Sentence composition · N4 to N1 examples

How to solve JLPT ★ questions

Every JLPT level has a sentence composition task. You get a sentence with four blanks and four pieces. One blank has a ★. You put the pieces in order, then choose the piece that lands on the ★.

The official purpose of this task is to “test sentence composition that is syntactically accurate and makes sense.” So the test is not one word. It is the whole sentence.

It is tempting to guess the ★ after placing one or two pieces. The method below has you place all four pieces first, so your answer rests on the whole sentence.

See the 4 stepsWorked examplesPractice ★ questions

The method in 4 steps

  1. 1

    Read the whole frame first. Read the words before the first blank and after the last blank. They tell you what the first piece must connect to and how the last piece must end.

  2. 2

    Place the obvious pairs. Look for pieces that only work together: a verb te-form and a helper verb, a noun and its particle, a set phrase split in two. Join them first.

  3. 3

    Fix the ends. Decide which piece must touch the text after the blanks, and which piece can follow the text before them. Usually only one piece fits each end.

  4. 4

    Read the full sentence, then answer the ★. Read it once from start to finish. If it sounds natural, count to the ★ slot and choose that piece. Answer with the piece in the ★ slot, not the first piece you placed.

Worked examples

These sentences are written for this guide. They are not taken from any past exam.

N4 example

母に ＿＿ ＿＿ ★ ＿＿ 、まだ 食べて いません。

  1. 1. もらった
  2. 2. ケーキ
  3. 3. は
  4. 4. 作って
  • Correct order: 作って / もらった / ケーキ / は
  • Full sentence: 母に作ってもらったケーキは、まだ食べていません。 (I still have not eaten the cake my mother made for me.)
  • ★ answer: 2. ケーキ
  • Why: 作って + もらった is a fixed pair (〜てもらう), and は must sit right before the comma, so ケーキ lands on the ★.

N3 example

この 本は ＿＿ ＿＿ ★ ＿＿ なる。

  1. 1. 読む
  2. 2. おもしろく
  3. 3. ほど
  4. 4. 読めば
  • Correct order: 読めば / 読む / ほど / おもしろく
  • Full sentence: この本は読めば読むほどおもしろくなる。 (The more you read this book, the more interesting it gets.)
  • ★ answer: 3. ほど
  • Why: 〜ば〜ほど always runs 読めば, 読む, ほど, and なる at the end needs the く form おもしろく right before it.

N2 example

電車が 止まって しまったので、駅から 会社まで ＿＿ ＿＿ ★ ＿＿ なかった。

  1. 1. 得
  2. 2. 歩いて
  3. 3. 行かざる
  4. 4. を
  • Correct order: 歩いて / 行かざる / を / 得
  • Full sentence: 電車が止まってしまったので、駅から会社まで歩いて行かざるを得なかった。 (The trains stopped, so I had no choice but to walk from the station to the office.)
  • ★ answer: 4. を
  • Why: 〜ざるを得ない is one set phrase, and 得 must touch なかった, so the order is fixed and を falls on the ★.

N1 example

この 店では、＿＿ ＿＿ ★ ＿＿ 新鮮な 魚料理が 食べられる。

  1. 1. の
  2. 2. 町
  3. 3. 海辺の
  4. 4. ならでは
  • Correct order: 海辺の / 町 / ならでは / の
  • Full sentence: この店では、海辺の町ならではの新鮮な魚料理が食べられる。 (At this restaurant you can eat fresh fish dishes you only find in a seaside town.)
  • ★ answer: 4. ならでは
  • Why: 海辺の needs a noun after it (町), and 〜ならではの needs a noun phrase before it and a noun after it (新鮮な魚料理).

Common traps

  • Answering with the wrong number. You choose the piece in the ★ slot. Write the order down as numbers, then count to the ★.
  • Assuming the ★ is always in the same place. It is usually the third of four slots, but not always. Check where it is before you count.
  • Ignoring the words after the last blank. The ending often decides the last piece: なる needs a く or に form, a comma after a topic needs は.
  • Splitting a set phrase. Pieces like 行かざる and 得, or ならでは and の, belong together. Find them first.
  • Stopping at “almost right”. Two orders can look fine in pieces. Only one reads naturally as a full sentence. Read it all once before you answer.
  • Spending too long on one item. If you cannot fix both ends in about a minute, pick your best order and move on. Come back if time is left.

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