Akita Entrance Japanese cheat sheet

Identify the thesis (主張) by locating the sentence that answers the question the author poses; it often follows ～べきだ, ～ではないか, or 重要なのは～だ.

Distinguish 具体例 (examples) from 一般論 (general claims): examples are marked by たとえば, 例えば, 一例として; the general claim usually precedes or follows them.

Contrast markers (しかし, だが, ところが, 反面, 一方) signal the author's emphasis; the clause after the contrast is usually the main point.

Cause-effect markers (だから, したがって, その結果, なぜなら) connect reasons to conclusions; なぜなら introduces a reason for the preceding claim.

Definition and classification passages use とは, ～のことである, ～には二種類ある; note the criteria used to classify.

For 指示語 (こそあど) questions, look backward for the nearest noun phrase that fits grammatically and semantically; これ often refers to the entire preceding sentence.

In argumentative texts, identify the counterargument (反論) and the author's rebuttal (再反論); the author's final position is usually after しかし or むしろ.

For 理由説明 questions, find the sentence ending in から, ので, ため, or なぜなら and paraphrase it without adding new information.

For 要旨 (summary) questions, combine the thesis with the conclusion; eliminate choices that are too narrow (only an example) or too broad (beyond the text).

Track the narrator's perspective: 一人称 (私, 僕, 俺) vs. 三人称; in 一人称, the narrator's knowledge is limited to what the character perceives.

Emotional changes are shown through actions, dialogue, and physical reactions (手が震える, 目をそらす, ため息をつく) rather than direct statements.

Scene markers (その時, しばらくして, 翌朝, 帰り道) indicate time and place shifts; note what changes after each shift.

In 随筆, distinguish the author's personal view from general commentary; ～だろう, ～のではないか often mark the author's reflection.

Dialogue punctuation (「」) and speech verbs (言う, つぶやく, 叫ぶ) reveal relationships and power dynamics between characters.

Symbolism in literary texts: repeated objects or colors (e.g., 赤い花, 古い時計) often carry emotional meaning; connect them to the character's state.

For 心情把握 questions, choose the option supported by concrete textual evidence, not by general plausibility.

In 随筆, pay attention to 比喩 (metaphor) and 例え; they clarify the author's attitude toward the subject.

For 場面把握 questions, identify the いつ・どこで・誰が・何をした and the resulting change in the character's feelings.

Historical kana usage (歴史的仮名遣い): ゐ→い, ゑ→え, を→お, ぢ→じ, づ→ず; au→ō, iu→yū, eu→yō.

Classical inflection types: 四段, 上一段, 上二段, 下一段, 下二段, カ変, サ変, ナ変, ラ変; identify by the 未然形 ending.

Key auxiliary verbs: き (past), けり (past/ recollection), つ・ぬ (completion), たり・り (perfect/ continuous), む (intention/ supposition), べし (obligation/ possibility), まし (counterfactual), らむ (present supposition), けむ (past supposition).

Particles: は (topic), が (subject/ possessive), を (object), に (time/ place/ agent), して (by means of), して (and then), ば (conditional), ども (although), ながら (while/ although).

敬語: 尊敬語 (給ふ, おはす, のたまふ, せさせ給ふ), 謙譲語 (聞こゆ, 申す, 参る, 仕ふ), 丁寧語 (侍り, 候ふ); identify the subject to determine the type.

Kanbun reading: 返り点 (レ点, 一二点, 上下点) indicate reading order; 送り仮名 shows the Japanese reading of kanji.

Kanbun 置き字 (而, 於, 于, 矣, 焉) are not read aloud; 於/于 mark place or time, 而 marks connection, 矣/焉 mark sentence end.

Kanbun 句法: 使役 (使・令・遣 + object + verb), 受身 (見・被 + verb), 否定 (不・未・非・無), 疑問・反語 (何・豈・安・寧).

For 古文 translation questions, identify the subject and object first, then parse auxiliaries from the end of the sentence backward.

Essay structure: 序論 (problem statement) → 本論 (examples and reasoning) → 結論 (summary and proposal); each paragraph should have one clear topic sentence.

Use 接続詞 correctly: しかし (contrast), したがって (conclusion), たとえば (example), つまり (paraphrase), また (addition).

Avoid spoken-language forms in formal writing: ～だから → ～であるから; ～じゃない → ～ではない; ～けど → ～が/ けれども.

Distinguish 文語表現 (～べきだ, ～であろう) from 口語表現; match the register required by the prompt.

For 意見文, state your position clearly in the first paragraph and support it with at least two concrete reasons or experiences.

For 課題作文, address every part of the prompt; missing a requirement reduces the score regardless of length.

Punctuation: use 読点 (、) to separate clauses and avoid ambiguity; avoid excessive commas in one sentence.

Paragraph length: 3–5 sentences per paragraph; use 改行 to signal a new topic.

Revise for 誤字・脱字 (wrong/missing characters) and 主述のねじれ (subject-predicate mismatch) before submitting.

Particles: は (topic/ contrast), が (subject/ new information), を (direct object), に (time/ destination/ agent), で (place of action/ means), と (with/ quotation), も (also/ emphasis).

Verb forms: 未然形, 連用形, 終止形, 連体形, 仮定形, 命令形; identify the stem before attaching auxiliaries.

Auxiliary verbs: れる・られる (passive/ potential/ honorific/ spontaneous), せる・させる (causative), たい (desire), そうだ (hearsay/ appearance), ようだ (conjecture), らしい (hearsay/ inference).

Conditional forms: と (natural consequence), ば (hypothetical), たら (completed condition), なら (topic-based condition).

Transitive/intransitive pairs: 開ける/開く, 始める/始まる, 落とす/落ちる, 出す/出る; the particle を marks the object of transitive verbs.

Kanji readings: distinguish 音読み (Chinese-derived) and 訓読み (native); compound words often use 音読み.

Common 同音異義語: 意見/意向, 関心/感心, 対象/対照, 補う/押さえる; choose by context and collocation.

Idioms (慣用句): 手を貸す (help), 目を通す (skim), 耳を傾ける (listen), 口を挟む (interrupt); learn as fixed phrases.

Keigo: 尊敬語 raises the other person's action (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, ご覧になる); 謙譲語 lowers the speaker's action (伺う, 申し上げる, 拝見する); 丁寧語 (です・ます, ございます).