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JLPT N1 Psychology & Human Nature Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N1 Psychology & Human Nature vocabulary with readings and example sentences (76 words).

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76 words for the nuanced inner life — a genuinely literary vocabulary set describing emotional and psychological states with a precision everyday Japanese doesn't need, drawn from the kind of introspective prose common in N1 reading passages.

This article is part of our JLPT N1 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 76 words with the Psychology & Human Nature Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Worry, Panic & Mental Collapse (10)

States of acute distress, confusion, or breakdown.

concern懸念kenen

景気の悪化が懸念されている。 — There are concerns about the worsening economy.

concern; anxiety憂慮yuuryo

その報告で、水の安全性への憂慮が強まった。 — The report heightened concerns about the safety of the water.

hesitation; reluctance逡巡shunjun

厳しい質問に、彼女は逡巡した。 — She hesitated before answering the harsh question.

distress; anguish苦悩kunou

職を失って、彼は苦悩した。 — He suffered great anguish after losing his job.

sense of irritation; restlessness焦燥感shousoukan

返事を待つ間、焦燥感が募った。 — I felt restless waiting for the reply.

exhaustion; emaciation憔悴shousui

夜勤のあと、彼は憔悴していた。 — After the night shift, he looked exhausted.

panic; confusion狼狽roubai

突然の発表に、彼は狼狽した。 — He panicked when he heard the sudden announcement.

stunned; bewildered呆然bouzen

その知らせを聞いて、彼女は呆然とした。 — She stood stunned after hearing the news.

confusion; derangement錯乱sakuran

突然の知らせに、彼女は錯乱した。 — The sudden news left her in confusion.

collapse; exhaustion虚脱kyodatsu

徹夜が続き、彼は虚脱状態に陥った。 — After several nights of staying up late, he fell into a state of exhaustion.

Grief, Regret & Self-Reproach (13)

Looking inward with sorrow, shame, or reflection.

self-mockery自嘲jichou

私は自嘲して、その失敗を笑った。 — I laughed at my own failure in self-mockery.

lingering attachment未練miren

彼は故郷への未練が残っていた。 — He still had lingering attachment to his hometown.

remorse; regret悔恨kaikon

彼は自分のしたことに悔恨を覚えた。 — He was overcome with remorse for what he had done.

self-reproach; self-blame自責jiseki

彼女は失敗のあと、自責の念にとらわれた。 — She fell into self-blame after the failure.

introspection内省naisei

自分を知りたいときは、内省が大切だ。 — Introspection is important when you want to know yourself.

deliberation熟慮jukuryo

熟慮の末、その申し出を受けることにした。 — After much deliberation, I decided to accept the offer.

unawareness無自覚mujikaku

彼は自分のミスに無自覚だった。 — He remained unaware of his own mistake.

servile; meek in a self-deprecating way卑屈hikutsu

彼の卑屈な態度は、かえって周囲の反感を買った。 — His servile attitude only made everyone dislike him.

sorrowful regret哀惜aiseki

彼の死を聞いて、深い哀惜の念を抱いた。 — Upon hearing of his death, I felt deep sorrow and regret.

tragedy; mournfulness悲愴hisou

舞台は、悲愴な沈黙のまま終わった。 — The play ended in tragic silence.

lamentation; deep regret慨嘆gaitan

彼はその喪失に慨嘆した。 — He expressed deep lamentation over the loss.

self-deprecation; self-mockery自虐jigyaku

彼はよく自虐的な言い方をする。 — He often speaks in a self-deprecating way.

cowardice; timidity臆病okubyou

彼は臆病で、意見を言えなかった。 — He was too timid to voice his opinion.

Anger, Contempt & Long-Held Resentment (10)

Hostility toward others, whether explosive or slow-burning.

conflict; inner struggle相克soukoku

義務と欲望の相克に苦しみました。 — I struggled with the conflict between duty and desire.

avoidance; evasion忌避kihi

その質問への回答を忌避しました。 — I avoided answering the question.

resentment; grievance怨恨enkon

その不公平な扱いに、彼は怨恨を抱いていた。 — He harbored resentment toward the unfair treatment.

grudge; deep-seated resentment遺恨ikon

両家の間には今も遺恨が残っている。 — There is still a grudge between the two families.

grudge; resentment恨みurami

彼女は今でも彼に恨みを抱いている。 — She still holds a grudge against him.

arrogance; haughtiness傲慢gouman

彼の傲慢な態度は、チームの不信を招くだけだった。 — His arrogant attitude only invited distrust from the team.

fanaticism; obsession偏執henshuu

彼の偏執は、成功への執着へと変わっていった。 — His obsession gradually turned into an attachment to success.

narrow-mindedness偏狭henkyou

彼らの偏狭さが話し合いを難しくした。 — Their narrow-mindedness made discussion difficult.

stubbornness; obstinacy頑迷ganmei

彼の頑迷さが妥協を妨げた。 — His stubbornness hindered compromise.

rebellion; resistance反発hanpatsu

新しい規則に対して、社員たちは強く反発した。 — The employees strongly resisted the new rule.

Jealousy, Longing & Intoxicating Desire (10)

Wanting something intensely — a person, an outcome, or a feeling.

jealousy; envy嫉妬shitto

彼の成功に、彼女は嫉妬を隠せなかった。 — She could not hide her jealousy at his success.

envy; admiration羨望senbou

彼女の落ち着いた話し方に、羨望の念を抱いた。 — I felt admiration for her calm way of speaking.

obstinate; persistent執拗shitsuyou

刑事は執拗な質問で容疑者を追い詰めた。 — The detective pursued the suspect with persistent questions.

longing; aspiration希求kikyuu

彼は国際分野で働くことを希求している。 — He aspires to work in the international field.

earnest desire; yearning切望setsubou

彼女は家族にもう一度会うことを切望している。 — She earnestly desires to see her family again.

craving; longing渇望katsubou

仕事のあと、少しの静けさを渇望する人は多い。 — Many people crave a little quiet after work.

passion; emotion情念jounen

その歌には、切ない情念がこもっていた。 — The song was filled with poignant passion.

ecstasy; intoxication陶酔tousui

待ち続けた結果を聞いて、彼は陶酔した。 — He became ecstatic upon hearing the long-awaited result.

ecstasy; trance恍惚koukotsu

彼女は美しい音楽に恍惚とした。 — She fell into ecstasy listening to the beautiful music.

partiality; favoritism偏愛henai

先生は一人の生徒を偏愛していた。 — The teacher showed favoritism toward one student.

Joy, Warmth & Composure (8)

Positive emotional and social states.

harmony; amicability和気waki

会議室には和気あいあいとした空気が満ちていた。 — The meeting room was filled with a friendly, harmonious atmosphere.

joy; delight歓喜kanki

会場は歓喜に包まれた。 — The whole hall erupted in joy.

cheer; delight快哉kaisai

結果を聞いて、思わず快哉を叫んだ。 — When I heard the result, I couldn't help but exclaim in delight.

good feeling; favorable impression好感koukan

彼女の落ち着いた対応は、皆に好感を与えた。 — Her calm response left a good impression on everyone.

pity; compassion憐憫renbin

一人で立つ子どもを見て、憐憫の情を覚えた。 — I felt pity for the child standing alone.

detachment; philosophical insight達観takkan

彼は苦労の末に達観に至った。 — After much hardship, he attained detachment.

calm indifference恬淡tentan

彼は名声や金銭に恬淡だった。 — He had a calm indifference to fame and money.

sensitivity; impressionability多感takan

彼女は多感なので、悲しい知らせですぐに落ち込む。 — She is so sensitive that she quickly gets upset by sad news.

Fear, Awe & Overexcitement (6)

Intense reactions to something powerful or threatening.

shudder; terror戦慄senritsu

その知らせは部屋の人々に戦慄を与えた。 — The news sent a shudder through the room.

fear; awe畏怖ifu

その洞窟は私たちに畏怖の念を抱かせた。 — The cave inspired us with awe.

reverence; awe畏敬ikei

私は先生に畏敬の念を抱いている。 — I have deep reverence for my teacher.

nervousness; oversensitivity神経質shinkeishitsu

彼は細かいミスにも神経質だ。 — He is overly sensitive even about small mistakes.

ill feeling悪感情akukanjou

彼の悪感情が私に向いているのが分かった。 — I could feel his ill feeling toward me.

fervor; frenzy熱狂nekkyou

会場は熱狂に包まれた。 — The arena was filled with fervor.

Detachment, Apathy & Emptiness (8)

Withdrawal from feeling, motivation, or engagement.

indifference; unconcern無頓着mutonchaku

彼は世間の評判に無頓着だった。 — He remained indifferent to public opinion.

absent-mindedness; daze放心houshin

私は放心して約束を忘れた。 — I was in a daze and forgot the appointment.

sense of emptiness空虚感kuukyokan

別れた後、空虚感に襲われた。 — After the breakup, I was overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness.

sense of helplessness無力感muryokukan

失敗のあと、無力感に襲われた。 — After the failure, I felt a strong sense of helplessness.

pessimism; world-weariness厭世ensei

彼は将来について厭世的になった。 — He became pessimistic about his future.

depressed; sullen沈鬱chinutsu

部屋には沈鬱な空気が漂っていた。 — A sullen mood hung over the room.

laziness; indolence怠惰taida

彼の怠惰が、仕事の遅れを招いた。 — His laziness made the work fall behind.

despairing abandonment; self-destructive resignation自暴自棄jiboujiki

彼は失敗が続き、自暴自棄になった。 — He was overcome by repeated failures and fell into self-destructive despair.

Manipulation, Vice & Perception (11)

Insincere social behavior, plus how the mind perceives and senses.

flattery; servile compliance追従tsuishou

彼は上司に追従して、評価を上げた。 — He flattered his superior and improved his evaluation.

catering to; fawning迎合geigou

会社は客に迎合して方針を変えた。 — The company changed its policy to cater to customers.

cunning; sly狡猾koukatsu

その狡猾な弁護士は、交渉を自分に有利に進めた。 — The cunning lawyer led the talks in his favor.

sensationalism; emotional stimulation煽情senjou

その記事は、煽情的すぎると批判された。 — The article was criticized for being overly sensational.

conciliatory persuasion懐柔kaijuu

部長は穏やかな説明で社員たちを懐柔した。 — The manager won over the employees with a calm explanation.

love and hate愛憎aizou

彼との関係は愛憎が入り混じっていた。 — His relationship with him was a mixture of love and hate.

feeling of aversion; disgust嫌悪感kenokan

彼の横柄な態度に嫌悪感を覚えた。 — I felt disgust at his arrogant attitude.

illusion錯覚sakkaku

目の錯覚で線が曲がって見える。 — The line looks bent due to an optical illusion.

intuition; hunch勘kan

勘が当たり、電車が遅れるところだった。 — My hunch was right, and the train was about to be delayed.

fastidiousness; purism潔癖keppeki

彼女は潔癖で、部屋はいつも清潔に保たれている。 — She is fastidious, so the room is always kept clean.

self-respect; pride自尊jison

彼は自尊心を保とうとして、謝罪を拒んだ。 — He tried to preserve his self-respect and refused to apologize.

Near-synonym clusters for "regret" and "resentment"

This category is full of words that an English-English dictionary would gloss almost identically but that carry real Japanese nuance. 恨み and 遺恨 both mean "grudge," but 遺恨 implies something long-standing and deep-seated, almost inherited, while 恨み is the general word. Similarly 憂慮 and 懸念 both mean "concern," but 憂慮 is stronger and more formal — used for serious matters like 憂慮すべき事態 (a situation that should cause grave concern) — while 懸念 is milder and more common in everyday formal writing. Reading these words in their example sentences, not just their glosses, is the only reliable way to internalize the difference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 好感 and 憐憫?

好感 is a favorable impression or goodwill toward someone (好感を持つ, to feel favorably toward someone) — a mild, everyday positive feeling. 憐憫 is pity or compassion for someone in a difficult situation, closer to "feeling sorry for" — it carries an implicit power imbalance that 好感 doesn't.

How is 陶酔 different from 恍惚?

Both describe an intoxicated, blissful mental state. 陶酔 usually has a specific cause — being intoxicated by music, praise, or one's own success (自己陶酔, self-intoxication/self-satisfaction). 恍惚 is a more trance-like, all-consuming rapture, and can also describe a dazed mental state in elderly patients (老人性の恍惚, senile confusion) — a medical usage that has no equivalent in 陶酔.

Practice All 76 Psychology & Human Nature Vocabulary Words

Import the Psychology & Human Nature Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.