Whole words · compounds · small kana and long vowels
Learn the word, its sound, and its meaning together
Write a short three-part note: the word in kanji, its kana reading, and its meaning in the current sentence. This makes a compound such as 毎日 useful immediately and leaves room to learn another reading of 日 in another word.
Avoid deciding from the English meaning alone. Two choices may remind you of related ideas while only one is the correct reading of the printed word. Read the original characters again before submitting.
Give sound details a separate check
After finding a likely answer, compare small ゃ・ゅ・ょ, small っ, long vowels, and voiced consonants. These are meaningful differences. The hospital and beauty salon contrast below shows why a small written distinction deserves attention.
This practice uses multiple-choice reading recognition. It does not assess handwriting, stroke order, or pronunciation. Add those activities separately if they are part of your study goals.
Worked examples
Read each question, choose an answer, and open the explanation to follow the reasoning. These examples come from the game’s original beta question set.
A character inside a compound · estimated N5
「毎日」の「日」の読み方は？
- び
- か
- にち
- ひ
Show answer and explanation
Answer: にち
毎日 is まいにち, meaning every day. The 日 in this compound is にち.
Read the whole word first: 毎日 is まいにち. The prompt then asks for the 日 part, so extract にち. A reading that works for 日 elsewhere is not automatically correct in this word.
Question n5-kanji-003 · Original beta practice
A small kana changes the word · estimated N4
「病院」の読み方は？
- びょうにん
- びょういん
- びよういん
- びょいん
Show answer and explanation
Answer: びょういん
病院 is びょういん, hospital. 美容院（びよういん）means beauty salon.
病院 has the combined sound びょ followed by う: びょういん. The full-size よ in びよういん makes a different sequence and names a beauty salon. Compare the printed kana carefully.
Question n4-kanji-002 · Original beta practice
A short vowel versus a long one · estimated N1
「措置」の読み方は？
- そじ
- そち
- そうち
- さち
Show answer and explanation
Answer: そち
措置 is そち, a measure or action taken. 装置（そうち）means a device.
措置 is そち, a measure taken in response to something. The longer そうち is the reading of 装置, a device. Connecting each complete word to its meaning helps keep them apart.
Question n1-kanji-002 · Original beta practice
Put this into practice
- Filter the Archive to Kanji at a level you want to review.
- For each mistake, record the whole word and the exact sound difference you missed.
- Review the note later without looking at the choices, then use the game to check your recognition.
All five tiers are available in the Archive. Your character’s RPG level is separate from your selected Japanese practice level.