
Basic shapes: Discussing the shape of elements in a chart
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Key Phrases
どの形がいい?
dono katachi ga ii
Which shape is good?
丸はやさしい感じだよ。
maru wa yasashii kanji da yo
Circles have a soft feeling.
それがいちばん見やすいね。
sore ga ichiban mi yasui ne
That's the easiest to see.
Skills You'll Learn
Asking for opinions about design choices
デザインの選び方について意見を聞く
dezain no erabi kata ni tsui te iken o kiku
Describing the impression of shapes
形の印象を説明する
katachi no inshou o setsumei suru
Comparing visibility and choosing the best option
見やすさを比べていちばんよいものを選ぶ
mi yasu sa o kurabe te ichiban yoi mono o erabu
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are discussing design choices for a graph with a coworker, comparing shapes like circles, squares, and stars to decide which looks clearest and gives the right feeling.
このグラフの形、どれがいいかな。
kono gurafu no katachi dore ga ii ka na
Which shape would be best for this graph?
そうだね。丸はやさしい感じだよ。
sou da ne maru wa yasashii kanji da yo
Right. Circles give a soft, gentle feel.
じゃあ、ポイントは丸にしようか。
jaa pointo wa maru ni shiyou ka
Then let's make the points circles.
うん、いいね。四角は安定した感じがあるよ。
un ii ne shikaku wa antei shi ta kanji ga aru yo
Yeah, that sounds good. Squares have a stable feel to them.
四角は項目のわくに合いそうだね。
shikaku wa koumoku no waku ni ai sou da ne
Squares seem like they’d fit the item boxes.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
この
kono
This
💬 [この] must come right before a noun: [このグラフ], [この形]. If you want to say "this one" by itself, use [これ] instead.
See breakdown →グラフ
gurafu
Graph
このグラフ
kono gurafu
This graph
💬 [この] has to be followed by a noun, so [このグラフ] is natural but [この] alone is not. For "this" on its own, use [これ].
See breakdown →形
katachi
Shape
どれ
dore
Which one
💬 [どれ] means "which one" when the thing is not named right after it. If you do name it, use [どの] + noun, like [どの形]?
See breakdown →がいい?
ga ii
Is good?
💬 [がいい] is a very common way to ask or say what is preferable: [どれがいい?] "Which is better?" or [これがいい] "This one is good / I prefer this one."
See breakdown →どれがいい?
dore ga ii
Which is good?
💬 [どれ] means "which one," so use it when you are choosing among things without naming the category. If you do name the category, switch to [どの] + noun, like [どの形がいい?].
See breakdown →どの
dono
Which
💬 [どの] has to come before a noun: [どの形], [どのグラフ]. If you want "which one?" by itself, use [どれ].
See breakdown →どの形がいい?
dono katachi ga ii
Which shape is good?
💬 [どの] must be followed by a noun, while [どれ] stands alone. So [どの形がいい?] names the type of thing, but [どれがいい?] leaves it unstated.
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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