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Four everyday phrases that Japanese beginners easy to make mistakes

Posted on March 3rd, 2018 by ajadmin

There are some sentences in Japanese that consist of the same word. However, the meaning could be quite different under different auxiliary words, location or tense. Here are some typical examples that you need to be careful.

1. ①なんでもあります vs ②なんでもありません
As shown, one sentence is a positive sentence and the other one is a negative sentence. But the meaning has no connection between them. In Japanese, ① should be translated as “I have everything” or “Everything is here”. In contrast, ② should be translated as “never mind.” Don’t think it as “nothing”.

2. ③あの人は困った人だ vs ④あの人は困っている人だ
Though the tense in these two sentences is different, the meaning they express is exactly the opposite. ③ should be translated as “that person is really a tough guy” or “I really don’t know how to deal with him”. And ④ is saying that “the person is in trouble now”.

3. ⑤私はその薬を三度飲んだ vs ⑥私はその薬を三度で飲んだ
Because of the different auxiliary word, the meaning becomes quite different. ⑤ is saying that “I have taken that medicine for 3 times”. ⑥ is saying that “I divided that medicine into 3 parts and ate it”.

4. ⑦小泉さんは怖い顔をしている vs ⑧小泉さんは怖そうな顔をしている
⑦ means 小泉さん is showing a terrible face. ⑧ means 小泉さん looks like a scary person.

2018年日本語能力試験実施のお知らせ (English follows Japanese)

Posted on February 27th, 2018 by ajadmin

《2018年7月試験》

実施日: 2018年7月1日（日）

開催地: ブリスベン、キャンベラ

申込期間: 2018年2月21日午前9時〜2018年4月4日午後5時 (AEST)

《2018年12月試験》

実施日: 2018年12月2日（日）

開催地: アデレード、ブリスベン、メルボルン、パース、シドニー

申込期間: 未発表

JAPANESE LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST 2018

In 2018, the JLPT will be offered in Australia in both July and December in selected cities.

《2018 July JLPT》

Test Date: Sunday 1 July 2018

Location: Canberra and Brisbane

Application period: 9am, 21 February – 5pm, 4 April 2018 (AEST)

《2018 December JLPT》

Test Date: Sunday 2 December 2018

Location: Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney

Application period: unreleased

詳細については下記ウェブサイトをご覧ください。

Please visit the website below for further information.

https://jpf.org.au/language/for-learners/jlpt/

Tips for the listening test in Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) – ②

Posted on February 23rd, 2018 by ajadmin

Hi, guys! How are you? Let’s continue our topic. I hope your listening skill would be improved by using the tips here.

Trap 4: changing mind

In everyday oral communication, people often modify or even repeatedly correct the message that they have already said, and this communication feature is also the focus of listening test. At the beginning of the test, the questions usually tend to ask “この後(あと)、まず何(なに)をしなければなりませんか – what do I have to do after this”. You should pay special attention to the order of things mentioned in the conversation for such type of questions. Do not immediately give your answer after hearing the keyword in one of the options. You should take notes first and then decide the answer after the end of the session.

Meanwhile, you should be very careful when hearing keywords such as “とりあえず”, “までに”, “午前中(ごぜんちゅう)”, “今日中(きょうじゅう)”, “後(あと)でやります”, “保留(ほりゅう)”, “やっといて”, “やっとく” etc.

Trap 5: hidden meaning

It is much difficult for such trap. It generally requires people to have a good understanding of the conversation. One of the major features of Japanese expression is ambiguity. This characteristic often appears in the listening test, especially when it comes to examining the types of speakers’ intentions. It is very important to make sure whether the speaker intends to give positive or negative expressions.

Example 5: 肉(にく)の消費量(しょうひりょう)については今後(こんご)も同じ(おなじ)傾向(けいこう)が続く(つづく)と思(おも)われます。一方(いっぽう)魚(さかな)ですが、これまで専門家(せんもんか)の間(あいだ)では消費量(しょうひりょう)は減少(げんしょう)することはあっても、増加(ぞうか)することはないと言(い)われてきました。しかし、そうではないと私(わたし)は見(み)ています – The same trend will continue for meat consumption in the future. On the other hand, the consumption of fish has been said to decrease among experts and it will not increase. However, I am seeing it a different way (or I don’t think so).

Experts think that the consumption of meat will increase. If the speaker does not raise any objection, then you may think that he also thinks the meat consumption will increase. Meanwhile, experts say the fish consumption will be reduced, but the speaker said he doesn’t think so, which indicating that he thinks the consumption of fish is also increasing.

Trap 6: the result is not clear

Another big characteristic of the listening test is to use adverbs, adjectives, to describe the meaning of verbs at the end of the sentence. Hence, it makes the result unclear.

Example 6: 明日(あした)提出(ていしゅつ)する経営学(けいえいがく)のレポート、できたことはできたんだけど、なんだかね – I’ve finished the report for the management course though, somehow I … (don’t know why… but).

“なんだか” means “somehow”, “for some reason”, “I don’t know why, but” etc. Thus, the sentence doesn’t give a clear ending about the report.

Example 7: みどり工業(こうぎょう)との価格(かかく)交渉(こうしょう)、この状況(じょうきょう)だとそう簡単(かんたん)には… – Under such situation, the price negotiation with Midori Industry won’t go easy…

“そう簡単には” means not easy which means the negotiation will be tough.

Tips for the listening test in Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) – ①

Posted on February 17th, 2018 by ajadmin

Hi, guys! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. For those who have difficulties to deal with the listening test in JLPT, the articles in the following two weeks might be your cure. I’m going to show you 6 types of trap that emerge in the listening test often.

Trap 1: the meaning of the sentence is affirmative, though, it contains a negative expression
The negative form of Japanese is “…ない” or ” …ではない/ありません” etc. However, the positive form expressed by the double negation happens a lot in the test. Let’s have a look at the following examples.

Example 1: この企画(きかく)、やっぱり諦(あきら)めるしかないよね – We have to give up this plan.
The point here is to correctly understand the verb+しかない, which mean “have to do something”. Thus, if you don’t familiar with the construction and answer questions by only hearing “… ない”, the result of your test could be painful.

Example 2: 今日(きょう)のプレゼン、林(りん)さんの助言(じょげん)がなければうまくいかなかったよ – Today’s presentation won’t be done if without 林(りん)さん’s advice.
The negative expression here is “なければ” and “うまくいかなかった”. “なければ” is a form of assumption means “if there isn’t”. “うまくいかなかった” is from “うまくいく(goes well)”. Thus, this a typical form of double negation which represents a positive meaning.

Trap 2: the tone doesn’t rise in the end of the interrogative sentence at the end tone not rise

A large part of questions in the listening test is to use a questioning tone to express negative meanings. The point here is to make sure if the tone at the end of a sentence goes up or down.

Example 3: 君(きみ)、問題(もんだい)が起(お)こったら起(お)こったで、すぐ報告(ほうこく)してくれないと困(こま)るじゃないか – If a problem has happened and you don’t report me, doesn’t it trouble me?
Without seeing the explanation, do you think the speaker is being annoyed or not being annoyed? “じゃない” is a negative expression, however, there is a “か” behind it, then it turned out to be that “the speaker is being annoyed”.

Trap 3: express a negative meaning by using a positive sentence
A sentence with negative meaning doesn’t have to end up with “…ない”. Instead, some particular vocabularies containing negative meaning will do the job.

Example 4: お客様(きゃくさま)、こちらは従業員(じゅうぎょういん)専用(せんよう)のエレベーターで、ご利用(りよう)はご遠慮(えんりょう)いただいております – Excuse me, since this elevator is for staff only, the usage by customers has been declined. The key is to understand the meaning of “遠慮”.

This might be the reasons that you cannot learn Japanese well. – ②

Posted on February 10th, 2018 by ajadmin

Hi, guys! I hope you all are doing well. This week I’ll introduce the rest of the topic. Hope it could be helpful.

6. Lack of motivation

You might lose the interest in learning Japanese and can’t keep going as time flies by. Seeking motivation is crucial for adhering to learning and achieving desired results. In learning Japanese, you can look for favorite films, celebrities, landscapes, and other things as starting points.

7. Too opportunistic

The study is compounded by a solid foundation, and it is often not desirable to take shortcuts.

8. Do not think questions by your own brain

For instance, if you face a question when you doing the homework of the textbook, do not go to check the answer immediately. Think first! Being diligent in thinking can help you to improve the ability to solve problems.

9. Unsuitable learning materials

You might choose the difficult learning materials which resulting in frustration in learning. The reason is that you don’t know what your level is. One solution could be seeking professional help.

10. Afraid of making mistakes