N2 Vocabulary · Test 59

悩む (なやむ) means 'to worry, to be troubled.' The te-form is 悩んで (なやんで). The sentence means 'Instead of worrying alone, why don't you consult someone?' Option 4 なやんで is the correct reading.

• 1うらんで is the reading for 恨んで (to bear a grudge, to resent). The kanji 恨 is different from 悩.
• 2にらんで is the reading for 睨んで (to glare at, to stare). Different kanji entirely.
• 3くやんで is the reading for 悔んで (to regret, to be chagrined). Though semantically related to negative emotions, 悔む is a different verb from 悩む.

• 悩なやむ — to worry, to be troubled
• 恨うらむ — to bear a grudge, to resent
• 睨にらむ — to glare at, to stare
• 悔くやむ — to regret, to be chagrined

相談 (そうだん) means 'consultation, discussion (to seek advice).' The sentence means 'Instead of worrying alone, why don't you consult someone?' Option 2 そうだん is the correct reading.

• 1しょうだん (商談) means 'business negotiation/talks.' Different word with similar kanji appearance.
• 3ざつだん (雑談) means 'casual chat, small talk.' Written 雑談 — plausible distractor but not the tested word.
• 4しんだん (診断) means 'diagnosis (medical).' Written 診断 — looks similar but is a different word.

• 相談そうだん — consultation, seeking advice
• 商談しょうだん — business negotiation
• 雑談ざつだん — casual chat, small talk
• 診断しんだん — diagnosis

絶対 (ぜったい) means 'absolutely, definitely.' The kanji 絶 (ぜつ) + 対 (たい) undergoes gemination: the つ of ぜつ assimilates with た, producing ぜったい. With the particle に, ぜったいに means 'absolutely, without fail.' The sentence means 'He is a person who absolutely never breaks a promise.' Option 4 ぜったい is correct.

• 1ぜつだい is incorrect — the second kanji 対 is read たい, not だい, and there should be gemination.
• 2ぜつたい has the right kanji readings but lacks the geminated っ. In modern Japanese this compound always geminates to ぜったい.
• 3ぜっだい has gemination but the wrong reading for 対 (だい instead of たい).

• 絶対ぜったいに — absolutely, definitely, without fail

約束 (やくそく) means 'promise, arrangement.' The sentence means 'He is a person who absolutely never breaks a promise.' Option 1 やくそく is the correct reading.

• 2やくぞく has incorrect voicing on the second syllable (ぞ instead of そ). This is a common deliberate distractor testing rendaku awareness.
• 3やっそく incorrectly inserts a geminated っ after や.
• 4やっぞく combines two errors: gemination (やっ) and voicing (ぞく).

• 約束やくそく — promise, arrangement

破る (やぶる) means 'to break (a promise, a rule, a record).' The negative form is 破らない (やぶらない). The collocation 約束を破る (to break a promise) is standard. The sentence means 'He is a person who absolutely never breaks a promise.' Option 3 やぶらない is correct.

• 1まもらない is the reading for 守らない (negative of 守る, 'to protect/keep'). While 約束を守る (to keep a promise) is a valid collocation, the tested kanji is 破, not 守, so this is a wrong-kanji distractor.
• 2はからない could be 計らない or 図らない ('to not plan/consider'). The kanji 破 is never read はか(る).
• 4かぎらない is the reading for 限らない ('not necessarily, not limited to'). Different kanji (限) entirely.

• 破やぶる — to break (a promise, rule, record)
• 守まもる — to protect, to keep (a promise)
• 限かぎる — to limit, to be confined to

予報 is read よほう, meaning 'forecast' or 'prediction.' In 天気予報 (てんきよほう) it means 'weather forecast.' The reading is よ (onyomi of 予) + ほう (onyomi of 報).

• 2ようぼう is a plausible distractor that inserts an extra う and voices the second syllable. No such word exists in this context.
• 3よぼう is the reading of 予防 (prevention, e.g., 予防注射), a lookalike kanji compound that shares the first character 予.
• 4ようほう is the reading of 要望 (demand/request) or 用法 (usage), both of which share similar onyomi but are unrelated to forecasting.

• 予報よほう — forecast, prediction
• 天気予報てんきよほう — weather forecast

列島 is read れっとう, meaning 'archipelago' or 'chain of islands.' The reading is れつ (onyomi of 列) + とう (onyomi of 島), with つ becoming っ (sokuon) before the voiceless と. 日本列島 (にほんれっとう) means 'the Japanese archipelago.'

• 1れつどう misreads 島 as どう instead of とう; this is not a valid reading of 列島.
• 2れいとう is the reading of 冷凍 (freezing), a lookalike compound that is semantically unrelated.
• 3れんどう is the reading of 連動 (linkage/interlocking), another lookalike compound sharing similar sounds.

• 列島れっとう — archipelago, chain of islands
• 日本列島にほんれっとう — the Japanese archipelago

全国的に is read ぜんこくてきに, meaning 'nationwide' or 'throughout the country.' 全国 (ぜんこく, 'the whole country') + 的 (てき, suffix forming adjectival nouns) + に (adverbial particle).

• 1ぜんくにてき misreads 国 as くに (its kunyomi) instead of こく (onyomi). The correct compound uses the onyomi.
• 3せんごくてき is the reading of 戦国的 (of the Warring States period), a lookalike using 戦 instead of 全.
• 4せんぐにてき combines both errors: wrong onyomi せん for 全 and kunyomi くに for 国.

• 全国的ぜんこくてき — nationwide, throughout the country
• 全国ぜんこく — the whole country

晴天 is read せいてん, meaning 'clear weather' or 'fair skies.' 晴 (せい, onyomi, 'clear/fine weather') + 天 (てん, 'sky/heaven'). 晴天が続く means 'clear weather continues.'

• 2せいでん voices the second syllable to でん; this is not a valid reading of 晴天.
• 3しょうてん misreads 晴 as しょう; しょうてん is actually 商店 (shop/store), a lookalike compound.
• 4しょうでん combines both errors; しょうでん could be 升殿 or other compounds, but is not a reading of 晴天.

• 晴天せいてん — clear weather, fair skies
• 晴せい/はれ — clear/fine weather

続く is read つづく, meaning 'to continue' or 'to last.' Here 晴天が続く means 'clear weather continues/will continue.' This is a kunyomi (Japanese-native reading) question.

• 1ひらく (開く) means 'to open,' which is semantically unrelated to weather continuing.
• 3かわく (乾く) means 'to dry,' which does not fit the context of weather lasting.
• 4うごく (動く) means 'to move,' also semantically inappropriate for weather.

• 続つづく — to continue, to last, to go on