Study Japanese 101

How to Practise Marugoto Plus A2 Vocabulary

Choose an A2 topic and category, try the reading or listening quiz, and turn feedback into a small lesson-based review.

5 min read

MARUGOTO Plus has a vocabulary practice section for learners working with the Japan Foundation's Elementary 1 (A2) material. Pick one topic and category, then choose whether to read a word or listen to it before selecting an illustration. Use the result to choose a small follow-up task, not as proof that you can use every word in conversation.

This guide covers the English interface for Elementary 1 (A2) Vocabulary. It is a support site, distinct from the Marugoto online course on Minato and from the separate MARUGOTO Words lookup site. The steps below describe a study routine built around the published interface, not a completed course or a learning-outcome test.

1. Choose one topic and category

Open the Vocabulary topic list. Its choices include My Family and Myself, Seasons and Weather, My Town and Going Out. Choose the topic closest to the lesson or situation you are studying. You do not have to complete every topic before using the material that fits your course.

For a concrete first session, select Topic 1: My Family and Myself. On the category screen, Family 1 and Family 2 are separate choices; Hobbies, Jobs, Languages and Countries are also shown. Pick just one. The page then offers Listen and choose and Read and choose. These are two ways to practise a category, not two different course levels.

If a category contains words you cannot yet recognise, review the matching lesson first. The site's description says the support material follows the Elementary 1 A2 coursebook. A picture can help you recognise a word, but it does not necessarily show every situation in which the word can be used.

2. Start with a reading attempt

Select Read and choose for your category. The provider describes this as reading a word and choosing an illustration. In the sampled Family 1 screen, the page displayed a question counter, a Japanese prompt and script display choices. Follow the prompts on the page and make your own selection before checking the result.

Try to say what the word means before looking at the pictures. If the choices help you recognise the answer but you could not recall it unaided, mark that difference in a notebook. Recognition and recall are different tasks; the quiz result alone cannot tell you how easily you would produce the word in a conversation.

Use the script option that lets you attempt the task. If kana is still slow, keep a kana reference nearby. When you can read the prompt, try again without relying on roman letters. Do not guess the pronunciation of an unfamiliar kanji from its shape: check it against the course material or a dictionary.

3. Try the listening version

Return to the category and choose Listen and choose. The Japan Foundation describes this version as listening to a word and choosing an illustration. Check your device volume and audio settings if you cannot hear it. The provider's Vocabulary help page shows the settings, question, answer and result screens.

Keep this attempt separate from the reading one. If you can read a word but cannot recognise it by ear, listen again and compare the sound with the written form in your lesson. If you recognise the sound but cannot remember the meaning, return to the meaning in context. These are possible explanations, not diagnoses from a single answer.

4. Make the result useful

The help page includes result and incorrect-word screens. After a set, use the feedback shown there to choose a few items to revisit. Rather than copying a whole list, keep a short note: word or phrase | what confused me | next action.

For example, a learner might write: “Family word | read it but missed the sound | listen again, then find it in the lesson dialogue.” That is an illustrative study note, not a reported quiz result. Another learner may need to distinguish two pictures, check a reading or return to an explanation. If you cannot tell why an answer was wrong, write a question and ask a teacher or check a trusted reference.

On a later day, try a few items again without looking at your note. Then find one in the course dialogue or make a simple sentence relevant to you. Check your sentence with a teacher or reliable reference when you are unsure. A higher score on a repeated set can also reflect memory of those particular questions.

5. Connect the words to a lesson

Vocabulary practice is one part of the support site. The Japan Foundation also describes conversation, grammar, kanji and listening sections for the same Elementary 1 material. After the quiz, return to one lesson goal and notice how a useful word appears in that situation. A short dialogue or a sentence you understand gives the word a place to live beyond a picture choice.

If you are still choosing a full course, see our guide to the A1 online course options. That guide concerns Starter A1 on Minato, while this walkthrough uses the separate Elementary 1 A2 support site. The Marugoto profile explains the broader resource, and the study-stack guide can help you fit one activity into your existing routine.

When to choose a different next step

If you need a full beginner sequence, use a course rather than treating isolated quizzes as a syllabus. If the A2 material is too hard, the Japan Foundation's e-learning page links to support material at other levels. If you need to look up a word from a different source, a general Japanese dictionary may serve that job better; our Jisho entry guide explains how to check the reading and sense.

One category is enough for a first session. Choose a topic, attempt reading or listening, review the feedback, and return to a lesson where you can use what you noticed.

Sources

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