Stations, Buildings, and Floor Plans

Building facility vocabulary

Building facility vocabulary covers the names of parts of a building and places inside it, such as reception, entrance, floor, and parking area. In exams, the items tested are usually kanji readings, word meanings, or the place that fits the context of a sentence. For this reason, the readings of compound words must be memorized as a single unit, not by reading each kanji separately.

• 受付(うけつけ, reception) — reception desk or registration counter at an office, hospital, or public building. The reading is special: 受 is read う and 付 is read つけ without dakuten, so うけづけ, うけつき, じゅふ, and じゅつけ are incorrect readings. 例) 来客の方は受付で名前を書いてください。
• 階(かい, floor) — 一階 is read いっかい (first floor or ground floor) and 三階 is read さんがい. After さん, 階 changes to がい, so さんかい is not correct. 例) 教室は三階にあります。
• 玄関(げんかん, entrance hall) — area at the front of a house where people take off their shoes before going up into the interior rooms. It is not ベランダ (balcony), 台所(だいどころ, kitchen), or お風呂(おふろ, bath). 例) 玄関で靴をぬぎます。
• 窓(まど, window) — object that is opened (あける) to let air into a room. The verb 開ける is used for windows, doors, or container lids. 例) 寒いので窓を閉めます。
• 駐車場(ちゅうしゃじょう, parking lot) — 駐 is read ちゅう, 車 is read しゃ, and 場 is read じょう. じゅうしゃじょう, ちゅうじゃじょう, and ちゅうさじょう are incorrect. 例) 車は駐車場に止めてください。
• 休憩(きゅうけい, rest or break) and 休憩室(きゅうけいしつ, break room) — 休 is read きゅう and 憩 is read けい. きょうけい, きゅうかい, and きゅうげい are wrong readings. 例) 昼休みに休憩室でお茶を飲みます。
• 建物(たてもの, building) — 建 is read た(てる) and 物 is read もの. 見物(けんぶつ, sightseeing or looking around) has a different reading and meaning, so the two must not be confused. 例) この建物は古いです。
• 出口(でぐち, exit) and 入口(いりぐち, entrance) — 口 changes to ぐち due to rendaku, meaning the initial consonant of the second element becomes voiced. でくち, いくち, and いりくち are incorrect readings. 例) 出口から外に出ます。
• 銀行(ぎんこう, bank) — 銀 is read ぎん and 行 is read こう. きんこう, ぎんごう, and げんこう are not correct. 例) 銀行で口座を作ります。

Station and ticket vocabulary

Station and ticket vocabulary covers objects, places, and collocations that are often used when riding a train. In questions, nouns must be paired with natural verbs, and the readings of station kanji are also often tested.