Learning guides
Understand readings and expressions, then put them into practice with review and mock tests.
割れる and 割る: broken glass and division
Compare glass breaking with someone breaking it, then examine 割る in division and dilution.
折れる and 折る: a snapped branch and folded paper
Distinguish a long object snapping from folding paper, and compare the results expressed by 折った and 折れた.
切れる and 切る: snapping, cutting, and ability
Compare a snapped string with cutting, and use context to distinguish intransitive 切れる from the potential form of 切る.
破れる and 破る: torn paper and broken promises
Examine thin material tearing and someone tearing it, then compare 破る with promises and records.
汚れる and 汚す: a stain and its cause
Separate the state of dirty clothing from what made it dirty, and practice negative requests and expressions of degree.
乾く and 乾かす: being dry and drying something
Compare laundry or hair becoming dry with the act of drying it, and interpret a not-yet-dry state accurately.
消える and 消す: lights, writing, and disappearing traces
Distinguish lights going out and writing disappearing from the actions causing them, and check the object before using 消す for a device.
止まる and 止める: stopping, parking, and readings
Describe vehicles and machines stopping with their locations and objects, and distinguish とめる from やめる in context.
動く and 動かす: movement and machine operation
Compare bodies and objects moving with machines operating, and distinguish 動かない from 動かせない.
集まる and 集める: meeting places and collected objects
Distinguish where people gather from materials someone collects, and compare collected objects, sources, and results.
決まる and 決める: a settled schedule and a choice
Distinguish reporting a settled schedule from making a choice, and compare particles marking the decision and its outcome.
始まる and 始める: start times and the person starting
Compare an event's start time with someone starting an activity, focusing on standalone verbs and the difference between before and after the start.
終わる and 終える: an event ending and completing work
Compare an event ending with completing a task, while noting that 終わる can also take を, and distinguish completion from interruption.
続く and 続ける: lasting rain and maintaining a habit
Read continuing events and maintained activities with durations and endpoints, and examine 続く for a path leading somewhere.
残る and 残す: leftover food and a saved portion
Distinguish an amount left over from a portion someone leaves, and examine staying in a place and leaving a record.
届く and 届ける: arrival, reach, and handing in lost property
Compare a parcel arriving with delivering it, and distinguish physical reach from handing in lost property.
伝わる and 伝える: communicating and getting the meaning across
Compare the act of conveying information with its meaning getting across, and distinguish the message, recipient, and source.
変わる and 変える: a changed plan and a request to change it
Describe changes in plans, attitudes, and colors, and compare the perspectives of 何が変わったか and 何を変えたか.
代わる and 替わる: acting for someone and replacement
Distinguish taking over someone's role from a person being replaced, without treating overlapping spellings of かわる as absolute categories.
替える, 換える, and 代える: replacement, exchange, and substitution
Compare three spellings of かえる through bedding replacement, currency exchange, and substitution, tracking both the original item and its replacement.
違う and 間違う: a difference and a mistaken choice
Distinguish a neutral difference from an error against a standard, and use conjugation to recognize 違う as a verb rather than a na-adjective.
似る and 似合う: resemblance and looking good together
Distinguish resemblance from clothing suiting a person, and compare the state 似ている with the evaluation expressed by 似合う.
合う and 合わせる: a fit and an adjustment to a standard
Compare a fit in size, time, or taste with adjustment, and distinguish に marking a suitable target from に marking an adjustment standard.
足りる and 足す: the amount needed and the amount added
Distinguish having enough from adding a shortfall, and track the required total, present amount, and addition in examples.
減る and 減らす: a lower count and reducing something
Compare a count falling with reducing it, and distinguish the amount of decrease from the resulting count marked by に.
増える and 増やす: a higher count and a plan to add more
Distinguish a rising count from an action to increase it, and track initial and final quantities, including doubling.
沸く and 沸かす: boiling water and bringing water to the boil
Distinguish water reaching a boil from heating it to boil, and avoid equating merely warm water with boiling water.
焼ける and 焼く: baked bread and the act of baking
Compare baking bread or grilling fish with the cooked result, and distinguish potential 焼ける from uses involving sun exposure.
煮える and 煮る: ingredients cooked in liquid and the process
Distinguish cooking ingredients in liquid from their cooked state, and compare boiling liquid with ingredients becoming cooked.
冷える and 冷やす: a chilled drink and cooling it
Compare a chilled drink with cooling it, and examine 冷ます and 冷める when something cools from a hot state.