JLPT N5 Vocabulary List: 100+ Essential Words You Must Know

Key takeaways

• JLPT N5 requires 800 vocabulary words covering daily conversation, family, food, time, and basic verbs
• This list includes kanji, hiragana, romaji, and English translation for 100+ essential terms
• Combining vocabulary lists with speaking practice accelerates retention and pronunciation accuracy
• Flashcards, audio files, and example sentences help you memorize faster for the Japanese beginner test

Why JLPT N5 vocabulary matters

JLPT N5 vocabulary forms the foundation for learning Japanese at beginner level. The JLPT exam evaluates reading, listening, and comprehension skills using approximately 800 core words that appear in daily life situations.

Mastering these terms helps you recognize Japanese kanji, hiragana, katakana, and vocabulary used in test questions and real conversations. The Japanese beginner test includes passages about family, food, time expressions, and common activities requiring solid vocab knowledge.

This JLPT N5 study guide provides essential vocabulary organized by category with romaji, kanji, and English translation. Pairing this list with speaking practice through Japanese tutors reinforces memory, improves pronunciation, and accelerates your JLPT N5 preparation.

JLPT N5 vocabulary list: 100+ essential words

Here are 100+ key JLPT N5 vocabulary words grouped by category. Each entry includes hiragana, kanji (if applicable), romaji, and English translation.

Family vocabulary

Understanding family terms is essential for JLPT reading passages and listening exercises.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
おとうさん	父	otousan	father (polite)
おかあさん	母	okaasan	mother (polite)
あね	姉	ane	older sister (one’s own)
おねえさん	姉	oneesan	older sister (polite)
あに	兄	ani	older brother (one’s own)
おにいさん	兄	oniisan	older brother (polite)
いもうと	妹	imouto	younger sister
おとうと	弟	otouto	younger brother
そふ	祖父	sofu	grandfather
そぼ	祖母	sobo	grandmother
かぞく	家族	kazoku	family

Note: Japanese uses different words when discussing your own family versus someone else’s family. The polite forms (お父さん, お母さん) are used for others’ family members.

Food and drink vocabulary

Food vocabulary appears frequently in JLPT N5 questions about restaurants, shopping, and daily activities.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
ごはん	御飯	gohan	rice / meal
みず	水	mizu	water
さかな	魚	sakana	fish
にく	肉	niku	meat
やさい	野菜	yasai	vegetables
くだもの	果物	kudamono	fruit
たまご	卵	tamago	egg
パン	–	pan	bread
ぎゅうにゅう	牛乳	gyuunyuu	milk
おかし	お菓子	okashi	candy / sweets
あめ	飴	ame	candy
あさごはん	朝御飯	asagohan	breakfast
ひるごはん	昼御飯	hirugohan	lunch
ばんごはん	晩御飯	bangohan	dinner

Essential verbs

JLPT N5 tests approximately 80-100 basic verbs in present, past, and negative forms.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
たべる	食べる	taberu	to eat
のむ	飲む	nomu	to drink
みる	見る	miru	to see / watch
きく	聞く	kiku	to hear / listen / ask
いく	行く	iku	to go
くる	来る	kuru	to come
かく	書く	kaku	to write
よむ	読む	yomu	to read
はなす	話す	hanasu	to speak / talk
する	–	suru	to do
かう	買う	kau	to buy
ある	–	aru	to exist (inanimate)
いる	–	iru	to exist (animate)
わかる	分かる	wakaru	to understand
ねる	寝る	neru	to sleep
おきる	起きる	okiru	to wake up
べんきょうする	勉強する	benkyou suru	to study

Protip: Practice conjugating these verbs in different tenses. The JLPT test requires recognizing verbs in past, negative, and polite forms.

Common adjectives

JLPT N5 adjectives include i-adjectives (ending in い) and na-adjectives.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
おおきい	大きい	ookii	big
ちいさい	小さい	chiisai	small
あたらしい	新しい	atarashii	new
ふるい	古い	furui	old
いい / よい	良い	ii / yoi	good
わるい	悪い	warui	bad
たかい	高い	takai	expensive / tall
やすい	安い	yasui	cheap
おいしい	美味しい	oishii	delicious
たのしい	楽しい	tanoshii	fun
むずかしい	難しい	muzukashii	difficult
やさしい	易しい	yasashii	easy
あつい	暑い	atsui	hot (weather)
さむい	寒い	samui	cold (weather)

Time expressions

Time vocabulary is crucial for understanding JLPT listening passages.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
きょう	今日	kyou	today
あした	明日	ashita	tomorrow
きのう	昨日	kinou	yesterday
いま	今	ima	now
あさ	朝	asa	morning
ひる	昼	hiru	noon / daytime
よる	夜	yoru	night
まいにち	毎日	mainichi	every day
げつようび	月曜日	getsuyoubi	Monday
かようび	火曜日	kayoubi	Tuesday
すいようび	水曜日	suiyoubi	Wednesday
もくようび	木曜日	mokuyoubi	Thursday
きんようび	金曜日	kinyoubi	Friday
どようび	土曜日	doyoubi	Saturday
にちようび	日曜日	nichiyoubi	Sunday

Numbers and counting

Basic Japanese numbers appears throughout the JLPT exam.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
ぜろ / れい	零	zero / rei	zero
いち	一	ichi	one
に	二	ni	two
さん	三	san	three
し / よん	四	shi / yon	four
ご	五	go	five
ろく	六	roku	six
しち / なな	七	shichi / nana	seven
はち	八	hachi	eight
きゅう / く	九	kyuu / ku	nine
じゅう	十	juu	ten
ひゃく	百	hyaku	hundred
せん	千	sen	thousand
まん	万	man	ten thousand

Places and locations

Location nouns help you understand JLPT reading comprehension passages.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
いえ / うち	家	ie / uchi	house / home
がっこう	学校	gakkou	school
えき	駅	eki	station
レストラン	–	resutoran	restaurant
みせ	店	mise	store
びょういん	病院	byouin	hospital
ぎんこう	銀行	ginkou	bank
としょかん	図書館	toshokan	library
うえ	上	ue	above / on
した	下	shita	below / under
なか	中	naka	inside
そと	外	soto	outside
まえ	前	mae	front
うしろ	後ろ	ushiro	behind

Common expressions

Essential phrases for daily communication appear in JLPT listening sections.

Japanese	Kanji	Romaji	English Translation
こんにちは	–	konnichiwa	hello / good afternoon
おはようございます	–	ohayou gozaimasu	good morning
こんばんは	–	konbanwa	good evening
さようなら	–	sayounara	goodbye
ありがとう	–	arigatou	thank you
すみません	–	sumimasen	excuse me / sorry
はい	–	hai	yes
いいえ	–	iie	no
いただきます	–	itadakimasu	(before eating)
ごちそうさまでした	–	gochisousama deshita	(after eating)

Protip: Create flashcards or a deck on an app with audio files to memorize pronunciation and English translation effectively. Reviewing words today and sentences daily helps retention.

How to study JLPT N5 vocabulary effectively

Memorize 800 words efficiently using proven study methods rather than passive reading.

Use flashcards with spaced repetition

Flashcards using spaced repetition software (SRS) optimize review timing. Difficult words reappear frequently while mastered terms review less often.

Create digital flashcards including:

• Japanese characters (hiragana, katakana, kanji)
• Romaji for pronunciation (remove gradually)
• English translation
• Example sentence showing context
• Audio recording demonstrating proper pronunciation

Study words in example sentences

Memorizing isolated words doesn’t prepare you for reading sentences in actual test passages. Learn vocabulary through context showing proper usage.

Example practice:

• Instead of memorizing “食べる = to eat”
• Study: “朝ご飯を食べます” (I eat breakfast)
• Practice: “何を食べますか” (What will you eat?)

This approach teaches vocabulary, grammar patterns, and natural Japanese expression simultaneously.

A private JLPT tutor can help you practice using these words in conversation, correct mistakes in real time, and explain subtle nuances that vocabulary lists alone cannot convey, ensuring you truly understand how to apply each term naturally.

Group vocabulary by theme

Organize words into categories rather than studying alphabetically. Your brain remembers related concepts together, making recall easier.

Themed groups:

• Food and restaurant vocabulary
• Family relationships
• Time expressions
• Places and locations
• Daily activities

When you learn “レストラン” (restaurant), simultaneously study “メニュー” (menu), “注文する” (to order), and “美味しい” (delicious). This clustering makes sense logically and strengthens memory.

Practice with audio files

Japanese pronunciation includes pitch accent patterns affecting meaning. Listening to native speakers demonstrates proper sounds and rhythm.

Download JLPT N5 audio resources or use apps providing native speaker recordings. Hear each word pronounced correctly while studying to improve both recognition and production.

Many learners forget vocabulary studied silently but remember words learned with audio reinforcement.

Protip: Review flashcards daily for 15-20 minutes rather than cramming. Consistent short sessions build long-term retention better than irregular marathon study.

Combining vocabulary with speaking practice

The JLPT exam tests reading and listening but doesn’t evaluate speaking. However, conversation practice dramatically improves vocabulary retention and pronunciation.

Why speaking accelerates JLPT preparation

Active usage solidifies memory: Using words in conversation creates stronger neural pathways than passive recognition. You remember vocabulary used actively better than words only read or heard.

Pronunciation affects listening: Correctly pronouncing words improves your ability to recognize them in JLPT listening sections. Many candidates struggle with listening because they’ve never spoken Japanese aloud.

Real-time feedback prevents mistakes: Learn correct usage immediately rather than putting incorrect patterns into long-term memory requiring later correction.

Practice with Japanese tutors

Speaking with a native Japanese tutor on italki provides personalized feedback that apps and audio files cannot offer. Tutors explain confusing grammar, correct pronunciation errors, and introduce natural expressions.

JLPT specialist tutors create customized study plans addressing your weak areas while ensuring you don’t waste time on unnecessary material. They help you practice using JLPT N5 vocabulary in natural sentences rather than memorizing isolated words.

Use language learning communities

Join JLPT-focused forums and communities to share vocabulary decks, quiz each other, and discuss difficult concepts. However, rely on professional instruction for pronunciation feedback and grammar explanations.

Support from fellow learners provides motivation, but tutors offer expertise that peer study groups cannot match.

Protip: Schedule conversation lessons twice weekly focusing on using JLPT N5 vocabulary in practical sentences. This approach builds both exam skills and real conversational ability.

Building your JLPT study plan

Effective JLPT N5 preparation combines vocabulary study with grammar, kanji, listening, and speaking practice.

3-month study timeline:

Month 1: Master hiragana and katakana completely. Learn 250 core vocabulary words. Study 30 basic kanji characters. Practice 10 essential grammar patterns.

Month 2: Add 300 intermediate vocabulary words. Study remaining JLPT N5 kanji (70 characters). Complete 20 additional grammar patterns. Begin listening practice with audio files.

Month 3: Review all 800 vocabulary words. Take complete practice tests under timed conditions. Focus on weak areas noticed in practice exams. Intensive listening and speaking practice.

Many learners wondering about timeline should adjust based on current level. Some need 6 months while others complete preparation in 2 months depending on prior Japanese experience.

Ready to pass your JLPT N5?

Master JLPT N5 vocabulary faster with personalized guidance from certified Japanese teachers trusted by over 5 million learners worldwide. Combine this vocabulary list with speaking practice to ensure proper pronunciation and natural usage. Book a trial lesson and start applying your JLPT N5 vocabulary in real conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many vocabulary are in JLPT N5?

The JLPT N5 covers approximately 800 vocabulary words essential for the Japanese beginner test, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and common expressions written in kanji, hiragana, and katakana.

How many vocab is needed for N5?

You need around 800 vocab words to pass JLPT N5 comfortably. Focus on high-frequency terms appearing in daily Japanese conversations rather than rare vocabulary.

Is N5 the hardest?

No, JLPT N5 is the easiest level designed for beginners to assess basic vocabulary and grammar. N1 represents the hardest level requiring approximately 10,000 words and advanced language skills.

How many words does N5 know?

A successful JLPT N5 candidate recognizes approximately 800 words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and phrases used in daily life situations and basic sentences.