ChiramiJLPT N5 kanji list: the 80 kanji to learn first
The N5 kanji are the first kanji most learners meet: numbers, the days of the week, people, directions, and everyday verbs like 行く (iku, to go) and 食べる (taberu, to eat). Below are all 80 kanji in Chirami’s JLPT N5 list, grouped by theme, each with its meaning, its onyomi and kunyomi readings, and a common word that uses it.
About this list
N5 is the first of the five levels of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). The test’s organisers describe it as “the ability to understand some basic Japanese”, including reading “typical expressions and sentences written in hiragana, katakana, and basic kanji”.
There is no official list of N5 kanji. The JLPT stopped publishing its lists of kanji, vocabulary and grammar with the test’s 2010 revision, so every N5 list, ours included, is an unofficial guide. Chirami’s list has 80 kanji. It follows the lists most learners and textbooks use, so a different list may add or drop a few.
The readings and example words come from two open dictionaries, KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, the same data the Chirami app uses. In the tables:
- Onyomi are the readings that came from Chinese, written in katakana. You’ll mostly hear them when a kanji is part of a longer word. Onyomi vs kunyomi explains the difference.
- Kunyomi are native Japanese readings, written in hiragana. The part in brackets is the kana that follows the kanji, as in 大(きい), ookii, big.
- Lesson under a kanji means we have a short lesson on it. Tap the kanji to read it.
How to learn the N5 kanji
Start with the numbers and the days of the week. They are simple to write, you’ll see them on every calendar, price tag and train timetable, and they teach you that one kanji can have several readings.
Learn each kanji through one real word rather than a list of every reading: 学 through 学校 (gakkou, school), 先 through 先生 (sensei, teacher). Add the other readings when you meet them in new words. The guide to learning kanji goes through the whole method.
At 5 new kanji a day, the 80 N5 kanji take 16 days. At 3 a day, they take 27 days, and at 8 a day, 10. Keep a few minutes each day for reviewing the ones you’ve already met.
Numbers and money
Japanese numbers are built from the first ten: 十一 is ten-one, 11, and 二十 is two-ten, 20. Then 百 is a hundred, 千 a thousand and 万 ten thousand, so 一万円 (ichiman en) is 10,000 yen. 四 and 七 each have two readings you’ll hear all the time: shi or yon, and shichi or nana.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一Lesson | one | イチ ichiイツ itsu | ひと(つ) hito(tsu) | 一つ ひとつ hitotsuone |
| 二Lesson | two | ニ niジ ji | ふた futaふた(つ) futa(tsu) | 二人 ふたり futaritwo persons; two people |
| 三Lesson | three | サン sanゾウ zou | み miみ(つ) mi(tsu) | 三つ みっつ mittsuthree |
| 四Lesson | four | シ shi | よ yoよ(つ) yo(tsu) | 四つ よっつ yottsufour; 4 |
| 五 | five | ゴ go | いつ itsuいつ(つ) itsu(tsu) | 五つ いつつ itsutsufive |
| 六 | six | ロク rokuリク riku | む muむ(つ) mu(tsu) | 六つ むっつ muttsusix |
| 七 | seven | シチ shichi | なな nanaなな(つ) nana(tsu) | 七つ ななつ nanatsuseven |
| 八 | eight | ハチ hachiハツ hatsu | や yaや(つ) ya(tsu) | 八つ やっつ yattsueight |
| 九 | nine | キュウ kyuuク ku | ここの kokonoここの(つ) kokono(tsu) | 九つ ここのつ kokonotsunine |
| 十Lesson | ten | ジュウ juu | とお tooと to | 十分 じゅうぶん juubunenough; sufficient |
| 百Lesson | hundred | ヒャク hyakuビャク byaku | もも momo | 百貨店 ひゃっかてん hyakkatendepartment store |
| 千 | thousand | セン sen | ち chi | 何千 なんぜん nanzenmany thousands |
| 万Lesson | ten thousand, 10,000 | マン manバン ban | よろず yorozu | 万一 まんいち man'ichi(unlikely event of) emergency; the worst(-case scenario) |
| 円Lesson | circle, yen, round | エン en | まる(い) maru(i)まる maru | 円い まるい maruiround; circular |
| 半Lesson | half, middle, odd number | ハン han | なか(ば) naka(ba) | 半分 はんぶん hanbunhalf |
Days of the week
The days of the week are named after the sun, the moon and the five elements (fire, water, wood, metal and earth): 日曜日 (nichiyoubi) is Sunday, 月曜日 (getsuyoubi) Monday, 火曜日 (kayoubi) Tuesday, 水曜日 (suiyoubi) Wednesday, 木曜日 (mokuyoubi) Thursday, 金曜日 (kin’youbi) Friday and 土曜日 (doyoubi) Saturday. Learn the seven together and you have seven N5 kanji at once.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 日Lesson | day, sun, Japan | ニチ nichiジツ jitsu | ひ hi | 今日 きょう kyoutoday; this day |
| 月Lesson | month, moon | ゲツ getsuガツ gatsu | つき tsuki | 今月 こんげつ kongetsuthis month |
| 火Lesson | fire | カ ka | ひ hi | 火山 かざん kazanvolcano |
| 水 | water | スイ sui | みず mizu | 水曜日 すいようび suiyoubiWednesday |
| 木Lesson | tree, wood | ボク bokuモク moku | き ki | 木曜日 もくようび mokuyoubiThursday |
| 金Lesson | gold | キン kinコン kon | かね kane | お金 おかね okanemoney |
| 土 | soil, earth, ground | ド doト to | つち tsuchi | お土産 おみやげ omiyagelocal specialty or souvenir bought as a gift while traveling (travelling) |
Time
These are the kanji of clocks and calendars: 今年 (kotoshi, this year), 時間 (jikan, time), 午前 (gozen, morning, a.m.) and 午後 (gogo, afternoon, p.m.). 先, 前 and 後 also mean ahead, in front and behind in space, so they turn up again in directions.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 年 | year | ネン nen | とし toshi | 今年 ことし kotoshithis year |
| 時 | time, hour | ジ ji | とき toki | 時間 じかん jikantime |
| 分 | part, minute of time, segment | ブン bunフン fun | わ(ける) wa(keru)わ(け) wa(ke) | 分ける わける wakeruto divide (into); to split (into) |
| 間 | interval, space | カン kanケン ken | あいだ aidaま ma | 時間 じかん jikantime |
| 午 | noon | ゴ go | うま uma | 午後 ごご gogoafternoon; p.m. |
| 今Lesson | now | コン konキン kin | いま ima | 今日 きょう kyoutoday; this day |
| 毎 | every | マイ mai | ごと goto | 毎日 まいにち mainichievery day; daily |
| 先Lesson | before, ahead, previous | セン sen | さき sakiま(ず) ma(zu) | 先生 せんせい senseiteacher; instructor |
| 前Lesson | in front, before | ゼン zen | まえ mae | 午前 ごぜん gozenmorning; a.m. |
| 後Lesson | behind, back, later | ゴ goコウ kou | のち nochiうし(ろ) ushi(ro) | 後ろ うしろ ushiroback; behind |
Position and direction
上 and 下 began as a short mark above and below a line, and 中 is easy to remember as a line through the middle of a box. The compass points are a set: 東 east, 西 west, 南 south, 北 north. Telling 右 (right) from 左 (left) is easier than it looks, and this lesson shows how.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 上 | above, up | ジョウ jouショウ shou | うえ ueかみ kami | 上手 じょうず jouzuskillful; skilled |
| 下 | below, down, descend | カ kaゲ ge | した shitaしも shimo | 下る くだる kudaruto descend; to go down |
| 中 | in, inside, middle | チュウ chuu | なか nakaうち uchi | 真ん中 まんなか mannakamiddle; centre |
| 外 | outside | ガイ gaiゲ ge | そと sotoほか hoka | 外国 がいこく gaikokuforeign country |
| 右Lesson | right | ウ uユウ yuu | みぎ migi | 右手 みぎて migiteright hand |
| 左Lesson | left | サ saシャ sha | ひだり hidari | 左利き ひだりきき hidarikikileft-handedness; left-handed person |
| 東Lesson | east | トウ tou | ひがし higashi | 東西 とうざい touzaieast and west |
| 西Lesson | west, Spain | セイ seiサイ sai | にし nishi | 東西 とうざい touzaieast and west |
| 南Lesson | south | ナン nanナ na | みなみ minami | 南北 なんぼく nanbokunorth and south; north to south |
| 北Lesson | north | ホク hoku | きた kita | 南北 なんぼく nanbokunorth and south; north to south |
People
人 is a person, and it counts people too: 一人 (hitori) is one person and 二人 (futari) two, irregular readings worth learning as words. 女 and 男 give 女の子 (onna no ko, girl) and 男の子 (otoko no ko, boy).
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 人Lesson | person | ジン jinニン nin | ひと hito | 人々 ひとびと hitobitopeople; men and women |
| 子Lesson | child | シ shiス su | こ koね ne | 子供 こども kodomochild; children |
| 女 | woman, female | ジョ joニョ nyo | おんな onnaめ me | 女の子 おんなのこ onnanokogirl; daughter |
| 男 | male | ダン danナン nan | おとこ otokoお o | 男子 だんし danshiboy |
| 父 | father | フ fu | ちち chichi | お父さん おとうさん otousanfather; dad |
| 母 | mother | ボ bo | はは hahaも mo | お母さん おかあさん okaasanmother; mom |
| 友Lesson | friend | ユウ yuu | とも tomo | 友人 ゆうじん yuujinfriend |
| 名Lesson | name, noted, distinguished | メイ meiミョウ myou | な na | 名前 なまえ namaename |
Nature and weather
天気 (tenki) is the weather, and 雨 (ame) is rain, with the raindrops still visible inside the kanji.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 山Lesson | mountain | サン sanセン sen | やま yama | 山登り やまのぼり yamanoborimountain climbing; mountaineering |
| 川 | stream, river | セン sen | かわ kawa | 小川 おがわ ogawastream; brook |
| 天 | heavens, sky, imperial | テン ten | あまつ amatsuあめ ame | 天ぷら てんぷら tenpuratempura; deep-fried fish and vegetables in a light batter |
| 気Lesson | spirit, mind, air | キ kiケ ke | き ki | 人気 にんき ninkipopularity; public favor |
| 雨Lesson | rain | ウ u | あめ ame | 雨降り あめふり amefurirainfall; rainy weather |
Everyday verbs
Most of these become verbs with a little hiragana after them: 行く (iku, to go), 来る (kuru, to come), 見る (miru, to see), 読む (yomu, to read) and 休む (yasumu, to rest). The traditional explanation of 休 is a person (亻) leaning against a tree (木).
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 行Lesson | going, journey, carry out | コウ kouギョウ gyou | い(く) i(ku)ゆ(く) yu(ku) | 行く いく ikuto go; to move (towards) |
| 来Lesson | come, due, next | ライ raiタイ tai | く(る) ku(ru)きた(る) kita(ru) | 来る くる kuruto come (spatially or temporally); to approach |
| 出 | exit, leave, go out | シュツ shutsuスイ sui | で(る) de(ru)だ(す) da(su) | 出す だす dasuto take out; to get out |
| 入 | enter, insert | ニュウ nyuuジュ ju | い(る) i(ru)い(れる) i(reru) | 入る はいる hairuto enter; to come in |
| 見Lesson | see, hopes, chances | ケン ken | み(る) mi(ru)み(える) mi(eru) | 見せる みせる miseruto show; to display |
| 聞Lesson | hear, ask, listen | ブン bunモン mon | き(く) ki(ku)き(こえる) ki(koeru) | 聞く きく kikuto hear |
| 話 | tale, talk | ワ wa | はな(す) hana(su)はなし hanashi | 話す はなす hanasuto talk; to speak |
| 読Lesson | read | ドク dokuトク toku | よ(む) yo(mu) | 読む よむ yomuto read |
| 書 | write | ショ sho | か(く) ka(ku) | 書く かく kakuto write; to compose |
| 食Lesson | eat, food | ショク shokuジキ jiki | く(う) ku(u)く(らう) ku(rau) | 食べる たべる taberuto eat |
| 休Lesson | rest, day off, retire | キュウ kyuu | やす(む) yasu(mu)やす(まる) yasu(maru) | 休む やすむ yasumuto be absent; to take a day off |
| 生Lesson | life, genuine, birth | セイ seiショウ shou | い(きる) i(kiru)い(かす) i(kasu) | 生きる いきる ikiruto live; to exist |
Describing words
Add い and these become adjectives: 大きい (ookii, big), 小さい (chiisai, small), 高い (takai, tall or expensive), 長い (nagai, long) and 白い (shiroi, white).
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 大Lesson | large, big | ダイ daiタイ tai | おお(きい) oo(kii) | 大きい おおきい ookiibig; large |
| 小 | little, small | ショウ shou | ちい(さい) chii(sai) | 小さい ちいさい chiisaismall; little |
| 高 | tall, high, expensive | コウ kou | たか(い) taka(i)たか taka | 高い たかい takaihigh; tall |
| 長Lesson | long, leader, superior | チョウ chou | なが(い) naga(i)おさ osa | 長い ながい nagailong (distance, length) |
| 白Lesson | white | ハク hakuビャク byaku | しろ shiroしろ(い) shiro(i) | 白い しろい shiroiwhite |
School, language and everyday things
日本語 (nihongo) is the Japanese language, 学校 (gakkou) is a school, and 電車 (densha), “electric car”, is a train.
| Kanji | Meaning | Onyomi | Kunyomi | Common word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 学 | study, learning, science | ガク gaku | まな(ぶ) mana(bu) | 大学 だいがく daigakuuniversity; college |
| 校 | exam, school, printing | コウ kouキョウ kyou | – | 学校 がっこう gakkouschool |
| 語 | word, speech, language | ゴ go | かた(る) kata(ru)かた(らう) kata(rau) | 日本語 にほんご nihongoJapanese (language) |
| 本 | book, present, main | ホン hon | もと moto | 本人 ほんにん honninthe person in question; the person themselves |
| 電 | electricity | デン den | – | 電話 でんわ denwatelephone call; phone call |
| 車 | car | シャ sha | くるま kuruma | 自動車 じどうしゃ jidoushacar; automobile |
| 国 | country | コク koku | くに kuni | 国際 こくさい kokusaiinternational |
| 何 | what | カ ka | なに naniなん nan | 何か なにか nanikasomething; some |
Common questions
How many kanji are on the JLPT N5?
There is no official number, because the JLPT hasn’t published kanji lists since 2010. Lists made by teachers and textbooks differ a little. Chirami’s N5 list has 80 kanji, and the next level, N4, adds 204 more.
Do I need to write the kanji by hand for the test?
No. The JLPT is a multiple-choice test, and it has no writing section. You need to recognise kanji and know how they’re read. Writing them by hand still helps many learners see the parts each kanji is made of.
Which N5 kanji should I learn first?
The numbers, then the seven days of the week. After that, follow the themes on this page or the order of your textbook. For a first handful with clear pictures inside, try 5 easy kanji to learn first.
How long does it take to learn the N5 kanji?
At 5 new kanji a day, a little over two weeks, plus a few minutes of review each day. Reading them comfortably in real sentences takes longer, and it comes from meeting the words again and again.