Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - Japanese common mistakes
Shiga Public High School Entrance Examination - Japanese · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
In 漢字の書き, the candidate writes a kanji that sounds right but is the wrong homophone (e.g. writing 関心 where the sentence needs 感心, or 対象 where it needs 対照), because they fill the blank from sound alone without checking the sentence's meaning.
Shiga's 漢字の書き items are almost always embedded in a short sentence, and candidates read the blank as a dictation task. They retrieve the first kanji that matches the reading instead of confirming which word the surrounding particles and predicate require.
What to do instead
Before writing, silently substitute the whole word back into the sentence and read it through: does the predicate accept this meaning? Build a personal homophone list (関心/感心/歓心, 対象/対照, 追求/追及/追究, 以前/意外) and drill them in sentence context, not as isolated readings.
In 漢字の読み, the candidate applies the on-reading to a word that takes a kun-reading, or ignores 送り仮名 and reads 行った as いった when the sentence requires おこなった, because they read only the kanji and skip the kana and context.
Candidates treat the reading section as a flashcard test of single characters. They do not use the 送り仮名 or the sentence's grammar as disambiguating cues, so ambiguous verbs like 行う/行く, 生じる/生きる, 明ける/明るい are guessed.
What to do instead
Always read the full sentence once before answering. Circle the 送り仮名 and ask which reading the syntax allows (transitive vs intransitive, て-form, 副詞 use). Practise pairs of the same kanji in different readings so the choice becomes a habit, not a guess.
In 語句・文法, the candidate answers grammar items by ear - choosing the particle or conjugation that 'sounds natural' - and cannot name the grammatical category being tested (活用形, 助動詞の意味, 品詞分類).
The section is short and feels easy, so candidates skip the step of identifying what is being asked. Shiga items often hinge on 助動詞 like れる/られる/そうだ/ようだ with several possible meanings, and on 活用形 names, which cannot be resolved by feel alone.
What to do instead
For each grammar item, write the category in the margin first (e.g. '助動詞・婉曲', '形容動詞連用形') and then choose. Memorise the meaning lists for れる/られる (受身・可能・自発・尊敬) and そうだ (様態・伝聞) with one example sentence each, and recite 活用形 names in order.
In 説明的文章の読解, the candidate answers 理由説明 and 内容説明 questions with their own general knowledge or opinion rather than with a paraphrase of the specified range in the text, producing answers that are true but not in the passage.
Expository passages in Shiga are on familiar topics (environment, language, science), which invites candidates to answer from background knowledge. They also copy whole sentences instead of compressing to the demanded length.
What to do instead
Underline the question's指定箇所 (「〜とあるが、なぜか」) and confine the answer to that paragraph. Practise the pattern 'because clause + conclusion' in 30–40 characters, and always end by checking that every element of your answer appears in the underlined span.
In 説明的文章の読解, the candidate misses 指示語 (これ・それ・このこと) and 接続語 (しかし・つまり・たとえば) as structural signals, so they attach a pronoun to the wrong antecedent or overlook the paragraph's conclusion marked by つまり/要するに.
Candidates read for content, not structure, and read at a pace that does not allow them to trace back to the antecedent. The 指示語 content is rarely in the same sentence, so a forward-only reading fails.
What to do instead
On the first pass, mark every 指示語 and 接続語 in the margin and draw an arrow to its referent. Circle つまり/要するに/したがって as 'conclusion' and しかし/ところが as 'turn'. Answer 指示語 questions by substituting your candidate referent back into the sentence and checking it reads correctly.
In 文学的文章の読解, the candidate describes the plot ('he was surprised') instead of the 心情, and writes an emotional label without the reason, so the answer earns no credit on questions asking どういう気持ちか.
Narrative passages are read as stories to enjoy, and candidates report events. They also miss that 心情 is signalled indirectly - through 行動, 会話, 情景描写, and 比喩 - not stated outright.
What to do instead
Annotate the passage: bracket every 心情語, underline actions and dialogue, and note scene descriptions in the margin as 'emotion cue'. Write answers in the form '〜という気持ち' plus a short because-clause tied to a quoted action or line. Check the字数 limit forces you to drop plot summary.
In 古典・古文, the candidate translates historical kana (ゐ・ゑ・を, は行のハ行音) and 古語 vocabulary by modern Japanese intuition, so あはれ is read as 'ah' rather than しみじみとした感動, and をかし is confused with おかしい in the modern sense.
Modern Japanese is close enough that candidates assume the words mean what they look like. They also skip 歴史的仮名遣い rules because they seem like trivia, then misread the word entirely.
What to do instead
Learn the 歴史的仮名遣い conversion rules (語中・語尾のハ行→ワ行, ゐ→い, ゑ→え, を→お, ぢ/づ→じ/ず) and apply them aloud before translating. Keep a 古語カード set of the ~100 most frequent exam words (あはれ, をかし, いと, え〜ず, なむ, けり, ぬ/つ) with a modern gloss and one example.
In 古典・漢文, the candidate translates kanbun without applying 返り点 and 送り仮名 in the correct order, reading the characters left to right and producing a sentence with the verb in the wrong place or the object and subject swapped.
Candidates see kanbun as Chinese text to skim and do not physically reorder the characters. レ点, 一二点, and 上中下点 are treated as decoration rather than as instructions for reading order.
What to do instead
Rewrite the passage in 書き下し文 on the answer sheet, moving each character according to its 返り点 and adding the 送り仮名 before translating. Do this mechanically for every practice passage until the reordering is automatic; then check the 書き下し reads as grammatical Japanese.
In 作文・条件付き記述, the candidate ignores one of the stated conditions - exceeding the 字数 limit, omitting the required word or the 資料 reference, or writing in 常体 where 敬体 was specified - and loses marks despite good content.
Under time pressure, candidates read the prompt once and start writing, treating the conditions as preamble. They also count characters only at the end, when cutting is painful and they cut the conclusion instead of filler.
What to do instead
Before writing, list the conditions as a checklist (字数, 文体, 必須語句, 段落数, 資料の引用). Draft in the middle of the allowed range so you have room to adjust, then verify each checklist item line by line. Practise writing to a 200-character limit with a 10-character margin on both sides.
In 作文・条件付き記述, the candidate writes a single undifferentiated block that states an opinion with no supporting experience or reason, so the 構成 (序論・本論・結論) and the 根拠 are missing and the response reads as a slogan.
Candidates believe length equals quality and spend their characters on repetition and generalities. They also have no rehearsed structure, so they improvise and run out of content before reaching a conclusion.
What to do instead
Use a fixed template: 主張 (1 sentence) → 具体的な体験・根拠 (2–3 sentences with a specific detail) → 反論への言及 or 一般化 → 結論 (1 sentence). Prepare three reusable personal episodes (a club activity, a group project, a local event) that can be adapted to many prompts, and time three full drafts before the exam.