Bilingual Traffic Glossary

Requires the wheels to actually stop turning at the line, whether or not anything is coming. Papers test this by describing an empty junction — "slow down and look" is still the wrong answer.

You may roll through if the way is genuinely clear. The exam distinction from Stop is exactly this: give way is conditional, stop is unconditional.

Applies to the road you are about to turn into, not the one you are on. Questions often show it at the far side of a junction to see whether you notice which road it governs.

Overtaking on either side is permitted here, which is the one place that is normally true. That exception is a favourite question.

Tells you what is ahead; it does not by itself impose a rule. If a question asks what you "must" do at a warning sign, the answer is about adjusting your driving, not about a legal obligation.

Blue circle tells you what you must do. Learn the shape-and-colour system rather than memorising pictures — papers include signs you have never seen and expect you to reason from the shape.

Red circle tells you what you must not do. Paired with the blue circle above, this one distinction answers a large share of the sign questions on any paper.

The obligation usually begins when a pedestrian steps on or clearly intends to step on, not when they finish crossing. Watch for questions about waiting until the crossing is completely clear.

Marks the approach to a crossing. The point is that stopping, parking and overtaking are restricted here so that sightlines to the crossing stay open.

You may only enter if your exit is already clear. Questions test the case where the light is green but traffic ahead is stationary — green does not license you to enter.

A parking and waiting restriction along the kerb, not a lane divider. Candidates confuse it with the centre-line markings below; check the handbook for the hours it applies.

Restricted only during its posted operating hours, and the restriction differs between normal and full-day bus lanes. Read the operating hours on the sign before answering.

Separates opposing flows. Whether you may cross it depends on whether it is broken or solid — see the two entries below.

May be crossed when it is safe to do so. "Safe" is doing real work in that sentence: the marking permits the manoeuvre, it does not make it correct.

Must not be crossed except in the narrow cases the handbook lists. If a question offers "cross it to overtake a slow vehicle", that is the trap.

Amber means stop unless stopping would be dangerous — it is not "hurry through". A large number of failed questions turn on that single word.

Priority normally goes to traffic already circulating. Because Singapore and Japan both drive on the left, you give way to your right — do not reason from left-hand-drive videos.

The generic exam word for any junction. Questions describe one in words rather than showing it, so practise converting the sentence into a picture before you look at the options.

Something you are given, never something you take. The examinable point is that having priority does not entitle you to proceed into a hazard.

Means letting others go first without necessarily stopping. Contrast with the Stop sign, where stopping is required regardless.

Both syllabuses treat children, elderly pedestrians and people with disabilities as requiring extra margin. Where an option mentions that group, it is usually the intended answer.

A maximum in good conditions, not a target. The recurring question is that the correct speed in rain or poor visibility is below the posted figure. Confirm the figures themselves in the handbook.

Examined as a time gap rather than a fixed number of metres, because the safe distance scales with speed. Expect it to increase in rain, at night and behind large vehicles.

Normally done on the right where traffic drives on the left. Questions list places where it is prohibited outright — crests, bends, crossings, junctions — and expect you to recognise them from a description.

Permitted only where signed or not prohibited, and never where it would obstruct traffic. Read the question for the sign before deciding.

Discipline questions almost always reward keeping left unless overtaking or turning right. Sitting in the right-hand lane is a common wrong option.

Wheels stationary. Distinguish it from slowing to a crawl, which papers describe in language deliberately close to stopping.

A Japan-specific term: slow enough to stop immediately. It is defined by stopping ability, not by a speedometer reading, which is exactly what the written test checks.

The area mirrors do not cover, which is why a shoulder check is a separate step from a mirror check. Questions that list only mirrors are incomplete on purpose.

Responsibility for who must be belted, and who is liable for an unbelted passenger, is examinable and differs by passenger age. Check the handbook for your country.

The examinable idea is being seen, not only seeing — headlights are required in poor visibility even in daylight. Dipping for oncoming traffic is a separate recurring question.

For warning others that your vehicle is a hazard. Using them to excuse illegal parking is a standard wrong option.

A warning device, not a way to express irritation or to claim priority. Both syllabuses restrict its use near hospitals and at night.

Tread depth and pressure appear in maintenance questions, usually linked to braking distance and aquaplaning in the wet. The legal minimum depth is in the handbook.

Braking distance rises with the square of speed, so doubling speed more than doubles the distance. That relationship, not a memorised table, is what questions test.

Examined as a sequence — mirror, signal, manoeuvre — and the order matters. An option that signals first is wrong even if everything else in it is right.

Signals intention; it does not create priority. The trap option is one where the driver signals and then moves without checking.

Requirements depend on the child’s height or age and on which seat they occupy. Look the thresholds up rather than guessing — they differ between Singapore and Japan.

Riding-theory papers ask about proper fastening and approved standards, not merely about wearing one. An unfastened helmet counts as not wearing one.

Class matters: a licence authorises specific vehicle classes, and driving outside your class is an offence even though you hold a licence.

The period after you first qualify, during which stricter demerit rules apply and display plates may be required. The duration is in the handbook.

The Singapore entry test, covering signs, markings and basic rules. It is the prerequisite for practical training, so it comes first in the sequence.

Deeper than BTT: defensive driving, expressway use, vehicle handling. Passing BTT does not prepare you for it — the emphasis shifts from recognition to judgement.

The motorcycle equivalent, with rider-specific content on filtering, road surface and protective gear. Do not revise for it using car material alone.

The Japanese stage that permits supervised practice on public roads before the final test. It has its own written examination.

The final Japanese licence, taken after the provisional stage. Its written paper is substantially longer than the provisional one.

Spotting a developing risk before it becomes one. Questions describe a scene and ask what you should anticipate — the answer is usually the possibility you cannot yet see.

Points accumulate against your record and trigger suspension at a threshold that is lower during the probationary period. Thresholds are in the handbook.

Temporary loss of driving privileges; the licence is returned after the period. Contrast with revocation below — papers test the difference.

The licence is cancelled outright and must be re-earned, usually including retaking the tests. It is the more serious of the two outcomes.

A fine paid to settle a minor offence without going to court. Accepting it is not the same as a court conviction, which is the examinable distinction.

The measure used to define drink-driving. Limits differ between Singapore and Japan and Japan’s is notably stricter — never carry a figure across from one syllabus to the other.

In Japan the offence extends to supplying alcohol to a driver or riding with one, which surprises candidates revising from Singapore material.

The umbrella term. Questions usually turn on which category an offence falls into, because the category determines the penalty.

Carries its own rule set — prohibited vehicles, no stopping, no reversing, no pedestrians. FTT weights this section heavily; BTT barely touches it.

For breakdowns and emergency vehicles only. Using it to pass congestion or to take a call is a standard wrong option.

Expressways impose a floor as well as a ceiling, because a slow vehicle in fast traffic is itself a hazard. Candidates forget the floor exists.

Headlights on, no lane changing, and keep your distance — the eye needs time to adapt at both ends. Breakdown procedure inside a tunnel is separately examinable.

Reduced limits during posted hours, with children liable to behave unpredictably. Answers that assume adult pedestrian behaviour are wrong here.

A Singapore scheme for areas with many elderly residents, using narrowed lanes and traffic-calming features. Expect longer crossing times as the examinable consequence.

Kerb markings carry parking rules, so the colour of the kerb is part of the question, not decoration.

A physical divider between opposing flows. Where one exists, U-turns and right turns are only possible at designated openings.

Long vehicles swing wide and cut in at the rear, which is why you must not sit alongside a turning lorry or bus. That is the reason behind the rule questions ask about.