Why do JLPT N2 learners confuse 夫妻 with 勝負?

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 夫妻 or 勝負 more common on JLPT N2?

Both appear in the JLPT N2 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 Nouns (3) theme of N2 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 N2 · Upper Intermediate · Meaning confusion

夫妻 vs 勝負

Q: What's the difference between 夫妻 and 勝負?

夫妻 (ふさい) means "man and wife, married couple" and 勝負 (しょうぶ) means "victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout". Both are binary pairings representing a set. Phonetically, 'Fusai' and 'Shoubu' both contain a 'fu' sound (at the start and end respectively), leading to potential reading-meaning cross-talk.

Why JLPT N2 learners mix up 夫妻 (ふさい, “man and wife, married couple”) and 勝負 (しょうぶ, “victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout”).

夫妻

ふさい

man and wife, married couple

noun

勝負

しょうぶ

victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout

noun

Theme: General Nouns (3)JLPT N2

Why these get confused

Both are binary pairings representing a set. Phonetically, 'Fusai' and 'Shoubu' both contain a 'fu' sound (at the start and end respectively), leading to potential reading-meaning cross-talk.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 夫妻 (man and wife, married couple) and 勝負 (victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout) 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

夫妻 (man and wife, married couple)

ジャクソン夫妻は、２００３年に結婚したのよ。
バスが行く手をふさいだ。

勝負 (victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout)

トムと勝負してるの？
トムと勝負するつもりなの？

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N2, 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

「夫妻」の意味は？

A. man and wife, married couple (correct)
B. victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout (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 N2 confusion pairs

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Frequently asked

夫妻 vs 勝負

Why JLPT N2 learners mix up 夫妻 (ふさい, “man and wife, married couple”) and 勝負 (しょうぶ, “victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout”).

夫妻

ふさい

man and wife, married couple

noun

勝負

しょうぶ

victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout

noun

Theme: General Nouns (3)JLPT N2

Why these get confused

Both are binary pairings representing a set. Phonetically, 'Fusai' and 'Shoubu' both contain a 'fu' sound (at the start and end respectively), leading to potential reading-meaning cross-talk.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 夫妻 (man and wife, married couple) and 勝負 (victory or defeat, match, contest, game, bout) 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.