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.
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.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Reading | Type | Meaning | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 注す | さす | verb | to pour | コップに水を注します。 | I pour water into the cup. |
| 注射 | ちゅうしゃ | noun | injection; shot | 注射はこわいです。 | Shots are scary. |
| 注意 | ちゅうい | noun | caution; warning | 先生に注意されました。 | The teacher warned me. |
| 泳ぎ方 | およぎかた | noun | how to swim | 泳ぎ方を習いました。 | I learned how to swim. |
| 洒落 | しゃれ | noun | style; joke; witty remark | その 服は 洒落ています。 | Those clothes are stylish. |
| 洗濯 | sentaku | noun | washing clothes | 今日は洗濯をします。 | I do the laundry today. |
| 活力 | かつりょく | noun | energy; vitality | この仕事には活力が必要です。 | This job needs energy. |
| 活字 | かつじ | noun | printed characters | 活字が小さくて読みにくいです。 | The print is small and hard to read. |
| 活躍 | かつやく | noun | activity; success | 彼は試合で活躍しました。 | He did well in the game. |
| 流石 | さすが | expression | as expected; indeed | 流石、よく知っていますね。 | As expected, you know a lot. |
| 浅い | あさい | adjective | shallow | この川は浅いです。 | This river is shallow. |
| 浮かべる | うかべる | verb | to float; to make float | 花を水に浮かべる。 | I float the flowers on the water. |
| 浮く | うく | verb | to float | 氷が水に浮く。 | Ice floats on water. |
| 浮ぶ | うかぶ | verb | to float up; to appear | 水に葉が浮ぶ。 | A leaf floats on the water. |
| 海 | umi | noun | sea | 海で泳ぎました。 | I swam in the sea. |
| 海岸 | かいがん | noun | seashore; coast | 海岸を散歩しました。 | I took a walk along the coast. |
| 海水浴 | かいすいよく | noun | swimming in the sea | 夏に海水浴をします。 | We go swimming in the sea in summer. |
| 海洋 | かいよう | noun | ocean | 海洋は広いです。 | The ocean is vast. |
| 消しゴム | けしゴム | noun | eraser | 消しゴムを貸してください。 | Please lend me an eraser. |
| 消耗 | しょうもう | noun | wear and tear; consumption | 電池が 消耗しました。 | The battery wore out. |
| 液体 | えきたい | noun | liquid | この薬は液体です。 | This medicine is a liquid. |
| 深い | ふかい | adjective | deep | この川は深い。 | This river is deep. |
| 混合 | こんごう | noun | mixing; combination | 二つの材料を混合します。 | I mix the two ingredients. |
| 清い | きよい | adjective | pure; clean | この水は清いです。 | This water is clean. |
| 渇く | かわく | verb | to get thirsty | 運動してのどが渇く。 | I get thirsty after exercising. |
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.
