Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
文学, 作品, and 創作: literature, works, and creative activity
Distinguish studying 文学, displaying or completing a 作品, and undertaking 創作 through literature, ceramics, and story examples.
随筆 and 評論: personal essays and criticism of a work
Compare a 随筆 about travel experiences with 評論 discussing a film and its historical background, including the order of reading and watching.
詩 and 韻文: a poem and the form of verse
Read 詩 as a poem that is written or introduced, and 韻文 as the form of a prologue or the result of rewriting prose.
俳句 and 短歌: a seasonal haiku and a tanka about the sea
Follow a 俳句 composed with a seasonal word and a 短歌 about the sea, distinguishing 一首 as one poem from the morae of Japanese meter.
描く: drawing the surroundings of a house and depicting a process
Read 描く as drawing the scenery around a house on white paper and as a novel depicting the rebuilding of family relationships.
彫刻 and 版画: a sculpture, carving, and a scene in a print
Distinguish 彫刻 as a bird-shaped sculpture or a carving action, and 版画 as a made print with its own depicted scene.
構図, 構想, and 発想: composition, planning, and a new way of thinking
Compare 構図 in photographs and sketches, 構想 for a library or novel, and 発想 behind a game or the reuse of boxes.
編集 and 校正: a one-hour edited work and proofreading before printing
Read 編集 in footage editing and a meeting with an editor, then distinguish 校正 of a manuscript from listing errors found during proofreading.
染色 and 刺繍: dyeing cloth and embroidering a red flower
Compare 染色 with plant-derived color and 刺繍 of a red flower on white cloth, keeping an exhibit’s introduction and a pouch’s use distinct.
細工: delicate work on silver and trickery with numbers
Compare 細工 as delicate work on a silver plate with a trick that falsifies numbers and is quickly exposed, following the object and action.
模倣 and 複製: practicing from a model and displaying a replica
Compare 模倣 in practice and a wish to add ideas with 複製 in a substitute display and map reproduction. Read permission and copying within each translation's stated scope.
原作, 翻案 and 脚色: source works, adaptation and embellished facts
Compare 原作 as a source work with 翻案 as adaptation and 脚色 for a novel or facts. Distinguish a changed ending, a rewritten work and a request to stop embellishing.
脚本 and 台本: rewriting, reading and distributing scripts
Compare 脚本 and 台本 through a director's rewrite, cast readings before rehearsal and a revised script's distribution. Separate document handling from a finished performance.
上演 and 上映: a students' play, future staging and screening order
Compare 上演 through a students' play and a future passive staging with 上映 through a planned film screening and switching off a phone before it begins.
演技 and 演出: portraying a character and creating an atmosphere
Compare 演技 in an elderly character portrayal and the audience's response to a child actor's performance with 演出 in lowered lighting and a director's responsibility. Distinguish expression, response and direction.
出演: a planned appearance and a declined invitation
Read 出演 in a friend's future stage appearance and a politely declined invitation. Distinguish what was arranged, what was requested and which action was completed.
役 and 役割: a doctor in a play, moderators and a forest
Compare 役 as a theatrical part or moderator's task with 役割 for moderation and a forest's function. Preserve the overlap while identifying who or what has the role.
観客, 観衆 and 客席: audience names and dimmed seating lights
Compare the audience names 観客 and 観衆 with 客席 as seating space. Identify who applauds, which actors respond and what becomes dim before the performance.
観覧, 鑑賞 and 鑑定: viewing conditions and an appraisal result
Read 観覧 in storage before viewing and a reservation condition, 鑑賞 in film viewing and a quiet-viewing request, and 鑑定 in expert appraisal of a jar or painting.
展示, 展覧会 and 展示会: displays, arrangements and a planned visit
Compare 展示 as an ongoing display or a size check with 展覧会 for viewing and arrangement discussions and 展示会 for a planned visit to a photography exhibition or product experience.
収蔵 and 展示: keeping objects and putting them on display
Compare 収蔵 for a donated painting or stored materials with 展示 for displayed pottery or a size check at a store. Separate collection, storage, display, and observation without assuming a purchase, public access, or an unstated storage period.
公開 and 非公開: release timing and limits on public access
Read 公開 in a future release of historical materials and greetings before a film opens, alongside 非公開 in a private meeting and investigation materials. Preserve the timing and the stated audience restriction.
曲 and 歌詞: listening, performing, writing, and checking meaning
Compare 曲 as a song that recalls home or a piece performed at a concert with 歌詞 as lyrics written for a mood or checked for meaning. Track the object and action without adding composition, singing, or a return home.
歌唱 and 演奏: vocal expression, practice, plans, and endings
Compare 歌唱 in applauded singing and daily vocal practice with 演奏 in a planned piano performance and applause after a performance ends. Preserve the purpose, future timing, and event order in each example.
合唱, 独唱, and 斉唱: group singers, soloists, and listeners
Compare 合唱 and 斉唱 in group-singing examples with 独唱 as one person's solo. Track who sings and where the sound is heard without assuming different participants, fixed harmony rules, or an absent audience.
伴奏: helpful piano accompaniment and a small volume adjustment
Read 伴奏 as piano accompaniment provided as a favor and as accompaniment lowered so the singing could be heard. Keep the support role, degree of reduction, and listening purpose distinct.
拍手 and 歓声: what prompts applause or cheers, and when
Compare 拍手 after a performance or for a presentation with 歓声 at a winning goal or a rising curtain. Track the responders, triggers, and timing without treating a theater filled with cheers as proof of full seats.
弾く as ひく or はじく: playing, repelling, and flicking
Distinguish the two readings of 弾く through nightly piano playing, a first public guitar performance, a rain-repelling coat, and a flicked marble. Preserve habits, properties, completed actions, and the scope of 'first'.
指揮: conducting music and commanding rescue training
Compare 指揮 for a director leading a performance from the side of a stage with training under a captain's command. Identify the leader, directed activity, and participants without adding a real rescue or extra performance roles.
作曲 and 編曲: composing, beginning, and arranging an existing song
Compare 作曲 for a film theme and the start of work from a melody with 編曲 for a folk song arranged for a choir or a changed impression. Keep beginnings, completed actions, existing music, and arrangement effects distinct.