Back to Blog

JLPT N1 Society & Social Commentary Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N1 Society & Social Commentary vocabulary with readings and example sentences (99 words).

Posted by

99 words for social commentary and critique — the largest N1 category, and the closest thing to a vocabulary list for reading a newspaper opinion column or editorial from start to finish.

This article is part of our JLPT N1 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 99 words with the Society & Social Commentary Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Social Decline, Stagnation & Dysfunction (17)

A society or system that has stopped functioning well, or become hollow and outdated.

trend; prevailing tendency風潮fuuchou

長い説明を避ける風潮がある。 — There is a tendency to avoid long explanations.

harmful effect弊害heigai

その政策は若者に弊害をもたらす。 — That policy has a harmful effect on young people.

rigidification硬直化kouchokuka

組織の硬直化が問題になっている。 — The rigidification of the organization has become a problem.

stagnation (mood, atmosphere)沈滞chintai

景気は沈滞している。 — The economy has fallen into stagnation.

stalemate; deadlock閉塞heisoku

交渉は閉塞状態にある。 — The negotiations are deadlocked.

stagnation停滞teitai

今月は売り上げが停滞している。 — Sales are stagnating this month.

inertia惰性dasei

彼は惰性でその習慣を続けている。 — He has continued that habit out of inertia.

obsolescence陳腐化chinpuka

そのソフトはすぐに陳腐化した。 — The software quickly became obsolete.

decline衰退suitai

地元の商店街の衰退が目立ってきた。 — The decline of the local shopping street is becoming obvious.

decadence退廃taihai

道徳の退廃が広がることを、人々は恐れた。 — People feared the spread of moral decadence.

ruin; devastation荒廃kouhai

放置された工場は、長年にわたる荒廃で使えなくなった。 — The abandoned factory became unusable due to years of devastation.

empty formalization形骸化keigaika

その安全規則は、形骸化してただの形式になっている。 — Those safety rules have become hollow and are now nothing more than a formality.

hollowing out空洞化kuudouka

店の減少で、中心街の空洞化が進んでいる。 — The city center is being hollowed out by the loss of shops.

old-fashioned state旧態kyuutai

あの会社はまだ旧態依然の体質だ。 — That company still has an old-fashioned, outdated corporate culture.

vulgarization俗化zokka

その真剣な議論は、すぐに俗化して深みを失った。 — That serious discussion quickly became trivial and lost its depth.

mediocrity凡庸bonyou

彼は才能があるが、凡庸な人間だと思われるのを嫌う。 — He is talented, but he hates being average.

thin; insubstantial希薄kihaku

二人の間には、希薄なつながりしかない。 — There is only a tenuous connection between them.

Corruption, Vested Interest & Collusion (10)

Self-serving arrangements that protect insiders at everyone else's expense.

outdated practice旧弊kyuuhei

その旧弊は改めるべきだ。 — That outdated practice should be reformed.

vested interests既得権益kitokukeneki

改革は既得権益に阻まれた。 — The reform was blocked by vested interests.

vested rights; vested interests利権riken

その会社は利権を守ろうとしていると批判された。 — The company was criticized for trying to protect its vested interests.

preservation温存onzon

政府はその計画を温存する方針を取った。 — The government decided to keep the plan in reserve.

collusion癒着yuchaku

役人と業者の癒着が問題になった。 — The collusion between the officials and the contractor became a problem.

collusion; cozy relationship馴れ合いnareai

二人の馴れ合いが真実を覆い隠した。 — Their cozy relationship covered up the truth.

self-preservation保身hoshin

彼は保身のためにだけ動いた。 — He acted only for self-preservation.

deceit欺瞞giman

その政治家の欺瞞はすぐに暴かれました。 — The politician’s deceit was quickly exposed.

hypocrisy偽善gizen

彼の親切は偽善にすぎません。 — His kindness was nothing but hypocrisy.

glamorization; pretense虚飾kyoshoku

その記事は戦争の虚飾を批判しています。 — The article criticizes the glamorization of war.

Ideologies & -主義 Isms (9)

Named belief systems and worldviews, built on the productive 主義 (-ism) suffix.

opportunism便宜主義bengishugi

彼の便宜主義はみんなの不信を招いた。 — His opportunism made everyone distrust him.

money worship (ideology)拝金主義haikinshugi

彼の拝金主義はあらゆる判断に表れていた。 — His money worship was clear in every decision.

commercialism商業主義shougyoushugi

その映画は商業主義が強すぎると批判された。 — The film was criticized for too much commercialism.

utilitarianism功利主義kourishugi

彼はその政策を功利主義的だと批判した。 — He criticized the policy as utilitarian.

formalism形式主義keishikishugi

その論文は形式主義に過ぎていて読みにくい。 — That paper is too formalistic and hard to read.

authoritarianism権威主義kenishugi

その学校は権威主義的な態度で生徒を従わせた。 — The school used an authoritarian attitude to make the students obey.

totalitarianism全体主義zentaishugi

全体主義の下では、私的な発言も管理される。 — Under totalitarianism, even private speech is controlled.

egoism利己主義rikoshugi

彼の利己主義は、周囲を疲れさせるだけだった。 — His egoism only exhausted those around him.

ultranationalism国粋主義kokusuishugi

国粋主義は、他国との対立を招きやすい。 — Ultranationalism often leads to conflict with other countries.

Bias, Denial & Distorted Judgment (8)

How individuals and institutions fail to see a situation clearly.

approval; endorsement是認zenin

委員会はその計画を是認しなかった。 — The committee did not endorse the plan.

pros-and-cons debate是非論zehiron

是非論が何時間も続いた。 — The pros-and-cons debate went on for hours.

concealment隠蔽inpei

会社は欠陥を隠蔽した。 — The company concealed the defect.

neglect; disregard軽視keishi

警告を軽視したのが失敗だった。 — Ignoring the warning was a mistake.

self-righteousness独善dokuzen

彼の独善には、話し合う余地がなかった。 — His self-righteousness left no room for discussion.

preconception先入観sennyuukan

先入観で人を判断してはいけない。 — You should not judge people by your preconceptions.

vulgar opinion俗論zokuron

私は彼の俗論にうなずかなかった。 — I did not agree with his vulgar opinion.

good sense良識ryoushiki

彼女には良識がある。 — She has good sense.

Conflict, Exclusion & Division (10)

How groups clash, exclude, or harm one another.

alienation疎外sogai

彼女は集団から疎外されていると感じた。 — She felt alienated from the group.

rejection; exclusion排斥haiseki

その新しい案は委員会によって排斥された。 — The new proposal was rejected by the committee.

pressure; oppression圧迫appaku

仕事の圧迫で彼女は疲れ切った。 — The pressure of work wore her down.

exploitation搾取sakushu

その労働者は、会社に搾取されていると感じた。 — The worker felt that he was being exploited by the company.

division; split分断bundan

SNSの拡大は、社会の分断を深めることがある。 — The spread of social media can deepen division in society.

friction; conflict軋轢atsureki

予算をめぐって、二つの部署の間に軋轢が生じた。 — Friction arose between the two departments over the budget.

strife; conflict抗争kousou

その組織は、領土の支配をめぐって抗争を続けた。 — The group continued its conflict over control of the territory.

collision; clash衝突shoutotsu

踏切で電車とトラックが衝突した。 — The train and the truck collided at the railroad crossing.

tyranny; high-handedness横暴oubou

彼の横暴な態度に、みんなが怒りました。 — His high-handed behavior angered everyone.

despotism専横senou

上司の専横のせいで、多くの社員が辞めました。 — Because of the boss’s tyranny, many employees quit.

Uniformity, Distortion & Conformity Pressure (7)

Forces that flatten individuality or twist the truth.

distortion歪曲waikyoku

その報告は事実を歪曲していた。 — That report distorted the facts.

standardization; uniformity画一化kakuitsuka

過度の画一化が創造性を損なった。 — Excessive standardization harmed creativity.

peer pressure同調圧力douchouatsuryoku

彼は同調圧力に負けて賛成した。 — He gave in to peer pressure and agreed.

homogenization同質化doushitsuka

グローバル化が街の同質化を進めている。 — Globalization is advancing the homogenization of cities.

homogeneous同質doushitsu

この町はかなり同質的な雰囲気を持っている。 — This town has a rather homogeneous atmosphere.

assimilation同化douka

新しい移民はすぐに町に同化した。 — The new immigrants quickly assimilated into the town.

lack of individuality没個性botsukosei

ありきたりな服は没個性になりやすい。 — Plain, run-of-the-mill clothes tend to lack individuality.

Social Norms, Values & Convention (12)

The shared, often unwritten rules a society expects people to follow.

normal state常態joutai

工事が終わり、町は常態に戻った。 — The town returned to normal after the construction ended.

common notion通念tsuunen

その考えは今でも通念として残っている。 — That view is still a common notion.

norm規範kihan

明確な行動の規範が必要だ。 — A clear code of conduct is necessary.

current social conditions世相sesou

この小説には世相がよく表れている。 — This novel vividly reflects the social climate of the times.

custom慣習kanshuu

日本では、箸でご飯を食べるのが慣習だ。 — In Japan, it is customary to eat rice with chopsticks.

outdated custom因習inshuu

彼は因習から抜け出したいと思っている。 — He wants to break away from old customs.

worldliness; secular世俗sezoku

彼は宗教と世俗の両方に関心がある。 — He is interested in both religion and secular matters.

public order and morals公序良俗koujoryouzoku

その広告は公序良俗に反すると判断された。 — The ad was judged to violate public order and morals.

social common sense社会通念shakaitsuunen

あの振る舞いは社会通念に合わない。 — That behavior does not fit social common sense.

unwritten rule不文律fubunritsu

早く来るのが不文律だった。 — It was an unwritten rule to arrive early.

values価値観kachikan

彼らの価値観はとても違う。 — Their values are very different.

moral view道徳観doutokukan

彼の道徳観はとても厳しい。 — His moral view is very strict.

Public Opinion, Discourse & Reputation (8)

How a society talks about itself and forms collective judgments.

rumor; public talk風評fuuhyou

インターネットでは風評がすぐに広がる。 — Rumors spread quickly on the internet.

public opinion poll世論調査yoronchousa

世論調査で支持率が変わった。 — The public opinion poll showed a change in approval ratings.

expert有識者yuushikisha

有識者も意見をまとめられなかった。 — Even the experts could not reach a consensus.

anecdote逸話itsuwa

彼は先生にまつわる逸話を話した。 — He told an anecdote about the teacher.

merits and demerits功罪kouzai

その制度の功罪を冷静に考えるべきだ。 — We should calmly consider the merits and demerits of that system.

proposal; recommendation提言teigen

委員会は彼の提言を採用した。 — The committee adopted his proposal.

advocacy; proposal提唱teishou

彼女は以前から労働環境の改善を提唱している。 — She has long advocated better working conditions.

censure; criticism論難ronnan

彼は論難を受けても動じなかった。 — He did not flinch from the censure.

Civic Life & Social Structure (9)

The formal and informal architecture of participating in society.

existing既存kison

既存の制度をそのまま使い続ける。 — We will continue to use the existing system.

civil rights; social acceptance市民権shiminken

この運動もようやく市民権を得た。 — This movement has finally gained social acceptance.

discipline; order規律kiritsu

規律がなければ、チームは勝てない。 — Without discipline, the team cannot win.

publicness公共性koukyousei

この事業は公共性が高い。 — This project has high public significance.

sociality社会性shakaisei

彼女の社会性は職場で高く評価されている。 — Her sociability is highly valued at work.

laissez-faire放任hounin

放任が過ぎると、チームは乱れてしまう。 — Too much laissez-faire can make the team chaotic.

humanity; leniency温情onjou

先生は温情を示して、彼にもう一度機会を与えた。 — The teacher showed leniency and gave him one more chance.

conservatization保守化hoshuka

その会社は徐々に保守化している。 — The company has gradually become more conservative.

business custom商慣行shoukankou

あの会社は商慣行にとても厳しい。 — That company is very strict about business customs.

Social Problems & Calls for Change (9)

Naming what's wrong and the push to fix it.

spread; proliferation蔓延manen

うわさが社内に蔓延した。 — Rumors spread throughout the company.

futile effort徒労torou

彼の努力は徒労に終わった。 — All his effort was in vain.

irresponsibility無責任musekinin

問題を人に任せるのは無責任だ。 — It is irresponsible to leave the problem to someone else.

neglect; negligence怠慢taiman

その事故は会社の怠慢が原因でした。 — The accident was caused by the company’s negligence.

absurdity不条理fujouri

一人だけを罰するのは不条理です。 — It is absurd to punish only one person.

satire風刺fuushi

その漫画は現代政治への風刺です。 — The cartoon is a satire on modern politics.

social evil社会悪shakaiaku

この地域での喫煙は社会悪とされている。 — Smoking in this area is regarded as a social evil.

social pathology社会病理shakaibyouri

貧困と孤立は深刻な社会病理だ。 — Poverty and isolation are serious social pathologies.

consciousness reform意識改革ishikikaikaku

会社はようやく意識改革に乗り出した。 — The company finally embarked on a reform of its mindset.

The 主義 (-ism) and 化 (-ization) suffix families

Nine words in this list share the productive suffix 主義, which turns a value into a named ideology: 拝金主義 (money worship), 功利主義 (utilitarianism), 権威主義 (authoritarianism), and so on — once you know the root word, the -主義 form is usually guessable. A second productive pattern is 化, which turns a static concept into a process: 硬直化 (becoming rigid), 陳腐化 (becoming obsolete), 形骸化 (becoming a hollow formality), 空洞化 (hollowing out). Both patterns let you decode N1 vocabulary you haven't specifically memorized, which is arguably more valuable than memorizing every individual word in this list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 硬直化 and 形骸化?

硬直化 means becoming rigid or inflexible — a system or organization that has lost the ability to adapt (組織の硬直化, organizational rigidity). 形骸化 means becoming a hollow shell — a rule or institution that still formally exists but has lost its real meaning or function (制度が形骸化する, for a system to become a mere formality). Both describe decline, but 硬直化 is about inflexibility and 形骸化 is about emptiness.

How is 独善 different from just being confident?

独善 (self-righteousness) specifically describes believing one's own views are correct without considering other perspectives — it's always used critically, unlike simple confidence (自信). It pairs conceptually with 先入観 (preconception/bias) as two ways a person's judgment becomes distorted by their own perspective.

Practice All 99 Society & Social Commentary Vocabulary Words

Import the Society & Social Commentary Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.