SACE Stage 2 Japanese (continuers) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

です・ます register

The polite form used with teachers, strangers, customers and in formal writing; verbs end in ます and adjectives or nouns take です. It is the safe default in SACE interactions.

尊敬語 function

Honorific language that elevates the listener or a third party. Examples include いらっしゃる for 行く・来る・いる, おっしゃる for 言う, and ご覧になる for 見る.

謙譲語 function

Humble language that lowers the speaker's own actions to show respect to the other person. Examples include 伺う for 行く・聞く, 申す for 言う, and いただく for 食べる・もらう.

〜ていただけませんか

A polite request asking whether the listener would kindly do something for the speaker. It is more polite than 〜てください and suits requests to superiors or staff.

〜ませんか versus 〜ましょうか

〜ませんか invites the listener to do something together or asks if they want something. 〜ましょうか offers to perform an action for the listener.

Aizuchi

Short back-channel responses such as そうですね, なるほど, ええ and へえ that show the listener is following. They keep conversation flowing and signal attention.

Soft refusal pattern

A polite refusal starts with an apology or hesitation (ちょっと, すみませんが), gives a vague reason, and often offers an alternative, avoiding a blunt いいえ.

うち and そと

The in-group and out-group distinction. Members of your own family or company are うち and take humble forms; the listener and outsiders are そと and take honorific forms.

Discourse markers for contrast

しかし and ところが introduce contrast, while でも is more conversational. Recognising them helps readers predict that the next clause reverses the previous expectation.

Sentence-final modality

Endings such as かもしれない (possibility), はずだ (expectation), らしい (hearsay) and にちがいない (strong conviction) reveal the writer's stance and support inference questions.

こそあど reference

この refers forward to something about to be said, その usually points back to what was just mentioned, and あの points to shared or distant knowledge.

Katakana in texts

Katakana commonly marks loanwords, emphasis, company names and onomatopoeia. Seeing it does not mean the text is informal; formal ads also use it heavily.

Counter 〜枚

The counter for flat, thin objects such as paper, plates, shirts and tickets. It follows a number: 一枚, 二枚, 三枚, and is read いちまい, にまい, さんまい.

Passive form 〜される

The passive describes an action received, often with a nuance of inconvenience: 雨に降られた, 先生にほめられた. Identify the affected party, not only the actor.

Email opening formula

Formal Japanese emails open with the recipient's name plus お世話になっております, then a greeting, the body, and a closing such as よろしくお願いいたします.

Hearsay 〜そうです

Attached to a plain form, 〜そうです reports what the speaker heard: 雨が降るそうです. It differs from appearance 〜そうです, which follows a stem: おいしそうです.

Essay structure in Japanese

A typical essay moves from 序論 (statement of the topic and view) through 本論 (examples and comparison) to 結論 (restatement). Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence.

Connectives for sequence

まず, 次に, それから and 最後に order points in a text. They make the structure explicit and are expected in procedural and opinion writing.

Noun-modifying clause

A clause in plain form placed directly before a noun modifies it: 昨日買った本, 日本に住んでいる友達. No relative pronoun such as 'that' or 'who' is used.

Quotation particle と

と marks quoted speech or thought after a clause: 先生は「がんばれ」と言いました, 行こうと思います. Verbs like 言う, 思う and 聞く follow it.

Plain form in diaries

Diary and blog entries use plain form with time anchors such as きょう, 昨日 and 来週. Short sentences and casual sentence-final particles like よ and ね are common.

Formal letter frame

A formal letter opens with 拝啓 or a seasonal greeting, includes a health enquiry about the reader, presents the body, and closes with 敬具 plus the date and sender's name.

Cohesion with この点

Writers refer back to a whole idea using この点, そのため or これ, rather than repeating the full noun. This keeps long Japanese texts readable.

Purpose 〜ために

Expresses purpose or cause. With a volitional verb it means 'in order to': 日本へ行くために貯金しています. With a state it often means 'because of'.

時候のあいさつ

The seasonal greeting that opens a formal Japanese letter, referring to the weather or season, followed by an enquiry about the reader's health and wellbeing.

お中元 and お歳暮

Summer and winter gifts given to people who have helped you, such as teachers or business contacts. A return gift, お返し, is expected after receiving one.

Honorific suffixes

さん is general, さま is for customers and letters, 先生 for teachers and doctors, and titles such as 部長 follow surnames. Suffixes are not used with your own name.

Set phrases at meals

いただきます is said before eating and ごちそうさま after. いってきます is said when leaving home, and いってらっしゃい is the reply from those staying.

School calendar terms

入学式, 卒業式, 新学期 and 部活 appear often in personal texts. The Japanese school year starts in April, which explains references to spring ceremonies.

Onomatopoeia in casual Japanese

Words such as ドキドキ (heartbeat), わくわく (excitement) and ぺこぺこ (hunger or bowing) appear in manga, advertising and speech, adding vividness that adverbs alone cannot.

Giving and receiving verbs

あげる means the speaker gives, くれる means someone gives to the speaker's side, and もらう means the speaker receives. Direction determines which verb is correct.

〜ながら simultaneous action

Attached to a verb stem, 〜ながら means doing two things at once: 音楽を聞きながら勉強します. The main action is the second verb, which carries the tense.