Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "調べる", "世話する", "振り返る", "侮る"
All represent the core concept "look", but require precise selection.
Japanese Option A
調べる
しらべる (shiraberu)
N4 / CEFR
Japanese Option B
世話する
せわする (sewa suru)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option C
振り返る
ふりかえる (furikaeru)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option D
侮る
あなどる (anadoru)
N3 / CEFR
Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "look" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "調べる", "世話する", "振り返る", "侮る" based on context.
- 調べる (しらべる (shiraberu) - Level: N4): Maps to "to look up; to check; to investigate" and is used when Used for looking up information.
- 世話する (せわする (sewa suru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to look after; to take care of; to attend to; to look out for" and is used when Refers to looking after someone.
- 振り返る (ふりかえる (furikaeru) - Level: N3): Maps to "to look back, to turn around; to reflect on (the past)" and is used when Can be used literally.
- 侮る (あなどる (anadoru) - Level: N3): Maps to "look down on; underestimate; mock; make light of" and is used when Refers to looking down on someone, underestimating their ability, mocking, or making light of a situation/enemy. Often used as 侮れない.
Context for "調べる"
辞書で言葉の意味を調べました。
I looked up the meaning of the word in the dictionary.
Context for "世話する"
オフィスの休憩エリアをスマートに緑化するため、彼は週末にも自動給水センサーと連携して植物をスマートに_______ました。
In order to smartly greenify the office break area, he smartly took care of the plants in coordination with the automatic watering sensor even on weekends.
Context for "振り返る"
過去を振り返ると、いろいろな思い出が蘇る。
When I look back at the past, many memories revive.
Context for "侮る"
対戦相手のチームを_______ていたせいで、思わぬ大敗を喫してしまいました。
Because we underestimated the opponent team, we suffered an unexpected major defeat.
Synonym Mastery Challenge
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "辞書で言葉の意味を調べました。" (Meaning: "I looked up the meaning of the word in the dictionary.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "調べる" is correct here because it represents "to look up; to check; to investigate" in the context: "I looked up the meaning of the word in the dictionary.".