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.
少子化は大きな問題です。 — The declining birthrate is a major problem.
この町では高齢化が進んでいます。 — Aging is progressing in this town.
この村は過疎が進んでいます。 — This village is becoming depopulated.
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.
人口減少が地方の学校に影響しています。 — Population decline is affecting local schools.
その町は人口流出を心配しています。 — The town is worried about population outflow.
この村では過疎化が進んでいます。 — Depopulation is advancing in this village.
東京は人口密度がとても高いです。 — Tokyo has a very high population density.
この地域では都市化が進んでいます。 — Urbanization is progressing in this area.
電車の過密状態は深刻な問題です。 — Overcrowding on trains is a serious problem.
この町では出生数が増えています。 — The number of births in this town has increased.
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.
高齢社会では、もっと支えが必要です。 — We need more support in an aging society.
都市部では家賃が高いです。 — Rent is higher in urban areas.
若い人が地方へ移っています。 — More and more young people are moving to the regions.
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.
うちの両親は共働きです。 — My parents both work.
児童たちは公園で本を読んでいます。 — The children are reading books in the park.
未成年はこの店に一人で入れません。 — Minors cannot enter this store alone.
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.
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.
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.
独居はときどきさびしいです。 — Living alone can be lonely sometimes.
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.
この世帯は4人です。 — This household has four members.
二人の婚姻が新聞で発表されました。 — Their marriage was announced in the newspaper.
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.
来月、転居します。 — I will move house next month.
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.
彼は来週、このアパートに転入します。 — He will move into this apartment next week.
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.
彼女は祖母と同居しています。 — She is living with her grandmother.
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.
失業率はまだ高いです。 — The unemployment rate is still high.
その会社は雇用を増やしています。 — The company is increasing its hiring.
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.
彼女は派遣で働き始めました。 — She started working as a dispatch worker.
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.
労働力が不足しています。 — The labor force is insufficient.
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.
彼は退職後、すぐに再就職しました。 — After the layoff, he found re-employment quickly.
これは非営利の支援団体です。 — This is a nonprofit support group.
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.
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.
彼女の年収は私より高いです。 — Her annual income is higher than mine.
今年、最低賃金が上がりました。 — The minimum wage was raised this year.
この地域では失業が増えています。 — Unemployment is increasing in this area.
私は今、東京で求職中です。 — I am job hunting in Tokyo now.
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.
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.
彼の学歴は工学部卒です。 — His educational background is that he graduated from the engineering department.
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.
高齢者にはもっと福祉が必要です。 — The elderly need more welfare.
年金は来月支払われます。 — The pension will be paid next month.
医療費は思ったより高かったです。 — The medical expenses were higher than I expected.
母は家で介護を受けています。 — My mother receives nursing care at home.
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.
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.
彼は生活保護を受けて暮らしています。 — He receives public assistance to live.
彼女は大学を卒業して自立しました。 — She became independent after graduating from college.
新しい救済策が多くの人を助けました。 — The new relief measure helped many people.
昨日、納税を済ませました。 — I completed the tax payment yesterday.
今年は生活費が増えています。 — Living expenses are going up this year.
今月は家計を見直しています。 — I am reviewing our household finances this month.
今月は消費が増えました。 — Consumer spending increased this month.
増税は家計に影響しました。 — The tax hike affected family budgets.
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.
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.
政府は新しい対策を発表しました。 — The government announced new countermeasures.
都会と田舎の間には格差があります。 — There is a disparity between city and countryside.
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.
偏見で人を判断してはいけません。 — We should not judge people by prejudice.
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.
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.
町内会は今夜、会合を開きました。 — The neighborhood association held a meeting tonight.
その町は自治について話し合いました。 — The town discussed self-government.
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.
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.
若い人の政治参加が増えています。 — Political participation by young people is increasing.
すべての人に人権があります。 — Every person has human rights.
公正な判断が必要です。 — A fair judgment is necessary.
私たちの会社は多様性を大切にしています。 — Our company values diversity.
人間と自然は共生していく必要があります。 — People and nature must coexist.
両国の融和を願っています。 — I hope for harmony between the two countries.
政府は新しい施策を考えています。 — The government is considering new policy measures.
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.
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.
この自治体は防災を強化しています。 — This municipality is working to improve disaster prevention.
行政は新しい方針を発表しました。 — The administration announced a new policy.
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.
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.
救援物資が被災地に届きました。 — Relief supplies arrived at the affected area.
私たちはみんなの支援が必要です。 — We need support from everyone.
市は新しい計画を援助しました。 — The city aided the new plan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.