Why do JLPT N3 learners confuse しまった (かん) with あらゆる?

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 しまった (かん) or あらゆる more common on JLPT N3?

Both appear in the JLPT N3 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 (1) theme of N3 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 N3 · Intermediate · Meaning confusion

しまった (かん) vs あらゆる

Q: What's the difference between しまった (かん) and あらゆる?

しまった (かん) (しまった (かん)) means "Damn it!" and あらゆる (あらゆる) means "all, every". Both function as emphatic sentence-starters. A learner may struggle to distinguish the sudden exclamation 'shimatta' from the comprehensive adverb 'arayuru' (all) at the beginning of spoken sentences.

Why JLPT N3 learners mix up しまった (かん) (しまった (かん), “Damn it!”) and あらゆる (あらゆる, “all, every”).

しまった (かん)

Damn it!

noun

あらゆる

all, every

noun

Theme: General Nouns (1)JLPT N3

Why these get confused

Both function as emphatic sentence-starters. A learner may struggle to distinguish the sudden exclamation 'shimatta' from the comprehensive adverb 'arayuru' (all) at the beginning of spoken sentences.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. しまった (かん) (Damn it!) and あらゆる (all, every) 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

しまった (かん) (Damn it!)

彼が何をしてしまったのかご存知ですか。
「しまった！傘を電車に忘れた」「あわてん坊ね」

あらゆる (all, every)

姉と私は、あらゆる点で違う。
あらゆる物品の価格が上昇した。

How JLPT tests this pair

On JLPT N3, 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

「しまった (かん)」の意味は？