JLPT N3 vocabulary: remember the words that belong together

What is a useful vocabulary combination?

Learn a noun with a verb or adjective it commonly takes. The combination helps you retrieve a phrase that fits a situation. Keep the meaning clear rather than memorising two words as an unexplained sound.

For example, 予約を変更する means changing a reservation. You can reuse that pattern with a new date or place. A translation of 変更 alone does not show you how the noun and verb form a sentence.

Keep a word family organised by use

予定を立てる is making plans; 予定を変更する is changing them. In 来週の予定を変更しました。, the plan already exists and is altered. Explain that time relationship before translating each element.

Now compare 約束を守る, keeping a promise. The object changes what the action describes. Learn this as a useful pairing rather than assuming that every English use of “keep” maps to the same Japanese verb.

Why can a correct dictionary meaning still mislead?

A word can have a broadly correct meaning yet sound unnatural beside a particular object. Check a full example sentence and the kind of object it uses. When possible, compare two examples that differ in one feature.

Do not call every alternative impossible. Some combinations work in a different sense or setting. Your review note should say why the target combination fits this situation, and where you would need more context.

Practise six combinations in two directions

First look at the noun and supply the verb. Then read a situation and produce the full phrase. Finally, write two short sentences with changed details. This moves the work beyond recognising a completed phrase.

Space the review across sessions. If you remember the phrase but cannot explain it, revisit the situation. If you know the meaning but lose the reading, practise the reading of the complete word.

Try it yourself

Your dinner reservation changes from Friday to Saturday. Complete: 予約を＿＿しました。

References

• JLPT official sample questions