2.2 Orthography: Choosing the Right Kanji

The 表記 (Hyōki) Question

問題2 (Mondai 2・表記, hyōki, orthography) reverses task 1. A word in the sentence is written in katakana — standing in for its pronunciation — and you choose the kanji that correctly writes it. N2 usually carries about five of these items.

Because Japanese overflows with homophones, the four options are typically kanji that share the same reading but differ in meaning, plus, sometimes, kanji that merely look alike. You win by matching meaning and context and by reading the okurigana. The reading alone will not separate the choices — that is the whole point of writing them in katakana.

Lead example: 「この計画はキョカを得てから実行する。」Options 協力 / 許可 / 強化 / 驚嘆. The context — something you obtain before executing a plan — is permission, so the answer is 許可 (きょか, kyoka). 協力 (cooperation), 強化 (strengthening), and 驚嘆 (astonishment) all misfit. Note that 許可 is short きょか while 強化 is long きょうか; reading would separate them, but the test hides that by writing them all as キョカ.

Homophone Families That Trip Learners

The pattern is clear: identical reading, different kanji, meaning selected by the object or situation. 製 (manufacture) shares せい with 制 (control) — 製品 (せいひん, product) versus 制限 (せいげん, restriction) — and a katakana prompt like セイヒン forces you to decide by meaning.

開 / 空 / 明 — the あ・ける Trio

All three are read あ-ける, separated only by meaning:

• 開ける (あける, akeru) — open something closed: ドアを開ける (open the door).
• 空ける (あける, akeru) — empty, vacate, make space: 席を空ける (free up a seat), 家を空ける (leave the house empty).
• 明ける (あける, akeru) — a period ends or dawn breaks: 夜が明ける (day breaks), 梅雨が明ける (the rainy season ends).

Since the katakana アケル is identical for all three, only the sentence context tells you which kanji is correct.

Similar-Shape Kanji

Beyond homophones, some options attack visual confusion. Learn these clusters so a look-alike cannot fool you:

• 待 (wait) / 持 (hold) / 特 (special) — related right-hand shapes.
• 復 (return) / 複 (multiple) / 腹 (belly) — share 复.
• 績 (achievement) / 積 (accumulate) / 責 (responsibility) — share 責.
• 適 (suitable) / 敵 (enemy) / 摘 (pluck) — share 啇.
• 課 / 果 / 菓; 招 (invite) / 昭 (bright, as in 昭和).

An option may pair the right reading with a look-alike whose meaning is off; reject it on meaning.

Using Okurigana and Context

For conjugating words, okurigana fixes both reading and sense. 収める / 納める / 治める / 修める are all おさ-める but mean put-away / pay-in / govern / master — pick by object: 税金を納める (pay taxes), 国を治める (govern a country), 学問を修める (master a discipline).

Worked example: 「毎朝、健康のために時間をハカって走る。」Measuring time → 計る (はかる). 測る is length, 量る is weight, 図る is planning — all wrong for time. The correct kanji is not the most complex one; it is the one whose meaning the sentence licenses.

Common trap: The prettiest or most intricate kanji is not automatically correct. The exam rewards the option whose meaning fits the sentence, even when it is the simplest character on offer.

More Homophone Sets Worth Drilling

Several more homophone families appear repeatedly on N2 orthography items, and each is decided by the object or nuance of the sentence:

• かえる: 変える (change something), 換える (exchange/replace), 替える (substitute), 帰る (return home). 予定を変える (change a plan) vs 電池を換える (replace a battery).
• おさめる: 収める (obtain/put away), 納める (pay in), 治める (govern), 修める (master). 成功を収める (achieve success) vs 税金を納める (pay taxes).
• すすめる: 進める (advance), 勧める (recommend), 薦める (nominate). 計画を進める (advance a plan) vs 本を勧める (recommend a book).
• たいしょう: 対象 (target/object), 対称 (symmetry), 対照 (contrast). 調査の対象 (subject of a survey) vs 左右対称 (bilateral symmetry).

Second worked example: 「会議で新しい方針を（　）決めた。」If the katakana were ススメて and the sense is to move the discussion forward, the answer is 進めて (advance), not 勧めて (recommend) or 薦めて (nominate). Translate the katakana into an English concept first — advance, recommend, or nominate — and the correct kanji follows automatically.

A final orthography habit: scan the whole clause, not just the katakana word. The object noun (税金, 距離, 会社) is usually the single strongest clue to which homophone kanji the writer intended, and it disambiguates faster than trying to recall each kanji's dictionary gloss in isolation.