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JLPT N2 Society & Social Issues Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Society & Social Issues vocabulary with readings and example sentences (103 words).

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This category covers the vocabulary of Japanese society and social issues tested on JLPT N2, roughly 103 words spanning demographics, family life, employment, welfare, local government, and social problems. It matters for N2 specifically because reading passages and listening sections at this level lean heavily on newspaper-style commentary and NHK-style reports about aging, inequality, and local policy, which is exactly the register this word set reproduces.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 103 words with the Society & Social Issues Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Demographic Shifts & Population Trends (16)

Terms for Japan's shrinking, aging, and unevenly distributed population, from 少子高齢化 (declining births plus aging) to 過疎化 (rural depopulation) and 住宅難 (urban housing shortage), a dominant topic in N2 reading passages and news articles.

declining birthrate少子化shoushika

少子化は大きな問題です。 — The declining birthrate is a major problem.

aging of society高齢化koureika

この町では高齢化が進んでいます。 — Aging is progressing in this town.

depopulation過疎kaso

この村は過疎が進んでいます。 — This village is becoming depopulated.

declining births and aging少子高齢化shoushikoureika

少子高齢化が大きな問題になっています。 — Low births and aging are becoming a serious problem.

population decline人口減少jinkougenshou

人口減少が地方の学校に影響しています。 — Population decline is affecting local schools.

population outflow人口流出jinkouryuushutsu

その町は人口流出を心配しています。 — The town is worried about population outflow.

depopulation (ongoing process)過疎化kasoka

この村では過疎化が進んでいます。 — Depopulation is advancing in this village.

population density人口密度jinkoumitsudo

東京は人口密度がとても高いです。 — Tokyo has a very high population density.

urbanization都市化toshika

この地域では都市化が進んでいます。 — Urbanization is progressing in this area.

overcrowding過密kamitsu

電車の過密状態は深刻な問題です。 — Overcrowding on trains is a serious problem.

birth出生shusshou

この町では出生数が増えています。 — The number of births in this town has increased.

death死亡shibou

去年の死亡者数は予想より少なかったです。 — The number of deaths last year was lower than expected.

aging society高齢社会koureishakai

高齢社会では、もっと支えが必要です。 — We need more support in an aging society.

urban area都市部toshibu

都市部では家賃が高いです。 — Rent is higher in urban areas.

the regions地方chihou

若い人が地方へ移っています。 — More and more young people are moving to the regions.

housing shortage住宅難juutakunan

住宅難のため、家賃が上がっています。 — Because of the housing shortage, rent is rising.

Family & Household Structures (17)

Vocabulary for how people live and move through life: stages from 児童 to 中年, household types like 核家族 and 単身, and life events such as 婚姻, 離婚, and 転居 that anchor passages about changing family patterns.

dual-income household共働きtomobataraki

うちの両親は共働きです。 — My parents both work.

children児童jidou

児童たちは公園で本を読んでいます。 — The children are reading books in the park.

minor未成年miseinen

未成年はこの店に一人で入れません。 — Minors cannot enter this store alone.

youth青少年seishounen

青少年には自分の意見を話す機会がもっと必要です。 — Youth need more chances to speak their opinions.

adult成人seijin

成人は自分の行動に責任を持たなければなりません。 — Adults must take responsibility for their actions.

middle age中年chuunen

中年になると、健康を気にする人が増えます。 — As people reach middle age, more of them start worrying about their health.

living alone独居dokkyo

独居はときどきさびしいです。 — Living alone can be lonely sometimes.

nuclear family核家族kakukazoku

核家族は都市でよく見られる家族の形です。 — A nuclear family is a common form of family in cities.

household世帯setai

この世帯は4人です。 — This household has four members.

marriage婚姻konin

二人の婚姻が新聞で発表されました。 — Their marriage was announced in the newspaper.

divorce離婚rikon

彼女はよく考えて離婚を決めました。 — She decided to get a divorce after much thought.

moving house転居tenkyo

来月、転居します。 — I will move house next month.

moving out転出tenshutsu

市役所で転出届の手続きをしてください。 — Please complete the moving-out notification procedure at the city office.

moving in転入tennyuu

彼は来週、このアパートに転入します。 — He will move into this apartment next week.

single-person単身tanshin

私は単身で小さなアパートに住んでいます。 — I live alone in a small apartment.

living together同居doukyo

彼女は祖母と同居しています。 — She is living with her grandmother.

family composition家族構成kazokukousei

ご家族構成を教えてください。 — Please tell us your family composition.

Employment & Income (19)

Words covering the Japanese labor market, including employment types (非正規, 派遣), job-hunting struggles (就職難, 求職, 再就職), and pay-related terms (最低賃金, 年収, 所得) that appear constantly in N2 articles about work and the economy.

unemployment rate失業率shitsugyouritsu

失業率はまだ高いです。 — The unemployment rate is still high.

employment雇用koyou

その会社は雇用を増やしています。 — The company is increasing its hiring.

non-regular非正規hiseiki

この業界では非正規の働き手が増えています。 — The number of non-regular workers is increasing in this industry.

temporary dispatch派遣haken

彼女は派遣で働き始めました。 — She started working as a dispatch worker.

labor union労働組合roudoukumiai

労働組合は、よりよい労働条件を求めました。 — The labor union asked for better working conditions.

labor force労働力roudouryoku

労働力が不足しています。 — The labor force is insufficient.

job hunting difficulty就職難shuushokunan

多くの学生が就職難に苦しんでいます。 — Many students are struggling with job hunting difficulties.

re-employment再就職saishuushoku

彼は退職後、すぐに再就職しました。 — After the layoff, he found re-employment quickly.

nonprofit非営利hieiri

これは非営利の支援団体です。 — This is a nonprofit support group.

organization組織soshiki

私たちの組織は地域を支えるために活動しています。 — Our organization is working to support the local community.

small and medium-sized enterprise中小企業chuushoukigyou

多くの中小企業が人手不足に悩んでいます。 — Many small and medium-sized enterprises are struggling with a labor shortage.

annual income年収nenshuu

彼女の年収は私より高いです。 — Her annual income is higher than mine.

minimum wage最低賃金saiteichingin

今年、最低賃金が上がりました。 — The minimum wage was raised this year.

unemployment失業shitsugyou

この地域では失業が増えています。 — Unemployment is increasing in this area.

job seeking求職kyuushoku

私は今、東京で求職中です。 — I am job hunting in Tokyo now.

re-employment (rehiring after retirement)再雇用saikoyou

その会社は定年後の社員を再雇用しています。 — The company is re-employing retired workers.

high educational attainment高学歴kougakureki

この会社には高学歴の人が多いです。 — There are many highly educated people in this company.

educational background学歴gakureki

彼の学歴は工学部卒です。 — His educational background is that he graduated from the engineering department.

income所得shotoku

今年は所得が少し増えました。 — My income has increased a little this year.

Welfare, Poverty & Public Finance (16)

The social safety net and its cost, from pensions, medical care, and public assistance (年金, 医療費, 生活保護) to the household and tax vocabulary (家計, 納税, 増税) needed to discuss who pays for it and who receives it.

welfare福祉fukushi

高齢者にはもっと福祉が必要です。 — The elderly need more welfare.

pension年金nenkin

年金は来月支払われます。 — The pension will be paid next month.

medical expenses医療費iryouhi

医療費は思ったより高かったです。 — The medical expenses were higher than I expected.

nursing care介護kaigo

母は家で介護を受けています。 — My mother receives nursing care at home.

care; protection養護yougo

その学校は子どもたちを養護しています。 — The school is protecting and caring for the children.

poverty貧困hinkon

この地域では、まだ貧困に苦しむ人が多いです。 — Many people are still living in poverty in this area.

public assistance生活保護seikatsuhogo

彼は生活保護を受けて暮らしています。 — He receives public assistance to live.

independence自立jiritsu

彼女は大学を卒業して自立しました。 — She became independent after graduating from college.

relief; aid (economic/social)救済kyuusai

新しい救済策が多くの人を助けました。 — The new relief measure helped many people.

tax payment納税nouzei

昨日、納税を済ませました。 — I completed the tax payment yesterday.

living expenses生活費seikatsuhi

今年は生活費が増えています。 — Living expenses are going up this year.

household finances家計kakei

今月は家計を見直しています。 — I am reviewing our household finances this month.

consumption消費shouhi

今月は消費が増えました。 — Consumer spending increased this month.

tax hike増税zouzei

増税は家計に影響しました。 — The tax hike affected family budgets.

tax cut減税genzei

中小企業を支えるために減税が決まりました。 — A tax cut was decided to support small businesses.

social security社会保障shakaihoshou

政府は社会保障を見直しています。 — The government is reviewing social security.

Civic Life & Local Governance (22)

The largest group here, covering community, rights, and government, from neighborhood organizations (町内会, 自治体) to political participation (投票率, 選挙権) and abstract civic values (公正, 多様性, 共生) that N2 opinion pieces rely on.

countermeasure対策taisaku

政府は新しい対策を発表しました。 — The government announced new countermeasures.

gap; disparity格差kakusa

都会と田舎の間には格差があります。 — There is a disparity between city and countryside.

public opinion世論yoron

そのニュースの後で、世論が変わりました。 — Public opinion changed after the news report.

prejudice偏見henken

偏見で人を判断してはいけません。 — We should not judge people by prejudice.

local community地域社会chiikishakai

地域社会で清掃活動が行われました。 — A cleanup activity was held in the local community.

neighborhood近隣kinrin

近隣には小さな公園がたくさんあります。 — There are many small parks in the neighborhood.

neighborhood association町内会chounaikai

町内会は今夜、会合を開きました。 — The neighborhood association held a meeting tonight.

self-government自治jichi

その町は自治について話し合いました。 — The town discussed self-government.

right to vote選挙権senkyoken

私は選挙権を使って選挙に参加します。 — I will exercise my right to vote in the election.

voter turnout投票率touhyouritsu

今回の投票率は去年より低かったです。 — The voter turnout was lower than last year.

political participation政治参加seijisanka

若い人の政治参加が増えています。 — Political participation by young people is increasing.

human rights人権jinken

すべての人に人権があります。 — Every person has human rights.

fairness公正kousei

公正な判断が必要です。 — A fair judgment is necessary.

diversity多様性tayousei

私たちの会社は多様性を大切にしています。 — Our company values diversity.

coexistence共生kyousei

人間と自然は共生していく必要があります。 — People and nature must coexist.

harmony融和yuuwa

両国の融和を願っています。 — I hope for harmony between the two countries.

policy measure施策shisaku

政府は新しい施策を考えています。 — The government is considering new policy measures.

society with inequality格差社会kakusashakai

格差社会では不安を感じる人が増えています。 — In an unequal society, the number of people who feel anxious is increasing.

local government地方自治体chihoujichitai

地方自治体が新しい図書館を作っています。 — The local government is building a new library.

municipality自治体jichitai

この自治体は防災を強化しています。 — This municipality is working to improve disaster prevention.

administration行政gyousei

行政は新しい方針を発表しました。 — The administration announced a new policy.

public公共koukyou

公共交通機関は便利です。 — Public transportation is convenient.

Social Problems & Support Networks (13)

Words for hardship and the response to it, pairing crime and abuse (治安, 虐待, いじめ, 失踪) with isolation (孤立, 孤独) and the people and acts that address them (ボランティア, 支援, 救援), common in both news reporting and NPO-related passages.

disaster victim被災者hisaisha

多くの被災者がまだ避難所で生活しています。 — Many disaster victims are still living in evacuation centers.

relief; rescue救援kyuuen

救援物資が被災地に届きました。 — Relief supplies arrived at the affected area.

support支援shien

私たちはみんなの支援が必要です。 — We need support from everyone.

aid援助enjo

市は新しい計画を援助しました。 — The city aided the new plan.

charity慈善jizen

彼女は慈善活動に熱心に取り組んでいます。 — She is actively involved in charity work.

volunteerボランティアborantia

私は毎週、図書館でボランティアをしています。 — I volunteer at the local library every week.

disappearance失踪shissou

警察は失踪した人を今も探しています。 — The police are still searching for the missing person.

public order治安chian

この町は治安がよくて、安心できます。 — This town has good public order, so I feel safe.

crime prevention防犯bouhan

この地域では防犯を強化する必要があります。 — We need to strengthen crime prevention in this area.

abuse虐待gyakutai

先生は虐待の兆候に気づいて、すぐに対応しました。 — The teacher noticed signs of abuse and acted quickly.

bullyingいじめijime

学校でのいじめは、子どもを深く傷つけます。 — Bullying at school can seriously hurt children.

isolation孤立koritsu

長く孤立すると、健康によくありません。 — If you stay isolated for too long, it can be bad for your health.

loneliness孤独kodoku

友達が引っ越して、孤独を感じました。 — After my friend moved away, I felt lonely.

The 化 Suffix: Turning States into Processes

Notice how many words here share the suffix 化 (-ka): 少子化, 高齢化, 過疎化, 都市化, and the compound 少子高齢化 all take a static noun (少子 'few children', 高齢 'old age', 過疎 'sparse population') and turn it into 'the process of becoming X.' That is why these words are usually paired with 進む (to progress) or 対策 (countermeasures) in real sentences, as in 少子化が進む or 高齢化対策. Contrast this with 社会 used as a suffix in 格差社会, 高齢社会, and 地域社会, which names the resulting society itself rather than the ongoing process, so 高齢化 is the trend and 高齢社会 is the society it produces. Keeping this 化 (process) versus 社会 (resulting state) distinction straight helps with N2 questions that ask you to match a cause to its social outcome.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 支援, 援助, 救援, and 救済?

These four near-synonyms for 'help' all appear in this list and are easy to confuse. 支援 is the most general word for support of any kind and pairs with almost any noun, 援助 leans toward material or financial aid between organizations or countries, 救援 specifically means rescue or relief in an emergency or disaster context (被災者への救援), and 救済 means systemic relief, often used for policy-level responses to poverty or debt (生活困窮者の救済). On N2, disaster-related passages tend to use 救援 while policy passages use 救済.

Why do 再就職 and 再雇用 both mean returning to work but are not interchangeable?

再就職 is the general term for finding a new job after leaving a previous one, used for anyone job-hunting again regardless of age or reason. 再雇用 specifically refers to being rehired by the same or a related employer after mandatory retirement (定年), a recurring topic in N2 passages about Japan's aging workforce and pension-age policy. If a passage mentions 定年 or a retirement age, expect 再雇用; if someone is simply changing jobs, 再就職 is the correct term.

Practice All 103 Society & Social Issues Vocabulary Words

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