Greetings and everyday phrases
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | hello | konnichiwa | こんにちは、元気ですか。Hello, how are you? |
| おはようございます | good morning | ohayou gozaimasu | おはようございます、先生。Good morning, teacher. |
| こんばんは | good evening | konbanwa | こんばんは、田中さん。Good evening, Mr. Tanaka. |
| さようなら | goodbye | sayounara | さようなら、また明日。Goodbye, see you tomorrow. |
| ありがとうございます | thank you | arigatou gozaimasu | 手伝ってくれて、ありがとうございます。Thank you for helping me. |
| すみません | excuse me, sorry | sumimasen | すみません、道を教えてください。Excuse me, please tell me the way. |
| はい | yes | hai | はい、分かりました。Yes, I understand. |
| いいえ | no | iie | いいえ、違います。No, that's not right. |
| お願いします | please | onegaishimasu | 水をお願いします。Water, please. |
| どういたしまして | you're welcome | dou itashimashite | どういたしまして、いつでも。You're welcome, anytime. |
| おやすみなさい | good night | oyasumi nasai | おやすみなさい、良い夢を。Good night, sweet dreams. |
| じゃあね | see you, bye | jaa ne | じゃあね、また今度。See you, until next time. |
Numbers
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | one | ichi | 一時に会いましょう。Let's meet at one o'clock. |
| 二 | two | ni | 猫が二匹います。There are two cats. |
| 三 | three | san | 三時に電話します。I will call at three o'clock. |
| 四 | four | yon | 四月に日本へ行きます。I will go to Japan in April. |
| 五 | five | go | 五分待ってください。Please wait five minutes. |
| 六 | six | roku | 六月は雨が多いです。June has a lot of rain. |
| 七 | seven | nana | 七時に起きます。I wake up at seven o'clock. |
| 八 | eight | hachi | 八時に寝ます。I go to bed at eight o'clock. |
| 九 | nine | kyuu | 九時から仕事です。Work starts at nine o'clock. |
| 十 | ten | juu | りんごを十個買いました。I bought ten apples. |
| 百 | hundred | hyaku | このペンは百円です。This pen is one hundred yen. |
| 千 | thousand | sen | 千円札を持っています。I have a one-thousand-yen bill. |
Colors
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 赤 | red | aka | 赤いりんごが好きです。I like red apples. |
| 青 | blue | ao | 空は青いです。The sky is blue. |
| 黄色 | yellow | kiiro | 黄色いバナナを食べます。I eat a yellow banana. |
| 緑 | green | midori | 緑の葉が美しいです。The green leaves are beautiful. |
| 白 | white | shiro | 白いシャツを着ています。I am wearing a white shirt. |
| 黒 | black | kuro | 黒い猫を見ました。I saw a black cat. |
| 紫 | purple | murasaki | 紫の花が好きです。I like purple flowers. |
| 茶色 | brown | chairo | 茶色の靴を買いました。I bought brown shoes. |
| 灰色 | gray | haiiro | 空は灰色です。The sky is gray. |
| ピンク | pink | pinku | ピンクのかばんがかわいいです。The pink bag is cute. |
Family members
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 家族 | family | kazoku | 私の家族は四人です。My family has four people. |
| 父 | father (my) | chichi | 父は医者です。My father is a doctor. |
| 母 | mother (my) | haha | 母は先生です。My mother is a teacher. |
| 兄 | older brother (my) | ani | 兄は大学生です。My older brother is a university student. |
| 姉 | older sister (my) | ane | 姉は会社員です。My older sister is a company employee. |
| 弟 | younger brother | otouto | 弟は高校生です。My younger brother is a high school student. |
| 妹 | younger sister | imouto | 妹はまだ小学生です。My younger sister is still an elementary school student. |
| 子供 | child | kodomo | 子供が公園で遊んでいます。The children are playing in the park. |
| 両親 | parents | ryoushin | 両親と一緒に住んでいます。I live together with my parents. |
| 祖母 | grandmother (my) | sobo | 祖母は料理が上手です。My grandmother is good at cooking. |
Food and drink
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ご飯 | rice, meal | gohan | 朝ご飯を食べました。I ate breakfast. |
| パン | bread | pan | 毎朝パンを食べます。I eat bread every morning. |
| 水 | water | mizu | 水を一杯ください。Please give me a glass of water. |
| お茶 | tea | ocha | 熱いお茶が好きです。I like hot tea. |
| 魚 | fish | sakana | 魚を食べるのが好きです。I like eating fish. |
| 肉 | meat | niku | 肉より野菜が好きです。I like vegetables more than meat. |
| 野菜 | vegetable | yasai | 野菜をたくさん食べてください。Please eat a lot of vegetables. |
| 果物 | fruit | kudamono | 果物は健康にいいです。Fruit is good for health. |
| 卵 | egg | tamago | 卵を二つ買いました。I bought two eggs. |
| コーヒー | coffee | koohii | 毎朝コーヒーを飲みます。I drink coffee every morning. |
| レストラン | restaurant | resutoran | このレストランはおいしいです。This restaurant is delicious. |
| メニュー | menu | menyuu | メニューを見せてください。Please show me the menu. |
Time and days of the week
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | today | kyou | 今日は忙しいです。I am busy today. |
| 明日 | tomorrow | ashita | 明日は休みです。Tomorrow is a day off. |
| 昨日 | yesterday | kinou | 昨日は雨でした。Yesterday it rained. |
| 月曜日 | Monday | getsuyoubi | 月曜日に学校があります。I have school on Monday. |
| 火曜日 | Tuesday | kayoubi | 火曜日に会議があります。There is a meeting on Tuesday. |
| 水曜日 | Wednesday | suiyoubi | 水曜日は忙しいです。Wednesday is busy. |
| 木曜日 | Thursday | mokuyoubi | 木曜日に映画を見ます。I will watch a movie on Thursday. |
| 金曜日 | Friday | kinyoubi | 金曜日はパーティーです。Friday is a party. |
| 土曜日 | Saturday | doyoubi | 土曜日に買い物します。I go shopping on Saturday. |
| 日曜日 | Sunday | nichiyoubi | 日曜日は休みます。I rest on Sunday. |
| 今 | now | ima | 今、何時ですか。What time is it now? |
| 時間 | time, hour | jikan | 時間がありません。I don't have time. |
Travel and places
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 駅 | station | eki | 駅まで歩きます。I will walk to the station. |
| 空港 | airport | kuukou | 空港でチェックインします。I will check in at the airport. |
| 電車 | train | densha | 電車で会社へ行きます。I go to work by train. |
| バス | bus | basu | バスに乗ります。I will get on the bus. |
| ホテル | hotel | hoteru | ホテルを予約しました。I booked a hotel. |
| 地図 | map | chizu | 地図を見てください。Please look at the map. |
| 切符 | ticket | kippu | 切符を買いました。I bought a ticket. |
| 道 | road, way | michi | 道が分かりません。I don't know the way. |
| 街 | town, city | machi | この街は静かです。This town is quiet. |
| 旅行 | trip, travel | ryokou | 旅行が好きです。I like traveling. |
Common verbs
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | to eat | taberu | 昼ご飯を食べる。I eat lunch. |
| 飲む | to drink | nomu | 水を飲む。I drink water. |
| 行く | to go | iku | 学校に行く。I go to school. |
| 来る | to come | kuru | 友達が来る。My friend comes. |
| 見る | to see, watch | miru | テレビを見る。I watch TV. |
| 聞く | to listen, hear | kiku | 音楽を聞く。I listen to music. |
| 話す | to speak | hanasu | 日本語を話す。I speak Japanese. |
| 読む | to read | yomu | 本を読む。I read a book. |
| 書く | to write | kaku | 手紙を書く。I write a letter. |
| 買う | to buy | kau | 服を買う。I buy clothes. |
| 寝る | to sleep | neru | 早く寝る。I sleep early. |
| 働く | to work | hataraku | 会社で働く。I work at a company. |
Common adjectives
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大きい | big | ookii | 大きい家に住んでいます。I live in a big house. |
| 小さい | small | chiisai | 小さい犬がかわいいです。The small dog is cute. |
| 新しい | new | atarashii | 新しい靴を買いました。I bought new shoes. |
| 古い | old | furui | この本は古いです。This book is old. |
| 高い | expensive, tall | takai | このかばんは高いです。This bag is expensive. |
| 安い | cheap | yasui | この店は安いです。This shop is cheap. |
| おいしい | delicious | oishii | この料理はおいしいです。This dish is delicious. |
| 楽しい | fun | tanoshii | 旅行は楽しいです。Traveling is fun. |
| 難しい | difficult | muzukashii | 日本語は難しいです。Japanese is difficult. |
| 簡単 | easy, simple | kantan | この問題は簡単です。This problem is easy. |
Question words and school basics
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 何 | what | nani | これは何ですか。What is this? |
| 誰 | who | dare | あの人は誰ですか。Who is that person? |
| どこ | where | doko | トイレはどこですか。Where is the toilet? |
| いつ | when | itsu | 試験はいつですか。When is the exam? |
| どうして | why | doushite | どうして遅れましたか。Why were you late? |
| どう | how | dou | 天気はどうですか。How is the weather? |
| 学校 | school | gakkou | 毎日学校へ行きます。I go to school every day. |
| 先生 | teacher | sensei | 先生に質問します。I will ask the teacher a question. |
| 学生 | student | gakusei | 私は大学の学生です。I am a university student. |
| 試験 | exam | shiken | 来週、試験があります。There is an exam next week. |
Business and work basics
| Japanese | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 会社 | company | kaisha | 大きい会社で働いています。I work at a big company. |
| 仕事 | work, job | shigoto | 仕事が忙しいです。Work is busy. |
| 会議 | meeting | kaigi | 明日、会議があります。There is a meeting tomorrow. |
| 名刺 | business card | meishi | 名刺を交換しましょう。Let's exchange business cards. |
| 電話 | telephone | denwa | 電話番号を教えてください。Please tell me your phone number. |
| メール | meeru | メールを送りました。I sent an email. | |
| 会社員 | company employee | kaishain | 兄は会社員です。My older brother is a company employee. |
| 上司 | boss | joushi | 上司に相談します。I will consult my boss. |
| 給料 | salary | kyuuryou | 給料日は月末です。Payday is the end of the month. |
| 休み | day off, break | yasumi | 明日は休みです。Tomorrow is a day off. |
Study tips for Japanese
- Japanese pitch accent is subtle at first; focus on natural rhythm rather than stress, and listen to native audio for each new word.
- Learn hiragana and katakana before kanji; reading the phonetic scripts fluently makes every example sentence far easier to sound out.
- Group verbs by their dictionary form, like taberu or nomu, and practice conjugating them into the polite -masu form, since most textbooks and JLPT N5 material use that form first.
- Flashcard apps work well for kanji with multiple readings, such as 今日 (kyou) versus 今 (ima); always study the word inside a full example sentence, not in isolation.
- Days of the week and numbers appear constantly in daily conversation, so practice saying dates and times out loud until they become automatic.
Frequently asked questions
What is JLPT N5 vocabulary?
JLPT N5 is the entry level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and its vocabulary covers everyday words like greetings, numbers, family terms and common verbs, many of which are included in this list.
Is this list useful for JLPT N4 too?
This page focuses on beginner N5-level words, but learning them thoroughly builds the foundation you need before moving on to JLPT N4 vocabulary, which adds more verbs, adjectives and abstract nouns.
What's the best way to use flashcard apps for Japanese vocabulary?
Create one card per word with the Japanese script, romaji reading and an example sentence, and review new words daily using spaced repetition so they move into long-term memory.
Do I need to learn kanji to start learning Japanese vocabulary?
No, you can begin with hiragana and katakana and use romaji as a guide; kanji can be added gradually once you are comfortable recognizing common words.