JLPT N1 Verb List: 50 High-Value Verbs

A useful JLPT N1 verb list should teach more than isolated English meanings. At this level, you need to recognize readings quickly, understand grammar and transitivity, and know which nouns, particles, and formal collocations naturally accompany each verb.

The JLPT does not publish a definitive full vocabulary list, so this is an original, categorized study resource rather than an official syllabus. N1 groups Language Knowledge (Vocabulary/Grammar) with Reading, plus Listening. There is no speaking section, although producing these words yourself can strengthen recall.

How to Use This N1 Verb List

Study each verb as a bundle: kanji, kana, reading, precise meaning, transitivity, collocation, and register. Learners often remember an approximate translation but forget whether the subject causes an action, undergoes a change, or follows a particular particle pattern.

Many advanced verbs combine a noun with する (suru, to do). For a suru verb, learn the complete construction and a typical object. This is more useful than treating the noun and verb as unrelated entries.

Build better flashcards by including:

The kanji and kana reading
One precise English meaning
The transitive verb, intransitive verb, or “both” label
One common particle pattern or collocation
One formal context in which the word might appear
A reverse prompt that asks you to recall the Japanese

Clean imported study data before memorizing it. If a download contains fragments such as “noun auxillary,” “auxillary suru,” “readings noun,” “verb transitive,” “see jlpt,” or unexplained “usu,” treat them as faulty metadata, not grammar guidance. “Auxillary” is a misspelling of “auxiliary,” and noun auxiliary is not a useful description of an ordinary noun-plus-suru construction.

If Japanese characters appear as square boxes, check the deck’s Japanese font support before changing its card size. Accurate readings matter more than decorative formatting.

Categorized Reference of 50 High-Value Verbs

These words commonly suit the formal arguments, reports, policies, social issues, and abstract descriptions encountered during advanced study. The type column describes normal Japanese grammatical behavior; an apparently direct English translation does not determine whether the Japanese verb is transitive.

Category	Japanese	Romaji	English meaning	Type	High-value pattern
Change and state	免れる	manukareru	to escape; to be exempted from	Intransitive	責任を免れる — sekinin o manukareru — escape responsibility
Change and state	廃れる	sutareru	to fall out of use	Intransitive	習慣が廃れる — shūkan ga sutareru — a custom falls out of use
Change and state	衰える	otoroeru	to decline; to weaken	Intransitive	体力が衰える — tairyoku ga otoroeru — physical strength declines
Change and state	滞る	todokōru	to be delayed; to stagnate	Intransitive	支払いが滞る — shiharai ga todokōru — payments become overdue
Change and state	栄える	sakaeru	to prosper; to flourish	Intransitive	産業が栄える — sangyō ga sakaeru — an industry flourishes
Change and state	陥る	ochiiru	to fall into a difficult state	Intransitive	危機に陥る — kiki ni ochiiru — fall into a crisis
Change and state	帯びる	obiru	to carry; to take on a quality	Transitive	重要性を帯びる — jūyōsei o obiru — take on importance
Change and state	募る	tsunoru	to intensify; to solicit	Both	不安が募る — fuan ga tsunoru — anxiety intensifies; 参加者を募る — sankasha o tsunoru — recruit participants
Change and state	損なう	sokonau	to damage; to impair	Transitive	信頼を損なう — shinrai o sokonau — damage trust
Change and state	覆す	kutsugaesu	to overturn; to reverse	Transitive	判決を覆す — hanketsu o kutsugaesu — overturn a judgment
Communication and judgment	促す	unagasu	to prompt; to encourage	Transitive	改善を促す — kaizen o unagasu — encourage improvement
Communication and judgment	唱える	tonaeru	to advocate; to recite	Transitive	改革を唱える — kaikaku o tonaeru — advocate reform
Communication and judgment	訴える	uttaeru	to appeal; to argue; to sue	Transitive	必要性を訴える — hitsuyōsei o uttaeru — stress the necessity
Communication and judgment	論じる	ronjiru	to discuss; to argue	Transitive	問題を論じる — mondai o ronjiru — discuss an issue
Communication and judgment	示唆する	shisa suru	to suggest; to imply	Transitive	可能性を示唆する — kanōsei o shisa suru — suggest a possibility
Communication and judgment	把握する	haaku suru	to grasp; to understand	Transitive	状況を把握する — jōkyō o haaku suru — understand the situation
Communication and judgment	見なす	minasu	to regard as; to consider	Transitive	行為を違反と見なす — kōi o ihan to minasu — regard an act as a violation
Communication and judgment	察する	sassuru	to infer; to sense	Transitive	意図を察する — ito o sassuru — infer an intention
Communication and judgment	告げる	tsugeru	to tell; to announce	Transitive	終了を告げる — shūryō o tsugeru — announce the end
Communication and judgment	打ち明ける	uchiakeru	to reveal; to confide	Transitive	本音を打ち明ける — honne o uchiakeru — reveal one’s true feelings
Policy and organization	施す	hodokosu	to administer; to perform	Transitive	処置を施す — shochi o hodokosu — administer treatment or measures
Policy and organization	設ける	mōkeru	to establish; to provide	Transitive	機会を設ける — kikai o mōkeru — provide an opportunity
Policy and organization	講じる	kōjiru	to take measures	Transitive	対策を講じる — taisaku o kōjiru — take countermeasures
Policy and organization	適用する	tekiyō suru	to apply a rule or principle	Transitive	規則を適用する — kisoku o tekiyō suru — apply a rule
Policy and organization	撤廃する	teppai suru	to abolish	Transitive	制度を撤廃する — seido o teppai suru — abolish a system
Policy and organization	緩和する	kanwa suru	to ease; to relax	Both	制限を緩和する — seigen o kanwa suru — relax restrictions; 混雑が緩和する — konzatsu ga kanwa suru — congestion eases
Policy and organization	規制する	kisei suru	to regulate; to restrict	Transitive	輸入を規制する — yunyū o kisei suru — regulate imports
Policy and organization	提携する	teikei suru	to form a partnership	Intransitive	企業と提携する — kigyō to teikei suru — partner with a company
Policy and organization	介入する	kainyū suru	to intervene	Intransitive	市場に介入する — shijō ni kainyū suru — intervene in a market
Policy and organization	該当する	gaitō suru	to correspond to; to fall under	Intransitive	条件に該当する — jōken ni gaitō suru — meet a condition
Deliberate action	補う	oginau	to supplement; to make up for	Transitive	不足を補う — fusoku o oginau — make up for a shortage
Deliberate action	賄う	makanau	to cover; to provide	Transitive	費用を賄う — hiyō o makanau — cover expenses
Deliberate action	省みる	kaerimiru	to reflect on	Transitive	行いを省みる — okonai o kaerimiru — reflect on one’s conduct
Deliberate action	顧みる	kaerimiru	to look back on; to consider	Transitive	家族を顧みる — kazoku o kaerimiru — consider one’s family
Deliberate action	試みる	kokoromiru	to attempt; to try	Transitive	新しい手法を試みる — atarashii shuhō o kokoromiru — try a new method
Deliberate action	営む	itonamu	to run; to conduct	Transitive	事業を営む — jigyō o itonamu — run a business
Deliberate action	拒む	kobamu	to refuse; to reject	Transitive	要求を拒む — yōkyū o kobamu — reject a demand
Deliberate action	免除する	menjo suru	to exempt; to waive	Transitive	義務を免除する — gimu o menjo suru — waive an obligation
Deliberate action	獲得する	kakutoku suru	to acquire; to obtain	Transitive	権利を獲得する — kenri o kakutoku suru — acquire a right
Deliberate action	成し遂げる	nashitogeru	to accomplish	Transitive	目標を成し遂げる — mokuhyō o nashitogeru — accomplish a goal
Movement and trajectory	赴く	omomuku	to go; to proceed to	Intransitive	現地に赴く — genchi ni omomuku — proceed to the site
Movement and trajectory	退く	shirizoku	to withdraw; to step down	Intransitive	政界を退く — seikai o shirizoku — withdraw from politics
Movement and trajectory	辿る	tadoru	to follow; to trace	Transitive	経緯を辿る — keii o tadoru — trace the course of events
Movement and trajectory	逸れる	soreru	to deviate; to leave the course	Intransitive	本題から逸れる — hondai kara soreru — stray from the main subject
Movement and trajectory	潜る	moguru	to dive; to go underground	Intransitive	地下に潜る — chika ni moguru — go underground
Movement and trajectory	跨ぐ	matagu	to cross over; to straddle	Transitive	国境を跨ぐ — kokkyō o matagu — cross a national border
Movement and trajectory	経る	heru	to pass through; to experience	Transitive	手続きを経る — tetsuzuki o heru — go through a procedure
Movement and trajectory	巡る	meguru	to go around; to tour	Intransitive	各地を巡る — kakuchi o meguru — travel around various regions
Movement and trajectory	乗り越える	norikoeru	to overcome; to cross over	Transitive	困難を乗り越える — konnan o norikoeru — overcome a difficulty
Movement and trajectory	行き詰まる	ikizumaru	to reach a deadlock	Intransitive	交渉が行き詰まる — kōshō ga ikizumaru — negotiations reach a deadlock

Four N1 Verbs in Context

These sentences show how particles, voice, and transitivity affect meaning. Read each one aloud, cover the English translation, and explain why the marked verb fits its noun and grammatical structure.

この規則はすべての申請者に適用されます。
Kono kisoku wa subete no shinseisha ni tekiyō saremasu.
This rule applies to all applicants.

委員会は再発を防ぐための対策を講じました。
Iinkai wa saihatsu o fusegu tame no taisaku o kōjimashita.
The committee took measures to prevent a recurrence.

市は週末の交通規制を緩和しました。
Shi wa shūmatsu no kōtsū kisei o kanwa shimashita.
The city relaxed the weekend traffic restrictions.

朝には道路の混雑が緩和しました。
Asa ni wa dōro no konzatsu ga kanwa shimashita.
By morning, the road congestion had eased.

The last two sentences show why one English gloss is insufficient. The same verb can describe an authority easing a restriction or a condition becoming less severe.

Common Mistakes

The most damaging N1 vocabulary mistakes involve usage rather than simple forgetting. Check the following patterns whenever you add or repair a card.

Treating this as an official syllabus. No single collection contains every possible N1 verb. Look for recurring words in formal articles, commentary, instructions, and listening material.
Calling 免れる (manukareru, to escape or be exempted from) transitive. It is intransitive. Its frequent use with を (o, a particle that can mark an avoided point or situation here) may tempt learners to classify it by English logic.
Glossing 適用する (tekiyō suru, to apply a rule or principle) as “to implement.” Applying an established rule is not identical to putting a new plan into operation. Keep its core meaning precise.
Marking 緩和する (kanwa suru, to ease or become less severe) only as transitive. It has both transitive and intransitive uses. Test whether an actor relaxes something or whether a condition itself eases.
Memorizing similar readings as interchangeable meanings. 省みる (kaerimiru, to reflect on) often concerns examining one’s conduct, while 顧みる (kaerimiru, to look back on or consider) can concern the past or consideration for someone.
Ignoring connected pronunciation. teachers report correcting blurred mora boundaries in nouns such as 運営 (un'ei, management or operation) and 店員 (ten'in, store employee). Although these are nouns, they demonstrate why exact readings and sound boundaries matter throughout N1 study.

Cultural note: teachers also report that advanced learners sometimes carry casual, enthusiastic reaction habits into formal business discussions. Japanese professional interaction often favors attentive but restrained acknowledgment, so practise not only formal verbs but also the register surrounding them.

Build an N1-Specific Review Loop

A strong review loop tests formal collocations, particles, and near-synonyms instead of repeatedly rereading lists. Work with five to ten target verbs at a time:

Recall the reading and narrow core meaning.
Reproduce the high-value pattern without looking.
Decide whether the subject acts, changes, moves, or experiences a state.
Compare one easily confused verb or English gloss.
Find the verb in formal reading or listening context.
Record every miss as reading, meaning, transitivity, collocation, or register.

For each mistake, write the mistaken guess, why it seemed plausible, the corrected reasoning, and the next review action. If earlier grammar gaps interfere with your verb study, revisit the JLPT N5 Grammar List for Beginners or examine the correction process in JLPT Grammar Mistakes at N5 and N4.

A focused 25-minute one-on-one online lesson over LINE can include a warm-up, one target speaking task using selected N1 verbs, correction of readings and collocations, and a learner-owned review note or question list. Prepare one missed question beforehand and identify whether the difficulty came from meaning, grammar, transitivity, or context.

To practise advanced verbs with focused feedback, book a Free Trial Lesson with Kind Japanese.

FAQ

Is this an official full JLPT N1 verb list?

No. The JLPT does not publish a definitive vocabulary list, so this is an original study resource built around advanced readings, meanings, grammar, and collocations. Use it to organize high-value verbs, then confirm how they behave through varied formal reading and listening rather than treating any single list as complete.

How many N1 verbs should I study each day?

Choose a small set that you can read, classify, and use accurately, rather than chasing a fixed daily number. For each verb, recall one collocation, test its particle pattern, and revisit mistaken readings the next day; add new words only when the previous set remains clear.

Do I need to memorize whether each verb is transitive?

Yes, when transitivity changes the particle pattern or identifies what causes the event, but the label alone is not enough. Store each verb with a compact phrase, note whether the subject acts or changes, and compare a transitive use with an intransitive one when both are available.

Can flashcards alone prepare me for N1 vocabulary?

Flashcards support fast retrieval, but they cannot fully teach register, collocation, sentence logic, or connected pronunciation. Combine cards with formal reading, listening, and short spoken summaries, then use a wrong-answer log to repair weak meanings, readings, particles, and verb types before those errors become familiar.