Kanagawa Entrance Japanese

Kanagawa Prefectural High School Entrance Examination - Japanese (国語)

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About this exam

The Kanagawa Prefectural High School Entrance Examination in Japanese (神奈川県公立高校入試 国語) is the Japanese-language paper sat by students applying to prefectural public high schools in Kanagawa, including Yokohama, Kawasaki and Yokosuka. It is a school-admission test, not a certification: results are combined with school-specific selection criteria, so the score that matters varies by school and by selection group. The paper is written in Japanese and is built to test what junior high school graduates should be able to do with the language - read kanji accurately, handle vocabulary and grammar, understand an expository and a literary passage, work with classical Japanese and kanbun, and write an organized opinion piece under time pressure. Because the reading and writing sections carry the most weight, steady preparation beats last-minute memorization: work through past papers from the prefecture, time yourself, mark where you lost points, and rewrite your essays after comparing them with high-scoring models. Candidates should confirm the current year's format, time limit and administration details on the Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education website, which publishes the official guidelines and past papers.

What you'll study

Common questions

About Kanagawa Entrance Japanese preparation

What does the Japanese paper actually look like?

It mixes objective items with constructed answers: kanji reading and writing, vocabulary and grammar questions, two reading passages with written explanations, a classical section, and an essay. The official board publishes the current year's structure and sample papers, so check those rather than relying on older descriptions.

How long is the exam, and how should I divide the time?

The official board sets the time limit each year, so confirm it on their site. In practice, most candidates do the kanji and language items first, then the expository and literary passages, then classical, and reserve a fixed block at the end for the essay. Never let the essay be the section you rush.

How difficult is it compared with regular school tests?

It is harder in the sense that it is longer, covers everything at once, and requires written explanations rather than recognition. The passages are not beyond junior high level, but the questions ask why and how, so a student who only memorizes terms will lose marks on the reading and writing sections.

Can I retake the exam if I do not pass?

Public high school entrance selection in Kanagawa runs on an annual cycle, and some schools offer a second round of selection. The rules change, so candidates should read the current year's selection guidelines from the prefectural board of education and ask their junior high school guidance teacher about their specific case.

What order should I study the sections in?

Start with kanji and vocabulary, because they are finite and give quick returns. Then work on the expository passage, which teaches the paragraph logic you will reuse in the literary passage. Add classical once the modern reading is stable, and practise essays weekly throughout rather than saving them for the end.

Where do candidates most often lose points?

Three places: kanji written from memory with the wrong stroke or okurigana, explanation questions answered vaguely without quoting the relevant phrase, and essays that state an opinion without a concrete example or a clear reason. Each is fixable with targeted practice and a review of marked past papers.

How should I practise the essay section?

Write to the actual prompt under time, then compare your piece against the question's conditions: did you answer the question asked, give a reason, and support it with a specific experience? Rewriting the same essay once is usually worth more than writing several new ones without review.

Do I need special textbooks for the classical section?

No. School textbooks and past papers cover the required classical grammar and kanbun reading rules. Focus on identifying honorific verbs, particles and the speaker in wabun, and on the return marks and okurigana in kanbun. Confirm the scope in the official curriculum guidelines for the year you sit.

How do I find the official exam date and application details?

The Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education publishes the annual selection schedule, application periods and examination dates on its official website, and your junior high school distributes the same information. Use those sources for dates, fees and procedures; third-party summaries can be out of date.