In this article, JLPT N3 level adverbs are introduced. Compared to vocabulary like verbs and nouns, adverbs are harder to understand. By reading many example sentences utilizing adverbs, you can better understand their meaning and usage. For those who are aiming to pass the JLPT N3 level exams, please refer to this article to master adverbs.
Table of Contents
- Understanding Japanese Adverbs
- N3 Adverbs
- Read Example Sentences that Use Adverbs
- Challenge the N3 Adverbs Quiz !
Understanding Japanese Adverbs
“副詞 (fukushi) - Adverbs” serve to more clearly express the meaning of a word. Japanese adverbs can be divided into 3 types - adverbs of state, adverbs of degree, and declarative adverbs.
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情態副詞 / joutai fukushi / adverbs of state : to limit the meaning of an action (verb) or state of condition.
Eg. 階段をゆっくり上がる (kaidan o yukkuri agaru) - I go up the stairs slowly.
Within adverbs of state (情態副詞 / joutai fukushi), there is also 擬態語 (gitaigo) - mimetic words (onamatopoeia).
Eg. 雨がザーザー降っている (ame ga zaazaa futteiru) - It is raining heavily. -
程度副詞 / teido fukushi / adverbs of degree : to express the extent of or the degree of a verb’s, adjective’s or noun’s state and condition.
Eg. ちょっと遊んだ (chotto asonda) - had a little fun. / とても悲しい (totemo kanashii) - very sad / かなり昔 (kanari mukashi) - quite a while ago. -
陳述副詞 / chinjutsu fukushi / declarative adverbs : to express an inference, assumption, negation, etc. similar expressions and responses to the predicate that follows. Remember them as a set with the phrase that ends the sentence.
Eg. 彼は決して泣かない (kare wa keshite nakanai) - He will definitely not cry. / 彼女はおそらく来ないだろう (kanojo wa osoraku konai darou) - She will probably not come.
Writer's Pick
N3 Adverbs
N3 Adverbs List
There are 140 Adverbs to remember at the N3 level.
Remember the Kanji for verbs in BOLD.
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あまり |
so much… that |
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あまりにも |
too much; |
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あるいは |
or; perhaps; maybe |
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あんまり |
too heartless; too; so |
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いがい |
意外 |
unexpected; surprising |
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いくら～ても |
no matter how ~ |
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いちじ |
一時 |
for a while; temporarily |
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いちどに |
一度に |
all at once |
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いつか |
sometime; before one is aware of it |
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いっしゅん |
一瞬 |
in an instant |
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いっそう |
一層 |
much more; still more; all the more; |
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いったい ittai |
一体 |
emphasis; what on earth; (what) the heck; |
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いつでも |
at any time; always |
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いつのまにか |
without realising |
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いっぱん |
一般 |
generally; on the whole |
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いつまでも |
forever |
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いまに |
before long; even now |
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いまにも |
今にも |
at any moment; at any minute; |
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いよいよ |
at last; finally; more and more |
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うっかり |
carelessly |
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おおよそ / およそ |
about; approximately; generally; entirely | |
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おそらく |
恐らく |
probably; most likely |
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かえって |
on the contrary |
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がっかり |
feel disappointed |
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~かなにか |
～か何か |
or something ~ |
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かなり |
rather; quite |
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がらがら |
rattle; gargle; empty |
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からから |
rattle; dry |
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きちんと |
neatly; punctually |
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ぎっしり |
packed tightly |
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きゅうに |
急に |
swiftly; rapidly; quickly; immediately; |
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ぐっすり |
sleep soundly |
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ぐらぐら |
wobble; boiling |
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けっきょく |
結局 |
after all; eventually; in the end ~ |
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けっして～ない |
決して～ない |
never; by no means ~ |
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こうして |
like this |
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こっそり |
quietly; secretly |
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さいちゅうに |
最中に |
while; during; in the middle of ~ |
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さいに |
際に |
when; at the time of; in the case of ~ |
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さきほど |
先ほど |
some time ago; a little while ago |
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さっそく |
早速 |
immediately; at once |
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さて |
now; so; well then |
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さらに |
更に |
furthermore; again; more and more |
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したがって |
従って |
accordingly; consequently |
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したとたん |
した途端 |
as soon as; just as ~ |
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じっと |
still; fixedly; firmly; patiently |
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じつに |
実に |
indeed; really |
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しばしば |
often; frequently; one by one |
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しばらく |
for a moment; for a while; for the time being |
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しょうしょう |
少々 |
a little; slightly |
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ずいぶん |
very; extremely; surprisingly; considerably; |
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すくなくとも |
少なくとも |
at least |
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すこしも |
少しも |
(not) in the least; (not) at all |
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すっきり |
neat; refreshed |
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すでに |
something has already been done/taken place; |
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すなわち |
即ち |
in other words; namely~ |
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すべて |
全て |
all; wholly; entirely |
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せいぜい |
at the most; at best; to the utmost |
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せっかく |
with much trouble; kindly |
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そのまま |
as it is |
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それぞれ |
respectively |
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たしかに |
確かに |
surely; certainly |
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たしょう |
多少 |
more or less; somewhat; a little; a few; |
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ただ |
simply; merely; only; just; however |
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ただちに |
at once; immediately; instantly |
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たちまち |
at once; immediately; suddenly |
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たっぷり |
fully; enough; plentifully |
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たとえ |
even if; even though |
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たとえ～ても |
even if… is the case |
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たとえば |
例えば |
for example; for instance ~ |
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たびたび |
度々 |
often; frequently |
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たびに |
度に |
whenever; every time |
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たまたま |
by chance; unexpectedly |
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ちかぢか |
近々 |
soon |
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ちゃんと |
exactly; punctually; regularly; |
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つい |
accidentally; unintentionally; by mistake |
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ついでに |
while; incidentally |
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ついに |
finally; at last; in the end |
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つぎつぎ tsugitsugi |
次々 |
one after another; one by one |
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つねに |
常に |
always |
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つまり |
in other words; after all |
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どうか |
please; by all means, something wrong |
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どうしても |
no matter what; at any cost; after all ~ |
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とおりに |
通りに |
in the same way as; in the way; as ~ |
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どきどき |
(heart) beat fast; throb |
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ときどき |
時々 |
often; sometime |
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とちゅうで/とちゅうに |
途中で/途中に |
on the way; in the middle of ~ |
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とつ ぜん |
突然 |
suddenly; unexpected |
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とても～ない |
cannot possibly be; |
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とともに |
together with; at the same time as; as well as ~ |
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ともかく |
anyway; anyhow |
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ともに |
共に |
both; together, with |
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どんなに～ても |
no matter how (much); however |
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なお |
still; yet; still more, and |
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なかなか |
very; quite; pretty; rather; just not ~ |
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なるべく |
as much as possible |
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なんか / なんて / など |
give examples; show modesty; make light of ~ |
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なんで |
why; how |
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なんでも |
何でも |
anything; whatever |
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なんとか |
somehow; manage to |
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なんとなく |
somehow; aimlessly |
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にこにこ |
smile |
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にっこり |
smile |
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のろのろ |
slowly; idly |
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のんびり |
leisurely; carefreely |
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はじめに |
first of all; to start with |
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はもちろん |
not to mention; not only ... but also ~ |
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はやめに |
ahead of time |
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ばらばら |
fall in drops, scattered |
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ぴかぴか |
glitter; shine |
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ぴたり |
stop suddenly; tightly; right |
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びっくり |
surprised |
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ひっしに |
必死に |
desperately |
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ぴったり |
tightly; closely; exactly |
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ふたたび |
再び |
again; once more; a second time |
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ぶつぶつ |
mumur; complain |
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ふと |
suddenly; accidentally; unexpectedly; |
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ぶらぶら |
swing; dangle; hang around; wander |
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ふわふわ |
soft; fluffy |
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べつべつ |
別々 |
separately |
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べつに |
別に |
not particularly; not especially |
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ぺらぺら |
fluent |
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ぼんやり |
vaguely; absent-mindedly |
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まさか |
can't possibly; surely not |
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ますます |
more and more |
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まったく |
really; indeed; not at all |
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まもなく |
間もなく |
soon, before long |
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まるで |
justly; completely, entirely |
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まんいち |
万一 |
emergency; unlikely event; by some chance; |
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むしろ |
rather; instead; better ~ |
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めったに～ない |
hardly; rarely; seldom |
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もしかしたら |
perhaps; maybe; perchance; by any chance |
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もしも |
if |
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もしも〜たら |
if; in the case; supposing ~ |
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もっとも |
最も |
most |
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やがて |
soon |
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ようするに |
in short; to sum up |
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わざと |
on purpose; intentionally |
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わざわざ |
to go to the trouble of; to go out of one's way to |
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~のわりには |
～の割には |
considering ~; for ~; despite ~ |
Read Example Sentences that Use Adverbs
To become adept at using adverbs, reading example sentences to learn how to use them is important. Here are some example sentences using N3 level adverbs. Read the example sentences to understand the meaning of each adverb and their usage.
The words in BOLD are adverbs. Pay attention to how they connect as well.
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納豆は、あんまり好きではない。
(nattou wa, anmari sukidewanai)
- I don’t really like natto. -
いつの間にか木が大きくなっていた。
(itsunomanika ki ga ookikunatteita)
- Without realizing / before I knew it, the tree had grown bigger. -
あさっては、いよいよ試合だ。
(asatte wa, iyoiyo shiai da)
- The game is finally on the day after tomorrow. -
今日は、かなり暑い。
(kyou wa, kanari atsui)
- It is quite hot today. -
がんばったけど、結局負けてしまった。
(ganbattakedo, kekkyoku maketeshimatta)
- (I/We) tried our best, but in the end lost. -
開園まで、しばらくお待ちください。
(kaien made, shibaraku omachikudasai)
- Please wait for a while until the park opens. -
この料理には、塩を少々入れます。
(kono ryouri niwa, shio o shoushou iremasu)
- A little salt is added to the dish. -
たまたま見たテレビが、とてもおもしろかった。
(tamatama mita terebi ga, totemo omoshirokatta)
- The TV show I happened to watch was very interesting. -
コンビニに行くと、ついデザートを買ってしまう。
(konbini ni ikuto, tsui dezaato o katteshimau)
- When I go to the convenience store, I end up buying dessert. -
天気が悪いので、なるべく早く迎えに来てください。
(tenki ga warui node, narubeku hayaku mukae ni kitekudasai)
- The weather is bad, if possible please pick me up as soon as you can.
Challenge the N3 Adverbs Quiz !
Let’s try answering these JLPT N3 Adverbs example questions.
太字のことばを漢字で書くとき、最もよいものを1・2・3・4から一つえらびなさい。
Question ① 時間がないので、さっそく問題にかかった。
1.最速 2.早速 3.再即 4.早即
Question ② 全体の意味を理解していれば、たしょうのまちがいは気にしない。
1.大小 2.大正 3.多小 4.多少
（ ）に入れるのに最もよいものを。1・2・3・4から一つえらびなさい。
Question ③ 彼女は外国に住んでいたので、英語が（ ）です。
1.ぐらぐら 2.すらすら 3.ぺらぺら 4.ゆらゆら
Question ④ 洋服のサイズはわたしに（ ）だったので、買うことにした。
1.ぶかぶか 2.ぴったり 3.ふわふわ 4.すっきり
Answers, English translation and Romaji reading at the end of the article.
To Close
Adverbs do not require conjugation, so they are comparatively easier to learn compared to verbs and adjectives. The key to understanding adverbs is understanding how they connect and their meanings. Therefore, reading many example sentences to learn which words connect with adverbs and what meaning they present is the best method.
【Quiz Translation and Answers】
太字のことばを漢字で書くとき、最もよいものを1・2・3・4から一つえらびなさい。
(futoji no kotoba o kanji de kaku toki, mottomo yoimono o 1・2・3・4 kara hitotsu erabinasai)
- Choose the best from 1・2・3・4 for how to write in Kanji the words in bold.
Question ① 時間がないので、さっそく問題にかかった。
(jikan ga nai node, sassoku mondai ni kakatta)
- Time was short, so I quickly got to work on the problem.
Answer is [2] 早速.
Question ② 全体の意味を理解していれば、たしょうのまちがいは気にしない。
(zentai no imi o rikaishiteireba, tashou no machigai wa kinishinai)
- If the overall meaning can be understood, then some mistakes won’t matter.
Answer is [4] 多少.
（ ）に入れるのに最もよいものを。1・2・3・4から一つえらびなさい。
(（ ）ni ireru noni mottomo yoimono o 1・2・3・4 kara hitotsu erabinasai)
- Fill the （ ）with by choosing the best answer from 1・2・3・4.
Question ③ 彼女は外国に住んでいたので、英語が（ 3. ぺらぺら ）です。
(kanojo wa gaikoku ni sundeita node, eigo ga perapera desu)
- She has lived abroad and so speaks English fluently.
Question ④ 洋服のサイズはわたしに（ 2.ぴったり ）だったので、買うことにした。
(youfuku no saizu wa watashi ni pittari datta node, kau koto nishita )
- The clothes fit me well so I decided to buy them.
Quiz Answers: [2], [4], [3], [2]
