JLPT N5 Core Vocabulary by Theme: A Beginner's Starter Set [JLPT N5]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated August 25, 2026
Numbers, colors, family, food, daily verbs — the core N5 vocabulary organized by topic
N5 core vocabulary: start with the words you actually meet first
N5 is the starting line of the JLPT. Textbooks and prep material commonly estimate the N5 study range at about 800 basic words — but The JLPT does not publish an official vocabulary, kanji, or grammar list for the current test; these figures are estimates drawn from widely used textbooks and prep material.
This page does not list that whole range. It picks the highest-frequency core words by theme, with readings and meanings. Get comfortable with these first, then expand.
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.