AP Japanese Language & Culture — Cheatsheet

On the exam

• AP Japanese presents authentic texts mixing all three scripts. You do not need to know every kanji, but you must read hiragana and katakana fluently and recognize high-frequency kanji. Drilling kana to instant recognition frees your attention for meaning during the timed reading section.
• The は/が distinction is tested constantly. A quick heuristic: if the information is **new or being singled out** (answers “who/what?”), lean が; if it is the **established theme** you are commenting on, lean は. Reading lots of authentic dialogue builds the intuition faster than memorizing rules.
• Particle choice is graded in both writing and speaking. Build muscle memory by learning verbs together with the particle they take: 〜に行く (ni iku, “go to”), 〜を食べる (o taberu, “eat”), 〜で会う (de au, “meet at”). Storing verb + particle as a unit prevents most particle errors.
• On AP tasks, register is scored. The interpersonal email reply and formal speech generally call for です／ます; a casual message to a friend may use plain form. Read the prompt for cues about who the audience is, and keep your chosen register consistent to the end.
• Watch for “trap” words that end in い but are actually な-adjectives, like 綺麗 (kirei) and 有名 (yūmei, “famous”). They do not conjugate like い-adjectives. When you learn a new descriptive word, note its type — い or な — right away.
• Speaking and writing tasks demand fast, accurate conjugation. Drill a core set of verbs across all three groups until the ます, ない, and te-forms are automatic — hesitation over conjugation is one of the biggest fluency drains on the timed sections.
• The te-form unlocks a huge range of grammar (〜てもいい “may,” 〜てはいけない “must not,” 〜ている progressive, 〜てから “after doing”). Master te-form formation early — it is the single highest-leverage conjugation for scoring across the AP tasks.
• When narrating a picture or video prompt, 〜ています lets you describe live action: 人々が電車を待っています (Hitobito ga densha o matte imasu, “people are waiting for the train”). Pair it with 今 (ima, “now”) for progress and with change-of-state verbs for states, and your descriptions gain precision.
• You will not be tested on every rare counter, but people (〜人), flat things (〜枚), long things (〜本), small animals (〜匹), and the general 〜つ are essential. Drill each counter’s 1–10 series aloud so the sound changes come automatically under time pressure.
• AP does not expect flawless keigo, but recognizing and producing basic sonkeigo/kenjōgo raises your register on formal tasks like a business email or a speech to an audience. Memorize the handful of special verb pairs (いらっしゃる／参る, おっしゃる／申す, 召し上がる／いただく) — they carry most real-world keigo.
• In persuasive writing and speaking, explicitly signaling cause with から／ので makes your argument easy to follow. Combine with 〜なければなりません (must) or 〜べきだ (should) to state a reasoned recommendation on a global issue — a structure graders reward for coherence.
• On the presentational writing task, open paragraphs with clear connectors (まず／しかし／だから) and close with an explicit opinion using 〜と思います or 〜べきだと思います. Graders reward a visible position plus organized support far more than isolated advanced vocabulary.

How to get a 5

• In the text chat, respond quickly and concisely. You don't need long paragraphs, but you must answer the questions accurately.
• Familiarize yourself with typing in Japanese using a romaji keyboard and selecting the correct kanji conversions.
• Consistently use the appropriate polite form (Desu/Masu) or plain form depending on the prompt's instructions.
• Practice using transition words like 'また' (also) and 'だから' (therefore) to connect your sentences logically.
• Answer every question in the email prompt and add one of your own. Points are lost most often for replying to only one of the two questions or for omitting the required follow-up question — the question must be about something the original message actually mentioned, not a generic “what should I bring?”
• Choose a register in the first sentence and hold it to the last. If you open with です・ます, a single plain-form verb or a casual よ later on undercuts an otherwise strong response; keep humble forms (申します、伺います) for yourself and honorific forms (いらっしゃる、おっしゃる) for the other person.
• For the narration task, tell a story instead of captioning four pictures. Use time connectives (その日の朝、しばらくして、そのとき、次の日), the te-form to chain events, and giving-and-receiving forms (届けてくれた、直してもらった) to make relationships clear, then close with one reflective sentence.
• Particles carry the meaning, so proofread them last. Check that action locations use で, destinations に or へ, paths を, and time points に; and check the ～は～が pattern (象は鼻が長い) whenever you describe a part of something.
• For the cultural presentation, prepare two or three Japanese practices in advance with concrete detail (そうじの時間、給食当番、部活、お正月、お花見) plus a ready comparison to your own school or town. Graders reward specific practices and an explicit comparison; broad claims about “Japanese people” score low.

Key terms