How to say "flexibility" in Japanese

• 弾力だんりょくJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounCovers flexibility as physical elasticity: the springiness or give of a material that bends or stretches and returns to shape, as with rubber or springs.
• 伸縮しんしゅくCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbIts core sense is expansion and contraction — the capacity to stretch and shrink. It suits stretchy fabrics or parts that lengthen and shorten, and is only a marginal choice for 'flexibility' otherwise.
• 余裕よゆうJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounFlexibility here means leeway or slack — having room to spare in a schedule, budget, or plan. It is not about bending or adapting, but about the margin that lets things shift.
  車くるまを持もつ余裕よゆうはないな。↗

  I cannot afford to keep a car.
• 融通ゆうずうJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounCovers flexibility of people and arrangements: adaptable thinking, versatile handling of rules or plans, and a willingness to accommodate. Use it when 'flexible' describes an attitude or approach rather than a physical property.
• フットワークCommon
  nounA loanword that really means footwork: nimble movement, literally in sport and figuratively in how readily someone moves and acts. It fits 'flexibility' only in that mobile, active sense, not as a general term.

Choose 弾力 for physical elasticity, 伸縮 for stretching and shrinking, 余裕 for leeway in schedules or plans, 融通 for flexibility of attitude or arrangements, and 「フットワーク」 only for nimble mobility in action.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 弾力だんりょくelasticity
• 伸縮しんしゅくexpansion and contraction
• 余裕よゆうsurplus
• フレキシビリティflexibility
• 柔軟性じゅうなんせいflexibility
• 耐屈曲たいくっきょくflexibility
• 融通性ゆうずうせいflexibility
• 可撓性かとうせいflexibility
• しなりbending
• 伸び縮みのびちぢみexpansion and contraction
• 軟性なんせいsoftness
• 適応性てきおうせいadaptability
• 弾力性だんりょくせいelasticity
• 順応性じゅんのうせいadaptability
• 融通ゆうずうadaptability
• フットワークmobility
• 小回りこまわりadaptability
• 遊びあそびflexibility (in a performance, art, etc.)