JLPT N3 reading practice & vocabulary

投資とうしtōshi

investment; investing

節約せつやくsetsuyaku

saving; cutting costs

将来しょうらいshōrai

the future

不安ふあんfuan

anxiety; worry

ドパガキどぱがきdopagaki

‘dopamine brat’ — someone hooked on stimulating content like short videos

中毒ちゅうどくchūdoku

addiction; being hooked (also: poisoning)

刺激しげきshigeki

stimulation; stimulus

自虐じぎゃくjigyaku

self-deprecation; making fun of yourself

やめられないやめられないyamerarenai

can’t stop

フレネミーふれねみーfurenemī

frenemy — a friend who is also a rival or quietly harmful

友達ともだちtomodachi

friend

敵てきteki

enemy

嫉妬しっとshitto

jealousy

距離きょりkyori

distance

候補こうほkōho

candidate; nominee

流行語りゅうこうごryūkōgo

buzzword; trending word

物価高ぶっかだかbukkadaka

high prices; rising cost of living

癒やしいやしiyashi

comfort; healing; something soothing

発表はっぴょうhappyō

announcement

火星かせいkasei

Mars

探査機たんさきtansaki

space probe; exploration spacecraft

打ち上げうちあげuchiage

launch (also: an after-party!)

衛星えいせいeisei

satellite; moon (of a planet)

宇宙うちゅうuchū

space; the universe

エモいえもいemoi

emotional in a hard-to-describe way; nostalgic, bittersweet, moving

切ないせつないsetsunai

bittersweet; aching; heart-wrenching

懐かしいなつかしいnatsukashii

nostalgic; brings back memories

雰囲気ふんいきfun’iki

atmosphere; vibe

言葉にできないことばにできないkotoba ni dekinai

can’t put into words

放送ほうそうhōsō

broadcast (on TV)

配信はいしんhaishin

streaming; online distribution

第3期だいさんきdai-sanki

season 3 (of a show)

続編ぞくへんzokuhen

sequel

原作げんさくgensaku

the original work (manga/novel an anime is based on)

備蓄びちくbichiku

stockpile; storing supplies for emergencies

非常食ひじょうしょくhijōshoku

emergency food

要請ようせいyōsei

request (formal, often from the government)

断水だんすいdansui

water outage; water supply cut off

停電ていでんteiden

power outage; blackout

路上飲酒ろじょういんしゅrojō inshu

drinking (alcohol) on the street

禁止きんしkinshi

prohibited; banned

条例じょうれいjōrei

local ordinance (a city or ward rule)

ポイ捨てぽいすてpoisute

littering (tossing trash away)

混雑こんざつkonzatsu

crowding; congestion

タイパたいぱtaipa

time performance — value for the time spent

コスパこすぱkosupa

cost performance — value for money

倍速ばいそくbaisoku

double speed; sped-up playback

効率こうりつkōritsu

efficiency

時間じかんjikan

time

防災ぼうさいbōsai

disaster prevention; disaster preparedness

災害さいがいsaigai

disaster

地震じしんjishin

earthquake

避難ひなんhinan

evacuation; taking refuge

避難所ひなんじょhinanjo

evacuation shelter

免税めんぜいmenzei

tax exemption; tax-free

消費税しょうひぜいshōhizei

consumption tax (Japan’s sales tax, usually 10%)

返金へんきんhenkin

refund

税関ぜいかんzeikan

customs

出国しゅっこくshukkoku

departure from the country

大賞たいしょうtaishō

grand prize

愛称あいしょうaishō

nickname (a friendly, public one)

逆転ぎゃくてんgyakuten

comeback; turning the tables

予想よそうyosō

prediction; guess

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N3 stories 記事

News, Made Easy貧乏

‘NISA Poverty’: Why Some Young Japanese Are Investing So Much They Can’t Afford to Live

N3 Nov 7 · 6 min read

A hand holding up a smartphone amid the lights of Shibuya at night

Slang & Viral Wordsドパガキ

What Is a ‘Dopagaki’ (ドパガキ)? Japan’s Slang for Being Hooked on the Scroll

N3 Nov 7 · 5 min read

Empty wooden tables in a traditional-style cafe near Ginkakuji in Kyoto

Slang & Viral Wordsフレネミー

‘Frenemy’ in Japanese: Why フレネミー Became One of 2026’s Words of the Year Nominees

N3 Nov 6 · 5 min read

Magazines and books on display at a bookstore inside a Japanese train station

Trending Now流行語

🔥 Trending Nowいま話題

It’s Official: The 30 Words That Defined Japan in 2026 (Riku-Ryu and 滅 Made the List)

N3 Nov 6 · 7 min read

The Tanegashima Space Center launch site on the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture

Trending Now火星

🔥 Trending Nowいま話題

Japan Is Going to a Moon of Mars — and Bringing a Piece of It Home

N3 Nov 5 · 6 min read

The quiet wooden waiting room of a small rural train station in Iwate

Slang & Viral Wordsエモい

What Does ‘Emoi’ (エモい) Mean? The Japanese Word for a Feeling English Can’t Quite Name

N3 Nov 4 · 5 min read

Akihabara Electric Town's main street with anime billboards

Pop Culture秋アニメ

🎌 Pop Cultureカルチャー

97 New Shows in One Season: Your Guide to Japan’s Autumn 2026 Anime (and the Words in Their Titles)

Empty supermarket shelves in Japan shortly after the 2011 earthquake

News, Made Easy備蓄

Japan Asks Every Household to Stock a Week of Food and Water. What That Means — and What It Doesn’t

Crowds at Shibuya Scramble Crossing on Halloween night, seen from above

News, Made Easy渋谷

‘Goodbye Bad Halloween’: Why Shibuya Keeps Asking People Not to Come

The interior of a JR East commuter train in the Tokyo area

Slang & Viral Wordsタイパ

‘Taipa’ (タイパ): Why Young Japanese Watch Shows at 1.5x Speed

N3 Nov 4 · 5 min read

A tsunami evacuation site sign on a building in Japan

News, Made Easy防災

Japan Launches a New Disaster Agency. Here Are the Emergency Words Every Visitor Should Know

A tax-free cashier counter inside a Japanese shopping mall

News, Made Easy免税

Japan Just Changed Tax-Free Shopping. Here’s What Visitors Need to Know Now