Why do JLPT N1 learners confuse 迫害 with 辿り着く?

Both words occupy adjacent semantic territory, which is exactly why the JLPT uses them as distractors for each other on multiple-choice items. The fastest way to stop confusing them is to study them as a pair, write a one-sentence contrast in your own words, and drill the pair specifically rather than each word in isolation.

Is 迫害 or 辿り着く more common on JLPT N1?

Both appear in the JLPT N1 curriculum and either may show up on a given exam. Don't try to predict which one the test will choose — learn to distinguish them and you'll be safe regardless. Both belong to the General Verbs (9) theme of N1 vocabulary.

How do I practice this confusion pair?

Free option: visit /try and pick a confusion drill. Paid option: none — JLPT Mastery is free during launch. Whichever route you take, the engine specifically re-tests pairs you've gotten wrong rather than rotating through general vocabulary review.

JLPT N1 · Advanced · Meaning confusion

迫害 vs 辿り着く

Q: What's the difference between 迫害 and 辿り着く?

迫害 (はくがい) means "persecution" and 辿り着く (たどりつく) means "to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle". Both share the 辶 radical and appear in narratives of hardship. "Persecution" (迫害) represents the struggle faced, while "arriving" (辿り着く) represents the successful end of that struggle, leading to contextual confusion.

Why JLPT N1 learners mix up 迫害 (はくがい, “persecution”) and 辿り着く (たどりつく, “to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle”).

迫害

はくがい

persecution

verb

辿り着く

たどりつく

to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle

verb

Theme: General Verbs (9)JLPT N1

Why these get confused

Both share the 辶 radical and appear in narratives of hardship. "Persecution" (迫害) represents the struggle faced, while "arriving" (辿り着く) represents the successful end of that struggle, leading to contextual confusion.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 迫害 (persecution) and 辿り着く (to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

迫害 (persecution)

ローマ人はキリスト教徒を迫害した。
ローマ人はキリスト教徒を迫害した。

辿り着く (to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle)

彼は重傷を負っていたけれども、何とか電話までたどりつくことができた。
彼は重傷を負っていたけれども、何とか電話までたどりつくことができた。

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N1, this pair shows up as a vocabulary meaning question. You see one word and pick its English equivalent from four options — one of which will be the other word in this pair, chosen as a distractor precisely because of the overlap.

Sample item

「迫害」の意味は？

A. persecution (correct)
B. to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle (distractor)
C. (other plausible meaning)
D. (other plausible meaning)

Drill this pair until it sticks

Reading the explanation is step one. Targeted practice is what actually moves a confusion pair out of your weak list. Free, no signup needed to try.

Practice N1 confusion pairs

Related confusion pairs

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

迫害 vs 辟易

Both start with 'h' sounds and involve negative pressure. Learners often confuse the 迫 radical with the visually complex 辟, mixing up "persecution" (external pressure) with "wincing" (internal reaction to pressure).

See explanation →

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

震わせる vs 辿り着く

Both describe states associated with struggle and physical exertion; one refers to the physical shaking (震わせる) caused by fatigue or effort, while the other refers to the arrival (辿り着く) after that struggle.

See explanation →

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

返る vs 込める

Both 返る and 込める share the 辶 (movement) radical. A learner might confuse the movement of "returning" an object with "putting" it into a container due to the shared radical and similar focus on physical relocation.

See explanation →

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

返済 vs 込める

Both 返済 and 込める use the 辶 radical. In financial contexts, "returning" (返) money might be confused with "including" or "putting" (込) funds into an account, as both involve moving resources into a specific place.

See explanation →

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

返還 vs 辟易

Both start with the phonetic 'he'. Learners may also mistake 辟 for the movement-related 避, confusing the formal "restoration/return" of property (返還) with the feeling of being "overwhelmed" or "daunted" (辟易).

See explanation →

Meaning confusion · General Verbs (9)

退化 vs 込める

Both share the 辶 radical. A learner might confuse "moving backward" (退) with "moving into" (込) if they generalize the movement radical without distinguishing the specific right-hand components like 艮 and 入.

See explanation →

Frequently asked

迫害 vs 辿り着く

Why JLPT N1 learners mix up 迫害 (はくがい, “persecution”) and 辿り着く (たどりつく, “to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle”).

迫害

はくがい

persecution

verb

辿り着く

たどりつく

to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle

verb

Theme: General Verbs (9)JLPT N1

Why these get confused

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 迫害 (persecution) and 辿り着く (to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle) live in adjacent semantic territory. Memorize the boundary, not just each word.
Read the example sentences below. Seeing each word in its natural context builds a faster lookup than studying the dictionary form alone.

In a sentence

迫害 (persecution)

ローマ人はキリスト教徒を迫害した。
ローマ人はキリスト教徒を迫害した。

辿り着く (to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle)

彼は重傷を負っていたけれども、何とか電話までたどりつくことができた。
彼は重傷を負っていたけれども、何とか電話までたどりつくことができた。

How JLPT tests this pair

Sample item

「迫害」の意味は？

A. persecution (correct)
B. to grope along to; to struggle on to; to arrive somewhere after a struggle (distractor)
C. (other plausible meaning)
D. (other plausible meaning)