JLPT N1 Four-Character Idioms (四字熟語) Vocabulary (2026)
Complete JLPT N1 Four-Character Idioms (四字熟語) vocabulary with readings and example sentences (76 words).
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This set covers 76 four-character idioms (四字熟語), one of the most distinctly N1-level vocabulary categories: they rarely appear before N1 but show up constantly in newspaper editorials, business writing, and literary or historical references once you reach it. Many trace back to classical Chinese history (四面楚歌, 臥薪嘗胆, 風林火山) or classical Japanese rhetoric, so learning them also means picking up compact, high-register phrases native speakers use to compress a whole situation into four characters.
This article is part of our JLPT N1 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 76 words with the Four-Character Idioms (四字熟語) Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.
Crisis & Comeback (14)
Idioms for being in mortal danger or a cornered, do-or-die situation, and the resolve, timing, or turnaround that pulls you out of it — a favorite register for N1 reading passages about historical battles, business turnarounds, and sports comebacks.
事故は危機一髪で避けられた。 — The accident was averted by a hair's breadth.
新しい商品が、苦しい会社の起死回生の策となった。 — The new product became a lifeline for the struggling company.
彼女は最後まで孤軍奮闘しました。 — She kept fighting single-handedly until the end.
彼は職場で四面楚歌の状態に置かれている。 — He is in a situation at work where he is surrounded by enemies.
彼は失敗しても七転八起で立ち上がった。 — Even after many failures, he rose again and again.
私は絶体絶命だったが、何とか助かった。 — I was in desperate straits, but I somehow survived.
この出会いは千載一遇のチャンスだ。 — This encounter is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
彼は大器晩成のタイプだ。 — He is a late bloomer.
彼は臥薪嘗胆の末、ついに試験に合格した。 — He endured hardship and finally passed the exam.
彼の戦い方は、まさに風林火山を体現していた。 — His way of fighting embodied the principles of wind, forest, fire, and mountain.
彼は一念発起して、勉強をやり直した。 — After much hesitation, he resolved to start anew.
彼は心機一転して新しい町で新生活を始めた。 — He made a fresh start and began a new life in a new town.
私たちは背水の陣で臨み、失敗は許されない状況だ。 — We are approaching this with our backs to the wall, so failure is not permitted.
会社は新しい脅威に対して臨戦態勢を整えた。 — The company put itself on combat readiness in response to the new threat.
Flux, Chaos & the Rise and Fall (8)
Idioms describing constant change, disorientation, or a trajectory that swings between prosperity and collapse — from the literal fog of 五里霧中 to the historical sweep of 栄枯盛衰 — useful for N1 reading passages on market cycles, political fortunes, and shifting circumstances.
私は右往左往して、なかなか決められなかった。 — I was going back and forth and couldn't decide.
そのうわさは雲散霧消した。 — The rumor vanished without a trace.
彼の人生は栄枯盛衰をそのまま表している。 — His life embodies the rise and fall of fortune.
地図がなくて、五里霧中でした。 — Without the map, I was completely lost in confusion.
ここは天候が千変万化する。 — The weather here changes constantly.
彼女の人生は波瀾万丈だった。 — Her life has been full of ups and downs.
彼の説明は支離滅裂で、聞いても分からなかった。 — His explanation was incoherent and I could not follow it.
その企画は竜頭蛇尾に終わってしまった。 — The project started off brilliantly but ended poorly.
Strategy & Swift, Decisive Action (13)
Idioms praising speed, resourcefulness, and precise timing — cutting straight through a problem, moving unpredictably, or watching patiently for the right moment — common in business and strategy-themed N1 passages.
彼女の説明は快刀乱麻を断つようだった。 — Her explanation was like cutting through a difficult problem.
彼は機略縦横にその交渉を進めた。 — He advanced the negotiations with consummate resourcefulness.
彼女の計画には深謀遠慮がある。 — Her plan showed long-range foresight.
あの記者は神出鬼没だ。 — That reporter seems to appear and disappear mysteriously.
状況に応じて臨機応変に対応してください。 — Please respond flexibly to the situation.
単刀直入に言ってください。 — Please get straight to the point.
最後の一言が、スピーチの画竜点睛になった。 — The final remark became the finishing touch to the speech.
競合会社は虎視眈々と市場参入の機会をうかがっている。 — The rival company is watching closely for a chance to enter the market.
警察は盗賊を一網打尽にした。 — The police rounded up the thieves in one sweep.
歩いて通勤すれば、一石二鳥でお金も節約できる。 — By walking to work, you can kill two birds with one stone and save money too.
子どもたちは公園を縦横無尽に駆け回った。 — The children ran around the park freely.
彼女は指を自由自在に動かせる。 — She can move her fingers freely.
彼はその問題を電光石火で片づけた。 — He handled the problem at lightning speed.
Admirable Character (8)
Idioms praising boldness, authenticity, and quiet competence — from natural talent that peaks late (大器晩成-adjacent traits like 適材適所) to letting results speak instead of words (不言実行) — often used in N1 reading passages profiling leaders, artisans, or athletes.
適材適所で人を配置した。 — People were assigned to the right positions according to their abilities.
彼は無我夢中でゲームに没頭していました。 — He was utterly absorbed in the game.
百戦錬磨の記者は、混乱の中でも落ち着いていた。 — The battle-hardened reporter remained calm even in the chaos.
これは正真正銘の古い絵だ。 — This is a genuine old painting.
彼女は舞台で大胆不敵に歌い上げた。 — She sang powerfully and fearlessly on stage.
彼女は天衣無縫な受け答えで面接を乗り切った。 — She got through the interview with her unconstrained, carefree responses.
彼女は不言実行を信条にしている。 — She follows the principle of actions speak louder than words.
彼の説明は理路整然としていて、わかりやすかった。 — His explanation was logically organized and easy to follow.
Character Flaws & Social Criticism (10)
Idioms criticizing shamelessness, indecision, conformity, and empty or exaggerated talk — the register N1 editorials reach for when critiquing public figures or social trends.
彼は厚顔無恥にも昇給を求めた。 — He shamelessly demanded a raise.
彼はいつも針小棒大に話をする。 — He always exaggerates when he talks.
考えずに付和雷同してはいけません。 — Don't just follow the crowd without thinking.
彼女は優柔不断で、いつも迷っています。 — She is indecisive and always hesitates.
その議論は空理空論にすぎず、何も解決しない。 — That argument is just empty theory and does not solve anything.
残念無念で、あきらめるしかなかった。 — I was deeply disappointed, but I had no choice but to give up.
会場には有象無象が集まり、落ち着いて話せなかった。 — The venue was filled with riffraff, and I couldn't speak calmly.
彼の厭世観は、職場の空気を重くした。 — His pessimism made the office atmosphere heavy.
そんな重大な問題を無視するのは言語道断だ。 — It is outrageous to ignore such a serious problem.
彼は八方美人で、誰にでもいい顔をする。 — He is a people pleaser and tries to curry favor with everyone.
Unity, Diversity & Collective Life (11)
Idioms describing how groups hold together or differ — unanimous agreement, shared fate, enforced uniformity, or a huge range of variation within one whole — vocabulary that recurs in N1 passages about organizations and society.
私たちは一蓮托生だ。 — The two of us are in this together, with a shared fate.
この業界では意見が千差万別だ。 — Opinions in this industry are varied.
二人の提案は大同小異だった。 — The two proposals were only slightly different.
その舞台は百花繚乱の様相を呈していた。 — That stage was a scene of many talents flourishing.
その提案は満場一致で承認されました。 — The proposal was approved unanimously.
公園には老若男女が集まっていた。 — The park was crowded with people of all ages.
参加者は異口同音にその案に賛成した。 — The participants unanimously agreed with the proposal.
その会社は画一主義を避け、社員それぞれのやり方を認めた。 — The company avoided uniformity and allowed each employee to work in their own way.
誰もが公平に挑戦できるよう、機会均等が必要だ。 — Equal opportunity is necessary for everyone to have a fair chance.
インターネットには玉石混交の情報があふれている。 — The internet is a mixture of good and bad information.
彼女は終始一貫して、自分の意見を変えなかった。 — She stayed consistent throughout and never changed her opinion.
Cause, Precedent & the Everyday (12)
Idioms about moral cause-and-effect, a group's relationship to the past, how extraordinary or ordinary an event is, and formal terms that show up in N1 news and business reading.
あれは因果応報だと思う。 — I think that was karmic retribution.
温故知新の精神で、昔の知恵を生かしたい。 — I want to make use of old wisdom with an attitude of learning from the past.
あの会社は今も旧態依然としたやり方を続けている。 — That company is still continuing its old-fashioned way of doing things.
その地震の被害は空前絶後の規模でした。 — The damage caused by the earthquake was unprecedented in scale.
解雇されたのは自業自得です。 — Being fired was his own fault.
そんな急な変更は前代未聞だ。 — Such a sudden change is unprecedented.
引っ越し後、古い家具は二束三文になった。 — After the move, the old furniture became next to worthless.
今日は平穏無事に過ごせました。 — I was able to spend today peacefully and uneventfully.
来る日も来る日も、彼は試験の勉強を続けました。 — Day after day, he kept studying for the exam.
彼の発想は奇想天外で、だれも予想できなかった。 — His idea was utterly fantastic and no one could predict it.
彼は越権行為をして、処分を受けた。 — He was punished for an act that exceeded his authority.
彼の報告は起承転結がはっきりしていた。 — His report had a clear introduction, development, twist, and conclusion.
Two-plus-two: how yojijukugo are built
Most 四字熟語 split into two 2-kanji halves that either reinforce or contrast each other, and spotting which relationship is at work makes the whole word easier to remember. Reinforcing pairs restate one idea with different characters for emphasis: 起死回生 pairs 起死 ("rise from death") with 回生 ("return to life"), and 支離滅裂 pairs 支離 ("scattered") with 滅裂 ("torn to pieces"). Contrastive pairs work by opposition, often numeric: 大同小異 sets 大同 ("mostly the same") against 小異 ("small difference"), while 千差万別 stacks two large numbers (千, 万) to mean "countless variety" — the two are easy to confuse since both describe difference, but 大同小異 says things are basically alike and 千差万別 says they vary enormously.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are 四字熟語 actually tested on the N1 exam — do I need to be able to write them?
N1's vocabulary section occasionally tests a yojijukugo directly with a fill-in-blank or synonym-choice item, but far more often these words appear unglossed inside reading passages and listening dialogues drawn from news and opinion pieces, so recognition matters more than being able to produce them from memory. Business-register words like 一石二鳥, 臨機応変, and 優柔不断 turn up constantly in opinion pieces, while more literary ones like 臥薪嘗胆 or 風林火山 tend to appear in history-themed reading passages.
What's the difference between 空前絶後 and 前代未聞 — don't they both mean "unprecedented"?
Both describe something without precedent, but the tone differs: 空前絶後 ("unprecedented, and won't happen again") is used for extraordinary achievements and carries an admiring tone, as in a 空前絶後の記録 (an unprecedented record). 前代未聞 ("never heard of in previous generations") is used for shocking or scandalous events, as in a 前代未聞の事件 (an unprecedented incident) — closer to "unheard-of" in a negative sense than "record-breaking."
Practice All 76 Four-Character Idioms (四字熟語) Vocabulary Words
Import the Four-Character Idioms (四字熟語) Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.