2020/03/23

Question 1

国際

Answer 1

国際 こくさい
international

国 country 際 occasion

Question 2

故障

Answer 2

故障 こしょう
breakdown; failure

故 happenstance 障 hinder

Question 3

ご存知

Answer 3

ご存知 ごぞんじ
to know (honorific)

存 suppose 知 know

ご存知 is the honorific form of 知っている (しっている), which means “to know (of).”

Question 4

競争

Answer 4

競争 きょうそう
competition; contest; racing

競 vie 争 contend

Question 5

雲

Answer 5

雲 くも
cloud

雲 cloud

Question 6

公務員

Answer 6

公務員 こうむいん
government worker; public servant

公 public 務 task 員 employee

Note:
公務員 is a pretty versatile word. It could refer to anyone employed with tax dollars, such as a teacher, a police officer, or an employee at a city office. In this type of sentence, one would imagine that the speaker’s mom works at a city office or ward office, for example. I’ve noticed that Japanese people tend to be much more vague about what they do when mentioning their jobs.

Question 7

庭で小鳥が鳴いている。

Answer 7

小鳥 ことり
small bird

小 little 鳥 bird

にわ　で　ことり　が　ないている。

Question 8

明日までに決めてね。

Answer 8

決める きめる
to decide

Kanji:
決 decide

あした　まで　に　きめて　ね。

Question 9

このごろよく風邪をひく。

Answer 9

このごろ このごろ
these days; nowadays

このごろ　よく　かぜ　を　ひく。

Question 10

細かいお金ある？

Answer 10

細かい こまかい
fine; small; minute; trivial

Kanji:
細 dainty

こまかい　おかね　ある？

Do you have any small bills [change]?
Literally: “small / fine + お + money + have / there is?”

Question 11

混んでるね。

Answer 11

混む こむ
to be crowded; to be packed

Note:
You’ll find lots of chances to use this if you’re ever in Tokyo. ^_^

Kanji:
混 mix

Question 12

壊さないでね。

Answer 12

壊す こわす
to break; to destroy; to wreck

Note:
This is a transitive verb, so you use it when someone breaks something. The intransitive, 壊れる (こわれる), would be used when something simply breaks on its own (e.g. if your computer suddenly stops working for no apparent reason).

Kanji:
壊 demolition

Question 13

今夜暇？

Answer 13

今夜 こんや
tonight

Kanji:
今 now 夜 night

Question 14

坂

Answer 14

坂 さか
slope; hill

Kanji:
坂 slope

Question 15

何探してるの？

Answer 15

探す さがす
to look for; to search

Kanji:
探 grope

なに　さがしてる　の？

Question 16

産業

Answer 16

産業 さんぎょう
industry

Kanji:
産 products 業 profession

Question 17

草

Answer 17

草 くさ
grass

Kanji:
草 grass

Question 18

トイレのドアを開けられた。

Answer 18

～られる られる
[passive form]

Note:
As you can see here, the passive is sometimes used when you have someone else do an action that affects you negatively. There are other uses, too, which are covered in our grammar lessons.

Question 19

お母さんに叱られた。

Answer 19

叱る しかる
to scold

Note:
You’ll find that they use the word 叱る (しかる) quite a bit more than we use “scold” in English.

Kanji:
叱 scold

Question 20

紹介

Answer 20

紹介 しょうかい
introduction

Kanji:
紹 introduce 介 jammed in

Question 21

将来

Answer 21

将来 しょうらい
future; prospects

将 leader 来 come

Question 22

時代は変わる。

Answer 22

時代 じだい
era; age; period

Kanji:
時 time 代 substitute

Question 23

背中痛い

Answer 23

背中 せなか
the back (of the body)

Note:
The speaker is not referring to her lower back. In that case, we’d use 腰 (こし), which is our next card.

Kanji:
背 stature 中 in

Question 24

腰痛い。

Answer 24

腰 こし
back; lower back; waist; hips

Kanji:
腰 loins

Question 25

最後にコーヒーを飲んだ。

Answer 25

最後 さいご
last; end

Kanji:
最 utmost 後 behind

Question 26

誰が最初に着くかな？

Answer 26

最初 さいしょ
beginning; first

Kanji:
最 utmost 初 first time

だれ　が　さいしょ　に　つく　かな？

Question 27

試験

Answer 27

試験 しけん
exam

Kanji:
試 test 験 verification

Question 28

事故

Answer 28

事故 じこ
accident (e.g. a car accident)

Kanji:
事 matter 故 happenstance

Question 29

機会

Answer 29

機会 きかい
opportunity; chance

Kanji:
機 mechanism 会 meeting

Question 30

講義

Answer 30

講義 こうぎ
lecture

Kanji:
講 lecture 義 righteousness

Question 31

そろそろ支度しよう。

Answer 31

支度 したく
preparation; arrangements

Note:
This is “getting ready” in the sense of getting dressed and whatnot to go out.

Kanji:
支 branch 度 degrees

そろそろ　したく　しよう。

Question 32

辞典

Answer 32

辞典 じてん
dictionary

Note:
There are two words for dictionary. This one, and one we’ve seen already: 辞書 (じしょ). The word 辞典 (じてん) has more of the nuance that we’re looking at a list or collection of something. The word 辞書 (じしょ) conjures up images of a more traditional dictionary with words, their definitions, and example sentences.

Kanji:
辞 resign 典 code

Question 33

北海道は島です。

Answer 33

島 しま
island

Kanji:
島 island

Question 34

事務所に財布忘れた。

Answer 34

事務所 じむしょ
office

Kanji:
事 matter 務 task 所 place

じむしょ　に　さいふ　わすれた。

Question 35

社長に叱られた。

Answer 35

社長 しゃちょう
company president

Kanji:
社 company 長 long

Question 36

右腕を上げてください。

Answer 36

上げる あげる
to raise; to lift up

Note:
You’ll find that 上げる (あげる) has quite a lot of meanings and uses as you progress in your studies. It helps to start with the meaning of “to raise,” though.

Kanji:
上 above

みぎうで　を　あげて　ください。

Question 37

この部屋には決して入らないでください。

Answer 37

決して けっして
never; by no means; in no way

Kanji:
決 decide

この　へや　に　は　けっして　はいらないで　ください。

Question 38

自由

Answer 38

自由 じゆう
freedom

Kanji:
自 oneself 由 wherefore

Question 39

住所

Answer 39

住所 じゅうしょ
address (e.g. of a house); residence

Kanji:
住 dwell 所 place

Question 40

柔道

Answer 40

柔道 じゅうどう
judo

Note:
The nuance is that the speaker is taking judo lessons, not studying on his own.

Kanji:
柔 tender 道 road-way