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JLPT N2 Daily Life — Advanced Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Daily Life — Advanced vocabulary with readings and example sentences (72 words).

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This set covers 72 N2-level words for describing homes and daily domestic life: housing types, water and utility systems, building maintenance, household chores, appliances, and the more abstract vocabulary used to evaluate how someone lives. At N2 this topic moves past concrete N3 basics like room or kitchen into the more specific, often written vocabulary found in real estate listings, maintenance notices, and reading passages about housing conditions.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 72 words with the Daily Life — Advanced Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Housing Types & Layout (13)

Nouns for describing where and how people live - rental vs. detached housing, floor plans, and the standard room types (Japanese- vs. Western-style rooms, bathroom, toilet) that show up constantly in N2 reading passages and real estate listings.

residence; home住まいsumai

新しい住まいに引っ越したいです。 — I want to move to a new home.

floor plan間取りmadori

部屋を使いやすくするために、間取りを変えました。 — We changed the floor plan to make the room easier to use.

bathroom浴室yokushitsu

浴室は廊下の左側にあります。 — The bathroom is on the left side of the hallway.

toilet便所benjo

便所はきれいに使ってください。 — Please keep the toilet clean.

dwelling住居juukyo

駅の近くに新しい住居を見つけました。 — I found a new dwelling near the station.

rental賃貸chintai

賃貸のアパートを探しています。 — I am looking for a rental apartment.

rent賃料chinryou

このアパートの賃料は高いです。 — The rent for this apartment is expensive.

apartment building集合住宅shuugoujuutaku

あの集合住宅はとても古いです。 — That apartment building is very old.

detached house一戸建てikkodate

祖父母は一戸建てに住んでいます。 — My grandparents live in a detached house.

living roomリビングribingu

リビングで話しました。 — We talked in the living room.

Japanese-style room和室washitsu

私たちは旅館の和室に泊まりました。 — We stayed in a Japanese-style room at the inn.

Western-style room洋室youshitsu

ベッドがあるので、洋室を選びました。 — I chose a Western-style room because it has a bed.

storage room納戸nando

古い本は納戸に入れてください。 — Please put the old books in the storage room.

Plumbing & Utility Bills (18)

Vocabulary for a home's water and energy infrastructure - supply and drainage systems, bath and washroom fixtures - plus the everyday cost nouns needed to read about utility bills and conservation efforts.

ventilation換気kanki

換気のために窓を開けてください。 — Please open the window for ventilation.

saving electricity節電setsuden

今年の夏は節電を心がけています。 — We are trying to save electricity this summer.

saving water節水sessui

雨が少ないので、節水が必要です。 — Because there has been little rain, we need to save water.

utility costs光熱費kounetsuhi

光熱費が思ったより高いです。 — The utility costs are higher than I expected.

piping; plumbing配管haikan

業者が配管を点検しました。 — The contractor checked the piping.

drainage; wastewater discharge排水haisui

この浴室は排水が悪いです。 — The drainage in this bathroom is poor.

hot-water supply給湯kyuutou

給湯が急に止まりました。 — The hot-water supply stopped suddenly.

bathtub浴槽yokusou

この浴槽は私には少し小さめです。 — This bathtub is a little small for me.

bath; tub湯船yubune

湯船に長くつかりました。 — I soaked in the bathtub for a long time.

washing one's face; washbasin area洗面senmen

洗面所で顔を洗いました。 — I washed my face in the washroom.

toilet bowl便器benki

便器にひびが入っています。 — The toilet bowl is cracked.

toilet seat便座benza

冬は便座が冷たいです。 — The toilet seat is cold in winter.

washstand洗面台senmendai

洗面台で顔を洗いました。 — I washed my face at the washstand.

water supply給水kyuusui

工事のために給水が止まりました。 — The water supply was stopped because of construction work.

water supply and drainage給排水kyuuhaisui

給排水の工事はもうすぐ終わります。 — The water supply and drainage work will be finished soon.

electricity bill電気代denkidai

今月の電気代はいつもより高かったです。 — My electricity bill was higher than usual this month.

water bill水道代suidoudai

今月の水道代は思ったより高かったです。 — The water bill was higher than I expected.

gas billガス代gasudai

暖房をよく使ったので、ガス代が高くなりました。 — Because I used the heater a lot, my gas bill became higher.

Building Maintenance & Renovation (14)

Terms for keeping a building in good condition over time, from routine inspection and upkeep to full-scale renovation and the vocabulary of aging structures - a frequent topic in N2 passages on housing policy and property management.

deterioration from age老朽化roukyuuka

この建物は老朽化が進んでいます。 — This building is showing signs of aging.

maintenance cost維持費ijihi

この機械は維持費が高いです。 — The maintenance cost of this machine is high.

care; upkeep手入れteire

車の手入れが必要です。 — The car needs care.

repair修繕shuuzen

古い橋は修繕が必要です。 — The old bridge needs repair.

repair; mending補修hoshuu

このコートは補修が必要です。 — This coat needs some mending.

remodeling改装kaisou

その店は改装のために休んでいます。 — The store is closed for remodeling.

extension増築zouchiku

その家は増築する予定です。 — They are planning an extension to the house.

rearrangement; redecorating模様替えmoyougae

部屋の模様替えをしました。 — I rearranged my room.

inspection点検tenken

整備士は車を丁寧に点検しました。 — The mechanic inspected the car carefully.

maintenance保守hoshu

この機械には定期的な保守が必要です。 — This machine needs regular maintenance.

durability耐久taikyuu

この製品は耐久性が高いです。 — This product is highly durable.

aging; decrepitude老朽roukyuu

その屋根は老朽化が進んでいます。 — The roof is deteriorating with age.

equipment設備setsubi

この建物には新しい設備があります。 — This building has new facilities.

fixtures and supplies備品bihin

事務所に新しい備品を買いました。 — We bought new supplies for the office.

Household Chores & Daily Necessities (10)

Everyday domestic tasks and the physical items tied to them - locking up, tidying, cooking, laundry basics, and disposing of large trash - the practical vocabulary of actually running a household.

storage収納shuunou

この戸棚は収納がたくさんあります。 — This cupboard has a lot of storage space.

locking up戸締まりtojimari

寝る前に、いつも戸締まりをします。 — I always lock up before going to bed.

tidying up片付けkatazuke

会議のあとで、片付けをしました。 — After the meeting, I did some tidying up.

cooking; meal preparation炊事suiji

私は毎日炊事をします。 — I do the cooking every day.

consumables消耗品shoumouhin

消耗品がなくなる前に買ってください。 — Please buy the consumables before they run out.

clothing衣類irui

衣類をたたんでからしまいます。 — I fold my clothes before putting them away.

bedding寝具shingu

寝具は一週間に一度洗います。 — I wash the bedding once a week.

nightwear寝間着nemaki

寝間着に着替えて寝ます。 — I change into my nightwear and go to bed.

bulky trash粗大ごみsodaigomi

来週、市が粗大ごみを回収します。 — The city will collect bulky trash next week.

training; upbringing; disciplineしつけshitsuke

子どもは毎日のしつけで礼儀を学びます。 — Children learn manners through daily discipline.

Appliances & Furniture (7)

Concrete nouns for the appliances and furniture found in a typical home, from rice cookers to shoe cabinets, grounding more abstract N2 reading passages in physical, everyday detail.

dining table食卓shokutaku

食卓に食器を置いてください。 — Please put the dishes on the dining table.

home appliances家電kaden

新しい店で家電を買いました。 — I bought home appliances at the new store.

rice cooker炊飯器suihanki

炊飯器でご飯を炊きました。 — I cooked rice in the rice cooker.

microwave oven電子レンジdenshirenji

電子レンジで昼ご飯を温めました。 — I warmed up my lunch in the microwave oven.

dish cupboard食器棚shokkidana

皿を食器棚にしまいました。 — I put the plates in the dish cupboard.

shoe cabinet下駄箱getabako

靴を下駄箱に入れました。 — I put my shoes in the shoe cabinet.

lighting fixture照明器具shoumeikigu

この部屋の照明器具は明るいです。 — The lighting fixture in this room is bright.

Lifestyle, Comfort & Values (10)

Abstract, evaluative vocabulary for characterizing how someone lives - frugal vs. extravagant, tidy vs. lived-in, comfortable vs. uncomfortable - the kind of language N2 passages use to describe a household or lifestyle rather than just list its parts.

living standard暮らし向きkurashimuki

私の暮らし向きは少し良くなりました。 — My living standard has improved.

waste浪費rouhi

水を浪費するのはよくありません。 — Wasting water is not good.

thrift倹約kenyaku

将来のために倹約することは大切です。 — Saving money for the future is important.

luxury; extravagance贅沢zeitaku

彼は贅沢なホテルが好きです。 — He likes a luxury hotel.

modest; simple慎ましいtsutsumashii

彼女の話し方は慎ましいです。 — Her way of speaking is modest.

plain; simple質素shisso

彼は質素な食事を好みます。 — He prefers simple meals.

clean; hygienic清潔seiketsu

この病院はいつも清潔で衛生的です。 — This hospital is always clean and hygienic.

comfort; coziness居心地igokochi

この椅子は居心地がいいです。 — This chair is comfortable.

lived-in feel生活感seikatsukan

この部屋は生活感があります。 — This room has a lived-in feel.

comfort of living; how comfortable a place is to live in住み心地sumigokochi

このアパートは住み心地がとてもいいです。 — This apartment is very comfortable to live in.

The 給 prefix, and casual vs. formal water words

Several words here share the kanji 給 (to supply): 給水 (water supply), 給湯 (hot-water supply), and 給排水 (water supply and drainage) combine it with 排水 (drainage) to name the two directions water moves through a building - worth learning as a set rather than three unrelated items. Separately, 湯船 and 浴槽 both mean 'bathtub,' but 湯船 is the everyday spoken word (literally 'hot-water boat'), while 浴槽 is the neutral, more formal term used in real estate listings and appliance specs; the same casual-versus-formal split runs between 洗面 (washing up, in general) and 洗面台 (washstand, the actual fixture).

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between 便所, 便器, and 便座?

便所 (benjo) is the toilet as a room or place, a slightly dated word now mostly replaced by トイレ in speech. 便器 (benki) is the toilet bowl itself, and 便座 (benza) is specifically the seat - the part named in ads for heated seats (温水洗浄便座). Recognizing all three lets you read real estate descriptions and appliance manuals precisely instead of guessing from context.

How do 修繕, 補修, 改装, and 増築 differ?

修繕 (shuuzen) means repairing something that's broken, 補修 (hoshuu) is patching or reinforcing a weak spot before it fails, 改装 (kaisou) is remodeling for a new look or function and is often cosmetic, and 増築 (zouchiku) specifically means physically extending a building's footprint. In an N2 reading passage about housing, these distinctions usually signal whether the described work is reactive repair or a planned upgrade.

Practice All 72 Daily Life — Advanced Vocabulary Words

Import the Daily Life — Advanced Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.