JLPT N5 Vocabulary List: All 814 Words by Topic, and the 77 to Learn First
The JLPT N5 vocabulary list: where it comes from, all 814 words by topic, the 77 most useful to learn first, confusing pairs, counters and how to learn them.
This JLPT N5 vocabulary list guide explains where N5 word lists come from, shows how the 814 words on Nihongomachi are grouped, and gives you the 77 words worth learning first, each linked to a word page with an example sentence and audio. It also covers the word pairs beginners mix up, the N5 counters and a simple way to learn the whole list.
- Is there an official JLPT N5 vocabulary list?
- The full list: 814 words by topic
- How vocabulary is tested on the N5
- 77 words to learn first
- Pairs that learners confuse
- Counters and dates
- How to learn the list efficiently
- Common mistakes
Is there an official JLPT N5 vocabulary list?
No. Until 2009 the JLPT published “Test Content Specifications” with lists of vocabulary, kanji and grammar. When the test was revised in 2010, the organisers stopped, explaining that a published list was not the right way to describe a test of communicative ability (JLPT FAQ). The official site gives level descriptions and sample questions instead, but no word list and no word count.
Every “JLPT N5 vocabulary list” online, including this one, is therefore a best estimate. Most of them, ours included, start from the Tanos N5 list (tanos.co.uk), a widely used community list published under a CC BY licence. Nihongomachi’s list has:
- 678 words from the Tanos N5 list, checked and grouped by topic.
- 136 extra words: common beginner words that are not on the Tanos list, such as greetings and everyday loanwords. They are tagged “extra” in our data so they never get mixed up with the core list.
A handful of words that appear on some N5 lists, such as the words for “season” and “airport”, were judged to be above N5 in our October 2026 data audit and are kept aside for N4. You will not see them in the N5 study set.
The full list: 814 words by topic
All 814 words are on the N5 vocabulary page, grouped into the topics below. Each word has its own page with the reading, romaji, meaning, the N5 kanji it uses, an example sentence and audio. The numbers are taken from the data that runs the site.
| Topic | Words | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Greetings and set phrases | 25 | おはようございます, すみません |
| Pronouns and pointing words | 35 | これ, どこ |
| People and jobs | 13 | 先生, 医者 |
| Family | 29 | 母, 友達 |
| Time, days and dates | 80 | 明日, 午後 |
| Numbers | 36 | 一つ, 百 |
| Counters | 19 | 〜枚, 〜本 |
| Directions and position | 22 | 右, 隣 |
| Food and drink | 53 | ご飯, 野菜 |
| Places | 38 | 駅, 図書館 |
| School and study | 17 | 漢字, 辞書 |
| Home and things | 35 | 部屋, 冷蔵庫 |
| Nature | 18 | 山, 天気 |
| Weather | 3 | 降る, 晴れる |
| Verbs | 110 | 食べる, 分かる |
| Adjectives | 78 | 高い, 静か |
| Colours | 16 | 赤い, 青 |
| Body | 15 | 頭, 薬 |
| Clothing | 23 | 靴, 傘 |
| Animals | 13 | 犬, 鳴く |
| Transport | 10 | 地下鉄, 切符 |
| Other useful words | 126 | 仕事, いつも |
The “Other useful words” group is bigger than it looks from its name: it holds adverbs like いつも and ぜんぜん, conjunctions like でも and それから, country and language names, and everyday objects. Several of those adverbs appear in grammar questions as well as vocabulary ones, so do not leave this group until last.
How vocabulary is tested on the N5
Vocabulary has its own timed section on the N5: Language Knowledge (Vocabulary), 20 minutes (JLPT test sections). It uses four question types:
| Question type | What you do | Practise it |
|---|---|---|
| Kanji reading | Choose the reading of an underlined word written in kanji | Kanji reading |
| Orthography | Choose how an underlined word in hiragana is written | Orthography |
| Contextually-defined expressions | Choose the word that fits the gap in a sentence | Context |
| Paraphrases | Choose the sentence closest in meaning to the one given | Paraphrase |
Vocabulary is also everywhere else: you cannot follow a grammar question, a reading passage or a listening task without the words in it. The vocabulary score is combined with grammar and reading into one section score, so weak vocabulary pulls down more than one part of the test. See the complete JLPT N5 guide for scoring and pass marks.
77 words to learn first
If you are starting from zero, these 77 words give you the most return. They let you greet people, talk about who, when and where, count, and build simple sentences with the core verbs and adjectives. Every word links to its page, where you can hear it and see it in an example sentence.
Greetings and set phrases
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning (formal) |
| こんにちは | こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello / Good afternoon |
| こんばんは | こんばんは | konbanwa | Good evening |
| さようなら | さようなら | sayounara | Goodbye |
| ありがとうございます | ありがとうございます | arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you (formal) |
| すみません | すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me / Sorry |
| お願いします | おねがいします | onegaishimasu | Please (request) |
| よろしくおねがいします | よろしくおねがいします | yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Nice to meet you / Please |
| いただきます | いただきます | itadakimasu | Let’s eat / I humbly receive |
Also learn ありがとう and おはよう, the casual forms you will hear between friends in listening questions.
People
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし | watashi | I / me |
| あなた | あなた | anata | You |
| 人 | ひと | hito | Person |
| 友達 | ともだち | tomodachi | Friend |
| 家族 | かぞく | kazoku | Family |
| 先生 | せんせい | sensei | Teacher |
| 学生 | がくせい | gakusei | Student |
| 父 | ちち | chichi | Father (my) |
| 母 | はは | haha | Mother (my) |
| お父さん | おとうさん | otousan | Father (someone’s) |
| お母さん | おかあさん | okaasan | Mother (someone’s) |
Japanese uses different family words for your own family and for someone else’s: 父 and 母 for your parents, お父さん and お母さん for other people’s (or when you speak to your own parents). Listening questions use both.
Time
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今 | いま | ima | Now |
| 今日 | きょう | kyou | Today |
| 明日 | あした | ashita | Tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | kinou | Yesterday |
| 朝 | あさ | asa | Morning |
| 夜 | よる | yoru | Night / Evening |
| 毎日 | まいにち | mainichi | Every day |
| 午前 | ごぜん | gozen | AM / Morning |
| 午後 | ごご | gogo | PM / Afternoon |
| 時間 | じかん | jikan | Time (duration) |
| 来週 | らいしゅう | raishuu | Next week |
| 去年 | きょねん | kyonen | Last year |
The pattern 今 / 来 / 先 (this / next / last) runs through the time words: 今週, 来週, 先週; 今月, 来月, 先月. Years break the pattern: 今年, 来年 and 去年.
Numbers, counting and money
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一つ | ひとつ | hitotsu | One thing |
| 二つ | ふたつ | futatsu | Two things |
| いくつ | いくつ | ikutsu | How many? |
| 一人 | ひとり | hitori | One person / alone |
| 二人 | ふたり | futari | Two people |
| 〜人 | にん | nin | Counter for people (3人 and up) |
| 〜円 | えん | en | ~ yen |
| いくら | いくら | ikura | How much? (price) |
| 〜時 | じ | ji | ~ o’clock |
| 〜分 | ふん | fun | ~ minutes |
Places
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 家 | いえ | ie | House / Home |
| 学校 | がっこう | gakkou | School |
| 駅 | えき | eki | Train station |
| 店 | みせ | mise | Store / shop |
| 会社 | かいしゃ | kaisha | Company |
| 病院 | びょういん | byouin | Hospital |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう | ginkou | Bank |
| トイレ | トイレ | toire | Restroom / Toilet |
Verbs
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ある | ある | aru | To exist (things) |
| いる | いる | iru | To exist (living) |
| する | する | suru | To do |
| 行く | いく | iku | To go |
| 来る | くる | kuru | To come |
| 帰る | かえる | kaeru | To return home |
| 食べる | たべる | taberu | To eat |
| 飲む | のむ | nomu | To drink |
| 見る | みる | miru | To see / watch |
| 聞く | きく | kiku | To listen / ask |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | To speak |
| 読む | よむ | yomu | To read |
| 書く | かく | kaku | To write |
| 買う | かう | kau | To buy |
| 分かる | わかる | wakaru | To understand |
Adjectives
| Word | Reading | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大きい | おおきい | ookii | Big / Large |
| 小さい | ちいさい | chiisai | Small / Little |
| 高い | たかい | takai | High / Expensive |
| 安い | やすい | yasui | Cheap / Inexpensive |
| 新しい | あたらしい | atarashii | New |
| 古い | ふるい | furui | Old |
| いい | いい | ii | Good / nice (also よい) |
| おいしい | おいしい | oishii | Delicious / tasty |
| 難しい | むずかしい | muzukashii | Difficult |
| 好き | すき | suki | Liked / to like |
| 静か | しずか | shizuka | Quiet |
| 元気 | げんき | genki | Healthy / Energetic |
好き, 静か and 元気 are な-adjectives: they take な before a noun: しずかなへや (shizuka na heya, a quiet room). The others are い-adjectives. いい is irregular: its past form is よかった, not いかった.
Pairs that learners confuse
These pairs are where N5 vocabulary questions often catch people. Every word here is on the N5 list.
いる and ある: “there is”
いる is for people and animals, ある is for things, plants and events.
- へやにねこがいます。(heya ni neko ga imasu) There is a cat in the room.
- つくえの上に本があります。(つくえのうえにほんがあります, tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu) There is a book on the desk.
Three verbs for “wear”
Japanese picks the verb by where the item goes. 着る is for clothes on the upper body or the whole body, 履く for shoes, socks, trousers and skirts, and かぶる for hats.
- シャツをきます。(shatsu o kimasu) I put on a shirt.
- くつをはきます。(kutsu o hakimasu) I put on my shoes.
- ぼうしをかぶります。(boushi o kaburimasu) I put on a hat.
The kanji 着 and 履 are not on the N5 kanji list, so on N5 material you will usually see these verbs in kana.
To take any of them off, use 脱ぐ.
あげる, もらう and くれる: giving and receiving
あげる is giving away from you, もらう is receiving, and くれる is someone giving to you (or your family). The direction matters.
- ともだちに本をあげました。(ともだちにほんをあげました, tomodachi ni hon o agemashita) I gave my friend a book.
- ともだちに本をもらいました。(ともだちにほんをもらいました, tomodachi ni hon o moraimashita) I got a book from my friend.
- ともだちが本をくれました。(ともだちがほんをくれました, tomodachi ga hon o kuremashita) My friend gave me a book.
暑い and 熱い, 寒い and 冷たい
Both 暑い and 熱い are read あつい. 暑い is hot weather or a hot room; 熱い is something hot to the touch, like a drink. Cold works the same way with different words: 寒い for the weather, 冷たい for things.
- 今日はあついです。(きょうはあついです, kyou wa atsui desu) It is hot today.
- このおちゃはあついです。(kono ocha wa atsui desu) This tea is hot.
暑, 熱, 寒 and 冷 are not N5 kanji, so on N5 material these words usually appear in kana. Then only the context tells you which あつい is meant.
早い: early, not fast
早い means early: あさはやくおきます (asa hayaku okimasu, I get up early in the morning). はやい meaning fast (speed) is normally written with a different kanji, 速い. Neither kanji is on the N5 kanji list, so in kana you tell them apart from context. The opposite, 遅い (おそい), covers both late and slow.
Pairs of verbs: 開ける and 開く, 閉める and 閉まる
開ける and 閉める take an object: someone opens or closes something. 開く and 閉まる describe the door or shop itself.
- ドアをあけます。(doa o akemasu) I open the door.
- ドアがあきます。(doa ga akimasu) The door opens.
Watch the particle: を with 開ける (あける) and 閉める (しめる), が with 開く (あく) and 閉まる (しまる).
知る and 分かる
知る is knowing a fact or a person, usually as しっています (shitte imasu). 分かる is understanding: 日本語が分かります (にほんごがわかります, nihongo ga wakarimasu, I understand Japanese). “I don’t know” is しりません (shirimasen), not しっていません.
Same sound, different word
- 着る (to wear) and 切る (to cut) are both きる.
- 帰る (かえる, to go home) and 返す (かえす, to give back) differ by one sound.
- 聞く means both “to listen” and “to ask”: おんがくを聞きます (おんがくをききます, ongaku o kikimasu, I listen to music); 先生に聞きます (せんせいにききます, sensei ni kikimasu, I ask the teacher).
- 一日 means one day or all day, but 一日 is the 1st of the month.
Counters and dates
Japanese counts things with counters attached to the number. These are the main ones at N5. The general counter 一つ, 二つ and so on (up to 十) works for most objects when you are not sure, and いくつ asks “how many?”.
| Counter | Reading | Used for | Say it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜人 | にん | People, from three up | sannin (3 people); but hitori, futari for 1 and 2 |
| 〜個 | こ | Small objects | ikko, niko, sanko |
| 〜枚 | まい | Flat things: paper, shirts, tickets, stamps | ichimai, nimai, sanmai |
| 〜本 | ほん | Long, thin things: pens, bottles, umbrellas | ippon, nihon, sanbon, roppon |
| 〜冊 | さつ | Books and notebooks | issatsu, nisatsu, sansatsu |
| 〜台 | だい | Cars, bicycles, machines | ichidai, nidai, sandai |
| 〜匹 | ひき | Small animals: cats, dogs, fish | ippiki, nihiki, sanbiki |
| 〜杯 | はい | Cupfuls, glassfuls, bowlfuls | ippai, nihai, sanbai |
| 〜歳 | さい | Age | issai, nisai, sansai; 20 is hatachi |
| 〜回 | かい | Times (how often) | ikkai, nikai, sankai |
| 〜階 | かい | Floors of a building | ikkai, nikai, sangai |
| 〜円 | えん | Yen | hyaku en, sen en |
| 〜時 | じ | O’clock | yoji (4:00), shichiji (7:00), kuji (9:00) |
| 〜分 | ふん | Minutes | ippun, nifun, sanpun, juppun |
Some numbers change sound before a counter, as the “Say it” column shows: 1, 6, 8 and 10 often shorten (ippon, roppon), and 3 often voices the counter (sanbon, sanbiki). Learn the 1, 3 and 6 forms of 本, 匹, 杯 and 分 and you have covered most of what N5 tests.
The numbers themselves also have two readings. Our list teaches 四 as よん, 七 as なな and 九 as きゅう, but the months use the other readings: 四月, 七月 and 九月.
Dates have their own readings for the 1st to the 10th, plus the 20th. These come up in listening questions about schedules:
| Date | Reading | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| 一日 | ついたち | tsuitachi |
| 二日 | ふつか | futsuka |
| 三日 | みっか | mikka |
| 四日 | よっか | yokka |
| 五日 | いつか | itsuka |
| 六日 | むいか | muika |
| 七日 | なのか | nanoka |
| 八日 | ようか | youka |
| 九日 | ここのか | kokonoka |
| 十日 | とおか | tooka |
| 二十日 | はつか | hatsuka |
From the 11th, dates are regular: number + 〜日 (juuichinichi, juuninichi), except the 14th and 24th, which use yokka (juuyokka, nijuuyokka).
How to learn the list efficiently
Reading a list from top to bottom does not stick. What works is small daily batches, spaced reviews, and meeting each word in a sentence. Nihongomachi is built around that, for free:
- Follow the lessons. The 25 lessons split the 814 words, 103 kanji and 89 grammar points into an ordered sequence, with grammar, kanji and every word (with its example sentence) on one page per lesson, ending with a short reading and a listening item.
- Learn and review in the app. The study app gives you a daily plan: a few new items from your current lesson, plus reviews scheduled with spaced repetition at /app/review/. The default is 10 new items a day; at that pace the 25 lessons take about 13 weeks. Sign in with Google if you want your progress synced between devices.
- Use the word pages. Every word page has an example sentence written for N5 learners, with audio. Listen and say the sentence aloud once before you move on. This is the cheapest listening practice you can get.
- Learn kanji with their words. For words that use one of the 103 N5 kanji, learn the written form as well as the sound. That is exactly what the kanji reading and orthography questions check.
- Practise in exam format. Once you are a few lessons in, do a 10-question set of kanji reading, orthography, context or paraphrase a day. Words you miss in vocabulary questions are added to your reviews.
For a full schedule with dates, see the JLPT N5 study plan. For how words fit into sentences, read N5 noun grammar fundamentals.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes: Learning words only in romaji (the test is written entirely in Japanese, so learn kana from day one on the kana pages). Skipping long vowels: おばさん (aunt) and おばあさん (grandmother) are different words, and so are おじさん and おじいさん. Learning one meaning of a word that has two, like 聞く (listen, ask) or 高い (tall, expensive). Using the wrong family word for someone else’s family. Adding too many new words a day, so reviews pile up and you stop. Ten a day, every day, beats fifty on Sunday.
A few more to watch:
- Katakana words are not free points. Loanwords change in Japanese: マンション is an apartment building, not a mansion, and ストーブ is a room heater.
- Polite and casual forms are both on the test. Know ありがとうございます and ありがとう, すみません and ごめんなさい.
Vocabulary list based on the Tanos JLPT N5 list (tanos.co.uk, CC BY), with additional common words by Nihongomachi. Test details are from the official JLPT website (FAQ, test sections).
Frequently asked questions
How many words do I need for the JLPT N5?
There is no official number. Nihongomachi's N5 list has 814 words: 678 from the Tanos N5 list and 136 common beginner words that are not on it. Learning all of them covers the vocabulary you are likely to meet on the test.
Which N5 words should I learn first?
Start with greetings, people words, time words, numbers and counters, a few places, the most common verbs (ある, いる, する, 行く, 来る, 食べる, 見る) and basic adjectives. This guide lists 77 of them, each linked to its word page with an example sentence and audio.
How long does it take to learn the N5 word list?
It depends on how many new items you add each day. The Nihongomachi study app defaults to 10 new items a day; at that pace the 814 words and 103 kanji in the 25 lessons take about 13 weeks, with daily reviews on top. You can raise or lower the number in Settings.
Do I need to know the kanji for every N5 word?
No. Many N5 words are normally written in kana, and katakana loanwords never use kanji. The vocabulary section does test kanji reading and orthography (choosing the right written form), so learn how words that use the 103 N5 kanji are written, and learn the rest by sound and kana.