GCSE Japanese Edexcel

This subject is broken down into 27 topics in 5 modules:

  1. Identity and Culture 6 topics
  2. Local Area, Holiday, and Travel 6 topics
  3. School 5 topics
  4. Future Aspirations, Study, and Work 5 topics
  5. International and Global Dimension 5 topics
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  • 5
    modules
  • 27
    topics
  • 7,533
    words of revision content
  • 58+
    minutes of audio lessons

This page was last modified on 28 September 2024.

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Japanese

Identity and Culture

Personal Information

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Personal Information

Section A: Basic Personal Information

  • Understand how to correctly use and differentiate between formal and informal versions of "I" (Watashi/僕/俺) and "you" (Anata, Kimi, Omae).
  • Be able to identify and use appropriately the Japanese words for various family members such as "brothers" (Kyoudai), "sisters" (Shimai), "mother" (Haha), and "father" (Chichi).
  • Gain familiarity with verb conjugations for identifying oneself and others, like "desu" and "imasu".
  • Become comfortable expressing various characteristics and attributes, for example "tall", "short", "happy", or "sad" in Japanese. Look out for the patterns in adjectives.

Section B: Personal Information in Greater Detail

  • Practice correctly expressing your age using "Sai" after the numeric age, and asking someone's age using "Nansai desu ka".
  • Be sure to grasp the language used to describe one's occupation. For instance, "I am a student" will be "Watashi wa gakusei desu".
  • Learn and understand the Japanese terms for nationalities and places of origin. The structure to follow is "(place of origin) no (nationality)".
  • Be comfortable giving and understanding descriptions of physical appearance and personality traits. Remember the difference between "na-adjectives" and "i-adjectives".

Section C: Advanced Personal Information Contexts

  • Familiarise yourself with the words and phrases used when introducing likes and dislikes, for example "Suki" (like) and "Kirai" (dislike).
  • Understand how to discuss your hobbies and interests, such as "Hon o yomu no ga suki desu" (I like reading books).
  • Be prepared to express your daily routines and habits. Note the use of vocabulary like "Mainichi" (every day), "Shigoto" (work), and "Gakkou" (school).
  • Finally, be able to discuss future goals and aspirations. Formation like "～たい" and "～たがっている" are important to express desires and aspirations.

Remember to always check the context in the exam as this will help you to choose the appropriate level of politeness, which can greatly affect how words and phrases are used and understood in Japanese.

Course material for Japanese, module Identity and Culture, topic Personal Information

Japanese

School

Exam, Study, and Future School Plans

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Exam, Study, and Future School Plans

Tests and Results

  • Familiarise yourself with words like 試験 (しけん; test), 問題 (もんだい; problem/question), 結果 (けっか; result), 成績 (せいせき; grade), and 答え (こたえ; answer)
  • To describe your test results, you could say "試験の結果は良好です (The test result is good)" or "私の成績は悪いです (My grade is bad)".
  • Learn how to use verbs like 受ける (うける; to take) and 勉強する (べんきょうする; to study) in context, such as "試験を受ける (to take a test)" or "問題を勉強する (to study the questions)".
  • Recall how to ask and answer questions about tests, for example "試験は何時ですか (When is the exam?)" and "結果は良好です (The result is good)".

Study Methods and Revision

  • Key vocabulary includes ノート (notebook), 教科書 (きょうかしょ; textbook), 勉強法 (べんきょうほう; study method), 復習 (ふくしゅう; revision) and 教師 (きょうし; teacher).
  • Know how to describe your study methods using sentences like "私は教科書で勉強します (I study with textbooks)" or "私の勉強法は教師に質問することです (My study method is to ask questions to the teacher)".
  • Use verbs such as 読む (よむ; to read) and 書く (かく; to write), as in "教科書を読む (to read the textbook)" or "ノートに書く (to write in the notebook)".
  • Ask and answer questions about study methods, e.g. "どの勉強法が効果的ですか (Which study method is effective?)" or "教師に質問するのが効果的です (Asking the teacher is effective)".

Future Plans and Goals

  • Vocabulary to know include 進学 (しんがく; advancement to higher education), 大学 (だいがく; university), 専攻 (せんこう; major subject), 目標 (もくひょう; goal) and 将来 (しょうらい; future).
  • Learn to express your future plans, e.g. "私は大学に進学します (I will go to university)" or "私の専攻は科学です (My major will be science)".
  • Know how to use verbs as 希望する (きぼうする; to hope for) or 目指す (めざす; to aim for) in sentences like "大学への進学を希望します (I hope to go to university)" or "科学者を目指します (I aim to be a scientist)".
  • Be able to ask and answer questions about future plans, such as "どの専攻を選びますか (Which major will you choose?)" and "私は科学を選びます (I will choose science)".

Course material for Japanese, module School, topic Exam, Study, and Future School Plans

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