JLPT N5 · Beginner
JLPT N5 Kanji List
All 82 kanji for the JLPT N5, grouped in the order to learn them. Each one comes with its meaning, its readings in kana and romaji, and a page showing how to write it stroke by stroke.
The two kanji that write 日本, Japan.
One to ten, the base of every larger number.
- 一oneOnいち ichiKunひと（つ） hito(tsu)
- 二two, 2Onに ni, じ jiKunふた（つ） futa(tsu), ふたたび futatabi
- 三three, 3Onさん sanKunみ（つ） mi(tsu)
- 四four, 4Onし shiKunよ（つ） yo(tsu), よん yon
- 五five, 5Onご goKunいつ（つ） itsu(tsu)
- 六six, 6Onろく rokuKunむ（つ） mu(tsu), むい mui
- 七seven, 7Onしち shichiKunなな（つ） nana(tsu), なの nano
- 八eight, 8Onはち hachiKunや（つ） ya(tsu), よう yō
- 九nine, 9Onきゅう kyū, く kuKunここの（つ） kokono(tsu)
- 十ten, 10Onじゅう jūKunとう tō, と to
3.Big numbers and money
Hundred, thousand and ten thousand, and 円, the yen.
Hour, year, month, noon and half.
Person, woman, man, child, mother, father and friend.
6.Describing things
Big, small, tall, long, white and hot.
Sky, fire, water, tree, earth, mountain, river and rain.
East, west, south and north.
Go, come, see, go out, enter, read, write, talk, hear, eat, live and rest, plus 気, spirit.
- 行going, journey, carry outOnこう kō, ぎょう gyōKunい（く） i(ku), ゆ（く） yu(ku), おこな（う） okona(u)
- 来come, due, nextOnらい rai, たい taiKunくる kuru, き ki, こ ko
- 見see, hopes, chancesOnけん kenKunみ（る） mi(ru), み（せる） mi(seru)
- 出exit, leave, go outOnしゅつ shutsu, すい suiKunで（る） de(ru), だ（す） da(su)
- 入enter, insertOnにゅう nyūKunい（る） i(ru), はい（る） hai(ru)
- 読to readOnどく doku, とく toku, とう tōKunよ（む） yo(mu)
- 書writeOnしょ shoKunかく kaku
- 話tale, talkOnわ waKunはな（す） hana(su), はなし hanashi
- 聞to hear, to listen, to askOnぶん bun, もん monKunき（く） ki(ku)
- 食eat, foodOnしょく shoku, じき jikiKunく（う） ku(u), た（べる） ta(beru)
- 生life, genuine, birthOnせい sei, しょう shōKunい（きる） i(kiru), う（む） u(mu), お（う） o(u) +2 more
- 気spirit, mind, airOnき ki, け keKunいき iki
- 休rest, day off, retireOnきゅう kyūKunやす（む） yasu(mu)
10.Places and positions
Country and school, and where things are: in, above, below, in front, behind, between and outside.
- 国countryOnこく kokuKunくに kuni
- 学study, learning, scienceOnがく gakuKunまな（ぶ） mana(bu)
- 校school, examOnこう kō
- 中in, inside, middleOnちゅう chūKunなか naka, うち uchi
- 上above, upOnじょう jō, しょう shō, しゃん shanKunうえ ue, うわ uwa, かみ kami +2 more
- 下below, down, descendOnか ka, げ geKunした shita, しも shimo, もと moto +3 more
- 前in front, beforeOnぜん zenKunまえ mae
- 後behind, back, laterOnご go, こう kōKunのち nochi, うし（ろ） ushi(ro), あと ato
- 間interval, spaceOnかん kan, けん kenKunあいだ aida, ま ma, あい ai
- 外outsideOnがい gai, げ geKunそと soto, ほか hoka, はず（す） hazu(su)
11.Everyday words
Name, minute, now, money, electricity, language, car, what, every, right, left, ahead and sword.
- 名name, noted, distinguishedOnめい mei, みょう myōKunな na
- 分part, minute of time, understandOnぶん bun, ふん fun, ぶ buKunわ（ける） wa(keru)
- 今now, the presentOnこん kon, きん kinKunいま ima
- 金gold, moneyOnきん kin, こん kon, ごん gonKunかね kane, かな kana, がね gane
- 電electricity, electric poweredOnでん den
- 語word, speech, languageOnご goKunかた（る） kata(ru)
- 車car, wheelOnしゃ shaKunくるま kuruma
- 何whatOnか kaKunなに nani, なん nan
- 毎everyOnまい maiKunごと（に） goto(ni)
- 右right (direction)Onう u, ゆう yūKunみぎ migi
- 左leftOnさ sa, しゃ shaKunひだり hidari
- 先before, ahead, previousOnせん senKunさき saki, ま（ず） ma(zu)
- 刀sword, saber, knifeOnとう tōKunかたな katana
Practise the N5 kanji on paper
Every kanji on this list has a free practice sheet: its stroke order, its readings and eighty squares to write in, with guides in the first column. Take all 82 in one PDF, or print them one at a time as you reach them.
Prefer to write it in a real book?
All 82 N5 characters, bound — stroke order and practice squares, facing pages.
Test yourself on the N5 kanji
A free quiz on all 82, or on one group at a time: pick the meaning, pick the reading, or pick the kanji. Mark the ones you got right as learned, and they join your spaced-repetition reviews.
Read the N5 kanji in a story
The Travels of Tan is a six-panel comic written entirely in N5 Japanese: every kanji in it is on this list, and a script checks that before an episode goes up. Each episode teaches a few words and links them back to their kanji.
About the storiesKeep reading N5, one story a week
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One short Japanese comic a week, written only in N5, with a quiz card on the words it teaches.
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How many kanji are on the JLPT N5?
The JLPT has not published an official kanji list since the test was revised in 2010, so every N5 list, this one included, is a study list rather than an official syllabus. That is why they disagree: the lists you will find online run from about 80 kanji to more than 100.
Ours has 82, grouped by theme in the order we would teach them, starting with 日本 and the numbers.