JLPT N4 Kanji List with Readings and Examples

JLPT N4 漢字
JLPT N4 Kanji

If N5 kanji is the “hello, nice to meet you” stage, N4 is where Japanese starts getting properly useful. That is the level where signs, schedules, simple news, and everyday life stop looking like decorative mystery art and start making sense. Slightly. On good days.

This guide gives you a practical JLPT N4 kanji list with readings, meanings, and example words. It is built for learners who want the kanji to feel real, not like random symbols arranged by a very committed spreadsheet.

For a broader overview of the test levels, you can also check the Japanese Placement Test JLPT, plus the full Learn Japanese hub if you want to keep going after this list.

How To Use This N4 Kanji List

Each kanji below includes:

• Kanji
• Rōmaji
• English meaning
• Example word or sentence

When a kanji has more than one common reading, both are shown. Japanese loves doing that. It keeps life interesting, which is one way to say “slightly annoying.”

Core N4 Kanji

These first items show up constantly in daily Japanese. If you learn them well, reading gets easier very quickly. Not magically easy. Just less rude.

Useful N4 Words And Phrases

Common N4 Kanji By Theme

Grouping kanji by theme helps your brain stop treating them like a pile of flashcards that attacked you in an alley.

People And Daily Life

School, Work, And Study

Time, Days, And Schedules

Travel, Places, And Movement

Nature, Weather, And The World Around You

Small But Important Nuances

Some N4 kanji look simple, but their usage is a little sneaky.

生 can mean “life,” “raw,” or “student” depending on the word. 行 can mean “go,” but in compounds it often changes reading. 前 means “front” in some words and “before” in others. Welcome to Japanese, where one little box-shaped character does several jobs without asking for extra pay.

If you want a fast check on JLPT vocabulary outside kanji study, try the Japanese Vocabulary Test. It pairs nicely with kanji review because reading words in context is where the memory sticks.

Readings You Should Know First

For JLPT N4, the goal is not to memorize every possible reading. That would be a great way to burn out before finishing your tea. Focus on the most common on’yomi and kun’yomi first.

• 会 — kai, au
• 学 — gaku, manabu
• 校 — kō
• 毎 — mai
• 週 — shū
• 時 — ji, toki
• 間 — kan, aida
• 行 — gyō, iku
• 来 — rai, kuru
• 出 — shutsu, deru
• 入 — nyū, iru
• 見 — ken, miru
• 言 — gen, iu
• 食 — shoku, taberu
• 生 — sei, nama, ikiru

Quick Practice

Try reading these without looking at the answers first. Tiny challenge, no drama.

Now try making one sentence with each word. Even short sentences help a lot because kanji never live alone for long.

Common Mistakes And Fixes

If you are moving from N5 to N4, the jump can feel bigger than expected. That is normal. You are not suddenly bad at Japanese; the test just got less polite.

Quick Reference Summary

• Focus on high-frequency kanji first: 会, 学, 校, 時, 間, 行, 来, 見, 出, 入
• Learn kanji as part of words, not as isolated shapes
• Practice both on’yomi and kun’yomi
• Use example sentences to lock in meaning and reading
• Review by theme: time, people, school, travel, weather
• Read a little every day instead of cramming once a week

For a bigger study plan, the JLPT N4 Japanese Study Guide is a good next stop. If you are building level by level, the JLPT N5 Japanese Kanji list and the JLPT N3 Japanese Kanji list are the natural bookends for this level.

Yak takeaway: JLPT N4 kanji is where Japanese starts paying you back for your effort. Learn the common characters, keep the readings attached to real words, and the language gets much less mysterious, one boxy little kanji at a time.