Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
位置 and 地点: an object's position and an activity point
Compare a location marked for an object with a point used for departure or measurement, retaining the stated activity and result.
地域 and 区域: a local region and a designated zone
Compare the region where a festival takes place with an area under construction, preserving the scope of the request concerning entry.
範囲 and 領域: an included range, territory, and field
Compare a range that a voice reaches with animal territory and a field of expertise, using the modifier and the stated activity.
境界 and 限界: a dividing boundary and a limit of ability
Compare the boundary between two villages with the limits of stamina felt after prolonged walking, preserving the object of each expression.
境 and 端: a border between places and an object's edge
Compare the 境 between two towns with the 端 of a long table, identifying the places or object used as the reference.
空間 and 場所: creating space and choosing a place
Compare space created by moving a shelf with a place specified for luggage, distinguishing the completed action from the request.
敷地 and 土地: school grounds and land suitable for fields
Compare grounds associated with a school with rented land suitable for fields, preserving the facility relationship and stated suitability.
本拠 and 住居: a base of activity and a dwelling
Compare a survey base used by an expedition with a dwelling being sought near a company, retaining each place's role and the ongoing search.
沿岸 and 内陸: coastal areas and the interior
Compare coastal sampling and a coastal town with a journey headed inland, using the relation to the sea without fixed distance or climate rules.
海岸 and 沿岸: shore walking and coastal land or waters
Compare walking along the shore with seawater sampling off a coast, using the action and target to read coastal land or waters.
山間 and 郊外: mountain terrain and a city's outskirts
Compare mountain villages and travel with a park in the suburbs, keeping terrain separate from a place's relation to a city.
近隣 and 隣接: the vicinity and adjoining places
Compare houses and residents in the vicinity with a park adjoining a library, without turning adjacency into a guarantee of transport.
隣接 and 接近: a neighboring arrangement and an approach
Compare adjacent villages with model trains that approached each other, distinguishing an existing arrangement from movement closer.
周囲 and 包囲: surrounding space and an encirclement
Compare a walk around a lake with a castle's encirclement in a story, distinguishing the surrounding place from the event.
囲む and 囲う: people around a table and an enclosing fence
Compare a family gathered around a table with a field enclosed by a fence, identifying participants and the means of enclosure.
覆う and 包囲: covering a surface and surrounding a target
Compare covering a dish with a cloth and surrounding a castle in a story. Read the purpose of the covering and the directions of the encirclement.
遮る and 隔てる: blocked light and separated rooms
Compare clouds blocking moonlight with a wall separating two rooms. Identify what is blocked and which spaces are divided without assuming complete light or sound insulation.
接する and 接触: dealing with people, bordering land, and contact
Read 接する through its target: dealing with customers or land bordering along a river. Compare these uses with parts making a sound when they come into contact.
表面: a physical surface and the limits of appearance
Compare polishing a board's surface with a statement that the outside alone does not reveal the contents. Use the target and verb to read the physical surface and the limits of outward information.
正面: the front of a building and facing a problem head-on
Compare a clock at the front of a building with facing a difficult problem head-on. Read 正面 as a physical front or an attitude toward a problem without assuming the problem was solved.
足元: footing and immediate surroundings
Compare footing on dark stairs with the market close to home to distinguish a position under the feet from one’s immediate surroundings.
脇: beside a chair and the underarm of a shirt
Compare a bag beside a chair with the wet underarm area of a shirt after running, using the reference object to identify the sense of 脇.
左右: positions on both sides and influence on a result
Compare one vase on each side of a stage with an expectation that weather will affect a game’s outcome, distinguishing the two senses of 左右.
窮屈: a tight fit and a confining way of life
Compare shoes that are a little tight with a life full of rules felt to be confining, distinguishing bodily fit from restrictions in daily life.
北上 and 登る: moving north and climbing higher
Compare a traveler heading north along a coastal road with climbing a nearby mountain to distinguish compass direction from upward movement.
分布 and 偏る: distribution and concentration in one area
Compare plant distribution shown with colors on a map with young people concentrated in urban areas, distinguishing locations from a one-sided pattern.
沿う and 横切る: following a river and crossing a road
Compare a path running along a river with a cat crossing a road to identify following along a reference feature and moving across it.
横断 and 縦断: crossing a target and crossing lengthwise
Compare crossing a road, continent, or island with a line running lengthwise through a building in a plan, using each target’s axes and stated direction.
分岐 and 合流: branching routes and joining flows
Compare branching in a road or story with rivers or people joining, preserving the difference between splitting apart and continuing together.
交差 and 合流: intersecting paths and joining flows
Compare two roads intersecting in front of a station with two rivers merging in a valley, without inferring whether paths remain separate or join after crossing.