Lesson L5N3N3 Vocabulary — Thematic Sets⏱ 25 min

Media and Information Vocabulary

This lesson introduces essential N3-level words and phrases used in discussing media, journalism, broadcasting, and digital information. You will learn terms for newspapers, television, internet, reporting, and common expressions for describing news consumption and information reliability, with example sentences to reinforce usage in context.

🎯 Goal: Learn N3 vocabulary related to media and information.

Lesson Content

Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand and use 20 N3-level vocabulary words related to media, information, and society. You will learn how to talk about business, organizations, recovery, and national concepts with confidence.

Concept

Media and information vocabulary is essential for discussing news, current events, and daily life in Japanese. Many of these words share the kanji 回 (kai, "to go around" or "time") and 国 (koku, "country"), which appear frequently in formal and informal contexts. Understanding these root characters will help you guess the meaning of new words you encounter.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Words with 回 (kai) — "to go around" or "time"

The kanji 回 carries the core idea of rotation, cycles, or occurrences. It appears in many common N3 words.

Word	Reading	Romaji	Meaning	Usage Note
回	かい	kai	counter for occurrences	Used like "times" (e.g., 三回 = three times)
回す	まわす	mawasu	to turn, to rotate	Transitive verb (someone turns something)
回り	まわり	mawari	rotation, circumference	Also means "around" (e.g., 世界回り = around the world)
回収	かいしゅう	kaishuu	collection, retrieval	Often used for garbage collection or data recovery
回復	かいふく	kaifuku	recovery, restoration	Used for health, economy, or data
回数	かいすう	kaisuu	number of times, frequency	回数券 = coupon ticket book

Example sentences:

ゴミの回収は毎週火曜日です。 (Gomi no kaishuu wa maishuu kayoubi desu.) — Garbage collection is every Tuesday.
彼は病気から回復した。 (Kare wa byouki kara kaifuku shita.) — He recovered from his illness.
このボタンを右に回してください。 (Kono botan o migi ni mawashite kudasai.) — Please turn this button to the right.

2. Words with 国 (koku) — "country"

Word	Reading	Romaji	Meaning	Usage Note
国会	こっかい	kokkai	National Diet, parliament	Japan's legislative body
国境	こっきょう	kokkyou	national border	Often used in geography and news
国家	こっか	kokka	state, country, nation	Formal term for "nation-state"
国民	こくみん	kokumin	national, citizen	Collective term for people of a country
国語	こくご	kokugo	national language	Specifically refers to Japanese language in Japan

Example sentences:

国会で新しい法律が議論された。 (Kokkai de atarashii houritsu ga giron sareta.) — A new law was debated in the Diet.
国境を越えるにはパスポートが必要です。 (Kokkyou o koeru ni wa pasupooto ga hitsuyou desu.) — You need a passport to cross the border.
国民の意見を聞くことが大切だ。 (Kokumin no iken o kiku koto ga taisetsu da.) — It is important to listen to the citizens' opinions.

3. Other Key Vocabulary

Word	Reading	Romaji	Meaning	Example
営業	えいぎょう	eigyou	business, trade, sales	営業時間 = business hours
器用	きよう	kiyou	dexterous, skillful	彼女は器用な人です = She is a skillful person
団体	だんたい	dantai	organization, association	旅行団体 = tour group
困難	こんなん	konnan	difficulty, distress	困難に立ち向かう = to face difficulties
囲む	かこむ	kakomu	to surround, to encircle	テーブルを囲んで話す = to talk around a table
図	ず	zu	drawing, picture, diagram	設計図 = blueprint
図書	としょ	tosho	books (formal)	図書館 = library
固まる	かたまる	katamaru	to harden, to solidify	コンクリートが固まる = concrete hardens
土	つち	tsuchi	earth, soil, dirt	土の上に座る = to sit on the ground

Mini Examples

営業の仕事は大変ですが、やりがいがあります。
Eigyou no shigoto wa taihen desu ga, yarigai ga arimasu.
Sales work is tough, but rewarding.
この図を見てください。これは新しい工事の計画です。
Kono zu o mite kudasai. Kore wa atarashii kouji no keikaku desu.
Please look at this diagram. This is the plan for the new construction.
彼は器用にピアノを弾く。
Kare wa kiyou ni piano o hiku.
He plays the piano skillfully.
この団体は環境保護のために活動している。
Kono dantai wa kankyou hogo no tame ni katsudou shite iru.
This organization is active for environmental protection.
土が固まるまで、ここに触らないでください。
Tsuchi ga katamaru made, koko ni sawaranaide kudasai.
Please don't touch here until the soil hardens.

Common Mistake

Mistake: Confusing 回数 (kaisuu, "number of times") with 回収 (kaishuu, "collection").

回数 = how many times something happens (frequency)
回収 = the act of collecting or retrieving something

Wrong: ゴミの回数は毎週です。 (Gomi no kaisuu wa maishuu desu.) — This sounds like "The number of garbage times is every week."

Correct: ゴミの回収は毎週です。 (Gomi no kaishuu wa maishuu desu.) — "Garbage collection is every week."

Another common mix-up: 国会 (kokkai, "Diet/parliament") vs. 国境 (kokkyou, "border"). The small つ (っ) changes the meaning entirely!

Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the lesson:

この問題はとても___だ。解決するのは難しい。
Kono mondai wa totemo ___ da. Kaiketsu suru no wa muzukashii.
(Answer: 困難 / konnan)
図書館で___を借りた。
Toshokan de ___ o karita.
(Answer: 図書 / tosho)
病気からの___には時間がかかる。
Byouki kara no ___ ni wa jikan ga kakaru.
(Answer: 回復 / kaifuku)
友達を___で話し合った。
Tomodachi o ___ de hanashiattta.
(Answer: 囲んで / kakonde)
日本の___は日本語だ。
Nihon no ___ wa nihongo da.
(Answer: 国語 / kokugo)

Summary and Next Step

You've learned 20 N3 vocabulary words centered around media, information, and society. The key kanji 回 (rotation/occurrence) and 国 (country) will help you recognize patterns in new vocabulary. Remember that 回 appears in words about frequency and collection, while 国 appears in words about national institutions and identity.

Next step: Practice using these words in sentences about current events. Try reading a short Japanese news article and identifying any of these words. Then, write three original sentences using 回収, 国民, and 器用.