Reading the Author’s Real Intention in JLPT Passages: What Comes After 「一方で」(on the other hand), 「たしかに」(it is true that), and 「しかし」(however)?

Have you ever felt this way in a JLPT reading question?

“I understand most of the words, but for some reason I still get confused when choosing the answer.”

When that happens, what you lack may not be vocabulary. It may be the ability to catch the writer’s real message.

In a Japanese passage, there are often two layers: the surface-level explanation and what the writer really wants to say. The writer’s real message often appears in places marked by clear signals.

Those signals include connection expressions such as 「しかし」, 「たしかに」, and 「一方で」.

When these words appear, simply translating them is not enough. What matters is to predict what comes after them, because the writer’s position, evaluation, or conclusion is often placed there.

In this article, we will use these three connection expressions as clues and organize how to find the writer’s real message in JLPT reading passages.

Why is what comes after the connector so important?

Learners who struggle with reading often try to read every sentence with the same level of attention from beginning to end.

But in a real passage, not all sentences have the same weight. Some sentences are heavy and important, while others are lighter and serve as background or support.

For example, a passage may include:

• sentences that introduce the topic
• sentences that temporarily accept an opposing view
• sentences that present another point of view
• sentences that finally express what the writer really wants to say

Once you can see this difference in weight, the important keywords and conclusions naturally stand out. You no longer need to read every sentence with the same intensity.

In this sense, 「しかし」, 「たしかに」, and 「一方で」 are like red pins on the map of a passage.

When you find one of these signals, focus strongly on the next sentence and sometimes the sentence after that. This alone can greatly improve your reading accuracy.

1. After 「しかし」, the writer’s serious point is often hidden

The easiest signal to understand is 「しかし」.

「しかし」 means “however” or “but.” It accepts the previous content and then changes the direction of the argument. In reading passages, simply paying close attention to what comes after 「しかし」 makes it much easier to see the center of the passage.

Example

「多くの人は、便利なサービスが増えたことで生活が楽になったと感じている。
しかし、その便利さが人間関係を浅くしている面もある。」

Many people feel that life has become easier because convenient services have increased.
However, there is also an aspect in which this convenience makes human relationships shallower.

In this example, the first sentence, “life has become easier,” is a general view.

What the writer really wants to communicate is in the second sentence. In other words, the writer’s real concern is: “Are we losing something behind this convenience?”

In JLPT questions, correctly understanding the part after 「しかし」 often leads directly to the correct answer.

Reading tip

When you see 「しかし」, keep the previous content in mind, but shift your attention sharply to what comes after it.

Think of it like this:

The part before 「しかし」 is the foundation.
The part after 「しかし」 is the writer’s real message.

With this mindset, you are less likely to be misled by tricky answer choices.

2. 「たしかに」 is not the final agreement. It is a runway toward a reversal

A word that many learners surprisingly overlook is 「たしかに」.

When learners see 「たしかに」, they often think, “The writer agrees with this opinion.” That understanding is not wrong. However, in reading questions, the truly important part usually comes after it.

「たしかに」 means “certainly” or “it is true that.” It is often used as a step to temporarily accept another person’s opinion or a common view.

But in many reading passages, it is only a runway before the writer presents the real point.

Example

「たしかに、オンライン会議には移動時間がかからないという利点がある。
しかし、対面でしか得られない細かな情報も少なくない。」

Certainly, online meetings have the advantage that they do not require travel time.
However, there is also a lot of subtle information that can only be obtained face to face.

Which part is the writer’s final point?

It is not the advantage in the first sentence. It is the point in the second sentence: there are things that can only be gained through face-to-face communication.

In other words, 「たしかに」 is not the goal of the writer’s agreement. It is a step that makes the writer’s real message stand out more clearly.

Reading tip

When you find 「たしかに」, do not slow down and stop there.

Instead, prepare yourself by thinking:

“Where is the writer going to land after this?”

Especially when you see the pattern 「たしかに〜。しかし〜。」, it is a classic JLPT reading pattern. In this structure, the candidate for the conclusion almost always appears after 「しかし」.

3. 「一方で」 shows the axis of comparison

Compared with 「しかし」, the role of 「一方で」 may be a little harder to see.

Some learners simply treat it as something like “however.” But the main function of 「一方で」 is not simple denial. It is to place two viewpoints side by side.

In other words, 「一方で」 creates an axis of comparison.

Example

「都市部では公共交通機関が発達しており、移動の自由度が高い。
一方で、地方では自家用車が生活の前提になっている地域も多い。」

In urban areas, public transportation is well developed, and people have a high degree of freedom in movement.
On the other hand, in rural areas, there are many places where private cars are a basic condition of daily life.

Here, the writer is not denying the situation in urban areas.

The writer is placing two worlds side by side: urban areas and rural areas. By doing this, the writer objectively shows the difference between the two environments.

In this type of passage, the question is often not “Which side is correct?” Instead, the question often asks:

“What is being compared with what?”
“How are they different?”
“How are they similar?”

Reading tip

When you see 「一方で」, first identify clearly what two things are being placed side by side.

Then look for differences and similarities between them.

If 「しかし」 flips the direction of the writer’s message, 「一方で」 changes the camera angle and shows another side of the issue.

Once you organize it this way, comparison questions become much easier.

Skilled readers see connection expressions as signs

People who read Japanese passages quickly do not translate every connection expression into their first language.

Instead, they see these expressions as road signs that guide them through the structure of the passage.

For example:

• 「しかし」 means: Pay attention from here. The writer’s real message may appear.
• 「たしかに」 means: The writer is temporarily accepting a view. The main point may come next.
• 「一方で」 means: Two viewpoints are being placed side by side. Compare them.

Skilled readers remember not only the meaning of these expressions, but also their function in the passage.

That is why they can quickly decide where to focus.

This is not a special talent. It is simply a matter of knowing reading patterns.

When you are stuck between answer choices, return to the area around the connector

Many learners have this experience:

“I narrowed it down to two choices, but I chose the wrong one at the end.”

One common reason is that they read the most important sentence in the passage with the same light attention as the other sentences.

If you are stuck between answer choices, do not reread the entire passage blindly.

It is often much more efficient to return to the area around the connection expressions.

Ask yourself:

• After 「しかし」, what strong statement appeared?
• After the step of 「たしかに」, where did the writer finally land?
• With 「一方で」, what two elements were compared, and what difference appeared between them?

By checking these points, you can often see why one answer choice is a trap.

Some wrong choices replace the writer’s point with a similar but different idea. Others say too much. The area around the connector helps you notice these traps.

Summary: The area after connection expressions is where the writer’s real message often gathers

At the JLPT N3 and N2 levels, knowing the meanings of words is no longer enough to make your score stable.

That is because reading questions test not only partial knowledge, but also the logical flow of the whole passage.

What did the writer first accept?
How did the writer develop the argument after that?
Where does the writer finally want to lead the reader?

Once you can see this flow, you can find the correct answer from context, even if a few unknown words appear in the exam.

At the Japanese learning site RJT, Rapid Japanese Training, you can train not only by memorizing vocabulary and grammar, but also by learning how to use them in real reading questions.

You can learn how to find the writer’s real message and how to identify the shortest path to the correct answer by looking at the structure of a passage.

Reading is not a race to read every character at the same speed.

It is a race to quickly notice the important places.

In your next reading question, start by paying close attention to what comes after connection expressions.

https://rapid-jt.com/