You’ve graduated from survival Japanese-ordering ramen, introducing yourself, navigating train stations. Now you’re hungry for more: describing your weekend, explaining why you’re running late, and actually following a simple anime scene without subtitles. That’s N4 territory, and this vocabulary list is built exactly for it. We’ve gathered around 1500 practical words that show up on the JLPT N4 and in everyday life, skipping the obscure terms you’ll never use. It’s vocabulary that earns its keep. Pair these words with JLPT N4 grammar to build fuller sentences.
Ready for a little vocabulary adventure? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable JLPT N4 Japanese vocabulary list PDF PDF and the free downloadable printable JLPT N4 Japanese PDF flashcards.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Japanese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve already locked a few of these N4 words into memory? The quick quiz below will show you what you know and which ones could use a second glance-no pressure, just a friendly check-in.
Keep building your Japanese
Choose a practical next step when you are ready.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Reading | Type | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 外科 | げか | noun | surgery; surgical department | 父は外科に行きました。 | My father went to surgery. |
| 外部 | がいぶ | noun | outside; external | 外部の人は入れません。 | People from outside cannot enter. |
| 夜 | yoru | noun | night | 夜は静かです。 | It is quiet at night. |
| 夜行 | やこう | noun | overnight travel; night train | 夜行バスで東京へ行きます。 | I will go to Tokyo by night bus. |
| 夢 | ゆめ | noun | dream | 夢を見ました。 | I had a dream. |
| 大事 | だいじ | noun | important thing | これは大事です。 | This is important. |
| 大体 | だいたい | adverb | generally; mostly | 大体分かりました。 | I mostly understood. |
| 大凡 | おおよそ | adverb | roughly; about | おおよそ一時間かかります。 | It takes about one hour. |
| 大分 | だいぶ | adverb | quite; a lot | 今日は大分寒いです。 | It is quite cold today. |
| 大切 | taisetsu | adjective | important | 家族は大切です。 | Family is important. |
| 大学生 | だいがくせい | noun | college student | 兄は大学生です。 | My older brother is a college student. |
| 大通り | おおどおり | noun | main street | 大通りは車が多いです。 | There are many cars on the main street. |
| 天気 | tenki | noun | weather | 今日はいい天気です。 | The weather is nice today. |
| 天気予報 | てんきよほう | noun | weather forecast | 天気予報を見ました。 | I checked the weather forecast. |
| 天皇 | てんのう | noun | emperor | 天皇が 来ました。 | The emperor came. |
| 太る | ふとる | verb | to gain weight | 最近太りました。 | I gained weight recently. |
| 夫 | おっと | noun | husband | 夫は会社員です。 | My husband is a company employee. |
| 失恋 | しつれん | noun | broken heart; failed love | 彼女は失恋して泣いた。 | She cried because of a broken heart. |
| 失敗 | しっぱい | noun | failure; mistake | テストで失敗しました。 | I failed the test. |
| 女の人 | おんなのひと | noun | woman | 女の人が来ました。 | A woman came. |
| 女性 | じょせい | noun | woman; female | あの女性は先生です。 | That woman is a teacher. |
| 妨げる | さまたげる | verb | to hinder; to disturb | 雨が予定を妨げました。 | The rain hindered our plans. |
| 妻 | つま | noun | wife | 妻は料理が上手です。 | My wife is good at cooking. |
| 始める | はじめる | verb | to begin | 授業を始めましょう。 | Let's begin the class. |
| 始終 | しじゅう | adverb | always; all the time | 彼は始終笑っている。 | He is always smiling. |
Free JLPT N4 Japanese Vocabulary PDF and Flashcard Downloads
Grab the purple button for the JLPT N4 Japanese vocabulary list PDF and the teal button for the JLPT N4 Japanese PDF flashcards. Both downloads are 100% free, with no signup required.
