Mastering JLPT N4 Kanji: Your Complete Study Guide

Passing the JLPT N4 represents a significant step forward in your Japanese journey. You move from knowing basic expressions to handling everyday conversations with greater confidence. The N4 builds directly on the foundation of N5, adding 171 new kanji (for a total of approximately 250 kanji), around 800 new vocabulary words (1,600 total), and more complex grammar patterns that let you express nuanced ideas.

This guide covers the full scope of JLPT N4 kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and study strategies so you can prepare effectively and pass the exam.

How N4 Differs from N5

The jump from N5 to N4 is substantial. Here is what changes:

Kanji: N5 has 79 kanji. N4 adds 171 — more than double. These characters appear more frequently in reading passages and are used in combination with each other to form compound words.

Vocabulary: N5 requires about 800 words. N4 brings the total to approximately 1,600 words. These include more abstract concepts, time expressions, and verbs used in daily life.

Grammar: N5 introduces basic sentence structures. N4 adds more complex patterns including passive verbs, causative forms, conditional expressions, and more nuanced use of particles.

Reading: N4 passages are longer (around 500 characters) and cover practical topics like personal letters, simple newspaper articles, and instructional text.

Listening: Conversations are faster and less clearly enunciated. You must understand implied meaning and speaker intent.

Before diving into N4, ensure you have a strong N5 foundation. If you are not confident yet, review our N5 study guide and practice with N5 flashcards.

The 171 N4 Kanji: A Systematic Breakdown

Rather than presenting the kanji alphabetically, let us organize them by semantic groups. This makes them easier to learn because you can see connections between characters.

Nature and Weather (25 kanji)

天 (sky/heaven), 気 (spirit/energy), 雲 (cloud), 雪 (snow), 電 (electricity), 風 (wind), 空 (sky), 海 (sea), 水 (water), 火 (fire), 金 (gold/money), 木 (tree), 林 (grove), 森 (forest), 土 (earth), 石 (stone), 花 (flower), 草 (grass), 虫 (insect), 鳥 (bird), 魚 (fish), 肉 (meat), 牛 (cow), 馬 (horse), 犬 (dog)

These characters appear in basic vocabulary like 天気 (weather), 電話 (telephone), 空気 (atmosphere), and 海水 (seawater). Learn them with their common compounds on our N4 study pages.

People and Body (20 kanji)

手 (hand), 足 (foot/leg), 目 (eye), 耳 (ear), 口 (mouth), 鼻 (nose), 顔 (face), 頭 (head), 心 (heart), 体 (body), 父母 (parents), 兄弟 (siblings), 姉妹 (sisters), 親 (parent), 自分 (self), 名前 (name), 年 (age/year), 毎 (every)

Places and Buildings (15 kanji)

町 (town), 村 (village), 道 (road), 通 (pass through), 市 (city), 都 (metropolis), 県 (prefecture), 店 (shop/store), 院 (institution), 館 (building), 屋 (roof/shop), 場 (place), 所 (place), 方 (direction), 内 (inside)

Time and Events (20 kanji)

週 (week), 曜 (day of week), 朝 (morning), 晩 (evening), 昼 (noon), 夜 (night), 今 (now), 昔 (old times), 春 (spring), 夏 (summer), 秋 (autumn), 冬 (winter), 間 (interval), 毎 (every), 午 (noon), 午前 (AM), 午後 (PM), 今週 (this week), 来週 (next week), 先週 (last week)

Actions and Verbs (40 kanji)

Many N4 kanji are used as standalone verbs or verb roots:

出 (exit), 入 (enter), 行 (go), 来 (come), 帰 (return), 食 (eat), 飲 (drink), 見 (see), 聞 (hear/ask), 話 (speak), 読 (read), 書 (write), 買 (buy), 売 (sell), 歩 (walk), 走 (run), 飛 (fly), 泳 (swim), 歌 (sing), 遊 (play), 働 (work), 休 (rest), 思 (think), 知 (know), 考 (consider), 教 (teach), 習 (learn), 勉 (exert), 強 (strong), 弱 (weak), 終 (end), 始 (begin), 待 (wait), 持 (hold), 使 (use), 作 (make), 送 (send), 受 (receive), 渡 (cross), 集 (gather)

Abstract Concepts (30 kanji)

大 (big), 小 (small), 長 (long), 短 (short), 新 (new), 古 (old), 多 (many), 少 (few), 早 (early), 遅 (late), 明 (bright), 暗 (dark), 温 (warm), 冷 (cold), 安 (cheap/peace), 高 (tall/expensive), 楽 (comfort), 難 (difficult), 同 (same), 異 (different), 正 (correct), 悪 (bad), 美 (beautiful), 幸 (happiness), 忙 (busy), 広 (wide), 狭 (narrow), 近 (near), 遠 (far), 重 (heavy/important)

Counters and Classifiers (10 kanji)

匹 (counter for small animals), 頭 (counter for large animals), 本 (long cylindrical objects), 枚 (flat objects), 冊 (books), 台 (machines/vehicles), 足 (pairs of shoes), 着 (clothing), 階 (floors/stories), 番 (number)

Miscellaneous (11 kanji)

紙 (paper), 教 (teaching), 病 (sick), 院 (institution), 医 (doctor), 薬 (medicine), 運 (transport), 動 (move), 物 (thing), 事 (matter/thing), 理 (reason)

Use N4 flashcards to drill these characters daily. The spaced repetition system will help you retain them long-term.

Vocabulary Building Strategies for N4

With 1,600 words required, you need a systematic approach to vocabulary acquisition.

Learn Words in Context

Do not just memorize word lists. Read sentences that use the vocabulary. For example, instead of memorizing 天気 (tenki, weather) in isolation, learn it in a sentence:

今日の天気はいいです (Today’s weather is good).

When you encounter a word in context, your brain creates more memory connections. Use the N4 vocabulary section to see words used in example sentences.

Focus on High-Frequency Compounds

Many N4 kanji appear in multiple compound words. Learn the most common ones:

天 (ten): 天気 (weather), 天国 (heaven), 天井 (ceiling)
生 (sei/shou): 先生 (teacher), 学生 (student), 生まれる (to be born), 生活 (lifestyle)
会 (kai): 会社 (company), 会議 (meeting), 社会 (society)
大 (dai): 大学 (university), 大きい (big), 大変 (terrible/greatly)
学 (gaku): 学校 (school), 学生 (student), 学習 (learning)

Use Categorical Grouping

Group vocabulary by topic:

Food: 朝ご飯 (breakfast), 昼ご飯 (lunch), 晩ご飯 (dinner), 肉 (meat), 魚 (fish), 野菜 (vegetable), 果物 (fruit)

Travel: 切符 (ticket), 駅 (station), 出口 (exit), 入口 (entrance), 空港 (airport), 案内所 (information desk)

Health: 病院 (hospital), 医者 (doctor), 薬 (medicine), 風邪 (cold), 熱 (fever), 頭痛 (headache)

Review these categories using our N4 vocabulary tool.

Grammar Patterns for N4

N4 grammar introduces several important concepts that transform your Japanese from basic to functional.

Conditional Forms

と: If/when — 春になると暖かくなる (When spring comes, it gets warm)
たら: If/after — 日本に行ったら、富士山を見たい (If I go to Japan, I want to see Mt. Fuji)
ば: If — 勉強すれば、合格できる (If you study, you can pass)
なら: If it is — 明日なら大丈夫です (Tomorrow is fine)

Giving and Receiving

Japanese has a complex system of giving and receiving verbs that reflect social hierarchy:

あげる: I give to someone — 友達に本をあげた (I gave a book to my friend)
くれる: Someone gives to me — 母がプレゼントをくれた (My mother gave me a present)
もらう: I receive from someone — 先生に辞書をもらった (I received a dictionary from my teacher)

Potential Form

Expressing ability to do something:

食べられる (can eat)
行ける (can go)
見られる (can see)

For Group 1 verbs, change the last -u sound to -e + る: 書く→書ける, 話す→話せる, 読める→読める

Passive Form

When an action is done to you:

食べられる (is eaten)
行かれる (is gone — inconvenient passive)
見られる (is seen)

Group 1 verbs: change final -u to -areru (書く→書かれる). Group 2 verbs: replace -ru with -rareru (食べる→食べられる).

Causative Form

Making someone do something:

食べさせる (make someone eat)
行かせる (make someone go)
勉強させる (make someone study)

Te-form + いる

Continued action or state:

食べている (is eating / has eaten)
知っている (know — state)
持っている (hold/have)

Understanding the difference between ongoing action (食べている = is eating) and resultant state (知っている = knows) is important for N4.

For a full grammar reference, practice with N4 study materials and practice tests.

Reading Strategies for N4

The N4 reading section is significantly longer and more complex than N5. Here is how to prepare:

Develop Skimming Skills

In the reading section, you do not have time to read every word carefully. Practice these techniques:

Read the questions first: This tells you what information to look for
Scan for keywords: Search for words from the question in the passage
Read topic sentences: The first sentence of each paragraph often contains the main idea

Practice with Real Materials

NHK News Easy: Simplified news articles with furigana
Children’s books in Japanese
Simple manga with furigana
Japanese graded readers

Build Reading Stamina

Start with short passages (100-200 characters) and gradually increase to N4 length (500 characters). Set a timer and try to read faster each time. Our N4 study pages include reading passages with kanji and vocabulary from the official JLPT lists.

Use the SQ3R Method

Survey: Quickly scan the passage for headings, keywords, and structure Question: Turn headings into questions Read: Read actively, looking for answers to your questions Recite: Summarize what you read in your own words Review: Check your understanding against the passage

Listening Strategies for N4

Focus on Implied Meaning

N4 listening questions often test understanding of speaker intent, not just literal meaning. For example:

A: 映画に行きませんか (Would you like to go to a movie?) B: ちょっと忙しいんです (I am a bit busy)

The correct answer is “B is declining the invitation” — not “B is busy.”

Practice Shadowing

Shadowing means repeating what you hear immediately after hearing it. This helps with:

Pronunciation
Pacing and intonation
Listening comprehension
Working memory

Spend 10 minutes daily shadowing N4-level dialogues.

Use Dictation

Write down what you hear in a short audio clip. Start with 10-second clips and work up to 30 seconds. This forces you to process every sound.

Creating Your N4 Study Schedule

A balanced study plan covers all sections of the exam:

Daily (30-45 minutes):

Kanji review: 10-15 minutes with N4 flashcards
Vocabulary: 10 minutes with N4 vocabulary
Grammar: 10-15 minutes learning or reviewing one pattern

Weekly (2-3 hours total):

Reading practice: 30 minutes of longer passages
Listening practice: 30 minutes of dialogues
Practice test: 1 full section of the exam
Review of weak areas identified during the week

Common N4 Mistakes

Confusing On’yomi and Kun’yomi Readings

Many N4 kanji have multiple readings. For example, 人 is read ひと (kun) when alone and ジン or ニン (on) in compounds like 日本人 (nihonjin). Pay attention to the reading patterns. See our guide on on’yomi vs kun’yomi for a detailed explanation.

Misusing Passives and Causatives

The passive and causative forms are easy to confuse. Remember:

Passive: Someone does something to you — 先生に褒められた (I was praised by the teacher)
Causative: You make someone do something — 子供に野菜を食べさせた (I made the child eat vegetables)

Over-relying on Politeness

N4 tests both polite (ます/です) and plain (dictionary/short) forms. Practice switching between them. Many reading passages use plain forms, and listening tracks often switch mid-conversation.

Moving from N4 to N3

Once you pass N4, you enter the intermediate level. N3 adds another 367 kanji and approximately 2,000 vocabulary words. The jump from N4 to N3 is the biggest in the JLPT. Start preparing early by reading longer texts and learning more complex grammar.

For more efficient kanji memorization at the N4 level and beyond, read our guide on how to remember kanji using mnemonics. It will help you handle the increasing volume of characters. Also, mastering kanji radicals is essential — radicals are the building blocks that make hundreds of kanji learnable without brute-force memorization.

Final Thoughts

The JLPT N4 is a challenging but achievable goal. With 171 new kanji, 800 new vocabulary words, and more complex grammar, you need a consistent study routine. Use our N4 study pages as your hub, reinforce with N4 flashcards, build your vocabulary with the N4 word lists, and test yourself with N4 practice tests.

Every kanji you learn at this level is a building block toward intermediate and advanced Japanese. The reading skills you develop for N4 will serve you well when you tackle N3 and beyond.

Start your N4 preparation at our N4 study hub today.

Practice Your Skills

Ready to apply what you learned? KanjiTest.Online has everything you need:

Study — Browse all N4 kanji with readings and examples
Flashcards — Flip through interactive flashcards
Vocabulary — Learn essential N4 words
Practice Tests — Test your knowledge with timed quizzes

For more guidance, check out our guides on How to Pass JLPT N5, Kanji Radicals Guide, and On’yomi vs Kun’yomi.