N5 Vocabulary · Test 53

Option 4 (だいがく) is correct. 大学 means 'university' and is read だいがく. 大 is read だい and 学 is read がく.

• 1だいかく is wrong: 学 is read がく here, not かく. Note: this option is identical to option 3 (see issues).
• 2たいがく is wrong: 大 is read だい here, not たい.
• 3だいかく is wrong: same as option 1; 学 should be がく, not かく.

• 大学だいがく — university

Option 4 (でんわ) is correct. 電話 means 'telephone' and is read でんわ. 電 is read でん and 話 is read わ.

• 1でんき is the reading of 電気 ('electricity'), not 電話.
• 2でんしゃ is the reading of 電車 ('train'), not 電話.
• 3でんち is the reading of 電池 ('battery'), not 電話.

• 電話でんわ — telephone

The correct reading of 今年 is ことし, meaning 'this year.' This is the standard everyday reading used in normal conversation and writing.

• 1こねん is not a valid reading for 今年. It incorrectly applies the on'yomi コ to 今 and the on'yomi ネン to 年, but 今 does not have the reading コ.
• 2こんねん is the on'yomi (Chinese-derived reading) of 今年. While it exists, it is used only in formal/written contexts and is not the standard reading tested at this level for everyday sentences.
• 4こんとし is not a valid reading. It mixes the on'yomi コン for 今 with the kun'yomi とし for 年, which is not a real combination.

• 今年ことし — this year

The correct reading of 銀行 is ぎんこう, meaning 'bank' (financial institution). Both characters use their on'yomi: 銀(ギン) + 行(コウ).

• 1きんこ would use the dakuten-less reading きん for 銀, but 銀 is always read with dakugen as ぎん in this word. Also 行 is read as こう here, not こ.
• 2きんこう gets the reading of 行 right (こう) but incorrectly reads 銀 as きん instead of ぎん.
• 3ぎんこ gets the reading of 銀 right (ぎん) but incorrectly shortens 行 to こ instead of こう.

• 銀行ぎんこう — bank (financial institution)
• つとめる — to work at, to be employed at

The correct kanji for おとこ is 男, meaning 'man/male.' This is the basic kanji learned at the beginner level.

• 2易 is a kanji meaning 'easy' and is read やさしい or エキ. It shares some visual similarity but is completely unrelated in meaning and reading.
• 3昊 is a rare kanji not typically taught at this level; it does not read おとこ.
• 4晏 is also a rare kanji not taught at this level and does not read おとこ.

• 男おとこ — man, male
• 来きました — came (past polite of 来る)

花 (はな) means 'flower.' The sentence パーティーがありますから、花を百本かいます means 'There is a party, so I will buy one hundred flowers.' 花 is read はな, so option 4 is correct.

• 1いす is the reading of 椅子 (chair). The kanji is 花, not 椅子.
• 2かさ is the reading of 傘 (umbrella). The kanji is 花, not 傘.
• 3はし is the reading of 箸 (chopsticks) or 橋 (bridge). The kanji is 花, not 箸 or 橋.

• 花はな — flower
• 椅子いす — chair
• 傘かさ — umbrella
• 箸はし — chopsticks

百本 (ひゃっぽん) means 'one hundred long/thin objects' (counter 本 applied to 百). 百 is read ひゃく, and 本 is read ほん. When combined, ひゃく＋ほん undergoes sequential voicing (rendaku) and p-onbin: く becomes っ (sokuon) and ほ becomes ぽ, yielding ひゃっぽん. So option 3 is correct.

• 1ひょっぽん has the wrong first-syllable reading ひょく instead of ひゃく for 百.
• 2ひょっぼん has both the wrong ひょく reading and the wrong p-onbin (ぼ instead of ぽ).
• 4ひゃっぼん uses ぼん instead of ぽん. The correct p-onbin of ほん after っ is ぽん, not ぼん.

• 百ひゃく — one hundred
• 本ほん — counter for long/thin objects
• 百本ひゃっぽん — one hundred (long objects)

The kanji 北 (きた) means 'north'. The sentence reads 'きたのくにのうみのみずはあおくてきれいです' — 'The water of the sea in the northern country is blue and clean.' Option 1 きた is the correct reading.

• 2にし is the reading for 西 (west), not 北.
• 3ひがし is the reading for 東 (east), not 北.
• 4みなみ is the reading for 南 (south), not 北.

• 北きた — north

The kanji 国 (くに) means 'country'. The sentence reads 'きたのくにのうみのみずはあおくてきれいです' — 'The water of the sea in the northern country is blue and clean.' Option 4 くに is the correct kun'yomi reading.

• 1みち is the reading for 道 (road/way), not 国.
• 2まち is the reading for 町 (town), not 国.
• 3こく is a possible on'yomi of 国 but is not the correct reading in this context; the word here is くに.

• 国くに — country

The kanji 水 (みず) means 'water'. The sentence reads 'きたのくにのうみのみずはあおくてきれいです' — 'The water of the sea in the northern country is blue and clean.' Option 2 みず is the correct kun'yomi reading.

• 1き is the reading for 木 (tree) or 気 (spirit/air), not 水.
• 3すい is the on'yomi of 水 (as in 水曜日 すいようび), but the standalone word here is read みず.
• 4もく is the on'yomi of 木 (wood/tree), not 水.

• 水みず — water