<p>Yes, this does mirror how Japanese teachers mark the test papers of students.
Let's see an example each of a marked test paper in anime and in real life Japan:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/UyfAe.png" alt="Yui Hirasawa's abysmal math test score" /></p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/3b9LXm.jpg" alt="Sample of a graded arithmetic drill" /></p>
<p><a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E3%80%87%C3%97" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Circles and crosses</a> indicate right and wrong answers, but you'll often see check marks used in place of crosses to save time and effort.
Check marks are sometimes called <em>reten</em> for bearing resemblance to the katakana <em>re</em>, but should not be confused with the return marker <em><a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E3%83%AC%E7%82%B9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">reten</a></em> that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanbun" rel="nofollow noreferrer">annotate</a> Classical Chinese.
Check marks call forth the attention of students to incorrect answers, which they should <em><strong>check</strong></em> again.</p>
<p>The check mark as an error mark also sees usage in countries like Korea and Sweden, but as you can gather from online discussions, e.g. on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1f3ron/why_is_o_yes_an_x_no_in_japanese_playstation/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reddit</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Check_mark#Ticks_in_various_cultures_.2F_Yes_vs._No" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a>, there really is no <em>universal</em> standard for marking right and wrong answers even within a country.
The graders may choose whatever the mark they want.
My teachers in school thought that ticking off wrong answers wastes too much ink, so they just cheaply impressed a dot by the wrong answers.</p>
<p>Occasionally, you might also encounter the <a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E8%8A%B1%E4%B8%B8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">flower circle</a>, <a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E4%BA%8C%E9%87%8D%E4%B8%B8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">double circle</a> and <a href="https://jisho.org/word/%E2%96%B3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">triangle</a> marks, which denote, respectively, perfect, good and average (poor) work done by the students.</p>
<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/WanqHm.jpg" alt="Hanamaru" /></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-12-27T13:06:40.177Z
2024-08-24T02:30:44.677Z
2024-08-24T02:30:44.677Z
Gao
<p>While watching anime, especially ones that focus on slice-of-life or high school, I often come across a test paper containing a character's score. However, it is interesting to note that the correct answers are <strong>circled</strong> while the wrong ones are <strong>ticked</strong> (checked?). As far as I know, ticks are for correct answers and circles are for incorrect answers (unless I've been living in a shell, which would be embarrassing).</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/sY3yZ.png" alt="Four Girls and an Idol"></p>

<p>The image is from The World God Only Knows OVA: Four Girls and an Idol, where Keima Katsuragi intentionally placed an incorrect answer for question #1. As you can see, it is checked while the rest are circled. Does this mirror how Japan marks the test papers of students? If so, why?</p>

<culture>
Check and circle marks in test papers
# Check and circle marks in test papers
Posted by: username_0 on 2014-12-27
While watching anime, especially ones that focus on slice-of-life or high school, I often come across a test paper containing a character's score. However, it is interesting to note that the correct answers are **circled** while the wrong ones are **ticked** (checked?). As far as I know, ticks are for correct answers and circles are for incorrect answers (unless I've been living in a shell, which would be embarrassing).

![Four Girls and an Idol](https://i.sstatic.net/sY3yZ.png)

The image is from The World God Only Knows OVA: Four Girls and an Idol, where Keima Katsuragi intentionally placed an incorrect answer for question #1. As you can see, it is checked while the rest are circled. Does this mirror how Japan marks the test papers of students? If so, why?
**Tags:** culture
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## 1 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2014-12-27. Score: 25 | Accepted answer
Yes, this does mirror how Japanese teachers mark the test papers of students.
Let's see an example each of a marked test paper in anime and in real life Japan:

![Yui Hirasawa's abysmal math test score](https://i.sstatic.net/UyfAe.png)

![Sample of a graded arithmetic drill](https://i.sstatic.net/3b9LXm.jpg)

[Circles and crosses](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%80%87%C3%97) indicate right and wrong answers, but you'll often see check marks used in place of crosses to save time and effort.
Check marks are sometimes called *reten* for bearing resemblance to the katakana *re*, but should not be confused with the return marker *[reten](https://jisho.org/word/%E3%83%AC%E7%82%B9)* that [annotate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanbun) Classical Chinese.
Check marks call forth the attention of students to incorrect answers, which they should ***check*** again.

The check mark as an error mark also sees usage in countries like Korea and Sweden, but as you can gather from online discussions, e.g. on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1f3ron/why_is_o_yes_an_x_no_in_japanese_playstation/) and [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Check_mark#Ticks_in_various_cultures_.2F_Yes_vs._No), there really is no *universal* standard for marking right and wrong answers even within a country.
The graders may choose whatever the mark they want.
My teachers in school thought that ticking off wrong answers wastes too much ink, so they just cheaply impressed a dot by the wrong answers.

Occasionally, you might also encounter the [flower circle](https://jisho.org/word/%E8%8A%B1%E4%B8%B8), [double circle](https://jisho.org/word/%E4%BA%8C%E9%87%8D%E4%B8%B8) and [triangle](https://jisho.org/word/%E2%96%B3) marks, which denote, respectively, perfect, good and average (poor) work done by the students.

![Hanamaru](https://i.sstatic.net/WanqHm.jpg)
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