JLPT N5 Vocabulary List with Meanings: 60 Essential Words to Start With

JLPT N5 Vocabulary List with Meanings: 60 Essential Words to Start With The JLPT N5 vocabulary list covers roughly 700–800 words, mostly everyday nouns, basic verbs, and simple adjectives. Below are 60 of the most essential ones grouped by topic, with kanji, romaji, and meaning, so you can start recognizing real N5 words today instead of memorizing them in random order. What kind of words does the JLPT N5 vocabulary list cover? N5 vocabulary is built around survival Japanese: greetings, family terms, numbers, basic time expressions, common verbs, and adjectives you'd use to describe people, food, and daily routines. Very little abstract or business vocabulary shows up at this level — the exam expects you to handle simple, concrete conversations, not nuance. Greetings and everyday phrases おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) – good morning こんにちは (konnichiwa) – hello / good afternoon こんばんは (konbanwa) – good evening ありがとう (arigatou) – thank you すみません (sumimasen) – excuse me / sorry はい (hai) – yes いいえ (iie) – no お願いします (onegaishimasu) – please (when requesting something) Family and people 私 (わたし, watashi) – I / me 家族 (かぞく, kazoku) – family 父 (ちち, chichi) – father (my own) 母 (はは, haha) – mother (my own) 兄 (あに, ani) – older brother 姉 (あね, ane) – older sister 友達 (ともだち, tomodachi) – friend 先生 (せんせい, sensei) – teacher Time, days, and numbers 今日 (きょう, kyou) – today 明日 (あした, ashita) – tomorrow 昨日 (きのう, kinou) – yesterday 毎日 (まいにち, mainichi) – every day 時間 (じかん, jikan) – time / hours 週間 (しゅうかん, shuukan) – week 月曜日 (げつようび, getsuyoubi) – Monday 一 (いち, ichi) – one, 二 (に, ni) – two, 三 (さん, san) – three Common verbs 行く (いく, iku) – to go 来る (くる, kuru) – to come 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 寝る (ねる, neru) – to sleep Common adjectives 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 (things) いい / 良い (いい, ii) – good 高い (たかい, takai) – expensive / tall 安い (やすい, yasui) – cheap 忙しい (いそがしい, isogashii) – busy 楽しい (たのしい, tanoshii) – fun / enjoyable Food and daily life 水 (みず, mizu) – water ご飯 (ごはん, gohan) – rice / meal 学校 (がっこう, gakkou) – school 会社 (かいしゃ, kaisha) – company 家 (いえ, ie) – house 電車 (でんしゃ, densha) – train 本 (ほん, hon) – book 車 (くるま, kuruma) – car お金 (おかね, okane) – money 仕事 (しごと, shigoto) – work / job How do I turn this list into a JLPT N5 study plan? Don't try to memorize all 60 in one sitting. Split them across the six categories above and learn one category every 2–3 days, reviewing the previous category briefly before starting a new one. Pair each word with a short example sentence rather than the isolated meaning — "私は水を飲みます" (I drink water) sticks better than "水 = water" on its own. If you're not sure whether N5 is even your correct starting level, take the free Japanese placement test first — no point drilling N5 vocabulary if you already know most of it. What should I study after this list? These 60 words are a starting sample, not the full list. For the complete N5 vocabulary set — organized by topic with the same kanji/romaji/meaning format, plus practice drills — work through the full JLPT N5 vocabulary course, organized by topic . Once you've gone through a category, test retention with the quizzes instead of just re-reading the list — active recall is what actually moves words into long-term memory, not repeated exposure. For a deeper breakdown of spacing and review techniques, see our guide on the best ways to remember Japanese vocabulary long term . Frequently asked questions How many words are on the full JLPT N5 vocabulary list? Most N5 vocabulary lists contain between 700 and 800 words, though the exact count varies slightly by source since the JLPT doesn't publish an official fixed list. Do I need to know kanji for these words, or just the reading? For N5, recognizing…