Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
競争 and 競技: competition and sporting events
Distinguish a competitive relationship from a defined event, and participation from winning.
運動 and 体操: physical activity and exercises
Distinguish broad physical activity from exercises or gymnastics, keeping frequency, duration, and observation separate.
選手 and 審判: roles in a sporting event
Distinguish players from referees and track who makes a ruling or receives an explanation.
試合 and 勝負: a match and deciding the outcome
Distinguish a sporting event from whether its contest has produced a winner.
勝利 and 敗北: who wins and loses
Identify the winning and losing sides and separate hoped-for outcomes from actual ones.
得点 and 点数: scoring and totals
Distinguish earning points from recording a score, and additional points from the final total.
応援 and 声援: support and audible cheering
Distinguish broad support from encouragement delivered by voice.
優勝 and 賞品: winning and receiving a prize
Distinguish winning a competition from receiving a prize, without inferring victory from the item alone.
予選 and 決勝: competition stages and advancement
Distinguish qualifying rounds from finals and advancement from actually competing.
逆転 and 引き分け: a reversal and a drawn result
Distinguish a change in the lead from a final draw.
金 and 銀: materials and colors
Distinguish gold and silver as materials from a gold-colored or silver-colored appearance.
鉄 and 銅: material and object form
Name iron and copper as materials, using の for composition and で with making.
木材 and 金属: material categories and parts
Distinguish timber from metal and read different materials assigned to different parts.
水 and 湯: water states and pouring
Distinguish water from heated water in everyday expressions and track states before and after heating.
氷 and 雪: changes in ice and snow
Distinguish complete and partial melting from breaking ice into smaller pieces.
油 and 脂: spellings for oil and fat
Learn common combinations for two words read あぶら without forcing an absolute spelling rule.
煙 and 蒸気: smoke and vapor
Distinguish smoke from vapor without identifying a cause solely from an observed appearance.
光 and 影: light and shadows
Distinguish light from a shadow and an actual object from its projected outline.
熱 and 温度: applying heat and measuring temperature
Distinguish heat from temperature through common combinations and read the size of a temperature change.
空気 and 酸素: air and a component of it
Distinguish air as a whole from oxygen as a component, and physical air from figurative atmosphere.
結婚 and 離婚: life changes and reports about them
Distinguish actors, timing, and plans in sentences about marriage and divorce.
出産 and 誕生: giving birth and coming into being
Distinguish the person giving birth from the one born, and learn figurative uses of 誕生.
面接 and 採用: an interview and a hiring decision
Distinguish undergoing an interview from being hired, and recognize 採用 as adopting a method.
就職 and 退職: obtaining and leaving employment
Distinguish getting a job from leaving one without inventing what follows departure.
転職 and 転勤: changing jobs and transferring locations
Distinguish a job change from a work-location transfer and a contemplated change from a completed move.
出会い and 交流: encounters and ongoing exchange
Distinguish an encounter that can begin a relationship from interaction between people.
誕生日 and 記念: birthdays and commemorating an occasion
Distinguish a birthday date from commemorative actions and the timing of a celebration.
祭り and 行事: festivals and scheduled events
Distinguish festivals from the broader category of events, and schedules from preparation and performance.
式 and 儀式: formal events and rituals
Learn ceremonial combinations and distinguish observing, attending, and conducting.
祝い and 贈り物: congratulations and a gift
Distinguish celebration from a physical gift, tracking sender, recipient, and preparation.