Vocabulary: Meaning, Form, and Collocation
What N4 vocabulary tests
N4 vocabulary is not a list to memorise in isolation. Questions test whether you can choose a word that fits a sentence's meaning, part of speech, and collocation. Build three layers: kanji readings in common compounds (e.g., 時間, 世話, 相談), verb pairs that share a kanji but differ in okurigana or transitivity (止まる/止める, 開く/開ける, 出る/出す), and fixed phrases with particles or counters (薬を飲む, 三枚の切符).
High-value groups
Group words by function: adverbs of degree and frequency (たいへん, なかなか, いつも, たまに), onomatopoeia used in daily speech (どんどん, ぺらぺら), katakana loanwords (アルバイト, エアコン, スーパー), and prefixes/suffixes (お-, ご-, -屋, -中, -後). For adjectives, check whether the word needs な or い before a noun, and whether it takes に or で in adverbial use.
Traps
Near-synonyms are common: 習う/学ぶ/勉強する, 知る/分かる, 見る/見える, 聞く/聞こえる. The sentence's particle or object often decides. Watch katakana length and small ッ (スーパー vs スパー), voiced consonants, and counters that change sound (一本 ippon, 三本 sanbon). Transitive/intransitive pairs are tested through particles: ドアが開く vs ドアを開ける. Do not choose a word only because it looks familiar; check the particle before and after the blank.
Rule of thumb
Cover the options, read the whole sentence, and predict the meaning and part of speech first. Then verify the particle pattern. Example: 「毎朝、電車で会社に＿＿。」 Options 通う/通る/渡る/曲がる. 会社に通う is the fixed pattern for commuting; 通る takes を for a place passed through. Answer: 通う.