文字・語彙 (Moji/Goi): Reading, Writing, and Choosing the Right Word
What 4Q tests in 文字・語彙
文字・語彙 at NAT-TEST 4Q checks whether you can read and write basic daily kanji accurately and choose vocabulary that fits a short sentence. Expect 漢字読み, 漢字書き, 表記, and 文脈規定-style items: kana-to-kanji, kanji-to-kana, okurigana, small っ/ゃ/ょ, long vowels, and near-synonyms. The level is beginner, but the test rewards precision, not broad guessing.
Core rules
- Read the whole sentence first. A kanji's reading depends on the word and particle pattern: 今日は雨です。 gives きょう and あめ, not こんにち.
- Use okurigana and part of speech to separate 音読み and 訓読み. A kanji compounded with another often takes 音読み; a kanji followed by kana often takes 訓読み.
- For writing, match meaning, not sound. Homophones such as きる can be 着る (wear) or 切る (cut); the object decides.
- Check small kana and voiced marks in 表記 items: きって, しゃしん, びょういん. A missing っ or ゃ changes the word.
- In vocabulary items, test collocation: 電気を消す, 火を消す, 道を渡る. Ask which noun normally goes with the verb.
Worked example
毎朝、新聞を読んでから、ごはんを食べます。 Question: 新聞の読み方. Answer: しんぶん. Reasoning: 新 is 音読み しん; 聞 here is 音読み ぶん in the compound 新聞. The trap is しんもん, which uses the common verb 聞く reading but is wrong in this compound.
Traps
- Choosing a familiar reading without checking the compound.
- Making okurigana slips, such as adding or dropping kana in 大きい.
- Matching a kana sound to the wrong homophone.
- Ignoring the particle or object that fixes the verb's meaning.