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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 開く | ひらく | verb | to open | 店は九時に開く。 | The store opens at nine. |
| 開会 | かいかい | noun | opening; start | 会議の開会は9時です。 | The meeting starts at 9 o'clock. |
| 開放 | かいほう | noun | opening up; making available | 公園を開放しています。 | The park is open to the public. |
| 開通 | かいつう | noun | opening to traffic; opening | 新しい道路が開通しました。 | The new road opened to traffic. |
| 間 | あいだ | noun | between; during | 休みの間、家にいました。 | I stayed home during the break. |
| 間に合う | まにあう | verb | to make it in time | 電車に間に合いました。 | I made it in time for the train. |
| 間接 | かんせつ | noun | indirect | これは間接の方法だ。 | This is an indirect method. |
| 間違える | まちがえる | verb | to make a mistake | 答えを間違えました。 | I made a mistake in the answer. |
| 間隔 | かんかく | noun | interval; spacing | 席の間隔が広い。 | The space between the seats is wide. |
| 関係 | かんけい | noun | relationship; connection | 二人は関係があります。 | The two have a relationship. |
| 関東 | かんとう | noun | Kanto area | 関東に住んでいる。 | I live in Kanto. |
| 関西 | かんさい | noun | Kansai area | 関西へ旅行した。 | I traveled to Kansai. |
| 降りる | oriru | verb | to get off | ここで降りてください。 | Please get off here. |
| 降り出す | ふりだす | verb | to start falling | 雨が降り出した。 | It started to rain. |
| 限度 | げんど | noun | limit | ここが限度です。 | This is the limit. |
| 険しい | けわしい | adjective | steep; rugged | この山道は険しいです。 | This mountain path is steep. |
| 隅 | すみ | noun | corner; edge | 部屋の隅に机があります。 | There is a desk in the corner of the room. |
| 集める | あつめる | verb | to collect; to gather | 切手を集めています。 | I collect stamps. |
| 集る | あつまる | verb | to gather | みんなが公園に集まります。 | Everyone gathers in the park. |
| 集会 | しゅうかい | noun | meeting; gathering | 町内の集会に参加しました。 | I attended the neighborhood meeting. |
| 雑音 | ざつおん | noun | noise; static | ラジオに雑音が入っています。 | There is static noise in the radio. |
| 雨 | ame | noun | rain | 雨が降っています。 | It is raining. |
| 雨戸 | あまど | noun | storm shutter | 雨戸を閉めた。 | I closed the storm shutters. |
| 雪 | yuki | noun | snow | 雪がたくさん降りました。 | A lot of snow fell. |
| 雲 | くも | noun | cloud | 今日は雲が多いです。 | There are many clouds today. |
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.
