Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
自慢: a source of pride or an act of showing off
Distinguish pride in a grandmother's cooking from a brother showing off his bicycle to friends, identifying the object and any stated audience.
迷う: getting lost on a route or hesitating over a choice
Compare passing the same corner twice with finally choosing blue after hesitation, reading the target of 迷う and the result that follows.
恥 and 恥じる: evaluating shame and identifying its object
Compare judging concealment as shameful, embarrassment after a fall, and shame about a remark, preserving the condition on failure and the scope of negation.
執着 and 情熱: attachment to a target and passion for an activity
Compare clinging to methods or winning with passion for music or work, distinguishing a conditional consequence from a change actually described.
感謝 and 感激: gratitude's target and what moves someone
Compare gratitude for help with being moved by a letter or performance, distinguishing gratitude put into a letter from a reaction to receiving one.
恐縮: a considerate request and a response to praise
Compare requesting a document check from a busy person with feeling humbled after warm praise, keeping the function and timing of each response.
配慮 and 遠慮: changing conditions, declining, and refraining
Compare shorter construction hours and larger letters with declining more tea or requesting restraint, distinguishing a changed condition from a requested action.
思いやり and 同情: thoughtfulness and sympathy for someone's circumstances
Compare thoughtfulness sensed in a remark with sympathy felt on hearing someone's circumstances, preserving a proposal to consider support rather than completed assistance.
共感 and 賛同: empathy with hesitation and support for a proposal
Compare empathy with a character's hesitation and support for preserving a park, retaining the possibility of empathy despite different experiences.
嫉妬 and 憧れ: envy of success and objects of admiration
Compare awkward conversation caused by jealousy with admiration for astronauts and longing for seaside life, preserving the stated targets and consequences.
好む: human preferences and a plant's growing conditions
Read the subject and object of 好む to distinguish preferred reading from suitable growing conditions. A preference does not establish a completed activity or a conscious choice by a plant.
警戒 and 恐怖: vigilance and the feeling of fear
Compare precautions toward danger cues with fear of a scream or failure. Keep increased vigilance, overcoming fear, and the actual assessment of a danger separate.
自責 and 後悔: blaming oneself and regretting a past choice
Compare self-blame over a failure with continued regret about not apologizing. Preserve thought, degree, and duration without establishing responsibility or a later apology.
非難 and 批判: targets of blame and uses of criticism
Compare blame for inadequate explanations or failure with criticism of proposals and works. Retain the condition against blaming without knowing the circumstances and the stated use of criticism.
侮辱 and 軽蔑: a perceived insult and an attitude of contempt
Compare who perceives a remark as an insult with what prompts or expresses contempt. Separate a character's interpretation from proven intent, and allow contempt to appear in words.
尊敬 and 尊重: admiring someone and respecting opinions or wishes
Compare admiration for a person's conduct with consideration for opinions and wishes. Distinguish wanting to value one's own ideas, a proposal to show respect, and a completed schedule change.
好意: kindness enabling help and affection kept private
Compare 好意で as kindness enabling an action with 好意を抱く as holding affection. Keep the helped action and private feeling separate from romance, confession, or reciprocal affection.
感心 and 感動: admiring an action and being moved by a scene or memory
Compare admiration for regular practice or self-initiated tidying with emotion prompted by a scene or letter. Read the target of the response without ranking the words solely by intensity.
称賛 and 評価: the target of praise and the criteria for evaluation
Compare praise for an act or performance with evaluation against criteria. Do not turn acclaim into a score, and preserve the refusal to rate someone low from one failure alone.
褒める and 励ます: praising merits and offering encouragement
Compare praising careful writing or effort with encouraging a dejected friend or a runner. Preserve the overlap between praise and encouragement without adding recovery or a completed race.
励ます and 慰める: encouragement and consolation
Compare cheers that bolster a runner with comfort for someone in distress. Read the inability to find comforting words separately from an act of consolation or a recipient's recovery.
落ち着く: becoming calmer and everyday life settling down
Distinguish becoming a little calmer after a deep breath from life finally settling after moving boxes are put away. Read the subject, degree, and circumstances of each change.
笑う and 喜ぶ: laughter, laughing at failure, and delight
Distinguish a baby's audible laughter from laughing at failure, then compare rejoicing at news of success. Preserve the proposal to encourage another attempt and the status of a gift being considered.
衝動 and 慎重: feeling an impulse and considering a decision
Read an impulse to paint beside thinking overnight to avoid an impulsive purchase. Compare careful checking and deliberation without inventing an action taken or the final buying decision.
冷静 and 冷淡: composed judgment and a cold response
Compare answering an unexpected question calmly with responding coldly to a request for help. Distinguish a proposal to wait for composed judgment from a response that actually occurred.
率直 and 謙虚: expressing an opinion and listening humbly
Compare asking for a frank opinion or openly expressing anxiety with listening humbly to others. Frankness does not guarantee factual accuracy, and receptive listening does not establish agreement.
好評 and 人気: good reception and popularity among a group
Compare the reception of a menu and a previous course with the popularity of toys and a character's personality. Read the targets and groups without adding sales figures or a cause for this year's course offering.
満足 and 充実: satisfaction, substantial content, and a fulfilling day
Compare satisfaction with a completed work or meal to a substantial library collection and a fulfilling day. Distinguish a person's response from the content described without inventing complete coverage or universal satisfaction.
退屈 and 飽きる: being bored and growing tired of something
Compare boredom at home with growing tired of a game played repeatedly. Preserve the book that prevents a long wait from being boring and the sunset one never tires of watching.
諦める and 失望: what is abandoned and what disappoints
Compare abandoning today's outing because the rain continues with disappointment at a canceled exhibition. Preserve the limits of the decision and the statements that one failure need not lead to giving up or self-disappointment.