Inside This Unit: The Full Breakdown
Theme 1 (Families & Communities) pairs family contexts with Japanese foundations: the three scripts, the topic particle は, possessive の, SOV order, and です.
Why it matters
Scripts, particles, and verb-final order are the base for reading Japanese.
Key concepts
- Hiragana (native), katakana (loanwords), kanji.
- は marks the topic; の marks possession; word order is SOV.
- です is the polite copula; か makes a question.
Scripts, Particles, Order
Learn the three scripts, mark the topic with は and possession with の, keep the verb last (SOV), and use です/か. Maintain the polite register the exam expects.
AP exam tip
On the email task, keep the polite ます/です register consistent and end the verb-final clause correctly.
Connections to other units
- Theme 2: Object/direction particles extend this base.
- Theme 6: Community connects to global issues.
