English Exam Tips for Japanese Speakers
Japanese speakers are often careful and accurate learners. The biggest differences from Japanese are articles, plurals, word order, and English words borrowed into Japanese that changed their meaning.
Common Challenges for Japanese Speakers
- Articles: Japanese has no articles, so a/an/the are easy to forget. Example: "I bought a book" not "I bought book".
- Plurals: Japanese nouns do not change for plural. Example: "Three books" not "three book".
- R and L: Japanese has one sound between R and L. Example: Practice: right/light, read/lead, arrive/alive.
- Missing Subjects: Japanese often leaves out the subject. English needs it. Example: "I went to Tokyo" not "Went to Tokyo".
- Katakana English: Many borrowed words have a different meaning in English. Example: "Mansion" means a very large house, not an apartment. A "consent" in Japanese English is a "socket" or "outlet".
- Extra Vowels: Japanese syllables end in vowels, so learners often add vowels to English words. Example: "Street" not "sutorīto". "Desk" not "desuku".
Grammar Tips for Japanese Speakers
- Articles: Use "a" for any unspecified singular countable noun. Use "the" when both people know which one.
- Relative Clauses: In English, the clause follows the noun: "the book which I bought", the opposite of Japanese.
- Countable and Uncountable: Some nouns are uncountable in English: information, advice, furniture, baggage.
- Word Order: English is Subject-Verb-Object: "I eat sushi" not "I sushi eat".
- Present Perfect: Japanese has no direct equivalent. Use it for experience ("I have been to Kyoto") and for actions that continue to now.
- Yes and No Answers: Answer negative questions by the fact: "Don't you like coffee?" "No, I don't" (if you do not like it).
Vocabulary Advice
- Check every katakana word before using it in English: mansion, smart, claim, and consent often mean something else
- Learn collocations, because direct translations often fail
- Learn word stress with each new word
- Learn phrasal verbs, which are very common in spoken English
- Read and listen to natural English every day
- Use an English-English learner's dictionary to see example sentences
Exam Strategies
- In writing, check every sentence has a subject
- Check articles and plurals in your final read-through
- In speaking, give longer answers. Short, modest answers can lose marks
- In speaking, practice R/L and avoid adding vowels after final consonants
- Use conjunctions to connect ideas clearly
- Do not wait for perfect accuracy before you speak. Fluency is also marked
頑張ってください！Your attention to detail and study habits will help you achieve excellent results.