JLPT N2 • GENERAL

feature

Practice Question

Explanation

English Explanation

The correct answer is **特徴 (tokuchou)**. This word means 'feature', 'characteristic', or 'trait'. The sentence is describing the most notable quality of a new smartphone. **特徴** is the perfect word to use here as it refers to a distinguishing aspect or quality that sets something apart. The phrase 「最大の特徴は~」 translates directly to 'The biggest feature is...'. Common Mistakes / Nuances: ❌ : This is a very common and tricky distractor because it has the exact same pronunciation as 特徴. However, **特長 (tokuchou)** specifically means 'strong point', 'merit', or 'forte'. It emphasizes a particularly advantageous or superior quality. While the high-quality camera is indeed a strong point of the phone, **特徴** is a more general and neutral term for any characteristic, whether positive, negative, or neutral. Since the sentence is simply identifying a defining quality, **特徴** is the most standard and broadly appropriate choice. ❌ : **性格 (seikaku)** means 'personality' or 'character'. This word is used almost exclusively to describe the disposition of people or, sometimes, animals. It is incorrect to use **性格** to describe an inanimate object like a smartphone. ❌ : **特別 (tokubetsu)** is a na-adjective or adverb meaning 'special' or 'particular'. It cannot function as a noun in the grammatical structure 「最大の(noun)」, which requires a noun to follow 最大の (the biggest/greatest). For example, you can say 「特別な機能」 (a special function), but you cannot say 「最大の特別」 to mean 'the biggest special thing'.

日本語解説

正解は **特徴(とくちょう)** です。この言葉は「他のものと比べて特に目立っている点」「しるしとなる点」を意味します。この文では、新しいスマートフォンの最も注目すべき点を説明しているので、「特徴」が文脈にぴったり合います。「最大の特徴は~」は「The biggest feature is...」という意味になります。 Common Mistakes / Nuances: ❌ : This is a very common and tricky distractor because it has the exact same pronunciation as 特徴. However, **特長 (tokuchou)** specifically means 'strong point', 'merit', or 'forte'. It emphasizes a particularly advantageous or superior quality. While the high-quality camera is indeed a strong point of the phone, **特徴** is a more general and neutral term for any characteristic, whether positive, negative, or neutral. Since the sentence is simply identifying a defining quality, **特徴** is the most standard and broadly appropriate choice. ❌ : **性格 (seikaku)** means 'personality' or 'character'. This word is used almost exclusively to describe the disposition of people or, sometimes, animals. It is incorrect to use **性格** to describe an inanimate object like a smartphone. ❌ : **特別 (tokubetsu)** is a na-adjective or adverb meaning 'special' or 'particular'. It cannot function as a noun in the grammatical structure 「最大の(noun)」, which requires a noun to follow 最大の (the biggest/greatest). For example, you can say 「特別な機能」 (a special function), but you cannot say 「最大の特別」 to mean 'the biggest special thing'.

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