Introduction
Welcome to the Irodori Elementary 2 word guide at NihongoDoya. This collection lists ~1,100 Japanese terms from Irodori Elementary 2 (Japan Foundation) (18 task-based units), with kanji, hiragana, romaji and English meanings. The search bar above accepts Japanese, romaji or English — try typing konnichiwa, こんにちは or hello and you will land on the same card. Every entry links back to the matching grammar guide unit and audio practice scene.
What you will learn
- Office, customer-service and visa-paperwork expressions
- Verbs and nouns for explaining problems, complaints and requests
- Emotion and reaction words used in natural conversation
- Travel, lodging and bank expressions for living in Japan
- Phrases that overlap with the JLPT N4 word list
- Connector words and softeners for polite indirect speech
Who this level is for
Irodori Elementary 2 closes the A2 syllabus and prepares you for either JFT-Basic A2 or the lower half of JLPT N4. Pick this level if you can already hold a short Japanese conversation and want richer, more polite material.
A useful weekly cycle for word study
- Scan a new unit and read every entry aloud once.
- Star the items you missed and copy them into a short example sentence.
- Listen on the matching audio practice page so each new term gets a real-world voice.
- Cross-link with the matching grammar guide unit to lock the term into a sentence pattern.
- Review for five minutes daily and run a longer pass once a week.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Studying only the kana — Elementary 2 uses kanji a learner has to recognise.
- Reading words aloud only once; A2 needs repeated speaking for fluent recall.
- Skipping the matching audio scene that fixes the word in context.
- Trying to map every Japanese word to a single English word — many split across two or three.
Related study materials
Build a joined-up study cycle by combining this page with the matching Irodori Elementary 2 grammar guide, the Irodori Elementary 2 Japanese word list and the Irodori Elementary 2 audio practice page.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Irodori Elementary 2 word guide cover?
Upper-A2 Japanese for travel, banking, healthcare, office life and polite indirect speech — the situations adult learners face most often in Japan.
Is the list suitable for JFT-Basic and JLPT N4?
Yes — Irodori Elementary 2 closes the JFT-Basic A2 syllabus and overlaps strongly with the lower half of the JLPT N4 word list.
Do I need to know all Irodori Elementary 1 terms first?
It helps. If a unit feels hard, revisit the matching Irodori Elementary 1 word guide and audio scene before continuing.
Are example sentences shown?
Every word has a short example sentence on its detail card, and a matching audio scene that uses the term in real context.
Where do I go after finishing this guide?
Most learners shift to the JLPT N4 word list and the N4 grammar guide for exam-style revision before moving on to N3 material.