Pillar guide
JLPT N5 Vocabulary: The Definitive List
The 200 core N5 words organized by category, with pronunciation and frequency notes. The exact vocabulary Inku's N5 deck is built on.
About this list
I built this list from the intersection of three sources:
- The standard JLPT N5 vocabulary lists that the old JLPT used before 2010 (still the most widely-used reference).
- The Kanshudo N5 deck, which cross-references five Japanese textbook series.
- Frequency data from the BCCWJ (Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese) showing how often each word actually appears in the wild.
What you get is the 200-word core. These are the words that show up in roughly 70 percent of beginner conversations, and without which most N5 grammar lessons make no sense.
How to use this list
Do not try to memorize it top to bottom in one sitting. Pick one category, spend a few days on it, then move on. If you use Inku, every word below is in the N5 deck with audio and example sentences, already scheduled.
People
The words you use to talk about yourself, your family, and the people around you. Learn these first.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし | watashi | I, me |
| あなた | あなた | anata | you |
| 友達 | ともだち | tomodachi | friend |
| 家族 | かぞく | kazoku | family |
| 母 | はは | haha | mother |
| 父 | ちち | chichi | father |
| 兄 | あに | ani | older brother |
| 姉 | あね | ane | older sister |
| 弟 | おとうと | otouto | younger brother |
| 妹 | いもうと | imouto | younger sister |
| 先生 | せんせい | sensei | teacher |
| 学生 | がくせい | gakusei | student |
| 男 | おとこ | otoko | man |
| 女 | おんな | onna | woman |
| 子供 | こども | kodomo | child |
Everyday objects
What you touch and carry. High-frequency nouns you will need in your first conversations.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 本 | ほん | hon | book |
| 本屋 | ほんや | honya | bookstore |
| 鞄 | かばん | kaban | bag |
| 時計 | とけい | tokei | clock, watch |
| 傘 | かさ | kasa | umbrella |
| 鍵 | かぎ | kagi | key |
| 財布 | さいふ | saifu | wallet |
| 電話 | でんわ | denwa | telephone |
| 机 | つくえ | tsukue | desk |
| 椅子 | いす | isu | chair |
| 新聞 | しんぶん | shinbun | newspaper |
| 雑誌 | ざっし | zasshi | magazine |
| 手紙 | てがみ | tegami | letter |
| 写真 | しゃしん | shashin | photograph |
Places
Places you go. Learn these as a set so direction words (to, from, in) have objects to attach to.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 家 | いえ | ie | house, home |
| 学校 | がっこう | gakkou | school |
| 会社 | かいしゃ | kaisha | company, office |
| 駅 | えき | eki | station |
| 店 | みせ | mise | shop |
| 病院 | びょういん | byouin | hospital |
| 銀行 | ぎんこう | ginkou | bank |
| 図書館 | としょかん | toshokan | library |
| 公園 | こうえん | kouen | park |
| 空港 | くうこう | kuukou | airport |
| 郵便局 | ゆうびんきょく | yuubinkyoku | post office |
| 駐車場 | ちゅうしゃじょう | chuushajou | parking lot |
| 外 | そと | soto | outside |
| 中 | なか | naka | inside, middle |
Food and drink
Restaurant and grocery vocabulary. These go deep fast because Japanese cuisine has distinct terms for everything.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | みず | mizu | water |
| お茶 | おちゃ | ocha | tea |
| コーヒー | コーヒー | koohii | coffee |
| ビール | ビール | biiru | beer |
| 牛乳 | ぎゅうにゅう | gyuunyuu | milk |
| ご飯 | ごはん | gohan | rice, meal |
| パン | パン | pan | bread |
| 肉 | にく | niku | meat |
| 魚 | さかな | sakana | fish |
| 野菜 | やさい | yasai | vegetable |
| 果物 | くだもの | kudamono | fruit |
| 卵 | たまご | tamago | egg |
| 朝ご飯 | あさごはん | asagohan | breakfast |
| 昼ご飯 | ひるごはん | hirugohan | lunch |
| 晩ご飯 | ばんごはん | bangohan | dinner |
Time
Today, tomorrow, yesterday, plus the days of the week. High leverage because time phrases combine with every other verb.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう | kyou | today |
| 明日 | あした | ashita | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | kinou | yesterday |
| 今 | いま | ima | now |
| 朝 | あさ | asa | morning |
| 昼 | ひる | hiru | daytime, noon |
| 夜 | よる | yoru | night |
| 時間 | じかん | jikan | time, hour |
| 週 | しゅう | shuu | week |
| 月 | つき | tsuki | month, moon |
| 年 | とし | toshi | year |
| 月曜日 | げつようび | getsuyoubi | Monday |
| 火曜日 | かようび | kayoubi | Tuesday |
| 水曜日 | すいようび | suiyoubi | Wednesday |
| 木曜日 | もくようび | mokuyoubi | Thursday |
| 金曜日 | きんようび | kinyoubi | Friday |
| 土曜日 | どようび | doyoubi | Saturday |
| 日曜日 | にちようび | nichiyoubi | Sunday |
Essential verbs
The verbs you will use every day. Learn the dictionary form and the polite -masu form as a pair.
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 読む | よむ | yomu | to read |
| 書く | かく | kaku | to write |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | to speak |
| する | する | suru | to do |
| 買う | かう | kau | to buy |
| 作る | つくる | tsukuru | to make |
| 思う | おもう | omou | to think |
| 知る | しる | shiru | to know |
| 起きる | おきる | okiru | to wake up |
| 寝る | ねる | neru | to sleep |
| 乗る | のる | noru | to ride, board |
Essential adjectives
The adjectives you will use every day. Japanese splits them into い-adjectives (big, hot, new) and な-adjectives (pretty, quiet, famous).
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大きい | おおきい | ookii | big |
| 小さい | ちいさい | chiisai | small |
| 新しい | あたらしい | atarashii | new |
| 古い | ふるい | furui | old (of objects) |
| いい | いい | ii | good |
| 悪い | わるい | warui | bad |
| 暑い | あつい | atsui | hot |
| 寒い | さむい | samui | cold |
| 早い | はやい | hayai | fast, early |
| 遅い | おそい | osoi | slow, late |
| 高い | たかい | takai | tall, expensive |
| 安い | やすい | yasui | cheap |
| 静か | しずか | shizuka | quiet (な-adj) |
| 元気 | げんき | genki | energetic, well (な-adj) |
| 好き | すき | suki | to like (な-adj) |
| 嫌い | きらい | kirai | to dislike (な-adj) |
Common questions
How many words does JLPT N5 cover?+
The JLPT doesn't publish an official vocabulary list, but most prep materials target around 800 words for N5. The 200 listed here are the highest-frequency core. You can reach N5 conversational ability with this subset alone.
How long does it take to learn N5 vocabulary?+
At 10 new words a day with daily reviews, most adult learners finish the core N5 list in 60 to 80 days. At 5 new words a day, closer to 4 months. Consistency matters more than pace.
Should I learn N5 vocabulary in context or as flashcards?+
Both. Flashcards get each word into your head quickly. Reading real Japanese (simple articles, graded readers) wires them into sentences. Do 15 minutes of flashcards and 10 minutes of input daily.
Which N5 words should I learn first?+
Start with people (I, you, family), time (today, tomorrow, now), and the 10-20 most common verbs (go, come, eat, drink, do, see). These unlock the most everyday sentences.
Do I need to pass the JLPT?+
Only if your career or visa requires it. For most learners, JLPT levels are just useful milestones, not goals in themselves. Use the list as a vocabulary target, not a certification to chase.
Next step: if you want all 200 of these words in your pocket with audio on every one, Inku's N5 deck has exactly this list plus 400 more. Or see the full learning roadmap for how N5 fits into the bigger picture.