Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
買う and 売る: buyer and seller
Read a transaction from the buyer's and seller's perspectives.
払う and 支払う: payment and other uses of 払う
Distinguish shared payment uses from nonfinancial uses of 払う.
現金 and お金: cash and money
Distinguish cash on hand from money more broadly.
割引 and 無料: discounts and no charge
Read the difference between a reduced price and no charge.
交換 and 返品: exchange and return
Distinguish exchanging an item from returning it.
貯金 and 預金: saving and deposited funds
Compare everyday saving with money deposited at a financial institution.
給料 and 収入: salary and income
Distinguish salary for work from income more broadly.
節約 and 無駄: saving resources and waste
Compare conserving resources with using them wastefully.
合計 and 平均: totals and averages
Distinguish totals and arithmetic averages with a simple quantity example.
借金 and 貸出: borrowed money and lending
Distinguish money owed by a borrower from a lending procedure.
片道 and 往復: one way and round trip
Distinguish one-way from round-trip distance, time, and fares.
出発 and 到着: departure and arrival
Distinguish departure and destination, and schedules from completed events.
遅刻 and 遅延: lateness and delays
Distinguish a person's late attendance from delays in transport or processing.
座席 and 席: seating and places
Explore physical seating and broader uses of a place or seat.
屋外 and 室内: outdoors and indoors
Describe activity spaces in relation to the inside and outside of buildings.
近所 and 付近: neighborhood and vicinity
Compare a nearby neighborhood with the vicinity of a reference point.
方向 and 方角: direction and orientation
Distinguish the direction of movement or plans from spatial orientation.
隣 and 横: neighboring and beside
Compare adjacency with a position beside something.
表 and 裏: front and back surfaces
Compare 表 read おもて with 裏 and distinguish another reading of 表.
入口 and 出口: entrances and exits
Use notices to distinguish a passage's function from a person's actual movement.
授業 and 講義: classes and lectures
Explore the overlap between a class and a lecture-style presentation.
宿題 and 課題: homework and tasks
Compare homework with the broader category of tasks or issues.
予習 and 復習: preparation and review
Distinguish preparation before a lesson from reviewing what has been learned.
練習 and 訓練: practice and training
Compare repeated practice with systematic development of skills or responses.
試験 and 検査: testing and inspection
Compare testing ability or performance with examining condition or compliance.
成績 and 点数: performance and scores
Distinguish performance across activities from numerical scores.
合格 and 成功: passing and succeeding
Compare passing specified assessment criteria with an endeavor going well.
研究 and 調査: research and investigation
Explore research aimed at deeper understanding and investigation that gathers facts.
資料 and 材料: reference information and materials
Compare reference information with materials for making or cooking.
入学 and 卒業: entering school and graduating
Distinguish entering school from completing its course and graduating.