NAT-TEST 2Q key terms

The two readings most kanji have: the on'yomi, borrowed from Chinese and used mainly in compounds, and the kun'yomi, native Japanese, used when the kanji stands alone with okurigana. Spelling and reading questions test both.

The two small marks added to kana. Dakuten (゛) voices a consonant - か becomes が, さ becomes ざ, た becomes だ, は becomes ば - and handakuten (゜) turns は-row kana into p, as in ぱ. They separate words that otherwise look identical.

A small っ that holds the following consonant for one beat: きって, がっこう, まっすぐ. It must be both heard and written; leaving it out changes the word (きて versus きって), so spelling and listening items use it often.

A vowel held for two beats, written with おう or おお in hiragana (こうえん, おおきい) and with ー in katakana (コーヒー). Vowel length distinguishes words such as おばさん and おばあさん, so it is a common spelling trap.

A kana from the い-row plus a small や, ゅ or ょ, pronounced together as one beat (きゃ, しょ, りゅ). Confusing しゃ with しや, or きょ with きよう, is a frequent mistake in the script section.

Loanwords written in katakana, mostly from English but also from other languages (アルバイト, パン). Questions ask you to read them correctly, choose the right katakana spelling, or match them with a Japanese paraphrase.

Words imitating sounds (ざあざあ, わんわん) or describing states and feelings (どきどき, ぺらぺら). Their nuance is not carried by ordinary verbs, and they appear in vocabulary, reading and listening items alike.

Words with almost the same meaning, for example すぐに and たちまち. Vocabulary questions ask which option can replace the underlined word without changing the meaning of the sentence, so learn words in groups.

Words with opposite meanings, such as あんしん and しんぱい, or きょか and ことわり. Learn new adjectives and verbs together with their opposites; questions often give one word and ask for its antonym.

A fixed compound of two or more kanji whose meaning comes from the combination, for example 図書館, 交通 or 中止. Reading questions often target compounds rather than single characters, so learn them as whole words.

Working out an unknown word from the sentence around it instead of a dictionary: check the particles, look for a contrast marked by しかし, and read the words that follow it. Essential for passages containing unfamiliar vocabulary.

Counters placed after a number, chosen by the type of thing counted: 人 for people, 枚 for flat objects, 台 for machines, 本 for long thin things. Both the counter and its sound change (一本 いっぽん) are tested.

The connective verb form (書いて, 食べて, して). It joins clauses, forms 〜ている, 〜てください and 〜てしまう, and its three conjugation groups are the base for a large number of intermediate patterns.

Four ways to express a condition: 〜ば for general conditions, 〜たら for 'once/if' and the most flexible, 〜なら for 'given that', and 〜と for automatic or natural results. Choosing correctly is a regular grammar item.

The passive form (書かれる, 食べられる). Besides neutral passives it can express inconvenience, as in 雨に降られた. Grammar items check the particle marking the doer (に) and the difference from the active sentence.

The causative form (書かせる, 食べさせる), meaning 'make or let someone do'. Combined with the passive, 〜させられる means 'be made to do', a pattern that appears in grammar and reading questions.

The three politeness levels: 尊敬語 raises the other person (いらっしゃる, おっしゃる), 謙譲語 lowers the speaker (伺う, 申す), and 丁寧語 is です・ます. Tests ask you to convert a sentence or pick the form that fits the situation.

Small words that follow a noun and mark its role: が subject, を object, に time, place or target, で place or means. は marks the topic (known information) while が often introduces new information; particle choice appears in almost every grammar and reading item.

Shows either an action in progress (今、読んでいる) or a state resulting from a past change (結婚している, 知っている). Telling these two uses apart is a recurring grammar and reading question.

Marks an action as finished completely (全部食べてしまった) or as regrettable (忘れてしまった). In casual listening the contraction 〜ちゃう appears, as in 飲んじゃった, so recognise both forms.

Two actions by the same subject happening at once: 音楽を聞きながら勉強する. The ます-stem takes ながら and the main clause comes last, carrying the important information; the subordinate action must not be the point.

Ways to report or guess: そうだ for hearsay (I heard), らしい for 'apparently' based on evidence, ようだ and みたいだ for 'it seems' from observation. 〜そうだ after a stem instead means 'looks like' (おいしそう).

A partial negation meaning 'it is not that…': きらいなわけではない means it is not that I dislike it. Reading passages use it to soften a claim, often following からといって.

〜ておく means doing something in preparation (買っておく); 〜てある describes the state left by someone's intentional action (窓が開けてある). Note the different particles: を before ておく, が before てある.

Verb pairs such as 開く and 開ける, or 落ちる and 落とす. Intransitive verbs describe a change happening by itself and take が; transitive verbs describe someone acting on something and take を.

Words such as これ, それ, あれ, この, その that point to something already mentioned or about to be mentioned. Reading questions ask what そ or これ refers to; the answer usually sits in the previous sentence.

Words showing the link between sentences: しかし for contrast, つまり for restatement, たとえば for example, したがって for conclusion. Noticing them reveals the structure of a passage and where the answer is likely to sit.

The content words repeated through a passage, often nouns written in kanji. Spotting them quickly narrows the topic and helps you find the sentence that answers the question without reading every line.

The sentence that states a paragraph's main idea, usually the first or the last one. Skimming for it before reading details saves time and keeps you from getting lost in examples.

A block of text starting with a one-character indent in Japanese. Each paragraph normally carries one idea, so paragraph boundaries show where the argument moves or turns.

The writer's own opinion or claim, as opposed to facts or views the writer is merely reporting. Questions asking 筆者が最も言いたいこと are usually answered near しかし, つまり, or in the final paragraph.

Finding one specific detail - a date, price, time or condition - in a notice, advertisement, timetable or e-mail. Read the question first, then scan for numbers and keywords instead of reading everything.

Questions asking why something is so (なぜ〜か, どうして〜か). The reason is usually stated just before or after the claim, often marked by から, ので, ため, or というのは.

A listening task where you decide what the speaker must do next, based on a request or instruction in the dialogue. Track who asks for what, what has been decided, and what is still left to do.

A listening task that asks for one key detail - why, when, how much, or which one. Unlike 課題理解, it asks about what was said rather than about what someone will do next.

Writing only numbers, names, times and arrows while the audio plays. Note keywords rather than full sentences so you do not fall behind, and use symbols to mark who said what.

Catching prices, times and counters in fast speech, including sound changes (一分 いっぷん, 三本 さんぼん) and pairs that are easy to confuse, such as しち and なな, or よん and し.

Saying the same thing in different words. In listening, the correct option rarely repeats the audio word for word, so match the meaning rather than the sound.

Working out where a conversation takes place and who is speaking - shop, office, hospital - from honorifics and set phrases. This limits which answers are plausible before the question is even asked.

Choosing what you would say in a pictured situation: offering help, apologizing, asking permission. These items test fixed phrases such as 〜てもいいですか or お先に失礼します rather than grammar analysis.