askesis

JLPT N5 vocabulary: 50 essential words

Fifty core JLPT N5 words (everyday verbs, nouns, adjectives and adverbs) with readings, meanings and a natural example sentence for each.

JapaneseBeginner50 cardsFree

Practice now

Study without an account

0 of 50 seen0 graduated
食べる

たべる

Scheduled with the default Askesis timings. Progress is saved in this browser.

All 50 cards

  1. 1
    食べる
    たべる
    to eat
    Verb (ichidan) · 朝ごはんを食べましたか。 — Did you eat breakfast?
  2. 2
    飲む
    のむ
    to drink
    Verb (godan) · 毎朝コーヒーを飲みます。 — I drink coffee every morning.
  3. 3
    行く
    いく
    to go
    Verb (godan) · 明日、学校に行きます。 — I’ll go to school tomorrow.
  4. 4
    来る
    くる
    to come
    Verb (irregular) · 友達が家に来ました。 — A friend came to my house.
  5. 5
    見る
    みる
    to see; to watch
    Verb (ichidan) · 夜はテレビを見ます。 — I watch TV in the evening.
  6. 6
    聞く
    きく
    to listen; to ask
    Verb (godan) · 音楽を聞くのが好きです。 — I like listening to music.
  7. 7
    読む
    よむ
    to read
    Verb (godan) · 電車で本を読みます。 — I read books on the train.
  8. 8
    書く
    かく
    to write
    Verb (godan) · 名前をここに書いてください。 — Please write your name here.
  9. 9
    話す
    はなす
    to speak; to talk
    Verb (godan) · 先生と話しました。 — I talked with the teacher.
  10. 10
    買う
    かう
    to buy
    Verb (godan) · スーパーで野菜を買いました。 — I bought vegetables at the supermarket.
  11. 11
    会う
    あう
    to meet
    Verb (godan) · 駅で友達に会います。 — I’m meeting a friend at the station.
  12. 12
    起きる
    おきる
    to get up; to wake up
    Verb (ichidan) · 毎朝六時に起きます。 — I get up at six every morning.
  13. 13
    寝る
    ねる
    to sleep; to go to bed
    Verb (ichidan) · 昨日は早く寝ました。 — I went to bed early yesterday.
  14. 14
    待つ
    まつ
    to wait
    Verb (godan) · ちょっと待ってください。 — Please wait a moment.
  15. 15
    分かる
    わかる
    to understand
    Verb (godan) · この漢字が分かりますか。 — Do you understand this kanji?
  16. 16
    学校
    がっこう
    school
    Noun · 学校は八時に始まります。 — School starts at eight.
  17. 17
    先生
    せんせい
    teacher
    Noun · 山田先生はやさしいです。 — Ms. Yamada, our teacher, is kind.
  18. 18
    学生
    がくせい
    student
    Noun · 私は大学の学生です。 — I’m a university student.
  19. 19
    友達
    ともだち
    friend
    Noun · 友達と映画を見ました。 — I watched a movie with a friend.
  20. 20
    家族
    かぞく
    family
    Noun · 家族は四人です。 — There are four people in my family.
  21. 21
    駅
    えき
    station
    Noun · 駅はどこですか。 — Where is the station?
  22. 22
    電車
    でんしゃ
    train
    Noun · 電車で会社に行きます。 — I go to work by train.
  23. 23
    時間
    じかん
    time; hour(s)
    Noun · 今日は時間がありません。 — I don’t have time today.
  24. 24
    今日
    きょう
    today
    Noun · 今日はいい天気ですね。 — Nice weather today, isn’t it?
  25. 25
    明日
    あした
    tomorrow
    Noun · 明日は休みです。 — Tomorrow is a day off.
  26. 26
    昨日
    きのう
    yesterday
    Noun · 昨日、デパートに行きました。 — I went to a department store yesterday.
  27. 27
    毎日
    まいにち
    every day
    Noun; adverb · 毎日日本語を勉強します。 — I study Japanese every day.
  28. 28
    天気
    てんき
    weather
    Noun · 明日の天気はどうですか。 — How will the weather be tomorrow?
  29. 29
    部屋
    へや
    room
    Noun · 私の部屋は狭いです。 — My room is small.
  30. 30
    料理
    りょうり
    cooking; dish (food)
    Noun (する verb) · 母の料理はおいしいです。 — My mother’s cooking is delicious.
  31. 31
    写真
    しゃしん
    photograph
    Noun · ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。 — May I take a photo here?
  32. 32
    仕事
    しごと
    work; job
    Noun · 仕事は何時に終わりますか。 — What time does work finish?
  33. 33
    大きい
    おおきい
    big
    い-adjective · 大きいかばんを買いました。 — I bought a big bag.
  34. 34
    小さい
    ちいさい
    small
    い-adjective · この靴は少し小さいです。 — These shoes are a little small.
  35. 35
    新しい
    あたらしい
    new
    い-adjective · 新しい車がほしいです。 — I want a new car.
  36. 36
    古い
    ふるい
    old (of things)
    い-adjective · この町には古いお寺があります。 — There’s an old temple in this town.
  37. 37
    高い
    たかい
    expensive; high; tall
    い-adjective · このレストランは高いです。 — This restaurant is expensive.
  38. 38
    安い
    やすい
    cheap
    い-adjective · あの店は野菜が安いです。 — Vegetables are cheap at that store.
  39. 39
    暑い
    あつい
    hot (weather)
    い-adjective · 今日はとても暑いです。 — It’s very hot today.
  40. 40
    寒い
    さむい
    cold (weather)
    い-adjective · 冬は寒いです。 — Winter is cold.
  41. 41
    おいしい
    おいしい
    delicious
    い-adjective · このケーキはおいしいですね。 — This cake is delicious, isn’t it?
  42. 42
    好き
    すき
    liked; to like
    な-adjective · 私は犬が好きです。 — I like dogs.
  43. 43
    静か
    しずか
    quiet
    な-adjective · 図書館は静かです。 — The library is quiet.
  44. 44
    元気
    げんき
    healthy; energetic
    な-adjective · お元気ですか。 — How are you? (Are you well?)
  45. 45
    有名
    ゆうめい
    famous
    な-adjective · ここは有名な店です。 — This is a famous shop.
  46. 46
    上手
    じょうず
    skillful; good at
    な-adjective · 田中さんは歌が上手です。 — Tanaka is good at singing.
  47. 47
    よく
    よく
    often; well
    Adverb · 週末はよく公園に行きます。 — I often go to the park on weekends.
  48. 48
    とても
    とても
    very
    Adverb · この本はとてもおもしろいです。 — This book is very interesting.
  49. 49
    いつも
    いつも
    always
    Adverb · 兄はいつも忙しいです。 — My older brother is always busy.
  50. 50
    ゆっくり
    ゆっくり
    slowly; leisurely
    Adverb · もう少しゆっくり話してください。 — Please speak a little more slowly.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official JLPT N5 vocabulary list?

No. Since the 2010 revision the JLPT has not published official vocabulary or kanji lists. Level lists like this one follow the older official specifications and widely used study materials.

How many words do I need for N5?

Study guides commonly cite around 800 words for N5. These fifty high-frequency words are a solid first slice.

Why is the reading shown as a hint?

At N5 the goal is linking words to meanings. The hint lets you sound the word out while kanji are still new.

Do I need to know kana first?

Yes. Readings and example sentences use hiragana and katakana, so learn both kana first.

Beginner

Hiragana

Learn to read all 46 basic hiragana plus the most common voiced sounds, with example words for every character.

50 cards
Beginner

Katakana

Learn all 46 basic katakana and the common voiced sounds, each with a real loanword so the shapes stick.

50 cards
Beginner

N5 kanji

Fifty of the most common JLPT N5 kanji with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and an example word for each.

50 cards
Beginner

N4 kanji

Fifty core JLPT N4 kanji with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and a common example word for each. Free flashcards with spaced repetition.

50 cards
Beginner

N4 vocabulary

Fifty JLPT N4 words for daily life: plans, travel, opinions and feelings, each with its reading, meaning and an example sentence.

50 cards
Intermediate

N3 kanji

Fifty high-frequency JLPT N3 kanji with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and a common example word for each. Free flashcards with spaced repetition.

50 cards
Intermediate

N3 vocabulary

Fifty JLPT N3 words that bridge everyday and written Japanese: causes and results, feelings, character traits and key adverbs, with example sentences.

50 cards
Intermediate

N2 kanji

Fifty frequent JLPT N2 kanji for news, business and society, with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and an example word for each.

50 cards
Intermediate

N2 vocabulary

Fifty JLPT N2 words from news, work and essays: policies, trends, evidence and nuanced adjectives, each with a reading and example sentence.

50 cards
Intermediate

N1 kanji

Fifty advanced JLPT N1 kanji from news, law and formal writing, with meanings, on’yomi and kun’yomi readings, and an example word for each.

50 cards
Intermediate

N1 vocabulary

Fifty advanced JLPT N1 words from editorials, law and literature, with readings, precise meanings and natural example sentences.

50 cards