Vocabulary
JLPT vocabulary lists
A guide to all five levels, with the full N5 list free to read.
The JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) has a vocabulary section where you match words to their correct definitions. Each level below has a page covering how large it is, what the vocabulary at that level is like, and what passing it looks like, with a sample of the words.
The complete N5 list is here as well: 660 words, each with three example sentences carrying furigana and an English translation. The remaining 7,181 words across N4 to N1, and the rest of the 23,523 sentences, are in Kotoba Loop.
Note: the JLPT has not published an official vocabulary list since 2010. Every list you will find, including this one, is an educated guess based on word frequency and usage.
Choose a level
- N5 · Beginner
The first stage: everyday words, basic verbs, and the vocabulary you need before anything else becomes readable.
660 words · 1,980 example sentences ·
- N4 · Elementary
The bridge level: more verbs, more kanji, and the point where sentences start joining together.
633 words · 1,899 example sentences ·
- N3 · Intermediate
The level everyone finds hardest: abstract vocabulary, and the jump from textbook Japanese to the real thing.
1,670 words · 5,010 example sentences ·
- N2 · Upper-intermediate
Working proficiency: newspaper vocabulary, formal register, and the compound words that carry most written Japanese.
1,755 words · 5,265 example sentences ·
- N1 · Advanced
The final test N1: literary, technical, and low-frequency vocabulary. A lot of this stuff is words you will only encounter in print, but you need to know it to pass the test.
3,123 words · 9,369 example sentences ·
How the lists are organized
The N5 list is split into blocks of 100 words, so a page stays readable and you can work through the level in sittings rather than scrolling through hundreds of entries at once. Every word shows its kanji form where it has one, its reading in kana, all of its dictionary meanings, and its three sentences.
Words marked usually kana are ones that have a kanji spelling which native writers mostly do not use. Learning 林檎 is not wrong, but you will meet りんご far more often. Sometimes you may encounter the kanji spelling in a book or newspaper, but it is not the standard form.
Where this data comes from
The English definitions come from JMdict, the long-running Japanese-multilingual dictionary project, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. The example sentences are our own work, written and checked against the level of the word they illustrate. Full attribution is on the licenses page.
The same vocabulary powers Kotoba Loop, our Android app, which puts one word at a time on your home screen. The lists here are free and need no account; you do not have to install anything to use them.