly), is the correct usage — 方針 naturally collocates with 政府 (government) and 教育 (education).

• 1台風の方針 is wrong. The direction a typhoon moves is 方向 (ほうこう), not 方針. 方針 refers to a deliberate policy or plan, not a physical direction.
• 2私の今年の方針 is unnatural. A personal goal like 'memorizing 600 kanji' is a 目標 (もくひょう, goal/target), not a 方針. 方針 implies an organizational or systematic course of action, not an individual's resolution.
• 3料理を作る方針 is wrong. The method or procedure for making a dish is 作り方 (つくりかた) or 方法 (ほうほう). 方針 is not used for recipes or procedures.

• 方針ほうしん — policy; course of action; direction (of an organization)
• 方向ほうこう — direction (physical)
• 目標もくひょう — goal; target

範囲 (はんい) means 'range' or 'scope,' referring to the extent or area covered by something. Option 3, '明日は広い範囲で強い雨が降るでしょう' (Tomorrow, heavy rain will fall over a wide area), is correct — 広い範囲 (wide range/area) is a natural and common collocation for weather forecasts.

• 1二つの範囲に分かれている is wrong. When a town is divided into two parts by a river, those parts are 地域 (ちいき) or 地区 (ちく), not 範囲. 範囲 refers to an extent/scope, not a named or bounded subdivision.
• 2新しい範囲に進出した is wrong. A company expanding into a new field or market uses 分野 (ぶんや, field) or 市場 (しじょう, market). 範囲 does not refer to a business sector or territory one enters.
• 4家から駅までの範囲は2キロ is wrong. The physical distance between two points is 距離 (きょり). 範囲 refers to an area or scope, not a linear distance measurement.

• 範囲はんい — range; scope; extent
• 地域ちいき — area; region
• 分野ぶんや — field (of activity/business)
• 距離きょり — distance

せめて means 'at least,' expressing a speaker's desire or wish for a minimum acceptable level. It is used when the speaker wants something to happen at a minimum. Option 3, '京都に行くなら、せめて1泊はしたい' (If I go to Kyoto, I'd like to stay at least one night), is correct — せめて naturally precedes a desired minimum (1泊) with the volitional/desire form したい.

• 1せめて1万円はするだろう is wrong. When estimating a minimum price or amount, the correct word is 少なくとも (すくなくとも, at least). せめて expresses a personal wish/desire, not an objective estimation.
• 2せめて10時には着けない is wrong. せめて is not used with negative outcomes like 着けない (cannot arrive). The intended meaning here ('even if I take a taxi, I can't arrive by 10:00') would use どうしても or いくら〜ても. せめて requires a positive desire.
• 4せめて50点は取れた is wrong. せめて is not used for past results that were actually achieved. When expressing relief that a minimum was somehow reached, the correct word is なんとか or どうにか (somehow managed to). せめて is forward-looking, expressing a wish.

• せめて — at least (expressing a minimum wish/desire)
• 少すくなくとも — at least (minimum estimate/amount)
• どうにか — somehow; managed to

利益 (りえき) primarily means 'profit' in a financial/commercial sense — the money gained after costs are subtracted. Option 2, 'この値段で売ったら、店の利益はほとんどない' (If sold at this price, the store's profit would be almost nothing), is correct — 利益 naturally collocates with 売る (sell), 値段 (price), and 店 (store) in a business context.

• 1健康の利益になる is wrong. The natural expression is 健康のためになる (is good for one's health) or 健康に良い. While 利益 can theoretically mean 'benefit,' the phrase 健康の利益になる is not natural Japanese; 効果 (こうか, effect) or ため is used instead.
• 3かぜ薬の利益が感じられない is wrong. The effect or efficacy of medicine is 効果 (こうか). 利益 is not used for the perceived effect of medication.
• 4バスの利益 is wrong. An advantage or merit of a mode of transportation is 利点 (りてん) or メリット (merit). 利益 in this context would be confused with 'profit,' which does not apply to describing a transportation advantage.

• 利益りえき — profit (financial); benefit
• 効果こうか — effect; efficacy
• 利点りてん — advantage; merit; good point

かなう (叶う) means 'a wish or dream comes true / is realized.' It takes a desire, dream, or hope as its subject. Option 4, '自分の店を持つという夢が、とうとうかなった' (The dream of having my own shop finally came true), is correct — 夢がかなう (a dream comes true) is the most standard and iconic collocation for this verb.

• 1苦労がかない is wrong. Hard work paying off is expressed as 苦労が報われる (くろうがむくわれる, hardships are rewarded). 叶う is for wishes/dreams, not for effort being rewarded.
• 2天気予報がかない is wrong. A weather forecast being correct is 天気予報が当たる (あたる, to hit/be correct). 叶う is not used for predictions coming true.
• 3イベントが無事かなった is wrong. An event being held successfully is イベントが無事に終わった (finished safely) or 成功した (succeeded). 叶う requires a wish or dream as its subject, not an event or project.

• 叶かなう — (a wish/dream) comes true; is realized
• 報むくわれる — (effort/hardship) is rewarded
• 当あたる — to be correct (prediction); to hit

「地元」 is read 「じもと」, meaning 'local; one's hometown area'. 「地」 has the on-yomi ジ (as in 地下/ちか, 地元/じもと) and 「元」 is read もと. The word describes the area where someone lives or where something is located, so 'この大学はじもとの学生が多い' means 'This university has many local students.' Option 4 is correct.

• 1「ちげん」 is wrong: 「地」 can be ち/じ, but 「元」 is not read げん here. げん is the on-yomi seen in 元気(げんき), but 地元 uses もと.
• 2「ちもと」 is wrong: the first kanji 「地」 in this compound is read じ (voiced), not ち. The rendaku (voicing) makes ちもと → じもと.
• 3「じげん」 is wrong: it mixes the correct じ with the wrong げん reading of 「元」. This is a plausible distractor combining valid on/kun elements incorrectly.

• 地元じもと — local; one's own area/hometown

「密接」 is read 「みっせつ」, meaning 'close; intimate; closely connected'. 「密」 is みつ (with a small っ), and 「接」 is せつ. The sentence '両国は経済的にみっせつな関係にある' means 'The two countries are in a closely connected economic relationship.' Option 3 is correct.

• 1「ひっせつ」 is wrong: 「密」 is not read ひつ. This distractor mimics the shape of 必(ひつ) or 筆(ひつ), but 密 is みつ.
• 2「みつせつ」 is wrong: it lacks the small っ after み. The correct reading has the geminate みっせつ, not みつせつ.
• 4「ひつせつ」 is wrong: it combines the wrong reading ひつ for 「密」 with the correct せつ, and also lacks the small っ. Necessary(必要) is ひつよう, but 密 is みつ.

• 密接みっせつ — close; closely connected; intimate

「豊富」 is read 「ほうふ」, meaning 'abundant; plentiful; rich'. Both kanji use on-yomi: 豊(ほう) and 富(ふ). The sentence '野菜にはビタミンがほうふに含まれている' means 'Vegetables contain abundant vitamins.' Option 3 is correct.

• 1「のうふ」 is wrong: it uses the kun-yomi-based readings のう (as in 豊か/ゆたか? no—のう is actually from 農) and ふ. 豊 is not read のう.
• 2「ほうふう」 is wrong: 「富」 is read ふ, not ふう. The long vowel う is incorrect.
• 4「のうふう」 is wrong: it combines wrong readings のう and ふう for both kanji. These resemble 農(のう) and 風(ふう) but are not the readings of 豊富.

• 豊富ほうふ — abundant; plentiful; rich

「補いたい」 is read 「おぎないたい」, the -たい form of 「補う」(おぎなう), meaning 'to make up for; to compensate; to supplement'. The sentence '実力が足りないところは、努力でおぎないたい' means 'Where my ability falls short, I want to make up for it with effort.' Option 4 is correct.

• 1「やしないたい」 is wrong: this is 養う(やしなう), 'to raise/nourish/support', a different verb with a similar semantic field of 'building up', but not 補う.
• 2「すくいたい」 is wrong: this is 救う(すくう), 'to save/rescue/help'. It does not match the kanji 補.
• 3「かばいたい」 is wrong: this is 庇う(かばう), 'to protect/shield/cover for'. Again a near-synonym in the sense of 'covering a weakness', but not the reading of 補う.

• 補おぎなう — to make up for; to compensate; to supplement

「率直」 is read 「そっちょく」, meaning 'frank; straightforward; candid'. 「率」 is そつ (with a small っ before ちょく), and 「直」 is ちょく. The sentence 'みなさんのそっちょくな考えを聞かせてください' means 'Please let me hear your frank opinions.' Option 3 is correct.

• 1「そつじき」 is wrong: 「直」 here is ちょく, not じき. じき is the reading in 直(じき) as in 直接? no—直接 is ちょくせつ. じき appears in 直(じき) 'directly/soon', but not in 率直.
• 2「りつじき」 is wrong: it uses the wrong on-yomi りつ for 「率」 (as in 率/りつ, e.g. 比率ひりつ) and the wrong じき for 「直」. This is a plausible distractor using valid on-yomi of each kanji but not the compound's actual reading.
• 4「りっちょく」 is wrong: it uses りつ (with small っ) for 「率」, which is the reading in words like 利率(りりつ), but in 率直 the first kanji is read そつ, not りつ.

• 率直そっちょく — frank; straightforward; candid