JLPT N5 Foundations Course

The JLPT N5 is the first level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. It checks basic language knowledge such as 語彙（ごい） vocabulary, 漢字（かんじ） kanji, and 文法（ぶんぽう） grammar, plus 読解（どっかい） reading and 聴解（ちょうかい） listening. Every question uses multiple choice, so you do not need to write Japanese.

The test is scored in two sections: Language Knowledge and Reading and Listening. You need a total score above the pass line and also enough points in each section. A good overall score is not enough if one section is too weak.

Practical tips: learn the most common particles and verb forms first, practice short readings every day, and listen to slow conversations repeatedly. Time is short, so skip hard questions and answer the easy ones first.

Multiple-choice strategy: every N5 question has choices, so eliminate clearly wrong options and choose the best one. Manage time by finishing vocabulary and grammar first, then reading, then listening. Keep every section balanced.

Start with greetings: おはようございます (good morning), こんにちは (hello), ありがとうございます (thank you). Then learn numbers and time: 一（いち） one, 十（じゅう） ten, 朝（あさ） morning, 今日（きょう） today.

For family, learn 家族（かぞく） family, 父（ちち） my father, 母（はは） my mother. For food, learn ご飯（ごはん） rice/meal, 水（みず） water, パン bread.

Useful daily verbs are 食べる（たべる） to eat, 飲む（のむ） to drink, 行く（いく） to go. Common adjectives are 大きい（おおきい） big, 小さい（ちいさい） small, 新しい（あたらしい） new. Finally, learn places like 学校（がっこう） school, 駅（えき） station, 病院（びょういん） hospital.

Daily life drill: learn greetings, numbers, time, family, food, and directions in topic groups. Use each word in a simple sentence: 今日は暑いです (Today is hot). Spaced repetition one day, three days, and one week later.

Particles (助詞) are small words that show the role of a noun in a sentence. は marks the topic, が marks the subject, and を marks the direct object: わたしはコーヒーを飲みます (I drink coffee).

Place and direction use に, で, and へ. Use に for a destination or time (学校に行きます: go to school), で for the place where an action happens (家で勉強します: study at home), and へ for direction (駅へ行きます: go to the station). と means with (友達と話します: talk with a friend), から and まで show start and end (九時から五時まで働きます: work from nine to five), and も means also.

Basic verb forms. The polite present form ends in ます: 食べます (eat). The て form connects actions or makes requests: 食べて. The ない form is negative: 食べない (do not eat). The た form is past: 食べた (ate).

Useful patterns. ～たい expresses desire: 日本へ行きたいです (I want to go to Japan). ～てください is a polite request: ちょっと待ってください (Please wait a moment). ～ましょう suggests an action: いっしょに勉強しましょう (Let us study together). ～てもいいです asks or gives permission: ここに座ってもいいですか (May I sit here?).

Tip: Practice choosing particles by reading each sentence aloud and asking what role each noun plays.

Particle drill: は marks the topic, が marks the subject, を marks the object, に marks destination or time, and で marks the place of action. Write one sentence for each particle and check its role.

Kanji basics. Kanji are Chinese characters used in Japanese. Most kanji have two kinds of readings: おんよみ (Chinese-style reading) and くんよみ (Japanese reading). For example, 日 can be read ひ (くんよみ, as in 日（ひ） day/sun) or にち (おんよみ, as in 日曜日（にちようび） Sunday).

Numbers and time. 一（いち）, 二（に）, 三（さん）, 四（よん/し）, 五（ご）, 六（ろく）, 七（なな/しち）, 八（はち）, 九（きゅう）, 十（じゅう）. For time, 月 is つき (moon) or がつ (month): 一月（いちがつ） is January. 日 is ひ (day) or にち (day/counter): 今日（きょう） means today.

People and places. 人（ひと） means person, 先生（せんせい） teacher, 友達（ともだち） friend, 家（いえ） house, 学校（がっこう） school, 駅（えき） station, and 店（みせ） shop.

Nature and everyday verbs. Nature words: 山（やま） mountain, 川（かわ） river, 海（うみ） sea, 天気（てんき） weather. Everyday verbs: 食べる（たべる） eat, 飲む（のむ） drink, 見る（みる） see, 行く（いく） go, 来る（くる） come. Compound words keep their readings: 電車（でんしゃ） train and 学校（がっこう） school use おんよみ.

Tip: Learn kanji with real words instead of isolated characters; the readings become easier to remember.

On-kun drill: learn each N5 kanji with one on-reading and one kun-reading, such as 日 (にち/ひ) and 月 (げつ/つき). Review by number, time, family, and place groups to improve recognition.

Preparing for the JLPT N5 in four to six weeks works best as a daily routine. Start each day with a short vocabulary session using 単語（たんご） cards and spaced repetition (間隔反復（かんかくはんぷく）), so words you almost forget return before you lose them. Spend 10 minutes on grammar drills with 文法（ぶんぽう）, then 10 minutes on kanji practice (漢字（かんじ）), writing each character and reading example words aloud.

Add timed reading (読解（どっかい）) and listening practice (聴解（ちょうかい）) two or three times a week. Keep an error log (間違いノート（まちがいノート）) and review it before each weekly test.

• Monday: vocabulary + spaced repetition, grammar drill
• Tuesday: kanji practice, 10-minute timed reading
• Wednesday: vocabulary review, listening practice
• Thursday: grammar drill, kanji review
• Friday: timed reading, listening practice, update error log
• Saturday: full weekly review (復習（ふくしゅう）) of all weak items
• Sunday: practice test, review errors, plan next week

Measure progress by counting known words, correct grammar items, and practice-test scores each week. If you miss an item, move it to the top of tomorrow's review.

Daily routine: spend 10 minutes on vocabulary, 10 on grammar, 10 on kanji, and 10 on listening every day. Use mock tests in the final week and review the error log before the exam.