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N5 Vocabulary · Test 1

  1. 1.あしたは 雨ですか。

    1. 1 ゆき
    2. 2 あめ
    3. 3 くもり
    4. 4 はれ
    Show answer

    Answer: 2. あめ

    雨あめ'rain', kun'yomi あめ, on'yomi ウ in compounds

    あしたは 雨ですか。

    Is it going to rain tomorrow?

    The underlined kanji 雨 means rain and is read あめ, which is its kun'yomi. The clue あしたは ...ですか asks about tomorrow's weather, so a weather word is needed. あめ gives the correct reading for rain.

    Remember

    Remember 雨 alone as あめ, and on'yomi ウ in compounds like 雨天うてん meaning rainy weather.

    Why not the others
    • 1ゆき

      ゆき means snow, written 雪ゆき. It fails here because 雨 is never read ゆき.

    • 3くもり

      くもり means cloudy, written 曇くもり. It fails here because 雨 is never read くもり.

    • 4はれ

      はれ means clear, fine weather, written 晴はれ. It fails here because 雨 is never read はれ.

    Words

    • あしたtomorrow
    • 雨あめrain
  2. 2.きょうしつで 書いて ください。

    1. 1 はいて
    2. 2 きいて
    3. 3 かいて
    4. 4 ひいて
    Show answer

    Answer: 3. かいて

    書かいてte-form of 書く 'to write', kun'yomi か

    きょうしつで 書いて ください。

    Please write it in the classroom.

    書かく means to write and uses kun'yomi か. Its te-form is 書かいて. The clue きょうしつで ...ください is a polite request to do something in the classroom, so to write fits the context.

    Remember

    Remember verbs ending in く change く to いて in the te-form: 書かく to 書かいて, and 聞きく to 聞きいて.

    Why not the others
    • 1はいて

      はいて is a real te-form, as in 履はいて meaning put on shoes from 履はく. It fails here because the kanji 書 is never read は.

    • 2きいて

      きいて is a real te-form, as in 聞きいて meaning listen or ask from 聞きく. It fails here because the kanji 書 is never read き.

    • 4ひいて

      ひいて is a real te-form, as in 引ひいて meaning pull from 引ひく. It fails here because the kanji 書 is never read ひ.

    Words

    • 教室きょうしつclassroom
    • 書かくto write
    • くださいplease do
  3. 3.しゃしんは はこの 中に あります。

    1. 1 よこ
    2. 2 なか
    3. 3 そと
    4. 4 そば
    Show answer

    Answer: 2. なか

    中なか'inside', kun'yomi なか, on'yomi チュウ and ジュウ

    しゃしんは はこの 中に あります。

    The photos are inside the box.

    The underlined kanji 中 means inside and is read なか, which is its kun'yomi. The clue はこの ...にあります describes where the photos are, and はこ means box. なか gives inside the box.

    Remember

    Remember 中 as なか for physical inside, and on'yomi チュウ or ジュウ in compounds like 一日中いちにちじゅう meaning all day.

    Why not the others
    • 1よこ

      よこ means side, written 横よこ. It fails here because 中 is never read よこ.

    • 3そと

      そと means outside, written 外そと. It is the opposite of inside, and it fails here because 中 is never read そと.

    • 4そば

      そば means near or beside, written 側そば. It fails here because 中 is never read そば.

    Words

    • 写真しゃしんphoto
    • 箱はこbox
    • 中なかinside
  4. 4.この いすは 小さいです。

    1. 1 しいさい
    2. 2 しさい
    3. 3 ちいさい
    4. 4 ちさい
    Show answer

    Answer: 3. ちいさい

    小ちいさいi-adjective 'small', spelled ちい not し

    この いすは 小さいです。

    This chair is small.

    小さい means small and is read ちいさい. It starts with ち, not し, and has the long ii sound spelled with double い. The clue この いすは ...です describes the chair, so small fits.

    Remember

    Remember the pair 小ちいさい meaning small and 大おおきい meaning big. Both spell the long ii with double い.

    Why not the others
    • 1しいさい

      しいさい is not a real word. It copies ちいさい but wrongly starts with し instead of ち.

    • 2しさい

      しさい is not a real word. It copies ちいさい but wrongly starts with し and drops one い.

    • 4ちさい

      ちさい is not a real word. It starts correctly with ち but drops one い from ちいさい.

    Words

    • いすchair
    • 小ちいさいsmall
  5. 5.あしたは 火よう日です。

    1. 1 かようび
    2. 2 どようび
    3. 3 すいようび
    4. 4 にちようび
    Show answer

    Answer: 1. かようび

    火曜日かようび'Tuesday', 火 is on'yomi か in days of week

    あしたは 火よう日です。

    Tomorrow is Tuesday.

    火よう日 means Tuesday. In days of the week, 火 uses on'yomi か. The clue あしたは ...です asks what day tomorrow is, so かようび gives the correct day name.

    Remember

    Remember the first kanji of the weekdays: 日にち, 月げつ, 火か, 水すい, 木もく, 金きん, 土ど, all plus ようび.

    Why not the others
    • 2どようび

      どようび means Saturday, written 土曜日どようび. It fails here because the first kanji 火 is never read ど.

    • 3すいようび

      すいようび means Wednesday, written 水曜日すいようび. It fails here because the first kanji 火 is never read すい.

    • 4にちようび

      にちようび means Sunday, written 日曜日にちようび. It fails here because the first kanji 火 is never read にち.

    Words

    • あしたtomorrow
    • 火よう日(かようび)Tuesday
  1. 6.この わいしゃつを ください。

    1. 1 ワイシャソ
    2. 2 ワイシャツ
    3. 3 ウイシャソ
    4. 4 ウイシャツ
    Show answer

    Answer: 2. ワイシャツ

    ワイシャツ (わいしゃつ)'dress shirt', katakana loanword with small ャ and final ツ

    この ワイシャツを ください。

    I'll take this dress shirt.

    わいしゃつ is a loanword from English 'white shirt', so it is written in katakana. The correct form is ワイシャツ, with ワイ for 'wai', シャ with small ャ for 'sha', and ツ for 'tsu'. The clue をください asks for an item, and dress shirt fits that shopping request.

    Remember

    For katakana look-alikes, count the top ticks: ツ has two, ソ has one. Also watch small ャ in シャ, チャ, ジャ, which marks a combined sound.

    Why not the others
    • 1ワイシャソ

      ワイシャソ is not a real word. It imitates ワイシャツ but swaps final ツ[つ] for look-alike ソ[そ]. ツ has two short ticks on top, ソ has one.

    • 3ウイシャソ

      ウイシャソ is not a real word. It swaps ワ[わ] for ウ[う] at the start and ツ[つ] for ソ[そ] at the end, so both the first and last kana are wrong.

    • 4ウイシャツ

      ウイシャツ is not a real word. It is correct at the end with シャツ but starts with ウイ instead of ワイ, so it reads 'uisha' not 'wai'.

    Words

    • ワイシャツ(わいしゃつ)dress shirt
    • くださいplease give me
  2. 7.わたしの くにには かわが おおいですね

    1. 1 川
    2. 2 木
    3. 3 山
    4. 4 花
    Show answer

    Answer: 1. 川

    川 (かわ)'river', three flowing lines, not tree, mountain or flower

    わたしの くにには 川が おおいですね

    There are many rivers in my country, aren't there?

    The underlined かわ reads as 川かわ, which means 'river'. The deciding clue is おおいですね, 'there are many', which counts rivers in a country. Only 川かわ matches both the reading かわ and that meaning.

    Remember

    Learn N5 nature kanji as reading sets: 川かわ river, 山やま mountain, 木き tree, 花はな flower. The exam often swaps them.

    Why not the others
    • 2木

      木き means 'tree, wood'. It is a common nature kanji but it reads き, not かわ, so it cannot write かわ.

    • 3山

      山やま means 'mountain'. It also fits the pattern 'many in my country', but it reads やま, not かわ, so it fails the reading test.

    • 4花

      花はな means 'flower'. It reads はな, not かわ, so it cannot be the kanji for かわ.

    Words

    • 国くにcountry
    • 川かわriver
    • 多おおいmany, numerous
  3. 8.ヤンさんの がっこうは どこですか。

    1. 1 宇枚
    2. 2 学校
    3. 3 宇校
    4. 4 学枚
    Show answer

    Answer: 2. 学校

    学校 (がっこう)'school', 学 'learn' + 校 'school building'

    ヤンさんの 学校は どこですか。

    Where is Yan's school?

    がっこう means 'school' and is written with two kanji: 学がく 'learn' plus 校こう 'school'. The clue どこですか, 'where is it', asks for a place, and school fits. Only option 2 combines both correct kanji in the correct order.

    Remember

    学 means 'learn' as in 学校がっこう, 学生がくせい, 大学だいがく. 校 means 'school' as in 学校, 高校こうこう. 宇 and 枚 never mean school.

    Why not the others
    • 1宇枚

      宇枚 is not a real word. 宇う means 'universe, eaves' as in 宇宙うちゅう, and 枚まい is a counter for flat things. Neither means school and neither reads がく or こう.

    • 3宇校

      宇校 is not a real word. The second kanji 校こう is correct, but the first kanji 宇う reads う, not がく, so it cannot write がっ.

    • 4学枚

      学枚 is not a real word. The first kanji 学がく is correct, but the second kanji 枚まい reads まい, not こう, so it cannot write こう.

    Words

    • 学校がっこうschool
    • どこwhere
  4. 9.この ざっしを みて ください。

    1. 1 見て
    2. 2 買て
    3. 3 目て
    4. 4 貝て
    Show answer

    Answer: 1. 見て

    見て (みて)te-form of 見る 'to see, look at', kanji 見 'see'

    この ざっしを 見て ください。

    Please look at this magazine.

    みて is the te-form of 見みる, 'to see, look at'. The kanji 見 means 'see'. The clue is ざっしを plus ください: を marks what you look at, and てください makes a polite request, so 'please look' fits.

    Remember

    Separate 見みる to see (verb) from 目め eye (noun), and 貝かい shell from 買かう to buy. Godan verbs ending in う, つ, る change to って in the te-form, as in 買かって, while ichidan verbs like 見みる just add て as in 見て.

    Why not the others
    • 2買て

      買て is not a correct form. 買かう means 'to buy', and its te-form is 買かって with a small っ, not 買て.

    • 3目て

      目て is not a correct form. 目め means 'eye' and is a noun, not a verb, so it has no te-form. It looks like 見 because both relate to eyes.

    • 4貝て

      貝て is not a correct form. 貝かい means 'shell, shellfish' and is a noun, so it has no te-form. It is a look-alike part inside 買.

    Words

    • 雑誌ざっしmagazine
    • 見みるto see, to look at
    • くださいplease do (after te-form)
  5. 10.この カメラは たかいですね。

    1. 1 古い
    2. 2 新しい
    3. 3 高い
    4. 4 安い
    Show answer

    Answer: 3. 高い

    高い (たかい)i-adjective 'expensive, high', opposite of 安い

    この カメラは 高いですね。

    This camera is expensive, isn't it?

    たかい is 高たかい, an i-adjective meaning 'expensive' or 'high'. The kanji 高 means 'high, tall'. The clue is カメラは plus ね, commenting on price, so 'expensive' fits.

    Remember

    Learn N5 adjectives in opposite pairs: 高たかい expensive, high vs 安やすい cheap, and 新あたらしい new vs 古ふるい old.

    Why not the others
    • 1古い

      古ふるい means 'old' for things. It is an i-adjective, but it reads ふるい, not たかい, so it cannot write たかい.

    • 2新しい

      新あたらしい means 'new'. It also describes a camera, but it reads あたらしい, not たかい, so it fails the reading test.

    • 4安い

      安やすい means 'cheap, inexpensive'. It is the opposite of 高たかい for price, but it reads やすい, not たかい.

    Words

    • カメラ(かめら)camera
    • 高たかいexpensive; high
    • 安やすいcheap

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