Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
経路 and 進路: the path through places and the direction of travel
Compare an evacuation route checked on a map with a ship's change of course to the south, separating the path through places from the direction of travel.
往復 and 往来: travel out and back versus traffic on a street
Compare daily journeys between home and a station with morning traffic on a street, distinguishing the return relationship from the pattern of passage.
寄り道 and 経由: a side visit and a point on the route
Compare a bookstore visit on the way home with a train traveling via a mountain station, distinguishing a side visit from route information.
巡回 and 往復: the area covered and the return journey
Compare rounds through a building or villages with daily travel between home and a station, separating the area covered from travel out and back.
接近 and 接触: drawing closer and making contact
Compare model trains slowly approaching with parts that make a sound on contact, distinguishing a change in distance from a condition involving touch.
遠方 and 遠隔: a faraway place and action from a distance
Compare lodging prepared for a guest from far away with a warehouse door closed remotely, separating the distant place from the way an action is performed.
侵入 and 入場: rain entering and admission to a venue
Compare rainwater entering through a window gap with entry available before a performance, reading the subject that enters and the timing and possibility of admission.
潜る and 隠れる: going beneath a covering and being hidden from view
Compare diving into the sea or burrowing under a blanket with the moon being obscured by clouds, separating movement into a space from visibility.
移転 and 移動: relocating a facility and people changing location
Compare a library's relocation near a station with people moving from a meeting room to a dining hall, distinguishing a new place of activity from general movement.
転居 and 外泊: changing residence and spending a night away
Compare moving to another town for work with staying at a friend's house, distinguishing a change of residence from an overnight stay away from home.
外出 and 外泊: going out and staying overnight
Compare going out to shop with staying overnight at a friend’s house, without inferring a return time or an overnight stay from 外出 alone.
配置 and 配列: assigned places and arrangements
Compare employees assigned to departments with a keyboard’s character layout to distinguish placement from the order or pattern among items.
配置 and 設置: placement, installation, and establishment
Compare assigning staff to departments, installing a sign, and establishing a committee while keeping the overlap between 配置 and 設置.
分散 and 散乱: distribution and a scattered state
Compare luggage split between two cars with branches scattered after a strong wind, without making intention or an accident a defining condition.
集中 and 密集: focused attention and close grouping
Compare attention directed toward reading or work with closely grouped houses or people, preserving the difference between failed concentration and completed work.
開放 and 開ける: access limits and an object to open
Compare rooftop access for students only at lunchtime with a request to open a window, preserving access limits and the difference between permission and completion.
居住 and 住居: residing and a place to live
Use 建物に居住する and 住居を探す to distinguish residing from a dwelling, while preserving the readings きょじゅう and じゅうきょ.
目印 and 標識: a landmark and an information sign
Compare a red roof used as a landmark with a road sign checked before a turn, distinguishing a location clue from displayed information.
界隈: a neighborhood or an activity circle
Compare the physical area in 駅界隈 with the model-making field in 模型界隈, using the preceding noun and the surrounding sentence.
傍ら: beside someone or alongside a main activity
Compare a cat beside a grandmother with writing novels on weekends alongside employment, distinguishing a spatial position from parallel activities in life.
気分: a refreshed mood or feeling physically unwell
Compare feeling refreshed after a walk with resting after feeling unwell, using the surrounding action to identify the sense of 気分.
機嫌 and 表情: mood, temper, and facial expression
Compare a baby's mood and a manager's temper with a brightened face and an actor's practiced sad expression, keeping expression distinct from actual feeling.
偏見: appearance-based prejudice and awareness of bias
Distinguish wanting to remove prejudice from recognizing one's own bias through travel, without treating either as completed removal.
満足 and 納得: satisfaction with a result and accepting reasons
Compare satisfaction with completed work or a meal with accepting a judgment after hearing reasons, keeping a proposal to revise separate from completed acceptance.
期待 and 予想: looking forward and predicting a result
Compare anticipation of a library opening with predicting a game result, then read expected running time and visitor numbers as comparison points.
確信 and 自信: conviction about a claim and presentation confidence
Compare belief in an explanation or future success with confidence developed through practice, identifying the content or ability being believed in.
信用 and 確認: someone's trust versus a specific check
Compare trust gained or lost through promises and lies with checking a ticket and wallet or a reservation confirmation email that has not yet arrived.
信頼 and 依存: trusting a friend and depending on something
Compare trust in a longtime friend with dependence on income or medication, reading 依存 as いぞん and preserving the scope of the income example's negation.
緊張 and 緊迫: stage nerves and tense negotiations
Compare personal nervousness and trembling with tense scenes or negotiations, keeping a proposed break separate from an actual break or resolution.
和らぐ and 和らげる: a state easing and something easing it
Compare tension easing after music, evening heat, and the effects of a window or joke, identifying the changing state and what influences it.