Japanese Practice Flashcards
6 cards from real Duolingo English Test practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Japanese Practice flashcards as text
In Japanese, what are the three writing systems and their primary uses?
Answer: Hiragana for native words, Katakana for foreign words, and Kanji for Chinese-origin characters
Japanese uses three writing systems: Hiragana for native Japanese words and grammatical elements, Katakana primarily for foreign loanwords and emphasis, and Kanji (Chinese characters) for expressing meaning concisely. Most written Japanese uses all three.
What is the correct particle to use for the topic of a Japanese sentence?
Answer: は (wa)
The particle は (pronounced 'wa' in this context, not 'ha') marks the topic of a sentence. For example, '私は学生です' (Watashi wa gakusei desu = I am a student). It differs from が (ga), which marks the subject for emphasis or new information.
How do you say 'I like sushi' in Japanese?
Answer: すしが好きです
'すしが好きです' (Sushi ga suki desu) is the natural way to say 'I like sushi.' The particle が (ga) is used with 好き (suki = liked/likable) because the thing liked takes が, not を. The subject 'I' is often omitted when contextually clear.
What is the difference between です (desu) and だ (da) in Japanese?
Answer: です is polite and だ is casual/plain form of the copula 'to be'
Both です and だ function as the copula ('to be'), but です is the polite form used in formal situations and with strangers, while だ is the plain/casual form used with friends and family. Choosing between them is a key aspect of Japanese politeness levels.
In the Duolingo Japanese course, which counting system is typically introduced first?
Answer: The Chinese-origin (on'yomi) counting system
Duolingo typically introduces the Chinese-origin counting system (ichi, ni, san, shi/yon...) first as it is more universally applicable. The native Japanese system (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu...) is used for general counting without specific counters.
What is the correct word order in a basic Japanese sentence?
Answer: Subject-Object-Verb
Japanese follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order: '私は本を読みます' (Watashi wa hon wo yomimasu = I book read). The verb always comes at the end of the sentence, which is one of the most fundamental differences from English word order.