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JLPT N2 Culture & Traditions Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Culture & Traditions vocabulary with readings and example sentences (71 words).

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This category covers 71 N2-level words spanning Japan's traditional and contemporary culture: performing arts like noh and kabuki, visual crafts, literature, festivals, and the abstract vocabulary of heritage and aesthetics. N2 reading passages frequently draw on this set for essays about tradition, museum descriptions, and cultural commentary, so recognizing the recurring kanji roots here pays off across the whole exam, not just on culture-themed passages.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 71 words with the Culture & Traditions Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Traditional Performing Arts (13)

Terms for Japan's classical stage and 'Way' disciplines — noh (能), kabuki (歌舞伎), the tea ceremony (茶道), and flower arrangement (華道) — plus the vocabulary used to describe any performance, from the stage itself (舞台) to how it is staged and directed (上演, 演出).

staging演出enshutsu

その演出で劇がもっと面白くなりました。 — The stage direction made the play more interesting.

calligraphy書道shodou

母に書道を教えてもらいました。 — I learned calligraphy from my mother.

stage舞台butai

俳優が舞台に立って話しました。 — The actor stood on the stage and spoke.

performance公演kouen

公演は七時に始まります。 — The performance begins at seven o'clock.

staging (a performance)上演jouen

この劇の上演は多くの人に好評でした。 — This play's performance was well received by many people.

theater演劇engeki

今週末は演劇を見たいです。 — I want to watch a play this weekend.

tea ceremony茶道sadou

私は祖母に茶道を習いました。 — I learned tea ceremony from my grandmother.

flower arrangement華道kadou

彼女は毎月、華道を習っています。 — She is studying flower arrangement every month.

Japanese dress和装wasou

彼は結婚式で和装をしました。 — He wore Japanese-style clothing at the wedding.

folk song民謡minyou

学校で民謡を歌いました。 — We sang a folk song at school.

noh能nou

初めて能を見ました。 — I watched noh for the first time.

kabuki歌舞伎kabuki

家族と歌舞伎を見ました。 — I watched kabuki with my family.

noh mask能面noumen

その博物館では能面が展示されていました。 — The museum displayed a noh mask.

Visual Arts, Crafts & Museums (17)

Physical art forms and craft objects — painting (絵画), sculpture (彫刻), ceramics (陶芸), lacquerware (漆器) — together with the museum-and-gallery vocabulary for exhibiting, viewing, storing, and restoring them, vocabulary that shows up constantly in N2 passages describing exhibits and cultural facilities.

art芸術geijutsu

芸術は人の心を動かします。 — Art can move people's hearts.

creation創作sousaku

彼は新しい創作に取り組んでいます。 — He is working on a new creative work.

craft工芸kougei

この地域は工芸で有名です。 — This region is famous for its crafts.

folk craft民芸mingei

美術館の売店で民芸品の湯のみを買いました。 — I bought a folk craft cup at the museum shop.

craft item工芸品kougeihin

この工芸品は手で作られました。 — This craft item was made by hand.

painting絵画kaiga

私はその絵画を長い時間見ていました。 — I spent a long time looking at the painting.

sculpture彫刻choukoku

公園の彫刻はとても大きいです。 — The sculpture in the park is very large.

buddha statue仏像butsuzou

寺院で大きな仏像を見ました。 — I saw a large Buddha statue at the temple.

folding screen屏風byoubu

部屋の中に美しい屏風が立っていました。 — A beautiful folding screen was standing in the room.

hanging scroll掛け軸kakejiku

和室に掛け軸がかけてありました。 — A hanging scroll was displayed in the Japanese-style room.

ceramic art陶芸tougei

いつか陶芸を習いたいです。 — I want to learn ceramic art someday.

lacquerware漆器shikki

この漆器はとてもきれいです。 — This lacquerware is very beautiful.

exhibition展示tenji

展示には多くの作家の作品がありました。 — The exhibition displayed works by many artists.

appreciation鑑賞kanshou

私はその絵を鑑賞しました。 — I appreciated the painting.

collection and storage収蔵shuuzou

博物館は古い資料を大切に収蔵しています。 — The museum is storing the old documents carefully.

restoration修復shuufuku

古いお寺が修復されています。 — The old temple is being restored.

hall会館kaikan

会議は会館で行われます。 — The meeting will be held at the community hall.

Aesthetic Vocabulary (6)

Abstract nouns for describing taste, style, and refinement — the words critics and essayists reach for when discussing what makes something beautiful or dignified, from a sense of aesthetics (美意識) to an artist's personal style (作風).

sense of beauty美意識biishiki

彼女は美意識がとても高いです。 — Her sense of beauty is very high.

artistic style作風sakufuu

この作家の作風が好きです。 — I like this writer's style.

dignity風格fuukaku

その古い寺には風格があります。 — The old temple has dignity.

elegance品位hini

この部屋は品位があります。 — This room has elegance.

taste趣omomuki

この庭には日本らしい趣があります。 — This garden has a Japanese flavor.

elegance (classical refinement)雅miyabi

その部屋には雅さがありました。 — The room had elegance.

Literature & Poetry (8)

Classical and modern literary forms — haiku (俳句), tanka (短歌), poetry (詩) — plus the musical-notation vocabulary (楽譜, 編曲) that N2 reading passages pair with discussions of song lyrics and literary arts.

classic古典koten

昨日、古典の小説を読みました。 — I read a classic novel yesterday.

literature and arts文芸bungei

週末は文芸作品に親しんでいます。 — I enjoy literary works on weekends.

lyrics歌詞kashi

この歌の歌詞を調べました。 — I looked up the lyrics of this song.

haiku俳句haiku

彼は春の雨について俳句を書きました。 — He wrote a haiku about the spring rain.

tanka短歌tanka

祖父は短歌を読むのが好きです。 — My grandfather likes reading tanka.

poetry詩shi

彼女の詩はわかりやすいです。 — Her poetry is easy to understand.

arrangement編曲henkyoku

この曲の編曲はとてもすばらしいです。 — The arrangement of this song is very wonderful.

sheet music楽譜gakufu

この曲の楽譜を買いました。 — I bought the sheet music for this song.

Festivals, Ceremonies & Ritual Objects (10)

Vocabulary for organized events and the customs governing them — from large festivals (祭典, 音楽祭, 映画祭) and formal ceremonies (儀式) down to the unwritten rules of conduct (作法, しきたり) and honorific speech (敬語) that accompany them.

festival祭典saiten

公園で祭典が開かれました。 — The festival was held in the park.

ceremony儀式gishiki

儀式は時間どおりに始まりました。 — The ceremony started on time.

music festival音楽祭ongakusai

音楽祭にはたくさんの人が来ました。 — Many people came to the music festival.

film festival映画祭eigasai

映画祭で友達と映画を見ました。 — I saw a movie with my friend at the film festival.

event催しmoyooshi

その催しにはたくさんの人が来ました。 — Many people came to the event.

custom (tradition/convention)しきたりshikitari

この地方のしきたりに従いました。 — We followed the local custom.

festival (local/folk)祭りmatsuri

家族と祭りに行きました。 — I went to the festival with my family.

etiquette作法sahou

面接では正しい作法を守ってください。 — Please follow the proper etiquette at the interview.

honorific language敬語keigo

お客様には敬語を使ってください。 — Please use honorific language with your client.

portable shrine神輿mikoshi

子どもたちは祭りで神輿をかつぎました。 — The children carried the portable shrine in the festival.

Heritage, Tradition & Folklore (17)

The abstract framework of 'culture' itself — customs (風習), heritage (遺産), and how traditions are passed down (継承, 伝承) — and the words for the people, places, and stories that carry them: ethnic groups (民族), regional character (風土, 郷土), legends (伝説), and myths (神話).

custom風習fuushuu

この町には昔の風習が残っています。 — This town still keeps old customs.

cultural property文化財bunkazai

この寺は大切な文化財です。 — This temple is an important cultural property.

inheritance継承keishou

私たちはこの伝統を継承したいです。 — We want to inherit this tradition.

oral tradition伝承denshou

この話は伝承によって伝えられています。 — This story has been handed down through oral tradition.

history由緒yuisho

この神社は由緒があります。 — This shrine has a long history.

local area郷土kyoudo

私の郷土は静かで住みやすいです。 — My local area is quiet and pleasant.

ethnic group民族minzoku

わが国には多くの民族が住んでいます。 — Many ethnic groups live in our country.

heritage遺産isan

この城は世界遺産です。 — This castle is a world heritage site.

specialty名物meibutsu

この町の名物は甘いお菓子です。 — This town's specialty is sweet confectionery.

culture教養kyouyou

留学して、私の教養が深まりました。 — Studying abroad deepened my knowledge and culture.

cultural exchange文化交流bunkakouryuu

文化交流を通じて、両国の友好が深まりました。 — Through cultural exchange, friendship between the two countries deepened.

entertainment arts芸能geinou

彼女は芸能の世界で働いています。 — She works in the entertainment arts industry.

legend伝説densetsu

この山には伝説があります。 — There is a legend about this mountain.

temple寺院jiin

あの丘に古い寺院があります。 — There is an old temple on that hill.

myth神話shinwa

この神話は昔から伝わっています。 — This myth has been told for a long time.

folklore民俗minzoku

この祭りは地域の民俗に基づいています。 — This festival is based on local folklore.

regional climate風土fuudo

この土地の風土はとても独特です。 — The climate of this area is very unique.

The 芸 Root Ties This List Together

Seven words in this list share the kanji 芸 (art, skill, craft): 芸術, 工芸, 民芸, 工芸品, 陶芸, 文芸, and 芸能. The attached prefix narrows the meaning each time — 工 (craftsmanship) gives 工芸 the general sense of 'craft,' 陶 (ceramics) gives 陶芸 the specific sense of pottery, and 文 (letters) gives 文芸 'literary arts.' Once you spot 芸 as a productive root rather than memorizing each compound in isolation, unfamiliar 芸-compounds on the actual exam become much easier to guess.

Frequently Asked Questions

民族 and 民俗 are both read 'minzoku' — how do I tell them apart?

民族 (minzoku) means an ethnic or national group — a body of people sharing ancestry, language, or culture, as in 少数民族 (ethnic minority). 民俗 (minzoku) means folklore or folk customs — the traditions and practices themselves, as in 民俗学 (folklore studies). Context almost always disambiguates: 民族 is followed by words about people or nations, while 民俗 pairs with words about customs, festivals, and folk arts.

What's the difference between 公演, 上演, and 演出?

公演 refers to the performance event itself — a concert, play, or show being publicly staged, as in a theater's 公演スケジュール (performance schedule). 上演 specifically means to put on or stage a work, usually a play or opera, and is typically used together with the title of the piece being performed. 演出 refers to the direction and staging choices behind a production — the creative work of a director (演出家), not the performance itself.

Practice All 71 Culture & Traditions Vocabulary Words

Import the Culture & Traditions Vocabulary deck into Onigiri Anki and master this category with spaced repetition.