JLPT N5 Vocabulary List: The Words You Actually Need (Free)

The JLPT N5 tests roughly 600–800 words — a manageable target you can reach in a few months of steady study. The key isn't memorising a giant list in one go; it's learning the right categories of everyday words and reviewing them so they stick. Here's what N5 vocabulary actually looks like.

The categories that matter most at N5:

• Greetings & set phrases: こんにちは (konnichiwa, hello), ありがとう (arigatō, thank you), すみません (sumimasen, excuse me/sorry).
• Numbers, time & dates: いち (ichi, one), きょう (kyō, today), じかん (jikan, time).
• People & family: わたし (watashi, I), ともだち (tomodachi, friend), かぞく (kazoku, family).
• Food & drink: みず (mizu, water), ごはん (gohan, rice/meal), おいしい (oishii, delicious).
• Places & travel: えき (eki, station), がっこう (gakkō, school), みせ (mise, shop).
• Common verbs: たべる (taberu, to eat), いく (iku, to go), みる (miru, to see).
• Common adjectives: おおきい (ōkii, big), たかい (takai, expensive/tall), あたらしい (atarashii, new).
• Particles & question words: は, が, を, に, and だれ (dare, who), なに (nani, what), どこ (doko, where).

N5 also includes around 80–100 basic kanji, and the smartest way to learn them is alongside vocabulary, not in isolation — seeing 水 (water) inside 水曜日 (Wednesday) makes both stick.

How to study N5 vocabulary effectively:

1. Learn in context, not as a flat list — words attached to example sentences and readings are remembered far longer.
2. Use spaced repetition so each word returns just before you'd forget it.
3. Pair words with their kanji from the start.
4. Read early — even simple graded readings turn isolated words into real comprehension.

You don't need to buy a wordlist. Komichi's free N5 study deck has the full set — every word with its reading, romaji, meaning, and progress tracking, so you always know what's left. Pair it with how to pass JLPT N5, and make sure your hiragana and katakana are solid first.