Why do JLPT N3 learners confuse 憲法 with 刑事?

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 憲法 or 刑事 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 Government & Law 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

憲法 vs 刑事

Q: What's the difference between 憲法 and 刑事?

憲法 (けんぽう) means "constitution" and 刑事 (けいじ) means "criminal case, (police) detective". Both relate to the legal system and start with sounds involving 'k'. 憲法 is the supreme law, while 刑事 refers to criminal cases or the detectives who investigate them. The abstract 'official' feel of both causes confusion.

Why JLPT N3 learners mix up 憲法 (けんぽう, “constitution”) and 刑事 (けいじ, “criminal case, (police) detective”).

憲法

けんぽう

constitution

noun

刑事

けいじ

criminal case, (police) detective

noun

Theme: Government & LawJLPT N3

Why these get confused

Both relate to the legal system and start with sounds involving 'k'. 憲法 is the supreme law, while 刑事 refers to criminal cases or the detectives who investigate them. The abstract 'official' feel of both causes confusion.

How to tell them apart

Anchor on the meaning, not the form. 憲法 (constitution) and 刑事 (criminal case, (police) detective) 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

憲法 (constitution)

平等は憲法で保障されている。
平等は憲法で保障されている。

刑事 (criminal case, (police) detective)

彼は刑事だ。
刑事につけられてる。

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

「憲法」の意味は？