Tips Ujian

Strategi N4/N5 untuk kosakata, tata bahasa, mendengar, membaca

5 tips

Attacking Kanji Readings

Kanji Reading Mastery

vocabularyN4

The first section of N4 tests kanji readings. For a Chinese speaker this is where marks are easiest to win and easiest to lose.

  • Every kanji in the textbook is annotated with furigana
  • Read the furigana aloud — do not fall back on the Chinese pronunciation
  • Concentrate on words whose reading is irregular, or differs from the Chinese
  • Drill the correct reading of 10-20 high-frequency kanji words a day

梅雨 read as méi yǔ (the Chinese pronunciation)

梅雨 (つゆ)

You will recognise many kanji while their Japanese reading is nothing like the Chinese. This is the single most common mistake Chinese learners make.

上手 (じょうず)

Do not read it the way 上手 sounds in Chinese; learn the Japanese reading as its own thing.

Locking Down Verb Conjugation

Verb Conjugation Golden Table

grammarN4

Verb conjugation is the core of N4 grammar. Mock papers are full of questions asking you to pick the right verb form.

  • Better to attack it in one block than pick it up piecemeal
  • Turn to the verb conjugation table in the textbook appendix — this is the golden table for N4
  • It lists, for every verb: masu-form, plain form, te-form, ta-form, nai-form, potential, passive, causative
  • This table has to become automatic
  • Review one column a day (te-form today, nai-form tomorrow, potential the day after)

行く: 行きます (masu) → 行って (te) → 行ける (potential) → 行かせる (causative)

Once the pattern clicks, every Group 1 verb conjugates the same way.

Reading: Questions First, Then the Text

Reading Time Management

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N4 reading is tight on time, so the approach matters.

  • Do not read start to finish. Read the questions first, then read the passage looking for the answers
  • The questions tell you where to concentrate
  • Skip words you do not know rather than getting stuck on them
  • Timing: short passage 2-3 min, medium 5-7 min, long 10 min

Listening: Catch the Keywords

Listening Keyword Catching

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N4 listening does not require understanding every word. What matters is catching the key information.

  • Use the 30 seconds before the audio starts to scan the options
  • While listening, focus on: time, place, people, action
  • Watch for pivot words: でも, しかし, それで
  • If you miss it the first time, do not panic — it is played twice

Using Mock Papers Properly

Mock Test Strategy

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"New Standard Japanese" includes N4 mock papers at the back — the closest practice material to the real exam.

  • Always time yourself. The N4 exam is tight
  • Vocabulary and grammar: 30 min (about 60 questions)
  • Reading: 70 min (about 40 questions)
  • Listening: 35 min (about 30 questions)
  • Mark it afterwards and make sure you understand why each wrong answer was wrong
  • Sit one full mock two weeks before the exam