Japanese by Example
Learning through examples in manga

Getting good grades in school with 成績

Kanji Explanation: Becoming and accomplishing with 成

Manga panel from からかい上手の（元）高木さん showing example of Getting good grades in school with 成績.
からかい上手の（元）高木さん » Volume 13 » Page 44

Yukari stops by the preschool where Mina works, just as Takagi is there picking up her daughter. Yukari compares her life with theirs.

ユカリ:
「高木(たかぎ)ちゃんは成績(せいせき)よくて　しっかりしてたし、」
“Takagi-chan got good grades and had it together.”
「ミナは料理(りょうり)が得意(とくい)だったりするじゃない。」
“And Mina's good at cooking, right?”

Key Points

  1. 成績(せいせき) means grades or performance results

    • In school contexts, 成績(せいせき) usually means overall grades or academic performance

    • It is broader than one single test score

  2. 成績(せいせき)よくて is a casual shortening of 成績(せいせき)がよくて

    • The subject marker が is omitted in natural speech

    • 〜て links two qualities together, so she is saying Takagi got good grades and was dependable

  3. The second line softens the comparison with shared-ground language

    • 〜じゃない here is not a real question but a reminder that the listener already knows this

    • 〜たりする makes Mina’s cooking skill sound like one example among her good points