Why do JLPT N2 learners confuse 構いません with いってきます?

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 構いません or いってきます 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 Expressions 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

構いません vs いってきます

Q: What's the difference between 構いません and いってきます?

構いません (かまいません) means "it's all right; one doesn’t mind" and いってきます (いってきます) means "(Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later'". Both are polite set phrases used in social interactions. A learner might confuse the 'permission' of 構いません with the 'departure' of いってきます because both are ritualized responses in polite conversation.

Why JLPT N2 learners mix up 構いません (かまいません, “it's all right; one doesn’t mind”) and いってきます (いってきます, “(Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later'”).

構いません

かまいません

it's all right; one doesn’t mind

expression

いってきます

(Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later'

expression

Theme: General ExpressionsJLPT N2

Why these get confused

Both are polite set phrases used in social interactions. A learner might confuse the 'permission' of 構いません with the 'departure' of いってきます because both are ritualized responses in polite conversation.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 構いません (it's all right; one doesn’t mind) and いってきます ((Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later') 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

構いません (it's all right; one doesn’t mind)

構いませんよ。
私は構いませんよ。

いってきます ((Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later')

「いってきます」「いってらっしゃい」
「いってきます」「いってらっしゃい」

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

「構いません」の意味は？

A. it's all right; one doesn’t mind (correct)
B. (Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later' (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

構いません vs いってきます

構いません

かまいません

it's all right; one doesn’t mind

expression

いってきます

(Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later'

expression

Theme: General ExpressionsJLPT N2

Why these get confused

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 構いません (it's all right; one doesn’t mind) and いってきます ((Lit.) I'll go and come back, 'I'm going, see you later') 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.