Are the N5 kanji flashcards free?

Yes. Both PDFs are free to download and print, with no sign-up.

Which kanji are on the cards?

All 82 kanji on the N5 list on this site, in the order the list page teaches them. The JLPT has not published an official kanji list since 2010, so N5 lists differ from site to site.

What does each card show?

The front is the kanji alone, with its place in the set. The back has its meaning, its on and kun readings in kana and romaji, its stroke count and a numbered stroke-order diagram.

How big are the cards, and how do I print them?

Each page holds 8 cards: 3.75 × 2.5 in on US Letter, 95 × 69 mm on A4. Print double-sided and flip on the long edge, so each back lands behind its front, then cut along the dashed lines.

Where do the readings and stroke diagrams come from?

The stroke-order diagrams and stroke counts come from KanjiVG (Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0). The readings come from the same kanji data as the rest of the site, which draws on the KANJIDIC dictionary file (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Free printable JLPT N5 kanji flashcards (PDF)

82 flashcards, one for every JLPT N5 kanji, in the order to learn them. The front is the kanji; the back has its meaning, its readings in kana and romaji, its stroke count and a numbered stroke-order diagram. Pick your paper, print double-sided, and cut: 8 cards a page, 22 pages in all.

Download for US Letter Download for A4

How do I print and cut the flashcards?

Download the PDF for your paper: US Letter, or A4.
Print it double-sided and flip on the long edge. Each page of fronts is followed by its page of backs, with the backs in the opposite order along each row, so every back lands behind its front.
Cut along the dashed lines. The cards touch, so one set of cuts does the page: 3.75 × 2.5 in on Letter, 95 × 69 mm on A4.
No double-sided printer? Print the fronts and the backs as separate sheets and glue each pair back to back, or keep the fronts and check the answers on this site.

What is on each flashcard?

Here is the card for 水, front and back, drawn from the same data as the PDF.

N5 · 37/82水Nature

water

ON すい sui

KUN みず mizu

STROKES 4

Which kanji are in the set, and in what order?

The cards follow the order of the JLPT N5 kanji list: 11 groups, from the numbers and time words to verbs and everyday words. Cut the deck at a group to study one theme at a time.

1. Start here 2
日本
2. Numbers 10
一二三四五六七八九十
3. Big numbers and money 4
百千万円
4. Time 5
時年月午半
5. People 7
人女男子母父友
6. Describing things 6
大小高長白暑
7. Nature 8
天火水木土山川雨
8. Directions 4
東西南北
9. Verbs 13
行来見出入読書話聞食生気休
10. Places and positions 10
国学校中上下前後間外
11. Everyday words 13
名分今金電語車何毎右左先刀

What should I do after the flashcards?

Cards help you recognise a kanji; writing it is a different skill. Print practice sheets for the N5 kanji to write them out, test yourself with the N5 kanji quiz, or start with the number kanji. There is also a three-page N5 kanji list PDF (downloads to your device) with every meaning and reading on one sheet.

Questions about the N5 kanji flashcards

Are the N5 kanji flashcards free?: Yes. Both PDFs are free to download and print, with no sign-up.
Which kanji are on the cards?: All 82 kanji on the N5 list on this site, in the order the list page teaches them. The JLPT has not published an official kanji list since 2010, so N5 lists differ from site to site.
What does each card show?: The front is the kanji alone, with its place in the set. The back has its meaning, its on and kun readings in kana and romaji, its stroke count and a numbered stroke-order diagram.
How big are the cards, and how do I print them?: Each page holds 8 cards: 3.75 × 2.5 in on US Letter, 95 × 69 mm on A4. Print double-sided and flip on the long edge, so each back lands behind its front, then cut along the dashed lines.
Where do the readings and stroke diagrams come from?: The stroke-order diagrams and stroke counts come from KanjiVG (Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0). The readings come from the same kanji data as the rest of the site, which draws on the KANJIDIC dictionary file (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0).