In the Script and Vocabulary section, some questions show a kanji word in 「 」 and ask you to choose its reading in hiragana. You usually know the word. You still lose the point, because the three options differ by a single sound.
These questions do not test whether you know a word. They test whether you know it exactly. There are five places where the difference hides. Learn to check all five and these become some of the most reliable points on the paper.
1. Dakuten: は or ば, か or が
The two small marks (゛) turn か into が, さ into ざ, は into ば. The handakuten (゜) turns は into ぱ.
あの「会社」で働いています。 かいしゃ / がいしゃ / かいじゃ
The answer is かいしゃ. But 会社 does gain a dakuten inside some longer words - 株式会社 is かぶしきがいしゃ - and if you have seen that on a company sign, がいしゃ looks plausible. That is exactly why it is there.
The other dakuten trap is counters. 本 is ほん, ぼん or ぽん depending on the number:
- 1本 いっぽん, 2本 にほん, 3本 さんぼん, 6本 ろっぽん
The same shift happens with 分 (ふん / ぷん) and 杯 (はい / ばい / ぱい). If a counter is in the 「 」, check the number before you check the counter.
2. Long vowels: おう, えい, うう
Japanese vowel length changes the word. The exam knows that many learners hear and write vowels short.
「空港」まで、バスで行きます。 くうこう / くこう / くうこ
The answer is くうこう - both vowels are long. A few others worth checking:
- 先生 せんせい, not せんせ
- 東京 とうきょう, not ときょう
- 大きい おおきい - long お written おお, not おう
- 通り とおり - the same
The おお spelling is a small set of words, and the exam likes it precisely because it breaks the usual おう rule.
3. Small っ: the pause you cannot see
A small っ is a short silent beat. Leave it out and you have a different word, or no word at all.
「学校」は九時からです。 がっこう / がこう / がっこ
The answer is がっこう. Other useful ones:
- 切手 きって (stamp), not きて
- 一回 いっかい
- 結婚 けっこん
- 出発 しゅっぱつ
Notice that 出発 has a small っ and a handakuten. The reading questions like words with two traps in them.
4. Small ゃ, ゅ, ょ
A small ゃゅょ joins with the kana before it to make one sound. A full-size one makes two.
来月、「旅行」に行きます。 りょこう / りよこう / りょうこう
The answer is りょこう. りよこう uses a full-size よ. りょうこう adds a long vowel that is not there. That is two traps in one set of options.
Others to check: 病気 びょうき, 牛乳 ぎゅうにゅう, 主人 しゅじん, 写真 しゃしん.
5. On and kun: the same kanji, different readings
Most kanji have more than one reading, and the word decides which.
あしたは「水曜日」です。 すいようび / みずようび / すいようひ
水 alone is みず. In 水曜日 it is すい. And 日 at the end of a day of the week is び, not ひ - so the third option is the dakuten trap again.
A few kanji the exam returns to:
| Kanji | Readings | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 人 | ひと / じん / にん | 日本人 にほんじん, 三人 さんにん |
| 日 | ひ / び / にち / か | 日曜日 にちようび, 三日 みっか |
| 上 | うえ / じょう | 上手 じょうず |
| 下 | した / か | 地下 ちか |
| 口 | くち / ぐち / こう | 入口 いりぐち, 人口 じんこう |
And a handful of words are simply irregular: 一日 ついたち (the first of the month), 二十日 はつか, 大人 おとな, 今日 きょう. These are learnt as whole words. See dates and days for the calendar set.
A checking routine
When you meet a reading question, run through the five in order: dakuten, long vowel, small っ, small ゃゅょ, on or kun. It takes about ten seconds and it catches almost every trap.
Then say the word to yourself as you would in conversation. If you have heard it spoken at work or in a shop, your ear often knows the answer before your eyes do. This is one reason pronunciation practice pays off in a written section.
Where to practise
Every one of our ten free mock exams has a block of kanji reading questions in its Script and Vocabulary section, and the answer guides - mock exam 1 onwards - name the trap in each wrong option. For the kanji themselves, see how much kanji you need and the kanji pairs that catch candidates.