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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 痛い | itai | adjective | painful | 頭が痛いです。 | My head hurts. |
| 痩せる | やせる | verb | to lose weight; to become thin | 最近、少し痩せました。 | I lost a little weight recently. |
| 発音 | はつおん | noun | pronunciation | この単語の発音は難しい。 | The pronunciation of this word is difficult. |
| 皆 | みな | pronoun | everyone | 皆で行きます。 | Everyone will go together. |
| 盗む | ぬすむ | verb | to steal | 自転車を盗まれました。 | My bicycle was stolen. |
| 盛る | もる | verb | to pile up; to serve food high | ご飯を たくさん 盛ります。 | I pile up a lot of rice. |
| 盛ん | さかん | adjective | active; popular | この町は祭りが盛んです。 | Festivals are popular in this town. |
| 直す | なおす | verb | to fix; to repair | 時計を直します。 | I will fix the clock. |
| 直る | なおる | verb | to be fixed; to be repaired | この時計は直りました。 | This clock has been fixed. |
| 相談 | そうだん | noun | consultation; advice | 先生に相談しました。 | I consulted my teacher. |
| 看板 | かんばん | noun | signboard; billboard | 店の看板が大きい。 | The store sign is big. |
| 看病 | かんびょう | noun | nursing; caring for the sick | 母の看病をした。 | I took care of my mother when she was sick. |
| 看護婦 | かんごふ | noun | nurse | 看護婦さんが来ました。 | The nurse came. |
| 県庁 | けんちょう | noun | prefectural office | 県庁へ行きます。 | I am going to the prefectural office. |
| 真中 | まんなか | noun | middle; center | 部屋の真中に机があります。 | There is a desk in the middle of the room. |
| 眠い | ねむい | adjective | sleepy | 今日はとても眠いです。 | I am very sleepy today. |
| 眠る | ねむる | verb | to sleep | 赤ちゃんが眠っている。 | The baby is sleeping. |
| 着せる | きせる | verb | to dress someone; to put on clothes | 母が子どもに服を着せました。 | My mother dressed the child. |
| 着替え | きがえ | noun | change of clothes | 着替えを持って行く。 | I will bring a change of clothes. |
| 着物 | きもの | noun | kimono | 着物を着ます。 | I wear a kimono. |
| 知らせる | しらせる | verb | to inform; to tell | あとで知らせます。 | I’ll let you know later. |
| 石 | いし | noun | stone; rock | 道に石があります。 | There is a stone on the road. |
| 砂 | すな | noun | sand | 砂が靴に入りました。 | Sand got into my shoes. |
| 研修 | けんしゅう | noun | training; study session | 会社で研修があります。 | There is training at the company. |
| 研究 | けんきゅう | noun | research | 日本語を研究しています。 | I am researching Japanese. |
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.
