This category covers 58 advanced vocabulary items on nature, ecology, and environmental science, spanning ecosystem biology, pollution and water treatment, climate and water balance, geological disasters, and conservation. N1 reading passages draw heavily on newspaper editorials and scientific essays about climate change, biodiversity loss, and natural disasters, and that register relies on the dense Sino-Japanese compounds featured here rather than the more colloquial nature vocabulary tested at lower levels.

This article is part of our JLPT N1 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 58 words with the Nature & Environment Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Ecosystems & Plant Biology (12)

Core biological terms for how organisms and plants live, grow, and interact with their surroundings, from habitat and vegetation zones to processes like photosynthesis and transpiration that anchor N1 passages summarizing ecological research.

adaptation順応junnou

彼は新しい職場にすぐ順応しました。 — He quickly adapted to the new workplace.

inhabiting; habitation生息seisoku

この山には多くの野鳥が生息しています。 — Many wild birds inhabit this mountain.

forest bathing森林浴shinrinyoku

森林浴をすると、気分が落ち着く。 — When I do forest bathing, I feel relaxed.

vegetation植生shokusei

この土地の植生は意外に多様だ。 — The vegetation here is surprisingly diverse.

food chain食物連鎖shokumotsurensa

一つの種が消えると、食物連鎖に大きな影響が出る。 — If one species disappears, it has a major impact on the food chain.

photosynthesis光合成kougousei

植物は光合成で栄養を作り出す。 — Plants produce nutrients through photosynthesis.

transpiration蒸散jousan

植物は蒸散によって水分を外に出す。 — Plants release moisture to the outside through transpiration.

leaf fall落葉rakuyou

山では落葉が始まります。 — Leaf fall begins in the mountains.

vegetation zone植生帯shokuseitai

この地域は寒帯の植生帯に属する。 — This region is in the cold-climate vegetation zone.

growing naturally; indigenous自生jisei

この山には珍しい花が自生している。 — Rare flowers grow naturally on this mountain.

indigenous; native to the land土着dochaku

この村には土着の風習が残っている。 — This village still preserves its indigenous customs.

primeval; primitive原生gensei

この森は原生の姿を保っている。 — This forest remains in its primeval state.

Decay, Erosion & Chemical Breakdown (10)

Words describing how materials and systems break down or fail, spanning physical erosion, chemical reactions, and outright collapse; N1 test-writers favor this set because the same compounds recur in both literal and metaphorical contexts.

exhaustion; depletion枯渇kokatsu

干ばつで水資源が枯渇しています。 — Water resources are being depleted due to the drought.

erosion; encroachment侵食shinshoku

長雨で堤防が侵食されました。 — The embankment was eroded by prolonged rain.

annihilation; devastation壊滅kaimetsu

その村は火事で壊滅しました。 — The village was completely devastated by the fire.

collapse崩壊houkai

その会社は不祥事のあと崩壊しました。 — The company collapsed after the scandal.

decomposition分解bunkai

古い機械は分解されて調べられた。 — The old machine was taken apart and examined.

suffocation窒息chissoku

彼は混雑した部屋で窒息しかけた。 — He almost suffocated in the crowded room.

oxidation酸化sanka

鉄は酸化すると茶色くなる。 — Iron turns brown due to oxidation.

weathering風化fuuka

その古い像は風化して形が崩れた。 — The old statue has weathered and lost its shape.

corrosion腐食fushoku

塩分は金属を腐食させやすい。 — Salt makes metal corrode easily.

acidification酸性化sanseika

海の酸性化が深刻な問題になっている。 — Acidification of the ocean is becoming a serious problem.

Pollution, Emissions & Water Treatment (9)

Vocabulary for how substances enter, leave, or are cleaned from the environment, including the frequently confused emission trio and standard treatment terms used in reporting on industrial and chemical pollution.

purification浄化jouka

その水は浄化されてから使われた。 — The water was purified before it was used.

emission; discharge排出haishutsu

その工場からの排出は厳しく規制されている。 — Emissions from that factory are strictly regulated.

release; emission放出houshutsu

政府はそのデータを放出した。 — The government released the data.

outflow; leakage流出ryuushutsu

情報の流出が大きな問題になった。 — The leak became a major problem.

acid rain酸性雨sanseiu

酸性雨が森を傷めた。 — Acid rain damaged the forest.

salt damage塩害engai

塩害で道路脇の木が弱った。 — Salt damage weakened the trees by the roadside.

pollution; turbidity汚濁odaku

工場排水が川を汚濁させた。 — Factory wastewater polluted the river.

residual remaining; persistence残留zanryuu

土壌に農薬が残留していた。 — Pesticide residues had remained in the soil.

neutralization中和chuuwa

その酸は特殊な液体で中和された。 — The acid was neutralized with a special solution.

Water Balance & Climate Zones (9)

Terms for water scarcity and abundance alongside climate and geography classifications that anchor N1 passages on drought, wetlands, and shifting climate zones.

wetland湿原shitsugen

その湿原には珍しい植物が多い。 — There are many rare plants in the wetland.

desertification砂漠化sabakuka

その地域では砂漠化が進んでいる。 — Desertification is advancing in that area.

ice age氷河期hyougaki

地球はかつて氷河期を経験した。 — The Earth once experienced an ice age.

drought干ばつkanbatsu

干ばつで田んぼに深刻な被害が出た。 — The drought caused serious damage to the rice fields.

moist and humid湿潤shitsujun

この洞窟は一年中、湿潤な環境が保たれている。 — This cave maintains a moist and humid environment all year round.

water shortage渇水kassui

渇水が何週間も続いた。 — The water shortage continued for weeks.

water retention保水hosui

この土は保水力が高い。 — This soil has excellent water retention.

subtropical亜熱帯anettai

亜熱帯の地域では米がよく育つ。 — Rice grows well in subtropical regions.

water retention capacity保水力hosuiryoku

この土は保水力が高い。 — This soil has excellent water retention capacity.

Geology, Terrain & Disaster (8)

Ground-level and subsurface vocabulary covering bedrock, crust, and peat, plus the three distinct ways Japanese describes a landslide, reflecting how precisely disaster reporting distinguishes the underlying mechanism.

landslide土砂崩れdoshakuzure

大雨で山道が土砂崩れに見舞われた。 — The mountain road was hit by a landslide after heavy rain.

landslide (gradual ground slippage)地滑りjisuberi

その斜面は去年から地滑りを起こしている。 — The slope has been experiencing ground slippage since last year.

landslide (mountainside collapse)山崩れyamakuzure

山崩れで道がふさがった。 — A landslide blocked the road.

bedrock岩盤ganban

その建物は岩盤の上にある。 — The building rests on bedrock.

peat泥炭deitan

泥炭には大量の炭素が蓄えられていた。 — The peat stored a large amount of carbon.

earth's crust地殻chikaku

地殻の動きが大きな地震を起こした。 — The movement of the earth's crust caused a big earthquake.

stirring; agitation撹拌kakuhan

試薬を加えたら、よく撹拌してください。 — After adding the reagent, stir it well.

rubble; debris瓦礫gareki

地震で駅は瓦礫の山になった。 — The earthquake turned the station into a pile of rubble.

Species Movement, Cultivation & Resilience (10)

Words for how species and organisms move, take hold, or are cultivated, plus abstract qualities like vulnerability and resilience that ecological essays use to evaluate ecosystem health.

hotbed温床onshou

そのうわさは対立の温床になりました。 — The rumor became a breeding ground for conflict.

crossing borders越境ekkyou

彼は国境を越境したとして捕まった。 — He was arrested for crossing the border illegally.

introduction; import移入inyuu

政府は新しい税制度を移入している。 — The government is importing a new tax system.

transplantation移植ishoku

医師は患者に皮膚移植を行った。 — The doctor performed a skin transplant on the patient.

rare希少kishou

この希少な本は手に入りにくいです。 — This rare book is hard to find.

fragile; vulnerable脆弱zeijaku

そのシステムは脆弱で、すぐに破綻します。 — The system is fragile and can break down easily.

vulnerability; frailty脆弱性zeijakusei

この古いソフトには脆弱性があります。 — This old software has a vulnerability.

establishment; fixation定着teichaku

新しい制度が社会に定着した。 — The new system is now firmly established.

compost; manure堆肥taihi

野菜畑に堆肥をまいた。 — We spread compost in the vegetable field.

resilience; recovery capacity回復力kaifukuryoku

彼女の回復力の高さには、すぐに立ち直る強さが表れている。 — Her resilience is reflected in her ability to bounce back quickly.

排出 vs 放出 vs 流出: three ways to describe something getting out

All three words are often glossed as 'emission' or 'release,' but they differ in agency and connotation. 排出 implies a deliberate, often measured act of discharging waste or byproduct, as in 排出量 (emission volume) for CO2 reporting. 放出 implies a broader release of energy or substance, sudden or large in scale, as in 放射性物質の放出 (release of radioactive material). 流出 implies an unintentional or uncontrolled outflow, most often used for spills or leaks such as 石油の流出 (oil spill) or 情報の流出 (information leak). Spotting which of the three a passage uses is a quick signal for whether it describes a controlled process, a large release event, or an accident.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 酸化 and 酸性化?

酸化 (oxidation) is the general chemistry term for a substance combining with oxygen or losing electrons, covering everything from rusting metal to cellular metabolism. 酸性化 (acidification) specifically means an environment or substance is becoming more acidic, most often seen in 海洋の酸性化 (ocean acidification) driven by absorbed CO2. The two overlap conceptually but are not interchangeable: rust is 酸化, while a lake turning acidic from 酸性雨 is 酸性化.

How do 土砂崩れ, 地滑り, and 山崩れ differ, since they're all translated as 'landslide'?

土砂崩れ is a sudden collapse of soil and rock triggered by heavy rain, and it is the term used in weather and disaster news. 地滑り refers to a slower, often large-scale slippage of a ground mass along a weakened subsurface layer, frequently linked to groundwater saturation, and is the standard geological term. 山崩れ specifically describes a mountainside or slope face collapsing suddenly, emphasizing the mass of earth breaking away rather than the slippage mechanism.

Practice All 58 Nature & Environment Vocabulary Words

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JLPT N1 Nature & Environment Vocabulary (2026)