JLPT N5 Essential Vocabulary 2026: 800 Words by Theme for Beginners [JLPT N5]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
Numbers, colors, family, food, daily verbs — the core N5 vocabulary organized by topic
N5 Vocabulary 800: Core Words from Zero
N5 requires about 800 basic words — the most common in daily life. Master these and you can handle travel, basic conversation, and the N5 exam. Organized by theme below, with readings and meanings.
Theme ①: Numbers & Time
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一〜十 | いち・に・さん・し/よん・ご・ろく・しち/なな・はち・く/きゅう・じゅう | 1-10 |
| 百 | ひゃく | 100 |
| 千 | せん | 1,000 |
| 万 | まん | 10,000 |
| 今日 | きょう | today |
| 明日 | あした | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | yesterday |
| 今週 | こんしゅう | this week |
| 来週 | らいしゅう | next week |
| 午前 | ごぜん | a.m. |
| 午後 | ごご | p.m. |
Theme ②: Family & People
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし | I |
| あなた | あなた | you |
| 彼 | かれ | he / boyfriend |
| 彼女 | かのじょ | she / girlfriend |
| お父さん | おとうさん | father (someone else's) |
| お母さん | おかあさん | mother (someone else's) |
| お兄さん | おにいさん | older brother |
| お姉さん | おねえさん | older sister |
| 友達 | ともだち | friend |
| 先生 | せんせい | teacher |
| 学生 | がくせい | student |
Theme ③: Body Parts
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 頭 | あたま | head |
| 目 | め | eye |
| 耳 | みみ | ear |
| 口 | くち | mouth |
| 鼻 | はな | nose |
| 手 | て | hand |
| 足 | あし | foot/leg |
| 背中 | せなか | back |
| 心 | こころ | heart/mind |
Theme ④: Colors & Adjectives
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 赤い | あかい | red |
| 青い | あおい | blue/green |
| 白い | しろい | white |
| 黒い | くろい | black |
| 黄色い | きいろい | yellow |
| 大きい | おおきい | big |
| 小さい | ちいさい | small |
| 高い | たかい | tall/expensive |
| 安い | やすい | cheap |
| 新しい | あたらしい | new |
| 古い | ふるい | old |
| 美しい | うつくしい | beautiful |
| かわいい | かわいい | cute |
Theme ⑤: Key N5 Verbs
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Trans./Intrans. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | eat | trans. |
| 飲む | のむ | drink | trans. |
| 見る | みる | watch/see | trans. |
| 聞く | きく | listen/ask | trans. |
| 話す | はなす | speak | trans. |
| 読む | よむ | read | trans. |
| 書く | かく | write | trans. |
| 買う | かう | buy | trans. |
| 来る | くる | come | intrans. |
| 行く | いく | go | intrans. |
| 帰る | かえる | go back | intrans. |
| 起きる | おきる | get up | intrans. |
| 寝る | ねる | sleep | intrans. |
| 働く | はたらく | work | intrans. |
| 勉強する | べんきょうする | study | trans. |
Theme ⑥: Food & Drink
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ご飯 | ごはん | rice/meal |
| 肉 | にく | meat |
| 魚 | さかな | fish |
| 野菜 | やさい | vegetables |
| 果物 | くだもの | fruit |
| 水 | みず | water |
| お茶 | おちゃ | tea |
| コーヒー | コーヒー | coffee |
| パン | パン | bread |
| 寿司 | すし | sushi |
Theme ⑦: Places & Directions
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 学校 | がっこう | school |
| 駅 | えき | station |
| 病院 | びょういん | hospital |
| デパート | デパート | department store |
| レストラン | レストラン | restaurant |
| 右 | みぎ | right |
| 左 | ひだり | left |
| 前 | まえ | front |
| 後ろ | うしろ | behind |
| 上 | うえ | above |
| 下 | した | below |
| 中 | なか | inside |
| 外 | そと | outside |
The Most Easily Confused N5 Words
| Pair | Difference |
|---|---|
| 見る (みる) vs 見せる (みせる) | 見る = see; 見せる = show |
| 高い (たかい) | means both ‘tall' and ‘expensive' |
| 青い (あおい) | Japanese ‘青' covers blue AND green (e.g. a green traffic light is called 青) |
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① Native readings for numbers. 一つ・二つ (ひとつ・ふたつ) and 一人・二人 (ひとり・ふたり) don't use the on'yomi いち・に — a classic N5 trap.
② Kanji ≠ its shape alone — learn the reading. Many N5 words are kanji compounds (学校 = がっこう); knowing the meaning isn't enough, drill how it's read.
③ Look-alike words. 切手 (stamp) vs 手紙 (letter), 名前 (name) vs 前 (front/before) — group and contrast them so they don't blur.
💡 An exam judgment tip
800 sounds scary, but don't try to swallow it whole. Eat it by theme (numbers/time first, then family/body…), and use each word in a sentence the moment you learn it — speaking beats copying ten times. Pair a spaced-repetition deck (Anki) with ~20 words a day, and in about a month it clicks. Recognizing a word and producing it are different skills — review to the point of no hesitation.
❓ Common questions
Q: How long to learn 800 words?
At 20–30 a day with spaced repetition, roughly 1–1.5 months to cover them. But “memorized” isn't “usable” — the key is reviewing until they come without thinking.
Q: Vocabulary or grammar first?
Both together. Words without grammar don't form sentences; grammar without words is empty. In practice: learn a grammar point, then make sentences with that lesson's vocabulary — they grow fastest side by side.
🖊️ Practice Quiz
Q1. 「___は学生です。」(I'm a student) Fill the blank.
(A) わたし (B) あなた (C) かれ (D) かのじょ
Q2. 「今日の夜、___でご飯を食べましょう。」(at a restaurant) Fill the blank.
(A) デパート (B) レストラン (C) えき (D) びょういん
Q3. 「このりんごは___です。」(this apple is red) Fill the blank.
(A) 赤い (B) 青い (C) 白い (D) 黒い
Q4. 「明日___学校へ行きます。」(go to school tomorrow) Fill the blank.
(A) きのう (B) あした (C) きょう (D) こんしゅう
Q5. 「日本語を___しています。」(studying Japanese) Fill the blank.
(A) 旅行 (B) 電話 (C) 勉強 (D) 休み
Answer Key
1. (A) わたし (私) ── 私 = I (first person). あなた = you; かれ = he; かのじょ = she.
2. (B) レストラン ── レストラン = restaurant (a loanword).
3. (A) 赤い ── 赤い = red. 青い = blue, 白い = white, 黒い = black.
4. (B) あした ── あした = tomorrow. きのう = yesterday, きょう = today, こんしゅう = this week.
5. (C) 勉強 ── 勉強する = to study: 日本語を勉強しています.