| 単語 | A single-kanji word, such as 犬, or a hiragana word like イヤ. But compound words or long-ass words are not 単語. |
| 言葉 | ANY word – including compound words, or onomatopoeia. Also 言葉 can mean “way of speaking.” There are expressions like “watch what you say!” that use 言葉 this way:言葉使い が丁寧 (her way of speaking is very polite!) or 言葉大切につかいましょう （let’s be careful how we speak!) |
KANJIDAMAGE