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覚醒剤 (かくせいざい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
stimulant drug ; amphetamine-type stimulant
Refers to illegal stimulant drugs, especially methamphetamine, in legal, medical, and news contexts. Often associated with the Stimulants Control Law (覚醒剤取締法).
しまり
法ほう
違い
反はん
で
逮たい
捕ほ
さ
れ
た
。
He was arrested for violating the Stimulants Control Law.
Written forms 覚かく 醒せい 剤ざい
Standard kanji spelling, common in legal and news contexts.
覚かく せい 剤ざい
Simplified spelling often used in news and government documents; the 醒 kanji is replaced with hiragana せい.
Kanji 覚 memorize, learn, remember 醒 awake, be disillusioned, sober up Similar words 覚かく 醒せい 覚醒 means 'awakening' or 'arousal' in a general sense, while 覚醒剤 specifically refers to stimulant drugs.
麻ま 薬やく 麻薬 is a broader term for narcotics and illegal drugs, whereas 覚醒剤 specifically denotes stimulants like methamphetamine.
Etymology Compound of 覚醒 (kakusei, 'awakening, stimulation') + 剤 (zai, 'drug, agent'). The term was coined to describe substances that stimulate the central nervous system.
