100+ JLPT Kanji N5 - Basic Kanji list for beginners
Kanji N5 list for beginners
In the context of the JLPT, Kanji N5 refers to the Kanji characters required to be known at the N5 level, the lowest level of Japanese proficiency. The list above includes 100 JLPT Kanji N5 for the easiest JLPT level. They are fundamental Kanji characters that are commonly used in everyday situations.
These Kanji are essential for basic communication and understanding in Japanese. Kanji N5 level are those that you would frequently encounter in basic written materials, such as signs, menus, and simple texts. Learning this basic Kanji list will help you get familiar with basic Japanese and prepare well for the JLPT N5. The table below shows you the 100 basic Kanji for JLPT N5 learners, including Kanji, their readings and meanings.
Kanji | Onyomi Reading | Kunyomi Reading | Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
日 | ニチ, ジツ | ひ, -び, -か | Sun, Day |
月 | ゲツ, ガツ | つき | Moon, Month |
金 | キン, コン | かね, かな- | Gold, Money |
水 | スイ | みず | Water |
火 | カ | ひ | Fire |
木 | モク, ボク | き | Tree, Wood |
土 | ド, ト | つち | Earth, Soil |
車 | シャ | くるま | Car, Vehicle |
門 | モン | と | Gate |
田 | デン | た | Rice field |
山 | サン | やま | Mountain |
川 | セン | かわ | River |
雨 | ウ | あめ, あま- | Rain |
天 | テン | あめ | Heaven |
気 | キ | いき | Spirit, Air |
父 | フ | ちち | Father |
母 | ボ | はは | Mother |
私 | シ | わたし, わたくし | I, Private |
兄 | ケイ, キョウ | あに | Older brother |
姉 | シ | あね | Older sister |
弟 | テイ | おとうと | Younger brother |
妹 | マイ | いもうと | Younger sister |
一 | イチ, イツ | ひと- | One |
二 | ニ | ふた | Two |
三 | サン | み, みっ- | Three |
四 | シ | よ, よん | Four |
五 | ゴ | いつ | Five |
六 | ロク | む, むっ- | Six |
七 | シチ | なな, なの | Seven |
八 | ハチ | や, やっ- | Eight |
九 | キュウ, ク | ここの | Nine |
十 | ジュウ | とお, と | Ten |
百 | ヒャク | もも | Hundred |
千 | セン | ち | Thousand |
万 | マン | よろず | Ten thousand |
円 | エン | まる, えん | Yen, Circle |
年 | ネン | とし | Year |
半 | ハン | なか- | Half |
分 | ブン, フン | わ-ける | Minute, To divide |
時 | ジ | とき | Time, Hour |
人 | ジン, ニン | ひと | Person |
女 | ジョ, ニョ | おんな | Woman |
生 | セイ, ショウ | い-きる, う-まれる | Life, To be born |
子 | シ | こ | Child |
学 | ガク | まな-ぶ | Study, Learning |
先 | セン | さき | Previous, Ahead |
白 | ハク, ビャク | しろ, しら- | White |
口 | コウ, ク | くち | Mouth |
石 | セキ, シャク | いし | Stone |
手 | シュ | て | Hand |
足 | ソク | あし, た-, た-りる | Foot, Leg, Enough |
耳 | ジ | みみ | Ear |
目 | モク, ボク | め, ま- | Eye |
体 | タイ | からだ | Body |
上 | ジョウ | うえ, うわ- | Up, Above |
下 | カ, ゲ | した, さ- | Down, Below |
中 | チュウ | なか | Middle, Inside |
大 | ダイ, タイ | おお-, おおきい | Big, Large |
小 | ショウ | ちい-さい, こ- | Small |
本 | ホン | もと | Book, Origin |
力 | リョク, リキ | ちから | Power, Strength |
何 | カ | なに, なん- | What |
出 | シュツ | で-る | To exit, To go out |
入 | ニュウ | い-る, はい-る | To enter |
明 | メイ | あ-かり | Bright, Light |
休 | キュウ | やす-む | Rest |
好 | コウ | この-む, す-く | Like, To be fond of |
男 | ダン, ナン | おとこ | Man, Male |
間 | カン, ケン | あいだ, ま | Interval, Space |
岩 | ガン | いわ | Rock |
畑 | ハタ, バタ | はた, はたけ | Field |
森 | シン | もり | Forest |
林 | リン | はやし | Woods |
右 | ウ | みぎ | Right |
左 | サ | ひだり | Left |
東 | トウ | ひがし | East |
西 | セイ, サイ | にし | West |
北 | ホク | きた | North |
南 | ナン | みなみ | South |
外 | ガイ | そと | Outside |
駅 | エキ | Station | |
会 | カイ, エ | あ-う | Meeting, Association |
内 | ナイ | うち | Inside |
長 | チョウ | なが-い | Long, Leader |
高 | コウ | たか-い | High, Expensive |
名 | メイ | な | Name |
行 | コウ, ギョウ | い-く, ゆ-く | To go, To conduct |
来 | ライ | く-る | To come |
食 | ショク | た-べる | To eat |
見 | ケン | み-る | To see, To look |
聞 | ブン | き-く | To hear, To listen |
読 | ドク | よ-む | To read |
書 | ショ | か-く | To write |
話 | ワ | はな-す | To speak, To talk |
午 | ゴ | うま | Noon |
前 | ゼン | まえ | Before, In front |
後 | ゴ | あと, うし-ろ | After, Behind |
毎 | マイ | ごと | Every |
校 | コウ | School | |
語 | ゴ | かた-る | Language, Word |
今 | コン, コ | いま | Now |
電 | デン | Electricity | |
国 | コク | くに | Country |
Download these Kanji N5 cheat sheets below for studying later!
Tips to learn Kanji N5
Practice methods for learning Kanji N5 often include writing characters repeatedly to memorize stroke order, using mnemonic devices to aid memory, and associating Kanji with vocabulary words and example sentences.
Learn Kanji N5 through mnemonics
Kanji can be tricky, but they're also full of stories waiting to be told. Create mnemonics or visual images to associate with each character to make them more memorable. The more creative, the better!
Learn Kanji N5 with vocabulary
There’s a common misunderstanding that Kanji is a separate part of Japanese alongside vocabulary and grammar. No, it’s not. Kanji is basically the written form of words, and it only makes sense to learn them in the context of a word, not in a vacuum.
Kanji have multiple readings and meanings but you are not required to memorize all of them if you acquire them through vocabulary. For instance, the Kanji character “先”: In the word 先生 meaning teacher, the Kanji “先” is pronounced as “せん - sen,” while in the word “先ず” meaning first, it is pronounced as “ま - ma.”
Learn Kanji N5 with stroke orders
Learning Kanji N5 through stroke order is an effective method that not only helps in memorizing the characters but also ensures correct and efficient handwriting. With MochiKanji - Learn Japanese, you can:
- - Write Kanji N5 with orders step-by-step with a detailed guide.
- - See the Onyomi and Kunyomi reading, meaning, how to write each Kanji. - Remember Kanji fast with our Spaced-repetition system. MochiKanji will remind you to revise Kanji at the best time called - Golden Time.
- - Remember Kanji fast with our Spaced-repetition system. MochiKanji will remind you to revise Kanji at the best time called - Golden Time.
- - Save related words into your digital notebook to review later. As mentioned above, Learning Kanji with vocabulary is one of the most efficient ways to remember Kanji. You can understand how a Kanji can be read and its meaning in real contexts.
Now let's start writing your first Kanji N5 and conquer JLPT next time!