JLPT N5 Vocabulary
JLPT N5 is the starting line of learning Japanese — roughly 800 of the most basic, highest-frequency words. Master these and you can read simple sentences and hold the most basic everyday conversations.
What N5 vocabulary covers
Numbers and time, family and titles, body parts, colours, food, directions and places, plus the most common verbs (食べる, 行く, 見る) and adjectives (大きい, 高い). These are the foundation for everything you learn later.
How to study N5 words effectively
Get comfortable with hiragana and katakana first, then learn each word together with an example sentence — memorising bare meanings alone fades fast. Use the audio on every entry to shadow the pronunciation and lock in the pitch from day one; it saves a lot of un-learning later.
A common pitfall
Many beginners memorise only the meaning and skip the audio and examples, ending up able to read a word but not hear or use it. Play the pronunciation and read one example for each word before moving on.
FAQ
- How many words do I need for N5?
- About 800 core words, which together with basic grammar is enough for N5.
- Do I need kanji for N5?
- N5 requires only about 100 of the most basic kanji, and most words come with kana readings.
- How long does it take to reach N5?
- About 30 minutes a day for 2–3 months gets most learners to N5 level.