詳しく説明するDetailed Description and Explanation
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Describe people, places, systems, processes, services, and cultural practices in greater structural detail than in Volume II.
- Classify something by naming its type or category using という and related patterns.
- Give concrete examples to support a general statement using 例えば and 〜ような.
- Contrast two related items or perspectives using 一方.
- Build longer noun phrases through expanded noun modification, stacking description before a head noun.
- Organize a multi-sentence explanation that moves from a general classification to specific supporting detail.
- Read and write mixed-script Japanese describing systems and processes, using kanji strategies for categories, examples, and structure.
Communication Scenario
In the online discussion group Emma and Yuki joined in Chapter 1, this week's task is to explain something from daily life to members who may not be familiar with it: a system, a service, or a custom from your own city or country. Emma decides to explain how recycling collection works where she lives, since a member from another country asked a question about it during the group's first session. Her first draft is accurate but reads like a list of separate facts. Yuki suggests that Emma classify the system first — what kind of system it is — and then give concrete examples before adding a contrasting point about how a nearby city handles things differently. This chapter's Practical Performance Task asks you to write and present a similarly organized explanation of a system, place, service, or practice from your own life.
- The writer classifies the system or practice being explained before giving details.
- The writer supports the general explanation with at least one concrete example.
- The writer includes a contrasting point using 一方, comparing the system to a related alternative.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary supports describing people, places, systems, processes, services, and cultural practices in detail. Vocabulary from earlier chapters and volumes remains active.
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 仕組み | しくみ | system; mechanism | noun; how something is set up or works |
| 種類 | しゅるい | type; kind; category | often with の or を分ける |
| 分類する | ぶんるいする | to classify | する verb; transitive |
| 特徴 | とくちょう | characteristic; distinguishing feature | often with がある |
| 手順 | てじゅん | procedure; steps | used for processes with an order |
| サービス | サービス | service | katakana loanword; broader than English "service" in some contexts |
| 利用する | りようする | to use; to make use of | more formal than 使う; common with services and facilities |
| 対象 | たいしょう | target; subject (of a system or rule) | often with になる or とする |
| 地域 | ちいき | area; region; locality | reviewed from Volume II, active for local systems |
| 習慣 | しゅうかん | custom; habit | used for both personal habits and community customs |
Many of these words, such as 仕組み, 手順, and 特徴, are used across explanation tasks in general, not only for one topic domain; expect to reuse them throughout this unit.
れんしゅう — Practice: Choose a system, service, or custom from your own life (for example, how mail delivery, public transportation, or a membership works). Write three sentences describing it using 仕組み, 種類, and 特徴.
Script and Kanji Strategy
This chapter's kanji cluster around categories, examples, details, structure, and systems. As in Chapter 1, furigana is provided at first appearance for new kanji and reduced for consolidated Volume II vocabulary.
Several of this chapter's new words are two-kanji compounds built from characters you may already recognize individually, even if the compound itself is new: 分類 combines 分 (divide) and 類 (kind), and 対象 combines 対 (facing; versus) and 象 (image; shape). Recognizing familiar components can help you guess a plausible meaning before checking a dictionary, but a guess from components is a starting point, not a confirmed reading — always verify the actual reading and meaning of the whole word rather than assuming it from the parts alone.
New Volume III kanji introduced in this chapter, such as those above, receive furigana at first appearance and are gradually reduced according to this volume's matrices. Kanji introduced in Chapter 1, such as 評価 and 構成, appear with reduced furigana in this chapter's readings.
れんしゅう — Practice: Break 分類する and 対象 into their component kanji. For each component, write one other word you know that uses it.
Pronunciation Focus
As explanations grow longer, it becomes important to group words into meaningful phrases when speaking, rather than pausing evenly between every word or running everything together without a breath. A useful habit is to pause briefly after a topic phrase marked by は, after a long noun phrase before its head noun, and before a contrastive phrase introduced by 一方, since these are the places where a listener needs a moment to process what has come before.
- 種類 (しゅるい): keep the long vowel in しゅる clearly held, distinct from a shortened しゅる with no length contrast at all in casual speech — listen for how careful speech maintains it.
- 特徴 (とくちょう): moraic く and the long vowel in ちょう should both be clearly timed.
- 手順 (てじゅん): the moraic ん should be held for a full mora before a pause, not clipped short.
Practice reading the Building Block example in the Grammar section aloud, pausing at the phrase boundaries suggested above rather than at every word.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter introduces four connected tools for detailed explanation: classification with という, exemplification with 例えば and 〜ような, contrast with 一方, and expanded noun modification for building longer descriptive noun phrases.
Classifying with という
Purpose: to name the type or category something belongs to, especially when introducing an unfamiliar term or naming a system for the first time.
- これは「分別収集」という仕組みです。This is a system called "separated collection."Xという Y — Y is classified/named as X
- ごみを種類ごとに分けて出すという習慣があります。There is a custom of sorting trash by type before putting it out.という + noun, summarizing a described practice
という is used here to introduce or summarize a name, term, or practice, not simply to mean "say." Its use in quotation (Chapter 1's と言いました) and its use here in classification share the same underlying particle と but serve different discourse functions.
Giving examples with 例えば and 〜ような
Purpose: to support a general statement with one or more concrete examples, and to describe something by comparing it to a familiar example.
- このサービスにはいろいろな種類があります。例えば、食料品の配達や、部屋の掃除を頼むことができます。This service has various types. For example, you can request grocery delivery or room cleaning.例えば opens a sentence giving specific examples of a prior general claim
- 図書館のような公共施設は、多くの地域で無料で利用できます。Public facilities like libraries can be used for free in many areas.Xのような Y — Y similar in kind to example X
Contrasting with 一方
Purpose: to present two related but different situations, systems, or perspectives side by side.
- この市ではプラスチックは週に一度回収されます。一方、隣の市では週に二度回収されるそうです。In this city, plastic is collected once a week. On the other hand, I hear that in the neighboring city it's collected twice a week.一方 introduces a contrasting second clause or sentence
- このサービスは便利だが、料金が高いという一方もある。This service is convenient, but there is also the other side that the fee is high.という一方もある — naming a contrasting aspect within one statement
一方 can connect two full sentences, as in the first example, or appear within a single sentence to name a contrasting aspect, as in the second. Both uses are active in this chapter; the volume scope does not require more advanced concessive patterns yet.
Expanded noun modification
Purpose: to build longer, more informative noun phrases by stacking a description before the noun it modifies, rather than splitting the description into a separate sentence.
- 週に一度、決まった曜日に回収される可燃ごみburnable trash that is collected once a week, on a fixed dayclause + clause modifying 可燃ごみ, head-final structure
- 誰でも無料で利用できる、駅前にある図書館the library near the station that anyone can use for freetwo modifying clauses stacked before 図書館
This is the same head-final noun-modification system reactivated in Chapter 1, now extended to carry more information before the head noun. Keep each modifying clause understandable; two clearly connected clauses are more useful than a single overloaded phrase.
Building a classification-to-detail explanation
Grammar Review Practice
- Write one sentence classifying a system or practice you know, using という.
- Write one sentence giving an example of something using 例えば.
- Write one sentence describing something by comparison, using 〜のような.
- Write one sentence contrasting two related things using 一方.
- Write one noun phrase with at least two stacked modifying clauses before the head noun.
Model Dialogue
Setting: Emma shows Yuki her draft explanation of the recycling system for the discussion group.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What does Yuki suggest Emma start her explanation with?
- What example does Emma decide to use?
- What five-part flow do Emma and Yuki agree on by the end of the conversation?
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Classify it. Choose a system, service, place, or custom from your own life. Write one sentence classifying it using という.
タスク２ — Add examples. Write two sentences giving concrete examples of how your chosen system or practice works, using 例えば or 〜のような.
タスク３ — Add a contrast. Write one sentence contrasting your system or practice with a related alternative, using 一方.
タスク４ — Expand a noun phrase. Take a simple noun from your topic and expand it into a noun phrase with at least two stacked modifying clauses.
タスク５ — Plan your explanation. Using the Building Block pattern from the Grammar section, outline five sentences for your own detailed explanation: classification, characteristic, example, contrast, and closing.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following passage aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — An explanation of a library card system, read aloud
この町には、「共通図書館カード」という仕組みがあります。これは、一枚のカードで町にあるどの図書館も利用できるという特徴があるサービスです。例えば、駅前の図書館で借りた本を、家の近くの図書館に返すこともできます。一方、隣の町では、それぞれの図書館に別々のカードが必要だそうです。もしこの町に住んでいるなら、まず一番近い図書館でカードを作ることをおすすめします。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Identify what the system is called, its main characteristic, the example given, the contrast with the neighboring town, and the closing suggestion.
This script reviews classification with という, an example with 例えば, a contrast with 一方, and the five-stage Building Block pattern together, as expected on this chapter's Practical Performance Task.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: Quick classification and example prompts
- あなたの町には、どんな仕組みやサービスがありますか。一つ挙げて、分類してください。
- そのサービスの例を一つ、例えばを使って説明してください。
- そのサービスと似ているけれど少し違うものを、一方を使って対比してください。
コミュニケーションタスク — Partner explanation and questions
Explain a system, service, place, or custom from your own life to a partner using the five-stage Building Block pattern. Your partner should ask at least two follow-up questions and take notes, since you will use this interview to prepare feedback for your partner's Practical Performance Task.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: A rehearsed explanation
Using your Guided Practice outline, rehearse and record a one-to-two-minute spoken explanation of your chosen system or practice for the discussion group described in the Communication Scenario. Listen back and check phrase grouping, classification, examples, and contrast.
Reading Practice
Read the following short explanation posted in the discussion group, then answer the questions below.
共有自転車 — A Bike-Sharing Explanation
私の住んでいる町には、「共有自転車」という仕組みがあります。これは、決まった場所にある自転車を、誰でもアプリで予約して使えるという特徴があるサービスです。例えば、駅から会社まで乗って、着いたら近くの決まった場所に返すことができます。一方、隣の町のサービスは、決まった場所ではなく、どこにでも自転車を置いていいそうですが、そのぶん見つけるのが少し大変だと聞きました。もしこの町を訪れる機会があったら、一度アプリを試してみるといいと思います。
Notice that 予約 and 機会, less frequent kanji at this point in the volume, retain furigana, while 仕組み and 特徴, introduced earlier in this chapter, appear without support by the time they recur here.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What is the bike-sharing system called, and what is its main characteristic?
- What example does the writer give of how the service is used?
- How does the neighboring town's service differ, according to the writer?
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will draft the written portion of your Practical Performance Task: a detailed explanation of a system, service, place, or custom, following the five-stage Building Block pattern from the Grammar section.
- Classify your topic in one sentence using という.
- Describe its main characteristic or how it works, in one or two sentences.
- Give one or two concrete examples using 例えば or 〜のような.
- Add a contrasting point about a related alternative using 一方.
- Close with one sentence connecting the explanation back to the reader's likely situation, and revise using the checklist below.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- My explanation classifies the topic clearly using という.
- My explanation describes at least one specific characteristic.
- My explanation includes at least one concrete example using 例えば or 〜のような.
- My explanation includes a contrasting point using 一方.
- I used at least one expanded noun phrase with a stacked modifying clause.
- My sentences connect to one another rather than reading as a disconnected list.
- I maintained one consistent polite or plain style throughout.
- I checked unfamiliar kanji using the strategies in the Script and Kanji Strategy section.
Culture and Communication
Many everyday systems in Japan, such as trash sorting, recycling collection, and local card-based services, are managed at the municipal level rather than nationally, so procedures can differ meaningfully between neighboring cities or wards. This local variation is a common and useful topic for detailed explanation, since it naturally requires classification, examples, and comparison rather than a single fixed description.
Local variation in municipal systems is common in many countries, not only in Japan. When describing a system from your own country or region for an international discussion group, it can be helpful to note explicitly that your description applies to your specific area, since a listener from elsewhere may reasonably assume the practice is more uniform than it actually is.
という and 一方 are common in both spoken explanation and written description, and their level of formality depends more on the surrounding sentence-final forms than on the connectors themselves. Using them consistently within one register, as this chapter's Practical Performance Task requires, helps a detailed explanation read as organized and complete.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Error: *ごみは種類ごとに出します。月曜日は燃えるごみです。水曜日は缶です。 three disconnected factual sentences with no classification or connecting language.
Correction: これは「分別収集」というごみの仕組みで、種類ごとに決まった曜日に出すという特徴があります。例えば、燃えるごみは月曜日、缶は水曜日に出します。 — open with a classification using という, then connect the details with 例えば, as modeled in this chapter's Building Block.
Error: *このサービスは便利です。一方、駅の近くにあります。 using 一方 to add a second unrelated fact rather than a genuine contrast.
Correction: このサービスは料金が安いです。一方、隣町のサービスは少し高いです。 — reserve 一方 for a genuine point of contrast between two comparable things, not as a general-purpose connector for additional information.
Error: *駅前にあって、誰でも無料で利用できて、月曜日から日曜日まで開いていて、本や雑誌がたくさんある図書館 a single noun phrase stacking four separate modifying clauses before the head noun, making it hard to follow.
Correction: Limit a single noun phrase to one or two clearly connected modifying clauses, such as 駅前にあって、誰でも無料で利用できる図書館, and move additional details into a separate sentence.
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Use 仕組み, 種類, 特徴, and 手順 each in one original sentence describing a system or process you know.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write the readings for 仕組み, 種類, 特徴, and 手順 from memory, then check them against the Script and Kanji Strategy section.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Complete the five Grammar Review Practice items in the Grammar section above, if you have not already done so.
2. Explain, in your own words, the difference between using という to classify something and using という earlier to introduce a direct quotation.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the passage in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing it in your own words, maintaining consistent polite style.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Complete your written explanation, following the Writing Workshop steps, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Present your rehearsed spoken explanation to a partner, instructor, or recording, as part of the Practical Performance Task below.
Practical Performance Task
じっせんパフォーマンスタスク
詳しく説明する — Explaining a system, service, place, or custom
Prepare a detailed explanation, as though posting it for the discussion group described in the Communication Scenario. Complete all three components below.
- Written explanation: Write a connected account of at least five sentences that follows the Building Block pattern from the Grammar section: classification, characteristic, example, contrast, and closing. Include at least one expanded noun phrase and maintain one consistent register throughout.
- Spoken presentation: With a partner, instructor, or recording, present your explanation aloud in about one to two minutes, as though explaining the system to a discussion group member unfamiliar with it.
- Peer or self-audit: Exchange explanations with a partner, or review your own after a break, and check specifically for classification with という, at least one example, a contrastive point with 一方, and clear phrase grouping in the spoken version.
Assessment focus: accurate classification and detail vocabulary; correct use of という, 例えば, 〜のような, and 一方; at least one well-formed expanded noun phrase; a clear classification-to-detail organization; consistent register; and comprehensible pronunciation with attention to phrase grouping and mora timing.
Answer Key
Grammar Review Practice
Open-ended; models should follow the patterns shown in the Grammar section. Check that という is used to classify or name rather than merely to quote, that 例えば or 〜のような introduces a genuine example, that 一方 marks a real contrast rather than a simple addition, and that the expanded noun phrase remains clear with no more than two stacked modifying clauses.
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Yuki suggests Emma start with a classification of what the system is.
- Emma decides to use the example that burnable trash and cans/bottles have different collection days.
- They agree on: classification, characteristic, example, contrast with "on the other hand," and a closing summary.
Listening task — Model summary
The system is called the "shared library card." Its main characteristic is that one card can be used at any library in town. The example given is returning a book borrowed at the station library to a library near home. The neighboring town requires a separate card for each library. The closing suggestion is to make a card at the nearest library.
Reading — Comprehension
- The system is called "shared bicycles"; its main characteristic is that anyone can reserve a bicycle at a fixed location using an app.
- The writer gives the example of riding from the station to work and returning the bicycle to a fixed nearby location.
- The neighboring town's service allows bicycles to be left anywhere rather than at fixed locations, but they can be harder to find as a result.
Chapter Review — Sections A and B
Open-ended; check against the Core Vocabulary and Script and Kanji Strategy sections above.
Chapter Review — Section C
Open-ended for item 1; see Grammar Review Practice guidance above. For item 2, a correct explanation notes that という used for quotation reports what someone said, typically after a full clause ending in a quotable statement, while という used for classification names or labels a type, system, or practice, typically directly after the name or term being classified.
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: この町には、アプリで自転車を予約して使う「共有自転車」というサービスがあります。決まった場所に返す必要がありますが、隣町のサービスとは違うところがあるそうです。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F, and Practical Performance Task
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate the written explanation against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate the spoken presentation and peer or self-audit against the assessment focus listed under the Practical Performance Task.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can classify a system, service, place, or custom, support your explanation with concrete examples, contrast it with a related alternative, and build expanded noun phrases that carry more descriptive detail. Combined with the register consistency and topic management from Chapter 1, you can now produce an organized, multi-sentence explanation rather than a list of disconnected facts. This prepares you for the next chapter's work with cause and consequence.