Free BJT Exam Flashcards

Sonkeigo (respectful language, elevates the listener's or a third party's actions/status), kenjougo (humble language, lowers the speaker's own actions to show respect), and teineigo (polite language, the base -masu/-desu register). BJT listening and reading questions constantly test which register fits a given business relationship.

Sonkeigo: おっしゃる (used for a customer's or superior's words). Kenjougo: 申す / 申し上げる (used for the speaker's own words to a superior or customer). Using 申す for what your boss said is a common BJT trap.

Sonkeigo: いらっしゃる or おいでになる (elevates a customer's or superior's arrival). Kenjougo: 参る or 伺う (humbles the speaker's own visit, e.g., 明日15時に伺います, 'I will humbly come at 3pm tomorrow').

Sonkeigo: ご覧になる (a customer or superior's viewing). Kenjougo: 拝見する (the speaker's own viewing, e.g., 資料を拝見しました, 'I have humbly looked at the document'). Never tell a superior to 拝見してください — that misapplies humble language to their action.

Sonkeigo: なさる (a customer's or superior's action, e.g., ご注文なさいますか). Kenjougo: いたす (the speaker's own action, e.g., ご案内いたします, 'I will humbly guide you').

Sonkeigo: いらっしゃる (a customer or superior's presence, e.g., 田中様はいらっしゃいますか). Kenjougo: おる (the speaker's own or their in-group's presence, e.g., 田中はただいま席を外しております, using おる rather than いる when speaking about your own company's staff to an outside caller).

Sonkeigo: 召し上がる (offering food/drink to a guest, e.g., どうぞ召し上がってください). Kenjougo: いただく (the speaker accepting food/drink, e.g., ありがたくいただきます).

Sonkeigo: お会いになる (a superior's act of meeting someone). Kenjougo: お目にかかる (the speaker's own humble act of meeting a superior or client, e.g., お目にかかれて光栄です, 'I am honored to meet you').

Sonkeigo: ご存知だ (a customer or superior's knowledge, e.g., ご存知でしょうか). Kenjougo: 存じております / 存じ上げております (the speaker's own knowledge, e.g., 存じております, 'I (humbly) know').

Applying kenjougo (humble) language to someone ELSE's action, or sonkeigo (respectful) language to your OWN action. Kenjougo always lowers the speaker or the speaker's in-group; sonkeigo always elevates the listener or an outside third party — never the reverse.

'[He/She] is away from the desk right now.' It is the standard humble phrase an employee uses on the phone to tell an outside caller that a colleague or superior is temporarily not at their seat.

It is a cushion phrase meaning roughly 'I'm sorry to trouble you, but...' — spoken before making a request, asking a favor, or politely interrupting someone, softening the imposition before the main point.

'I will call you back (shortly).' It is the polite way an employee promises to return a phone call, usually said when the person the caller wants to reach is unavailable.

A short phrase inserted before a request, refusal, or unwelcome message to soften its impact. Examples: あいにくですが ('unfortunately...'), 恐れ入りますが ('I'm sorry to trouble you, but...'), and せっかくですが ('though you went to the trouble, but...').

お先に失礼します ('Excuse me for leaving ahead of you'). It is the standard, considerate phrase — using さようなら instead sounds oddly final among coworkers.

'If it's not an inconvenience / if you don't mind' — a polite hedge used before asking something that might be personal, sensitive, or bothersome to the listener.

A business trip — traveling away from one's regular office for work, such as visiting a client or attending a meeting in another city.

部 (ぶ) is the counter for document copies. '25 copies' is 25部 (にじゅうごぶ). BJT listening questions often test adding or subtracting quantities expressed with this counter.

'Compared to the previous year' (year-on-year). It is commonly paired with a percentage or trend word, e.g., 前年比10%増 ('up 10% year-on-year').

A flat or level trend — the line stays roughly the same with no significant increase or decrease, e.g., 売上は横ばいです ('sales have been flat').

A steadily rising/upward trend — literally 'rising toward the upper right,' used for a line or bar chart that keeps climbing, e.g., 業績は右肩上がりだ ('performance keeps improving').

30%. 割 (わり) is a counter meaning one-tenth, so 1割 = 10% and 3割 = 30%; 割引 (waribiki, 'discount') is built from the same word.

A quotation/estimate document — a written price proposal a supplier sends before a deal is finalized. Part 2 and Part 3 questions often test reading or listening for details inside a 見積書 such as price, quantity, or delivery date.

The delivery deadline — the date by which goods, services, or completed work must be delivered. BJT questions frequently ask test-takers to identify a specific 納期 mentioned in a dialogue or document.

A schedule/itinerary table. When paired with an audio question in Part 2, scan the table quickly for the specific date, time, or event named in the spoken question rather than reading every line.

An announcement or invitation letter — a formal written notice inviting recipients to an event (e.g., a product launch or company anniversary) or informing them of upcoming details.

A lottery or drawing. It appears in scenarios like assigning exhibition booth locations or allocating limited seats/slots when there are more applicants than spots available.

To tally or compile (data) — for example, totaling survey responses, vote counts, or preference results before reporting the outcome, e.g., 希望を集計しました ('I tallied the preferences').

御中 (おんちゅう) — attached after a company, department, or organization name (e.g., ABC商事株式会社 御中). 様 is reserved for a named individual person.

'To all (of you)' / 'Dear all' — an honorific suffix attached to a group addressee in a memo or notice sent to multiple recipients at once, e.g., 社員各位 ('to all employees').

'Taking into account / based on.' 現状を踏まえて means 'based on the current situation' — used when a decision or proposal follows from a stated fact or condition.

'Just in case / as a precaution' — added when someone confirms or repeats something that is probably already fine, purely to be safe, e.g., 念のため、もう一度確認します ('I'll check once more just in case').

'On [someone's] behalf / as a proxy.' 部長の代理で参りました means 'I have come in place of the manager,' indicating the speaker is standing in for someone else.

To postpone or shelve (a plan, purchase, or project) — e.g., 今回の導入は見送ることになった ('we decided to shelve the rollout this time'). This figurative business meaning is distinct from the literal sense of seeing a person off at a station.

'To deduct / subtract' — used in business contexts involving costs, amounts, or figures, e.g., 経費を差し引いた利益 ('profit after deducting expenses').

'As soon as ~.' 確認が取れ次第、送ります means 'I will send it as soon as confirmation is obtained' — the second action happens immediately after the first is completed.

Roughly 'thank you for your continued support/kindness.' It is the standard opening greeting in Japanese business emails and phone calls, said even to people you have only dealt with briefly before.

A polite, all-purpose closing phrase meaning roughly 'thank you in advance / I appreciate your cooperation.' いたします (kenjougo of する) makes it more formal than よろしくお願いします, appropriate for written business correspondence.

ご確認いただけますでしょうか is more polite — it phrases the request as a humble question ('could I possibly have you confirm...') rather than a direct command form (ご確認ください, 'please confirm'), softening the imposition on a superior or client.

誠に申し訳ございません — 誠に ('truly/sincerely') intensifies 申し訳ございません, the most formal register of apology, used for serious errors or complaints rather than minor slip-ups.

'I'm sorry for the trouble/inconvenience, but...' — a cushion phrase said before asking someone to do something that requires extra effort on their part, common in emails requesting a task.

申し上げる is the kenjougo (humble) form of 言う/する, so replacing します with 申し上げます raises the formality further — appropriate for formal written correspondence such as a first business email or a contract-related letter.

お- typically attaches to native Japanese (kun-reading) words and ご- to Sino-Japanese (kango) words — e.g., お名前, お荷物 versus ご住所, ご意見. There are common exceptions such as お電話 and お食事, which take お- despite being kango-derived.

Meeting minutes — a written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting, including attendees, agenda items, decisions, and action items, distributed afterward for reference.

A ringi-sho — an internal approval document unique to Japanese business culture. A proposal is circulated to multiple stakeholders in sequence, each of whom stamps or signs approval, before the decision is finalized.

件名 (subject line), an opening greeting (often お世話になっております), the main body stating the purpose, a closing request (often よろしくお願いいたします), and a signature block with name, company, and contact details.

社内文書 is an internal document circulated within one's own company (often more concise, with a lighter greeting), while 社外文書 is sent to an outside party such as a client or partner and requires fuller honorific greetings and closing phrases.

通知 is a formal, often mandatory notice (e.g., a legal or contractual notification), while お知らせ is a general, more casual announcement (e.g., an office event reminder). 通知 carries more weight and obligation than お知らせ.

Read the question stem first to know what you're looking for, then scan the passage for the specific 5W1H detail (who/what/when/where/why/how) the question asks about, rather than reading the entire passage word-for-word first.

報告書 is a report — describing what has already happened or been completed (e.g., a survey's results). 提案書 is a proposal — recommending a future action or plan for approval, such as a new project idea.