HSC Japanese in Context cheat sheet

Discourse markers signal structure: まず (first), つぎに (next), それから (then), さいごに (finally) mark the order of a spoken list or procedure.

Contrast connectors reverse expectation: でも・しかし・ところが (but/however) and 〜が… (…, but…) introduce the point the speaker actually wants to stress.

Cause-reason markers から・ので・だから precede or follow a clause; the reason clause usually comes before the result in Japanese, the reverse of English word order.

Politeness level identifies the relationship: です・ます with ございます signals formal/service contexts; plain form signals friends, family, or inner monologue.

Numbers and counters are frequent listening traps: ひとつ/ふたつ for generic things, 〜人 for people, 〜本 for long objects, 〜枚 for flat objects, 〜台 for machines.

Time expressions to catch: 〜時半 (half past), 〜分前 (minutes before), 〜ごろ (around), 〜までに (by), 〜あいだ (during), 〜たあとで (after doing).

Request forms escalate: 〜てください (please) < 〜ていただけませんか (could you) < 〜ていただけるとありがたいのですが (I'd be grateful if you could).

Sound changes obscure words: 〜ている → 〜てる in speech, 〜ておく → 〜とく, 〜てしまう → 〜ちゃう, 〜なければ → 〜なきゃ; recognise the reduced form to recover meaning.

Kanji compounds carry the core meaning; okurigana and particles carry the grammar. Identify the compound first, then parse particles around it.

Katakana in a Japanese text usually marks loanwords, emphasis, onomatopoeia, or technical terms; if the word is not English-derived, treat it as emphasis or sound symbolism.

Hiragana-only stretches often signal grammatical function words (は・が・を・に・で・と) or words normally written in kanji that the writer chose to simplify.

Transitive/intransitive pairs change the subject: 〜を開ける (someone opens) vs 〜が開く (something opens); 〜を止める vs 〜が止まる.

Passive 〜れる/〜られる shifts the agent to に and the affected party to が/は; identify who is affected to answer 'who did what to whom' items.

Conditional forms differ: 〜と (automatic/natural result), 〜ば (hypothetical condition), 〜たら (once/when, completed condition), 〜なら (given that topic).

Reference words これ・それ・あれ・この・その point backward in text; あれ usually points to something shared or distant in memory, これ to something just introduced.

Connectors at sentence start reveal argument direction: つまり (in other words), たとえば (for example), ただし (however/with the proviso), したがって (therefore).

Scanning strategy: read the question stem first, locate the paragraph containing the keyword, then read that paragraph fully before choosing an option.

Register must stay consistent: plain form (だ・する・した) for diaries, emails to friends, and essays; です・ます for letters to teachers, notices, and formal messages.

Text-type conventions: a letter opens with 拝啓 or a seasonal greeting and closes with 敬具; an email opens with the recipient's name + へ and closes with よろしくお願いします.

Paragraph structure mirrors English expository writing: topic sentence, two or three supporting sentences with なぜなら・たとえば, then a concluding sentence with だから・このように.

Particle accuracy is a scoring point: に for time/place of existence and direction, で for location of action and means, を for direct object, が for new information or subject of stative verbs.

Tense and aspect control: 〜ている for ongoing states or habitual actions, 〜てある for resultant states, 〜ておく for preparatory action, 〜てしまう for completion or regret.

Conjugation traps to check before submitting: ichidan vs godan verbs in て-form, irregular する→して, くる→きて, いく→いって, and いい→よくない/よかった.

Length control: count characters per sentence; a 400-character task typically needs 8-12 sentences, so aim for roughly 35-50 characters per sentence.

Kanji range should match the expected level: use common jōyō kanji for content words and hiragana for particles and auxiliary verbs; overusing rare kanji reads as unnatural.