JLPT N5 Kanji List
- ~100 kanji
- Grouped by theme
- On + kun readings
How to use this list
Do not try to memorise a hundred characters at once. Take one group, learn five kanji a day with stroke order and both readings, and revise the previous group every morning. Twenty minutes daily beats a three-hour weekend session — kanji is a memory problem, and memory responds to spacing, not intensity.
Readings are shown as on'yomi / kun'yomi. On'yomi usually appears in compounds, kun'yomi when the character stands alone.
Numbers
Learn these first — they appear in dates, prices, counters and times.
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一 | ichi / hito(tsu) | one |
| 二 | ni / futa(tsu) | two |
| 三 | san / mit(tsu) | three |
| 四 | shi / yon | four |
| 五 | go / itsu(tsu) | five |
| 六 | roku / mut(tsu) | six |
| 七 | shichi / nana | seven |
| 八 | hachi / yat(tsu) | eight |
| 九 | kyuu / kokono(tsu) | nine |
| 十 | juu / too | ten |
| 百 | hyaku | hundred |
| 千 | sen / chi | thousand |
| 万 | man | ten thousand |
| 円 | en / maru(i) | yen, circle |
Days, time and calendar
The week is built from the nature kanji — 日月火水木金土.
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 日 | nichi / hi | day, sun |
| 月 | getsu / tsuki | month, moon |
| 火 | ka / hi | fire (Tuesday) |
| 水 | sui / mizu | water (Wednesday) |
| 木 | moku / ki | tree (Thursday) |
| 金 | kin / kane | gold, money (Friday) |
| 土 | do / tsuchi | earth (Saturday) |
| 年 | nen / toshi | year |
| 時 | ji / toki | time, hour |
| 分 | fun / wa(karu) | minute, to divide |
| 半 | han | half |
| 午 | go | noon |
| 前 | zen / mae | before, front |
| 後 | go / ato | after, behind |
| 今 | kon / ima | now |
| 毎 | mai | every |
| 週 | shuu | week |
| 間 | kan / aida | interval, between |
People and family
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 人 | jin, nin / hito | person |
| 男 | dan / otoko | man |
| 女 | jo / onna | woman |
| 子 | shi / ko | child |
| 父 | fu / chichi | father |
| 母 | bo / haha | mother |
| 友 | yuu / tomo | friend |
| 名 | mei / na | name |
| 先 | sen / saki | previous, ahead |
| 生 | sei / u(mareru) | life, birth |
| 私 | shi / watashi | I, private |
Directions and position
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上 | jou / ue | up, above |
| 下 | ka / shita | down, below |
| 中 | chuu / naka | middle, inside |
| 外 | gai / soto | outside |
| 右 | u / migi | right |
| 左 | sa / hidari | left |
| 北 | hoku / kita | north |
| 南 | nan / minami | south |
| 東 | tou / higashi | east |
| 西 | sei / nishi | west |
Nature and things
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 山 | san / yama | mountain |
| 川 | sen / kawa | river |
| 天 | ten | heaven, sky |
| 気 | ki | spirit, air |
| 雨 | u / ame | rain |
| 空 | kuu / sora | sky, empty |
| 花 | ka / hana | flower |
| 魚 | gyo / sakana | fish |
| 犬 | ken / inu | dog |
| 車 | sha / kuruma | car, vehicle |
| 電 | den | electricity |
| 駅 | eki | station |
| 店 | ten / mise | shop |
| 国 | koku / kuni | country |
| 語 | go | language |
| 本 | hon / moto | book, origin |
| 文 | bun / fumi | sentence, writing |
| 字 | ji | character, letter |
| 学 | gaku / mana(bu) | study |
| 校 | kou | school |
| 社 | sha / yashiro | company, shrine |
| 会 | kai / a(u) | meeting, to meet |
| 家 | ka / ie | house, family |
| 道 | dou / michi | road, way |
| 方 | hou / kata | direction, person (polite) |
| 山 | san / yama | mountain |
| 白 | haku / shiro(i) | white |
| 高 | kou / taka(i) | tall, expensive |
| 安 | an / yasu(i) | cheap, peaceful |
| 新 | shin / atara(shii) | new |
| 古 | ko / furu(i) | old |
| 長 | chou / naga(i) | long |
| 小 | shou / chii(sai) | small |
| 大 | dai / oo(kii) | big |
| 少 | shou / suko(shi) | few, a little |
| 多 | ta / oo(i) | many |
| 円 | en / maru(i) | circle, yen |
Verbs and actions
| Kanji | Readings | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行 | kou / i(ku) | to go |
| 来 | rai / ku(ru) | to come |
| 帰 | ki / kae(ru) | to return |
| 見 | ken / mi(ru) | to see |
| 聞 | bun / ki(ku) | to hear, to ask |
| 話 | wa / hana(su) | to speak |
| 読 | doku / yo(mu) | to read |
| 書 | sho / ka(ku) | to write |
| 食 | shoku / ta(beru) | to eat |
| 飲 | in / no(mu) | to drink |
| 買 | bai / ka(u) | to buy |
| 立 | ritsu / ta(tsu) | to stand |
| 休 | kyuu / yasu(mu) | to rest |
| 出 | shutsu / de(ru) | to exit |
| 入 | nyuu / hai(ru) | to enter |
| 言 | gen / i(u) | to say |
| 作 | saku / tsuku(ru) | to make |
Study tips that actually help
- Write each character ten to twenty times with correct stroke order.
- Learn kanji inside words, not alone — 日本, 先生, 電車 stick better than 日, 先, 電.
- Use radicals as building blocks: 語 = 言 (speech) + 五 + 口.
- Read real text — signs, menus, product packaging — as soon as you know 30 characters.
- Revise daily. Five minutes every morning outperforms an hour on Sunday.
Next: the full N5 syllabus and exam pattern.
Questions people ask
How many kanji are needed for JLPT N5?
About 100 kanji. The exact list varies slightly by year because the JLPT does not publish an official list, but the ~100 characters below cover what has consistently appeared.
In what order should I learn N5 kanji?
Numbers first, then days and time, then nature and directions, then people and verbs. Each group is used constantly, so early characters get reinforced by later ones instead of being forgotten.
Do I need to write kanji by hand for the JLPT?
The exam itself is multiple choice, so no writing is tested. Handwriting is still worth the effort — students who write kanji recognise them far more reliably under exam time pressure.
What is the difference between on'yomi and kun'yomi?
On'yomi is the reading borrowed from Chinese, typically used in compounds (山 in 富士山, san). Kun'yomi is the native Japanese reading, typically used when the character stands alone (山, yama).