VCE Japanese SL key terms

Fixed social phrases exchanged when meeting, parting, thanking or apologising, such as おはようございます or しつれいします. Choosing the right greeting for the situation and the relationship shows awareness of Japanese social norms.

The Japanese honorific system with three strands: そんけいご (respectful), けんじょうご (humble) and ていねいご (polite). Speakers adjust verb forms to show respect to the listener or to a person being discussed.

Polite language built on です and ます forms, used in everyday conversation with strangers, acquaintances and superiors. It is the baseline register taught first and often the safest choice for a learner in unfamiliar situations.

Plain or casual speech, using dictionary-form verbs and short adjective endings. It appears in conversation among close friends and family, in diaries, and in written texts such as reports and narrative passages.

The distinction between one's in-group (family, company, close friends) and outsiders. When speaking to an outsider, speakers use humble forms for in-group members' actions, even if those members are senior.

Humble verb forms that lower the speaker's own actions to show respect toward the listener, for example いただく for eating or うかがう for asking. They are common in service encounters, business calls and formal letters.

Respectful verb forms that raise the person being spoken about, such as いらっしゃる for going, coming or being, and おっしゃる for saying. They appear when discussing customers, teachers or other superiors.

The vertical dimension of Japanese relationships, based on age, seniority and role. Word choice, bowing depth and verb forms shift depending on whether the other person is above or below the speaker in this hierarchy.

Short back-channel responses such as はい, そうですか or なるほど that show a listener is following and engaged. Frequent, well-timed あいづち is expected in Japanese conversation and silence can seem cold.

Spoken-style Japanese with contractions and casual endings, such as じゃない or 食べてる. It differs from written style and is normal in conversation, messages and dialogue in fiction, but usually avoided in formal writing.

Written-style Japanese using forms such as である and だ, plus more formal connectives and kanji. It appears in reports, essays, news articles and letters, and contrasts with the conversational style of speech.

The polite sentence style ending in です and ます, standard in speeches, presentations, interviews and letters to people outside one's close circle. Maintaining it consistently across a spoken presentation is a common assessment point.

Asking for information, in casual speech with rising intonation or in polite speech with ですか or ませんか. Recognising question forms and answering appropriately is central to interactive tasks and listening comprehension.

Making a request, using patterns such as 〜てください, 〜てもいいですか or 〜ていただけませんか. The choice of pattern signals politeness level and the size of the favour being asked.

Inviting someone to do something, using forms such as 〜ませんか or 〜ましょう. Accepting, declining or postponing an invitation politely, often with a reason, is a typical interpersonal task.

Declining an offer or invitation. Japanese refusals often soften the message with hesitation, an apology such as すみません and an excuse, rather than a direct いいえ, to protect the other person's feelings.

Literally 'reading the air': sensing unspoken expectations and adjusting one's behaviour accordingly. It reflects the value placed on harmony and indirect communication in Japanese social interaction.

Apologising and making amends. Phrases such as もうしわけありません and すみませんが express different degrees of regret, and a small gift or gesture may accompany an apology for a serious mistake.

Bowing as a greeting, thanks or apology. The angle and duration vary with formality and status, and bowing while on the phone is common even though the other person cannot see it.

A structured spoken talk, usually with an opening, main points supported by examples, and a closing. In Japanese, signposting phrases such as まず, つぎに and さいごに help listeners follow the structure.

A short formal talk delivered from memory or notes, often about personal experience or opinion. It requires consistent polite style, clear organisation and appropriate set phrases for opening and closing.

A short written composition, such as a diary entry, letter or opinion piece. Markers reward clear paragraphing, correct use of particles and verb forms, and vocabulary suited to the stated audience and purpose.

A letter, traditionally opening with a seasonal greeting such as きせつのかいさつ and closing with set phrases. Modern tasks may include emails, which keep a similar structure of greeting, body, and sign-off.

Electronic mail, often assessed in its formal register: a subject line, an opening naming the recipient with さま, a clear body and a closing. Business emails use honorific forms and fixed phrases like おせわになっております.

Particles such as は, が, を, に and で that mark grammatical roles like topic, subject, object, place and direction. Choosing correctly between similar particles, such as は and が, is a frequent accuracy issue.

Grammar: the rules governing sentence structure, particle use, tense and politeness. It is tested through sentence completion, error correction and the accuracy of the candidate's own production.

Verb conjugation, including ます form, て form, potential, passive, causative and conditional forms. Correct conjugation is essential for expressing permission, requests, ability and hypothetical situations.

Intransitive verbs describe states or actions without an object, such as ドアが開く, while transitive verbs take an object, such as ドアを開ける. Pairs like these are frequently confused and often appear in grammar items.

Chinese-derived characters used in Japanese writing, each with on-yomi and kun-yomi readings. Reading passages and writing tasks require recognising common compounds and producing characters accurately.

The two Japanese syllabaries. Hiragana is used for grammatical endings and native words, katakana for loanwords, emphasis and onomatopoeia, so fluency with both is assumed in every section of the exam.

Vocabulary: the range of words a candidate can understand and use. Building topic-based word lists, including loanwords and set expressions, supports both reading comprehension and accurate writing.

Verbs, which in Japanese normally come at the end of the sentence. Recognising verb forms and their tense or politeness is crucial for locating the main action in a spoken or written passage.

Comprehension of spoken or written Japanese. Tasks may ask for the main idea, specific details, the speaker's intention or the meaning of a word from context, drawing on texts about daily life and culture.

Identifying the main point of a passage or recording rather than every detail. Useful strategies include noticing discourse markers like でも and つまり, and listening for the sentence that answers the question asked.

Inferring meaning that is not stated directly, for example guessing an unfamiliar word from context or working out a speaker's feelings from tone. Inference questions reward attention to surrounding clues rather than word-by-word translation.

The long vowel sound, written with あ, い, う, え, お in hiragana or with ー in katakana, as in おかあさん or コーヒー. Missing or adding length can change meaning and affects spelling accuracy in writing tasks.

Abbreviations and shortened forms, such as コンビニ from コンビニエンスストア or スマホ from スマートフォン. They are common in casual speech and advertising, and recognising them helps in listening and reading.

Loanwords written in katakana, mostly from English but also from other languages, such as アルバイト or パン. Their meaning may differ from the source word, so context and collocation matter more than the original.

A dialogue or conversation, often presented in exam tasks as a short exchange between two speakers. Understanding who says what, and why, is needed to answer questions about intention and relationship.

Culture: shared customs, values and practices such as seasonal events, gift-giving, school life and food. Questions may ask candidates to compare a Japanese practice with their own experience and explain the difference.