JLPT N5 Kanji List: All 79 Kanji With Meanings and Readings
By the Kantan JLPT team · · 13 min read
Quick answer: JLPT N5 covers roughly 80–100 basic kanji, such as numbers, days of the week, people, directions and common verbs. Below are all 79 kanji in the Kantan JLPT N5 set, grouped by topic, with their meanings, on'yomi and kun'yomi. There's no official JLPT kanji list, so other sources may add or leave out a few kanji, but if you know these, you're well prepared for N5.
These are the first kanji most learners meet, and they show up constantly at every later level. If you're new to kanji, start with our complete guide to learning kanji for the JLPT, which explains how readings, radicals and study methods fit together.
Is there an official JLPT N5 kanji list?
No. When the test was revised in 2010, the JLPT stopped publishing official kanji and vocabulary lists. Every list you find online or in a textbook, including this one, is based on older test guidelines, past test content and teaching experience. That's why lists vary: some have about 80 kanji, others over 100.
The differences are mostly at the edges. Core kanji like 一, 日, 人, 大 and 見 appear on every list. Use any reputable list as your target, and don't worry about a handful of kanji that one source includes and another doesn't.
How to read the tables
- On'yomi (Chinese-derived readings) are written in katakana, and kun'yomi (native Japanese readings) in hiragana, as dictionaries do. If the difference is new to you, read on'yomi vs kun'yomi first.
- Parentheses show okurigana, the hiragana that follows the kanji in a word. まな(ぶ) means the word is written 学ぶ and read まなぶ.
- A hyphen means the reading is only used as a prefix or suffix. ひと- for 一 appears in words like 一月 (ひとつき, one month).
- A dash (—) means the kanji has no kun'yomi.
Many kanji have more readings than you need for N5. Some readings below are rare or literary. Focus on the readings that appear in the words you're learning, and the rest can wait.
JLPT N5 kanji list by topic
Numbers and money
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | one | イチ, イツ | ひと-, ひと(つ) |
| 二 | two | ニ, ジ | ふた, ふた(つ), ふたたび |
| 三 | three | サン, ゾウ | み, み(つ), みっ(つ) |
| 四 | four | シ | よ, よ(つ), よっ(つ), よん |
| 五 | five | ゴ | いつ, いつ(つ) |
| 六 | six | ロク, リク | む, む(つ), むっ(つ), むい |
| 七 | seven | シチ | なな, なな(つ), なの |
| 八 | eight | ハチ | や, や(つ), やっ(つ), よう |
| 九 | nine | キュウ, ク | ここの, ここの(つ) |
| 十 | ten | ジュウ, ジッ, ジュッ | とお, と |
| 百 | hundred | ヒャク, ビャク | もも |
| 千 | thousand | セン | ち |
| 万 | ten thousand | マン, バン | よろず |
| 円 | yen (Japanese money); circle, round | エン | まる(い), まる, まど, まど(か), まろ(やか) |
Days of the week and nature
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 日 | day; the sun; Japan (short form) | ニチ, ジツ | ひ, -か |
| 月 | the moon; month (also in month names) | ゲツ, ガツ | つき |
| 火 | fire | カ | ひ, -び, ほ- |
| 水 | water | スイ | みず |
| 木 | tree; wood, timber | ボク, モク | き, こ- |
| 金 | money; gold, metal | キン, コン, ゴン | かね, かな-, -がね |
| 土 | soil, dirt; ground, land | ド, ト | つち |
| 山 | mountain | サン | やま |
| 川 | river | セン | かわ |
| 天 | sky, heavens; weather (in compounds) | テン | あまつ, あめ, あま- |
| 雨 | rain | ウ | あめ, あま-, -さめ |
Time
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 年 | year | ネン | とし |
| 時 | time; hour; o'clock (after a number) | ジ | とき |
| 間 | between; space, gap; period of time | カン, ケン | あいだ, ま, あい |
| 今 | now, the present | コン, キン | いま |
| 毎 | every, each | マイ | ごと, -ごと(に) |
| 午 | noon, midday | ゴ | うま |
| 前 | front, in front of; before, earlier | ゼン | まえ |
| 後 | after, later; behind, back | ゴ, コウ | のち, うし(ろ), あと, おく(れる) |
| 半 | half | ハン | なか(ば) |
| 先 | ahead, first; earlier, previous; tip, end point | セン | さき |
People and family
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 人 | person, people | ジン, ニン | ひと, -り, -と |
| 男 | man, boy (male person) | ダン, ナン | おとこ, お |
| 女 | woman, girl (female person) | ジョ, ニョ, ニョウ | おんな, め |
| 子 | child | シ, ス, ツ | こ, ね |
| 父 | father | フ | ちち |
| 母 | mother | ボ | はは, も |
| 友 | friend | ユウ | とも |
| 名 | name; famous (in compounds) | メイ, ミョウ | な |
Places and directions
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上 | up, above; top, upper part; skilled (in compounds) | ジョウ, ショウ, シャン | うえ, うわ-, かみ, あ(げる), あ(がる), あ(がり), のぼ(る), のぼ(り), のぼ(せる), のぼ(す), たてまつ(る) |
| 下 | below, beneath; down, lower part | カ, ゲ | した, しも, もと, さ(げる), さ(がる), くだ(る), くだ(り), くだ(す), くだ(さる), お(ろす), お(りる) |
| 中 | inside, in; middle, center; during, throughout | チュウ | なか, うち, あた(る) |
| 外 | outside; foreign, other | ガイ, ゲ | そと, ほか, はず(す), はず(れる), と- |
| 右 | right (side) | ウ, ユウ | みぎ |
| 左 | left (side) | サ, シャ | ひだり |
| 東 | east | トウ | ひがし |
| 西 | west | セイ, サイ, ス | にし |
| 南 | south | ナン, ナ | みなみ |
| 北 | north | ホク | きた |
| 国 | country, nation | コク | くに |
Actions (verbs)
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 見 | to see, look at; to show | ケン | み(る), み(える), み(せる) |
| 食 | eating, to eat; food, meal | ショク | た(べる), く(う) |
| 行 | to go; to carry out, do; line, row | コウ, ギョウ, アン | い(く), ゆ(く), -ゆ(き), -い(き), おこな(う) |
| 来 | to come; next (as in next week) | ライ, タイ | く(る), きた(る), きた(す), き, こ |
| 出 | to go out, come out; to put out, send out | シュツ, スイ | で(る), -で, だ(す), い(でる), い(だす) |
| 入 | to enter, go in; to put in | ニュウ, ジュ | い(る), -い(り), い(れる), -い(れ), はい(る) |
| 話 | to talk, speak; story, conversation | ワ | はな(す), はなし |
| 書 | to write; book, document | ショ | か(く), -が(き) |
| 聞 | to hear, listen; to ask | ブン, モン | き(く), き(こえる) |
| 読 | to read | ドク, トク, トウ | よ(む), -よ(み) |
| 休 | to rest, take a break; holiday, time off | キュウ | やす(む), やす(まる), やす(める) |
Describing words
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大 | large, big (in size); great, major | ダイ, タイ | おお(きい) |
| 小 | small, little (in size) | ショウ | ちい(さい), こ-, お- |
| 長 | long (in length or time); head, chief (of a group) | チョウ | なが(い), おさ |
| 高 | high, tall; expensive, costly | コウ | たか(い), たか, -だか, たか(まる), たか(める) |
| 白 | white | ハク, ビャク | しろ, しら-, しろ(い) |
School, language and everyday words
| Kanji | Meaning | On'yomi | Kun'yomi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 学 | studying, learning; field of study | ガク | まな(ぶ) |
| 生 | life, living; birth; raw, uncooked | セイ, ショウ | い(きる), う(まれる), なま |
| 校 | school | コウ, キョウ | — |
| 本 | book; main, basis; counter for long, thin things | ホン | もと |
| 語 | language (English, Japanese, etc.); word, speech | ゴ | かた(る), かた(らう) |
| 電 | electricity, electric | デン | — |
| 車 | car, vehicle; wheel | シャ | くるま |
| 何 | what | カ | なに, なん |
| 気 | spirit, energy; feeling, mood; air, atmosphere | キ, ケ | いき |
How should you learn the N5 kanji?
79 kanji is a very achievable goal. At three to five new kanji a day, you can learn them all in three to four weeks, with time left for review. Here's an approach that works:
- Learn hiragana and katakana first. You need kana to read the words these kanji appear in.
- Start with the easy groups. Numbers and days of the week are simple and appear everywhere, so they give you quick wins.
- Learn each kanji through two or three words. For 生, learn 学生 (gakusei, student), 先生 (sensei, teacher) and 生まれる (umareru, to be born). This teaches the meaning and the readings you'll actually see.
- Watch for special readings. Several common N5 words don't follow the normal readings, like 今日 (kyō, today), 大人 (otona, adult), 一人 (hitori, one person) and 一日 (tsuitachi, the first of the month).
- Notice the parts. Many N5 kanji, like 木, 日, 女, 人 and 金, come back as building blocks in later kanji. Our guide to kanji radicals shows how.
- Review with spaced repetition. Short daily reviews keep the kanji you've learned from slipping away.
- Read simple sentences. Seeing kanji in context is the best test of whether you really know them.
Here's a sentence that uses several N5 kanji at once:
毎日、学校で日本語を勉強します。
Mainichi, gakkō de nihongo o benkyō shimasu. I study Japanese at school every day.
Which N5 kanji are easy to confuse?
A few pairs trip up beginners again and again:
- 人 (person) and 入 (enter): they're mirror images. In 人, the left stroke starts at the top. In 入, the right stroke does.
- 土 (soil) and 士 (samurai, gentleman): in 土, the bottom line is longer. 士 isn't on this list, but you'll meet it later.
- 右 (right) and 左 (left): they share the top part. 右 has 口 underneath, and 左 has 工.
- 午 (noon) and 牛 (cow): in 牛, the vertical stroke pokes through the top. 牛 is a later kanji, but it's worth knowing the difference early.
- 日 (day) and 目 (eye): 目 has an extra horizontal line inside. 目 isn't on this list, but you'll see it soon.
How does the JLPT N5 test kanji?
At N5, kanji appear in the vocabulary questions. In kanji reading questions, you choose the correct hiragana reading of an underlined word, like choosing がっこう for 学校. In orthography questions, you choose the correct kanji spelling of a word written in hiragana. The test is all multiple choice, so you don't need to write kanji by hand.
Kanji also appear in the reading section, so recognizing them quickly saves time. For a full overview of the exam, see the complete JLPT guide, and always check the official JLPT website for the current test format.
Frequently asked questions
How many kanji are on the JLPT N5?
There's no official number. Most lists include roughly 80–100 kanji. The Kantan JLPT N5 set has 79, which covers the kanji you'll see most often at this level.
Do I need to know every reading listed?
No. Learn the readings used in common N5 words, like ひと and ジン for 人 (as in 人 and 日本人). Rare readings, like たてまつ(る) for 上, won't come up at N5.
Do I need to write the N5 kanji?
Not for the test. The JLPT is entirely multiple choice. Writing a kanji a few times can help you remember it, but recognition and reading matter most.
What comes after N5 kanji?
Next comes N4, which adds about 170 more kanji. They build on the ones here, so a solid N5 foundation makes N4 much easier. When you're ready, continue with the JLPT N4 kanji list.
Study the N5 kanji in Kantan JLPT
This list comes from the N5 kanji set in Kantan JLPT. In the app, each kanji is linked to the N5 words it appears in, so you learn meanings and readings together. Spaced-repetition reviews bring back the ones you miss, and N5 mock tests include kanji reading questions in the JLPT style. When you're ready to go further, the kanji guide has a study plan for every level.