N2 · 40 words

Family, childcare and welfare

Nurseries and parental leave, care for older people, and the words of family support.

This page explains vocabulary and is not advice on any benefit or service. Childcare and welfare are talked about in formal compounds that share their kanji, and spotting the shared one makes the long words readable: 乳児(にゅうじ), 幼児(ようじ) and 児童(じどう) all contain 児(じ), the kanji for child; 介護(かいご) and 介助(かいじょ) both begin with the one for helping; 給付(きゅうふ) and 支給(しきゅう) share the one for handing out. Several of them are official categories, so the everyday word is often a different one: a form says 保育所(ほいくしょ) where parents say 保育園(ほいくえん).

The words

Verb (2)

養うto support; to provide for (a family)VerbN2

彼(かれ)は一人(ひとり)で、家族(かぞく)四人(よにん)を養(やしな)っている。He provides for a family of four on his own.

見守るto watch over; to keep an eye onVerbN2

地域(ちいき)の人(ひと)たちが、登校(とうこう)する子(こ)どもを見守(みまも)っている。People in the neighbourhood keep an eye on the children on their way to school.

This list belongs to The state, the law and the ward office — six lists and 240 words that can also be practised as a whole.

Practise this list

Multiple choice and gaps, drawn from exactly these 40 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.