NAT-TEST 3Q flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

音読み vs 訓読み

音読み is the Sino-Japanese reading, often two or more mora and not written with okurigana. 訓読み is the native Japanese reading, usually written with okurigana that changes with inflection.

Okurigana disambiguation

The kana written after a kanji stem distinguishes homographs. 上がる means go up and is intransitive, while 上げる means raise and is transitive, so the ending signals both reading and meaning.

Rendaku (連濁)

When two words compound, the initial consonant of the second element often becomes voiced: ひと+ひと becomes ひとびと, and はな+ひ becomes はなび. Rendaku is common but not automatic in every compound.

Long vowel contrast

A long vowel changes the word. おばさん means aunt, while おばあさん means grandmother. しゅ and しゅう are different mora counts and often different words, so vowel length must be heard and written correctly.

Katakana usage

Katakana marks loanwords such as パン and コーヒー, onomatopoeia such as ドキドキ, emphasis, and many technical terms. It is also used for telegrams, old documents, and some company names.

Transitive-intransitive pairs

Many verbs pair an intransitive form with a transitive one: 開く and 開ける, 始まる and 始める, 落ちる and 落とす. The intransitive often ends in -aru or -ru, while the transitive adds -eru or -asu.

Compound verbs

Japanese combines a verb stem with a second verb: 読み始める means start reading, and 書き直す means rewrite. The second verb adds aspect, direction, or completion rather than a separate action.

て-form functions

The て-form marks sequence (食べて寝る), progressive action (食べている), a request (食べてください), and a resulting state (結婚している). Context decides which meaning applies in a sentence.

Conditional と

と expresses an automatic or natural consequence: press the button and the door opens. It cannot normally follow a request or invitation, because the result is presented as inevitable rather than chosen.

Conditional ば

ば gives a general condition, often translated as if or provided that. It suits hypothetical or habitual conditions and pairs naturally with advice or general statements rather than one specific past event.

Conditional たら

たら marks a specific or sequential condition: when or if a particular event happens, then the next event follows. It is the most flexible conditional and can precede requests and invitations.

Conditional なら

なら takes up a topic already mentioned and gives advice, opinion, or a contrast based on it. It often means if it is about that, then, and it does not imply the condition will actually occur.

Passive formation

Godan verbs take -areru (書く becomes 書かれる), ichidan verbs take -rareru (食べる becomes 食べられる), and する becomes される. The passive also expresses adversity, as in being rained on.

Causative and causative-passive

The causative 書かせる or 食べさせる means make or let someone do something. The causative-passive 書かされる or 食べさせられる means be made to do something against one's will.

あげる・もらう・くれる

あげる means I give to someone else, もらう means I receive, and くれる means someone gives to me or my in-group. The て-forms add the nuance of doing something as a favor.

Particle は vs が

は marks the topic or a contrast and often introduces known information. が marks the grammatical subject, especially new or emphasized information, and appears with existence verbs and in answers to who or what questions.

Keigo levels

ます and です form neutral polite speech. Humble forms such as お持ちします lower the speaker's action, while honorific forms such as お読みになる raise the other person's action.

Nominalizer の vs こと

Both の and こと turn clauses into noun phrases. こと suits abstract or generalized statements, while の is preferred with perception verbs such as 見える and 聞こえる and with concrete situations.

Detail-match strategy

For detail questions, find the keyword in the passage, then read the sentence before and after it. Correct options usually paraphrase the text, while wrong options copy words but distort the relationship.

Contrast markers

しかし, ところが, だが, and でも introduce contrast. The author's real claim often follows these markers, so the sentence after them frequently contains the answer to a main-idea question.

Conclusion markers

つまり, したがって, 要するに, and このように introduce a summary or inference. These sentences are often tested directly because they restate the author's conclusion in different words.

Example markers

たとえば and 例えば introduce supporting examples. An example explains a broader claim but is not itself the main idea, so it is a common trap in main-idea answer choices.

Absolute scope traps

Options containing すべて, 必ず, 絶対, or だけ are often too strong. Passages usually hedge with 多く, たいてい, or ことが多い, so match the strength of the claim to the text.

Author's claim questions

筆者の主張 questions ask for the writer's own view, not a quoted opposing opinion. Check who says what, and reject options that merely restate a view the author introduces in order to argue against it.

Reading time management

Skim headings and the first and last sentence of each paragraph to build a map of the passage. Then scan for detail questions instead of translating every word, which wastes time on untested content.

課題理解 task type

課題理解 asks what the speaker must do next. Listen for the action still pending, and reject options describing actions already completed or assigned to a different person in the conversation.

ポイント理解 task type

ポイント理解 gives the question before the audio plays, so note the question words and any stated reason. Filter options by どの, いつ, だれ, or なぜ rather than by general topic.

概要理解 task type

概要理解 asks for the overall point of a monologue or conversation. Listen for the opening topic and the closing conclusion, and ignore isolated details that do not support the main idea.

発話表現 task type

発話表現 presents a situation and asks which expression the speaker should use. Judge by the setting and the relationship between speakers, choosing the politeness level that fits the scene.

即時応答 task type

即時応答 requires choosing the best reply to a short utterance. Match the speech act, such as invitation, apology, or request, and reject replies that are grammatical but pragmatically inappropriate.

Discourse markers in listening

でも and ただし signal contrast, だから and ですから signal conclusion, ちなみに signals an aside, and ところで shifts the topic. These markers show where the key information in the audio begins.

Numbers and corrections

Counters such as 時, 分, 人, and 枚 are frequently tested. Listen for self-corrections like いや or やっぱり, because the final stated number or time is usually the one that matters.