Excel in Japanese: Important Test Mistakes to Avoid
Discover and avoid common test mistakes in Japanese!
Common mistakes to avoid in Japanese tests and learning include:
- Overusing pronouns like “watashi wa” when Japanese often omits subjects understood from context, making speech sound unnatural. Instead, drop the subject when implied or use names instead of pronouns for fluency. 1
- Relying too much on polite forms (~ます, ~です) early on; it is important to also learn plain forms used in casual speech, reading manga or anime. 1
- Translating directly from English results in unnatural Japanese sentences. It is better to learn Japanese sentence patterns and grammar rather than just vocabulary to avoid this mistake. 1
- Dropping particles such as は, を, に, で is a common grammar mistake that makes sentences unclear. Focus on using particles correctly. 1
- Misreading kanji, especially similar-looking ones, is a frequent test mistake. Practice reading varied materials and use context clues to avoid this. 4
- Poor time management during tests can cause rushing or spending too long on one question. Answer easier questions first and leave time to review. 4
- Over-reliance on translating passages into native language slows comprehension; instead, practice understanding Japanese directly. 4
- Not reviewing mistakes after practice tests is a missed opportunity to learn from errors and improve. 4
- Common pronunciation mistakes include wrong syllable stress and incorrectly pronouncing the Japanese “r” sound, which sounds closer to an “l” and is not rolled like in Spanish. 5
- Word order errors occur due to confusion between English and Japanese sentence structure; Japanese follows Subject-Object-Verb order, and adjectives always precede nouns. 5
Avoiding these pitfalls can lead to more natural Japanese use and better performance in tests like the JLPT.