Do you remember taking English tests back when you were in 1st grade? (Or French tests, if you're French; German tests if you're German, etc.)

How did you do?

Think you could pass a 国語のテスト (こくご の テスト // Japanese test) that they give out to 小学一年生 (しょうがく いちねんせい // 1st grade students)?

That reminds me, check out this lesson for info on how to number the years for Japanese schools: [NDL #133] - The Age You Can Eat Anything.

Also, we just saw how 国語, "country language," means "Japanese" back in [NDL #281] - Who cares!

Oh yeah, back to school.

Here's your test:

(Link to larger image.)

Sorry if that's a little hard to read, even when it's full-sized. But reading slightlyblurry kana is also a skill that we must master, sadly.

What are you reading this for? Go take that test!

Oh, it might help if I write the instructions, huh?

(Note: I'm writing the instructions how an adult would write them, because this hiragana-only stuff is going to make us stupid.)

(Note #2: Notice how all of these instructions use the command form of adding ～なさい to the masu-stem of verbs. They teach this fairly early in Japanese classes (maybe JLPT N5?), because you see it in children's books and stuff, I guess. You won't get many chances to use this one, though... unless you have kids, I guess. Don't use it with your friends, because no one likes getting bossed around.)

Top-Right Instructions:
一、☐にカタカナを入れて、言葉を作りなさい。
いち、 しかく　に　かたかな　を　いれて、 ことば　を　つくりなさい。
First, make words by writing katakana in the blank spaces.
Literally: "one, + square + に + katakana + を + insert, + word + を + make."

Top-Left Instructions:
二、☐に小さく書く字を入れて、正しい文を作りなさい。
に、 しかく　に　ちいさく　かく　じ　を　いれて、 ただしい　ぶん　を　つくりなさい。
Second, make correct sentences by writing small characters in the squares.
Literally: "two, + square + に + small + write + characters + を + insert, + correct + sentence + を + make."

Bottom-Right Instructions:
三、絵の名前をカタカナで書きなさい。
さん、 え　の　なまえ　を　かたかな　で　かきなさい。
Three, write the name of the pictures in katakana.
Literally: "three, + picture + の + name + を + katakana + で + write."

Bottom-Left Instructions:
四、☐に「を・は・わ・え・へ」を入れて、正しい文を作りなさい。
よん、 しかく　に「を・は・わ・え・へ」を　いれて、 ただしい　ぶん　を　つくりなさい。
Four, make correct sentences by inserting "を, は, わ, へ, or え" in the squares.
Literally: "four, + square + に + 「を・は・わ・え・へ」+ を + insert, + correct + sentence + を + make."

I'll write the answers below...

✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜

So don't scroll any farther until you test yourself!

✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜
✍ Answers to the test (↑) are below (↓). 📜

OK. Answer time.

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Answers to the top-right section.

①　ペンキ

②　テレビ

③　ゴリラ

④　サンドイッチ

➄　チューリップ

➅　パイナップル

Here are the answers with translations:

①　ペンキ（paint）

②　テレビ（TV）

③　ゴリラ（gorilla）

④　サンドイッチ（sandwich）

➄　チューリップ（tulip）

➅　パイナップル（pineapple）

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Answers to the top-left section.

①　せっけんで　てを　あらう。

②　りょうりを　する。

③　じゃんけんで　まけた。

④　ひゃくえんで　かいものを　する。

➄　ちゅうしゃを　する。

➅　しゃしんを　とる。

Here are the answers with kanji and translations:

(Translation Note: I almost translated these simplistic sentences into dictionary-like phrases. For example, "to wash one's hands with soap." Instead, I made full sentences such as "I wash my hands with soap." They can sound a little bit weird. But then, so does the English. Typical 1st-grader mumbo jumbo.)

①
石鹸で手を洗う。
せっけん　で　て　を　あらう。
I wash my hands with soap.
Literally: "soap + で + hands + を + wash."

②
料理をする。
りょうり　を　する。
I cook.
Literally: "cooking + を + do."

③
じゃんけんで負けた。
じゃんけん　で　まけた。
I lost at rock-paper-scissors.
Literally: "rock-paper-scissors + で + lost."

④
100円で買い物をする。
ひゃく　えん　で　かいもの　を　する。
I go shopping with 100 yen.
Literally: "100 + yen + で + shopping + を + do."

➄
注射をする。
ちゅうしゃ　を　する。
He gives an injection.
Literally: "injection + を + do."

➅
写真を撮る。
しゃしん　を　とる。
I take a picture.
Literally: "picture + を + take."

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Answers to the bottom-right section.

①　バナナ

②　パンダ

③　ヨット

With translations, that's...

①　バナナ（banana）

②　パンダ（panda）

③　ヨット（yacht）

And, finally...

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Answers to the bottom-left section.

①　にもつを　えき　へはこぶ。

②　やまへ、えんそくに　いく。

③　にわとりが　たまごを　うむ。

④　むしを　とるのに　あみを　つかった。

➄　「こんばんは。」と　あいさつを　する。

Hold on! I got #1 wrong! WTF.

Apparently I forgot to read the instructions. Whatever, dude. I maintain that に would have been fine there, as well.

Moving on, here are the answers with kanji and translations:

①
荷物を駅へ運ぶ。
にもつ　を　えき　へ　はこぶ。
I carry bags to the station.
Literally: "luggage / baggage + を + station + へ + carry / convey."

②
山へ、遠足に行く。
やま　へ、　えんそく　に　いく。
We go on a field trip the mountains.
Literally: "mountain + へ + field trip + に + go."
Note: I always thought 見学 (けんがく) was the word for "field trip." But a 見学 does not have to be through a school, so it's not really a field trip... it just means something like "visit" or "observe." The educational, school version of a "field trip" is called 社会科見学 (しゃかいかけんがく). 遠足 is "cool field trips," like going to the mountains.

③
にわとりが卵を産む。
にわとり　が　たまご　を　うむ。
The chicken lays an egg.
Literally: "chicken + が + egg + を + give birth."
Note: Back in the day, I said that I ate にわとり once, and everyone laughed at me. A にわとり is the actual bird, but the meat of a chicken usually uses the katakana word チキン.

④
虫をとるのにあみを使った。
むし　を　とる　のに　あみ　を　つかった。
I used a net to catch bugs.
Literally: "bugs / insects + を + take + のに + net + を + used."

➄
「こんばんは。」と挨拶をする。
「こんばんは。」と　あいさつ　を　する。
I greet by saying, "Good evening."
Literally: "good evening + と + greeting + を + do."

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Did you fail?

If so, I have good news for you: No one will hate you for failing a first-grader's test in Japanese.

So get up, dust yourself off, and go challenge yourself to a lot more tests for kids.

Oh, and that original test came from this site. Maybe buy one of their books or something? I mean, if you like tests for elementary school students.