Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "とおく" vs "親切な"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
とおく
とおく (tooku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
親切な
しんせつな (shinsetsu na)
N4 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both とおく and 親切な are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
とおく (とおく (tooku)) represents "far, distant" (Level: N5) and typically represents Describes distance. Opposite of ちかく.
On the other hand, 親切な (しんせつな (shinsetsu na)) translates to "kind, friendly" (Level: N4) and is used for A `na`-adjective describing someone's character or actions as kind and helpful.. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "とおく"
わたしの家は会社から遠いです。
My house is far from the office.
Bilingual Sentence for "親切な"
彼女はいつも親切な人です。
She is always a kind person.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "わたしの家は会社から遠いです。" (Meaning: "My house is far from the office.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "とおく" fits here because it represents "far, distant" in the context: "My house is far from the office.".