J.TEST F-G key terms

Japanese syllabary used for native words, grammatical endings, and reading aids. The F-G level test expects you to read and write all forty-six basic characters quickly and accurately.

Angular syllabary used mainly for loanwords, foreign names, and emphasis. F-G questions often ask you to match a katakana word with its meaning or with the correct hiragana reading.

Chinese-derived characters carrying meaning. At F-G level you must recognise roughly a few hundred common characters and read them in short sentences, signs, and notices.

The reading of a kanji based on its original Chinese pronunciation, often used in compound words. Recognising on-readings helps you read two-character nouns such as 学校 or 電車.

The native Japanese reading of a kanji, usually when the character stands alone or with kana endings. F-G items often test whether you can choose the right reading in a short phrase.

Hiragana written after a kanji to show its grammatical ending or reading, as in 食べる or 高い. Missing or wrong okurigana is a common distractor in spelling questions.

Words borrowed from other languages, usually written in katakana, such as テレビ, パン, or アルバイト. F-G listening and reading sections often test everyday loanwords for objects, food, and activities.

English-looking words coined in Japan whose meaning differs from real English, such as サラリーマン or パーカー. Recognising them prevents you from guessing a wrong meaning in reading passages.

Small grammatical particles such as は, が, を, に, and で that mark the role of the word before them. Choosing the correct particle is one of the most frequent F-G grammar and reading tasks.

A fixed sentence pattern such as ～たいです or ～てもいいですか. Learning patterns as whole chunks helps you answer fill-in-the-blank grammar items quickly at the F-G level.

The rules for how words combine into correct sentences, including verb forms, tense, and politeness. F-G questions check basic forms like て-form, past tense, and simple conditionals.

How verbs and adjectives change shape to show tense, negation, politeness, or connection to another clause. F-G items often contrast plain and polite forms or present and past forms.

The polite style ending in です or ます, used with strangers, teachers, and in most textbook dialogues. Listening scripts at F-G level are mostly in this style, so you must parse it instantly.

The plain, casual style used among friends and family, such as 行く or 食べた instead of 行きます or 食べました. Recognising it matters when listening to casual conversations or reading diaries and notes.

Words like これ, それ, あれ, この, and その that point to things or to earlier text. Reading questions often ask what a それ refers to, so track the noun it replaces.

Words such as しかし, だから, and それから that link sentences and signal contrast, cause, or addition. Noticing them helps you follow the logic of a short reading passage or a listening monologue.

Reading comprehension: understanding short passages, notices, emails, and advertisements. F-G passages are brief and use everyday vocabulary, but questions test whether you catch the key detail, not just single words.

Listening comprehension, delivered once at natural speed. F-G tasks include choosing a picture, picking the right response, and answering a question about a short dialogue or announcement.

The overall skill of understanding spoken Japanese, including sound discrimination, speed, and intonation. Building it requires repeated listening to short, familiar dialogues rather than reading scripts only.

How a word is spoken, including vowel length, small っ, and pitch. F-G listening items often contrast similar-sounding words such as おばさん and おばあさん or 来て and 切って.

A stretched vowel sound, written with あ, い, う, え, お in hiragana or ー in katakana. Confusing short and long vowels changes meaning, as in おじさん versus おじいさん.

The small っ that creates a brief pause before the next consonant, as in きって or がっこう. Missing it can turn a word into a different one, so it is a frequent listening and spelling trap.

The pitch pattern of a Japanese word, which can distinguish meanings such as 箸 and 橋. F-G tests rarely ask pitch directly, but correct accent improves overall listening accuracy.

Quick notes taken while listening to numbers, times, names, or prices. In F-G listening you often hear several options, so jotting them down prevents choosing a value mentioned only as a distractor.

Numbers and counters, including prices, floors, minutes, and people. Listening tasks frequently require calculating or comparing figures, and irregular readings like 一人 or 二十歳 must be memorised.

A counter placed after a number to match the type of object, such as 枚 for flat things, 台 for machines, and 人 for people. Using the wrong counter is a common error and a common listening distractor.

Clock time expressed with 時 and 分, including half hours and approximations like ごろ. Listening questions often ask when something starts or how long a trip takes, so practise converting times quickly.

Location words and phrases such as となり, まえ, うしろ, and ～の近く. Picture-matching listening items and reading notices often depend on spatial vocabulary to identify the correct spot.

Words describing movement or position, such as みぎ, ひだり, まっすぐ, and ～の方へ. Directions in announcements and map-style questions rely on these, so learn them as fixed pairs with opposites.

Giving or following directions, typically using まっすぐ, 曲がる, and landmarks. F-G listening may include a short route description, and reading may include a simple map notice.

Asking someone to do something, using forms such as ～てください or ～てもらえませんか. Recognising the level of politeness helps you decide who is speaking to whom in a dialogue.

Giving or asking permission, expressed with ～てもいいですか or ～てはいけません. F-G items often test whether a rule allows or forbids an action in a notice or conversation.

Stating that something must not be done, as in ～てはいけません or だめです. Signs and announcements use this heavily, and questions ask what a person is not allowed to do.

A public notice or sign, such as a poster at a station or a rule sheet in a building. Reading sections use short notices to test whether you can find the one condition that applies to you.

Guidance or information given to visitors, as in ご案内 or 会場案内. Announcements in listening sections often include this word, and understanding it signals that practical details follow.

A public announcement, for example at a station or shop. F-G listening includes short announcements where you must catch the time, place, or action being requested.

A spoken exchange between two or more people. F-G listening dialogues are short and situational, so identify the setting, the speakers' relationship, and what each one decides to do.

A question asked in speech or writing. In listening tasks the final question tells you what to answer, so listen for it carefully rather than reacting to the first detail you hear.

A reply or response in a short exchange. F-G has items where you choose the most natural reply to one line of speech, so learn common pairs like お願いします and どういたしまして.