Psychology and Emotion Vocabulary

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use 20 N2-level vocabulary words related to psychology, emotion, and everyday actions. You will understand how these words describe mental states, group dynamics, and practical tasks.

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Psychology and emotion vocabulary in Japanese often uses the kanji 手 (te, hand) to describe actions, skills, and states of mind. These words connect physical actions with emotional or mental conditions. For example, 手に付かない (te ni tsukanai) literally means "does not stick to the hand" but is used to say someone cannot concentrate because of worry.手付

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1. Strategy and Belonging (戦略, 所属, 所有)

• 戦略 is used in business, games, or military contexts.戦略
• 所属 describes which group or organization you belong to.所属
• 所有 refers to things you own.所有

2. Mental State: 手に付かない

手に付かない (te ni tsukanai) — unable to concentrate on (due to distractions, worry, or strong emotion)手付

• Used when your mind is elsewhere.
• Example: 彼女は試験のことで手に付かない。 (Kanojo wa shiken no koto de te ni tsukanai. — She can’t concentrate because of the exam.)彼女試験手付

3. Helping and Manual Work (手伝う, 手作業)

• 手伝う is common for offering help.手伝
• 手作業 describes work done by hand, not machine.手作業

4. Close at Hand and Care (手元, 手入れ)

• 手元 can mean physically close or money you have on hand.手元
• 手入れ is used for grooming plants, repairing things, or police crackdowns.手入

5. Notebooks and Fees (手帳, 手数料)

• 手帳 is a small notebook or pocket diary.手帳
• 手数料 is a fee for a service.手数料

6. Speed and Handwriting (手早い, 手書き)

• 手早い describes fast, efficient actions.手早
• 手書き means written by hand (not typed).手書

7. Means and Procedures (手段, 手続き)

• 手段 is the way you achieve something.手段
• 手続き refers to official steps (e.g., visa procedures).手続

8. Limbs and Simplicity (手足, 手軽, 手頃)

• 手足 is literal limbs or metaphorically "someone’s pawn."手足
• 手軽 means easy or casual.手軽
• 手頃 means a good size or reasonable price.手頃

9. Arrangements and Confiding (打ち合わせ, 打ち明ける)

• 打ち合わせ is a meeting to plan something.打合
• 打ち明ける is sharing a secret or honest feelings.打明

10. Denying and Drowning Out (打ち消す)

打ち消す (uchikesu) — to deny; to contradict; to negate (esp. a sound); to drown out打消

• Used for denying a rumor or canceling a sound.
• Example: 彼は噂を打ち消した。 (Kare wa uwasa o uchikeshita. — He denied the rumor.)彼噂打消

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1. 戦略を立てる必要がある。 (Senryaku o tateru hitsuyou ga aru. — We need to make a strategy.)戦略立必要
2. この会社に所属している。 (Kono kaisha ni shozoku shiteiru. — I belong to this company.)会社所属
3. 手元にお金がない。 (Temoto ni okane ga nai. — I don’t have money on hand.)手元金
4. 手入れをしないと花が枯れる。 (Teire o shinai to hana ga kareru. — If I don’t take care, the flowers will wither.)手入花枯
5. 手続きは簡単だった。 (Tetsuzuki wa kantan datta. — The procedure was easy.)手続簡単
6. 打ち明ける勇気がなかった。 (Uchiakeru yuuki ga nakatta. — I didn’t have the courage to confide.)打明勇気

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Mistake: Confusing 手軽 (tegaru, easy) with 手頃 (tegoro, reasonable/moderate).手軽頃

• 手軽 focuses on simplicity or informality.手軽
• 手頃 focuses on appropriate size, price, or convenience.手頃

Example error: "この値段は手軽だ" (wrong — should be 手頃だ for price).値段手軽頃

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Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the lesson.

1. 彼女は悩みを友達に__________。 (She confided her worries to a friend.)
   Answer: 打ち明けた彼女悩友達打

   彼女悩友達打

2. この書類の__________は時間がかかる。 (The procedure for this document takes time.)
   Answer: 手続き書類時間手続

   書類時間手続

3. 彼は__________が早くて仕事が終わった。 (He was nimble and finished the work quickly.)
   Answer: 手早い彼早仕事終手

   彼早仕事終手

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You learned 20 N2 vocabulary words related to psychology, emotion, and practical actions. Key themes include:

• Mental states (手に付かない)手付
• Group affiliation (所属, 所有)所属有
• Hand-related actions (手伝う, 手書き, 手作業)手伝書作業
• Procedures and means (手段, 手続き)手段続
• Confiding and denying (打ち明ける, 打ち消す)打明消

Next step: Practice using these words in sentences about your daily life or work. Try writing a short paragraph about a time you had to confide in someone or handle a procedure.