JLPT N5 & N4 Kanji Study Guide — Reading, Writing, and Meaning
Kanji are Chinese-origin characters used in Japanese writing. JLPT N5 requires knowledge of approximately 100 kanji, while N4 adds around 200 more — 300 total. Every kanji has at least two readings: the on-yomi (音読み) — the Chinese-derived sound — and the kun-yomi (訓読み) — the native Japanese sound. Most kanji used in isolation use kun-yomi; in compound words (熟語, jukugo) they usually use on-yomi.
The Most Important N5 Kanji
The N5 kanji set includes numbers (一二三四五六七八九十百千万), time (年月日時分), people (人男女子), nature (山川木火水金土), directions (上下左右中), and basic action concepts (入出来行見食飲書読). These appear in almost every Japanese text you will encounter.
In the workplace, kanji appear on all official documents, signs, invoices, and emails. Being unable to read kanji puts you at a significant disadvantage — even at N5 level, knowing the basic set helps you navigate daily life in Japan (reading train station signs, restaurant menus, office notices).
How to Learn Kanji Efficiently
- Learn radicals (部首) first: Kanji are built from component parts called radicals. 木 (tree) appears in 森 (forest), 林 (woods), 校 (school). Knowing radicals helps you remember meaning and guess unfamiliar characters.
- Learn each kanji in a word: Don't learn 食 in isolation — learn 食べる (to eat), 食堂 (cafeteria), 食事 (meal). Context makes meaning concrete.
- Write by hand (at least once): Stroke order matters for handwriting recognition in Japan. More importantly, the physical act of writing a character dramatically improves memory retention.
- Use mnemonics: 山 looks like a mountain with three peaks. 川 looks like a river with three streams. 日 looks like the sun. Visual stories help your brain store characters.
- Review with spaced repetition: This module tracks your accuracy per kanji and prioritises weaker items. Use the quiz mode daily for 15–20 minutes.
On-yomi vs Kun-yomi in Practice
The character 山 in isolation is read やま (yama) — kun-yomi. In the compound 富士山 (Mt. Fuji) the final character is read さん (san) — on-yomi. In 山田 (Yamada — a common surname) it is read やま again. Context and position determine which reading applies. JLPT tests both, so you must learn both readings from the start.
This module covers all N5 and N4 kanji with on-yomi, kun-yomi, meanings, and example words — with Bengali translations and interactive quiz and flashcard modes.