JLPT N5 Preparation Guide

What N5 covers

N5 tests basic Japanese: hiragana, katakana, around 100 kanji, roughly 800 words, and core grammar such as です and ます forms, the main particles, and basic verb and adjective forms.

You should be able to read short, simple texts about daily life and understand slow, clear conversations in familiar situations.

A 14-week study plan

• Weeks 1–3: hiragana and katakana until you can read both fluently
• Weeks 4–6: です/ます sentences, the particles は, が, を, に, で, and numbers
• Weeks 7–9: verb groups, て-form, past and negative forms
• Weeks 10–11: the N5 kanji list, learned inside vocabulary
• Weeks 12–13: reading practice with short notices and messages
• Week 14: two timed mock tests and a final review of weak areas

Vocabulary that comes up again and again

Focus on everyday topics: family, food, time and dates, transport, shopping, weather and school. Learn words in small groups, days of the week together, family members together, so they support each other.

Don't skip listening

Many learners focus on reading and lose marks in listening. Practise with exam-format audio from the start: listen once without the script, then again with it, then shadow it aloud.

In the exam you hear each item only once, so practise making a choice quickly and moving on.

On exam day

• Bring your admission voucher, photo ID and HB pencils
• Answer every question: there is no penalty for guessing
• Don't spend too long on one reading question; come back to it
• In listening, read the answer choices before the audio starts when you can