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JLPT N2 Set Phrases & Idioms Vocabulary (2026)

Complete JLPT N2 Set Phrases & Idioms vocabulary with readings and example sentences (79 words).

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This set of 79 N2 expressions is dominated by 慣用句 (fixed body-part idioms) built from words like 気, 目, 手, 腹, 頭 and 足 paired with a verb, such as 気を配る or 手を焼く, alongside a smaller group of formal two-kanji nouns like 解消 and 保留. N2 reading and vocabulary sections lean heavily on recognizing these fixed combinations rather than translating word-for-word, so knowing which verb pairs with which body part is often what separates a right answer from a wrong one.

This article is part of our JLPT N2 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 79 words with the Set Phrases & Idioms Vocabulary deck in Onigiri Anki.

Mind, Heart & Temper (気・胸・腹) (16)

Idioms built on 気 (spirit/mood), 胸 (chest/heart) and 腹 (belly) that describe motivation, hesitation, anger and being moved emotionally — the 気を/気が pattern alone covers nine entries here and appears constantly in N2 reading and conversation.

feel satisfied気が済むkigasumu

気が済むまで、はっきり言ってください。 — Please say it clearly until you feel satisfied.

take notice of気に留めるkinitomeru

この大事な点を気に留めてください。 — Please take note of this important point.

feel hesitant気が引けるkigahikeru

上司に聞くのは気が引けます。 — I feel hesitant to ask my boss.

feel inclined気が進むkigasusumu

今日は外出する気が進みません。 — I don't really feel like going out today.

pay attention気を配るkiokubaru

お客様の要望に気を配っています。 — I pay attention to customers' requests.

pull oneself together気を取り直すkiotorinaosu

試験に落ちましたが、気を取り直してまた勉強しました。 — After failing the test, I pulled myself together and studied again.

be considerate気を遣うkiotsukau

母はいつも人に気を遣っています。 — My mother is always considerate of others.

worry気を揉むkiomomu

息子の帰りが遅いので、気を揉んでいます。 — I'm worried because my son is late coming home.

lose consciousness気を失うkioushinau

彼は頭を打って気を失いました。 — He lost consciousness after hitting his head.

etch in one's heart胸に刻むmunenikizamu

この日を胸に刻みます。 — I will etch this day in my heart.

move deeply胸を打つmuneoutsu

彼女のスピーチは私の胸を打ちました。 — Her speech deeply moved me.

be proud胸を張るmuneoharu

自分の仕事に胸を張ってください。 — Please be proud of your work.

speak frankly腹を割るharaowaru

ここは腹を割って、この問題を解決しましょう。 — Let's speak frankly and solve this problem.

get angry腹を立てるharaotateru

彼は私の冗談に腹を立てました。 — He got angry at my joke.

be annoyed腹が立つharagatatsu

その騒音に腹が立ちました。 — I was annoyed by the noise.

be hungry腹が減るharagaheru

昼になると腹が減ります。 — I get hungry around noon.

Eyes, Ears & Mouth (目・耳・口) (13)

Idioms centered on 目 (eyes), 耳 (ears) and 口 (mouth) describing attention, perception and speech — what catches your eye, what you overhear, and when to speak up or hold back — frequent in N2 listening and reading sections.

glance through目を通すmeotoosu

報告書に目を通しました。 — I quickly glanced through the report.

interrupt口を挟むkuchiohasamu

話している時は口を挟まないでください。 — Please don't interrupt while I am talking.

meddle口を出すkuchiodasu

彼はいつも人のことに口を出します。 — He always meddles in other people's business.

mention口にするkuchinisuru

友達にその計画を口にしました。 — I mentioned the plan to my friend.

be talked about口に上るkuchininoboru

そのうわさはみんなの口に上っています。 — That rumor is being talked about among everyone.

listen attentively耳を傾けるmimiokatamukeru

彼女の話に耳を傾けました。 — I listened attentively to her story.

hear about耳にするmiminisuru

ニュースで新しい方針を耳にしました。 — I heard about the new policy on the news.

catch the eye目を奪うmeoubau

そのカラフルなポスターが目を奪いました。 — The colorful poster was eye-catching.

attract attention目を引くmeohiku

その明るい看板は目を引きます。 — The bright sign attracts attention.

turn one's attention to目を向けるmeomukeru

環境問題に目を向けました。 — I turned my attention to the environment.

turn a blind eye目をつぶるmeotsuburu

先生は私たちのミスに目をつぶりました。 — The teacher turned a blind eye to our mistake.

keep a close watch目を光らせるmeohikaraseru

警備員が入口に目を光らせています。 — The security guard keeps a close watch on the entrance.

make a guess目星をつけるmeboshiotsukeru

なくした鍵のありかに目星をつけました。 — I made a guess about where the missing keys might be.

Hands, Skill & Vivid Action (手・腕・風・水・舌) (12)

Expressions built on 手 (hand) and 腕 (arm) for practical effort and skill, plus a handful of non-body idioms — 風 (wind), 水 (water) and 舌 (tongue) — used the same fixed-phrase way to describe brisk action, momentum or astonishment.

be unable to attend to手が回らないtegamawaranai

毎日忙しくて、細かい作業まで手が回らないんです。 — I'm so busy every day that I can't get around to the detailed work.

be amazed舌を巻くshitaomaku

彼の早い返事に舌を巻きました。 — I was amazed by his quick answer.

show one's skill腕を振るうudeofuruu

その料理人は腕を振るって、おいしい料理を作りました。 — The chef showed his skill and made a great dish.

take action手を打つteoutsu

問題が大きくなる前に、手を打ちました。 — We took action before the problem got worse.

lend a hand手を貸すteokasu

引っ越しで、少し手を貸してください。 — Could you lend me a hand with the move?

cut corners手を抜くteonuku

仕事で手を抜かないでください。 — Please don't cut corners on your work.

have trouble with手を焼くteoyaku

私は弟のことに手を焼くことがあります。 — I sometimes have trouble with my younger brother.

do everything possible手を尽くすteotsukusu

私たちはけが人を助けるために手を尽くしました。 — We did everything possible to save the injured person.

withdraw手を引くteohiku

会社はその計画から手を引きました。 — The company withdrew from the project.

forget and forgive水に流すmizuninagasu

あのけんかは水に流しましょう。 — Let's forget and forgive that argument.

gain momentum風に乗るkazeninoru

新しい商品は風に乗って広がっています。 — The new product is gaining momentum.

speed along風を切るkazeokiru

選手たちは風を切って道を走りました。 — The athletes sped along the road.

Head, Shoulders & Face — Social Standing (頭・肩・顔) (9)

Idioms using 頭 (head), 肩 (shoulders) and 顔 (face) to talk about pride, reputation and social standing — bowing, saving face, looking dejected — themes that recur in N2 passages about workplace and interpersonal relationships.

keep in mind頭に入れるatamaniireru

このルールを頭に入れておいてください。 — Please keep this rule in mind.

be on par with肩を並べるkataonaraberu

彼女の英語は、私と肩を並べるほど上手です。 — Her English is on par with mine.

bow apologetically頭を下げるatamaosageru

彼は先生に頭を下げました。 — He bowed to the teacher.

bother頭を悩ますatamaonayamasu

その問題が私の頭を悩ませています。 — That problem has been bothering me.

look dejected肩を落とすkataootosu

結果を聞いて、彼女は肩を落としました。 — She looked dejected after hearing the result.

side with肩を持つkataomotsu

私は彼の肩を持ちません。 — I will not side with him.

show up顔を出すkaoodasu

彼はパーティーに少し顔を出しました。 — He stopped by the party for a little while.

save face顔を立てるkaootateru

彼女は友人の顔を立てました。 — She saved her friend's face.

dishonor顔をつぶすkaootsubusu

その失敗は部長の顔をつぶしました。 — That mistake embarrassed the manager.

Feet, Hips & Commitment (足・腰・身・首) (12)

Idioms with 足 (feet/legs), 腰 (hips/lower back), 身 (body/self) and 首 (neck) describing commitment, posture and figurative movement, from settling into a task (腰を据える) to getting involved where you shouldn't (首を突っ込む).

settle down腰を据えるkoshiosueru

引っ越しのあと、腰を据えて働き始めました。 — After the move, I settled down and started working.

apply oneself身を入れるmioireru

今日から勉強に身を入れます。 — I will apply myself to my studies from today.

step down身を引くmiohiku

その事件のあと、部長は身を引きました。 — The manager stepped down after the incident.

personally身をもってmiomotte

その危険を身をもって知りました。 — I learned the danger personally.

make a trip足を運ぶashiohakobu

日曜日に美術館へ足を運びました。 — I made a trip to the museum on Sunday.

stop by足を止めるashiotomeru

帰りに本屋に足を止めました。 — I stopped by the bookstore on the way home.

act in step足並みをそろえるashinamiosoroeru

その二つの会社は、計画で足並みをそろえました。 — The two companies coordinated their efforts on the project.

stretch out足を伸ばすashionobasu

帰りに近くの公園まで足を伸ばしました。 — On the way home, we stretched out to a nearby park.

tilt one's head首をかしげるkubiokashigeru

説明が分からず、彼は首をかしげました。 — He tilted his head because the explanation was hard to understand.

poke one's nose in首を突っ込むkubiotsukkomu

他人のことに首を突っ込まないでください。 — Don't poke your nose into other people's business.

be stunned腰を抜かすkoshionukasu

急な知らせに腰を抜かしました。 — I was stunned by the sudden news.

get moving腰を上げるkoshioageru

休みの後で、やっと腰を上げて勉強しました。 — After the holiday, I finally got moving and started studying.

Business & Formal Compound Nouns (17)

Two-character Sino-Japanese compound nouns common in formal writing, news and business Japanese — cancellation, postponement, consent and related administrative concepts — that round out the N2 vocabulary section alongside the idioms above.

response; sense of accomplishment手応えtegotae

報告書を終えて、手応えを感じました。 — I felt a sense of accomplishment after finishing the report.

prospect; expectation見込みmikomi

今日は雨が降る見込みは低いです。 — There is a low prospect of rain today.

review; reconsideration見直しminaoshi

予定を見直しました。 — I reviewed the schedule again.

dissolution; elimination解消kaishou

けんかは解消して、気持ちが楽になりました。 — The argument was resolved, and I felt relieved.

interruption中断chuudan

会議は急な電話で中断されました。 — The meeting was interrupted by an urgent phone call.

postponement延期enki

試合は来週まで延期になりました。 — The game has been postponed until next week.

pending; hold保留horyuu

その件はまだ保留です。 — The decision is still pending.

consent; acceptance承諾shoudaku

その写真を使うことについて、彼の承諾を得ました。 — We received his consent to use the photo.

essential; crucial肝心kanjin

肝心なのは、健康を保つことです。 — The most important thing is to stay healthy.

flatteryお世辞oseji

彼の言葉がお世辞だとすぐに分かりました。 — I could tell it was flattery.

visit to the sick見舞いmimai

友人のお見舞いに病院へ行きました。 — I went to the hospital to visit my friend.

whereabouts行方yukue

彼の行方はまだ分かりません。 — We still don't know his whereabouts.

detention; delay足止めashidome

大雨で電車が足止めされました。 — The train was delayed by heavy rain.

spinning wheels空回りkaramawari

努力が空回りしているようです。 — My efforts are going nowhere.

discrepancy; mismatch食い違いkuichigai

二つの報告書には食い違いがありました。 — There was a discrepancy between the two reports.

stalled; stranded立ち往生tachioujou

車が道の真ん中で立ち往生しました。 — The car stalled in the middle of the road.

undertaking; taking on引き受けhikiuke

よく考えて、その引き受けをしました。 — I accepted the undertaking after thinking it over.

を vs が: agency in body-part idioms

A clear pattern splits many of these idioms by the particle before the verb. Idioms with を put the subject in control of the body part — 気を配る (pay attention), 手を貸す (lend a hand), 腹を立てる (make oneself angry) — while the が versions describe a feeling that simply arises on its own: 気が引ける (feel hesitant), 気が進む (feel inclined), 腹が立つ (become annoyed). 腹を立てる and 腹が立つ mean almost the same thing but differ in exactly this way, and N2 listening questions often hinge on telling them apart. The list also has a built-in antonym pair worth learning together: 顔を立てる (save someone's face) and 顔をつぶす (make someone lose face) use the same body part for opposite social outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does N2 vocabulary rely so heavily on body-part idioms?

Japanese uses 慣用句 (kan'yōku) — fixed phrases combining a body-part noun with a verb — as its main way of expressing subtle mental and social states, similar to how English relies on phrasal verbs. This list alone draws on nine different body parts, from 目を光らせる (keep a close watch) to 腰を上げる (finally get moving), and these can't be guessed from the individual kanji meanings, which is exactly why the exam tests them directly.

What's the difference between idioms like 気を配る and formal nouns like 解消 or 保留?

The idioms are conversational and show up in dialogue and narrative reading passages, while words like 解消, 中断, 延期, 保留 and 承諾 are Sino-Japanese nouns typical of news articles, business emails and formal announcements. Both registers appear on the N2 exam, so this set deliberately covers both rather than treating them as separate study lists.

Practice All 79 Set Phrases & Idioms Vocabulary Words

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