N3 Vocabulary · Test 28

内容 (ないよう) means 'contents' or 'substance' — the information or material contained inside something, especially a written or spoken message. Option 4, 「このメールの内容は、まだ誰にも話さないでください」('Please don't tell anyone about the contents of this email yet'), is a natural and correct usage: メールの内容 (the content of an email) is a very common collocation.

• 1「頭の内容」is unnatural. When talking about what fills someone's mind, Japanese uses 頭の中 (あたまのなか, 'inside one's head'), not 内容. 内容 refers to the substance/contents of a document or message, not a person's thoughts.
• 2For the active ingredients in medicine, the correct word is 成分 (せいぶん, 'ingredients/components'), not 内容. You would not say 薬の内容.
• 3For the ingredients of a juice, you would use 成分 (せいぶん) or 材料 (ざいりょう), not 内容. 内容 is not used for listing food/drink ingredients.

• 内容ないよう — contents, substance (of a document, message, etc.)

発展 (はってん) means 'development' or 'growth' — typically of a city, economy, society, or civilization, expanding and prospering over time. Option 1, 「この町は海に近く、外国との貿易によって発展してきた」('This town is near the sea and has developed through trade with foreign countries'), is a textbook-correct usage: a town/city 発展する (develops/prospers).

• 2For improvement in a skill like piano, the correct word is 上達 (じょうたつ, 'to improve/make progress in a skill'). 発展 is not used for personal skill improvement.
• 3A building under construction does not 発展する. You would say 工事が進む (こうじがすすむ, 'construction progresses') or ビルが出来上がってきた ('the building is taking shape'). 発展 is for broad societal/economic growth, not physical construction progress.
• 4For a person (especially a child) growing up, the correct word is 成長 (せいちょう, 'to grow up'). 発展 is not used for personal growth.

• 発展はってん — development, growth, expansion (of a city, economy, society, etc.)

伝わる (つたわる) means 'to be transmitted/conveyed' — used for information, culture, technology, customs, etc. being passed from one place/person to another, especially across borders or through generations. Option 4, 「この技術は、約200年前に外国から伝わったそうです」('I hear this technology was transmitted from abroad about 200 years ago'), is a perfect usage: technology/culture 伝わる from a foreign country is a classic collocation.

• 1For a letter arriving from a friend, the correct verb is 届く (とどく, 'to arrive/be delivered'). 手紙が伝わった is not natural Japanese.
• 2For catching an illness from someone, the correct verb is うつる (移る, 'to be contagious/to catch'). 伝わる is not used for disease transmission.
• 3For people switching to buses (e.g., after a train stopped), the correct expression is 乗り換える (のりかえる, 'to transfer/switch vehicles') or 乗る (のる, 'to ride'). 人が伝わる makes no sense in this context.

• 伝つたわる — to be transmitted, to be conveyed, to be handed down (information, culture, technology, etc.)

どなる (怒鳴る) means 'to shout/yell (at someone)' — a human action of raising one's voice loudly, typically in anger or to get attention, directed at a person. Option 2, 「そんなにどならなくても、ちゃんと聞こえるよ」('You don't have to yell so much, I can hear you fine'), is a natural and correct usage: telling someone not to どなる (yell) is a common situation.

• 1An alarm clock sound is described with 鳴る (なる, 'to ring/sound'), not どなる. どなる is a human action of shouting, not a mechanical sound. The phrase 「どなる音」is unnatural.
• 3Dogs bark, which in Japanese is 吠える (ほえる, 'to bark/howl'). どなる is specifically for humans shouting, not animal sounds.
• 4Thunder rumbles, which in Japanese is 鳴る (なる, 'to rumble/sound'). 雷 (かみなり) does not どなる — that would personify thunder as a human yelling.

• どなる（怒鳴る） — to shout, to yell (at someone), to raise one's voice loudly

期限 (きげん) means 'deadline' or 'time limit' — a set date/time by which something must be done or completed. Option 3, 「指定の期限までに代金の振り込みがない場合、注文はキャンセルされます」('If payment is not transferred by the specified deadline, the order will be cancelled'), is a textbook-correct usage: 期限までに (by the deadline) is an extremely common collocation.

• 1For a TV nearing the end of its functional life, the correct word is 寿命 (じゅみょう, 'lifespan') or perhaps 限界 (げんかい, 'limit'). 期限 is for tasks/obligations, not the lifespan of an appliance.
• 2For a train departing later than its scheduled time, the correct word is 予定 (よてい, 'scheduled time') or 時刻 (じこく, 'scheduled time'). 期限 means 'deadline,' not a departure schedule.
• 4For the agreed meeting time arriving, the correct word is 時間 (じかん, 'time') or 約束の時間 (やくそくのじかん, 'the promised time'). 期限 refers to a deadline for completing something, not a meeting time.

• 期限きげん — deadline, time limit, cutoff date

横 reads as よこ, meaning 'side' or 'beside.' In the sentence 鈴木さんの横にいるのは誰ですか ('Who is the person next to Suzuki-san?'), 横 refers to the side position next to someone.

• 1そば means 'near/beside' and is written 側 or 傍, not 横. Though the meaning is similar, the reading of 横 is not そば.
• 3となり means 'next door/next to' and is written 隣, not 横. While both can mean 'beside,' the kanji 横 is read よこ.
• 4おく means 'inner part/back' and is written 奥, not 横.

• 横よこ — side, beside, next to

自然 reads as しぜん, meaning 'nature' or 'natural.' In the sentence この辺りの自然はとても美しい ('The nature around here is very beautiful'), 自然 is the standard word for nature.

• 1じぜん is not a standard reading of 自然. It could be confused with 事前 (じぜん, 'beforehand'), but that is a different word.
• 2じぜい is not a valid reading of 自然.
• 4しぜい is not a valid reading of 自然.

• 自然しぜん — nature, natural

替えて reads as かえて, the て-form of 替える ('to exchange/replace'). The sentence すぐに替えてもらえませんか means 'Could you exchange/replace it right away?'

• 1つたえて is the て-form of 伝える (to convey/tell), written 伝えて, not 替えて.
• 2くわえて is the て-form of 加える (to add), written 加えて, not 替えて.
• 4つかまえて is the て-form of 捕まえる (to catch), written 捕まえて, not 替えて.

• 替かえる — to exchange, to replace, to change (something for another)

応用 reads as おうよう, meaning 'application' (putting knowledge/technology to practical use). The sentence このロボットには、さまざまな技術が応用されています means 'Various technologies are applied in this robot.'

• 1いんよう is the reading of 引用 (citation/quotation), not 応用.
• 3そうよう is not a standard reading of 応用.
• 4しんよう is the reading of 信用 (trust/credit), not 応用.

• 応用おうよう — application, practical use

一般的 reads as いっぱんてき, meaning 'general/common.' The reading of 一 in this compound undergoes palatalization: 一(いち) + 般(はん) → いっぱん. The sentence それはあまり一般的とは言えないだろう means 'That probably can't be said to be very common/general.'

• 1いちぱんてき incorrectly uses the unpalatalized いち plus ぱん. The correct form has いっ (geminate consonant) before ぱ.
• 2いちぺんてき uses the wrong reading for 般 (ぺん instead of ぱん) and also fails the palatalization of 一.
• 4いっぺんてき has the correct gemination of 一 but uses the wrong reading ぺん for 般. いっぺんてき would correspond to 一遍的, not 一般的.

• 一般的いっぱんてき — general, common, ordinary