The Synonyms Thread

plantron · May 10, 2017, 6:25pm

There are lots of synonyms in WK that make it difficult if you start learning in the other direction (English → Japanese).

This situation is made even worse because we as learners do not yet have the same feel for the language as native speakers do. So we can’t always make a good judgement whether two things are synonymous or not.

For example, English learners may not be 100% sure whether to buy and to purchase are synonyms or not. They are used in different contexts, but are practically synonyms.

An example in Japanese is 皆さん and 皆様. They both mean “everyone”, but in WK one is “everyone, everybody, all”, whereas the other is “everyone, all, everybody”.

This results in difficulties when using, e.g., KaniWani or @rfindley 's Self-Study userscript .

I’m basically creating this thread for myself, to collect all words that I deem to be synonyms, but you can of course reply with your own contributions and then we can discuss here whether the words you mention are really synonyms or not.

EDIT: the second post of this thread is now a wiki. Try not to post a question in the wiki, but ask your question in a new reply because otherwise other people may not see your question (especially if the wiki becomes long-ish).

If you’re a regular/leader, you can also post your own reply and turn that into a wiki.

plantron · May 10, 2017, 6:26pm

Wiki, feel free to edit

sorted by the level of the first occurrence of each word

(some words may be out of place since the last content update)

1-10

Level 1

English	級	日本語	Comment
to climb	1	上る	What’s the difference between 上る、登る and 昇る?
	12	登る	What’s the difference between 上る、登る and 昇る?

Level 2

English	級	日本語	Comment
ball	2	玉	means “jewel” or “round object.” ¹
	12	球	means “ball used in sports” or “light bulb.” ¹

circular, round	2	丸い	Difference between 丸い and 円い
	2	円い	Difference between 丸い and 円い

king	2	王
	6	国王
	13	王様

center	2	中
	4	中央

everybody	2	人々
	5	万人

ground	2	土
	6	地

sun	2	日
	12	太陽

very	2	中々
	2	大いに

writing, sentence	2	文
	5	作文
	12	文章

Level 3

English	級	日本語	Comment
few	3	少ない
	3	少し

father	3	父
	3	お父さん
	12	父親

friend	3	友人	What is the difference between 友達 and 友人?
	18	友達	What is the difference between 友達 and 友人?

half	3	半
	3	半分

important	3	大切
	9	大事

mother	3	母
	3	お母さん
	12	母親

task, use	3	用
	9	使用

Level 4

English	級	日本語	Comment
atmosphere	4	大気
	14	雰囲気

entire(ly)	4	丸ごと
	8	全部
	13	全然

fast	4	早い	means “early,” “ahead of schedule,” or “short” in relation to time.¹
	5	早く
	10	速い	means “speedy” or “accelerating.” ¹

last year	4	去年
	15	昨年

method	4	仕方
	15	方法

name	4	名
	4	名字	means surname/family name
	8	名前

number	4	号
	8	番号

red	4	赤	Noun
	4	赤い	Adjective (I)

thanks	4	お礼
	13	感謝

car	4	車
	16	自動車

expert	4	名人
	18	達人

mood	4	気分
	18	機嫌

Level 5

English	級	日本語	Comment
action	5	仕草
	5	作用
	12	活動
	12	行動

angle	5	角
	9	角度

forest	5	林	seems to mean a smaller area covered by trees or a less dense covering
	8	森	seems to be a thicker/denser covering of trees or just a larger total amount of space

soon	5	近日
	7	近々

this time	5	今回
(for completeness)	9	今度

to grow	5	生える
	12	植える

traveling	5	走行
	12	旅行
	12	旅

various	5	色々
	13	様々

thought	5	考え
	13	思想

Level 6

English	級	日本語
underground	6	地中 6
	6	地下

peace	6	平安
	9	平和

room	6	室
	9	部屋

society	6	世の中
	9	世界

night, evening	6	夜
	15	晩

unknown	6	不明
	17	不詳

overseas, abroad	6	海外
	20	在外

Level 7

English	級	日本語
area	7	辺り
	7	辺

author	7	作家
	8	作者

previously	7	以前
	11	予め

end	7	末
	10	終了
	12	終わり
shape, appearance	7	形
	14	格好

Level 8

English	級	日本語
answer	8	答え
	9	返事

time (interval, period)	8	間
	8	時間
	12	期間
	12	時期

branch office	8	支店
	8	支局

completely	8	全く
	13	全然

conversation	8	会話
	9	対談

electricity	8	電気
	8	電力

investigation	8	究明
	8	研究

last time, previously	8	前回
	8	この前

natural	8	当たり前
	13	当然

place	8	所
	8	場所

space	8	空間
	19	宇宙
	19	宙

suicide	8	自決
	13	自殺

to help	8	助ける
	13	手伝う

body	8	体
	8	身体

you	8	君
	8	お前

admission	8	入所
	16	入門

Level 9

English	級	日本語
article	9	記事
	12	文章

condition	9	具合
	10	調子

hypothesis	9	仮定
	13	想定

necessary	9	重要
	9	必要

feeling	9	気持ち
	11	心持ち
	13	感じ
	13	感情

neighbourhood	9	付近
	10	近所

new	9	新しい
	11	新た

specialty	9	名物
	14	特技

thing	9	物
	9	事

to try	9	試みる
to attempt	11	試す

truth	9	実
	9	事実
	17	真実

reply	9	返事
	15	返信

experience	9	体験
	20	経験

Level 10

English	級	日本語
good friend	10	親友
	11	仲良し

facial expression	10	顔つき
	13	表情

laboratory	10	研究室
	10	研究所

last	10	最終
	10	最後

work	10	作業
	11	仕事

11-20

Level 11

English	級	日本語	Comment
bad	11	不良
	12	悪い
basics	11	初歩
	14	基本

first place	11	一位
	11	首位
	12	第一位

order	11	注文	request, e.g. a dish from the menu at a restaurant
	11	命令	command to someone to do something

preparation	11	支度
	11	用意

roof	11	屋上	Rooftop of a building you can access (school, office building, mall etc.)
	12	屋根	Roof of a house, protect a building from rain, tiled, etc.

waiting room	11	待合
	13	待合室

the worst	11	最低
	12	最悪

to compete	11	争う
	11	競う

loser	11	負け犬
	17	敗者

Level 12

English	級	日本語	Comment
alcoholic	12	酒飲み
	13	酒好き

city	12	都市
	12	都会

company employee	12	社員
	12	会社員

family	12	家庭	general concept of “family”
	12	家族	close relatives

hot	12	暑い	applies only to hot weather
(for completeness)	13	熱い	applies only to hot things

mountain climbing	12	登山
	14	山登り

root	12	根本
	12	根

temperature	12	気温
	12	温度

word	12	言葉
	15	単語

Level 13

English	級	日本語	Comment
enthusiasm	13	熱心
	13	情熱

everyone	13	皆さん	normal polite
	13	皆様	very polite

heart’s desire	13	心願
	14	念願
	14	願望

empathy, sympathy	13	同感
	14	人情

goal	13	目標
	14	目的

murder	13	殺人
	15	人殺し

hypothesis	13	想定
	17	仮説

Level 14

English	級	日本語	Comment
completion	14	完了
	14	完成

wood, lumber	14	木材	raw wood material that is not yet processed
	14	材木	wood that is a finished product and can be used immediately

personality, character	14	性格
	14	人格

ability	14	能力
	14	技能

remainder	14	残り
	20	残余

Level 15

English	級	日本語
to arrange	15	整える
	15	整理する

confidence	15	信用
	15	自信

temple	15	寺
	18	僧院

Level 16

English	級	日本語
preservation	16	保存
	16	保持

dangerous	16	危ない
	16	危険(な)

happiness	16	幸福
	16	幸せ

proof	16	証
	16	証明

absence	16	留守
	17	欠席

Level 17

English	級	日本語
love	17	愛情
	17	恋愛
	17	愛
	17	恋

consciousness, awareness	17	自覚
	17	意識

Level 18

English	級	日本語
prayer	18	祈念
	18	祈願

debt	18	借金
	19	借財

Level 19

English	級	日本語
suspicion	19	容疑
	20	嫌疑

Level 20

English	級	日本語
prevention	20	防止
	20	予防

21-30 (empty)

Level 21

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 22

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 23

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 24

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 25

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 26

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 27

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 28

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 29

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 30

English	級	日本語	Comment

31-40 (empty)

Level 31

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 32

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 33

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 34

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 35

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 36

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 37

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 38

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 39

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 40

English	級	日本語	Comment

41-50 (empty)

Level 41

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 42

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 43

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 44

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 45

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 46

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 47

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 48

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 49

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 50

English	級	日本語	Comment

51-60 (empty)

Level 51

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 52

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 53

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 54

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 55

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 56

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 57

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 58

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 59

English	級	日本語	Comment

Level 60

English	級	日本語	Comment

Please fill in the gaps!

References

Tofugu: Japanese Homophones

Luviex · May 10, 2017, 6:30pm

How about

検討する
検査する
検問する

If they’re not synonyms, what is the difference?

plantron · May 10, 2017, 6:55pm

Okay, the first entry is the above-mentioned 皆さん and 皆様. One is more polite than the other, but they mean the same.

I would argue that 女の子 and 少女 are not synonyms, because they are each used to describe girls of different age groups.

一位 and 第一位 are definitely synonyms. One is “first place, first ranked”, the other is “first place, first rank”.

完全 and 完了 are a bit trickier. See What is the difference between "完全" and "完成" and "完了" ? "完全" vs "完成" vs "完了" ? | HiNative

As tempting as it is, 会話 and 対談 are not real synonyms (one is “conversation, dialog”, the other is “conversation, dialogue, talk”). It seems that 対談 is more like an interview, whereas 会話 is a more neutral word. See What is the difference between "会話" and "対談" ? "会話" vs "対談" ? | HiNative

相談 in WK is “consultation, discussion, advice”.

私立大学 and 私大 are synonyms. One is just the abbreviated form.

It seems that 検問 is mainly used for police investigations:

検査 is an inspection or scan, such as MRI or your luggage at the airport

検討 is more abstract: What is the difference between "検査" and "検討" ? "検査" vs "検討" ? | HiNative

Note: this list is not a list of all synonyms in the Japanese language. For that you need a Japanese thesaurus. The synonyms I list here are just those that can be found in WK and are used for the purpose of learning the Japanese translation for English terms.

rfindley · May 10, 2017, 8:25pm

Yeah, especially with homophones while doing a Listening quiz.

For whatever it’s worth, with E->J non-listening quizes, I place the user’s synonyms first in the question, so if you add your own context it can help reduce this issue a little.

Anyway, good thread.

alexbeldan · May 10, 2017, 8:54pm

How about turning the OP into a wiki and we can update it over time @plantron?

thakis · May 10, 2017, 9:15pm

Pure:
清い
潔い
清潔

plantron · May 10, 2017, 10:00pm

That’s a good suggestion. I want to keep the original post because I think we need that intro. But I have now turned the second post into a wiki. Feel free to edit!

plantron · May 10, 2017, 11:33pm

Found a good explanation: 【清い】と【潔い】と【清潔】はどう違いますか？ | HiNative[quote=“thakis, post:7, topic:17863, full:true”]
Pure:
清い
潔い
清潔
[/quote]

rmizuno · May 11, 2017, 12:54am

Action
行動
活動
事
作用
仕草

Condition
具合
条件
状況
状態
調子

Essential
必須
必要
重要
不可欠
要旨
必需品

To shake
振る（transitive, godan)
揺する (transitive, godan)
揺さぶる (godan)
揺る (transitive, godan)
震える (intransitive, ichidan)

plantron · May 11, 2017, 4:39pm

I think 事 can in some circumstances be translated to “action”. Indeed, WK gives it as one synonym. However, 事 in the sense of “action” is more because it’s a nominalizing suffix and if it’s used alone probably never really means “action” as the other words in the above list.

Leebo · May 11, 2017, 5:43pm

I think 事 including actions is basically that 事 can be almost anything, heh.

plantron · May 15, 2017, 10:29pm

薬 in WK is “medicine, drug, drugs”; whereas 薬剤 is “medicine, drugs” and 薬物 is “medicines, drugs”.

Actually, 薬 means legal drugs, that is, drugs you can buy legally at the pharmacy.

薬物 has a broader meaning, it can be legal or illegal drugs.

薬剤 is for example used in the word for pharmacist, 薬剤師

政府 in WK is “government” whereas 政治 is “politics, government”.

These are obviously not synonyms.

政治 is government in the abstract sense of the political system; e.g. “political science” is 政治学

政府 is the government that we actually have; e.g. “government intervention” is 政府介入

plantron · May 17, 2017, 4:35pm

alexbeldan · May 17, 2017, 5:26pm

Those are the bane of my existence on Kaniwani.

rmizuno · May 31, 2017, 6:53pm

To hang
下げる
懸ける
掛ける

Just posting to make sure this thread stays alive - I really think this is a good idea, but I just don’t really have the time right now to contribute a lot. Hopefully in a couple months I’ll be able to contribute a lot more…

rmizuno · May 31, 2017, 7:05pm

This website provides a few examples, and also provides a few resources (I didn’t get a chance to check those out yet…):

plantron · May 31, 2017, 7:19pm

To return

plantron · June 7, 2017, 9:23am

望む and 希望する and 願望する and 願う

I think that for a lot of purposes these (except for 願う) are synonyms.

plantron · June 16, 2017, 8:36pm

There’s a lot of words for “to revolve”, “to turn”, “to rotate”. Many people (including me) often have to think hard when asked about the difference among them, even in my native language. The earth rotates once every 24 hours but revolves around the sun once a year. But who the hell can remember that!?!?

It’s even trickier when you learn a foreign language. I guess the Japanese also use a lot of the following words interchangeably, although it may not always be correct:

回転する
回る
回す

Rather than being bogged down in the details, I’ve added all of these as synonyms in KW. That may not be absolutely correct, but I can’t bother to care at this point.