EJU Japanese cheat sheet

EJU 日本語 is scored 0–400 for 読解 (reading) plus 聴解・聴読解 (listening and listening-reading); 記述 (writing) is scored 0–50 separately and is not added to the 400.

読解 section: about 25 questions in roughly 40 minutes, with short-to-medium passages; answers are chosen from four options, and questions often test paragraph-level logic rather than single-sentence meaning.

聴解 questions are played once only; 聴読解 supplies a printed figure or table while audio plays, so the printed material must be read before the audio begins.

記述 asks for one opinion essay of about 400–500 characters in 20 minutes on a given topic; two viewpoints must be stated and one chosen with reasons, or the task requirements are unmet.

Markers for 記述 include whether the question is answered, whether reasons are supported, vocabulary and grammar range, and sentence cohesion; kanji errors are tolerated more than unclear argument structure.

Common connectives by function: したがって/ゆえに (conclusion), なぜなら (reason), 一方 (contrast), つまり/すなわち (rephrasing), ただし (exception), さらに (addition).

Frequent 読解 question types: 下線部の意味 (meaning of an underlined phrase in context), 理由 (why, answered from the sentence immediately preceding the から/ので clause), 筆者の考え (author's claim, usually in the final paragraph).

Distinguish 自動詞/他動詞 pairs to avoid particle errors: 窓が開く (intransitive, が) vs 窓を開ける (transitive, を); 資料が集まる vs 資料を集める.

Keigo decision rule: 尊敬語 raises the other person's action (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる), 謙譲語 lowers the speaker's action toward the other (伺う, 申し上げる), 丁寧語 is です/ます/ございます.

Physics kinematics: for constant acceleration, v = v₀ + at, x = v₀t + ½at², and v² − v₀² = 2ax; use the third when time is unknown.

Newton's second law: F = ma; on an incline of angle θ, the along-slope component of gravity is mg sin θ and the normal force is mg cos θ (frictionless).

Ideal gas law PV = nRT with R ≈ 8.31 J/(mol·K); at constant temperature, P₁V₁ = P₂V₂ (Boyle), and at constant pressure, V₁/T₁ = V₂/T₂ (Charles).

Ohm's law V = IR; resistors in series add (R = R₁ + R₂), in parallel 1/R = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂; power dissipated is P = VI = I²R = V²/R.

Mole relations: n = m/M (mass over molar mass), n = N/N_A with N_A ≈ 6.0 × 10²³ /mol, and at standard conditions 1 mol of ideal gas occupies about 22.4 L.

Acid–base neutralization: H⁺ + OH⁻ → H₂O; moles of H⁺ equal moles of OH⁻ at the equivalence point, so c₁V₁ × (number of H⁺) = c₂V₂ × (number of OH⁻).

Redox rule: oxidation is loss of electrons (oxidation number rises), reduction is gain (number falls); the reducing agent is itself oxidized.

Genetics: a cross of two heterozygotes Aa × Aa gives a 3:1 phenotype ratio and 1:2:1 genotype ratio for a completely dominant trait; a test cross uses a homozygous recessive partner.

Cell division: mitosis keeps the chromosome number constant (2n → 2n) for growth, while meiosis halves it (2n → n) and produces four genetically distinct gametes via crossing over and independent assortment.

EJU 総合科目 is scored 0–400 and covers politics, economics, society, geography, and history, with emphasis on modern/contemporary issues and Japan's position in the world.

Japan's Constitution (1947) principles: popular sovereignty, fundamental human rights, and pacifism (Article 9 renounces war and does not recognize belligerency).

Separation of powers: the Diet is the sole law-making organ and designates the Prime Minister; the Cabinet is responsible to the Diet; courts exercise judicial power with a Supreme Court as the final instance.

Japan's voting age was lowered from 20 to 18 by the 2015 revision of the Public Offices Election Act, effective from the 2016 elections.

Economic indicators: GDP measures output within borders (GDP = C + I + G + net exports); GNP/GNI measures output by nationals; CPI tracks inflation; the unemployment rate counts those seeking work.

Comparative advantage: a country gains by specializing in goods with lower opportunity cost; tariffs raise domestic prices and reduce imports, while a quota limits quantity directly.

Japanese modern history milestones: 1868 Meiji Restoration, 1889 Meiji Constitution, 1945 end of WWII, 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1956 UN accession, 1964 Tokyo Olympics and IMF Article VIII status.

Climate and geography: Japan spans a humid subtropical to humid continental zone; the rainy season (梅雨) runs roughly June–July, and typhoons peak around August–September.

International organizations: the UN Security Council has five permanent members with veto power; the WTO administers trade rules; the IMF addresses balance-of-payments problems; the World Bank funds development.

Quadratic formula: for ax² + bx + c = 0, x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a; the discriminant D = b² − 4ac gives two real roots (D > 0), one (D = 0), or none (D < 0).

Vieta's relations for ax² + bx + c = 0: sum of roots = −b/a and product = c/a.

Trigonometric identities: sin²θ + cos²θ = 1, tan θ = sin θ / cos θ, and the sine rule a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C = 2R.

Cosine rule: a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A; triangle area = ½ab sin C.

Logarithms: log_a(xy) = log_a x + log_a y, log_a(x/y) = log_a x − log_a y, log_a xⁿ = n log_a x; change of base log_a b = log_c b / log_c a.

Sequences: arithmetic term aₙ = a₁ + (n − 1)d with sum Sₙ = n(a₁ + aₙ)/2; geometric term aₙ = a₁rⁿ⁻¹ with sum Sₙ = a₁(rⁿ − 1)/(r − 1) for r ≠ 1.

Derivative rules: (xⁿ)′ = nxⁿ⁻¹, product rule (fg)′ = f′g + fg′, quotient rule (f/g)′ = (f′g − fg′)/g²; a function is increasing where f′ > 0.

Integral: ∫xⁿ dx = xⁿ⁺¹/(n + 1) + C for n ≠ −1; the area between a curve and the x-axis from a to b is ∫ₐᵇ |f(x)| dx.

Combinatorics and probability: nPr = n!/(n − r)!, nCr = n!/(r!(n − r)!); P(A ∪ B) = P(A) + P(B) − P(A ∩ B), and A, B are independent when P(A ∩ B) = P(A)P(B).