How to JLPT 4 - Kanji and Vocabulary Section

This article gives you a brief introduction of one of the sections in the JLPT 4 test - the kanji and vocabulary section.

The JLPT is a well known Japanese language skills proficiency test. For those of you who know nothing about JLPT, first read the overview article What is the JLPT.

Note: This is an external article, provided to you by the e-learning provider Japanese Proficiency Power.

Overview

The Kanji and vocabulary section is the easiest section on the test. In level 4 you only have 100 kanji characters or so to master. This can be easily done with some good old study. What is important to remember is to learn vocabulary rather than individual Kanji readings. So the he best way to learn Kanji for the JLPT is to learn words rather than individual Kanji readings. In the test you are not really tested on individual Kanji readings, but rather on ”Kanji vocabulary” readings. There is no point learning all the possible readings for 100 Kanji when you won’t be tested on theｍ anyway. It is far more beneficial and productive to learn vocabulary in context. So learning short sentences is a better way to learn Kanji and to learn how to read. Keep in mind you have about 800 words to learn for level 4 and 1500 words for level 3.

Let's have a look at a question. Try answering the example question below. Choose the correct hiragana readings for each of the Kanji characters as quickly as you can.

Sample Question

肉　より　魚を　よく　食べる

A　肉           １　にっく         ２　にく           ３　ぎゅう          ４　ぎゅ

B　魚           １　さかな         ２　ざかな        ３　ぎょ             ４　ぎょう

C　食べる      １　のべる        ２　しべる        ３　くべる          ４　たべる

Answers (mouse over to display): A.２ にく,  B. １ さかな, C. ４ たべる

Did you try reading the sentence several times before looking at the Kanji readings. I am guessing you didn't. The way the questions are written often make students focus only on the Kanji and neglect the whole question. Students all too often try to answer or guess the readings of the Kanji without spending enough time on reading the question. This is the wrong way to approach the Kanji and vocabulary questions. Two things are important for these questions, the content of the question and your first impression of the Kanji.

Read or try to read the question first before looking at answering the hiragana readings. Do this several times. If you can read it then you know you will be spot on and then you just choose the correct readings. If you understand only half of the question you then have a good chance of working out the rest from context. For example, in the question above if you knew the Kanji 食べる（たべる ) meant “to eat”  you then would have realized the other two Kanji 肉 and 魚 to represent  something that is eaten (or vis versa).  If you allow your mind to work a little you have better chances of recalling Kanji readings

The Kanji section is broken up into 4 sets of question. The first 2 sets of questions deal with Kanji and hiragana readings. You are being tested on your knowledge of Kanji and how to correctly read Kanji. The third set of questions tests your knowledge of vocabulary. The last set of questions deal with comprehension.

Important Tips for Section I Questions

1. Read (or try to read) the question or sentence several times before looking for answers. You will have a tendency to want to get to the answers quickly. Taking your time and pacing yourself is better than rushing through the questions. Understanding the Kanji in context will ensure you make the right choice.
2. Beware of long and short vowel Kanji. For example the word younger sister in Japanese - is いもと　or　 いもうと
3. Beware of the 　"　(だくてん)　- The small two lines  that mark hiragana to represent a change in the reading.  Here is an example　とand ど ( to & do). It is very easy to miss these. If you are not careful you can make the small mistake of  choosing the wrong answer

In the question below, please choose the proper pronunciations for the kanji used in the sentence.

Sample Question

土よう日に　妹と　買い物　に　行きます。

A　土よう日　１　とようび　　２　どようび　３　かようび　４　どようひ
B　妹　　　　１　おとうと     ２　いもと　　３　いもうと　４　むすめ　
C　買い物　　１　かいぶつ　　２　がいもの　３　がいぶつ　４　かいもの
D　行きます　１　あきます　　２　うきます　３　いきます　４　ききます

Tip: A. beware of the だくてん (dakuten) and in B. the long vowles.

Answers (mouse over to display): A. ２ どようび, B. ３ いもうと, C. ４ かいもの, D. ３ いきます

Important Tips for Section II Questions

1. Read  the question or sentence several times before looking for answers. Because the whole sentence is written in hiragana you will have no trouble reading it.  Read it slowly and try to grasp the meaning in English.  Again, you will have a tendency to want to get to the answers quickly.
2. Eliminate choices you know are wrong.
3. Watch out for of swapped Kanji
4. Go with your instincts or first choice.
5. Think about the grammar of the sentence.

In the question below, please choose the proper kanji for the words given in the sentence.

Sample Question

きょねん　とうきょうに　すんだ。

A　きょねん　　　１　今年　　２　去年　   ３　来年   　４　毎年

B　とうきょう　　１　京都      ２　東京　　３　京東   　４　都京

C　すんだ　　　   １　休んだ　２　住んだ　３　済んだ　４　飲んだ

Tip: beware of swapped kanji in B

Answers (mouse over to display): A: ２ 去年 (kyounen, last year), B: 2.東京 (toukyou, Tokyo), C: 2.住んだ (sunda, lived[in])

Important Tips for Section III Questions

Read  the question or sentence several times before looking for answers. These questions are worth two marks each. In this section your vocabulary knowledge is being tested. Because the whole sentence is written in hiragana you should have no trouble reading it.  Read it slowly and try to grasp the meaning in English.  Again, you will have a tendency to want to get to the answers quickly.

Ask yourself focused grammar questions when looking at the question.

• Am I looking for a noun, and adjective and adverb ?
• What is the tense of the verb in the sentence or clause ?
• What is the subject; a person, an animal an object ?

Tips

1. Look at what comes before the underline.
2. Look at what comes after the underline.
3. What are the particles in the question; に、を、が、は、で
4. Watch out for ので,　ですが,　でも　and  から
5. Think in context to eliminate wrong choice.
6. Know your katakana – a katakana question is almost always in this part of the test.

Examples

In the questions below, please choose the most suitable word from the list below each question.

 

Sample Question

となりの　いぬは ＿＿＿＿＿＿。　いつも　ほえています。
１　げんき　　２　うるさい　３　かわいい　４　ながい

Tip: You are looking for an adjective describing a dog

Answer: 2. urusai (loud, noisy, annoying)

 

Sample Question

この　くるまは　ふるい　です　が、　よく　＿＿＿＿＿＿。
１　はしる　　２　とまる　３　こわれる　４　あるく

Tip: You are looking for a verb describing a car

Answer: 1. hashiru (goes/runs fast)

Sample Question

お母さんに　はなを　買って＿＿＿＿＿＿＿。
１　あげる　２　する　３　くれる　４　あがる

Tip: Who brought the flowers for who?

Answer: 1. ageru (give) "(I) bought and gave a flower to my mother" Note: kureru could also work, and the sentence would then mean that "my mother received a flower (by someone)"

 

Sample Question

さむいから　ヒーターを＿＿＿＿＿＿　ください。
１　けして　　２　かって　３ つけて　　４　きって

Tip: It is cold so what would you normally do with a heater?

Answer: 3. tsukete (turn on) "it's cold, so please turn on the heater". Note: 2. katte (buy) would also work, and would in that case mean "It's cold, so please buy a heater".

The 4th set of questions checks whether you can understand whole sentences. These ones are a little tricky and require more time than the other questions. Like the 3rd set of questions they are worth 2 marks each.

1. Read the underlined sentence over and over until you understand it. You need to read slowly.
2. Try to translate the sentence into English.
3. Ask yourself what you are looking for – what is the key word..
4. Read the other sentences and eliminate the wrong choices.

Sample Question

わたしは　やさいが　すきです。　　　
１　いぬや　ねこなどが　すきです。

２　りんごや　バナナなどが　すきです。

３　トマトや　かぼちゃなどが　すきです。

４　サラダと　ジュースが　すきです。

Tip: Translated to English - I like vegetables
Answer (mouse over to display): 3. tomato ya kabocha nado ga suki desu

Links

To learn more about the JLPT

• Get the JLPT training package from Japanese Proficiency Power.
• Drill vocabuary and kanji in the StudyJapanese.org Flash Card Trainer

Credits

Author This lesson was provided by Nick Kemp at Japanese Proficiency Power . Learn More If you would like to learn how to pass the JLPT, please check out Japanese Proficiency Power website. They have a product that has three practice tests and 6 hours of video tutorials. They also have Kanji and vocabulary list.