JLPT N4 vocabulary preview — what's new beyond N5
JLPT N4 is the second-easiest level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test, and the natural next step after N5. The vocabulary roughly doubles (from ~800 to ~1,500 words), and you start seeing words for emotions, opinions, time expressions, and slightly more abstract ideas. This guide previews exactly what changes.
1. What "N4" actually means
N4 sits between absolute beginner (N5) and lower-intermediate (N3). At N4 you should be able to understand basic Japanese spoken at a slow pace, read short passages on familiar topics, and write simple sentences with hiragana, katakana, and around 300 Kanji. The exam lasts about 2 hours and tests vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening.
2. The new vocabulary categories
If N5 was "survival Japanese," N4 is "describing your day in detail." The new vocabulary clusters around these topics:
- Emotions and opinions — words like 好き (suki, "to like"), 嫌い (kirai, "to dislike"), 楽しい (tanoshii, "fun"), 心配 (shinpai, "worry"), 大事 (daiji, "important").
- Time and frequency — 時々 (tokidoki, "sometimes"), たいてい (taitei, "usually"), すぐ (sugu, "immediately"), 最近 (saikin, "recently"), まだ (mada, "still / not yet").
- Travel and transportation — 旅行 (ryokō, "trip"), 乗る (noru, "to ride"), 降りる (oriru, "to get off"), 切符 (kippu, "ticket"), 駅 (eki, "station").
- School and work — 試験 (shiken, "exam"), 宿題 (shukudai, "homework"), 仕事 (shigoto, "work"), 会社 (kaisha, "company"), 会議 (kaigi, "meeting").
- Compound verbs — verbs combining two ideas, e.g. 見つける (mitsukeru, "to find"), 持っていく (motte iku, "to take with you"), 書き直す (kakinaosu, "to rewrite").
3. 60 example N4 words
Here are 60 high-frequency JLPT N4 words you'll see on almost every practice exam. Read them aloud and notice which categories feel familiar already — those are the easy wins.
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 安心 | あんしん | relief, peace of mind |
| 意見 | いけん | opinion |
| 受ける | うける | to receive, to take (a test) |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ | to carry |
| 遅れる | おくれる | to be late |
| 覚える | おぼえる | to memorize |
| かかる | kakaru | to take (time, money) |
| 変わる | かわる | to change |
| 気持ち | きもち | feeling |
| 急ぐ | いそぐ | to hurry |
| 計画 | けいかく | plan |
| 経験 | けいけん | experience |
| 結婚 | けっこん | marriage |
| 研究 | けんきゅう | research |
| 現在 | げんざい | present, now |
| 子供 | こども | child |
| 細かい | こまかい | fine, detailed |
| 込む | こむ | to be crowded |
| 最後 | さいご | the end, last |
| 最初 | さいしょ | the beginning, first |
| 探す | さがす | to search |
| 叱る | しかる | to scold |
| 失敗 | しっぱい | failure, mistake |
| 質問 | しつもん | question |
| 準備 | じゅんび | preparation |
| 紹介 | しょうかい | introduction |
| 将来 | しょうらい | future |
| 食事 | しょくじ | meal |
| 知らせる | しらせる | to inform |
| 進む | すすむ | to advance |
| 世界 | せかい | world |
| 説明 | せつめい | explanation |
| 足りる | たりる | to be enough |
| 注意 | ちゅうい | caution |
| 続く | つづく | to continue |
| 都合 | つごう | convenience, circumstance |
| 伝える | つたえる | to tell, convey |
| 努力 | どりょく | effort |
| 仲 | なか | relationship (between people) |
| 慣れる | なれる | to get used to |
| 匂い | におい | smell |
| 苦手 | にがて | not good at, weak point |
| 逃げる | にげる | to escape |
| 残る | のこる | to remain |
| 働く | はたらく | to work |
| 引っ越し | ひっこし | moving (house) |
| 必要 | ひつよう | necessary |
| 表 | ひょう | chart, table |
| 増える | ふえる | to increase |
| 減る | へる | to decrease |
| 変 | へん | strange |
| 間違える | まちがえる | to make a mistake |
| 守る | まもる | to protect, to obey |
| 満足 | まんぞく | satisfaction |
| 迎える | むかえる | to welcome, pick up |
| 難しい | むずかしい | difficult |
| 役に立つ | やくにたつ | to be useful |
| 約束 | やくそく | promise |
| 夢 | ゆめ | dream |
| 用意 | ようい | preparation |
4. How to study from N5 to N4
The most effective approach is to overlap the two levels:
- Spend the first 4 weeks reviewing N5 — make sure you can recall ~90% on shuffled flashcards.
- From week 5, start adding N4 vocabulary at 15–20 new words a day. Don't drop N5 review yet.
- By week 12, you can drop N5 review and focus 100% on N4 plus simple grammar drills.
- Take a full N4 mock vocab test every 2 weeks to track progress.
5. Common N4 traps
- Confusing similar verbs. 受ける (to receive) vs 受け取る (to take delivery), 始める (to start something) vs 始まる (something starts).
- On'yomi vs kun'yomi. N4 introduces more compound Kanji words where the reading is on'yomi (Chinese-derived). Drill the pair shape + reading together.
- Look-alike Kanji. 木 (tree) vs 本 (book) vs 体 (body), or 入 (enter) vs 人 (person). Use mnemonic stories.
Already done with N5? Open the JLPT module, switch to N4, and start with Day 1.