J-CAT cheat sheet

Adaptive vocabulary items: a correct response is followed by a harder item, an incorrect one by an easier item, so early accuracy determines the difficulty band you see.

Kanji compound reading rule: two or more kanji forming a Sino-Japanese compound normally take on'yomi (学校 がっこう, 図書館 としょかん); a lone kanji with okurigana normally takes kun'yomi (食べる, 高い).

Transitivity rule: intransitive verbs take が for their subject (ドアが開く); transitive counterparts take を for their object (ドアを開ける).

Fixed verb-noun collocations to recognize: 風邪をひく, 電話をかける, 写真を撮る, 傘をさす, 薬を飲む, 汗をかく, 約束を守る.

Suffix semantics: ～的 = -like/-ive (論理的), ～化 = -ization/change (国際化), ～性 = quality (可能性), ～者 = person (経営者).

Compound verb endings: ～始める = begin, ～続ける = continue, ～終わる = finish, ～出す = sudden start or outward movement, ～込む = inward/completion.

Register: 漢語 (Sino-Japanese) nouns are more formal and written (購入, 確認); 和語 verbs are plainer and spoken (買う, 確かめる).

Katakana loanwords are often clipped: パソコン (personal computer), コンビニ (convenience store), エアコン (air conditioner), アルバイト (part-time job from German).

Onomatopoeia classes: ぐっすり sleep soundly, はっきり clearly, しっかり firmly, ゆっくり slowly; they often take と and する (はっきりと言う).

は marks a known topic or contrast; が marks new information or the grammatical subject, especially with ある/いる, 好き, わかる, できる (日本語がわかる).

に marks time points, existence location, direction/goal, and recipient; で marks action location, means, and material; を marks direct object or route (公園を歩く).

～ている = ongoing action or resulting state (結婚している); ～てある = resultant state after someone's intentional action, with the object marked が (窓が開けてある).

～ておく = do in advance/preparatory; ～てしまう = completion or regret; ～てみる = try something; ～てくる/ていく = approach/away in time or space.

と conditional = natural/automatic consequence; its main clause cannot be a request, invitation, or volitional form (×雨が降ると、傘を持ってください).

たら = temporal 'when/after' or hypothetical; ば = general hypothetical condition; なら = 'if it is the case that', often echoing the listener's statement.

Passive: られる/れる; causative: させる/せる; causative-passive: させられる. With causative, intransitive verbs take を (子供を歩かせる), transitive verbs take に (子供に本を読ませる).

Giving/receiving: あげる (I/insider gives out), くれる (someone gives to me/insider), もらう (I receive); て-form versions add the nuance of a favor.

Nominalizers: こと is abstract/formal; の is used with perception verbs (音が聞こえるのを聞いた) and in casual speech; ～のは/のが/のを patterns.

Question types: main idea (主旨), detail (詳細), reference (指示語), inference (推測), and author's claim (筆者の考え); the stem tells you which to answer.

こそあど chain: こ points to the speaker's near/just-mentioned item, そ to the listener's or preceding context, あ to shared/far knowledge, ど to a question.

Resolve そ/あ references backward to the nearest noun phrase that matches number and animacy; a whole clause can be the referent when no noun fits.

Contrast markers しかし, ところが, だが often introduce the author's real claim; the clause after them outranks the clause before.

Conclusion markers つまり, 要するに, したがって signal a restatement or inference; answers to main-idea questions usually sit near these.

Time-order markers まず, 次に, そのあと, 最後に, ～前に, ～たあとで map sequence; for schedule/notice tasks, extract action, deadline, and person.

Extreme words in options (必ず, 絶対, すべて, まったく) usually make an option wrong in inference questions; correct answers tend to be hedged (～かもしれない, ～と考えられる).

For short emails/notices: identify sender, recipient, required action, and deadline; the action is often in the ～てください/～をお願いします sentence.

即時応答 (instant response): choose the reply that fits the speech level and function; a polite request needs a polite acceptance/refusal, not a casual one.

課題理解: note what the speaker must do next, not what they are doing now; the answer is often a corrected plan (～ではなく, ～のほうが).

ポイント理解: listen for why/when/where; the reason is often after ～から/ので/んです, and the correct time is often revised mid-sentence.

Long vowel, geminate, and moraic nasal change meaning: おばさん/おばあさん, 来て/切って, 日/人; count mora when a word sounds ambiguous.

Number readings vary by context: 4 = よん/し, 7 = なな/しち, 9 = きゅう/く; counters also change readings (一つ, 一人, 一枚).

Giving verbs show direction: あげる = out from speaker, くれる = toward speaker, もらう = speaker receives; the subject and に-marked recipient identify who benefits.

Keigo cues identify roles: いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, ご覧になる are respectful (customer/boss); 伺う, いたす, お目にかかる are humble (speaker).

The final verb carries tense and polarity; a sentence can be negated only at the end (～ませんでした), so wait for the verb before choosing.

Discourse signals: 実は introduces a correction or real reason; ちょっと softens refusal; すみませんが introduces a request; ～んです asks for explanation.